Howard, Winfred, and Junius!

34.  That would be highway 34, west out of Madison, SD.  We did a fraud watch training in Howard today, and Babs (that would be our GPS system in the road car [not to be confused with the Neon, which pretty much is the garage car!]) took us to Madison, through Junius, around Winfred, and into Howard.  The trip there was direct.  We needed to get to the Miner county courthouse for our session.  If you've never been to Howard, you are missing the promenade to that aforementioned edifice!  Main Street turns into a gorgeous divided boulevard leading up to the end of the street, and there, precluding you from going any farther in the direction you are headed, sits the court house.  To me, an auspicious approach.  The court personnel were amazingly friendly.  They felt as if they knew me, and come to find out, they did!  Most of them had been at a presentation I had done here in town!  Think Disney..."It's a Small World".  Anyhow, we did the training for the four people who showed up, got in the car, did a tour of Howard and headed home.  Of course, we had to take the turn off to Winfred since neither if us had ever been there (don't you just envy retired people).  The road to the town limits is paved, but once you enter the metropolitan area, all the streets are gravel.  We were especially taken with Hotel street, (a one block stretch of dusty road with nary a building on it) and looked for the shopping Mecca of the town.  We found the post office, the old school now inhabited by the purveyors of bee hives and beeswax (which I didn't mind!), and what appeared to be a beer storage facility.  As we left town, I had the eerie feeling if we had stayed any longer, we might never have been heard from again.  Anyway, back on paved road to 34 and east to Junius.  Since we were in our meandering mood, we decided to survey the splendors of Junius.  Turns out you can do that making no turns whatsoever!  It exists as a ribbon community lining each side of 34!  Stay on the highway and you've seen the town!  It was then a tour around Lake Herman (okay, we only went part way!) and on into Madison.  Having spent time in Madison, we foreswore any further exploration and headed for home.
What difference could this possibly make to you?  Probably none.  But for once, we took a little time to stop along the way and "smell the roses", and I highly recommend it!  You deserve it, and you are loved!