waving

Steve in VA · Mar 12, 2016

One thing I really like about the farm is that everyone you pass waves. Even people you don't know wave back. This seems to die out once you're about 10 miles out. Then, went you wave, folks look like you've thrown a brick at them. I imagine that most folks here are blessed to live where folks wave. Common in your area?

old · Mar 12, 2016

Not at all common in this area but then again this is an tourist trap area where you have to put up with people that have no clue where there going

Greg1959 · Mar 12, 2016

Yup, happens here too. But, people don't actually wave. It's more of raising your index finger about an inch or two while your hand is resting/steering at the 12 o'clock position.

coshoo · Mar 12, 2016

Ran into that once when we were camping near Hardin, MT. I wake up early, usually take a drive and let the others sleep. Went out into the country as the farmers were coming to town for coffee, about 6:30 AM. Every one did the index finger wave, just like everyone did when I was a kid in the country. Took me back a few years.

Two Dogs · Mar 12, 2016

Only drivers of older vehicles around here wave. The drivers of big new four door pickups and shiny SUV's are much too important to lift a finger to acknowledge us peons. TDF

Paul from MI · Mar 12, 2016

Pretty common here, especially in winter when the summer lake crowd have gone back to the city.

Mike(NEOhio) · Mar 12, 2016

Some do, some don't. Seems like the bicyclists always wave. Maybe because they're going slow, too?

rrlund · Mar 12, 2016

Not much here,no. It seemed to me to be the most prevalent in the Missouri Ozarks.

jlewis457 · Mar 12, 2016

I remeber when I was a kid I asked my dad why do you wave at everyone, he told me that if you missed someone you know they would be upset and if you dont know them you might make a new friend. So that is the way I do things now myself.
John

Dblair · Mar 12, 2016

still do it in south central VA.

MikeinKy · Mar 12, 2016

Around here, if I meet somebody I know and don't wave, within a day or two, somebody will ask if I am mad at so and so, because I didn't wave. Even if I did and they didn't notice. In a small town news travels.

RobCons · Mar 12, 2016

We have a mix here. The commuters not so much. Everyone else does either a wave or the finger thing.

Brown Swiss · Mar 12, 2016

Depends who it is, most I wave as they go by, then there is some I give the California Wave!

KenL · Mar 12, 2016

Here in East-Central Wi. People are way too arrogant to wave. I wave at everyone whether I know them or not. Don't make any difference if it's someone in a car or someone on a tractor. Either they look straight forward as if they didn't see you or they look at you like how dare you even look at me. Kinda sad it has to be that way. I did notice that if I just keep waving, some of the people have finally found out that it doesn't break their arm to wave back

fixerupper · Mar 12, 2016

The farther you go west into the Midwest the friendlier the drivers. I found that out hauling combines around on the harvest. Hauling combines home, as soon as I crossed into Iowa from Nebraska on HWY 20 the car drivers turned impatient. When I was on the way west in the spring as soon as I left Iowa and got into Nebraska I relaxed.

Here in my part of NWIA I get more waves if I'm driving my old 79 Power Wagon than if I drive my shiny Colorado. Go figure! When I drive the 98 Dodge dually I get no waves unless it's my very close neighbor.

Larry-Tx · Mar 12, 2016

Can't expect them to wave when they don't even use their turn signals.

Bob Harvey · Mar 12, 2016

Pretty much the same here.

Wheatfarmer · Mar 12, 2016

Here in Colo. on Country roads and smaller highways we wave. I have always waved at Law Enforcement on all roads and highways, and they normally wave back if they see you in time.

