whilst traveling in San Antonio TX…
Papa Hummer, mama SUV, and baby Smart.
I just want to know how they answer the phone…
“Good morning, how can we help you get it up today?”
“Stiff and strong, all day long… how may I direct your call?”
Upstairs, downstairs -or- Unexpected events -or- Strange bedfellows
-or-
Vive la différence
Mr. Financial Planner, I’d like you to meet your new downstairs neighbor, Mr. TATTOO. I’m sure you two will you have much in common. Indeed, I predict you’ll find many of your clients in common.
Just a couple hundred dollars a month can get you a slice of a very fine life insurance policy, or a kick-ass Chinese dragon fairy skull motto barbed wire Maori graphic.
Con permiso
Walking around downtown yesterday morning, we came across a sign we’re quite excited about… the Building Permit application notice for a new brewpub on the site of the former Riverview Cafe. We can see this building from our house, and we ate there a few times before it closed, somewhat abruptly, last spring.
The building sits right on the water near the bridge, and in good weather the decks are (dare I admit it) even bigger and nicer than ours. We are looking forward to seeing it reopen… and this time as a brewery!!
Freezing river
It started maybe two weeks ago with some skims of ice around the banks. Then one morning we saw big chunks of ice floating downstream, and that lasted a few days, before the chunks started to bump against each other, move less, and pretty much just sit there.
Now, although the weekend was warm again, the Connecticut River is more or less frozen across. On the calm, shallow waters of the Retreat Meadows, people are fishing and skating already. I say already, but of course it’s very late for here. Most years people are able to stand out on the Meadows ice and watch New Year’s Eve fireworks.
This picture was taken from the island in the middle of the Connecticut River, which in fact used to be a park. Now, it’s just low-lying sand and driftwood, and unfortunately serves as a campsite for a few people with nowhere else to go. You can see our house in the upper right, not the church steeple, not the 3-story squarish gray house, but the long, low building tucked under its wing.
Make a wish…
A belated post… We had a great NYE with Liz and Dale. Although I kinda dozed off sometime before midnight, we all bestirred to go out into the backyard and send off a wonderful Chinese fire lantern. This picture isn’t mine, but it looks just like that.
The lantern worked wonderfully, floating far up and away, and since it’s mostly tissue paper it leaves minimal residue behind… one light rain and it’s gone.
We made our wishes and sent them into the sky… here’s to a happy, healthy, satisfying 2012.
With this cardboard box, I thee remodel
Actually, with these 100+ boxes, I thee assemble. Over the concerns of our contractor, we decided to go with Ikea kitchen cabinets instead of “real” cabinets. Even though the fiberboard construction probably won’t be as durable as solid wood, we liked the look, and we loved the price.
He graciously let us borrow his truck and trailer, and we made the 2+ hour drive down to New Haven, where our online shopping list was reviewed by the Ikea staff, modified slightly and picked. There were one or two small pieces in the warehouse that they couldn’t find, so we ended up waiting around the will call area for a while, but overall the experience was very smooth.
Now, all we have to do is assemble…
Fire on Main Street
After the traumas Brattleboro suffered in 2010, people are nervous, and rightly so. The other evening, we looked out the window to see the flashing of emergency vehicle lights. We had a clear view of the back side of one of the Main Street buildings being fairly surrounded by firefighters and others.
With the memory of the Brooks House fire still fresh, the crews were on high alert, and their vigilance paid off this time. The Christmas tree fire they found this time was quickly controlled and only that one apartment was damaged. Whew!
Vermont is civilization’s answer to California.
Liz Henry Veeneman
Another good meal at Peter Havens
Last night we had another delicious meal at the bar at Peter Havens… thank you Weds for the gift certificate!! As usual, the food, drink, and service were delightful, and also as usual, the company at the bar was even better. We met Tom and Nancy, who between them might be our future dentist and provide an interesting volunteer opportunity for Lee.
We mused about what it must be like to work as part of such a well-oiled machine… the staff have it down to a couple of glances, a gesture, a scribble… and then the right dish comes out, the right drink is poured, the table is reset, and it all seems to just happen. We’ve previously seen various management discussions about symphony orchestras and how miraculous it is that all that comes together… a good restaurant is no less wonderful.
Home again, home again, feeling like a fat pig, which is a very pleasant thing, actually
What a wonderful Christmas visit we had!
We ate all sorts of wonderful Christmas food at Frank’s… pork roast, taco soup, homemade kolaches, casino buffet, all my favorites really…
We got tons of nice presents including books and movies and lottery tickets and pliers and sweaters and socks and jams and soaps and even a tire gauge…
Weds and Mitch put on a great mystery dinner at “La Speranza,” aka Mitch’s fabulous apartment in big-city Houston… everyone dressed up and played along, including Monique and the Foxes…
We saw War Horse, which was in fact the low point of the whole thing. I cried like a baby, but I still have a crick in my neck from Spielberg’s heavy hand whacking me across the forehead…
Pat and I went gambling at L’Auberge, and we both walked away winners. I got the slot machine into some kind of free bonus spin mode and ended up basically sitting there while it made money for me…
We really enjoyed seeing everybody, but we’re also glad to be back in construction central. Cosette did fine with her new petsitter Mark (sorry Lena… but if you decide to move your legal practice to Vermont you can also have your old Cosette-sitter job back any time!!)
We ate to blissful excess, and the New Year’s resolution is looming. We’ve found a pool/spa we like, so we have one less excuse.
Mele kalikimaka !! This lovely little fountain tree sits outside the Headquarters of the Holstein Association. Did I mention that Brattleboro is the headquarters of the Holstein Association?
The Sky Club in Detroit is going through renovations but this chair wouldn’t cooperate and ended up in time-out. We hope it has learned a good lesson and will be able to join the other chairs for Christmas punch today.
Traveling late on Christmas Eve made for this wonderfully empty terminal at BDL.
Houston, here we come!
Brattleboro Adventure – the Auckland Edition 