This past weekend we had ample opportunity to converse with people we may or may not ever meet again, touching on several
topics and yet not necessarily even exchanging names. YK was along for the ride
(literally –we were on a boat) the second day and bore witness to the fact that
her dad and I will strike up a conversation with anybody (as if she had never
been with us in a grocery store). Throughout the weekend the common theme
seemed to be “quirky.”
It is worth mentioning (according to me) that within a two hour span we had come across first a man and later a dog who
reminded us of television series characters. It’s probably a good
thing we dropped cable.
One of the folks we had the pleasure of meeting was the owner of a
business in the other Portland - Oregon. He lives on the east coast. Sounds
like a tough commute, hmm? We were surprised – and genuinely impressed - to
learn that he bought the business a few years ago and did not have the heart to
close the west coast office and transition the business closer to home. As he
put it, “Twenty-four people counted on those jobs.” Wow. So that really still
happens where people put the welfare of others first in the business world?
While cruising through Casco Bay on a mail boat run (a Christmas
present from YK to her dad) we had a few unexpected encounters with fellow
travelers. There was the "homeless" woman (her husband was nearby chatting it
up with someone else) probably five or ten years older than us, vacationing in
Maine for the month of August while their house in Florida was being built. She told us they had put their Virginia home on the market anticipating a
time frame of three to six months before they got a nibble. Instead they were
reeling them in on the first week and had a cash offer in their pockets in no
time. Thus the “homeless” situation. Part of me wanted to mock her 'loss' -
they had to cut their regular three-month stay in Maine to one in order to get
to their new home - but I liked her too much!
Then there was Gizmo and his family. Gizmo was a very small,
very adorable dog - I’m going to guess Pekingese - nestled on a blanket by his
owners’ feet right inside the cabin of the boat. The husband (Gizmo’s dad) was
a friendly, talkative sort (who just happened to remind us of a guest character
on NCIS). Gizmo was originally a
shelter dog that had been abused, rescued, and then "inherited" upon
the passing of a family member. Dad (formerly not much of a dog
person) admitted that when the rest of the family wasn't around he would coo over Gizmo with the
best of them. I have to say that
picturing this guy who could have been a linebacker in his younger days,
talking to a dog like a baby when he was alone was a pretty funny picture. The
wife (Gizmo’s mom) was quieter (not that Dad gave her a lot of 'ins') but also friendly, and she lit up when she talked about their daughter the pageant winner. She showed us a photo over which we oooh’d and ahhh’d
appropriately (really, the girl was stunning, and it was kind of cool).
As dogs seek out other dogs - even on a boat - we were soon introduced to the curious bark of what definitely could have been the descendant of Paul Anka. Not the actual Paul Anka, obviously. I mean the dog on Gilmore Girls. If you’re
scratching your head trying to remember a dog on Gilmore Girls (and if you have
never watched Gilmore Girls I’m not sure I can be your friend), it was one of
the last seasons of the series when Lorelei adopted a dog with strange habits and
rituals and a shoe fetish. The black lab mix we met refuses to go
up or down more than four steps and is afraid of feathers.
I rest my case.
What I found fascinating this past weekend was that most
people we encountered had some pretty interesting stories (even the dogs). It
made me wonder… what’s interesting about us? The list is somewhat short and still under scrutiny, but
here goes nothing.
Both S and I are the only left-handed children in our
families, and OK is the only right-handed
member of our little family. Come
on – that’s kind of interesting.
We are the proud (cough cough) owners of a hovercraft. I
might have mentioned this in past blog entries… though it may have been
referred to as an eyesore or even a planter. Still, it is a different sort of
item to own, I would think. It isn’t working. That wouldn’t be the interesting
part, I suppose.
My mother, OK and I were all operated on by the same surgeon
- in two different states. This is nothing to be hooting and hollering about
(surgery does not tend to be a happy
thing) but it is a tad unusual. It’s a long story and I wish you would stop
walking away as I try to tell it.
We have won hotel stays and airline tickets. That in itself
sort of pulls you in, right? The fact that we used them before they expired is the
real fascination.
S owns a 1968 Ford Torino, parked on the side of the garage.
It isn’t working. I know this shocks you.
That’s about all I’ve got at the moment. Ironically, the
weekend people we shared time with deemed us interesting enough to talk with for
more than the requisite three minutes about weather, even without any of these compelling
topics coming up – amazing!
There is one more riveting fact that will no doubt make you
feel complete.
Today is National Left Handers Day. Party on, people. Party
on.
"it isn't working. I know, you're shocked."
ReplyDeleteHahaha!! :)
And my other favorite:
"It is a long story and i wish u would stop walking away..."
Haha!
I wonder what some ppl think of me/us as we are out and about. Hmmm...this one made me laugh AND think! :)