Friend-filled day at Afton Station

Somebody in Chelsea must share my love of sunrises. This mural showed up on the side of a flea market there this week. Although it looks a bit like sun rising over the ocean (and Route 66 parting the waters -- how Biblical!), I still appreciate the effort.

It's nice when friends come to visit. Today at Afton Station was that kind of day. Unfortunately, I must review the day quickly here because I'm going out to dinner with friends (yaayy... more friends!) shortly.

Ron "Tattoo Man" Jones helped out at the Station today. We also met unexpectedly at Clanton's this morning and had breakfast together. The morning was slightly slow, but when people started arriving, they didn't stop. Pat and Jen Bremer (the couple from Indy whom I introduced to one another and who later got married, -- and I'm proud of it!) came first. They're taking a short 3-day Route 66 trip, and will be coming back here to Tulsa in about an hour so we can go to dinner together to celebrate Pat's birthday. Randy and Kelley Chevrier, friends from Tulsa also dropped in on a weekend jaunt to Joplin. They were accompanied by their two delightful and well-dressed doggies, Riley and Jenna.

This little boy from Minnesota took some time out to bond with Jenna.

Later in the day, Jim Conkle (from CA) and Croc Lyle (from TX), who are traveling together to deliver editions of the brand new, wonderful Route 66 Pulse newspaper arrived. http://www.route66pulse.com/ I just gave it a cursory reading, and I like it a lot! I have two articles in it myself, actually (brag, boast, and obnoxiously pat myself on the back!). Jim and Croc stayed for a while and we chatted. I'll probably see them again next week when they come back through Tulsa. When they left, so did I, in order to get home in time to meet Pat and Jen here.

Amid all these old friends, there were others who stopped by, too. Strangers become NEW friends when they step through the door of Afton Station. My new friends today came from Mayview MO, Kansas City MO, Long Prairie MN, Ventura CA, Arlington TX, and Colcord, Grove, Broken Arrow, and Miami, OK. There were 25 visitors in all, new and old.