The Beth Lists
  • Homepage
  • Little Bear's Adventures
  • Diverse Dining List
  • 90 Notable Nights
  • Happy List
  • Quilt Adventure Blog
  • Not So Happy List
  • The Texas Twenty List
  • Mom's Picnic List
  • 18+ Dance Adventures
  • 55 Strangers
  • The Barbie Bucket List
  • 60 Celebrations
  • 57 Celebrations of the Fifties!



​55 Strangers

#22  Porch People

9/6/2012

0 Comments

 

​Warm Day in January

Picture
I was driving through Rosenberg, TX on probably the loveliest day of the year, when I spotted a porch and four people.

My windows were down and the air was intoxicating.  Why was I so drawn to these folks?  I wanted to put on my brakes and take a picture.


​Colors Caught My Eye


Picture
I passed this worn and modest house and smiled to myself. I absorbed just enough to know I had seen a pink car and a woman in multi-colored curlers.  I never see curlers anymore.  And a porch.  I miss porches. These people were out inhaling the same warm winter air I was giddy over.  I had seen the woman in curlers, a young girl with a jump rope and 2 men relaxing nearby.   Why did they make me smile?
​


I Returned

I drove around the block and waved out the car window as I pulled to  the curb.  I felt just a bit guilty when I asked for directions to The Italian Maid Restaurant up the road...an excuse to start a conversation.  And then we talked about the glorious weather.  Somehow, the weather lead to talking about the little girl and how her mother hoped she would grow up to be a singer.  And we talked about taking pictures, especially on a beautiful day.  And while we spoke I absorbed the tiny pieces that made up this world of theirs...
Picture
...the foil on the windows, the Chihuahua with the pink collar on the swinging bench.  I noticed the white princess phone on the metal folding chair beside the woman and a drying mop on the other side of her.  (I had a feeling she'd earned her rest on the chair)  I also noticed the giant Bud Light the "grandfather" held as he watched the little girl and her jump rope.  He didn't look like a grandpa with his flip flops and tattoos and his ball cap on backwards, but he grinned and bragged like one!   I noticed the 2 doors of this tiny duplex, framed in peeling brown paint.  And I thought it was nice that these neighbors, (sharing such a small porch) seemed to get along well.  I noticed the big pink "Toyota" taking center stage on the sidewalk and I knew the little girl was as spoiled and loved as any.

Cheese!
​


Picture
After agreeing once again on how perfect the day was, I took a risk and asked if I could take a picture...to remember this beautiful day.  The grandfather smiled proudly and gestured to his granddaughter, "Say CHEESE!"  I clicked the camera and hollered thanks.  "Drive safely!"  The grandfather said.  "God Bless you!"  added the woman in curlers.



Thank you to my Friends on the Porch!

I've seen weather bring people together before.  Hurricanes, floods and even droughts can bond people and make them reach out to one another...or at least gripe together.  But it was a beautiful day that bonded us.  We may be from different worlds, but we appreciate the same things...a spring day in January!  When I feel that kind of air again, I'll think of you all and call it a "Porch Day".

0 Comments
    Picture
         FIFTY-FIVE
        STRANGERS

    To celebrate my birthday in April 2012, I decided to reflect on the past with a different kind of list.  I've met a lot of people in my 55 years, but I'm going to stop and remind myself about the strangers I've met.  These are  people I met by accident, not through friends or work.  For some  reason, these  strangers dropped into my life.  Even though we may have only spent a few minutes together, these people have never been forgotten.

    Each week, I'll spotlight  someone I met in the past, who in some small way, made me stop and think.

    MY GOAL: 
    Remember 55 Strangers

    Archives

    April 2016
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    64 Holiday Strangers
    65 Pilot
    66 At Resale Shop
    67 Haunted Singer
    Amish Sisters
    Ann Arbor Street Legend
    Australian Professor
    Author/Scientist
    Bear Rescuers
    British Bus Driver
    Carnival Man
    Cellist In Utah
    Chinese Grandpa
    Clown In Barcelona
    Colorful Cat Woman
    Concertina Playing Surgeon
    Cowboy On A Plane
    Cowboy Poet
    Cruise Princess
    Curious Airport Couple
    Cusco Kids
    Donut Shop Mom
    Firemen
    Flower People
    French Nanny
    Garage Sale Guy
    Guide Named Pinky
    Hari Krishna Woman
    Hoarding Woman
    Hopi Flute Maker
    Junkyard Kenny
    Kind Priest
    Laguna Beach Laundry Man
    Library Man
    Man In A House-truck
    Melon Lady
    Merry Maintenance Man
    Mexican Singer
    Missouri Farmer
    Missouri Guardian Angel
    Museum Guard
    Mystery Nun
    Navajo Vendors
    Oklahoma Storyteller
    Ozark Chair Maker
    Patient Policeman
    Pawn Shop Guy
    Porch People
    Rancher/rodeo Rider/artist
    Rescuers On Snowmobiles
    Sad Dad At Hotel
    Sailor With Bird
    San Francisco Protester
    Santa
    Shark Fisherman
    Singing Computer Geeks
    Snake Boy
    Survivor Of Hurricane Katrina
    Tahoe Rim Hiker
    Tiny Ranch Owner
    Tipsy Strangers
    Train Travelers
    Woman In Pink Feathered Hat
    Wood Cutter

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Homepage
  • Little Bear's Adventures
  • Diverse Dining List
  • 90 Notable Nights
  • Happy List
  • Quilt Adventure Blog
  • Not So Happy List
  • The Texas Twenty List
  • Mom's Picnic List
  • 18+ Dance Adventures
  • 55 Strangers
  • The Barbie Bucket List
  • 60 Celebrations
  • 57 Celebrations of the Fifties!