Thursday night at the Plaza

Thursday afternoon found me with 3 days of vacation left and back in the midwest.
After Jolene's service, I back tracked a little to Delta Ohio and spent an hour or two at a few antique shops I had passed that morning. As I drove the country roads and came into downtown Archbold ( Jolene's hometown)...I couldn't help but wonder how many times Jolene had driven by these sights.
I passed the Arch motel...another antique mall...and then in downtown Archbold came across a feeling of deja vu as I passed a diner in the middle of downtown. I did a double take...and parked...grabbed the camera and crossed the street to take a picture. As I saw the small neon milkshake and hamburger signs in the window...I laughed out loud. Jolene and I had always talked about visiting each others hometowns...and as I stood in downtown Archbold...I said out loud, "Jolene, I have already been to your hometown!" I'm 95% sure that I drove thru Archbold in '99 while on tour with a band. I remember saying slow down as I took video of a small restaurant with silver and neon signs. Sure enough later that night I passed the community college where the concert was! I mused in my head that Jolene was probably in high school and maybe even hanging out when I passed the restaurant back then. Last night, talking to a friend from her home town...I found out...(incredibly)...that she WORKED at that restaurant as a waitress...so who knows maybe she's even in my drive-by video...it was a definity a surreal movie moment. I know Jolene is shaking her head in wonder, just as I was as I stood and looked at the diner!
After seeing the sights in Archbold and driving thru Bryan...where I took in a car show......(I NEED a car with fins), I decided to head to Indy via back roads. On my way out of Bryan I stopped at the Plaza motel to take a picture...and realized how very tired I was...having only slept two hours the night before. So...I pulled in, got a room and spent the rest of the night taking a drive thru Defiance and sitting in the lawn chairs outside my room using the free internet!! Mom and Pop motels forever.



Directions to here: Alternate 20 to 66 (ohio) to SR 2 to vintage neon...room #1