A Special Road Trip

I left Paducah early this morning.  At a Rest Stop in West Virginia I witnessed the arrival (maybe today, maybe yesterday) of the 17-year brood of cicada.  Hundreds of empty carcasses were on the ground and in the trees.  The cicadas seemed to be everywhere and their “drone” was constant and intense.  As I wrote earlier, the males make the “music” to call forth the female—and it is a desperate song because the cicada (both male and female) are starving to death.  They won’t last long—maybe a few weeks. The equipment they need for eating was destroyed as they burrowed up from their 17-year journey underground.

When my friend Bill lived in the Maryland area, it was customary for us to have a “Boy’s Night Out” on occasion.  We did that again last night at a new restaurant in Paducah called the “Freight House.”  We sat at the “cook’s counter” where we could watch the chefs prepare the various menu items.  That was an impressive experience in and  of itself—but we did order meals as well—and they were superb.  I ordered Shrimp with Grits and Bill had a chicken dish. We were pleasantly stuffed after our meal and had to forego dessert.

After our Boy’s Night Out we spent the rest of the evening talking about a little bit of everything (Astro- and Quantum physics, politics, art, society, religion, the friends we have known, church, government, personal goals and frustrations, and on and on) bringing closure to our brief day and a-half visit together.  

Tonight I am located in a campground in the mountains near Morgantown, WV.  Maryland is just a “stone’s throw” away!  This trip was all about connecting with two very special friends:  Mark and Bill.  What a special trip it has been!