Phone Booth Saved

When I had Drew turn the car around in the A&W driveway this afternoon, I wanted to inspect a wooden kiosk structure that I thought I had seen a phone inside at the North Pole Campground. I was thinking maybe I should be easier on other structures that could be defined as a booth for using a phone. I shouldn't be so strict about my idea of a phone booth, I mean it could include other kiosks, stalls, or cubicles.

Right when I was about to adjust my expectations, there 50 feet away of the questionable phone kiosk, I spotted an actual phone booth! Do you see it? It's right next to the garage in the background. I felt like I was having an out of body experience seeing it. It was hiding from me all this time.

How could it be that I've driven this road a couple thousand times and have never seen this phone booth just off the road? I know for a fact that even on one occasion I ran by it while exploring the campground.

It is a very well maintained phone booth and has been painted a nice shade of green to match the trim of the buildings in the resort. To top it off, it works. I heard a dial tone. Did I call anyone from it? No, I was caught up in the excitement of finding a phone booth I never even knew about and didn't even think about making a call at the time. As any modern lady would do, I used my cell phone to take a picture of it and then sent it to my email address.

I talked to the owner of the campground and told him to never let anyone take it away from him. He said, "Don't worry, I own it. The company that installed the phones let me buy it from them and now they're bankrupt. No one will take it from me." That is wonderful news, one more phone booth saved from extinction.

Falling Sidewalk Update

Last week I managed to make the sidewalk fall. The town was quick to respond and is giving pedestrians plenty of warning about the safety of the sidewalk.

Where the Sidewalk Falls

As a child, Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein was one of my favorites.

The poems and drawings inside were brilliant and always made my mind wonder if such things could actually happen. Nah, never. It was all for fun.

Think again.

The other day as I was walking near the Covered Bridge, the sidewalk gave out. Yes. Little old me managed to break through the sidewalk. I did not fall to the center of the earth as you might be imagining right now, but mid-stride a cobble stone fell out and down to who knows where.

My left foot was on the sidewalk while my right foot and shin had been grabbed by the sidewalk. I had no idea what had happened because there was no hole for me to step in. It was true, the force of my weight and the push of my stride broke the sidewalk. After pulling my foot out, I investigated and looked under the stones. I have come to the conclusion that since this part of the sidewalk was near a grate, water must have been rushing underneath during the recent flooding and washed away the ground below.

I realize that the Town of Jay Highway Department has a lot to do right now trying to put roads back together and such, but I did call (as any good citizen would) to inform them of the falling sidewalk near the Covered Bridge.

They are probably running out of cones and/or signs to warn other pedestrians from this happening, so consider yourself warned. Oh, and for the record, I did not break my ankle.

Gargoyle Flood Relief

Slowly, things are getting cleaned up around here. Even the gargoyles have been pitching in.