Well, I'm days behind, aren't I?
Three days ago, we drove down south, to Newburyport, (Wiki link) on the coast of Massachusetts. It's a cute town, with an oddly packaged feel. We didn't go too far into the town, just poked about the central area, but it seemed like a town built around tourist trade only. I did find an unexpected needlework shop, Uncommon Threads. I stuck my nose in - it's mainly needlepoint and cross stitch, neither of which I do much (I prefer needlepoint, even though many people find filling in the background part tedious. Counted cross stitch just frustrates me.), but it was worth checking into. The woman behind the counter seemed lonely and tired, but she perked up with Merrie, Geordie and I in the shop.
I picked up a miniature cross stitch kit for a "needle nanny". It's a magnetic holder for needles, which will be useful, I'm sure. However, the real reason I picked it up is to reverse engineer it. The whole kit fits into a tin the size of an Altoids tin! I can so TOTALLY make stuff like this! The kit is in my purse now, with the magnet part removed so it doesn't interfere with any of my electronica (the magnets are rare-earth ones, so they're very strong), and I'm amused to know that I now have craftwork with me at all times!
After poking about in Newburyport a bit more, we drove slowly up the coast again, watching the water and the towns and the area, until we ended up in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. We ate dinner (delicious fish and chips for me and Geordie, pasta with tomato sauce for the teen) at a restaurant that sits directly over the water. It was lots of fun to eat and watch the different boats rush by. The only complaint I have about that restaurant (I've now been several times) is that their tables are miniscule. Seriously, I'm a small woman and I can't sit comfortably next to someone at what the restaurant considers to be a four-top.
We ate dessert at a local place - Merrie wanted to get a popover from a cafe called Popovers, so we went there. She got her popover, Geordie got a Napoleon, and I got a Lemon Angel thing. Oh, and Geordie and I got coffee, of course.
Home after that, stuffed to the gills and happy.
I like Portsmouth much more than Newburyport. It feels more like a real town, a place where people live and work and do things that don't have anything to do with tourists.
Two days ago we did something similar, only we went north, into Maine. We started at, um, Kittery and drove up the coast, through York, Ogunquit and ended up at Kennebunkport, where the candy store is surprisingly inexpensive and fun. The staff were friendly, the candy was very well priced (Merrie bought herself some amusing things, including some GIANT gummy cola bottles), and they had some suggestions on where to find good maple candy.
The more I see of this area, the prettier it gets. The drive was littered with beautiful views and interesting trees and amusing little towns...
Yesterday, we drove to Mount Washington. We picked the fastest way to drive up, so the views were less exciting, but we got a good long time on the peak itself, which was pretty cool. On the way, we stopped for breakfast at a place we'd been to before; the Corner View Cafe is someplace we heartily recommend. Really, if you can go, do so. The food is good, the portions aren't insanely sized and the staff is invariably friendly and helpful.
Mt Washington is nifty - it was sunny and clear at the foot, but the peak is in cloud most of the time. It's pretty to watch the fog (cloud) shift and expose bits and snatches of views, then have the strong wind blow all the cloud away and see for miles and miles in every direction. It was quite chilly up top, though, so Merrie was cold. We'd told her to bring her heavy sweatshirt, but she ... didn't.
Anyway, we ate dinner at an absolutely amazing restaurant, in a town called Meredith, on Lake Winnipesaukee. It's one of The Common Man restaurants; this one is called Lago. The food was excellent, the service was delightful and the view, looking across the lake, was wonderful.
Home late again, and to bed.
Today we spent in Boston, with my friend Ruth, visiting Old Ironsides, but Geordie's asleep over there and I'm very tired, so I'll tell you about that tomorrow. I know there's more I wanted to tell you about the past few days, so I'll write about that as well.
Good night.
SongBird
Friday, July 2, 2010
Oh, I didn't report about the quilt show! It was great. It was full of beautiful quilts, a bewildering array of fabrics, threads, and accessories, full to bursting with women fondling fabric and chattering animatedly about sewing and other interesting things. I've been doing more and more quilting and I read the current quilting blogs, so I know what quilting looks like now. It's very different from the traditional look, which can, now, look dark and plain. So on the drive up to Essex Junction, Mary had been telling me about a historical American quilt exhibit that had come to somewhere near her in England; many of them had been quite antique.
