Back-porchin’

There’s lots of life to be observed on a trip like this. One slice that’s become obvious to me is the amount of back-porching that I see going on. Now, we all know people who show up at your front door and with whom you’ll entertain a short conversation on the front porch, before bidding them a courteous but quick, goodbye. Then there are others that we invite in and lure to the back porch for a sit-down discussion of whatever is on their minds, unhurried and heartfelt, usually involving a few rounds of something cool to drink. Those hours pass like minutes and the bonds formed on the back porch are long remembered. Relating the days’ experiences to you and then later reading your comments back, make if feel a lot like we are back-porchin’.

Rain clouds and grey skies prompted me to get a head-start today, putting on the rain gear before leaving the hotel. After last night’s pelting by the largest thunderstorm of the trip, I felt well advised to do so. From the first mile ridden departing Stroud OK to the last of 216 miles, placing me in Weatherford OK for the evening, not a drop fell. I may have stumbled upon a way to control the weather.

My zoological skills have improved and I was able to accurately identify the first entry for Roadside Napping Team Armadillo. Following yesterday’s miscue I considered DNA testing, but a slow-pass visual provided incontrovertible identification of the species. I do find it comical that all tortoise and turtle sightings have been of those that are quite awake and mobile while crossing the roadways. Yet the deer, opossum, raccoon and armadillo competitors have not shared the same fortune.

Today, RT66 took me through the town of El Reno OK. Let it be said that the television news does not do justice to the level of tornado damage that these poor souls have endured. The devastation was complete, yet selective. Your prayers, contributions and donations are still needed, even though the news cycle has moved on.

Tonight’s Small-World Entry: I had the pleasure of having dinner with my cousin and her husband, who are in the process of following RT66 as they relocate from Pennsylvania to California, post-retirement. Who would have guessed that our paths would cross at day’s end in Weatherford OK?