FAR AWAY

How far away from home have you been when you have encountered someone you knew,or someone recognized you, or you learned the person was from Washington Court House, or had a connection?  My friend Larry Chapman featured a BLOG article about the topic regarding people from Greenfield.

In the 1970s I was in Gayfer's Department Store in Pensacola, Florida, Christmas shopping with my niece.  As it was a Federated Department Store, I was able to use my Lazarus credit card there.  I mentioned to my niece that I had seen an item we were looking at in Lazarus at a cheaper price.  A woman close by asked, "Are you from Columbus?"  I laughed and answered that I was from a place she'd probably never heard about--Washington Court House--and she said, "I'M from Court House!"

That was the beginning of a 35-year long-distance friendship. Although she was from Washington C.H., she actually lived in neighboring Fort Walton but she had family still in Washington C.H.  I would deliver items to/from her relatives and she would do the same for me.  We always called them our "Care packages";  there were items (such as Mikesell's potato chips and Aunt Jane's pickles) which were favorites of my brother and not available in Florida which she would deliver.

We would see each other when I was in Florida and when she was in Ohio.  

Sadly, I lost my friend several years ago.  She would have been 74 years old today.