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Sue Cauhape's avatar

You confused me with your left-foot turn to go anti-clockwise. HUH? If my mind is working correctly, and that's been debatable today, if you turn anti-clockwise ... to your right ... wouldn't you turn with your right foot instead of your left? I'm so confused. Sorry.

Meanwhile, I loved your discovery of the money tree. I'd love to know more about the origins of this custom. Is it based on people needing to mark their passage with a physical memento at the place? We have a couple of similar customs here in the desert lands where people do get lost and are never seen again. Visitors to Nevada bars tack dollar bills or whatever currency they have in their pockets on the ceilings. Basque bars used to do this as a means for a shepherd to pre-pay his bar tab. This morphed into visitors marking their passage at the bar/saloon/tavern. Often, they write their home location or whatever they want to say.

Another even weirder tradition is the Shoe Tree. A newlywed couple resting alongside the highway got into an argument and the bride threatened to walk back to town. Her groom grabbed one of her shoes and threw it up in the tree. This started the custom of people adding their shoes to this tree in the middle of the Great Basin. Vandals cut down this old tree with its hundreds of shoes hanging from its branches. People held a wake in its honor. Then they took all those shoes and threw them into a another tree near where the old one stood. You can't keep a good tradition down.

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Bill Fonda's avatar

My wife and I were watching figure skating a couple years ago, and she noticed that a few of the skaters were spinning “backward.” Having never looked it up, or really even noticed before, I replied that I bet it was because they’re left-handed. (I can’t skate, but I’m left-handed.) I looked it up. I was right.

I also can get lost without trying, so circular walks are just my speed. :-)

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