GIFTS FROM STRANGERS

October was easily the most unusual month I've had when it came to my passengers giving me gifts for my car museum. For the last few years I've regularly had riders give me things other than foreign money and I thought I would attempt to put them all together for one blog and try to explain them.

The main thing is that people wanted to be part of my museum, they wanted to give me something to be part of this spectacle that I have in my car and I didn't discourage them.  Unfortunately, there are a few things that have fallen through the cracks or are hidden in my car, but almost all of them are here.

1. The three hats from riders: The Green Bay Packer Fan, the guy who help start Hoop Tea with his friend and it's now owned by Anheuser Busch and the boat equipment hat that the young woman gave me who also gave me a beautiful bill from Australia.

2. The mannequin, "Lily", given to me by JenKelly from Kansas four years ago has provided more laughs and pictures and stories that I ever would of have thought possible.  There is a green necklace given to me for St. Patrick's Day  for Lily and there were green ears I had too which is MIA. The red hat was given to me for Lily, but it just wasn't a good look for her.

3. The sergeant's patch from Maryland I believe, the silver ball bearing, the rubber duckie from a plumber who worked for that company, a tiny Christmas tree leaning on the duck, a wooden chess piece from a guy whose dad was a rock n' roll singer, the Berlin zoo coin, and the handmade chain which you can see better in the next picture.  Also, a "Winner's Circle" card from a casino in Colorado and three US bills. 

The $2 bill from an 18-year old I told my dad worked for the Federal Reserve Bank and gave out $2 bills, a $1 bill from a big Yankee fan who said that 2024 was their year.  Lastly the $1 bill from two college students who were upset they had nothing to give and wrote on the bill, "Thank you so much George,' which would have been great if my name was George.  I asked her if she mixed me up with George Washington since we look so much alike. Her name is on it and she lives off exit 109 of The Garden State Parkway.

 The green key chain is made out of something, maybe green beans? The blue thing holds a work badge on it.  The jar is the guava jam from Hawaii from a cancer researcher when he was on his honeymoon. It did taste good and it's a very unusual item.  The rock on top of it is a beautiful rock  My wife loves rocks of all kinds and she would probably want it, but it's staying with my collection.

On my last day of driving in South Carolina, a young woman told me that she wears funny socks to make people laugh. Then she said, "I have an extra pair of Elvis socks I want you to have." I hung one on each side of the inside of my car and it looks great with my orange car.  My very last ride in South Carolina, (around midnight the morning we left for Colorado), was  a woman I have driven many times.  She was returning from Italy and she bought me a very nice pin which I pinned on the Elvis sock.

 Lastly this is a better picture of a handmade key chain I received recently.

The smaller things I have now put in a plastic bag so people can see them, because there's no way to display them without losing them.  Many thanks to all those and others for the gifts they've given me.  Who knows, maybe one day they will be in a real museum?