The Golden Girls of Australia

When I tell people where I'm from, they usually look puzzled; and it never fails that the next question they ask is "Cleveland, Ohio?"  My next line already on the tip of my tongue, I say "No. Cleveland, Mississippi."  I then go into a detailed geographical spiel complete with my right hand motioning over the left side of my head to signify Northwest Mississippi.  If the puzzled look continues I pull out more popular pronouns like the Delta or Memphis, Tennessee, and that's when they finally get it.  
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My hometown is just a small part of this great country of ours, so you can imagine how amazed I was when a friend of my mom's stopped by with four Australian women, who are traveling across America.  Of all the places they could have gone, they chose to make the Delta one of their many places to visit. 

In just one day, I've heard two stories about the "Golden Girls".  First, my mom shared a story about how she and some of her friends at work call themselves the Golden Girls because they are a small group of mature women ushering in a new generation of young teachers.  Then walks in these beautiful women from the other side of the world.  They easily entered into this conversation with my mom about the show "The Golden Girls", and which character each of them mostly identified with.  I thought it was only fitting to call them the Golden Girls of Australia.

                                   



Here they are (left to right): Jill, Sandy, Glennise & Gail
They are four friends from Melbourne.
I hope to follow them on their journey, which started in New Orleans, LA.



The Golden Girls  with my mom, Irene, and family friend, Otis Funches.




They were only here for a short pit stop and then they were on to their next destination, which ironically is Memphis.  I told them we may see each other again because I am also on my way to the city just north of my little town of Cleveland, MS.