I recently had an hour or two to kill, and since I had my trusty Air with me, I stopped into a coffee shop/internet cafe to crank out a few pages of my latest short story. The shop is Bean Traders in on Route 54 in Durham North Carolina, and should you find yourself in its vicinity, I encourage you to stop in. They roast their own coffee beans and make a brew that is exceptional. Since caffeine is my drug of choice (my only drug in fact), I am particular about it. The Americano made my eyes roll back in my head. They also have fresh-baked bagels, very good as well.

But what really endeared the place to me was the sign: “Hippies use back door. No exceptions.” [smirk] I grew up and came of age in the 60’s and early 70’s, and well remember the attitude towards hippies. They were considered to be disreputable and dirty, walking around with no shoes on and all that long hair which could harbor disease. Not to mention the erosion of good old American values, which were under threat from all that free love, flower power, and marijuana.

The thing is, I haven’t seen one hippie yet in Durham. All the hippies are contained in Chapel Hill. A few years ago, the U.S. Congress was debating a grant for a zoo in North Carolina, and legendary Rep. Jesse Helms was quoted as saying, “If we need a zoo, just put a fence around Chapel Hill.” I take it as a compliment, as do most Hillians, even those of us who do not sport bellbottoms and headbands.