Antiquing on a dismal day.

 

Today was a day we planned to drive up to Hudson, NY and do some antiquing.  The big problem was with my legs - I couldn't walk far, and I was grateful to have my cane with me.  Thankfully, I'll be seeing my doctor in a couple of days, and hopefully he'll able to help me walk properly before my cruise.

But first...

We got up at our usual time today, and got out of the house around 2 pm.  I knew it was going to be a long drive to get to the Antique Warehouse in Hudson, NY - 80 miles away.  For the most part, we made good time getting to Hudson, stopping only for gas and a bio-break.  By the time we got to the warehouse, the heavens had started opening up, and we rushed inside to get out of the rain and explore the place.

Once inside, we were overwhelmed by the size of the place.  Half of the building was occupied by the warehouse, with a smaller section occupied by smaller, independent shops, and a small section occupied by an Amtrak maintenance department.  I could barely walk, and was glad I could sit on any chair I could find in the place.  However, our stay in the warehouse was short, as it was warm and humid inside.  I couldn't wait to leave the place, so I could get comfortable.

Our next stop was a restaurant that Vicki and I went to when we returned from our trip to the Flax barn sale.   Savona's is part of a 4 restaurant group operating in the Hudson Valley.  I have wanted to go back with RQS in tow, and today was our opportunity to try this place together.  However, we had to pay for 15 minutes of parking, and it took some time for me to use the app to pay for those minutes.  Once I paid for those minutes, we went inside and ordered our meals.  RQS said that I made a better Caesar Salad than the restaurant, but that's because I make the dressing from scratch.  When the main course came, neither of us could finish our food.  RQS loved the place and would go back in a heartbeat.

We got home around 8, and I was aching - my legs could barely support me.  But I was safe, and I was at home.  And that's the important thing.

Pizza - An answer to what do we eat tonight? (a short post)

 '

How many of us have had this conversation:

"What's for dinner?"

"I don't know."

 

Well, this was the dilemma posed to RQS and I the other day.  Since I was not in the mood to cook, I was leaning toward pizza.  But where?  The only thing RQS remembered about the place we both liked was that the platter holding the cooked pizza was supported by a stand, so that there was more room on the table for dinner plates.  

Not being ready to eat around 6:00 pm, I decided to take a scenic drive around Northern Westchester county while thinking of inexpensive places to eat.  So we got in the car, and RQS decided to look for pizzerias which we've gone to and where she enjoyed the pizza.  And she found the one that I suggested we go to in the first place.  Now that we knew the place where RQS wanted to go, we decided to head there in the most direct way possible via side roads.

Once at the pizzeria, we knew it was the right place - and we feasted.  It was a nice way to kill some time and figure out what's for dinner.

Going for a long drive to meet a friend

 

I wouldn't drive the above car more than a couple of miles, and then at a very low speed.  That is the opposite of the driving I often need to do, as most of the people I know are at least an hour away from me. Today's drive was to meet a friend who lives over two hours away from me, at a mid point agreeable to both of us.

- - - - - -

RO and I have known each other for a while.  We first met on a date, but things didn't work out between us.  A few years later, we stumbled into each other again and became friends.  Since then, we get together now and then, and today was one of those meetings.  Although she knows me as Mario, she sees me more often as Marian, and that's the way I prefer to be when seeing her.

The restaurant that we used to go to is halfway between our houses.  Today, we decided to meet for lunch at Fuddrucker's, a hamburger joint whose chain has seen its better days.  My late wife and I always enjoyed going to the Fuddruckers in Yonkers.  Sadly, virtually all of the outlets near me closed many years ago, leaving a small number too many miles away for a casual lunch on my own.  But today was different.  Fudd's has an outlet in Parsippany, NJ, and that's where we met.

When I first encountered Fuddrucker's as a chain, their outlets focused on the display of the meat that would be served to the customer.  The place was wide open and well lit. You could see all of the spaces open to the customer upon entry, including condiments, fixings (onions, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.), and.beverage stations.  This outlet felt different.  It felt cramped, and the main seating area was separated from the entry area by a wall.  But the burgers were as good as I remembered.

RO talked about her most recent trip with her hubby, and having booked a new trip to the same area for next month.  I talked about my trips (past and upcoming), as well as my relationship with RQS.  By the time lunch was over, RO asked if I would introduce her to RQS, and I said "sure".

All too soon, we had to return home - and parted until next time.

. 

A weekend in the middle of the month

The weekend.  Most people live for it.  As for me, those two days are like any other day.  This is both the blessing and curse of being out of the workforce for several years.  I have the freedom to do what I want, but no urgency to getting around to doing it.

- - - - - -

This weekend, the only thing I really wanted to do was to go to dinner with Vicki #1.  So, on Friday night, I decided to give my wig a bath and let it dry overnight.  This allowed me to have fresh, clean hair on my head when we would go to Xavier's H2O in Yonkers in the evening.

For the most part, I hung out around the house all day Saturday.  My GI Tract was giving me problems, and it did so just before I got ready for the evening.  As usual for me when going to a fancy restaurant, it was on with the LBD and some of my nicer costume jewelry, and out the door when Vicki arrived.

Vicki has grown very uncomfortable driving in the dark.  So I agreed to do the driving to Yonkers.  In a way, it was like visiting a past that is long gone.  My late wife worked near the Getty Square area, opposite the former city jail.  I remembered the area with quite a few run down industrial structures made of old red brick.  Most of those structures have been either been rehabbed to look better than new.  And the ones that have been town have been replaced by sleek, new multistory buildings which fetch excessive rents.  And this would effectively be my first time back in the area in years.
 
Xavier's is in the building which used to be the old Yonkers pier. To park there, one must use Valet parking shared between two restaurants.  It's not bad when one drops of her car. But when one picks up her car, the wait in the cold on the waterfront can be quite chilling - I was glad I was wearing tights under my dress. 

Vicki preceded me into the restaurant.  The dining floors of the place were one and two stories off of water level.  I'd bet that they are making sure that in case of potential floods, that the operations areas of the restaurant are unaffected.  But I digress.  We arrived at the reception desk and were guided to a table on the second floor.  (The above is the view from the window directly behind me. It's nice to have the NYC skyline as a distant background.)  There's not much I can say about the place better than that I'd go back there in a heartbeat. The service was excellent, and everything put in front of us was perfect.

We talked about many things on the way home, including my relationship with GFJ and the possibility of my finding another partner.  She was trying to avoid unnecessary cruelty to me in saying that "not every pot has a lid."  (Not her words, but it's an expression that works here.) This is something I already knew, and was comfortable with her being able to tell me an uncomfortable truth that I've had to deal with for a while.

Eventually, we made it home, and she left for the evening.  As for me, I stripped off my dressed and packed it in for the night.  What I didn't know at the time was that I wouldn't be going out the following day.  I had no energy or desire to get up and about.  Nor, did I see any other reason to have me do so.   







Dinner with Vicki

What I think was a minor cold woke me up, and kept me awake until I used some cold/cough syrup.