random thoughts – Day 1,348 – (Saturday) – three days

Day three of extra ordinary activities was a success. Day one, of course, was the annual feast of the turkey out in the central chunk of the fine Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 

Day two started with the harrowing removal of the gigantic rodent corpse from the basement, an afternoon recovery from the harrowing experience at home, and was capped off with dinner and a concert at the Sawtelle Room at The Bull Run, back in the central region. For dinner, I selected the soft pretzel, followed by a slab of pecan pie which was dressed with whipped cream and a side scoop of ice cream and drizzled with caramel. Yes, there was “real food” on the menu, and yes, I chose to skip those options because I could and it seems to be best (and sometimes only) benefit of being an adult.

The Slambovian Circus of Dreams.

The concert was the annual show by The Slambovian Circus of Dreams, which, according to Wikipedia, was founded in Sleepy Hollow (NY) in 1998. They deliver an energetic folk rock, Americana style sometimes described as "Hillbilly Pink Floyd," or "Punk Classical Hillbilly Floyd." What’s not to like about that? The show was terrific, with songs from their newest album and those before it. There were quite a few fans sporting Trans-Slambovian Bi-Polar Express tee shirts in the crowd. 

Day three of the long weekend had a loose plan to resume the Country Roads Holiday Tour that was tightened up around 9:00 am. I managed to get to the gym for a quick romp on the treadmill before heading back out to the middle of the state. Fortified by Espresso pizza delivered by my sister, we reviewed the tiny map image on my phone and plotted our attack.

At Plain View Farm.

We made it to seven shops today. Two were repeats for Mom and me, but my sister mentioned wanting something from Plain View Farm and I wanted to return because they were expecting more alpaca sweaters the last time I was there. There were several newly arrived cardigans sized for adults, but the one I liked best was a kid’s size I had seen before and the slightly funny, potentially depressing thing was that the kid’s sweater fit so that’s what I bought. 

We visited a gourmet food shop featuring lots of regional products, a craft gallery, a basket shop, an herb farm, and a country store. The route connecting all these very cool, very New England shops, was a winding road through woods. Miles of road. Lots of woods. No cell service and therefore no access Waze for navigational assistance. 

We had some laughs. We wondered about living “so far out in the country.” We bought some things, although for my part, Christmas shopping has so far turned out to mostly for me. Today it was the sweater and a six-pack of craft beer, but the best gift was a most excellent afternoon spent with Mom and Sis.

The ride back into Lowell featured three floats on the move after the City of Lights parade. The first one was a flatbed carrying the classic sleigh, which likely had Mr. and Mrs. Claus on it during the parade. It crossed by while I sat at the light at Fletcher and Pawtucket Streets. 

Barbie Dream House float in traffic.

While sitting at the light at Pawtucket Street and University Avenue, another truck held a float that looked like buildings all outlined in lights. While in the traffic on University, two lanes over a vision in pink appeared in the form of the Barbie Dream House with a sign pointing to “The Real World” which was apparently somewhere just up ahead. It was fun enjoying a few bits of the parade without the cold and the crowd. 

Three days of fun are complete.