On my April 23 visit to Chester, Susanville, and Quincy, I had one of those spooky coincidences that are hard to ignore. Actually three, but the first two were nothing compared to the third. Here’s the story…
First, for a bit of background, I grew up camping every year for two weeks at Juniper Lake, near Chester. I have so many fond memories of that area, and was looking forward to getting out that way after far too many years. (Last visit was in late 90s for a fantastic reunion at the lake. Sadly, another reunion was cancelled due to the 2021 Dixie fire.)
Arriving in Chester, I knew I wanted to find the old corner store we used to visit after a week at the lake, to stock up. Comic books and candy, I remember that clearly. But before locating the old store, coffee. I pulled over for a quick search and found The Coffee Station less than a block away. The first odd coincidence was talking to a man sitting in front of the Station, the first person I met in Chester. Turns out he moved to Chester a few years ago, from Healdsburg — practically a neighbor. And knows Mike McGuire! We had a nice conversation about both areas, and the campaign.
The Station had good coffee, but apparently no restroom, so the woman said. She suggested the store across the street might, and indeed it did. As I entered, the place felt familiar, and I realized — and confirmed with the manager — it was the old store! Been there since 1912. Well, I wouldn’t have to track it down since I stumbled right into it.
So that’s how the day started, and I was feeling pretty good. But it was in Quincy, towards the end of the day, that things got strange.
I should pause to point out that, being a Math Guy and all, I have a solid grasp of probability, and I fully understand the idea that unlikely events are bound to happen by chance — simply because there are so many possible unlikely events. If you shoot an arrow into the woods, the chance of it hitting a particular tree are quite small, but it’s likely to hit some tree. Still, no one gets to tell the universe how to operate, and there are times when synchronicity or the Lattice of Coincidence feel like more than playful ideas. This was one of those times.
I met with Tommy Miles of KRCB 104.9 FM and recorded what felt like a solid interview (we’ll find out soon). I then spent a few hours in downtown Quincy connecting with random citizens for some good conversation, visited the excellent museum behind the courthouse, and generally got a feel for the town. Before heading back to Chester and Chico, I needed to charge the car, and make a pit stop. The charger is by the American Valley Hardware, with restroom at the back. On my way out I planned to just drop some cards at the register and get on the road, but I noticed a gentleman in an aisle to my right, and I thought, hey, he looks like a good random citizen, I have time to pester one more. So I said “Excuse me, do you have a minute?”
He did, introduced himself, Andrew, and we chatted a bit. Then he mentioned that he lived “south”, not in Quincy. “Oh, where?” “Berkeley” he says. “Berkeley? I grew up in Berkeley!” So that was fun, and I said “Well, I’m sure you know people in Quincy, let me give you some cards.” As I handed them to him, he took one look and exclaimed, “Oh! Chris Reeves.” My jaw dropped. What did you say?
You probably aren’t as struck by this as I was, so let me explain. First, in all those years camping at Juniper Lake we more often than not shared the experience with the Reeves, Chris being the oldest of the kids. Andrew is a very good friend of Chris, and Chris had told him about my campaign only days before. Chris, in turn, only learned of my campaign because my sister Anne decided to announce it to her Facebook — before my May 1 target. Had she asked I would have suggested she wait. Now I’m glad she didn’t ask.
You can’t assign useful odds to an event like this, and there’s really no point in trying. There are connections all around us, and sometimes, it seems, we just need to walk up to them and say hello.