Becky, Christina and I shuffled off to Show low yesterday to a flea market where we hoped to connect with a couple that sent me a leather purse last year. We ended up spending tree hours there. Friend Darrell got to teaching Christina and her friend Shelby how to make leather belts. As they were occupied in their class, Becky and I meandered down to the other end of the market to find something to eat. “Try the meatball sandwich,” Darrell hollered to us as we walked away.
The little eating establishment is a trailer called the Chuck Wagon and Maggie was the cook. She prepared the sandwich which we shared and placed it on two plates with some phenomenal dill potatoe salad. The latter was so good that we called her over to share the recipe. “I am from Minnesota and I promise not to tell anyone except my husband. He likes making potato salad.”
Maggie told us the story of how it was that she migrated from another snowy state to the southwest. She was living in New Hampshire in a little house with her husband and two children, ages 6 and 18 months. There was a storm that piled snow a few feet before both her front and back doors so she could not get out to go to work. It was the heating oil man that came with his truck and plowed a path so that she was able to get out. She took the children to the sitter, she said, went to work and quit her job. Then she picked the kids up, went home and packed in the back of her truck all that she could fit. She said goodbye to her husband, “You can have the house. I’ll let you know when I get to where I am going.” Then she headed to the southwest. She drove until she got to Phoenix where she found a small apartment and a job with an optometrist. She never returned to the northeast except for vacation time to see her family. The Chuck Wagon, she told us, is her third career. She managed a health food story in between.
Becky and I were quite impressed by this easygoing warm hearted woman for her amazing determination, her courage, and her dill potato salad. I can only imagine the drive across the country with the two babies in the truck.
We had several other adventures through the day…ended watching the movie “The Great and Powerful Oz.” One more day here with Becky and Christina, then I am off to Colorado to see my son Chris and his family.