Breakfast in a Caboose
First of all, it doesn’t “look like” a caboose. It really is a caboose. It was brought there, butted up against the building and attached to it. So it’s a little caboose with a big inside. The furniture is vintage 1950s, chrome and aqua Formica, old wooden floors. The waitress is the cook, the waiter, and the dishwasher, as well as the local Welcome Wagon. I had an egg for 50 cents, toast with fresh made jam for $1.50, and fresh squeezed orange juice in a wine glass for $2.00.
While I waited for my breakfast, I looked around at all the shelves and discovered a stack of new, library bound, signed, children’s books with charming illustrations. The title of the book is How the Little Caboose Came to Rutledge. My quick synopsis of the delightful book: Ed, a carpenter in Rutledge, fell off a ladder and can’t work. He thinks of something else he might like to do. He used to be a seafood chef in Key West. But there’s no seafood in Rutledge. He used to be a cook on a cruise ship. But there’s no water in Rutledge. There are no boats, only trains. But now, the train doesn’t come either. Everyone is sad about that. So Ed has an idea. He finds a caboose and brings it to Rutledge. He’s a carpenter who knows just what to do.
Ed passed away. There’s a yellowed newspaper story in a frame on the wall behind the stack of books. He’s a local beloved hero.
Breakfast was great and I bought some brownie mixes in Mason jars to give as hostess gifts on a future trip. And of course, the charming book.
The moral of this story is, if the place calls out to you, stop! Go in. You never know what might be waiting for you.