Met a friend from the Richmond area in Charlottesville for lunch today. Driving over and back there were things that caught my attention....
Driving I-64 west the right lane was closed at the Rt. 834 overpass due to construction/cleaning/painting or whatever is going on with that bridge. I believe that's Long Meadow Road....
American flags were waving on beyond there as I noticed the large flag on top of Home Depot on the left (north) side and a large flag on top of Intelos on the right (south) side near the old Outlet Mall. The wind was blowing which made them stand out against the mountains....
The Blue Ridge Mountains are always beautiful. Period. Summer, fall, winter, spring ... I never tire of looking at them. Today they certainly earned their name -- Blue Ridge -- because they were hazy on this hot summer day. As I drove up and over Afton I took in the lush green of the trees and was thankful to live in such a beautiful place....
Going down the eastern side of Afton was windy as my vehicle was buffeted around a bit. It was a clear sky, sunny day ... but the winds were kicking up on that side of the mountain....
The interstate between Afton and Ivy is lush. Trees, bamboo, pines, oaks grow right up to the edge of the highway right-of-way; some even provide a bit of shade for the interstate. It's almost like a green tunnel....
It's still summer as was evident with all the license plates on vehicles on the road. Maine and NY were the farthest north I saw; Florida the farthest south, and Texas, Ohio, and Tennessee were about as far west....
We had a great lunch in Charlottesville talking politics and life with someone who has a child in Iraq. Some people sacrifice more than others....
Driving back home late in the afternoon I again admired the mountains as I drove over Afton and back down into the Valley....
Stopped to refuel in Staunton when a vehicle pulled in beside me. With engine still running and cell phone to his ear, a guy got out and started pumping gas, all the while talking on his phone. I was annoyed ... maybe a spark from his engine would blow us all up. About that time the attendant, a young man in his 20s, approached the gentleman to tell him he needed to turn off his engine and his cell phone. Do you think the guy listened? Heck, no! He kept on fueling, kept on talking, and never made an attempt to turn off his motor and, when finished, walked over, paid, walked back and climbed in his vehicle -- still talking on the phone.
Why is it some people think the rules don't apply to them? I thanked the attendant for at least trying....
2 comments:
While pumping with your motor on is extremely dangerous, MythBusters proved that talking on your cell phone while pumping gas does nothing at all. The idea that talking on a cell phone will cause the gas fumes to ignite is simply an urban legend.
I saw that MythBusters where they dispelled the rumor of the cell phones. However, as long as the service stations have signs asking that cell phones not be used (and the sign was plainly posted yesterday) -- AND if the attendant asks you to turn it off -- it seems reasonable to follow the rules. Is a phone conversation that important that it can't wait five minutes while pumping gas? I would suspect liability issues with the gas stations has a lot to do with it ... they just want to be on the safe side (if there is any such thing in this sue-happy society we live in).
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