County road 34

     He stopped for a moment to get the pebbles out of his boots, guess they got inside from the holes in the bottom. He forgot how many miles he had on these boots, but he knew there were a lot. He loved to walk always did. As a kid his mom would tell him to take a walk and get some fresh air. He soon found out walking was a way to learn about the ground and the sky and a wide variety of creatures large and small that shared his passion for walking. He lived in the country where miles and miles of dirt roads were common and an open invitation to walk.

     When school was out for the summer he would wake early, do his chores then pack a sandwich putting it in his backpack along with some water. He promised his mom he would be home for supper then walked down the long driveway to county road 34. It had rained the night before and the dirt road was packed down with no dust blowing his way. Perfect walking conditions. He sometimes found a walking stick which he used to draw lines and other pieces of artwork on the road for anybody else walking to see. He remembered the time he took a stick and wrote “WHO IS READING THIS” and the following day he came upon the spot and somebody had answered his question with the words “Its John Biggins a farmer whose tractor broke down” He found this amazing and began to leave messages for everyone who passed by to see and hopefully answer like John did.

     When he got hungry and his boots began to hurt a little, he found a shady spot under a train trestle and ate his lunch. He always took his boots off during his lunch break, letting his feet breath and the boots turned upside down to shake out any tiny pebbles that got in through those darn holes. He told his mom he would really like a new pair of boots someday but for now he could put up with having to shake them out. After lunch he started back out on county road 34 hoping to reach the paper factory in about an hour. That was his halfway point and where he would turn around and head home not wanting to be late for supper. The paper mill sat on a huge piece of property. There was a very large basin of water at the back of the property that no one could see from the factory and the perfect place to take a swim on a hot summer day.

     Now cooled off and ready to walk, he headed back towards home and what would probably be another delicious meal his mom was making. Looking down he spotted something shiny that his boot had stirred up. He picked it up and cleaned it off with his t-shirt revealing a silver coin. But not just any silver coin, it had a picture of an eagle stamped onto it and was dated 1822.He smiled at his good fortune, put it deep into his pocket and hurried along with determined steps to get home and show off what he had found. At the supper table sitting alongside of his sister and parents, he pulled out the silver coin and placed it on the table. ‘I found this today on County road 34” he told everyone. His dad picked it up giving it a serious going over. He got up from the table and took a book off the bookshelf. Paging through the book he stopped, and a big smile appeared on his face. “Looks like you found something very special son” He explained the origin of the coin and its importance to the history of our great nation.

     His dad went on to tell him the value of the coin could be anywhere from one to four hundred dollars should he decide to sell it.” I’ll tell you what: he said. You could sell it and get those new boots you’ve been wanting.: Or: he went on. : You could keep it and save it for a rainy day and wait for those boots to find you in other ways: He thought about that for a few minutes and gave the coin to his mom who had a knack for saving money. Two months later and sixty more walks on County road 34 it was his birthday. His gift, the exact pair of boots he had been wanting from the sporting goods store. He was glad he decided to keep the coin but even more excited with the new boots that would take him on endless walks maybe even venturing further than county road 34

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