It's been too long since I've updated and I have lots to share. As we've been traveling from town to town doing errands or walking George (the dog), I've jotted several notes to share. So, here goes:
It's dawned on me that there are some funny combinations of businesses around. Such as, have you ever heard of an ice cream parlor / laundromat combination? There's one nearby. And the hours vary seasonally, it's closed (both businesses) until spring. Seasonal hours are very common in the towns along The Great River Road. It makes sense that businesses are open when most customers are around, so changing hours are not a surprise.
Speaking of hours, in a small town, sometimes the hours are posted, but the business may still not be open. We've run into that several times. The posted hours aren't cast in concrete, shall we say? But, it works the other way, too. Sometimes businesses stay open for that "one last customer" beyond posted hours.
Last week, Duane and I went to a building supply company and saw several deer heads mounted in one area of the store. I had a sense of "Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore" again (see previous blog entry). Speaking of stuffed (real) animals, there is an insurance agency in town that has a stuffed mountain goat and bear, as well as a few other animals, and a bear skin on the wall. Now, I understand that this is a huge area for hunting and fishing. Maybe the connection is that you better have good insurance if you're a hunter?
Another thing I've never seen in the city is a garage with rows of deer antlers across it. Again, this is a major hunting and fishing area.
