All the time. Some people even respond.

Just yesterday I was strolling through a state forest campground where three guys were fixing the road that was pretty beat up. One old all tatted-up, biker-looking guy was leaning on a shovel staring at his smart phone while the other two younger, clean cut guys were bustiing tail leveling gravel with rakes.

I'm thinking the older guy was a slacker and the other two were college kids doing a summer job. So I go up to the guy and jokingly ask how he got the easy job.

Wrong.

Turns out he old guy was a firefighter and EMT who volunteers once a month for the Department of Natural Resources and was in charge of the other two who were low-life criminals executing the community service part of their sentences.

I do talk to strangers, but usually only when travelling for business. Nobody seems to be a stranger where I live.

This thread reminds me of an old sci-fi short story: "The Pusher".

I bet they tell you their complete medical history, and all of their secrets... ;):D

Me and Sammy will get along just fine if we ever sit beside each other on a plane...

Seems as if we DO have something in common ;)!

only if they have candy

You have to drag that out of them a lot of the time.

"Yes, the scar on my leg is from when I had my quadruple bypass, must have forgotten to mention that.

Just imagine what the poor bastages around us would be going through.

The funny thing is my wife's family does not talk much, even to each other. Back before we even married, I went with her parents and of course my then fiancee on a ski trip to Colorado. We would sometimes ride for an hour or more and no one said a word.

I knew already they were not talkers, so I brought a book to read while in the back seat. All of them looked at me in amazement, and and proclaimed "You can't read that in the car!" I asked if it was some weird family rule about reading in a car. They said I would get car sick. I told them I would not, and read my book for the time I spent in the back seat. No issues.

At one point we walked into one restaurant, sat down and looked at the menu, and the waitress came over and asked it we were all OK, or just in a bad mood. I told her they don't talk unless it is necessary, and we were all in a good mood. My wife and I can go for an hour or more on road trips and not say a word. Part of that is 27 years of marriage. We have told all the stories, and have little to just ramble on about.

I can be quiet when needed, but chatting with someone is way more interesting. If I find some stranger is a weirdo, I can walk away from them.

I talk to strangers all the time.

Do I have a deep meaningful conversation with someone I've known for years? i don't think so... :D

My good buddy (may he rest in peace) could go hours without saying a word. Or, each of us could talk incessantly.

One time I was driving with him as passenger on a raod trip out in the country and I noticed all the woody roadside vegetation was brown. Silence other than road noise predominated. The conversation for almost the entire trip;

Me: Herbicide.

Him: Mmm, makes sense.

That is just like my FIL was. He did not talk much but when he did, it was short and concise.

Old guys with military hats always have interesting stories to tell, and are very happy to tell them.

I'm a pretty quiet guy, or so I am told.

But I do have a tendency to talk to strangers that appear to have something interesting to say.

If they don't, I'm outta there.

Yep, and I always thank them for their stories, and their service.

I chatted with one man that was in the battle of the bulge. He choked talking about the American soldiers stacked up like cord wood, froze solid in a large pile. How cold he was, and no chance to really rest.

Couldn't imagine what some of those heros went through.
Chatted with a marine sniper who served in Korea.
He spoke pretty loud, guess because he was old and at least partially deaf.
Talked about how he kept getting in trouble because he shot "any gook that he saw", even if some were on our side. "Only way to be sure was to kill em!"
Told my asian wife to relax, he didnt have his rifle with him. :D

Perhaps a Crusty Old Bastid (COB) trait. Often find myself talking with another of the same age group. A same experiences thing, I guess. With long time buddies who live far away, it's like a conversation starting up where it left off, despite it being years since we've seen one another.

Noisy veterans with hats are generally FOS...quiet vets with hats generally are not; vets without hats that are quiet are the real deal.

Sorry.

No one who fought in Korea uses the term, "gook". My father fought in Korea and earned a Bronze Star. The word "gook" never crossed his lips, or his friends, who were bad to the bone.

When I fly I am always on chatty alert, especially on long hauls after a tough week: I'll talk about anything until wheels are in the well after take-off. After that, talk to the noise cancelling headphones.

Sorry.

I guess he could have been FOS, but he came across as genuine and had quite a few cool stories.
He was sitting there pretty quiet minding his own business until I started chatting with him, and only talked loud because he was hard of hearing.