Fraters Libertas

What Dreams May Come

20 days ago, while riffling though my wad of cabbage, I came across a dollar bill with one of those "Where's George?" stamps. I've seen these before, but never had the time, inclination, or memory to register it on the Web site before dispatching it back out into the economy. Fortunately, this one caught me at the right time and right place, so register it I did.

Now, joy of joys, 20 days later I have been alerted that my little George has traveled 434 miles away, all the way to Alma, Michigan. According the to the recipient there, it was procured at the BK Lounge in Ithaca, Michigan. Sadly, no information exists on the Internet about that particular establishment, but the city itself sounds sounds fantastic:

The seat of Gratiot County, Ithaca combines a serene, historic downtown business district with a recently developed industrial park on the east side near the U.S.-27 expressway and beautiful Woodland Park on the west.

A serene, historic downtown business district AND a recently developed industrial park by the highway. It sounds like some sort of Norman Rockwell New Urbanist Eden. It gets better:

Ithaca's population abounds in creative energy, as evidenced in the work of a local sculptor displayed on lawns north of town, several very attractive gift and antique shops, a motel owner who sculpts graceful images of sea life, and a native son, Dick Allen, who has served in the Michigan Legislature, chaired the Michigan State Fair, and founded the DALMAC (Dick Allen Lansing to Mackinaw) Bicycle Tour that precedes each Labor Day weekend.

We'll have to take their word for it that the motel owner's sculptures of sea life are indeed graceful. For they provide no name, and a Google search for graceful motel owners proved to be futile (and rather disturbing). Ah well, maybe someday F2356xxx2D will be exchanged for an elegant porcelain mackerel or something and we'll know for sure. Until then, we can dream.

Dreams - that's the whole point of Where's George. Where will our dreams lead next? Perrinton, Michigan? Mesick, Michigan? Bad Axe, Michigan? We shall see. But wherever George goes, he'll always have a home in my wallet. And he's free to bring any friends named Ben or Ulysses back with him.