The knights of Durham N.C: the meaning of true friendship

North Durham, N. C. counsel of elders

Friendship is a golden chain that joins friends together and if you never break that chain we will be friends forever. This is true for a group of childhood friends in North Durham, North Carolina. At 2010 North Roxboro Road, North Carolina, a miracle happens each day.

2010 North Roxboro Road is the location of a McDonald’s restaurant, and like most McDonald restaurants this spots sees a range of people coming and going; most of whom comes to purchase from the large menu. However, for me and many others this location has been my source of free wifi. But there is a rear phenomenon that occurs at this site daily. Each day a group of guys assemble at this spot.

The owner of the restaurant had a large round table made and the table is dedicated to and for the use of the senior men of Durham. Each day from about 10:00 am until 2:00 PM or whenever they decide to leave, a group of old friends gather at this table and they spend most of the day discussing current issues, neighborhood events, politics, as well as playing catch up with what have happened in each other’s life after they parted.

It is interested to note that these old-timers are not pre-occupied with cell phones and other modern day gadgets of convenience. They cannot be seen texting, browsing Facebook, or doing any of those uncultured things that this generation spends most of their time doing, even in the company of other; as they take what was supposed to have been a convenience, and transformed it into a distraction and in most cases an inconvenience. This is not so for these fellers, you will never see any of these guys fiddling with their phones. But they can be seen actively engages in health discussion, never raising their voices, or getting angry with anyone who disagree with them or who do not share their opinion; however, you can always hear an eruption of laughter coming from the table.

The remaining Knight of the round table

The twelve plus African American men who meet at this location are all retired and  their personalities differs as the species of fish. differs. There are a few of them who are still actively employed running their own small businesses. Those who are  self-employed still find the time to assemble daily ensuring that their spot at the counsel's table is preserved and their friendship with the guys continues to grow. As a result they work from the round table; each day they take their spot at the table, joining the Knight in the daily activities, however they will leave if their business requires them too, but will rejoin the company of friendship as soon as is humanly possible; in most case that is when the job  is done.

Mr. Jones

This group is made up of many distinguish gentlemen, of which the Grand Master is Mr. Jones; he owns this title  by virtue of his age. Mr. Jones is the oldest of the Knight. He is ninety years old and he is quick to proudly share his age. Always with a smile on his face, like most of the guys in this group, he displays a happy personality. Mr. Jones is not afraid to celebrate the fact that at ninety years old, he is also not afraid to declare he is doing well for his age. My Jones with a smile on his face and a  hint of pride chuckle: "no one have to tell me, I know I am doing pretty well for my age, I know that I am doing well for I am ninety years old; I don’t have any pain in my body and I don’t owe anyone anything, he said as he lay back in his chair, look out into space as he laugh, reflectively celebrate in his accomplishment Mr. Jones who walks with a walking stick is quiet most of the time but always seems to have a smile on his face.

Mr. Sam Vereen

Next in this elite group of gentle men that forms the Knighthood of Durham North Carolina is: Sam Vereen, Sam was born May 1^st, 1913, as a young man he had many jobs, when asked about his youthful employment he said: I did many things when I was young; I worked as a carpenter, at the cotton mill, I also worked with the rail Road the father of nine said as he took a moment to recollect on his youth. Sam was married to his now decease wife, who passed eleven years ago for forty two years before she departed this life. Sam is a very friendly fellow and is with a nice personality and he is always ready for a conversation.

Among the Knights of Durham North Carolina is a minister of religion, who can still be found breaking the

Rev. Jones

bread of life and feeding his flock at the Faith Gospel Tabernacle in Durham, North Carolina, Reverent Jones, is married for forty years and has eight children. In speaking about his child bearing days he said, when he was playing he hit a lot of home runs to be specific I hit eight home runs. I have eight children he proudly declared. This minister of religion is eighty seven years old.

Another of the Nights who occupied the round table is a happy go lucky guy: Percy Joynar, Percy is always smiling and it seems that nothing ever troubles this man. He is always ready for a conversation, and from his speech you can tell that he is highly intelligent. Percy worked in the wholesale drug industry for many years and is now contented with his retirement. When asked about work Percy said don’t you think that an eighty seven years old man should retire? This proud father of five children said that he was retired some twenty years ago and is enjoying their retirement.

Mr. Percy Joyner

There are some noticeable qualities that is common to all of these gentle men and it is not that each of these men is over eighty, but those qualities are: they are all active; they rise and from their seat and move around with every little ease and without help, they have lucid minds, they are not suffering from the old aged diseases that is common in many people forty years their junior, they are very opinionated; they can be seen and heard expressing their various opinions on topic of discussion and they have a great deal of love and respect for each other; which is evident in the fact that they wake up each day and are drawn to the round table where they will enjoy each other’s company.

