Today was kind of a lazy, hot Saturday, and we did a bunch of little, piddly things. The biggest of which, for sure, was that Amanda started painting the new room. She is painting the walls "Nantucket Grey" and the doors "Sussex Green." The trim, whenever that is done, will be "Monterey White." I think paint names are so funny--did I mention that on one of my meanderings sections? Well, if I didnt, I should. I'd love to have that job . . .thinking of paint names.
I kind of didnt know what to do with myself while Amanda painted. I just sort of putzed around, helping Amanda where I could, priming some of the ceiling, and putting up some shelves in the garage with some of the scrap wood we had leftover from the construction. Other than that, I sort of felt like Hank Hill from "KING OF THE HILL." I organized my tools in the workshop we have in the basement. I measured for shelves in the basement, so I can properly display my beer bottle collection, I rearranged some tools in the garage . . .like I said, I just sort of putzed around. Amanda made fun of me for it, but its true . . .I dont know what to do on my own. I hope she never divorces me--I'll have the cleanest house ever!
I was going to go to Oak Pond Brewery in Skowhegan, but that never materialized. Tonight, Amanda and I went to Giffords (a very famous Maine ice cream place--for all you out of staters) and I got a root beer float, and the wife got a kiddie sundae. They have mini golf and batting cages, so naturally I gravitated towards them. The last time I did batting cages was with my good friend JR right after we graduated from college. And, I'm glad to say, I've still got it--I was hitting all over the place (Hi . . .Amanda here . . .Just so you know, Jared was batting in the AAAA ultra slow pitch little league cage . . . I'm surprised they didnt give him a "wolly pwop" for hitting like such a big boy!!!)
Hanging out at Giffords brought back such great memories of summer nights in Easton, when I lived on Turnpike street right across from "Dixie's Hit and Putt," a sort of megaplex of fun, featuring mini golf, batting cages, driving ranges, and ice cream. The big buzz during my sophomore year was the notion that they were putting go-carts in someplace . .. but like many of my dreams, that one did not come true either. Dixie's was built on the land of the former Michelson's farm, one of the last great livestock farms in the area. It was very beautiful . . .the smell of popcorn . . .teeny bopper girls for my friend Jay to flirt with (and me to stand next to him and pretend I was too) . . .the first "pirate ship" golf course in the area . . .and soft serve cones that both cost under 5.00 AND actually had more than 3.2 ounces of ice cream in them. It was actually what I would call a "hang out" for my buddies and I. You would see people from town and from school. Its funny--your local, independent ice cream places are, if you think about it, the last great American hangouts. We no longer have drive-ins or burger stands or places out in the woods called "Dead Man's Bluff" or something of that nature, where kids can drink non-descript cans of beer and split cigarettes between two of them.
Dixie's is no longer there . . .its now some corporate "Family Fun Center" or something like that. The pirate ship is gone, and when that happened, my friends and I knew life was going to get that much more difficult from here on out.
what was more fun, dixies or bouncies?? ( I think its bouncies, the one on 106 that had like wooden windmills)
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