A very 1985 Thanksgiving part 1.

     Picture it.  1986 the age before cell phones, atm machines, internet, just picture it.  I was driving my 1976 Ford Granada still.  Paying my way by washing dishes.  Wearing seat belts had just become mandatory the year before.  Ronald Regan was still in power.

     For me it marked the passing of my Dad in October of the previous year.  Unexpectedly.  I was in my first year of college and was rocked.  I'd been at a community college so was still near home.  But it's not about my dad, just setting the full table.

     I was at my friend Dave's house.  Were we drinking?  No but we were discussing it.  It was probably the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.  That's why it's a Thanksgiving tale.

     We were discussing our disgust about the drinking age becoming 21.  Now as anyone who was just about to be 19 at that age can tell you.  We were 17, almost 18 when they changed the age to 19.  And now just on the precipice of 19 they were changing to 21.

     We'd decided to go to Paris.  What?  We were young and stupid and of course without passports.  The idea fell flat after we phoned to inquire about tickets.  $500 one way.  Not sure if that's good or bad by the 21st century mark.  So back to the situation at hand.

     Now the drinking age, well it's not exactly what you would call a law.  Oh no, don't you remember history at all?  You see as of December 1st, any state not raising their drinking age would not get certain funding.  Vermont was the last holdout we could reach.

     With our righteous indignation, and the fact that Vermont was going to change it, we planned a road trip.

     It was a mere 8 hours.  We could have a drink and be back.  Now let me say this much.  We had plenty of resources for drinking. Had no troubles buying or even drinking in bars.  This was purely about youth full indignation. I went home to deliver the news and we'd planned to start by 4 in the morning.

     My mom was less than pleased. But I gave little choice.  I've no idea what Dave's parents said or if he even told them.  We were off on yet another road trip together.  Did I ever tell you about Graceland?  Oh but that was the 90's so never mind.

     Foreshadowing:  As I said no atm machines, no cell phones.  I should mention no weather channel either.

-t.b.c.

Saturday's Adventures.

     Morning.  Me and a coffee mug of seltzer here.  Oh the juice, well you see it's like this.  The bottle I buy is a 6 day serving.  In other words if you go by the serving size it is only 6 days.  Today is Sunday the 7th.  Coffee mug?  I do have an inordinate amount.  I still feel like keeping them in rotation.  This week is a nice large black model, gloss finish.  The inscription reads:

"I'm not over the hill.  I'm on a roll."

     Okay let's begin.  Saturday broke open.  I made a rather gorgeous egg creation with onion; red bell pepper; and asparagus.  All on a whole wheat tortilla.  Was wonderful

     After waiting until 9 I decided to depart.  Had my car title, letter from bank, and insurance bill with me.  By the way, I didn't do such a great job as I have stated.  I should have checked the loan carefully and walked out.  They got me.  Basically if I'd gone with a bank check, meaning had their load set up, it would be for half of what the dealer ship got me for.  Yup doubled it.  So in the long run I lost, I do take victory in the short run.  Next time, have the loan already approved by the bank.  They will only truly get me if I don't transfer the loan, and at a better interest rate.

     I also needed to get money for me and food shopping money.  The more I thought about it, Nooo I wasn't going to just go home and drop stuff off.  So I decided to go straight to the San Genaro festival.

     Off I went, was a nice drive actually.  Gray skies, but not feeling like rain.  Because it's a highway I use so infrequently, it felt like I wasn't here.  So it had high points.  I got there fairly early, before the parade, people were already looking for parking.

     Was told by 1 cop to go to 1 place, couldn't locate it.  Most other lots were clearly marked about towing you.  The occasional spots on the street were 2 hour.  And I saw a lot of local cops.  Which already means they're hankering for a ticket blitz.  

     Then I started thinking.  This is a nice car, be careful where I park.  I then realized that it would mean leaving the title in the car in a strange area.  That and the lack of secure parking made me call it off.  By 10:30 I was being constricted by the traffic in town trying to get out.  

     I didn't consider it a bust as I drove home.  I was happy I'd gone.  I thought I'd treat myself, it was getting nearer to 11:30 by the time I was near my home.  Yup traffic was growing by leaps and bounds westward.  

     I know I've mentioned the new crepe place.  Who now has hours listed, and a nice sign that blinks open.  I've been dying to try a nutella crepe.  I chose against the banana and nutella and went for banana and and strawberry and nutella.  Hit the bank, said hey to the inmates.  Grabbed a cigar and hit the beach.

     I did do an audio version for me to listen to.  So I could clearly recall my doings.  The day was so stand out-ish, I don't need it.

     Beach was nice, little wind, lot of dead horse shoe crabs, baby gulls.  Pretty much deserted.  It was while I was enjoying the smoke that I noted how much I loved the crepe.  I don't think I would have enjoyed at all without the strawberries.  They added a nice cut against the sweet of the nutella.

     I was already thinking about dinner, and how I needed to go to the farm stand.  Really considering starting a low sodium blog.  

     Picked up 2lbs of boneless chicken thighs, 1 for freezing.  It's a local butcher shop that I don't usually go into.  Unless that is, I need something that the food shops wouldn't usually have.  It was $9 altogether so I wasn't disappointed.