Anyway, as we walked into the vendor floor, the first quilts on display were antiques - all of them plain dark red, creams, dark greens, browns. We looked at them, interested, and Mary said that these were exactly like what she'd been expecting to see. They were just like the ones in the exhibit.
Then we turned the corner.
The rest of the floor was covered in brilliantly colored, fantastically shaped and sewn quilts, all of them glowing. The look of sudden surprise and wonder on her face was a great joy.
We took pictures of so many different quilts! She really liked the pictoral ones - she wants to make one that shows her trip here. She'll make one square that's the plane, then one square for each big event. One for Mt Washington, say, and one for eating lobster, and another for seeing the tides at Hopewell Rocks and so on. I loved seeing her light up like that.
We bought, of course, some fabrics (although we were quite restrained, really), and she bought a bag kit that she'd seen in the quilting shop in Portsmouth and which they hadn't had any kits available. They very nearly made us walk away from their booth without the damned kit, but I insisted that they look harder when the first woman said (without looking), "Oh, I don't see that. We must have sold out." Sure enough, they had bunches of kits, stored in plastic bins under the tables. Ugh.
Anyway, Merrie and Geordie stayed outside. While we were inside, prowling through fabricy art, they were prowling through Burlington, finding interesting dams, a salmon LIFT (I know what they've described to me, but all I can picture is an elevator with a button for the salmon to push with their little fishy fins.) and a practically abandoned bit of freeway.
Just as we got home, we heard from Amy that we should meet them, Jack and one of Jack's friends down at a local restaurant for dinner. Dinner was quite good (Merrie and I split a biggish filet and some shrimps, with steamed asparagus and a salad), and Jack's friend was very friendly. The food was good and Mary and Edward's last dinner here was good, so that's what counts.
Today was Mary and Edward's last day - they left at about 4. We went out for breakfast, then came home and they finished packing. She seemed sad about going back home, but it's always hard to leave a vacation. At least Edward has Monday off, so he won't have to go to work immediately upon landing!
We had leftovers (and pizza for the guys) for dinner, which was sort of a welcome relief. I'm not used to, or really happy with, going out for so many meals for such a long time. I really like cooking and eating at home; I'm sort of making mental lists of foods I want to make again as soon as we get home. Bread, and leeky rice (with the crust that Geordie can put onto it, yum), and chicken with more garlic than anything else, and Merrie has requested a nice, fresh bright stir fry and Geordie wants some green olives stuffed with bleu cheese ...
The four of us (Merrie sat in the other room) watched the first four episodes of Band of Brothers this evening. It's very good - realistic in many of the portrayals of things, with interesting story lines and depth of character.
Anyway, it's nearly bed time.
I finished my two-socks-in-one and I didn't quite do it right. I crossed over my yarn a couple of times, which sucks, but I cut them apart and tied the strands and they work just fine as little socks. I'll have to try again and pay closer attention. And not do it in a rush.
I think I'll spend some time doing embroidery. I've been doing an awful lot of knitting the past few weeks. I do have a couple of lace shawls to work on, though, and my cabled sweater.
*hugs you all*
G'night.
SongBird
Anyway, as we walked into the vendor floor, the first quilts on display were antiques - all of them plain dark red, creams, dark greens, browns. We looked at them, interested, and Mary said that these were exactly like what she'd been expecting to see. They were just like the ones in the exhibit.
Then we turned the corner.
The rest of the floor was covered in brilliantly colored, fantastically shaped and sewn quilts, all of them glowing. The look of sudden surprise and wonder on her face was a great joy.
We took pictures of so many different quilts! She really liked the pictoral ones - she wants to make one that shows her trip here. She'll make one square that's the plane, then one square for each big event. One for Mt Washington, say, and one for eating lobster, and another for seeing the tides at Hopewell Rocks and so on. I loved seeing her light up like that.