By the time I got around to speaking to the others and take photos of the Knights of Durham, North Carolina, most of whom are childhood friends, Some of them would have left as they were required elsewhere while there were two who did not make me uncomfortable but was clearly reluctant that a stranger had invaded their midst which is understandable.

Weapon in my arsenal: Learning the tricks of RVing

Necessity is the mother of invention. This is so for most invention came into existence, as a solution to a problem, making some difficult or complicated task easier and in some cases: a pleasure. I am not claiming to have invented anything, but my energy conservation discoveries give me the pleasure of learning new, easey and convenience means of doing things. Since I was on the road, I was forced to seriously considered and implement energy conservation techniques and I learn how important such is in preventing inconveniences and in the process of cutting cost.

On the Dashboard a 12 volts Solar Charger

When proper energy conservation practices are adhered to and implemented, it goes a long way. With that in mind, I have been reading and employing new lessons as well as old information to my on the road living.

Although I have not yet upgrade to twelve volts LED lights, I have been employing other energy saving techniques. The first tool in my small box of tricks is a 12 volts solar battery charger. This is used to recharge and maintain my batteries when they began to run too low. In this case, I use nothing but the light or the energy of the sun to provide the energy needed to operate my battery charger.

When it is extremely cold, I heat the camper, using my propane gas heater. this heater operates with the aid of a thermostat and it turns on and off according to the required setting and the rise and fall of the temperature as it relates to the thermostat settings. However, to lower my propane consumption, I acquired a twelve volts ceramic heater, which I use to heat the camper; when it is logistically feasible to do so. The use of this apparatus, instead of using the propane heater has the ability to drastically reduce my heating bill and all that is required is connection to the battery.

12 Volts ceramic heater

The next tool in my arsenal of energy conservation weapon, is a simple but profoundly useful tool: it is, the twelve volts power inverter. When I discovered that the RV’s generator burns up to half gallon of gas in an hour on light load and up to three quarters of a gallon of gas on a full load, I had to come up with a more efficient method of running my household appliance.

12 volts to 110 volts Power inverter

Although I saw the inverters sitting on the shelves at AutoZone, I never knew what they were, neither did I ever took the time to look into their purpose. It was not until I needed to find a cost effective means of producing 110 volts of electrical power, to reduce the use of my generator and in turn curb my gasoline consumption that I paid attention and analyze the name of the apparatus sitting on the shelves: Inverter. This tool cannot do what its name was implying, I said to my self. It was then, I took up the product and read about its purpose and method of operation. The information blew me away.

So I purchased an inverter at AutoZone, unfortunately; a few days  after I purchased the inverter, I discovered, Advance Auto Parts store had the same capacity inverters at a cheaper price, some ten ($10.00) less. about a week into using the inverter, it malfunctioned. So I exchanged the product at an AutoZone in Virginia. Unfortunately the second inverter malfunction also. So I returned the defective products and claimed a refund. A few days later, whilst I was in Creedmore, North Carolina, I went into an Advance Auto Parts store and I saw the same capacity inverters, on sale, for half of the price, of what I purchased the first one for. I happily grab the deal saving fifty percent from my first purchase. 

This simple tool converts 12 volts power into 110 volts of electrical power. So when I connect the inverter to my  battery or plug it into my cigarette lighter port, it generates 110 volts of electrical power, which I use to run most of my 110 volts electrical appliances and these ranged from my electric hair clipper to my television.

When I was assigned to Supreme Court Judge: Justice Ian Mitchell, I learn many things from this wise man. One of his first order of business was to insulate the large Victorian windows at his office in the court house, in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. I wanted to know why the Judge was going through all the trouble to install such apparatus.

Insulated screen door

So I asked Justice Mitchell why is he going through all the trouble to spend hundreds of dollars to purchased Plexiglas and other material as well as to pay an artisan to produce these insulation cases, he informed me that it is one means of saving energy. He also said, if he invested this money now, he will cause the state to save hundreds of dollars each years on cooling; he went on to say, after a few years, the insulation will save the state thousands of dollars.

 I noticed that when it is cold, it takes a long time to get the RV at a comfortable temperature; this was when I remember what Justice Mitchell told me so many years ago. So I got myself some plastic, and I insulated most of the windows and the screen door of the camper. I also made a plastic curtain to separate the drivers compartment from the living compartment. This not only reduced the volume of space that I need to heat, it also keep the cold restricted to the driver’s compartment.  

Insulated dining room windows

To ensure I did not have to battle with serious power lost, I purchased two extra batteries. After careful research I discovered that if I got two golf cart batteries, with a high amp hour rating and you run them in a series; then you get 12 volts and the specified amp hour.

Insulated living room window

So I went to Advance Auto Parts store that has the exceptional standard of service and I got myself two six volts golf cart batteries. These batteries are 216 amp hours each, which was quite amazing for the price. I run the batteries in a series, getting the required amount of volts and the exceptionally high amp hours (216 amp hours). Now I have a kit of four batteries, providing for my electrical needs.

