I am sitting here at a Hampton Inn, thinking about days 14 and 15 in retrospect. The television doesn’t work well here, but the Internet does. So the television sits on one channel. It’s a channel full of infomercials. In a way it’s unfortunate – all these infomercials. But in a way it’s good. It sparks my memory and I can recount everything that has happened in the past couple of days.
The most memorable thing, for sure, is the couple I stayed with in the small town of Millen, GA. I think that I mentioned before that I am a member of an Educator’s B&B Network. If you’d like to join, you can find them at www.educatorstravel.com. If you DO decide to join, my membership no. is: 13357.
Each stay, I believe costs $34 per night. But members can earn credits by referring others or by hosting others. So, please if you join, tell them I referred you. God knows I could use the credits since this trip is so long.
Now I want to talk about my experiences.
I think that this entire trip has been a ‘high energy’ trip. I see the highest energy in the hosts of the B&Bs. A common character trait of each host is ‘high energy’. Not just an “A” type personality but often a “Triple A” personality.
Over the past few weeks, I have met people who’ve worked at the Pentagon, written books for NASA, and done a dozen equally interesting things. Sometimes I don’t write about it, out of respect for the member’s anonymity. But I have to tell you, this trip, just based on the visits with various teachers and retired teachers, has been an experience I won’t forget.
Today is Saturday. I keep thinking about the couple I stayed with on Thursday night, in Millen. Originally I was going to pick up a bottle of wine, visit the local Starbucks and grab something to eat before I finally arrived at their home. I was in shock to see that the total population of Millen, GA is only approx. 2,000 people. No Starbucks, no hi-speed Internet and probably no restaurants. But Millen is the home of probably one of the fastest women runners on the earth!
Joyce and her husband Jim are totally involved in ‘track and field’ and running. When Joyce does races (which is often), she runs over 26 mile marathons. Not only does she expect to run the entire race, she expects to finish first. Joyce is 67 years old. Her husband, Jim, who is 70, experienced two heart attacks and a heart-bypass operation a few years ago. Because of this, Jim’s races are only 5 miles long.
Now, you might say, “Well, these people lead unbalanced lives. It is obvious that they are extremists in only one area” But this is wrong. Joyce is a retired teacher. She taught English, French and Latin. Jim’s background includes everything from being a priest, a pastor, teaching an alternative program for hard-to-reach adolescents, being a prison chaplain, and teaching history in a high school. He presently works part-time as a journalist for the local paper and they both sing with the Augusta Symphony Orchestra. They are both certified coaches and officials for various athletic games. They have traveled the world competing in various competitions.
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Jim and Joyce [left]. Married in 1991, this couple of over-achievers is inseparable and their home is filled with trophies [right].
These guys are understated. They live quietly in this town of 2,000. If you ask me, Joyce would be a super ‘poster-girl’ for some corporation. If you think of Jarrod, the guy who did nothing but eat ‘Subway Sandwiches’ and lose weight; Joyce’s story is incredible. She did not start running until she was in her 40s. She told me that she started by running 100 steps from her house and walking back. The next day she ran 200 steps. Now, she sometimes runs non-stop over 30 miles and comes in first.
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The shelves hold thousands of promotional tee-shirts [top] from hundreds of races and Joyce has a different pair of running shoes [bottom] for every day of the week.
As I write this, the infomercial station in my hotel room still plays on. The problem with the media is that it helps to promote the misconception that success is easy. One cannot become a millionaire overnight in real estate. Nor can one reduce to a size two of clothing by taking some kind of supplements bought over the television. Health and success come with common sense lifestyle changes.
Joyce has a coach who lives in Colorado. Joyce could be an incredible coach herself. If you belong to Educatorstravel.com, get yourself down there to check it out. I think that she could be the answer to the obesity problems of millions of Americans. What is all this about suing McDonald’s? Or talk of the new ‘Obesity Bill’? It takes a long time to become obese. It should also take a new life style and a long time to reverse the process.
Jim and Joyce are, without a doubt, the most active couple I have met. Actually, everyone involved with www.Educatorstravel.com is super active.
Well. Now I’d like to recount my visits to the two retailers on Days 14 and 15.
On Thursday I had the pleasure of visiting: Education Station in Summerville, SC. The owner of Education Station, Russ Davies, has an engineering background. He worked in development of diesel engines for over 32 years. Upon retiring and looking for a new option, he wanted to find an outlet where he could “make a difference and build something”. His store is only but a couple of years old but Jim is enjoying himself immensely and has become a ‘retailer of note’ in Summerville, SC. Russ said that he receives many requests for Spanish, French and Multicultural resources.
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Russ Davies [left], proprietor of Education Station and the inside of his store [right].
Friday, I stopped by a small retailer in the town of Vidalia, GA. What a cute little town! The sales clerk, Rachel, was very helpful and upbeat. Paula Wolfe, the owner, was unavailable since she juggles her job as a schoolteacher by day with her responsibility as owner of the store. The population of Vidalia is approximately 10,000.
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Rachel [left], sales clerk at Teacher’s Edition and the store’s interior [right].
Day 15, the end of my third week of travel, would end at a Hampton Inn in Waycross, GA. As I said, the television is not great, but the Internet access is tops.
Cheers. I’ll let you know how Monday progresses!