Welcome 2 My World

Welcome to the world of Danny N. Schweers.

  • Home
  • About W2MW
  • Photo Prayer
  • Moseying 2023

Day 2, Abandoned ATM

Our second day on the road was like a dream. First, we were in Warrenton, Virginia, a charming town self-consciously holding onto the past, to the point of not having traffic lights downtown. Then we climbed west on the Lee Highway to Shenandoah National Park, hoping to take Skyline Drive south, but the higher we climbed, the thicker the fog became, forcing us to turn around and drive down out of the clouds. At Sperryville, now in a steady drizzle, we stopped for burgers at The Pit-Stop, a take-out joint not much bigger than a food truck except customers could order inside out of the rain.

It was busy inside. Six others were waiting for their orders. Having ordered, I saw an automatic teller machine and, short on cash, decided to use it. Call me Mister Oblivious. The machine had no lights, no welcome screen. It was not plugged in. That did not deter me. In went my bank card. Nothing happened. It still took me ten, twenty seconds to figure out there was something wrong. “That ATM has not worked in years!” said the woman who took my order. “The company just left it after removing the money.” Apparently, I was the first in years to try it.

How does grace work? I see it work whenever my sense of humor remains intact even when the situation deserves anger and frustration.

With my fingers, I tried pulling on the quarter-inch of my card still showing, but it would not budge. By now, I was the center of attention for the other six waiting. I suggested out loud that I could just take the whole machine with me. That got a laugh. We had all seen security videos on the evening news of enterprising petty criminals wrenching machines out of walls. Soon the conversation widened, to the topic of machines and easy money. “I’ve got a friend whose son puts slot machines around the country. He can make thousands of dollars in a week from one machine! The State of Virginia only taxes him $25 a year for the machine and hopes he declares his income.”

I asked the woman at the counter if she had a pair of pliers. She did not. “Does anyone here have a pair of pliers?” One man, who could have been a contractor, had a tool box on his pickup truck. Soon I had a pair of Channellock pliers in my hands. They came with a disclaimer. “You can use these, but I take no responsibility with what you do to your card or the machine.” That comment in itself says a lot about our litigious nation.

Enjoying the attention of the six others, I gently pulled. My bank card did not budge. I pulled harder. Out it came! With everyone now in a happy mood, I got to know four students from Missouri who were traveling together, visiting one national park after another, on their way to D.C. and then to Niagara Falls. I did not get to know the man with the Channellocks — he soon left — but I was surprised how quickly the remaining man and I got to know each other.

Dressed in dark gray top and bottom, like a laborer, he said he’d lived in that part of Virginia all his life. He complained that the place was becoming a rich man’s vacation spot, that people with money were coming in from D.C. and buying up land in what was now “horse country”. Land was getting expensive and zoning meant only lots five acres and more could be sold and could not be subdivided. Little guys didn’t have much of a chance. I told him I liked the look of the country. I told him my wife had a horse. Surprisingly, that did not put him off, no more than his comments had put me off. Perhaps seeing me dumbfounded by the dead ATM made me human.

We talked more. We were enjoying conversation and each other’s company, dry, away from the wet outside, looking forward to food even if it was slow in arriving. I told him we going to visit Monticello and Appomattox Court House. That made him say something odd. He made a big deal out of telling me that General Lee never shook General Grant’s hand at Appomattox. This was not a controversy I knew about. Afterwards, a computer search produced nothing. Lee not taking Grant’s outstretched hand does not appear to be a right-wing talking point. But this man was making the point, a point dear to him. We talked more. He confided that he did not think our nation had been more divided since the Civil War. He thought it a shame, wished it were different. It worried him. I agreed with him. We both hoped relations would improve. Then his name was called. We shook hands and he left.

Photo is of the burger take-out restaurant in front the rain-covered windshield of our car.

Click here to see all the Moseying 2023 posts.

Day 5, Google Map Troubles

This day was the first of several when we abandoned our plan to leisurely drive across the USA on back roads. Instead, we took I-40 from Hillsborough, North Carolina to Asheville in a day. Using Google Maps got us in trouble. This began when, after looking for restaurants in Winston-Salem, my wife decided she wanted […]

Day 3, Camera Store

Charlottesville, Virginia, home of the University of Virginia, impressed me, especially that the city made its downtown a pedestrian plaza and succeeded in making it a lively place on Saturdays, with live music by local performers and open-air seating for restaurants. This storefront of a camera shop caught my eye, all these old film cameras. […]

Day 3, Monticello

Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello, has his love of innovations on display, scientific and otherwise. It is hard to imagine a contemporary candidate for president of the United States who would have such an active curiosity and who would still be electable. I was sorry to learn that Jefferson’s financial affairs were in shambles when he […]

Day 2, Warthog

Warrentown, Virginia — founded in 1810 — has the largest tack shop in the United States. My wife had to visit! While she delighted her eyes with saddles, bridles, riding clothes, and more, I was free to explore the small but vibrant downtown with its strong historic zoning laws. I talked briefly with a fellow […]

Day 2, Abandoned ATM

Our second day on the road was like a dream. First, we were in Warrenton, Virginia, a charming town self-consciously holding onto the past, to the point of not having traffic lights downtown. Then we climbed west on the Lee Highway to Shenandoah National Park, hoping to take Skyline Drive south, but the higher we […]

Day 1, The Car Is Packed

In 2023, my wife and I set out across the USA and back, mostly on the roads less taken, 23 states in 39 days, just over 8,000 miles. We had friends to visit in North Carolina, Texas, Southern California, Nevada, and Iowa, but no set dates to be anywhere. Here is how the back of […]

Smart Phone Cameras

We cannot see without using our smart phones. Their cameras let us record and then share our experiences. But even as our audiences grow, the attention we get and the attention we give becomes progressively more superficial. Flit, flit, flit — only the stickiest of posts gets more than a glance. This, too, is how […]

The Eyes See

The eyes see but the mind does not. It was not until much later, looking closer at this photo, that I saw that all these flags are not blowing in the same direction. While a strong east wind blows most of them to the right, a strong west wind blows one to the left. Remarkable! […]

Targeting Civilians

Armed soldiers should not target unarmed civilians. That seems clear enough to me sitting thousands of miles from conflict, but those at war soon lose such clarity. For those at war, entire populations become the enemy. During World War II, the world condemned the Luftwaffe for bombing London and other cities in England, but then, […]

The Best Words

My wife’s dog waits at the front gate, her gaze fixed on the empty driveway, intently watching for the joyous moment when her mistress will return. Unlike her dog, my wife’s husband exhibits no such display of longing and devotion. He is not kneeling in prayer, again and again exhorting God to keep her safe […]

Copyright © 2023 · Danny N. Schweers