Surprises

I just love surprises, of any description. To me some of the best times in life are those which are not planned or anticipated. Unless we're talking about finding a caterpillar on one's pillow, which is exactly what happened to me last night. No lie.

Over a week ago, I went to Mobjack to photograph some churches, an old school and a wharf. Along the way were many unexpected scenes starving for attention, including this building which sits right next to the Bohannon post office.

Since traffic is nonexistent light in this neck of the woods, I pulled over across the road and started taking pictures. This window was particularly charming; the curtains, unexpected.

Someone who's been here a while can tell me what this place was, but I'm going to guess a filling station or a store. Maybe both. Maybe neither.

Regardless, it was an unexpected gift on my photographic journey.

Just like Friday last, when I was supposed to go to the library to do some research. The sunshine was brilliant, as it was in the shots above, so I never made it to the library just had to sneak in a few pictures. Except I wasn't sure where to go. I never am.

So I just drove on through the Court House and arbitrarily made a left at the Convalescent Center where I'll be living in a few short years. The road took me past the Tabernacle and then twisted this way and that.

All of a sudden, while debating which way to turn at an intersection, I noticed a man working on a tractor in the field and recognized him as Mr. C., someone I've loved from afar known for decades.

He jumped over the ditch as I came to a stop in the middle of the road. Leaning in to my open passenger-side window he began a conversation which lasted a good ten minutes. No, it was a great ten minutes. We talked. We laughed. We reminisced. And then we laughed some more. I could have stayed there in the middle of the road all day long. Talking and laughing.

Although I could write a book on our conversation, and maybe I will some day, my favorite part went like so:

Mr. C: Where are you headed this fine mornin'?

CBW: I don't know exactly. Wherever the wind blows me.

Mr. C: That's the very best place to go.

Indeed it is.

I'm almost always very pleasantly surprised.