(see previous post on Bonin Walker#3)
Today Carrie and I again headed to Walmart. Our goal? To buy a bicycle for the Bonin Walker #3.
The young lady walks to work in the unbearable heat of a southern summer. Trying to find a bicycle yesterday was a bust. The bikes at the Walmart closest to my house were not acceptable. The team hired by Walmart to do their bike assembly had not put them together correctly and the brakes on them were locked to the tires. This caused us to continue our hunt for a bike today.
Success. Within a few minutes of entering the store in Broussard, we found a bike that would fit our requirements; a 26 inch gray beauty. Our choices were limited as to color for the size and the price range we were seeking. This one would be sufficient.
We rolled that bike to the front of the store, paid for it and proved to the
guard at the exit door with the receipt, the bike was not being shoplifted. Carrie helped load it into the car. She was so excited that the young walker would be getting a surprise. I explained to Carrie the young woman was trying to support herself and needed a little help. We all need a little help somewhere along the way.
The bike was delivered. The young woman shyly thanked us and we drove away. Our next stop was at the auto parts store and then to Carrie's friend's house where she would be spending the afternoon.
As we drove through my subdivision, a biker was seen heading down the same street toward us, hair flying in the breeze. Closing the gap between us, we identified the rider! It was the young Bonin Walker flying along on her new bike. She gave us a big smile, waved and kept rolling past us. Carrie and I were both smiling. I don't know if she was just enjoying the newly acquired freedom with this ride or if she was on her way to see a friend in this neighborhood but Carrie and I were both thrilled that she had that option. The sun beat down on this hot afternoon but it didn't keep that young woman from enjoying her new 'ride'.
It makes me smile to know she is enjoying her 'day off'. Tomorrow that bike will be the vehicle to get her to her job!
Monday, July 31, 2017
Sunday, July 30, 2017
Bonin Walker #3
She walked beside the narrow paved road that is named Bonin. Her uniform of blue slacks and blue shirt edged in an orange stripe announced her profession. She works at the Sonic Drive In and can be seen trudging to work in 90 plus temperatures and the dreaded humidity we endure in the dog days of summer.
A petite, thin young woman, she must be at least 18 yrs old to own a full time job at her place of employment. Her sweat soaked light brown hair clung to her skull. Her blue eyes appeared huge in her thin face. She looked too weary for her young age.
I eased my car to the side of the road about 10 ft. in front of her and hit the window button on the passenger side to drop the window. As she walked up, I asked "Do you need a ride?"
Too tired to smile, she nodded her head and got into the car. Little conversation ensued other then the information on where she worked. We rode in silence. In a few minutes we arrived at Sonic; she gave her thanks, smiled and walked into her job.
A few days pass and again I'm on Bonin. Again, I see the same young lady but this time
she was walking away from her job. Again, I pulled to the side of the road but this time I didn't question her need of a ride. She spoke in a soft voice that was difficult to hear. I assumed she lived in the trailer park and she confirmed that as she directed me to her street.
The trailer was in a less desirable part of the park. Parts of this park, the lots are owned by the people living on them and they have been there for years while parts of the park are rental property. Some of the rentals are obvious. Junk cars and rubbish litter the yards, where the grass is scarce. Very young children play in the dirt yards; teens bounce a basketball with friends while parents relax in the shade available. Sprinkled among the rentals are the lot owners. Yards are fenced and manicured. Not all the lot owners are this neat but the majority of them are.
The trailer sat back from the road on a dirt lot beneath a huge oak tree. Litter sprinkled the lot like confetti on a cupcake. A tired bike sat among the debris that was the front yard. It had a flat tire and that's why the young lady was walking to work.
I asked her to get the bike for me while I got my air compressor out of the trunk. Airing up the tires was fruitless. The back tire was dry rotted and would not hold air. I asked when she worked again and she stated she had "tomorrow" off. Loading the worn out bike into the trunk of my car, I told her I would try to replace that tire.
My next stop was to pick up Carrie to spend the night with me. As she rounded the car she noted the bicycle protruding from the trunk. I explained the reason and off we went to Walmart. My good deed for today would be to find a new bicycle for this young lady that was trying so desperately to support herself. Carrie is a generous soul and was so excited that this young lady would be getting a surprise. Carrie shared with me that her mother also picks up this young lady when she sees her walking. I suppose this gesture of empathy runs strong in my family.
