People change....for better or worse.... but they're not the same. Places change....slowly but surely all of it takes on a different look. Houses are'modernized', old buildings are torn down, old trees are bulldozed to make room for fast-food restaurants with plastic roofs and plastic food. Highways cut right through the old blackberry patches and rabbit-hunting woods. Swimming holes are now polluted ponds where even fish can't survive. Sad, sad.

You can understand the charm the Turner's Grocery held for us. A page right out of the past, this was one place that progress hadn't touched. Alongside the main highway in tiny Dry Creek, it's a wonderful example of the country general store.

We were driving by late one evening and, unable to resist, we went in on the pretext of buying a root beer. This was like it used to be....wooden floors, worn counters,neighborly people and all. We lingered a while to enjoy it.

I felt like I'd gone home again.....