Monday, September 27, 2010

Guns and Guitars, Open Late

You know, because you never know when you'll get a midnight craving for a Fender or a shotgun. And that wasn't even my favorite of the signs I passed on the way down Route 460 this morning.

That one read: Start Your Day with a Hearty Breakfast -ABC ON! Nothing's heartier than booze for breakfast, at least in New Bohemia.

And of course the only reason I drive through New Bohemia is to go to the beach, in this case to spend a couple days with friends and clear my head. Road trips are good for that, as is a change of scenery; I need to be distracted to think about things.

Walking out of a gas station in Windsor, a guy asked me, "Are you working hard today?" to which I replied, "Hardly working. Going to the beach." His face lit up. "Can I come with you?"

"Nope." His face fell. "Why not?" Oh, let's just say a gut feeling, stranger. "Bye now."

Deciding where to eat lunch was easy because while I've been in Weeping Radish Brewery, Butchery and Pub before, I hadn't eaten there. I passed a sign walking in that said, "Sauerkraut fermenting" and later was told that it's fermenting in French oak barrels with local bacon. That's my kind of sauerkraut.

This place cures all their own meats from the best local farmers have to offer , so choosing anything off the menu was a win/win situation. Fortuitously, the butcher came out while I was deciding and despite German being his primary language and English mine, I got the nod on my choice, the garlic andouille sausage on a pretzel roll with sauerkraut and house-made chips.

I don't drink beer, but they brew their own root beer, so I was more than happy to indulge in that. It was served in a glass that said, "Work is the curse of the drinking class." You think?

The sausage was superb, the garlic taming the spiciness of the andouille so you still tasted it but didn't feel it. That pretzel roll slathered with mustard was a little bit of heaven for a hot pretzel-lover like me. Best of all, there were three local mustards to choose from, so I went with both Bone Suckin' mustard (from Raleigh) and Lusty Monk (from Asheville).

So now I'm at the beach and the rain is pouring, but it's okay because it wasn't when I arrived
so I went out and walked on a mostly deserted beach while one friend took a nap before the others arrive.

Bring on the beach distractions!

4 comments:

  1. wow. i love this post--it really makes me smile.

    and apparently, i'm not nearly as forward as a lot of people you meet. i must be an introvert again!

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  2. You must not have been reading me for very long.

    I am a magnet for forward people. It's part of the reason I blog, to share the insanity of what gets said and suggested to an average person like me.

    Again? Were you an extrovert before?

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  3. Ah, well, you do it well then, because you led me to believe that the Richmond I once knew had been replaced by a Richmond exclusively of outgoing and clever people. Alack, alack, alack!

    Again. It's a chicken/egg situation.

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  4. It's all about diversity. The outgoing and clever wouldn't seem nearly so notable if not for the others.

    Besides, I keep hoping that outgoing, clever and somewhat forward can peacefully coexist in one person.

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