Shopping, Olive and Lucy, Toadstool, Road Trip

Update - November 4 - November 10

Pre-Holiday Shopping Adventure

Here's to California

California They Say

We like to shop for the holidays as an excuse to take a drive, see some sights, grab a fun lunch, jump into a local pub for some refreshments, and if at the end of the day we have bought nothing; that’s okay, we’ll just give cash. On Sunday we went up Route 9 to the Natick Mall. Sometime last month we had stopped in at Shopper’s World, especially to visit World Market, so this time we went further East to the next mall. It’s got Crate and Barrel and others like that where we can see holiday decorations and get some ideas for home decorating.

The mall also has some fun eating places, such as Cheesecake Factory. This visit found us at the California Pizza Kitchen. The name’s a bit of a misnomer, as pizza does not dominate the menu as much as it sounds. I went straight for the fish tacos and Patti found a wrap sandwich that was destined to have leftovers. The menu ranges from Chicken Piccata to Cedar Plank Salmon; not exactly what you expect in a “pizzeria kitchen.”

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READ my Blog "The Books of Richard F Wright" (Books, Bookstores, Writing)

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Closing In on New Management Company

On Monday I met with another prospect to take over as our condominium association management company. My plan is to have written proposals in hand by Friday, so the Trustees can consider them next week, and be ready to accept an offer by the end of the month. This company was among the larger agencies that we are considering. There are advantages to going with a smaller firm as there are disadvantages. The Trustees will have to consider what makes the most sense. Any of the four finalists, in my view, is very capable and would work out for us. We’ll see.

It Was a Five-Story Afternoon

Olive Helen Perras

Tuesday was a hectic day with Olive and Lucy dropped off early. Olive was her usual happy self until she became hungry. She tends to not get all the way through the feeding before becoming cranky. She has difficulty getting that burp up to make room for the rest of her meal, so she complains loudly. Patti patiently rocked her and burped her so that she could finish her bottle. Later, Olive became cranky and wouldn’t take her nap; so, I took her and walked with her until she calmed down and went to sleep. She slept on my chest while I sat in my favorite chair for over an hour. She seemed to be content with the warmth of lying in my arms. When she woke, she was ready for a change and another meal. It’s a process.

Lucy and her sister, Olive

Lucy got in the mood for reading today, which resulted in five books (one was read twice). She has her favorites but is always open to the new books that I have each week. I had to read certain “loud” passages a bit quietly, as Olive was in the same room sleeping. Lucy likes to have the “shouted” parts of the text delivered at high decibels. If you don’t read it loud enough, she steps in and shouts it herself. That always leads to laughter on her part.

Thursday Was Perfect for a Road Trip

Patti Resisting Urge to Buy

As Patti had to work on Wednesday, she was in the mood for a road trip on Thursday. We elected to head north and see what developed. In the back of my mind was reaching Peterborough where we could find a favorite bookstore and a restaurant that I know Patti always enjoys. I decided to take Route 31 straight north out of Holden and kept going until we got to New Hampshire. It was a pleasant ride, we even tried to glide into the auto road to the top of Mount Wachusett, but the gate was closed. Probably for the season. Anyway, we kept going. We crossed into Rindge NH and then into Peterborough.

We made a familiar stop at the Peterborough Basket Company. The outlet store has a variety of baskets on display and the operator of the store was very friendly. We established that we both knew downtown Worcester and he asked about Cedar Street, as it was where is Grandmother had lived years ago when he would visit from Newton. I mentioned that Cedar was very familiar to me as it was a place I visited frequently growing up in Worcester. That’s where the Science Center and Natural History Museum used to be. They were replaced by what is now known as the Ecotarium on Harrington Way. He mentioned that the outlet was offering a 20 percent discount this weekend, but he would extend it to us today if we made a purchase. As it turned out, we didn’t, but it was certainly an appreciated gesture.

Peterborough is Home to the Toadstool Bookstore

Took Advantage of 20 Percent Off Sale

There are three Toadstool bookstores. I visit each of them at least once a year, and Peterborough often more than that. The other two are in Keene and Milford NH. These stores were among those that I included in my travel book, A Vacationer's Guide to Rural New England Bookstores. The theme of the book is that various “destinations,” for vacationer’s throughout New England are blessed with great independent and used bookstores. Toadstool is a classic example. A large, strong collection of books, operated as a local venture, with a large, strong section displaying used books. And, in the case of the Peterborough locations, it includes an in-store café too. Perfect for the book hound.

I picked up two books in the Used Book annex; The Last Open Road, by Burt ‘BS’ Levy (a signed copy) and Wheels for the World by Douglas Brinkley, an epic telling of Henry Ford, His Company, and a Century of Progress. Levy’s book is a work of fiction, but I’m sure it’s really a semi-sanitized autobiography with elements of fantasy rolled in. He self-published back in the 1990’s when major publishers turned him down. It’s now a well-known classic that continues into its fourth printing. I like to see that. The book about Ford should be enlightening, given that it’s Douglas Brinkley doing the research and writing. There is probably no more outstanding writer about historical figures than Brinkley.

What Do You Mean, “We Don’t Have Any Johnnie Walker Red?”

Patti and I stepped into Harlow’s Pub for a quick drink before we finished up our tour of downtown Peterborough. The pub had been labeled “a hippy place,” by a local when we asked where was a good place to get a drink? I understand where the hippy reference came from, but in reality, this was no hippy bar. It’s a well-liked local restaurant with an eclectic menu, eclectic look, and an eclectic clientele. It’s the kind of place that doesn’t have Johnnie Walker Red scotch, and its only gin is Hendricks. So, you can see why it’s viewed as non-traditional. We both got a drink and after viewing the menu, I’m sure we will stop in to eat something the next time we visit Peterborough.

Four Management Company Proposals in Hand

As of Friday, we have four written proposal in hand. I made copies of the proposals so that the Trustees may review them. I’m preparing a brief outline/grid that will help with comparison points on the proposals so that the Trustees can evaluate them and determine which candidates they may want to interview directly, before making a decision.
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Reading Update: I just finished reading, "Of Arms and Men," by Robert L. O'Connell, (an autographed copy), which is a history of war, weapons, and aggression from early man through the nuclear age. At one point he uses the phrase, "Man was born with a weapon in his hand," which goes to the heart of his thesis (he's a professional army intelligence analyst and arms negotiator) that if we understand man's relationship to weapons perhaps we can learn how to limit its use. The book is profoundly alarming and I recommend that you read it if you can. I will loan you my copy.