In the cabin 2 x 6 volts batteries
and on the ground 2 x 12 volts

I also have in my arsenal, a weapon for extreme circumstances. When I am unable to get to an AutoZone or an Advance Auto Parts store and my batteries are running below acceptable capacity, I connects my inverter, plug my 110 battery charger into the inverter and charge my batteries pair by pair.

Battery charger

I know that I have much more to learn about this new style of living and I am open and willing to learn all that I can until I settle; calling a particular location my home. 

Meeting James was an opportunity to witness

Photographer unknown

While on my quest to find water and to resolve my problem of ignorance as it relates to the use of the RV’s water system; this experience was outlined in the piece titled: An unexpected gift: my water tank was filled.

I discovered that James the person who was responsible for stopping me and had me make the inquiries that eventually led to my RV fresh water tank being  filled was seriously ill. When James speaks his voice was barely audible and extremely husky, I later learn that this helpful man had Cancer. So I had a long Discussion with James about his condition and about his faith. I learn that James believed that God was going to heal him.

I took the opportunity to share a word from my Creator and Redeemer with James, after which I prayed with and for him. I thought it strange that his neighbor Pam, who was aware of James’ medical condition, would have lit a cigarette and handed it to James, a man who have been diagnosed and was dying from stage three cancer. However James proceeded to smoke the cancer-stick (a term used by the Rastafarian in the nineteen eighties for cigarette). At the time of the cigarette smoking incident, I was sharing from God’s word so I did not think anything of it.  

I took the opportunity to in check on James while I was in Martinsburg, West Virginia and he looked forward to my visit. Each time I visited James, he expressed faith that the almighty God was going to work things out for him. On one of my visits, I discovered that James was also diagnosed and was suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and was taking medication for that condition in conjunction with the treatment for Cancer. I also found out that James Cancer had spread to his hips and it was not looking good. 

With all this bad news I made a decision then I informed James, I will hang around Martinsburg until he finished his round of chemo-therapy was completed. My decision to remain in Martinsburg while he underwent his treatment made James cry.

On Monday morning before James when to his doctor's appointment, I drove to James' location and had a long chat with him. This is what I said to him:

I said: James, you as well as I know that your body is dying, he  acknowledgement by nodding his head in the affirmative while he muttered an unheard yes. I continued; Your lifestyle have taken its toll on your body and now it is diseased and is slowly dying; as a matter of fact, when we think of it your body is dying faster than you will want to believe. I was bring a reality to James' attention a reality, I thought James needed to hear.

I continued; James you say you want Yahweh to heal you, but you seriously don’t want to live. In a cracked voice that was barely audible, I hear James said: yes I want to live. I continued; if you want to live then you ought to live like it. You are actually slowly committing suicide. I saw a confused look came on James face, He appear not to know what I am speaking of.

So I continued as he sat in my RV in the presence of Pamela his fifth Wheeler neighbor and help: Here we have a situation where you are diagnosed with cancer and you are also suffering from C.O.P.D and On Saturday I saw you smoking. You are flying in God’s face. How do you expect to ask the Great Physicians (Yahweh and his son Jesus Christ) for healing and you are actually working against God’s efforts to heal you. You are doing so when you put into your body the same poison (the cigarettes) that maybe responsible for your illness and had the potential to worsen your conditions. On Saturday I saw you smoking; It just doesn't make sense to me. Does it make sense to you I asked, the ailing man. James did not answer with words but slowly gazed up at me and shook his head from left to right in acknowledgment of the truth he was hearing.

I continued, James my brother, you are ill and you are dying, you could make one of two choices, you can prepare to die, or you can prepare to be healed and live; it is as simple as that. By your action you are telling me that you have and are preparing to die and you are speeding it up with your continued use of cigarettes.

Then I open the book and I turn to 3 John1: 3, Beloved, I wish above all things that you prosper and be in good health even as your soul prospers. Then I said; James, it is Yahweh’s wish that we be in good health, but you have poor health, However we serves a God who have a track record of doing what man think is impossible. Jesus is there eagerly waiting to heal your broken body; however, when he show up and get the Job done he wants all of the glory and all of the praise for himself.

Jesus healed the sick and raises the dead; he did it then he is eagerly waiting to do it for you right now; but you have to want this blessing of healing bad enough to want to live for it. Then I turn to Duet. 28: 1 if thou shall listen diligently to the lord and do all his commandment that thy lord thy God have command you this day. Thy God will set you on high above all the nation of the earth, 2) and all these blessings shall come on you and overtake you if you shall listen to the voice of your Lord.