We bought, of course, some fabrics (although we were quite restrained, really), and she bought a bag kit that she'd seen in the quilting shop in Portsmouth and which they hadn't had any kits available. They very nearly made us walk away from their booth without the damned kit, but I insisted that they look harder when the first woman said (without looking), "Oh, I don't see that. We must have sold out." Sure enough, they had bunches of kits, stored in plastic bins under the tables. Ugh.
Anyway, Merrie and Geordie stayed outside. While we were inside, prowling through fabricy art, they were prowling through Burlington, finding interesting dams, a salmon LIFT (I know what they've described to me, but all I can picture is an elevator with a button for the salmon to push with their little fishy fins.) and a practically abandoned bit of freeway.
Just as we got home, we heard from Amy that we should meet them, Jack and one of Jack's friends down at a local restaurant for dinner. Dinner was quite good (Merrie and I split a biggish filet and some shrimps, with steamed asparagus and a salad), and Jack's friend was very friendly. The food was good and Mary and Edward's last dinner here was good, so that's what counts.
Today was Mary and Edward's last day - they left at about 4. We went out for breakfast, then came home and they finished packing. She seemed sad about going back home, but it's always hard to leave a vacation. At least Edward has Monday off, so he won't have to go to work immediately upon landing!
We had leftovers (and pizza for the guys) for dinner, which was sort of a welcome relief. I'm not used to, or really happy with, going out for so many meals for such a long time. I really like cooking and eating at home; I'm sort of making mental lists of foods I want to make again as soon as we get home. Bread, and leeky rice (with the crust that Geordie can put onto it, yum), and chicken with more garlic than anything else, and Merrie has requested a nice, fresh bright stir fry and Geordie wants some green olives stuffed with bleu cheese ...
The four of us (Merrie sat in the other room) watched the first four episodes of Band of Brothers this evening. It's very good - realistic in many of the portrayals of things, with interesting story lines and depth of character.
Anyway, it's nearly bed time.
I finished my two-socks-in-one and I didn't quite do it right. I crossed over my yarn a couple of times, which sucks, but I cut them apart and tied the strands and they work just fine as little socks. I'll have to try again and pay closer attention. And not do it in a rush.
I think I'll spend some time doing embroidery. I've been doing an awful lot of knitting the past few weeks. I do have a couple of lace shawls to work on, though, and my cabled sweater.
*hugs you all*
G'night.
SongBird
Well, I went to bed last night, then realised I'd forgotten my Daily Post! *eek*
Okay, so. Yesterday we didn't do much. I've been hoping to try the double-knit socks (the ones I've been taking pictures of, one sock inside the other), but I didn't have yarn for them. (This isn't precisely true. I brought sock-weight yarn for the project, but of course, if I want to show Mary, I'll need bigger yarn. MUCH bigger yarn. So.)
I poked about online and found a yarn shop in Derry that got very good reviews. The Yarn and Fiber Company turned out to be closer than it looked to me on the map and really good. It's huge, filled with interesting sample garments (as well as swatches of each yarn), many different gauges from cobweb weight lace yarn to yarn as big around as a quarter. Really. There was locally hand-dyed yarn, in a wide range of fibers and weights (I got a 400 yard hank of thin cashmere. It's an amazingly pretty color, all greens and rusty golds. I have no idea what I'll knit it into, but it'll be for ME. *is selfish*
I also got two balls of Noro Kureyon in a mix of blues, purples, greens, and browns. I have nice bamboo short double pointed needles - and I'm halfway through turning the heel of the socks.
We drove down to the coast just south of the New Hampshire/Massachusetts border after that, then drove up the coast, looking at the pretty little towns and watching the sea and sky. After stopping off at the bakery just over the state line into Maine, the Beach Pea (we got oatmeal bread, cheese loaves, some ginger and lemon cookies and the last four lemon bars), we came home. I started the socks immediately, of course.
Today we did similar things - we heard that there was going to be rain and thunderstorms, which Geordie loves, so we brought my socks and drove about until we found RAIN. At one point, the heaviest and rainiest point, we had to pull over on the little road to wait out the rain. We ate a late lunch at a nice little beachside place, sitting outside and watching the boats.
Mostly today was spent driving around and spectating - looking at the pretty views and the tall trees and the different shapes of waterways and lakes that surround everything in New Hampshire. It is a pretty state.
