I am a people watcher and a talker so working for my Uncle Buck at the garage was really great. We always had folks coming either for auto repair, bicycle repair, and sometimes just to talk. We usually knew what was going on because of the steady stream of town folks stopping by. One such visitor was Mr. Blake, who had to be over 80 years old. He would walk from his small house on Main Street to the garage. It usually took him about an hour to make his way. He always had a story to tell and added a lesson or two in for good measure. I never asked him about his family but I did know that his wife had died several years ago. Bent over by age, Mr. Blake hobbled up the road, using his cane. He always stopped by the Country Store for lunch and made his way to the garage. His stories always started the same way. “When I was a young lad, about your age, I traveled across the mountains to visit family”. His story would then continue with a different adventure each time. This story was my favorite.
