Interlude

Meanwhile, back in Sabbaticalville…

M took off early from work yesterday. It was such a nice day. A good day to go for a walk around Sabbaticalville and check out some of the shops. I’ve been avoiding the shops because it would be all too easy for me to spend money I shouldn’t be spending on things we don’t need.

Which is precisely what we did yesterday. I swear M is an enabler when it comes to this sort of thing. Or maybe he’s the shopaholic and I’m the enabler. Or we switch roles, going back and forth between shopper and enabler.

Whatever the case, we found some great buys at one of the consignment shops:

• A pressure cooker for $18.
• A large soup pot for $10 (the size is in between my giant stock pot and smaller dutch ovens, perfect for making soup as I always end up putting too much in the soup for the dutch oven and have to drag out the giant stock pot).
• A wonderfully kitschy serving bowl from Italy for $6.
• A lovely small glass dish with an unusual design for $5.

There were a few more items, but I don’t want to bore you all with our entire shopping list.

So much for simplifying and cutting back on owning so much STUFF.

(Sabbaticalville in June. Photo by Robin. 2007)

After our little shopping spree, we stopped by Teca, a small restaurant on Gay Street. Teca is best described as a wine and nibbles bar. Because the weather was so nice we sat outside. The food wasn’t bad. It wasn’t particularly great either. I splurged and had the breaded olives stuffed with gorgonzola cheese. M and I split bruschetta with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, onions, and basil, and a panini with grilled vegetables (zucchini, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and red peppers with a kalamata olive paste).

The food was heavy on both the salt and the olive oil. The olives were good, but I should know better than to order a plate (even a small plate) of something that’s stuffed with cheese and then deep-fried when there’s no one to split it with (M doesn’t like olives). Next time I’ll just order the olive bowl if I want olives.

Other items on the menu include cheese plates, meat plates, and salads. I think they have some dinner specials that are not on the menu but our waitress didn’t bother to tell us about them.

M the Younger had some car trouble over the weekend and even though he is 22 years old, he called his parents to help him out. I worry about that boy. He didn’t have his AAA card with him, he had no cash, and his bank account was practically empty because he hasn’t gotten paid from either of his jobs yet.

The car broke down somewhere near Cleveland where M the Younger was headed for a gig (he plays drums in a rock band). To balance out the fact that M the Younger was missing the much needed items named above, he did have his girlfriend with him (who had money in her wallet), his band mates were nearby, and a friend of his was driving up to Cleveland to see the band.

We learned all of this while touring New York City. M the Elder spent some time over the weekend on the phone with M the Younger providing the needed information to have the car towed and to work out other arrangements. Eventually the car was towed, M the Younger and his girlfriend made it to the gig and they got a ride home with M the Younger’s friend.

The news on the car was not good. It needed a new transmission. The cost of replacing the car would be more than the cost of a new transmission so we had it fixed. This left M the Younger without a car and finding some creative ways to get to work as well as figure out how to get back up to the Cleveland area to pick up the car.

This epic saga was finally resolved by the time we finished eating at Teca. The car had been fixed, we paid for it via credit card over the phone, and it was arranged for a friend to pick up the car and take it to M the Younger.

Parenthood. Always an adventure.

After we ate and finalized the solutions to M the Youngers latest problems, we walked a little more and then went back to the apartment to drop off our goodies. Later in the evening we drove out to Longwood Gardens to see the fountain show, a 30-minute display of water, lights, and music that takes place 2-3 time a week after dark.

(Fountains before the show. Photo by Robin. June 2007)

I need to bring my tripod from home the next time we go back to the Bogs. I took a lot of photos last night, most of which didn’t come out well because no matter how still I think I am, I’m apparently always moving. Most of the photos are blurry. Here are a few of the better ones:

(Fountain show at Longwood Gardens. Photos by Robin. June 2007)

The show was beautiful and colorful. The music was John Williams stuff (Star Wars, Superman, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and more Star Wars). I don’t know if they change the music and show each week or not. It’ll be interesting to find out. I’m looking forward to going again (with a tripod).

There weren’t many people in attendance last night. I imagine it will get more crowded as the summer goes on.