Editor, Gazette-Journal:

When we bought property in Mathews 30 years ago, we had no idea what a wonderful place this is. The following occurrence bears this out:

Last Wednesday, we hauled our small boat onto its trailer at the Put-In Creek ramp and headed home. On the way, our trailer developed a flat tire on Route 611 and we had to stop. Within minutes, a young man pulled up and offered to help. He was Andy Knopp, the grandson of Pat Knopp who worked at the Best Value. On his own, he drove to a store and bought some "Fix-a-Flat." This helped some and we were able to get to Route 14, where we decided to head for Ward’s Corner so we could get off the road onto a flat surface as quickly as possible.

Andy stayed behind us in his truck. Unfortunately, the tire blew out completely and we had to stop again, this time blocking traffic. A call to the sheriff’s office brought a deputy to help with traffic and another brought Terry Hearn of Tom Hearn Auto with his truck, both arriving within a few minutes. We limped to a parking area with the deputy behind and Terry in front, both with lights flashing. It was quite a scene!

Shortly after arriving, Calvin Hudgins came by, picked up the damaged tire which Terry had removed, and soon returned with a good one. It was all done with the utmost efficiency, almost as though it had been carefully planned and rehearsed.

We cannot thank enough those wonderful people who came to our aid. Episodes like this continue to reinforce our great fortune in living in Mathews County.

Arthur and Susan Jennette

Cardinal, Va.