Mike, my husband, is one lucky man. On our way back from the beach in late August (when ALL the kids are safely deposited in college) we're stopping for the night at the Roadmaster's Lodge in Folkston, Georgia.
A Roadmaster is a position on the railroad. The Roadmaster is in charge of all the railroad in a very large territory. Mike was an Assistant Roadmaster early in our marriage. It's a 24/7 job. Many, many years ago some Roadmasters were given little homes near the tracks. Yep - you guessed it - we're staying in one of those little houses! You can check it out at http://www.roadmasterslodge.com/ It's tiny, but the back porch faces the busy railroad tracks. And it's within walking distance of the platform in Folkston, which is famous among railfans for watching trains.
A friend who is reading my manuscript - Next Stop, Chancey - told me today she's enjoying learning about railfans, of which the LA times says there are 175,000 in the US. The husband of my main character is a railfan (wonder where that idea came from.) I enjoyed writing about something that is so much a part of our family, but rather odd to most people.
Isn't it great how we become experts at the things our loves ones enjoy? Our lives acquire depth when we reach out and embrace those odd interests of our friends and family. Whether it's a tv show, a news story, a hobby, a sport, a movie genre, a car, style of music or even someone's faith - there's so much to learn about. And there's probably an expert within shouting distance. However, we do have to take an interest and listen.
Who knows? You might even get a book out of it.
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