WE HAVE PHYSICALLY and electronically arrived in Western Michigan. While my wife, the lovely and brilliant Dawn, is taking care of the business that brought us here to begin with, I am exploring.
Provisioning my exploration party (me) with coffee from the local Biggby Coffee I have set off to figure out what is happening hereabouts.
Immediate quick and dirty answer: not much. More details to follow.
WELCOME TO MONDAY!
Here we are. You are wherever you are and I and my wife, the ever lovely and fervent SF Giants fan Dawn, find ourselves in Olivet, Michigan for a few days.
Technically speaking, we are not actually in Olivet as I am writing this. We will go there on Sunday, both yesterday and the day after tomorrow depending on your timeline.
I know. It confuses me too.
Olivet is a small town. How small, I heard someone ask? To borrow an ancient joke – It is so small that the “Welcome to Olivet” and the “Please Come Again” signs are on the same pole.
Not really, but it is small. According to the always correct Wikipedia Olivet covers 1.02 sq. miles and has a population of 1605 people. The average family size is 3.04 people. That tells me that one member of the family could afford to lose a few pounds.
Olivet is the site of Olivet College, a small liberal arts college (in a town that size what else could it be?).
Continuing down the Wikipedia entry for the college it lists four Notable Alumni. I must admit that I’ve never heard of any of them. That doesn’t bother me because I’m sure none of them have ever heard of me – so it all balances out in the end.
The college has had some Notable Faculty members over time: Sherwood Anderson; Ford Madox Ford; and Gertrude Stein. Those heavy hitters all taught Creative Writing at the school. Not bad at all.
I am in Olivet accompanying my wife who is here on Church business. My role is that of Arm Candy and Roadie. While she is involved in real matters I will be vamping until dinnertime.
I have brought along my computer, several novels, sufficient medication to keep me from spontaneously combusting, and my imagination. I’ll be fine.
One more factoid about Olivet – it is so small that the nearest motel that has indoor plumbing, electricity and free wifi is about twenty miles away.
If you are coming to Olivet they must be assuming that you are moving here and not just visiting.
I know that this may sound a bit critical of the town when I really haven’t even gotten there yet. If it does, I apologize to all 1605 of you fine Olivetians. I don’t wish to incur your wrath. I saw that one of your Distinguished Alumni is a Professional Mixed Martial Arts Fighter.
My Mama didn’t raise no fools. A couple of whining neurotics, yes, but no fools.
We plan to arrive in the Olivet area on Sunday evening (yesterday) so, at some point during this week I should be able to post something written while here in the Greater Olivet Metroplex.
I usually try to write several days ahead just in case things fall apart electronically or brain-wise. Either could happen without warning.
We plan on returning to Terre Haute (That’s French for “We’re bigger than Olivet.”) on Thursday.
As a footnote to bring newcomers up to date…
I have been living in Terre Haute, Indiana for about 13 years now. I moved here after 25 years in San Francisco, CA. That surprises some people. They ask me how and why that happened. I tell them the truth: It was all a matter of parking.
I went out one night in San Francisco looking for a legal parking space on Haight Street and the next thing I knew I was in Indiana. I found a good parking spot and I took it. End of story.
If you buy that – let’s talk. I have some beautiful beachfront property in Iowa you should buy as well.
FOR THE LAST FEW DAY we have been in Adrian, Michigan. It is a small college town just across the state line from Ohio, about 300 miles from Terre Haute (That’s French for “What? Another train?).
Down the Hall on Your Left 