Summer brings the tourists and day trippers into Buzzy’s Country Store. This past weekend was fairly representative as a lot of folks dropped in, some of whom were just seeking directions. Again, the Buzzy take on direction seekers proved true: they waste your time and do not spend any money. Make a note that if in the future you ever go into a business to ask for directions, at least buy a Coke! (On the subject of lost, I asked a Hispanic couple looking for directions to Seaside View, the Spanish word for lost. I learned that it is “perdido” like in our word perdition as in the state of being lost.)
But in addition to the lost souls stumbling in, I encountered several folks who were just out and about having fun while visiting Pt. Lookout State Park. Whenever I’m busy and/or have a bunch of folks standing around, I don’t get to converse much with the tourists. When busy, the Buzzy maxim to “fleece ’em and release ’em” takes priority. And when folks are standing around, everyone wants to join in whatever conversation takes place, particularly when it’s an attractive female tourist at the counter.
So it was nice this past Saturday afternoon when there was a quiet spell and a lady and her son came in and I was able to talk a bit with her. Very nice conversation actually. Turns out she’s originally from Maine, came down here via the Navy, lives in La Plata and commutes every day to D.C.’s Navy Yard. She and her son were on their way to a barbecue back up in Charles County but had decided to ride down to Pt. Lookout just to check things out. Glad they did.
Then late Saturday night, a trio of ladies on bicycles rolled in from their campsite at Buzz’s Marina. Brother Gary Norris welcomed them by buying each of them a beer. Nice trio, just out to see what was in the neighborhood and enjoyed themselves at Buzzy’s on a Saturday night.
Then on Sunday evening just as I was about to close, in rolled a nice couple on their way to Pt. Lookout to do some fishing. They asked if they could drink a beer in the Store and pulled up a stool. Found out that the guy is originally from Texas and as semi-favor to his friend who owns a couple of franchises, he parachutes in to help straighten out a franchise that’s not faring too well. Thus, he had been in Danville, Va. for the past 5 years before relocating to Lexington Park to manage a franchise here. (I won’t mention the name of the franchise, but if you want some pancakes this would be a good place to go now that the Dude from Danville has straightened it out.)
As we discussed Danville, the music reference to “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” came up (click here for my previous Danville post,) But then he mentioned the Wreck of the Old 97 which I wasn’t familiar with. He could not believe that I hadn’t heard this famous bluegrass tune. I explained to him that my blue grass music listening days coincided with my smoking lots of grass days and accordingly all of that music I heard back then remained a little hazy to me.
But I did manage to find this info on it (click here) as well as this video (below.) Now that I hear it, think I do recall clapping and nodding along to it at some bluegrass concert or two back in the day. Thanks, Dude from Danville.