Do all trails lead to home? For me they did Sept. 17 walking with Clayton Klein into my hometown of Ithaca, Michigan....in the middle of the mitten (St. Louis actually has the official title)...but close enough. Joined by my sister, Mary Reed, and my husband, Jerry, we found Clayton just as he was set to embark on Old 27 south to Ithaca. It truly is a small world, as one of Clayton's dear friends is Ithaca native Doris Allen. She and her daughter Marian Allen Fisher met us there. Marian and her cousin, Linda Allen Weburg were helping coordinate Clayton's motel transportation on that leg of the trip. Linda was waiting with Doris at JJ Ruby's restaurant halfway to our destination. Now, this would seem an ordinary log of events, except that Marian and Linda and I are all Ithaca High School classmates. I hadn't seen either of them since I attended a class reunion (Class of '61) eight years ago...and so there in JJ Ruby's we had a mini reunion...thinking it's time to plan for our 50th in 2011.
You could add a few exclamation points after that! Isn't life amazing when it leads you to become best friends with someone who is best friends with someone whose daughter and niece were my friends? I forget when we first discovered the Ithaca connection...sometime when I was writing for the Fowlerville News & Views about Clayton's books and things...before the now famous Paradise to Hell walks. Yes, people connections are fascinating. And now that Clayton is halfway downstate...he has many tales to tell.
I'm looking forward to reading about Clayton's sojourn in Ithaca when my hometown paper, the Gratiot County Herald, arrives next week. I heard there was a wonderful breakfast at a great little restaurant downtown.
Saturday, Sept. 19 he will wind up the day at the Flapjack Shack in Lansing and welcome a couple of days of rest before stepping off again to complete the journey to Ohio.
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