There's a WHAT By My Driveway???

When I was a teenager, I spent my summers in Stoneboro, PA babysitting my adorable nephew, Christopher (who just celebrated his 4th wedding anniversary this week ... yikes!). Stoneboro was my first experience with small town living. I loved pushing Christopher in his stroller to pick up the mail or get a popsicle at Saffron's. It constantly amazed me that everyone knew who we were. And even now, years later, I remember feeling very impressed by the fact that Stoneboro had only ONE traffic light.

Now I live in an even SMALLER town ... with NO traffic light!

Until ...

Look what showed up on my doorstep last week! I couldn't believe my eyes! I rubbed them a few times to be sure ....

Yep ... we are now the "not-so-proud" owners of the only traffic light on Route 73 from the Northway to Lake Placid! While the DOT repairs the bridge near our house, we get no handsome flagmen. No - we get a cold, impersonal traffic light!

And this is the result ...

Brakes grind. Trucks rattle. There is a moment of silence. And then the snorting and snuffling as the traffic machine starts up again.

I was just about to complain when I had an epiphany! Back up just a few steps and look again ...

That's OUR sign! Sitting right there next to OUR driveway that leads to OUR Bed and Breakfast. And while those poor weary travelers are sitting there in the middle of nowhere ... they have nothing better to do but to LOOK at our sign and our driveway and our Bed and Breakfast!

That traffic light is our newest marketing plan! Of course, that realization led to the next one ... that our sign needed to be cleaned! So Wayne and his handy broom took care of that!

Now every time I hear the slowing of the traffic and see the road lined with cars, I smile! All those people who would ordinarily fly by at 55 mph are a captive audience.

Maybe I'll send the girls down to the road to pass out muffins and business cards ....