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Thread: Small World

  1. #1

    Small World

    https://www.deseret.com/2010/9/25/20...th-a-bulldozer

    ^^ above is a link to an 11 year old story about a guy who helped save a bunch of homes nearby during a mountain fire. My wife's sister and her husband's house is one the houses he saved. He was on the local news that evening, and aside from the going above-and-beyond, I thought it was pretty cool that his name was Kevin Williams...

    so- last Friday I made an appointment with our DMV for yesterday afternoon, to get a new title (finally) for the mobile home we bought last year, and to re-up the plates on our motorhome. I went in, got a number and took a seat. When my number was called I went to the window to get helped, one of six windows that were open. The lady who helped me, while finishing up her end of the new title paperwork, says to me "I'm going to put a "B" (my middle initial) right here between Kevin and Williams"...

    I smiled-- "Okay, why?"

    "Because I'm married to Kevin Williams and I don't want to end up getting your tax bill by mistake!"

    So I asked if he happened to be the one who was bulldozing the mountain during the Herriman fires?

    "Yes, he is!"

    Now that was cool... Of all the days I chose, the time slots I chose, and the available DMV reps, all at random, the last thing I ever expected was to run into the wife of a local hero that shares my name...
    ========================================
    ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
    FOUR - CO2 lasers
    THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
    ONE - vinyl cutter
    CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle


  2. #2
    That is an amazing coincidence right there. Couldn't plan that!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    Longview WA
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    Great story Kev.

    My last name isn't as common as yours. During my days as a field service technician people would often get a funny look on their face when reading my name. My reaction to 'the look' was to say, "it is pronounced kepkey like you kep a key." One time a receptionist replied, "yes, I know. I am married to Jim Koepke." She probably had a bit of fun with my card when she got home that evening.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  4. #4
    A great coincidence,if you believe in coincidence.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    SE Michigan
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    368
    Here's my small world story...

    In 1988, I joined my manager and two other co-workers for a week-long business trip to Europe with our last stop being in Birmingham, England. As the trip was being planned, my manager noted that to get back to Detroit one would fly via Prestwick or London and that the fare for both options was identical. He suggested flying back via Prestwick and taking an extra day on our own dime and go play a round of golf on the Old Course at St. Andrews. The other three of us obviously concurred.

    We arrived at St. Andrews on a Friday evening with our tee time set for Saturday afternoon. We used the next morning to tour St.Andrews (which, I swear is a town with nothing but hotels, beautiful classic churches and numerous golf shops.)

    I was walking through one of the shops and ran into another co-worker that was on an overseas golf vacation with a group of friends. It just so happened that I had played golf with him numerous times before. During our discussion, he mentioned he was playing elsewhere that day but would be playing the Old Course on Sunday. We wished each other well and then moved on.

    After our round, the four of us stopped in for a drink at the Rusack's Hotel - which is on the 18th fairway - before driving back to Prestwick. Once we got back to Prestwick, we dropped off our car rental and checked into a B&B at the airport. Upon checking in, I realized that I was missing my wallet. Their were only two options: either I dropped it when we made a stop to change drivers on the way back or I left it at the bar at the hotel.

    I placed a call to the hotel and found that I had left it at the table. I asked if it was possible for them to FedEX/DHL it back to me in the States. The desk clerk told me that it would not be picked up until Wednesday at the earliest due to bank holidays and the earliest I could expect to get it back would be Friday. This was a problem as my wife and I were leaving on a vacation that Friday to celebrate our 10 year anniversary.

    While considering my options, I remembered my friend that I ran into earlier that day and recalled where he was staying. I was able to get the phone number of the hotel and have their desk clerk ring his room. After almost giving up, he finally answered. I told him what happened and asked if he could help.

    "Bob, I was just heading out the door to have dinner at the Rusack's Hotel. I can pick up your wallet and have it back to you on Tuesday!"

    And that's how I got my wallet back.
    Last edited by Bob Turkovich; 09-01-2021 at 2:56 PM. Reason: grammar
    "Don't worry. They couldn't possibly hit us from that dist...."

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    E TN, near Knoxville
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    12,298
    I love reading these stories!

    Ours isn’t as dramatic. While walking through the crowded market street in Athens, Greece a few years ago my Lovely Bride and I heard a sudden squeal and a woman ran out of a shop and called my wife’s name. She was a friend/coworker at the DOE and both had retired some years before. Neither guessed the other planned to visit Greece! What are the odds of running into each other?! And wearing nearly identical outfits? 😊

  7. #7
    I have a Readers Digest book titled 'Bizarre Phenomena', that deals a lot in strange coincidences. This story I've always found fascinating...

    In 1971 Anthony Hopkins auditioned for the role 'The Girl From Petrovka', a film based on the book by George Fiefer. Hopkins was chosen for the part a few days later, then traveled to London to buy a copy of the book. Several second-hand bookstores later in the Charing Cross area of London, he never found a copy. While waiting on the platform of the Leicester Square subway station he noticed a book had been left on the seat next to him. It was a copy of 'The Girl From Petrovka'.

    Two years later while filming the movie in the middle of Vienna, Hopkins was visited on the set by George Fiefer. He told Hopkins he no longer had a copy of his own book, that he'd lent it to a friend who had lost it somewhere in London. Hopkins handed him the book he found, "is this it?" --It was.
    ========================================
    ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
    FOUR - CO2 lasers
    THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
    ONE - vinyl cutter
    CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle


  8. #8
    Another bizarre coincidence today...

    Last week I got an engraving order, to personalize 28 pick-rock hammers for a local group of 'rock hounds'. A well renowned geologist from this area passed away in January of this year, and the leader of the group wanted to surprise the other members with these hammers in memory of the guy. The engraving included a favorite catch-phrase of the geologist, his name, born-on/passed away dates, and the name of the member to receive the hammer. This morning the group leader picked up the hammers, and thankfully was very pleased with them...

    This afternoon around 5pm the wife and I are packing parts to ship to another customer in Wyoming. To fill in the loose space between the parts, I grabbed some old newspaper from a stack that's been under a work table for months. I started pulling out pages and tearing them in half, handing the pieces to Vick to stuff. The pages I was tearing up were some obituaries, which I mentioned to Vick. "Anyone we know?" she asks in jest. I answer back, in jest, "O my gawd, Jane Doe died!!" (not the actual name obviously) - I browsed down the paper, and says " O my gawd, and so did--..." And as I was reading the name, it was familiar for some reason, then it hit me; "--and so did the guy who's name I just engraved on all those hammers!"

    Hard to believe, out of the blue from a stack of months-old newspapers I just happened to come across the geologist's obituary. I'd just missed tearing it up too...
    ========================================
    ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
    FOUR - CO2 lasers
    THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
    ONE - vinyl cutter
    CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle


  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Northern California
    Posts
    665
    I’ll keep it brief. I encountered a former neighbor from Chicago on a ski slope in Zermatt, Switzerland. I had stopped halfway down the mountain to admire the view when this guy skied up to me and called out my name. How he recognized me under all the ski apparel is almost as amazing as the meeting.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    New Westminster BC
    Posts
    2,981
    Several years ago my wife and I were on Cortez Island which is two ferry rides away from Vancouver Island which is one ferry ride from our home near Vancouver on the mainland. While at lunch, my wife heard her name called out, it was a childhood friend from back east in Ontario (add a five hour plane ride) whom she had not seen in over a decade.

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