     Went to my usual farm stand where they know me well and spent another $20.  Fresh beets, I was steered away from the already trimmed ones.  "The ones with the greens are fresh.  The others aren't"  Bought 1 yellow and 1green squash.  I have have a watermelon, so didn't need that.  Some red potatoes, sugar snap peas, 2 peaches, and like 8 plums.  Maybe something else that I'm not recalling.

     I am enjoying my late night watermelon snack.  As well as my plum after lunch.

     Well that was Saturday.  Today is Sunday, obviously.  Bakery, food shopping, slow cooker, and cigar lounge to look forward to.  Oh and yes, town day.  

-Later.

Let us finish the Montauk expedition...

     It's 7 in the morn on a Saturday of a very busy weekend.  Can't begin to think how many entries that will take to write.  oh well on with the previous show.

     The wind was whipping,  saw people surfing, it was kind of cool.  I would have stuck around a little, but had those people in the car.  I glared at the stairs leading down.  It was the last 2 sets that were most like the old statue of liberty Im mentioned earlier.

     The woman, not overly disappointed about her chucacabara missing a meal, gave me instructions on how to go back down the first set.  Backwards.  Yes backwards,  I told her I was thinking about just going down them on my buttocks.  She said that works as well.  I opted for backwards.

     And let me credit the keeper of the chucacabara for a moment.  We are not talking some buff 20 or 30 something woman.  I'd say between 45 and 60, that's a lot of stairs.  In fact I didn't really see any young people manning the museum.  Anyway.

     Not going into great detail, but let's just say going up 134 stairs is easier on the legs than going back down.  My legs would be sore for 3 days.  Upon reaching the landing I thanked the door monitor and made my way back to the parking lot.  I did turn to get one last photo of the lighthouse with the flag waving in the wind.  Very nice.  I opted for the handicap ramp back up to the parking lot instead of the stairs.  My thought was no more.  Once back in the car found out that by the time my sister had looked I'd already gone back inside.  Oh well.  My guess she was busy playing a game on her phone.  She's more on the side of one of those people that get aggravated when distracted, okay sorry but they're a feature from here on in.
    
     One quick side note.  She had asked my why the surfers were polishing their boards.  Said I'd check with a friend of mine, not wanting to be bothered.  Then it hit me.  The surfer right next to our car came back and I asked him.  He said they waxed their boards to make them less slippery so they dont' fall off.  Just thought that was a cool thing.

     So out of the parking lot we went, in search of food.  We had passed some sort of burger shack.  We stopped, it was packed.  Brother in law and I went in.  I was thinking of the 3 hour ride back home.  It seemed very greasy, thought about my car mates.  You see my sister does not handle food as well as she used to, she doesn't know it though.  My brother in law?  Well he gets nauseous if he eats and the car is moving.  So I thought pass.

     We found Old Montauk highway which my sister wanted to go down.  She'd known it from times past.  A hilly road by the ocean, lots of places to stay and such.  Unremarkable to me.  It rejoins the main road after a bit.

     Here's where it gets a little silly and we should have brought them lunch.  My brother in law, doesn't eat seafood, at all.  When in Montauk you see a lot of?  Yeah.  So as if we were in another car my sister tells me we have to find food, "he gets a headache when he doesn't eat."  Which by the way is sad but true.

     Well, I find a deli after a couple of towns, newly opened, they get an exciting chicken hero on a roll, unfortunately they put onions on it.  The children complained but ate it anyway.  While I wandered in the scattered sun outside the car, remember he gets ill if he eats and car is moving, I was wishing I'd brought a cigar.

     We got back underway.  There was only 1 more thing I wanted to see, my sister also.  It was a place that had huge sculptures.  I mean these were things you put on estates, not the housing place where I live.  Huge gorgeous and fun.  Took some photos, I loved the pink elephant.  After all those cartoons, and my years of drinking, this was the first one I'd ever experienced.  Didn't get the photo of the dragon my sister wanted.

     And here is where I learned that the IPhone camera is nice, but not for pictures you really want to see the resolution on.  There was this awesome sculpture of horses rearing.  Upon closer examination you realize they are Mermaid-Horses.  Oh it was so cool.  The photo on the phone came out alright.  But you just cannot make out the tails.  It was fun and I want to go back with my camera and get some real photos.

     We made it back home by 4.  I went out for a smoke and returned at 5 ready for dinner.  I'd made it easy on them, well me.  Said we'd do take out for dinner.  This way I wouldn't have to cook my own birthday dinner.  There was some dickering about the restaurant.  I said I'd chosen, it was my birthday.  It was enjoyable.

     The next day was food shopping.  Took my sister along.  We got some stuff to make my birthday cake.  A very simple pudding mix in a prepared graham cracker shell with real whip cream topping.  It was supposed to be fried chicken, but it didn't go off well at all.  I remember at one point standing there as my sister in her wheel chair looked at me.  "What do you want as a side dish"  she shot down my suggestion and said, as if my brother in law wasn't right behind her, he won't eat that.  I gave up at that point and said it was my birthday meal, make what ever the Hell you want, I'm not cooking. 

     Sorry after about a month I don't remember anything about the meal in general.  Did not have fried chicken.  No birthday cake.  Trust me this is nothing new for me.  However I did make the cigar lounge where I was welcomed.  That's something huh?