we finish up at dusk on a June evening and whaddayano, the car won't start. it's 10 miles to our place and we don't know anyone close by. there is a pickup in the parking spot, so we wait...after a while here comes the owner. he says sure, he can help with a jump start if we have the cables, and we give it a shot. no go.

sooooo...we call AAA, manage to remember the name of the tiny dirt lane we're on (thank God for 911 making everyone name their little roads!), and Best Fishing Buddy settles down to wait. Mr. Pickup seems a bit shy, and asks BFB if he's really comfortable letting some stranger give his wife a lift home. "Well," says BFB, "I've got your tag number, so if you all go off to Mexico I'll know where to start looking." Mr. P drives me home, i thank him, we finally think to exchange names, and i get in my car and go retrieve BFB from the local Chevy dealer where AAA took him. a couple days later i find out who the Samaritan was and send him a thanks and some flies.

fast forward to today, when we get a note from the fellow. here is his story:

"October 2007, 6:30 AM Sunday morning--halfway to Harrisburg when a tire on the boat trailer blows on 81. We have no spare, and a picnic cooler-full of live chubs and stonecats for bait. We jacked the boat & trailer, pulled the tire, and stopped at the next exit's Sheetz store. leaving the boat & bait on the shoulder of 81. We asked the group of coffee-drinkers inside the Sheetz if there was anywhere nearby (Sunday am) to get a new tire? One man looked-over my rim & shredded tire--announced that he only lived 2 miles away & thought sure he had one at home to match! Tony was his name. He returned a few minutes later with a new tire & rim, but couldn't remember if he'd paid 50 or 70 dollars for it. I walked across the street to an ATM and got $75 for him. I was happy as could be, got to the Susquehanna only an hour late, and had a great day fishing.
Get this!!!!--At noon time, same day, Tony called my cell while we were still fishing. Said he got to Tractor Supply Store and bought a replacement for the one he sold me, and it only cost $50. he got my address and sent me a check for the difference a few days later!
Overall--I think we fishermen are a good group of people."

thought you all might enjoy a warm fuzzy in the holiday spirit!