We left Walmart without a bike. None of the bikes in our price range worked correctly. The brakes on them were installed too tight and they 'dragged' making it difficult to move the bike forward. We left that store without accomplishing our goal.
Today Carrie and I will go to another Walmart that is a little farther away. We need a bike before tomorrow to get our Bonin Walker #3 some independence. An update will follow!
A petite, thin young woman, she must be at least 18 yrs old to own a full time job at her place of employment. Her sweat soaked light brown hair clung to her skull. Her blue eyes appeared huge in her thin face. She looked too weary for her young age.
I eased my car to the side of the road about 10 ft. in front of her and hit the window button on the passenger side to drop the window. As she walked up, I asked "Do you need a ride?"
Too tired to smile, she nodded her head and got into the car. Little conversation ensued other then the information on where she worked. We rode in silence. In a few minutes we arrived at Sonic; she gave her thanks, smiled and walked into her job.
A few days pass and again I'm on Bonin. Again, I see the same young lady but this time
she was walking away from her job. Again, I pulled to the side of the road but this time I didn't question her need of a ride. She spoke in a soft voice that was difficult to hear. I assumed she lived in the trailer park and she confirmed that as she directed me to her street.
The trailer was in a less desirable part of the park. Parts of this park, the lots are owned by the people living on them and they have been there for years while parts of the park are rental property. Some of the rentals are obvious. Junk cars and rubbish litter the yards, where the grass is scarce. Very young children play in the dirt yards; teens bounce a basketball with friends while parents relax in the shade available. Sprinkled among the rentals are the lot owners. Yards are fenced and manicured. Not all the lot owners are this neat but the majority of them are.
The trailer sat back from the road on a dirt lot beneath a huge oak tree. Litter sprinkled the lot like confetti on a cupcake. A tired bike sat among the debris that was the front yard. It had a flat tire and that's why the young lady was walking to work.
I asked her to get the bike for me while I got my air compressor out of the trunk. Airing up the tires was fruitless. The back tire was dry rotted and would not hold air. I asked when she worked again and she stated she had "tomorrow" off. Loading the worn out bike into the trunk of my car, I told her I would try to replace that tire.
My next stop was to pick up Carrie to spend the night with me. As she rounded the car she noted the bicycle protruding from the trunk. I explained the reason and off we went to Walmart. My good deed for today would be to find a new bicycle for this young lady that was trying so desperately to support herself. Carrie is a generous soul and was so excited that this young lady would be getting a surprise. Carrie shared with me that her mother also picks up this young lady when she sees her walking. I suppose this gesture of empathy runs strong in my family.
We left Walmart without a bike. None of the bikes in our price range worked correctly. The brakes on them were installed too tight and they 'dragged' making it difficult to move the bike forward. We left that store without accomplishing our goal.
Today Carrie and I will go to another Walmart that is a little farther away. We need a bike before tomorrow to get our Bonin Walker #3 some independence. An update will follow!
50 Years Later and a Class Reunion Trip
Where have those years gone? The "summer of love" or 1967 and it's graduation time. Clueless as to planning a future that encompassed more then 'tomorrow', I left that graduation and eventually the entire town of Ripley. Years and years of traveling followed. Around and around and across the states, I lived. Exposed to different cultures then the one offered from the small town I was exposed to, I observed, listened and learned.
Through the years, I traveled back to this small town to see my mother, friends and relatives. Mom passed in 1999 and that was the last year I visited.
Fast forward to June 28th, 2017, Lafayette, Louisiana. It's 0400 hrs. The car is packed except for the last small valise carrying toiletries. Grabbing that and my purse, I roused Carrie from her bedroom, escorted her to the car where a blanket and pillow awaited. I expected her to sleep. Surprisingly, she sat alert and wide eyed as we rolled out of the driveway.
On the road and I feel 'at home' once again. Long trips have been the mainstay of my life since leaving the place where I will return to on this trip.
Cruising down the highway at illegal speeds, I tried to hold my lawbreaking to less then 10 mph over the speed limit.
Carrie fell victim to the sandman less then an hour after departure. For the next 5 hrs. she slept. 740 miles later, found us in Dandridge, Tennessee checking in to the Holiday Inn Express. A pool was one of the requirements to lodging accepted. That pool was located beyond our window. That pool was never visited by Carrie. After dinner, we returned to the room and shortly thereafter, sleep.
