All Good Things Must Come To An End - Leaving Ogunquit

Date:10-16-13
Location: Ogunquit, Maine
Written by: Joey

TAKE NOTE: This post was written while DJ & Joey were on their RV roadtrip across America. Sadly, their trip ended before it really got started. No worries, Shelly & Lucia are taking the Connextions Out n About Roadtrip to new heights, exploring one RV park at a time!

Joey and I walked into the Backyard Coffee shop filled with local business owners and walked over to meet Karen Arel.  Karen grew up in Claremont, NH where I spent some of my teenage years, and now works for the Ogunquit Chamber of Commerce.  I had originally called the Chamber, looking for a local guide, but when I mentioned that we were planning on going through a little town called Claremont on our way to Manchester and Ogunquit she exclaimed that she had grown up there!  We talked about Claremont and quickly realized that we were both there at about the same time!  It reminded me of how small the world can seem and how we are all connected in some way.  As we chatted and reminisced about Claremont we made arrangements to meet upon arrival into Ogunquit. 

Karen was behind her desk and her assistant Francis was just outside her office door.  We connected right away and our conversation seemed like it was between old friends rather than new acquaintances.  Karen and Francis invited us to join them as their guests at an event the Chamber was hosting called Business After Hours, later that week and we accepted.  She told us that it would be a great opportunity to meet a lot of the local business people and tell them about our journey.  Joey and I mingled with Gay and Straight business owners and commented on how there was virtually no segregation of any kind between the groups.

Karen was nice enough to introduce us to the crowd and briefly outlined our journey and Joey and I were warmed by they way everyone made us feel welcome.  As the meeting wound down and people began to leave a small group of people waved us over to join them.  We introduced ourselves and began explaining in detail what we were doing and why and a little bit about Priscilla.  During our conversation, Amy - the owner of Backyard told us that her girlfriend had proposed to her earlier in the day, but that she hadn’t told her parents yet who were also in attendance.  We had met both of her parents earlier in the evening and they were so nice and friendly so I immediately told her that everything would be fine because their love for her was so apparent in our discussions.   

I love the conversations that always happen after an event or meeting, when people feel much more relaxed and open and this was no different. Joey and I left to go back to Priscilla to spend our final night in Ogunquit.  

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