The King, Elvis Presley, seated in the back seat (okay, maybe he's a mannequin, but go see for yourself) – and everything about Top Dog on Route 66 in Portland, Connecticut, will garner a smile – including the delicious, chompable dogs served up in a warm soft bun piled high with your choices of toppings.

Craving a chili dog, Cajun dog, cheese dog, one with pepper and onions or just a squiggle of ketchup and mustard – go ahead and make up your mind while looking over the specialty flavor combinations that include a bacon cheese dog and a kraut dog.

Andrea Spaulding has been serving up top dogs since 1980 at the same location. The (much) larger-than-life “dog” itself is a transformed 1962 Airstream trailer that Andrea's husband designed and custom built.

“He gutted it and made the ends of the hot dog out of sheet metal and fiberglass; he designed the inside and the out. The 1972 Checker Cab is an original that hails from San Francisco. Had it shipped home; he and his buddy did all the work. It has the meters, jump seats, all original.”

“I live in East Hampton and tow it back and forth – sometimes I get other than friendly waves if you know what I mean because I drive slow.”

Her topselling dog? The Cajun dog with pepperjack cheese, chili, and a relish from New Orleans called Ragin' Cajun – which has a “sweet bite and gets a little warm.” You can't miss the spectacle of a bright yellow Checker cab with bus-size hot dog stand just off Route 66 in Portland. Step up and get a taste, Mondays through Saturdays, 9:45 to 3 p.m., March through the end of November. Andrea closes up for the season around Thanksgiving usually, “depending on the weather.”

(The fresh, hot dog ordered up and served in a jiffy along with plenty of napkins? A delicious treat, consumed in minutes.)

Now on to another place of interest that evoked memories, local history, and one's woman's contributions to her community and beyond – all because people cared enough to preserve a small white building that provoked an unplanned stop.

The Wylie School in Windham County, was built in 1850 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Dec. 19, 1991.

“Wylie School is both historically and architecturally significant as a typical, though unusually well-preserved, one-room schoolhouse. Until well into the 20th century, small schools such as this represented the
principal educational experience for many Connecticut residents, especially in areas outside the large towns and cities. … Today, most one-room schools have disappeared or have been unrecognizably altered into houses or other uses. Wylie School is one of few that remain intact, and the only one in Voluntown.

“Wylie School is also significant for its association with Margaret E. Tanner. Miss Tanner, who taught in Voluntown from 1909 to 1947, influenced the lives of countless residents. Her career is an example of the often-overlooked contribution made by professional women in rural New England society.

“The educational experience offered by such schools is largely unknown today. The mixture of ages required creative planning and coordination on the part of the teacher, so as to have some children working quietly
while another lesson or recitation was in progress. While it had obvious disadvantages, the mixture of ages also allowed students to work above or below the average for their grade… The setting must have been intimate and familiar: only 15 to 20 students attended class in the room, and they returned year after year until they left school or enrolled in high school in a larger town. Whatever their advantages and disadvantages, one-room schools worked well in their day, producing not only civic leaders, clergymen, and scholars but also a general public with a solid basic education.”

The following vignette about the teacher who walked upon these boards and did her best to educate young minds, captivated my imagination. Because of this information being written down and shared, a person who got up every day and did her work is remembered.

“Margaret E. Tanner: For many years Wylie School was under the care of Margaret E. Tanner (1857-1974). A native of Voluntown, Miss Tanner first taught at the school in 1909. After an absence of a few years, she returned about 1920 and taught at Wylie School until it closed. She then moved to Voluntown's Center School, continuing until her retirement in 1947. As was expected of school teachers in that period, she remained unmarried. Over her long career, Miss Tanner had in her charge innumerable residents of Voluntown, in many cases for 8 years in a row. She is still remembered for her insistence on correct answers quickly delivered, using a system she called ‘rapid work' for testing math facts. Although her long service was confined to one small community, her significance extends beyond Voluntown. She was representative of a large group of women whose devotion to teaching and many years of service gave structure to rural communities. Women such as Margaret Tanner are thus an important (if not always recognized) part of our heritage.”

Yes, indeed.

Then there is this about the man who thought preserving this one-room schoolhouse and his community heritage important enough to get it done: “Henry Wylie (1806-1889) was a local farmer whose philanthropy included not only the school but also the Congregational Church, in which he served as a deacon… Wylie School served the entire north part of the town, which retained its agricultural character, until 1939.”

The parcel of land was given by Henry Wylie, who left his entire estate to the church.

Source: NPS National Register of Historic Places documentation, stories and information researched by Bruce Clouette and Matthew Roth; form prepared by reviewed by John Herzan, National Register Coordinator.

Last, but not least, an observed non-verbal conversation between a horse and rider. Humorous, without a word spoken, there is so much going on. The ear canted back and the look on this well-mannered but intelligent equine says it all.