The phrase "going to town" can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. A trip to New York for theater or a mean in a 4-Star resturant, a trip to the local mall to shop for brand name products to impress others, or in my case, a trip to the local gas'up'n'go/deli market.

Here in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, some of us still live "off the beaten path." A trip to town for me is a run to the local store for grocery basics and gas. The store is approximately 7 miles away for a round trip of about 14 miles.

"Miss Geneva" is a widow who lives about a mile and a half away. At the age 76, she doesn't own a car, doesn't drive, so sometimes she rides shotgun for me.

Miss Geneva's house originally functioned as a school for the Greasy Creek area. Later my one of my favorite aunts and uncles lived there for a time and one of my first cousins can call this her birthplace. Periodically the creek floods and washes away her bridge. Determined to maintain her independence, she just builds it back.

I've never met her that she isn't smiling! An example for us all.