Where's Waldo?

I was tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep tonight and my mind was wandering over all that we've seen and experienced here in our first five days. I was mentally 'jousting' over all the roads we've driven on and all the places we've been and something kept gnawing at the back of my aging mind. I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

Then suddenly it struck me. It's not what I HAVE seen but rather what I HAVEN'T seen!

Now let me say first that this is admittedly an old- even an ancient area of England by any standards. This is farm country and most everything around here is centuries old. The old man we met at the graveyard yesterday was about ninety years old and he still lives in the house where he was born, just 300 feet from the church where he was christened. His life gives 'stability' an entire new meaning. And he's rather typical of many around here I suspect- at least of his generation.

So what HAVEN'T we seen? Well...

We haven't seen a single billboard or advertising sign. Not one. Nada. Zilch. I take for granted that you'll pass five, eight, perhaps ten billboards along every mile of highway in America. Often they're on both sides of the road and facing in both directions. Many are 40 or 50 feet tall and nearly all are illuminated at night. We haven't seen a single sign of any kind. Even businesses have tiny signs that identify the business as a pub, bookseller or realtor above the door; nothing more.

We haven't seen a single fast food business. None. Not a KFC/Taco Bell, Pizza Hut-- not a McDonalds, nothing. Not even an Arthur Treacher's Fish 'n Chips! Now I KNOW they exist in England somewhere-- perhaps in many places. But we haven't seen one since we landed on the plane. We didn't see one driving out of Heathrow airport or anywhere we've been since. In the smallest rural towns in America there's a KFC and a McDonalds. But not here.

We've only seen one gas station. Just one. And it only had two pumps and the entire filling station would have fit easily in a typical urban front yard in America- perhaps 40' x 60' at most. Tiny!

We haven't seen much in the way of brand-name stores. We did shop at one grocery store that's part of a British chain, but it wasn't much bigger than a QuikTrip or 7-11 at home. And across the street we saw one drugstore (or chemist, as they say here) that was part of a national chain, though it was scarcely bigger than a typical Starbucks in America.

And banks? We've seen exactly one bank-- a Barclays. The entire bank was the size of a carry-out Little Caesar's pizza shop; barely room enough to walk up to the teller's window and leave. We haven't seen a single free-standing bank or drive-thru anywhere. Nary a one. In America banks are like fleas on a dog-- scratch just about anywhere and you'll find a bank with four drive-thru lanes, an ATM machine and a lobby. Not here.

We've only seen three stop lights since we left Heathrow. We've seen no stop signs- just a few of the infamous 'give way' signs I mentioned in an earlier entry.

When I think about little Ludington, MI there are a dozen gas stations, a dozen banks, a dozen fast food restaurants and nearly a dozen chain stores from Lowe's and Home Depot to Wal-Mart and Meier. Even in the tiniest population-300-farm-town in America there's at least a Casey's with gas pumps, pizza and more. Not so in the Cotswolds.

I'm sure I'll discover lots more things that 'aren't' in the weeks ahead. And perhaps we'll discover lots of other areas that have more modern landmarks.

Quite honestly- other than motorized vehicles, we could easily be here in 1812 and I don't think anything would be much different from 2012. Remarkable!

On the one hand, it's odd to be somewhere so utterly alien to our own world/life experience- so utterly devoid of modernity. On the other hand it's a startling realization of just how intensively commercialized America has become, and we take it all for granted. They say the business of America is business. I guess that must be so.