Being only 35 miles from Pigeon Forge, we awoke to a side trip to visit Dollywood. I won't go into any detail on Dollywood but suffice it to say, amusement parks are just not our thing. After two hours of slogging up and down the mountain that was Dollywood; doing a roller coaster ride, Carrie enjoyed her "dip n dots' as we headed for the exit door of Dollywood. We rode the tram back to the parking lot and dived into the hot car and headed out. Our first stop was dinner after which we gassed up the car and hit the road once again. Leaving at 1500 hrs. to finish this trip would put us at our destination after 2300 hrs. (11PM).
We are staying with my sister's home. She lives at Fairplain which is about 3 miles out of Ripley. She hasn't lived here long so her home hasn't been fully set up. I promised to help. Arising the next morning at 0500 hrs. I began. The first order of business was getting the guest bathroom ready for use. This required clearing out the stored items in the tub, putting up shower curtain and liner and finding space for toiletries. Later I would be hanging pictures on her walls but that would require a trip to Walmart to get supplies. I had free reign on where and what to hang but before getting to that part of this trip, Carrie and I escaped to discover some old haunts.
As we drove around the little town, I pointed out the places I had lived; the place where her mother lived for the first 3 years of her life. Eventually memory lane led us to Sycamore Creek and Little Creek. These two places I lived with my family before moving into town.
Carrie has no experience on traveling roads other then the flat straight roads of her 11 yr. old life in Louisiana. This was an experience for her. The roads were narrow, paved or graveled and even onto red clay dirt roads but ALWAYS narrow! The adventure was on.
The rollercoaster roads we traveled today left Carrie's stomach lurching as we mounted the highs and lows of the roads we traveled. Meeting an oncoming vehicle required one of said vehicles find a place in the road to pull over and allow one to pass. We meandered onto narrow roads and onto smaller veins that took us deeper and deeper into the hills. As we passed the few homes tucked into these hollows, I explained to the granddaughter, the curious looks we were getting was because these people knew every vehicle that was related to the inhabitants and they knew we were strangers. A few times someone would pull out behind us and follow at a distance, stopping when we stopped and moving again but keeping a distance of 1/4 mile behind us.
The deeper we invaded, the closer the canopy of trees encroached. The sun was blocked out, leaving us to travel in the cooler temperatures. The hills rose steep on either side of the car as we moved on.
At one point, deep in the mountains, we happened upon a road crew. The road was red clay, dry and passable which would not have been possible had it been wet and greasy. I've driven red clay in wet conditions which requires a bit of skill.
Seeing the construction crew of six men, and noting the huge road grader across this narrow road, I knew moving forward was an impossibility. Turning the big Mercury around was another impossibility. I stopped and backed up to where one of the workers stood. He asked if I needed to get
through to which I answered "uh, no! I would prefer turning around and leaving." Then the adventure began.
The worker stood on the drop off side of this mountain road to watch the tires of my car as I inched backward to the steep drop side. He waved when I was to stop while yelling the same. I then cut the wheel to the right and inched forward to the mountain side of this road. Inching backward, then forward, cutting the wheel and turning the car foot by foot and inch by inch, I tried not to think about the trunk of my car hanging off the mountainside while my tires rested on fresh graded earth. Imagining the dirt moving and falling away down the mountainside taking me, Carrie and the car, I was relieved when maneuvering the Mercury and facing the direction from which we arrived. I waved and yelled a goodbye as we headed back down the mountain. Carrie was unaware of any danger. I would have had to explain my meaning of "adventure" had she expressed any anxiety.
Every day we would select a road and follow it as far as we dared. We knew to get out before dark or we would spend the night wandering the veins of road that threads those mountains.
(to be continued...vacation 2017...Carrie and Nana)
Through the years, I traveled back to this small town to see my mother, friends and relatives. Mom passed in 1999 and that was the last year I visited.
Fast forward to June 28th, 2017, Lafayette, Louisiana. It's 0400 hrs. The car is packed except for the last small valise carrying toiletries. Grabbing that and my purse, I roused Carrie from her bedroom, escorted her to the car where a blanket and pillow awaited. I expected her to sleep. Surprisingly, she sat alert and wide eyed as we rolled out of the driveway.
