It's funny who you meet in odd places and at odd times such as running on the C & O Canal on a rainy day. Last Friday, I heard some folks coming up behind me on bikes, chatting away and sounding happy. As they passed me, the woman in the lead said, "I bet you heard us coming!"
I did and I appreciated it. It's much better to hear people at a distance and know they are coming than to have Stealth Biker ride silently on his razor thin tires until he's right behind you and then makes some strange hissing noise, the kind a guy in a raincoat on a dark corner might make who has two pockets full of watches to sell, in order to let you know that he's there. Yeah, now I know he is there, but it would have been better if he had brayed 50 yards back. That happened to me recently, too.
Anyway, I caught up to the three bikers at a parking lot while they were taking a break. We began to talk and their accents were of a deeper Southern variety than from anywhere in nearby Virginia. It turns out that they are from the Wilmington, NC area.
"People from around here usually head down there this time of year, not the other way around!" I laughed.
As the conversation progressed, the lady in the lead who had spoken as they rode past, introduced herself as Margaret Bishop. The former Margaret Rudd, she owns Margaret Rudd & Associates, a company that offers vacation rental properties in Oak Island, NC.
"See this mud?" she said, pointing to her legs. "Remember "mud" and go to www.rudd.com and you'll see my website!"
She, her husband, and another friend and I chatted about Wilmington and Carolina Beach for a while before parting.
If you're looking to rent a beach property in North Carolina, then look up Margaret and tell her the guy in the soaking wet orange tee-shirt sent you. You won't get any discount, but you're bound to be received with real Southern hospitality . . .
. . . and if you sneak up on people while they're walking and make them jump 6 feet out of their soaking wet shoes, then you don't deserve to get your business mentioned in a blog!
Recent Comments