By Linda Elissalde
What was it? Military Carrier? Strange RV? Something from Outer Space? I had never seen anything like this unique vehicle. AND, it was parked in front of THE BIG STORE in Crystal Beach, Texas. There was a young lady sitting in the passenger seat. So, standing on tip-toe, I ventured to ask some questions. The charming woman was from Germany. She and her husband were a part of OFFROADMINDS. (You can find more about it on GOOGLE.) They were touring America in this marvelous traveling home on wheels that had been created out of a firetruck.
She stated that her husband would be out of The Gulf Coast Market soon, and he spoke better English than she. (Her knowledge of English would put those of us who can ONLY speak English to shame.)
“The point of travel is to balance imagination with reality and, instead of thinking about how things could be, to see them as they are.” Unknown
Her husband was just as nice as she. He explained that their children were grown and their parents in good health. So they decided to see the USA in a remarkable way. There was a map on one side of the craft that displayed where they had traveled after arriving by ship to Maryland. Both were enchanted with the United States and delighted in our beach. They were enjoying food, people and viewing all the varied offerings of our land.
I took a few phot0s, wrote down their names (that I cannot find anywhere) and bid them, “Farewell, Bon Voyage, Adios, Guten Tag”. Then I added, “Wo ist die Bahnhofsstrasse?” Translation: “Where is the train station street?” That was just to show that two semesters of German were not a total loss.
Husband hopped (climbed) into this magnificent invention. The two waved as they headed west for new sights and adventures. May they continue to have a wunderbar time all across the USA and onward. What a most delightful couple! It just goes to show – Oh! The People You’ll Meet At THE BIG STORE. “You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So…get on you way!” Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
[LCE: Mar-26-2024]
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Nice piece, Linda,
Many thanks for bringing this cool profile to the rest of us! And great thanks for using the proper English, which is so rare these days: “Her husband was just as nice as she.”
So refreshing to see someone who still knows the rules of grammar and is not afraid to use them!
~~ J. Lee