Small world

Many Winnebago owners know a lot about the company's history and the name of it's founder, John K. Hanson. To many, he was known simply as "John K."

One of the great joys in traveling in our new Navion is that it fits neatly on the driveway of a friend of ours who lives on Marco Island. That's where I'm writing this post and it's a pretty swanky camping spot.

Yesterday it was time to take a hedge trimmer to my hair and our friend dropped me off at his local barbershop. Walk-ins only.

In about twenty minutes my turn came and I stepped into the chair where a mid-seventies man named George fired up the clippers. From Chicago, lost his wife of 54 years, happily dating, sings at karaoke and has lived on Marco for 42 years. The conversation naturally turned to me and I told him we were traveling in a Winnebago. And then it came. . .wait for it. . .

"Really," he said. "I cut John K's hair for over twenty years down here. He was a good tipper. I always got a ten."

In a world of random instances, what are the odds that I'd be dropped off at a strip center barbershop that somebody else chose for me, being the third guy in line waiting for one of two barbers, and then striking up a small talk conversation mentioning Winnebago?

I handed George a ten dollar tip, shook his hand and said, "In memory of John K."