rsh:
I am utterly (I almost said udderly) blown away. What an astounding operation!
I must contrast it, though, with a trip my late wife and I took through Kansas and Nebraska more than ten years ago. We were going from St. Louis to Denver and elected to avoid the Interstate altogether, sticking with the old U.S. Highways.
A depressing trip! Many (most) little towns, now bypassed by the fast highway were mere skeletons of what they had been. Perhaps a Post Office, a gas station, library, small mom-and-pop grocery store for the emergencies were all that was left. Oh, yes, a bar, too.
Then, not far down the road, a huge Wal-Mart. All those family-owned businesses that had been the heart of those small towns were ruined by the big box.
And, it wasn't only the towns. We saw many, many farmhouses in a sad state of decay, with out-buildings collapsing, etc. Those small, dedicated family-owned farms that had been around for several generations were dying everywhere, while big operations were taking over . . . but not necessarily with empathy!
Progress, progress!
Oh, well, that's a part of America, isn't it?
SWR