Mary made dinner tonight - I think it's my turn tomorrow. I wonder what I should do.
I think we're going to the quilt show in Essex Junction, Vermont. Essex Junction is at the tippy top of Vermont, which means we're getting up early tomorrow, I think, to make it there in time. I'm sort of excited. I've been to knitting and yarn shows, but not a quilting one yet. Mary is coming with us; there's a bag kit she wants to buy there. Plus, she says she wants to look at the fabrics.
I'll take pictures, but I'm pretty sure that the show will say that pictures aren't allowed.
Anyway, it's time to work on the socks more. I'll see you all later.
*grin*
SongBird
Okay, so. Yesterday we didn't do much. I've been hoping to try the double-knit socks (the ones I've been taking pictures of, one sock inside the other), but I didn't have yarn for them. (This isn't precisely true. I brought sock-weight yarn for the project, but of course, if I want to show Mary, I'll need bigger yarn. MUCH bigger yarn. So.)
I poked about online and found a yarn shop in Derry that got very good reviews. The Yarn and Fiber Company turned out to be closer than it looked to me on the map and really good. It's huge, filled with interesting sample garments (as well as swatches of each yarn), many different gauges from cobweb weight lace yarn to yarn as big around as a quarter. Really. There was locally hand-dyed yarn, in a wide range of fibers and weights (I got a 400 yard hank of thin cashmere. It's an amazingly pretty color, all greens and rusty golds. I have no idea what I'll knit it into, but it'll be for ME. *is selfish*
I also got two balls of Noro Kureyon in a mix of blues, purples, greens, and browns. I have nice bamboo short double pointed needles - and I'm halfway through turning the heel of the socks.
We drove down to the coast just south of the New Hampshire/Massachusetts border after that, then drove up the coast, looking at the pretty little towns and watching the sea and sky. After stopping off at the bakery just over the state line into Maine, the Beach Pea (we got oatmeal bread, cheese loaves, some ginger and lemon cookies and the last four lemon bars), we came home. I started the socks immediately, of course.
Today we did similar things - we heard that there was going to be rain and thunderstorms, which Geordie loves, so we brought my socks and drove about until we found RAIN. At one point, the heaviest and rainiest point, we had to pull over on the little road to wait out the rain. We ate a late lunch at a nice little beachside place, sitting outside and watching the boats.
Mostly today was spent driving around and spectating - looking at the pretty views and the tall trees and the different shapes of waterways and lakes that surround everything in New Hampshire. It is a pretty state.
Mary made dinner tonight - I think it's my turn tomorrow. I wonder what I should do.
I think we're going to the quilt show in Essex Junction, Vermont. Essex Junction is at the tippy top of Vermont, which means we're getting up early tomorrow, I think, to make it there in time. I'm sort of excited. I've been to knitting and yarn shows, but not a quilting one yet. Mary is coming with us; there's a bag kit she wants to buy there. Plus, she says she wants to look at the fabrics.
I'll take pictures, but I'm pretty sure that the show will say that pictures aren't allowed.
Anyway, it's time to work on the socks more. I'll see you all later.
*grin*
SongBird
We had set our alarm for just before 8 and were up and moving by 8:20am. Not bad, all things told. After a slightly slow start, we made it to breakfast at Karen's Kitchen in Bedford. Then, we stopped off at Starbucks and the bank and drove like the wind to the museum. Even though Edward and Mary left before us, we got there first.
The museum was quite good - a very good example of the type. There was a LOT of grounds, and the houses were well lit and well shown. The rooms in the houses were furnished, but they managed to make them look realistic rather than over-filled or under-filled. The different exhibit buildings (glassware, fire-arms and textiles, clocks) were all well organized, well labeled and interesting (not too long, not too short). The interactive exhibits (the blacksmith in particular) were very intelligent and the people working in them were clearly interested in what they were showing as well as the historical aspects and connections. I was very impressed.
We got there at about noon-thirtyish and stayed almost until they closed, at 5. We could, if we'd gotten there earlier, have stayed longer - we missed an entire part of the museum; the farm and barnyard.
