It all started at lunch one day: Two guys were talking about the good old days and the conversation got around to hobbies, both past and present.

One guy had started woodworking since retiring, turning out lovely bowls for his wife and relatives. The other guy had been doing leatherwork for many years, but since the arthritis is getting worse in his hands that’s sort of been on the backburner.

Then they started talking about radio-controlled model airplanes. Seems that was a great interest to both of them in their younger years and so they made a plan to pursue to fruition this new excitement.

And so it came to pass that both guys, one tall and one short, bought planes (they come ready-made now, no need to cut or glue or fit slot A into slot B). The only assembly needed was to attach the wings and propeller, charge up the battery and go.

Then, these two guys, ready to fly again, found a place. It was at the Kingston Middle School playfield. They buzzed around that field for an hour or so and then came the disaster. The short guy’s plane got too close to a tree and the tree grabbed it.

What to do? Neither guy is capable of climbing a tree so the tall guy says he has a friend that can do it and calls him. He’s at work but will see them at 5:30. Come 5:30 and the friend calls. He needs to work overtime; he’ll see them tomorrow. Tomorrow comes and same thing — overtime calls. So the guys go home to plan some other kind of attack. The next day they go to where the plane is and … it’s gone!

Well, they say, it was a long shot that someone wouldn’t see it and want it for their own. And after a brief mourning period, the short guy orders another plane. Then two days later a phone call comes from the office at the Kingston Middle School. She has the plane. Seems a county worker was out cutting trees and retrieved the plane and took it to the school office. He didn’t have time to track down the owner. Did she?  And she did.

Of course, the short guy put an address label on the plane so when the office gal saw it she called and said, “This may be the happiest call I’ve ever made.” And it was. So, the short guy hops in his car and retrieves the plane and finds only very minor damage, and it’s ready to fly again.

Now wasn’t that a nice story?

Also, for those of you that like to write fiction, I’m going to start a beginning fiction-writing class at the Little Boston Library starting Sept. 24. That’s a Saturday and it will continue for four weeks. You can sign up at the library. Also starting again is the Memoir Writing Group. We meet at the Hansville Store and that starts on Sept. 19, 1-3 p.m., and continues the first and third Monday of each month after that.

Busy winter is coming up. Maybe I’ll see you at one of these meetings. Contact me at welltoldtales@aol.com.