A One Joke Town

Gail and I drove up to southern Oregon today. We are going to pick up a piece of art we commissioned, and the artist has a gallery in Port Orford, very close to the California border and on the ocean. She also has a couple of fancy rooms she rents out, and we are staying in “the loft”, a spectacular room facing the Pacific.

Along the way, we stopped in Redcrest for a bite. Redcrest is just a wide spot on the Avenue of the Giants, the scenic route that parallels the freeway through the giant redwoods.

We went to eat at a place named “cafe”, which is attached to a business named “gift store”. Little spot, seats about 20, seems to be doing a pretty good business. I had a grilled ham and cheese, Gail had a kraut dog. Nothing fancy here.

On the counter, next to a vase full of plastic flowers, is a bowl of water with a rock and a turtle. I asked if the turtle is real and the waitress said she never answers that question, only tell people the critter’s name.

Other people came in, everyone asked the same question, everyone got the same answer. I heard the joke 5 times in 20 minutes, God only knows how many times a day she amuses herself telling the same silly joke.

I’ve been in one horse towns before, this was the first time I was ever in a one joke town.