turner to island pond

for now i will just write some quotes from the cool people who i hitched rides with:

1st ride: roy gallant

told me about his great grandmother, who farmed into her 80's in East Madison, Maine. the old farm had no electricity. she sold butter and wood from the property to earn some extra money. the whole family would come together to bring in the hay every year. salt pork with beans and buscuits was the saturday supper.

he says:

"without the small farmer we're sunk."

"i hope the farmers do make a comeback."

"if people would just stop for a minute and look at what's going on around them, it wouldn't be that hard to see what the problem is."

he feels that volunteer government might solve the problem of corruption. i found mr. gallant to be a very sensible man with genuine concern for the state of affairs in our country.

2nd ride:
this young man was on his way to help his folks move some things with his pickup truck. he told me he had just recently come to a decision to turn his life around and go for his dream of becoming a pilot. he is dieting and trimming down a bit. his positive spirit was shining through.

3rd ride: steve chatelle

this kind man was from rhode island. in his distinctive accent he said:

"you've got a lot of nerve to be on this trip you're on."

"i enjoy the simpler things in life. that's why i have this old car."

"there ain't a lot to mechanics. you just have to pay attention and take your time." kind of a good rule for life in general i think. i know sometimes we have to move fast though.

he told me a story about how he had changed a little girl,s life by buying her a computer. this man came through a lot of hardship as a child, but his loving spirit has been resilient and he has been able to help others. he had told me other great stories about his life that i don't have time or the memory to do justice here.

4th ride:
a kind woman who lived up on a wooded hill. she had a spunky personality that i appreciated.

5th ride: an old couple from vermont who had come over to the island pond area to catch some car races that it turned out were not happening that day. so they were just 'wandering' when they spotted me. they made room in their mini van and kindly drove me all the way to the house of the twelve tribes in island pond, which we had just a little difficulty finding. the man driving encouraged asking people we came across for direction. after three inquiries we found the right house. i got there just as they were starting the evening gathering! just as i had hoped!

this old couple had heard about the twelve tribes being kind of 'cultish' or something. i told them they could attend one of the dinners on fridays, which are open to everyone, to get a first-hand experience. it is sad to me that people let the oppinions of others determine their view of something they have no idea about from experience. it can separate good people from each other.