Introduction In 1976 my wild and crazy girlfriend and I (she has been my wife now for over 30 years) decided to go on a tour of the U.S.A. in our Chevrolet as Dina Shore once recommended in word and song many moons past. As a consequence I wrote my first book Hobo-ing America. We felt that we were vacationing even after we decided to supplement our vacation fund via manual labor. My older brother told all his friends and any of our relatives who may have asked about me, that me and my girlfriend were Hoboes. We bummed our way around the country in an old van and lived under bridges and in hobo jungles. We made our living doing hobo jobs, like picking oranges and apples and helping farmers bring in their crops. I laughed at his description of our adventure but then after some thought, I adopted the notion. After all, were we not roaming about the country in an old Chevy van, camping under bridges, living in apple orchards, and doing hobo jobs - like helping farmers bring in their seasonal crops? But calling myself a Hobo wasn't exactly me. I once majored in philosophy. I was a thinker. Unfortunately, not very many were interested in my thoughts. In today's world one may find other philosophy majors standing on a street corner with a sign that reads: Philosophy major: I will think for food. I decided, rather than being just a plain, old Hobo, I would be a Philosopher Hobo. I dubbed myself The Hobo Philosopher. When I opened my little ice cream parlor in Carrabelle, Florida I named it Hobo's Ice Cream Parlor. My web blog handle is The Hobo Philosopher. I like the inference. I'm a working man who has always been willing to do whatever and go wherever it takes to make a buck - and I do a lot of thinking. I like the title and I've decided to make it my brand. I am The Hobo Philosopher. I intend to write a series of books under The Hobo Philosopher title. I feel it will give me certain advantages that I am not privileged to as Richard Edward Noble. As The Hobo Philosopher I feel I will be able to relate thoughts and discuss topics not necessarily accepted from the likes of a Richard Edward Noble. Under The Hobo Philosopher brand, I hope to write, the gods willing, a number of books that might not be expected or approved for a Richard Edward Noble. In this volume I have included a number of stories, tales, and anecdotes that my regular readers would not have expected of me. As an artist this is what we all complain about. We don't want to be trapped in a mold and then be required to meet the demands of an image. The Hobo Philosopher will set me free. I hope you will all enjoy the Bits and Pieces in this book written by The Hobo Philosopher and in the future you will want more and will keep an eye out for works written by The Hobo Philosopher. Look for my wife's artistic rendition of The Hobo Philosopher on each cover. If you see her portrait of the thoughtful Hobo on the cover, inside you will find me. Just like old Buster Brown, I will be in there too.
About the Author: MEET THE AUTHOR Richard Edward Noble was raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He attended St. Rita's grammar school in Lawrence, Central Catholic high school also in Lawrence, Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill and Merrimack College in North Andover. His mother and father and grandparents - on both sides of the family - were Lawrence textile workers. Richard lived in Lawrence until the age of twenty-seven and then migrated to Fort Lauderdale, Florida where he met his wife Carol. Richard and Carol have been a team for over thirty-five years. Richard has been a truck driver, a butcher, a boner, a breakdown man, a dishwasher, an oysterman, a fruit picker, a restaurant manager, a chef, a small butcher shop owner, a Kirby vacuum cleaner salesman, a fry cook, a broiler man, an expediter, a restaurant line boss, a hole digger, a swill collector for a pig farm, a raw bar man, a sous-chef, a tomato sorter, a sander in a spray paint factory and the owner/operator of an ice cream parlor and sandwich shop in Carrabelle, Florida. These experiences and many more were published in Hobo-ing America - A workingman's tour of the U.S.A. Richard is now retired and working as a writer. He writes fiction, non-fiction and poetry. He published a column in a local newspaper. In 2007 he received a first place award for humor from the Florida Press Association for this column. Richard has a variety of interests - philosophy, history, politics, the American and world labor movements, economics, poetry, music, biography, autobiography and the unique history of Lawrence, Massachusetts.