Not from around here

Traveling on US 24 nearing US 31, you might, just maybe notice signs North and South directing you to Mexico (North), Peru (South), Denver (North), Miami (South). You're not in Panama, but you are in Indiana. Here, you head South to find Santa Claus.

JJ

I saw a huge plant separated by a road and railroad. It was Clymers Plant. I thought of JJ, then saw that there was a town of Clymers, but at first there might have been a story that I didn't know about JJ. If you don't know JJ, then you don't know Dave.

Sad little towns

Driving from one city to West Lafayette (Purdue University), I drove by and through many sad little squatter towns. Two were trailers only, with dump pits nearby and others in lowlands, presently flooding. The leafless trees holding no secrets to the sad little parcels. I'm glad that I didn't have to stop. They all mad me a little sad; these dumpy, poor, flooded areas with ramshackle homes. Delphi, Indiana was one such sad little town, but worse still was Burrows.

Outstanding in her field

I saw something odd in a field. It stood out because of color, but it was still odd. I had to see it in flashes, for I was driving, but it wasn't clear to be either a cow or a trough. At the last glance, it turned its head -- a cow, out alone, quarter to half mile from any building. There were no other cows. I'm not sure it was a "happy cow", but it was outstanding in its field.

Covee of critters

The trip wasn't without critters. There were a few cow farms, a family of deer in a different field and flocks of confused birds. On the campus, several gray squirrels showed disdain for my intrusion -- how dare I be there. On the way back, on a poorly lit road, there was a spot -- carcass on the road. With some clarity as I got closer, another thing was near. I thought to myself that it was a raccoon eating, but dismissed the thought as wrong. I still gave it a wide berth. After I passed it, I saw a raccoon's distinctive hump walk across the road behind, lit by the red running lights of the van. Huh! I'm glad that I missed it.

With the singular flock of birds, I'm disappointed that they still messed on the van. Rotten, ungrateful buggers -- I feed them here.

Yo ho, blow the van down

I drove today to pick my neice at Purdue. I knew that it was windy, but man, oh man did it ever buffet the van about, as though it were confetti. The gas mileage went down a bit for sure. What was most interesting about the wind, was that the wipers worked very well on the upswing, but the wind caught them on the down swing, leaving more smears than swiping. It was an odd little trip, very gray, very windy, flurries and rain. My car's profile works better, by a little, but its light weight makes it more like Charlie Brown's kite than anything else. Someday I'll have a laughing tree munching on my tree, a smile within its branches and leaves, while I hang upside-down.

"Rats!"