This past week I went back home. "Back home" is southwestern Indiana. I go back from time to time. I'm like Tom Brokaw, "I don't want to live there again, but I never want to quit going back. I'm always refreshed." That's me.
I went back to see some old friends and meet some new ones that I have had media contact with but had never met. Also, yes play some golf. Let's see, played the Elks course in Sullivan, Indiana on a Monday. Then on to Kokomo, Indiana played the Chippendale course and the Kokomo Country Club the next two days. The following day played one of the two courses at Purdue. What a treat that was. Finished our play with a round at Rock Hollow in Peru on Friday.
Also, while there we went to the Howard County fair in Greentown, Indian. I can't remember the last time I was at a fair. Notice I didn't say I don't remember things that happened at the fair. I do. I'm just not sure when I was last there. In fact we went two nights. First night to see The Flying Toasters. If you are wondering what's The Flying Toasters, well they are a music, rock-n'-roll group. We followed that up with going again the next night to see Phil Dirt and the Dozers. I have seen them a number of times and they are about as old as dirt. If you want to relive some rock-n-roll memories, go see Phil and the boys. Yes.
Friday night while sitting there in a lawn chair waiting for the show to start I could see and some of the time hear, the noise (screams) from the Ferris wheel. It was a very pretty July evening, temperature just perfect. As I sat there watching the Ferris wheel it brought back a memory which I will share in the following paragraphs. It was a huge wheel, maybe the biggest Ferris wheel I have ever seen. It was lite up with numerous lights, red, green, blue lights, like a huge Christmas tree. It was very pretty as it made its way around and around. It brought back memories from 1959-60 when I was a seventeen-eighteen year old kid. Back then where I grew up the county fair was a a big deal in a teenagers life during that time. My, my the Vigo County fair.
I share the following memory from that time.
You know the memories of those who have passed can be cause for a good smile. Even some more like a laugh. I had one on this evening.
You see I had this good friend, I will not name him but I will never forget him.The county fair was a big deal when he and I were growing up as teenagers. The two of us went often. Like maybe every night?
My friend once gave the operator of the Ferris wheel at the fair a dollar. I was standing behind him with my date also waiting to get on the ride. I saw him give this guy a dollar and overheard his instructions. to the operator, "I'll give you another dollar when we get off if you'll stop the Ferris wheel at the very top when my chair gets there."
You see he wanted to kiss his date at the top of the ride. One has to admit it's pretty hard to escape that move. Well, bingo, wheel stopped at the very top for my friend and the rest is history. We were in a chair right behind him. Now as I sat there in my chair on this summer night, that did not make me smile, it made me laugh.
I don't know exactly how my friend or his date would have evaluated this investment. But I was in the chair behind them and I do know he got what he paid for.
I'm not saying what I did but you know sometimes you can learn from the examples of others.
Later my friend did tell me..."Pretty good investment for two dollars."
That was my friend. I miss him and sitting there this Friday night at the Howard County Fair in Greentown, Indiana, looking at the Ferris wheel, I smiled and thought of him. I also was a little bit sad.
You understand?
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May 14, 2016
Keep on,
Larry Adamson