Canal Walkers

Canal Walkers
Originally uploaded by Nancy Dunne

I was reminded today of a funny story I thought I'd share. Before I moved to the UK, I had a weekend visit from my dear friend Anne. She was moving to Greenville from Jacksonville and was looking for places to live. My best friend Leah was in town too, and the three of us struck out to find some of the properties Anne had found online.

I volunteered to drive because I was the only one that lived in Greenville and remotely knew the area. Pay attention to that word, remotely, as it will make sense later in the story. Anne brought along her sat nav in case I wasn't sure about some of the areas.

Turns out I wasn't sure about a LOT of the areas, so we turned on Yoda, Anne's sat nav (programmed to speak like Yoda from the Star Wars movies, hence the name). She was in the backseat programming in the address we were looking for while Leah helped me watch for street signs from the front seat.

Sounds easy, doesn't it?

Greenville, like most smaller urban-esque areas in the US, has mostly one way streets weaving through its downtown area, so if you miss a turn it may take three more to get you back on the right track. Poor Yoda was one wrong turn away from telling me "Your window you will roll down. Sat nav you will throw out the window. There is no more try, there is only bad driver." Finally we called my husband, already in the UK, who got us where we need to go by looking it up on Google Maps.

After 300 yards, left you must turn. At next place able, around you must turn. The other way, you must go. Thank goodness she had it set on Yoda and not Darth Vader, I might have wet my pants when that told me to make a U turn!

I thought of that when Anne mentioned coming to see me to take some photography walks, and I suggested she bring Yoda. "After 300 yards, bear right you must, or swim in the manky canal, you will."