Wednesday, June 10, 2009

It Strikes Me Funny: I score a shut out at Nova Lisboa, but not Pond Mills

A friend popped over yesterday while I was painting and invited me to Chicago for the next two days.

I couldn’t refuse - Chicago is in my ‘Top Five Cities’ list.

However, I felt time compress quickly. I had much to do before departure time (32 minutes and counting).

I had to see a green grocer about a job - she wants 10 wooden crates in which to display groceries. I gave her a price, she gave me more work for my wee shop.

I then had to bicycle to a far off subdivision, as research for my next column, re ‘what makes a neighbourhood a neighbourhood?’

Using directions provided by a reader I parked my bike at a small plaza near the centre of Pond Mills and surveyed the land.


If I had been extra hungry I would have been out of luck. The buffet was a good price at Nova Lisboa but as I looked through the window I noticed no one was at home... or at restaurant. It’s closed on Tuesdays.


Down the street I stopped to ask a fellow busy washing his car how old the neighbourhood was. Surprisingly, I knew the man. He is the father of one of my youngest son’s close friends.

Because he couldn’t answer my question he asked his neighbour. I knew the man and his wife as well, for Pete’s sake. I taught with the wife in 1974 - 75, the year they bought the model home on that street. So, they knew the precise answer to my question and pointed out a few more highlights in the area.

It was a quick but interesting ride.

I’ll write a draft while sipping coffee on Michigan Ave. in about 6 hours.

***

Small world, eh?

Bumped into old friends lately?

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