Moonlite37 · Mar 12, 2016

I have a couple neighbors who had a terrible church quarrel, The cute daughter of one of the church members passed by one of the other side of the issue was opening a gate and he waved at the cute girl and she waved back. She skidded to a stop and rolled down her window and yelled. "I didn't mean to wave!" and sped away.

gtractorfan · Mar 12, 2016

The most memorable wave I got was while discing a field in the "back 40" along a rather remote road. Cute quiet blonde girl that rode the same bus and lived on down the way drove by and waved. Now that will make your day! Should have flagged her down and said "Hey wait! Did you mean that?" (wonder what ever became of her now 50 years later)

Cory Schmidt · Mar 12, 2016

If I'm on the yard, field, tractor and see a car pass I wave...Same goes for reverse if I'm in, operating on the road and see someone in the yard I wave(sometimes I wave at random people in other vehicles). Not everyone waves back, so be it.

Jim in Ma. · Mar 12, 2016

I was thinking about that just this morning.
I'm well known around town and nearly everyone waves when they see me when I'm driving my ranger pickup.When I drive the wife's car no body waves. I guess it's the truck and not the driver they wave at LOL

Janicholson · Mar 12, 2016

Waves in the west often amount to a single lifted pointer finger (from the steering wheel, not really a hand wave) some times just a tiny nod. Jim

old-9 · Mar 12, 2016

One of my favorite jokes, " What do you call a cop that uses his turn signals? A rookie"

David G · Mar 12, 2016

Waves here are common, drives my wife nuts, she came from city.

farmerwithmutt · Mar 12, 2016

What I've heard 1 finger off the steering wheel if you think you know the truck 1 arm up if you're sure you know the truck and both arms up full windshield wave if you know the truck and the guy owes you money

TomR Ont · Mar 12, 2016

Steve in VA,

I always wave but find most vehicles have really dark front & side windows, can't see who's driving.

Besides, when the powers to be need more money they will tap the distracted drivers for waving.

The fine just went up increased set fine of $490 and three demerit points upon conviction. Along with the new fine, a judge could further increase the amount up to $1,000, if the case goes to court. Insurance another $230.00

kruser · Mar 12, 2016

Kinda like David G,
I do a lot of waving, especially around home - My wife doesn't know what to think?
In town, I try not to use the "one finger" wave too much.

retired farmer · Mar 12, 2016

Not around here.

Dave H (MI) · Mar 12, 2016

I was out to the farm today working on the house. A kid drove by on a mini dirt bike, looked over at me, looked back again and waved. I waved back. Said to wife, who the heck is the kid? We don't know him. People waving at me all the time that I do not know. Maybe everyone just in a good mood on account of the weather today...beautiful.

showcrop · Mar 12, 2016

Around here everybody gives you a big wave as you drive down the road on your tractor. Truckers now will mostly wave and the "official" wave changed last year. It used to be arm and hand straight out to the front, with fingers together, palm down. Now it is straight out front but a little upward with palm thirty degrees from being palm up, with fingers separated.

J.Wondergem · Mar 12, 2016

Truckers used to wave to each other on two lane roads. I don't know if they do any more.

RBoots · Mar 12, 2016

Around the 2 Farms, my pickup is very well known and stands out, almost everyone waves at me, even people I have no idea who they are. I think they're just good ol boys and see my pickup at my house or across the road at the shop, and always see all the things I have going on around there, and wave. I like it when someone stops in and says, "I see you have a ---," just to start a conversation. Fine with me. People go by and honk when I'm dinking around outside the shop and honk, no idea who they are, just wave at em. Now, at work, it's a different story. All of the farmers wave, but the people that think they're road takes care of itself see me as a big, slow, orange truck wasting their time. I have been out there long enough to know the regulars that are good people and will wave at you and appreciate what I do. Occasionally, someone I don't know will wave and it kinda catches me off guard since I'm the devil in an orange truck. Seems that hauling logs and driving semi in the small town rural areas always gets a cute young thing to wave at ya as well.