The thing I missed most, actually, was barnyard animals. They had what their paperwork called "nearly six-month-old oxen-in-training". Or, you know, calves. They were pretty damned cute ones as well, but one of them was barely at the 6 month mark, if that, and they can't be put to plough for years yet, so they'll be 'in-training' for a while yet.
We drove home taking the rural, small-town roads, enjoying seeing the tiny little places one never gets to see on shorter vacations. Now we're sitting in the annex on the house listening to the rain come gently down.
There's a house that's for sale, just up the road. $275K for 2 acres, loads of parking, a big 3-bedroom, 2 car garage with over-garage room, gabled house, with a flat drive, set back from the road... I'm sort of in love with it. I know we're not moving here (yet) and we wouldn't want to move in so close to his friends (just to allow them privacy, really), so we wouldn't be getting that house... but it's so pretty. *sigh*
Anyway, the rain is lovely and I have pictures to sort out. I'll talk to you tomorrow!
SongBird
The museum was quite good - a very good example of the type. There was a LOT of grounds, and the houses were well lit and well shown. The rooms in the houses were furnished, but they managed to make them look realistic rather than over-filled or under-filled. The different exhibit buildings (glassware, fire-arms and textiles, clocks) were all well organized, well labeled and interesting (not too long, not too short). The interactive exhibits (the blacksmith in particular) were very intelligent and the people working in them were clearly interested in what they were showing as well as the historical aspects and connections. I was very impressed.
We got there at about noon-thirtyish and stayed almost until they closed, at 5. We could, if we'd gotten there earlier, have stayed longer - we missed an entire part of the museum; the farm and barnyard.
The thing I missed most, actually, was barnyard animals. They had what their paperwork called "nearly six-month-old oxen-in-training". Or, you know, calves. They were pretty damned cute ones as well, but one of them was barely at the 6 month mark, if that, and they can't be put to plough for years yet, so they'll be 'in-training' for a while yet.
We drove home taking the rural, small-town roads, enjoying seeing the tiny little places one never gets to see on shorter vacations. Now we're sitting in the annex on the house listening to the rain come gently down.
There's a house that's for sale, just up the road. $275K for 2 acres, loads of parking, a big 3-bedroom, 2 car garage with over-garage room, gabled house, with a flat drive, set back from the road... I'm sort of in love with it. I know we're not moving here (yet) and we wouldn't want to move in so close to his friends (just to allow them privacy, really), so we wouldn't be getting that house... but it's so pretty. *sigh*
Anyway, the rain is lovely and I have pictures to sort out. I'll talk to you tomorrow!
SongBird
Well, I think we're planning on going to Old Sturbridge Village to spend some of the day doing Historical Things. As usual, I'll take pictures and put them up days later. *grin*
I think it's time to go, but the others are still sitting. Maybe they're waiting for me. I'll go see.
Bye!
SongBird
I think it's time to go, but the others are still sitting. Maybe they're waiting for me. I'll go see.
Bye!
SongBird
So, Mary and Edward went to the big mall here (Mall of New Hampshire) so Mary could get her hair done. She's an old-fashioned sort. Anyway, they left, so we took off for breakfast at a restaurant we've tried before. It's in Goffstown, right on the river. Very pretty, and I took pictures to show you. (No, I haven't uploaded them yet. I'm a few days behind.) Then, we started just driving, to see what the little towns look like and to just look at New Hampshire.
We passed an interesting bridge and turned around to see it. Here's a shot of it as it was: 1861-1871?. We, of course, took tons of pictures. I took enough to make a panorama of it like this: Panorama On Steroids. Merrie climbed along the bottom of it, along the river, then turned halfway along to look back and saw a ginormous fucking spider and had to go all the way around to the other side and back over the top to rescue her camera and other things she'd left on a rock so that they didn't fall in the water if she did. (She didn't.) Geordie took some pictures of the spider. I'll share those, if you guys want. It was black and white and as big as her palm.
Keene was pretty, and filled with college age kids. It's a college town, apparently. Interestingly, the girls were all mostly well-put-together and neat, but the boys were all slouchy pants and sloppy t-shirts. What is that about, anyway?
