What do you do early in the morning? I suspect your answer would be something like “I get up and go to work.” If you are like most people you are pulling out of the driveway no later than 7:30 AM. But what happens when you are on vacation? Well then you probably leave at 5:00 AM to beat the rush hour traffic and get a head start on your way to New Hampshire, Maine, or whatever other state is 3-4 hours from your home. Right around 7:30 AM you drop into a McDonald’s in a neighboring state (Exit 9A, Food & Gas) for coffee and a tasty breakfast. You quickly notice that the place is already populated with 3 or 4 groups of ‘regulars’ who are deep in conversation with their buddies. If you were to ask around you might find that these neighborly enclaves meet on a schedule, may it be every day or once a week.
I noticed these friendly fraternities some years ago but only recently have I become an eager participant. The tipping point for me was when I was laid off from work. That gave me more time in the morning to hook up with some mostly retired ham radio operator friends of mine. Every Wednesday at 7:30 AM we convene at our local McDonald’s. We have plenty of room and nobody cares if we stay for an hour or two. Our conversation touches on numerous topics, some grand and some trivial, that almost never precipitate any serious argument. We like it that way. There is a lot to be said for having friends and meeting with them regularly. It’s a part of life we don’t want to miss out on. It’s one more treat to look forward to. It is so American.
By the way, I recommend the $1.00 large coffee and the Fruit ‘N Yogurt Parfait as the perfect healthy breakfast.
Hi Ken:
Saw your S-120 on the flicker site and wanted to comment, but didn’t want to join another web service, so I thought I’d contact you here.
That film of you could have been me at exactly the same time with the exact same model radio. I still have my S-120 and it works today even better than it did in 1962. I invite you to read about it at http://www.geojohn.org/Radios/MyRadios/S120/S120.html It took almost 50 years, but I finally got it working the way I always wanted it to and then some.
73’s
John, WA6TLP