There's Treasure Everywhere - part 3

People get bored and jaded with where they live. They stop looking for the little bits of uniqueness around them and get swallowed up by the blandness. Bland is easy and convenient; as the odd and quirky are risky. The everyday drudge of making our daily bread robs us of appreciating the world we live in. The years fly, the kids grow up and suddenly you wonder where did it all go?    

I keep thinking of that cover to a Calvin and Hobbs book. Calvin and Hobbs are enthusiastically digging in the backyard.  With their shovel they have unearthed a rock and a worm but they are looking at it as though it was the treasure of the Pharaohs. Can you remember a time in your life when everything was that fantastic and wonderful?

On past road trips I would make a point to stop in at the local diner, tavern or public space were folks gather. It was kind of disheartening to ask -what's to do around here? And only have people glumly respond -nothing. 

Now I don't live in the most exciting town in the world but even a place like New York City can be pretty dull if the highlight of your day is to fall asleep in front of the TV or troll the internet to see how many people you can piss off. Life is happening all around us, it's like a parade except when it passes us we don't get a second chance to see it again. I don't understand why people don't take the small adventures of Leopold Bloom and walk through the town where they live.

Thinking of Leopold Bloom, June 16th, also known as Bloomsday is coming up. Bloomsday is the only international holiday that is in recognition to a work of art. If you can't make it to Dublin for their great literary crawl through town, check around and see if there is a local Bloomday celebration near you. It's a great excuse to play out a few of the scenes of  James Joyce's Ulysses and maybe enjoy a pint or two with someone new. The Rosenbach Museum in Philadelphia has on display the hand written manuscript of the book.  They also host an all day event every year on June 16th that attracts a crowd from far and near.

 

In my rambles about town I like to stop in on Jim Brownback. He has the last radio station in Pottstown. It's a tiny low wattage AM station that serves the town, there was another station WPAZ 1370 AM but that has gone out business. AM radio was once king but except in a few remote and rural areas the last remaining stations are fading away.

Jim's station is built into the spare bedroom of his home. He broadcasts purely for the love of it. Jim is now retired but he had a long career in radio and also worked for the Reading Railroad. When the reading Railroad went bankrupt Jim bought the corporate name of the Reading Telegraph and Communications Company. It is the world's oldest electronic communications company still in existence. Someday Jim plans to pass on the corporation to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg.  

Off the main streets of town is the I Create Cafe. It's small cafe that's easy to miss if don't know where to look. I've always been drawn to the path less traveled. Actually I found out you can travel across the historic center of Philadelphia almost using exclusively the original alleyways from colonial times. The I Create Cafe is a perfect place to meet friends for coffee or lunch but there's also a couple of classrooms in the back where they regularly teach subjects as diverse as meditation to computer graphics. 

The owner is known as Ash and if you ever get to 130 King Street in Pottstown tell him you heard about his cafe by way of this blog.

Just north of town Greg and Barbra  are making one of the coolest custom garages. It's not a business and they are just doing this because they like the retro look.  It's becoming a landmark and they plan to have it finished by next year.  If anything it's fun to talk to people who having a good time doing something they enjoy.

On trip in New Jersey last week I took a wrong turn. It should have been a short cut but instead I got lost. I had no idea there was a small independent railroad hidden in the pine forests west of Hammonton. I'm not a big train enthusiast even though the whole Philadelphia area is steeped early railroad history. I just enjoyed the surreal experience of stumbling into a site like this.

One of my new partners in crime is Will The Blind Artist. He actually can see but because of complications from cataract surgery he's been left with 20 / 200 vision. I like Will because he'll ride shotgun with me and not complain about my driving.  Will is a recognized artist with many shows in museums around the country but one interesting thing is Will's former profession as an art therapist in a prison.  Art Therapist isn't some you expect to see on a badge.

 

Safe travels to you. Get lost, have an adventure and find something unusual by physically looking for it. There's treasure everywhere if you're willing to go out and find it. Be a kid at least one day a week.