Flip-Flops, Maddi's, O'Connor's, Siam 9 the Same Week

Update April 14 to April 20


-- Flip Flops Has Flip-Flopped to The Local Tavern

Mahi Mahi Tacos 

What's in a name change? At the Flip Flops restaurant on Main Street in Holden, it amounts to the bakery being removed, the walls covered with barn board (newly hewn) and a few minor menu changes. The tables and chairs have changed too, but not for the better. The food and drinks at The Local Tavern are still fine, so that's good. The Mahi Mahi tacos were just what I wanted, and to my surprise, I ate all three this time. Generally, I take one home.

Patti had the Mediterranean wrap, which was more than she could eat, so at least we had some leftovers from her order. Looking out the window, I was wondering when the Blue Plate across the street would finally be knocked down. It's been closed for a while, and I'm not sure what's coming in to take its place, but the fencing is up, and the heavy equipment has been sitting in the yard for weeks. They could knock it down and clean it out in an afternoon. We'll see.

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

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-- Maddi's on Water Street is a Fun Place

My old office at 65 Water Street

I saw this restaurant featured on the Phantom Gourmet and realized it's actually been here for a while; we just haven't made it a point to check it out. We finally stopped in on this Water Street Bistro, Maddi's, on Monday. The restaurant has an eclectic menu and offers a variety of its own specialty drinks. However, when I ordered my usual Johnnie Walker Red on the Rocks, they reported they only had Johnnie Walker Black (always more expensive). What can you do? You can't switch to a three-dollar beer. So, you suck it in and get the more expensive black, which unfortunately my taste buds can't distinguish from the Red. Life is such.

Patti had the Citrus Cooler 'Tini, which was very cool. I got the Flat Iron Steak Press, and she got a wild interpretation of a BLT. I'm not sure what was in it, but it looked great. Across the street, out the window, I could see the building I worked in when I was the Director of Marketing for InstallX and SecureX America. I built their first websites and had a lot of fun doing it.

-- Olive and Lucy Made their usual Tuesday Visit

Lucy In a Creative Mood

The girls visited us as usual but, no visit is ever "usual," with these two. They bring a fresh interest in new things each week. Lucy hadn't painted for months and all of a sudden when Patti suggested it, she was very enthusiastic. I put painting smock on Lucy and prepped her paints. She proceeded to entertain herself for quite a while. When she was done with paints, she moved to markers and made some exciting artwork. Mostly she takes these gems home to show her Father but occasionally presents one or two to us. Olive demonstrated her increasing capacity to roll over. She gets stuck on her own forearm, but she is determined to keep rolling the best she can. 

-- Lunch with Ray at O'Connors

I met with Ray for lunch, and we spent a lot of time discussing retirement, which is a condition we share now. He's been at it a little longer than me, and his wife is also retired. In my case, Patti is only semi-retired. We also talked about the trip he and Nia are taking to Greece for the month of May. That sounds exciting. Nia is Greek, and so they have plans to backtrack some family ties when they get there. Having lived in neighboring Turkey for two years I can understand the attraction to the exotic travels that Greece provides. It's the core of history that still affects our modern world today. I have no desire to go back, but I'm glad I got a chance to travel there years ago. By the way, lunch at O'Connor's was such a large order that I have a lot of leftovers. Usually, the lunch portion doesn't overwhelm, but this time it surely did.

 -- Relatives visit for Easter and so we started with some Thai food at Siam 9

Patti and Mary waiting for dumplings at Siam 9

I'll report on Easter in next week's blog entry. But, the night before, when Mary and Ira arrived from Connecticut, we went to Siam 9 in Holden. It's a small place, but it is genuinely a stop we like to make when in the mood for something different. The dumplings are outstanding. When we stopped in, we saw neighbors at nearby tables, and that's not surprising. There is a vast collection of food choices nearby, and it's less necessary to ride into the city to find what you are looking for.

And speaking of "looking" for something, be advised you have to turn in at the hardware store and drive along the side of the building to find Siam 9. It's definitely worth seeking out, but it's a bit out of sight of the road. See you there.


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READING UPDATE: I have a natural fascination with historical figures with my surname. The Wright Brothers, Author Richard Wright, Frank Lloyd Wright, etc. My interest in these namesakes is what got me started reading about them, but over the many years, I have developed a growing interest in them beyond the flimsy connection of the same name.

This biography, Wilbur and Orville by Fred Howard may be the one and only book you need to read if you only have time or interest to commit to one book. The author takes you through their childhood, their early interests in mechanical things up and through their eventual success in introducing the world to sustained, powered, controlled flight. This was no small task. Their personal genius was really the result of an unrelenting determination to seek answers where others had not begun to question.

If you want to read it, let me know.