Our good friend Faye is visiting us from Canada. She owns the fishing camp at Perrault Falls, Ontario where the 'rents have been visiting for over twenty years. This is her first trip to the United States, and other than having a little difficulty interpreting our southern accents, she's adjusted quite well to life here in the 'Ville. Here's some observations she's made during her first week in the U.S.
1. The roads are too narrow. This realization came as we were driving downtown to church last Sunday. She wasn't used to being on a two-lane city street with cars parked on both sides of the street. Add to that the fact that Old Louisville was packed with people for the St. James Art Fair. We're used to just zooming on down Fourth Street, but when you get the folks whose only downtown driving experience is their annual trip to St. James, it does tend to get a bit hairy.
2. People don't use turn signals and cut in front of you. I gotta agree with her on this one. On our trip back from Buffalo Crossing on the Watterson Expressway, we counted six cars that cut in front of us to get to another lane. After the sixth one, I told Faye to just close her eyes and we'd tell her when we pulled into the driveway. On a side note, having an out-of-country visitor who has been raving about our southern hospitality kept the Old Man and me from calling those crazy drivers a few choice words.
3. Buffets are awesome. Once again, I agree with her. On our trip to the Villa Buffet at the Glory of Rome, she commented on how she's never seen so much food. She was particularly impressed by all of the different desserts they had. When we told her that we usually get cheesecake when we go there for the breakfast buffet, it blew her mind. Maybe we'd better not take her to Golden Corral; I'm not sure she could stand it.
4. It's hot; unusually hot for fall. I'm siding with her again. Low 90s for September and October is crazy. When she arrived Saturday, she was wearing a sweater and carrying a coat. Ten minutes after we got home from the airport she'd changed into shorts and a tank top. Her daughter called earlier today, and the first words out of Faye's mouth were "It's hot." Did I mention her daughter called to tell her that they had over six inches of snow in Perrault Falls today?
5. Air conditioning is heavenly. Ditto. They seldom get hot weather in her part of Ontario, so hardly anybody has air conditioning. This past July, she said they had a week of temperatures over 100; one day it got up to 105. I'd be laid out in an innertube out on the lake with a cold beverage in hand if I'd been there.
6. We like to spend money. Has she got us nailed or what? We've visited the stores at the peak of the fall clearance sales, and she's gotten alot of nice stuff for a fraction of the original price - clothes for her granddaughters, some Christmas gifts, Halloween costumes, etc. We've got a big box we're packing up to mail back home for her, because there's no way she'll make it on the plane with all of her loot.
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