The North Coast

Just looked  back over things and it has been 9 days since I've typed anything, i have had lots on my mind just never made time to sit down and type. 

 I had an elder preach for me yesterday,(Sunday)  it was nice to just sort of sit back and take notes.  After church I made my usual trip to Rallys, they have 69 cent hamburgers, hot dogs and 12 oz. shakes on Sundays.  It was a warm sunny day and I just felt like the usual drive would not cut it, so after about 2 minutes of consideration I grabbed my GPS and was headed to Port Clinton on Lake Erie, know by some of the locals as "the North Coast"  It was an interesting drive, I burned a CD just for the drive and had a lot of time to think about life as I drove the mostly rural route.  

I've made this trip many times, I have friends who spend weekends up there, some who own businesses. Some things never change but you see them in a different view. I drive about 20 miles on a major highway, 23 north then its back country roads from there. As I drove I went through several small towns, the kind where the speed limit slows to 45.  One that has had only a small bar and a drive through had a sign in front of the drive through boasting they now had an ATM.  Its remarkable how times change.

I drove further up the road I passed an area where they grow tomatos, probably plant thousands of acres.  They had begun planting and I noticed they had changed the way the rows were laid out.  I also noticed  groups of house trailers, one had 8 in it, all probably where migrant workers would stay when they came to pick.  I kept driving, passing many roadside vegetable stands that would later open for the summer, an airstrip that the pattern for takeoff and landing crosses the road --they  have low flying aircraft signs and I have seen how low they fly.  Sometimes I think the pilots also see how low they can fly.

As I began the final 15 mile to the lakes I went through a very heavy retail area and thought about stopping for dinner on the way back. As I drove into the town I saw the lake and was kind of anxious to get out, I found a parking spot and went into a pizza shop owned by some friends.  They asked if I wanted the usual, told them yes but in a bag.  So they made my sub, threw it with some chips in a bag and I was out the door.  It is about a 2 block walk to the waterfront where lots of head boats dock, also a good place to just sit and watch the world and the water go by.  Kind of like the song "Sittin' on the dock of the Bay"  You are probably now thinking, "can Ralph ever blog without mentioning a song"  the answer is probably not.