I continued and I began to explain this simple text. If you listen diligently to God word and do what Yahweh God says, there is nothing he will not do for you. Let us examine the word diligence. Diligence means to pay attention to detail. All Yahweh is saying here, if you listen to my words and do as I require of you paying attention to the details I will bless you more then you will know what to do with.

So James the choice is yours you can do one of two things, you can prepare to live or you can prepare to die, the choice is yours. Then we pray and he went to his doctor’s appointment. 

Thriving to be the best: Veronica and Niger Advance Auto Parts

Veronica Portillo Store Manager

My travels have revealed some strange encounters and I have met many interesting people. This story is about a group of people who was really exceptional. 

Everyone who knows me or who reads this blog knows that without a doubt, I am an AutoZone guy, I like AutoZone for several reasons which include:

• They have a wide variety of products.
• They offer a high standard of Service.
• They have a customer friendly return policy.
• An utoZone store can be found almost everywhere.

While on the Road I ran into and did business with lots of AutoZone Stores, and with the exception for one bad experience, the service they provide is impeccable. It is strange that in Creedmoor, North Carolina, there is an AutoZone Store that had the most helpful Manager, but this store also had one of the most dishonest customer service representative there is. This representative spiteful behavior, was responsible for causing me a couple hundred dollars in unplanned expense.

On my long journey, I have also used the Service of several Advance Auto Parts stores and although they provide a fairly good Standard of Service, they have not live up to the standard of Service I received at AutoZone. But this was soon to change. On the 4^th of December 2013, I went into the Advance Auto Parts store, which is located at 2206 North Roxboro Road, Durham, North Virginia. My objective was: price checking before I made a fairly large purchase, I was also double check my RV batteries; this was when I ran into Veronica Portillo.

This (Veronica) happy go lucky go getter had just reentered the store after running a battery diagnostic test on a customer’s vehicle; she was all bubbling over with joy and with a big smile on her face, she wanted to know how she could be of help. Immediately I declared my desire, and Veronica was only to eager to help. Immediately; Veronica got her battery testing equipment and out to my van where the batteries were we went.

She tested my batteries and give me the results, I told her I will like to have the batteries charged, and with the same fit of excitement, she picked up the battery and with an enthusiastic “lets get you all charged," she head into the store and place the battery on the charger and wanted to know if there was anything else she could do for me.

Nigar Vargas Ass. Manager

Veronica maintained her smile and “go happy friend” personality, which she displayed to every customer that came into the store. I was shock to learn that Veronica was the store manager. She is a manager that leads by example and one who get things done. Veronica was not only professional, she was courteous, willing to help and she was easy to speak to.

The next time I went into the store, I met Niger Vargaz, Nigar is the Store's assistant manager, this young man is also a very friend and helpful fellow. Mr. Vargaz is a little reserves, but when he gets going there is nothing that can stop him, Like Veronica Niger will turn the store inside-out to help his customer. The soft spoken articulate gentleman is very calculated and he hates to see a customer leave the store without what they came in for.

Another member of this exceptional staff is Janice Campbell  or Miss Janice as she is affectionately called. Miss Janice is a down to earth lady whose level of maturity commands the respect of both staff and customer alike, Miss Janice who appear to be a little shy, tends to put the customers at ease, when she opens her mouth and her smooth southern accent is heard. Miss Janice is a woman who is not only quick to help but seems to know most of the customers by name; this quality represents the peek of customer service. It is only an in tuned customer service representative, who takes the time to remember their customer's name. Miss Janice gives to her customer the biggest compliment anyone can give to a customer, and that is: to remember the name of the person who spend their monies at your establishment.  

Jeanine McDonald getting a customer's battery after
it was charged

This store has ten employees including both Managers. Another of the employee is Jeanine Mc Donald, who is originally from New York City. Jeanine is a free spirit and there is no doubt she enjoys her Job. Jeanine can be seen checking customer’s engine oil, replacing batteries, etc. and she does it with a smile and with her own special swag, as she floats in and out of the store as needed. At times she can be seen shaking customer’s car testing their shocks or engaged in healthy discussion with the customers.

Together Veronica and Nigar make a good team and it is reflective in the quality customer service provides by the staff they manage. This outgoing friendly bunch of workers has definitely out class the staff and the quality of service I received at my favorite auto Store. Congratulation guys, please keep up the good work.

After several encounter with the staff at this Advance Auto Parts Store, I have been asking myself this question: is this Advance Auto Parts store the exception to the rule or is there a concerted effort to lift the game of this franchise.

UPDATE:
Since this article was first published, I learn that the staff received a call from the president of the company and the were congratulated by him on a good work done. I also understand that the other branches were admonished to lift the quality of the service they provide and to emulate the guys at 2206 North Roxboro Road Durham, North Carolina. 

I never expected that recognizing the high level of service that was provided by this group of workers would have propelled them into the spot light in such a manner, but if a group of people deserve to be so elevated it is this dedicated staff at Advance Auto Parts store.