Cracked Up

Got up before 5:30 this morning and drove the nearly hours distance to the airport where mom and dad were tucked away in a Marriott for their last night.  “This one night costs as much as a week at the weekly motel!”, mom says.  A big change in atmosphere, that’s for sure.  Called them 6:30 central time and they are now safe at home.  

After we had selected to stay at the KOA, dad found out that he knew the owner.  Had not had a chance to meet him until we were just leaving….when one of his workers came by and told him to tell him hello for me.  He asked who my parents were, and when I told him, he knew them too…knew my cousins from San Jose area, and the ones from the Monterey area, and the ones from Hayward…all my mothers relatives.  So I asked his name, and you will never guess it…..yep, I knew him too…went to college back in ‘75 with him…we were on the same dorm floor.  WOW, it is a small world.  Wonder how many others I have seen, and who have seen me, that neither knew who each other were because of all the physical changes over the past forty some years or so.

We left the KOA in a downpour of rain, and rain most of our trip down into Arkansas.  So we decided to stop at Cracker Barrel for dinner in Rogers/Bentonville area, and yes, we decided to stay overnight in their parking lot with the blessings of their night manager, who, by the way, was from White Hall, Arkansas, where I lived for much of my time when I worked at the Library System in Jefferson County for 22 years.  He was in his mid-30’s, so he did not know my kids….but he has a younger brother who might, but I can’t remember the guys name.   So for tonight, we indeed are “Cracked up” at Cracker Barrel.