Small Town U.S.A.

I grew up in a small town and I still love the feelings I get whenever I visit one.  I feel comfortable, grounded, relaxed, contented...I feel home.  Last night was that kind of an experience.

My nephew, Ryan, lives near the tiny town of Banfield, Michigan, and is a frequent patron of the Banfield General Store; buying everything from his daily morning coffee to Christmas gifts for loved ones.  Last night Banfield was treated to a free concert, featuring Ryan, on the front porch of the store.  

Ryan's singing and strumming floated on the country air like a beautiful breeze as we joined the other folks that had gathered to hear him play.  I knew I was going to thoroughly enjoy this evening and I could see from the faces on the porch that I wouldn't be the only one.  As we unfolded our lawn chairs and Ryan paused between songs, a neighbor hollered something from next door and I worried for a moment that it might be a complaint about the noise.   I shouldn't have worried, the neighbor was simply yelling a request for a Gordon Lightfoot song.  

The pizza and ice cream continued to flow from the store to the porch all evening delivered by Larry, the store owner himself, dressed like a 'soda-jerk' right out of the  Happy Days television series.

Yes, the patrons are seated in church pews, either bought or borrowed (we heard both explanations) by Larry, from the large historical church across the street.  I noticed how the white, wooden church stood like a fortress over all of us and I wanted so badly, in that moment, for Ryan to break out in a chorus of, What a Friend We Have In Jesus.  But it was nearing the end of his concert and Larry, seated at one of the outdoor booths, had requested something from Gordon Lightfoot.  Ryan asked if he was with that neighbor guy.  "No," Larry said, "but he called."  Ryan began to tune his guitar for the song, commenting that the neighbor wasn't even a paying customer.  "I'm going to bill him," Larry joked as Ryan's version of the familiar Lighftoot tune, Carefree Highway, rose above the laughter.  Afterward, a hoot and a holler from the trees next door signaled the approval of the "guy from the cheap seats", as Ryan referred to him.  The simple pleasures of small towns...I love them!

Ryan and his niece and mine, Sierra.  The crowd loved her!

This is the church, I don't know why it's black and white and blurry...kind of like the memories it provoked.

Larry, Ryan's son Kaleb, and Ryan..