Come to this part of the United States and you’ll be greeted with a smile, maybe a handshake. You’ll be asked where you’re from and how in the world you got here, who your kin are and, more often than not, where you go to church. There are no right or wrong answers to these questions.
Should you stay here long, chances are good you’ll end up on somebody’s front porch. Never, ever decline such an invitation. There will be a swing and a few old rockers, and what you’ll do is have a seat and accept with a gracious smile anything that happens to be offered – a glass of sweet tea, a slice of pie, a nip from a bottle. And after? Well friend, just sit back and listen. That’s likely when the stories will begin.
That’s where I begin as well.
