Every day, there’s someone new to meet! Here are a few of my favorite new friends.

Donna, who hates having her picture taken

Donna, who runs the Coca-Cola Museum in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Donna hates having her picture taken, so her family has very few photos of her. But tourists in the museum ask for her photo regularly, and she can’t say no. So there are thousands of photos of her extant, just not in her family! She loved the idea of hiding behind a copy of Strangers Have the Best Candy.

Johnny shows me how a calendar clock works

Johnny Ingram, who started The Museum of Measurement and Time with his wife. I accidentally stumbled upon this private museum in Jefferson, Texas. Johnny and his wife created it to showcase their collection of clocks, salt-and-pepper shakers, adding machines, and surveying instruments. It’s an incredible collection, beautifully displayed, but the real find is Johnny. He knows everything there is to know about clocks and traditional systems of measurement.

The Nomadic Response Team

Carolyn, Rich, and Ian Sasek, nomads currently living in Melissa, Texas. This is my new nomadic family — we met on Facebook, through Carolyn’s Nomadic Mama group, and we knew we were kindred spirits. We met at a restaurant in Sherman, Texas for breakfast and practically stayed until dinnertime.

The proprietor of the Villanueva General Store

Danny Torrez, who runs the general store in Villanueva, New Mexico, with his mother, Josie. This was one of my favorite encounters — I could just hang out in that store all day. Danny greets everyone by name, and makes them feel welcome. Josie’s great-grandmother started the store, so it’s been in the family for five generations.

Although the store is not a restaurant, it is set up to do some cooking. I had the best breakfast of my trip, well-seasoned with love.