Coffee At Daylight Donuts
When we walked into Daylight Donuts after our Saturday morning trail run, Gary was ready for us. He had been reading my columns, and it seemed like he was expecting us. Of course, he should have expected us because his donut shop serves as another little spot in Miami County where people gather, drink coffee, talk, and of course eat donuts. I love to drink coffee there because it still cost less than a dollar, and Gary comes around to the tables and pours more whenever the cups run out. This particular Saturday, Gary gave us our coffee for free, and between the four of us we gobbled seven donuts. The donuts were delicious, the other customers were engaging, but the most exciting thing about Daylight Donuts is Gary.
On one of my earlier visits to Daylight Donuts, Gary brought out photos of his fishing trip to Minnesota, and told us stories about his canoe trip on the Missouri River from Kansas City to St. Louis. This really piqued my imagination. I didn’t know people could boat on the Missouri, and I had never heard of the canoe race Gary told us about. Don’t be surprised if a few years from now you are reading the paper and my column tells about my canoe trip down the Missouri River because I want to do that!
Saturday morning, Gary pointed out a photograph he borrowed from his artist friend Jim. This framed photo, about as long as one of Jeremy’s arms, looked like an old black and white photo of a town with a small lake in the middle. It turned out, though, that Jim had put together two photographs that were taken ten years apart. One photograph he took in summer, and the other he took in winter. Inside the photograph, Jim hid fun, secret things. In fact, after Gary pointed them out to us, I thought maybe Jim believed he could jump into picture (al la the Voyage of the Dawntreader), so he included all of the things he loved from his childhood. The Lock Ness Monster swims in the lake, the Beatles step out on Abby Road somewhere in town, Roy Rogers and Trigger appear on the far side of the lake, and a UFO hides among the clouds.
Most of the time when we go to Daylight Donuts, we run into someone we know. If we come at the right time, our neighbors Arlin and Aaron almost always walk in. Karen is often there, ready to discuss the paper. This week, Jeremy’s old history teacher engaged us in conversation. Still, anytime we visit Daylight Donuts Gary is the most interesting person in the room. He, his amazing donuts, and the limitless coffee are what keep people coming back all this time.
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Posted by admin
on Sep 21 2011. Filed under Beth Gulley.
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