Anyway, we drove from Keene to Hillsborough (which the sign spelt Hillsboro). In Hillsborough, we stopped for ice cream at a local shop. The ice cream was very good (they use fresh real ginger in the ginger ice cream, which reminds me that I have to use our ice cream maker when we get home!). The girl at the shop was an interesting mix of adventurous (she's a downhill skier and her boyfriend does moguls; they're both instructors.) and inexperienced. The furthest west she's been is Pennsylvania. She goes to North Carolina on a sort of regular basis, but hadn't flown until about a couple of years ago. She also doesn't drive because she was in an accident just after finishing Driver's Ed. Well, it was unclear in her story if she was the driver or the passenger. She has a long list of things she won't try, including foods she doesn't know the taste of in advance. Fruit flavors are her favorites, as she always knows what they're supposed to be.
Anyway, we came home from there; turns out Hillsborough is only a few miles away from where we're staying.
When we got home, the bunnies were out. Amy has two rabbits - a grey Flemish Giant, and a white and brown lop. They're very funny together, bouncy and happy, but Luffy, the Flemish Giant, is HUGE next to the lop. They love being outside. Amy's set up two big, stiff cardboard tubes on a stand so the bunnies have some place to go hide and play.
It's time to make dinner now - I think we're having pasta with garlic bread! Yum.
SongBird
We passed an interesting bridge and turned around to see it. Here's a shot of it as it was: 1861-1871?. We, of course, took tons of pictures. I took enough to make a panorama of it like this: Panorama On Steroids. Merrie climbed along the bottom of it, along the river, then turned halfway along to look back and saw a ginormous fucking spider and had to go all the way around to the other side and back over the top to rescue her camera and other things she'd left on a rock so that they didn't fall in the water if she did. (She didn't.) Geordie took some pictures of the spider. I'll share those, if you guys want. It was black and white and as big as her palm.
Keene was pretty, and filled with college age kids. It's a college town, apparently. Interestingly, the girls were all mostly well-put-together and neat, but the boys were all slouchy pants and sloppy t-shirts. What is that about, anyway?
Anyway, we drove from Keene to Hillsborough (which the sign spelt Hillsboro). In Hillsborough, we stopped for ice cream at a local shop. The ice cream was very good (they use fresh real ginger in the ginger ice cream, which reminds me that I have to use our ice cream maker when we get home!). The girl at the shop was an interesting mix of adventurous (she's a downhill skier and her boyfriend does moguls; they're both instructors.) and inexperienced. The furthest west she's been is Pennsylvania. She goes to North Carolina on a sort of regular basis, but hadn't flown until about a couple of years ago. She also doesn't drive because she was in an accident just after finishing Driver's Ed. Well, it was unclear in her story if she was the driver or the passenger. She has a long list of things she won't try, including foods she doesn't know the taste of in advance. Fruit flavors are her favorites, as she always knows what they're supposed to be.
Anyway, we came home from there; turns out Hillsborough is only a few miles away from where we're staying.
When we got home, the bunnies were out. Amy has two rabbits - a grey Flemish Giant, and a white and brown lop. They're very funny together, bouncy and happy, but Luffy, the Flemish Giant, is HUGE next to the lop. They love being outside. Amy's set up two big, stiff cardboard tubes on a stand so the bunnies have some place to go hide and play.
It's time to make dinner now - I think we're having pasta with garlic bread! Yum.
SongBird
We slept late, which seems to be our pattern. I think we'd like to start getting up earlier, if only so we can get more done. I don't know what we're doing tomorrow, but I think we should find something interesting and out of the house.
I'm almost done with my ribbed shrug, which I'm looking forward to wearing and not enjoying the knitting of. It's not exciting knitting and I've restricted myself from starting any other projects while this one is so close to being done. I'll post pictures of it when it's done. I should take pictures of it whilst it's partially done, huh?
We ate a nice breakfast in (eggs and bacon and toast and jam), and I've re-learned how uncomfortable sharing a kitchen makes me. I don't mind, precisely, and I like being in one cooking together with people I know well (especially if there's room), but I wasn't at all sure how to go about it with Mary, and I don't know the kitchen perfectly so I didn't know where anything was, and I'm still a little anxious around Mary. Anyway, all in all, it was a good breakfast.
