Thread: OT: Kinda Sad

I only been here going on 6 yrs but man that was a feel-good tree to pull up to & park under. Like the article says ya know it had seen plenty of horse & buggy days. Always shade to park under, many a good conversation and many world problems addressed under that tree. Croaker is 4 miles down the road from me and Garretts Grocery is all of Croaker. Thats it. There is no more. Some of you may have been there or passed it on the way to York River State Park just 2 miles away. It is an old-timey store that has a little of everything, a friendly smile, a chair or 2 for passers-thru to sit and BS from off to one side. In season they have a tank outside and sell shedder/peeler crabs.

When I lived in Texas the local Napa store had a small long narrow room with a seperate entrance where core charge batteries, starters, etc..were kept. The door had no lock on it and a coffee pot was inside, along with a collection of chairs & benches.Anywhere from 4 A.M. or so on, whoever showed up first turned on a light & made coffee, the locals filtered in and
someone brought the newspaper, that kinda place.
Well Garretts Grocery filled that void when I first moved here. And still does.
I didnt know a soul here and just by stopping by early & often in the morning,
once the regulars/locals got to see that A. I was OK. B. I had a 2 digit IQ
and could obviously roll out first thing in the morning had a little motivation/drive, well I was kinda taken in and accepted. They were aware that I was a farrier who had just moved here and was out to get a clientele together and although no direct business came from there, there were always
offers of did I wanna frame a house or clear brush....etc...they were not going to let me starve.:D And I know that is still there should I ever need it and any of em would sponsor a shirt collection if I walked in and told em Boudreaux ate every last one of mine.
In the pic at bottom right, the 2nd dude from the right w/long hair is Steve. Him and his older brother own & run the store. Steves' big thing in life is when he gets away for a little vacation time he takes the wife and they climb the highest point in whatever state. He has a pretty good list going, in the 30s, of states he has stood at the highest altitude in that state.
WHAT??? How in the heck would I know? I would ask him myself but figger whatever answer I got would never be understood by me like he he understands it. [IMG][/IMG]

Those guys at the store are top notch for sure. Always polite and helpful.:D