I managed to find this (somehow) from my archives. I haven’t lived down on the bayou in Louisiana in 3 years, but I hope you enjoy this short story about some people I met during my time living in Morgan City.
Without further ado…
The OhmGnomes and The Carhop
this should definitely make for some interesting, jokingly judgmental conversation at the office next week
I had just bummed a ride with a coworker from Morgan City to Lafayette, Louisiana, about an hour’s drive, since I don’t own a personal vehicle (other than my bicycle, of course). We had just arrived in the trailer park where I planned to spend the night Couchsurfing.
The first person I met was not my host, but another Couchsurfer. Miguel was quite the interesting character. From the moment I first saw him, shoeless out next to his ’67 Volvo (who’s name I came to learn is Paul) with thick dreads some of which stretched down to his waist, I knew it was going to be an interesting night of swapping travel stories.
[A]nd in fact he was a vegan
He confidently wore his scraggly, 7-month beard unkempt save for his thoughtful, incessant stroking. His skinny body and narrowed, almost sickly-looking limbs, if it weren’t for the thin strips of lean muscle which outlined the frame of his skeleton, suggested his animal-protein-free diet, and in fact he was a vegan.
I can only imagine what my coworker was thinking. My entire office has questioned my sanity ever since they heard several of my stories about hitchhiking across Louisiana and East Texas. Learning about my Couchsurfing habits has only added fodder to the fire and this should definitely make for some interesting, jokingly judgmental conversation at the office next week.
My coworker left me and I walked inside to meet Miguel’s girlfriend, Katie - contrary to what you may think, she looked much more contemporary while she prepped a vegan stew from the fresh vegetables they had received as a gift from an acquaintance’s garden. Her dirty-blonde hair was tied up in a messy bun, the brownish nondescript cloth shorts and purple cami suggestive of a woman studying at university.
OhmGnomes, a company specializing in handmade Ayahuasca-inspired hats
The three of us chatted for about an hour or two until our host came home from work. During this time, Miguel and Katie told me about the nomadic-entrepreneurial path which they have chosen. The two founders of OhmGnomes, a company specializing in handmade Ayahuasca-inspired hats and dreamcatchers will never go public. Not because the products they produce aren’t first-rate, but because the entire experience for Miguel and Katie is entirely about that - the experience. Having heard a few stories about the individuals they’ve met along their journey and had the good fortune of fitting hats for or selling dreamcatchers to, there is no question that the pleasure they derive from seeing others’ happiness with their craft remunerates them far more than any monetary amount ever could. You two are truly inspiring individuals who have chosen a non-traditional path that will make you more successful than any Fortune 500 CEO.
Her trailer is covered wall-to-wall with artifacts from every continent
Our Couchsurfing host, Jen, stumbled in from work more than a little flustered and scatter-brained, more than likely due to the stress of her fast-paced job at the local Sonic. Jen is an astonishingly well-traveled blonde buxom Georgia peach with slightly more than a tinge of ADHD that is well-complimented by her overcurious mind. Jen spends her Christmases volunteering abroad - working with children in South Africa and with elephants in Southeast Asia were two of the stories I heard during my short stay. Her trailer is covered wall-to-wall with artifacts from every continent which illustriously reflect her love of globe-trotting. Although we were only able to spend maybe another two hours getting to know each other, Jen’s interest in the cultures of our world coupled with the selfless attitude she assumes not only with her Couchsurfing guests, but also seemingly throughout her life have made an unquestionably positive impact on me.
All three of you, I hope our paths will cross again. Alas, it is a small world so I am quite certain they will. I wish you all the best!
Safe travels and happy surfing!
Josh S =P
Archival stories
Well, to be honest, this is probably the only writing from my old blog that I really wanted to recover/find/reshare. Although I haven’t posted much here, it’s more than I’ve ever found the effort to share online on a blog…it helps that my hosting is free, thanks to GitHub!
Comments on FB and personal messages definitely help spur me onward. Thanks to everyone who’s read and continues to read, and thank you in advance for any encouraging messages!