Ross

PJH · Mar 12, 2016

I worked in road construction before I retired. Rural areas. I was kind of a lead man, and would go alone to a new contract and mark all of the patching, construction signing, job limits, radii, and set up the books. I always got a kick out of moving to a new area. Folks would be looking me over - who's this stranger in the neighborhood??? I'd always wave real big at everyone, and at first they'd usually just stare - no return wave. After about a week, they'd be hanging out the windows waving at me. I made a lot of friends at every location. People are good everywhere you go. I remember one grizzled old guy whose license plate said "KALOP". He stopped often to say howdy, and I asked him what the license stood for. He said it was Polack - spelled backward, ha.

Good memories of lots of good people!!

NEKS · Mar 12, 2016

The wife's sister and her husband went to K-State to college then moved to a town west of Chicago. When their son started to college they sent him back here to K-State. On some week ends he would come and stay with us. He said what's the big thing on everybody you meet on the road waves. Told him around here everybody you meet most of the time you know. He said you don't wave at nobody back home.

SARG · Mar 12, 2016

(quoted from post at 16:34:55 03/12/16) I remeber when I was a kid I asked my dad why do you wave at everyone, he told me that if you missed someone you know they would be upset and if you dont know them you might make a new friend. So that is the way I do things now myself.
John

I asked my father the same question over five decades ago ...... He told me " Doesn't cost a thing son".

roaddevil49 · Mar 12, 2016

Not much any more,just us old school drivers. The same when a hand passes you and you
flash the head lights to let him/her know their clear, an old school driver will thank you by
using his marker lights or four ways. Others are too busy yapping on their hands free star
wars head sets to even know that their clear. Had heard that the driving schools teach
that using light signals like that is an unsafe practice and discourge its use.

JD630-2520 · Mar 12, 2016

In Rockingham county Va everyone waves until you are pulling the 9ft haybine or 12 ft grain drill!

Tom OConnor · Mar 12, 2016

I was driving to town for breakfast with my brother one morning several years back and everybody we met waved to me when my brother asked, do you know everyone in town? I said nope, just half of them but the other half seems to know me. The Midwest is a great place to live.

Brendon-KS · Mar 12, 2016

A number of years ago we attended a local fund raising event where Roger Welsh spoke. One of his stories was recounting a time he was traveling by automobile with a cameraman who was not used to the rural midwestern customs. Roger said he was dozing off when the cameraman woke him up saying he thought there was something wrong with the car. When Roger asked why he thought so the guy said that everyone was waving at him so he just figured something had to be wrong. Roger said that he had to explain to the man the whole "waving at strangers" thing that goes on in this part of the country.

NCWayne · Mar 12, 2016

I still see, an do it on occasion, usually it's someone that I can tell is just as country as I am. Usually those types of people I'll be inclined to throw up a hand to also.

Used to see it a lot at the one land bridge...until they rebuilt it into a full bridge about 12 years ago.

All in all though, it's just not as prevalent now that there are so many more 'city' folks moved out into this area, as it was 20 years ago.

Richard from SE AZ · Mar 13, 2016

Here in South East AZ a lot of people wave. I try to pay attention so I don't miss someone waving and not wave back. Many times it's just a lift of the hand or the shake of a finger. So nice to see.

SparepartsTN · Mar 13, 2016

Back in the 90's when I was driving all over the country in the big truck I mostly ran the two lanes when I could to see some scenery. When ever I went into or through Kansas I near wore out my left arm returning waves to everyone that drove past. I was seriously considering getting one of those cardboard hands on a spring to stick to the inside of the windshield to wave for me.

Here in northern middle TN people lift their finger about an inch, if you don't watch close you will miss it.

Steamboat · Mar 13, 2016

Since someone already mentioned Roger Welch, I recall him saying that you know you live in a small town when you know every vehicle ahead of you on the road, where they are going and why and the name of their dogs! They don't need to use turn signals 'cause you already know when they are turning. I find that is very true here in Mecklenburg Co., VA

JOCCO · Mar 13, 2016

To me its always just plain dumb yes your neighbor on back country road but 2 hours away its not for me.

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