There are few things in life that make us happier than being
encircled by the ones we love. This, of course, can include family and friends
that are like family, and pets. This week I had two days off of work in a row
and decided that with my new freedoms, I would take a road trip down to my old
stomping ground, Fountain.
For those of you unfamiliar, Fountain is about two hours
southeast of the cities, and 45 minutes south of Rochester, nestled in the
antique county of Fillmore, and I believe containing two total intersections
with stop lights. It’s a county of small towns, Fountain boasting a proud
population of 402, up from 363 when I lived there a few years ago. Fillmore
County has a total population of 20,834 which is far from its peak in 1895 with
28,599. Another fact that I found interesting is that Fillmore County has
hardly any water, including zero lakes. At 862 square miles, 861.2 is land, and
just .8 natural water which is the Root River that snakes through many of the
towns around the Fountain area.
What it lacks in water it makes up for in miles and miles of
gravel roads, fields of grain, and pure serenity. I needed a little of that
in my life, so after Kanye West got on stage on Monday night, I cleaned up my
kitchen, left the Xcel Center, and grabbed Willie and hit the road.
I arrived shortly before 1am and when I opened my door in
front of my friend Seth’s house I smelled the cool Autumn night, and enjoyed the old
familiar scent of fresh air. I let it sink in for a moment before I moved; it
was so quiet I could hear the dry leaves dancing on the highway. I was home.
I went inside the house and was greeted by my long-time
friend Seth who was dressed appropriately for bed. We sat up and chatted for a
while and made plans for the following day. His daughter, Audrey, was due for a
day off of school, and my visit was going to be a surprise for her. I had sent
her a Candy Chemistry set for her birthday with the expectation that we would
make candy together when I was finally able to visit a few weeks later, but
there was no date set.
Seth woke me up at 6am with coffee and news of Donald Trump
being super great and positive toward women, so we talked about that for a
while. I went to use the bathroom and when I came back out Audrey was in the
living room and did a double-take then gave me a giant hug. We broke the news
that she was sick today and she seemed keen to the plan.
Audrey and I drove to Preston, about eight miles away, to
her mother’s house where she had been keeping the gift. I got to see a few
friends there, and we ate a breakfast fit for a motel lobby in a poorly-lit
neighborhood, and headed back to Fountain where Seth’s wife, Jordan, was
waiting for us to help with the process.
Making candy, specifically suckers and chocolates, really isn’t that difficult unless you’ve never done it before which was the case. There was a lot of laughter, a few minor burns, and some very oddly shaped candies now ready for human consumption. I did a super job of boiling sugar, but a dreadful job of melting chocolate which turned out lumpy and gritty. Audrey ended up just using the microwave to melt the remaining supplies which worked much better than the double-boiler I had set up. Kids are so smart.
I’m not going to write anything further on this little trip
down south because not everything can be described in words, or needs to be dissected
for analysis. I had a great time, and I can’t wait to go back for maybe a few
more days. I did find myself wondering if Fillmore County was a place I needed
to live again as I had stated in previous posts. I think it might be better to
save as my home away from home, and continue this good life I have been
building back here in my hometown.
When I made the trip back, I parked in my driveway. I
opened up my door and took it all in. There was noise, smells, and movement all
around me. I was home.