Afterwards, we hung out inside for a while (it's pretty damned hot out); this time I sat in the main living room with Geordie and his friend Jack while they watched online tv shows about geekery. Jack's wife Amy made plans to meet their children for a Father's Day dinner at 6, which is much earlier than we've been eating dinner. Finally, we went out - everyone else wanted to go to lunch. We went with them and ate, but we weren't particularly hungry. After lunch, everyone else went off to grocery shop and we drove around just looking at the interesting houses and trees and changing views of the different tiny towns. Eventually, we went to Barnes and Noble to spend a half hour in strong air conditioning. Dinner was fun but very loud; ten people at one table make a lot of noise.
When we got to the restaurant (we got there first), it turns out that they were expecting to seat a party of ten at a round table that sat eight and have two people sit alone at a small separate table. I explained that we were here as ONE party and we wanted to sit together. They seemed annoyed at having to make other plans, but they weren't full or even busy, so making them put three tables together to seat us didn't seem too much of a big deal. We tipped well at the end anyway. (We've been to this restaurant once before, when we were here in winter. We got to the restaurant about half an hour before closing. They made it clear that they were very upset that we wanted to be seated and that they expected us to order, eat, pay, and leave by closing time. Which seemed odd to me, as I've only had that happen in coffee shops and retail stores - I've never had a restaurant expect the clientele to leave directly at closing time. I've certainly seen restaurants with people finishing eating at least half an hour after closing.)
Home again after dinner, to watch a movie. They picked A Perfect Getaway, which was more fun than I expected. I thought it was going to be a horror style slasher type movie, but it turned out to be a puzzler. Tense and twisty, and violent ohmyyes, but not as bad as I expected at all.
Bed soon, I think.
We should make plans for tomorrow.
G'night!
SongBird
I'm almost done with my ribbed shrug, which I'm looking forward to wearing and not enjoying the knitting of. It's not exciting knitting and I've restricted myself from starting any other projects while this one is so close to being done. I'll post pictures of it when it's done. I should take pictures of it whilst it's partially done, huh?
We ate a nice breakfast in (eggs and bacon and toast and jam), and I've re-learned how uncomfortable sharing a kitchen makes me. I don't mind, precisely, and I like being in one cooking together with people I know well (especially if there's room), but I wasn't at all sure how to go about it with Mary, and I don't know the kitchen perfectly so I didn't know where anything was, and I'm still a little anxious around Mary. Anyway, all in all, it was a good breakfast.
Afterwards, we hung out inside for a while (it's pretty damned hot out); this time I sat in the main living room with Geordie and his friend Jack while they watched online tv shows about geekery. Jack's wife Amy made plans to meet their children for a Father's Day dinner at 6, which is much earlier than we've been eating dinner. Finally, we went out - everyone else wanted to go to lunch. We went with them and ate, but we weren't particularly hungry. After lunch, everyone else went off to grocery shop and we drove around just looking at the interesting houses and trees and changing views of the different tiny towns. Eventually, we went to Barnes and Noble to spend a half hour in strong air conditioning. Dinner was fun but very loud; ten people at one table make a lot of noise.
When we got to the restaurant (we got there first), it turns out that they were expecting to seat a party of ten at a round table that sat eight and have two people sit alone at a small separate table. I explained that we were here as ONE party and we wanted to sit together. They seemed annoyed at having to make other plans, but they weren't full or even busy, so making them put three tables together to seat us didn't seem too much of a big deal. We tipped well at the end anyway. (We've been to this restaurant once before, when we were here in winter. We got to the restaurant about half an hour before closing. They made it clear that they were very upset that we wanted to be seated and that they expected us to order, eat, pay, and leave by closing time. Which seemed odd to me, as I've only had that happen in coffee shops and retail stores - I've never had a restaurant expect the clientele to leave directly at closing time. I've certainly seen restaurants with people finishing eating at least half an hour after closing.)
Home again after dinner, to watch a movie. They picked A Perfect Getaway, which was more fun than I expected. I thought it was going to be a horror style slasher type movie, but it turned out to be a puzzler. Tense and twisty, and violent ohmyyes, but not as bad as I expected at all.
Bed soon, I think.
We should make plans for tomorrow.
G'night!
SongBird
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