I’m not really sure that this is the concept at work here, but there is a story to be shared and a big thank you to send along.
The short version of this story is that we were sitting at Otto’s on Saturday afternoon debating how we would spend the rest of our weekend (after the Real Ale Fest at Zeno’s) when a man walked in to pick up kegs for his party. Overhearing him talk about the bands, the cauldron of soup and the bonfire, it seemed natural to pull the old bar joke of, “where’s the party?,” which generates a laugh and everyone goes back to their old lives.
Before I could ask, “where’s the party?,” D blurted out, “what’s the address?” In seconds, he rattled off his address, which D carefully scribed into his notebook, and we exchanged first names with our new acquaintance, Sam (no last name), and said good-bye with a, “perhaps we’ll see you later!,” tagged on the end.
Hours later, after enjoying the Real Ale and filling up on the lovely vegetarian soup/stew and a selection of other munchies at Zeno’s, we were not quite ready to turn in. So we called our host to tell him we wouldn’t be out too late, but were going to try out this party at a stranger’s house. I’m sure he was on the other end of the phone just shaking his head.
We plugged the address we were given into the GPS, and drove a few miles into the country. Lo and behold, along a lovely wooded road lined with lit pumpkins, we found a small field converted to parking, and a welcoming crowd in the yard at Sam’s house.
A band jammed on the porch. As promised, a cauldron of soup was cooking on a small fire. And the kegs of beer were lined up in front of the food table. The bonfire was going to be set later in the evening. We located our host, and much to our surprise, Sam remembered our names!
He and his friends were very chatty - I need to dig out their card to check their names (and may issue a correction), but I believe the people we talked to the most were Jim & Linda Lipman. Jim & Linda are bourbon enthusiasts from Cincinnati, and this hobby is how they met Sam. Knowing the circle a bit, we asked if they knew Lew Bryson, and of course, they do.
We didn’t stay very long (we weren’t hungry or thirsty, but the band was good and there were plenty of people to talk to), but the whole time we were there we never did learn Sam’s last name.
So, tonight, the librarian in me had to search for an answer, which wasn’t very difficult. I put all of the facts I had together, and used Google to track him down. And…this leading to six degrees of Sam…Lew Bryson’s blog is one of the sources I used to confirm that Sam has a last name and it is Komlenic. I had read these stories before on Lew’s page, but I would have never made the connection without the other clues.
I know that’s not really six degrees, but I’ll bet there are many other people in the world who know Sam through six-people channels. Now we know Sam first-hand. Thanks, Sam, for making our night! It was a short visit, but will remain in our memories for a very long time.