On the road and I feel 'at home' once again. Long trips have been the mainstay of my life since leaving the place where I will return to on this trip.
Cruising down the highway at illegal speeds, I tried to hold my lawbreaking to less then 10 mph over the speed limit.
Carrie fell victim to the sandman less then an hour after departure. For the next 5 hrs. she slept. 740 miles later, found us in Dandridge, Tennessee checking in to the Holiday Inn Express. A pool was one of the requirements to lodging accepted. That pool was located beyond our window. That pool was never visited by Carrie. After dinner, we returned to the room and shortly thereafter, sleep.
Being only 35 miles from Pigeon Forge, we awoke to a side trip to visit Dollywood. I won't go into any detail on Dollywood but suffice it to say, amusement parks are just not our thing. After two hours of slogging up and down the mountain that was Dollywood; doing a roller coaster ride, Carrie enjoyed her "dip n dots' as we headed for the exit door of Dollywood. We rode the tram back to the parking lot and dived into the hot car and headed out. Our first stop was dinner after which we gassed up the car and hit the road once again. Leaving at 1500 hrs. to finish this trip would put us at our destination after 2300 hrs. (11PM).
We are staying with my sister's home. She lives at Fairplain which is about 3 miles out of Ripley. She hasn't lived here long so her home hasn't been fully set up. I promised to help. Arising the next morning at 0500 hrs. I began. The first order of business was getting the guest bathroom ready for use. This required clearing out the stored items in the tub, putting up shower curtain and liner and finding space for toiletries. Later I would be hanging pictures on her walls but that would require a trip to Walmart to get supplies. I had free reign on where and what to hang but before getting to that part of this trip, Carrie and I escaped to discover some old haunts.
As we drove around the little town, I pointed out the places I had lived; the place where her mother lived for the first 3 years of her life. Eventually memory lane led us to Sycamore Creek and Little Creek. These two places I lived with my family before moving into town.
Carrie has no experience on traveling roads other then the flat straight roads of her 11 yr. old life in Louisiana. This was an experience for her. The roads were narrow, paved or graveled and even onto red clay dirt roads but ALWAYS narrow! The adventure was on.
The rollercoaster roads we traveled today left Carrie's stomach lurching as we mounted the highs and lows of the roads we traveled. Meeting an oncoming vehicle required one of said vehicles find a place in the road to pull over and allow one to pass. We meandered onto narrow roads and onto smaller veins that took us deeper and deeper into the hills. As we passed the few homes tucked into these hollows, I explained to the granddaughter, the curious looks we were getting was because these people knew every vehicle that was related to the inhabitants and they knew we were strangers. A few times someone would pull out behind us and follow at a distance, stopping when we stopped and moving again but keeping a distance of 1/4 mile behind us.
The deeper we invaded, the closer the canopy of trees encroached. The sun was blocked out, leaving us to travel in the cooler temperatures. The hills rose steep on either side of the car as we moved on.
At one point, deep in the mountains, we happened upon a road crew. The road was red clay, dry and passable which would not have been possible had it been wet and greasy. I've driven red clay in wet conditions which requires a bit of skill.
Seeing the construction crew of six men, and noting the huge road grader across this narrow road, I knew moving forward was an impossibility. Turning the big Mercury around was another impossibility. I stopped and backed up to where one of the workers stood. He asked if I needed to get
through to which I answered "uh, no! I would prefer turning around and leaving." Then the adventure began.
The worker stood on the drop off side of this mountain road to watch the tires of my car as I inched backward to the steep drop side. He waved when I was to stop while yelling the same. I then cut the wheel to the right and inched forward to the mountain side of this road. Inching backward, then forward, cutting the wheel and turning the car foot by foot and inch by inch, I tried not to think about the trunk of my car hanging off the mountainside while my tires rested on fresh graded earth. Imagining the dirt moving and falling away down the mountainside taking me, Carrie and the car, I was relieved when maneuvering the Mercury and facing the direction from which we arrived. I waved and yelled a goodbye as we headed back down the mountain. Carrie was unaware of any danger. I would have had to explain my meaning of "adventure" had she expressed any anxiety.
Every day we would select a road and follow it as far as we dared. We knew to get out before dark or we would spend the night wandering the veins of road that threads those mountains.
(to be continued...vacation 2017...Carrie and Nana)
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