I’ve been chastised for not blogging during my cross-country travels, but I must say I had a bit of a moral dilemma: how could I blog about the people who were nice enough to put up with me in their homes? Every household does have funny quirks and I can’t say that I didn’t want to share, but I restrained myself.

I will say, however, that I had a classic encounter at a rest stop on the Jersey Turnpike. Walking back to my car in the parking lot, I noticed a few kids peering in the windows and laughing. Just as I got within earshot, the oldest girl of the three shouted quite definitively, “That car is UGLY!” As I walked up to the driver’s side door, I just smiled and said, “You guys don’t like my car?” “Sorry,” she said, looking at the ground, “I didn’t know it was yours.” “That’s ok, she is a very old car, but she’s also a very good car.” Then the younger girl said, “I like the folded clothes,” pointing to the tank tops I had taken out of my backpack and had neglected to pack them back in. “Thanks.” Then the boy, who seemed to be the youngest of all three, and who looked like a cool little dude with his shades said, “It has style.” I laughed at that. “Yes, yes it does.”