An update from Bud Lane. Thanks for writing to RGNC!

To whom it may concern:

I have just returned from a business trip to the land K's (Kennedys and Kerrys), aka Massachusettes. My initial reaction is a heartfelt condolence for those who find themselves on extended leave in those realms. I suspect that natives (decendents of Europeans) of that area feel quite at home, which I guess it is. However, it is quite different from our little corner of the world. Although I wasn't behind the wheel on this trip, I was amazed almost non-existent existence of an honest to goodness intersection. I guess we tend to take that for granted in this neck of the woods, but from my perspective, a typical intersection should consist of the perpendicular crossing of two roads, streets, avenues or what have you. This apparently wasn't sufficient for the architects of the infrastructure of the greater Boston area, or Providence, RI for that matter. "What say lets just toss in another'n at, oh, maybe a forty-five degree angle." Of course, that means that every other intersection lying along line will also have to bear the burden of an additional spoke in the wheel. Of course, they didn't always stop at 5. And after you booger up an intersection with enough streets, you can't really make a left turn, because there are just too darn many lefts to choose from. They have, however, provided a solution for this dilema in the form of a little ditty they refer to as a jug handle. This may describe the shape of the roadway, or what the engineer was holding on to during the design phase. You some how move forward, loop around come back and then ultimately end up taking one the rights that had previously been a left. An unwritten rule of negotiating the spider web of intersections is that you must routinely make your presence known to all other drivers in the vicinity by honking your horn. This is not the same honk as in "the 4", which is either meant as a greeting or a warning. This is a pound-on-your-chest, this-is-my-section-of-pavement declaration. It's fun, however, to wave back as if you know 'em. It is good to learn about other cultures in our world, and so I can't say that I regret my visit. Indeed, I will probably make several return trips in the future, unless my employer decides to look for a home with less crowded intersections. It was a long dry spell for good solid entertainment, though. With that in mind, I'm off to the Johnson Family Bluegrass event in scenic Tipton Ford, MO. Hope all is well with all.

Bud