Old neighbours and restaurants
Someday I might move beyond the collecting parts stage and actually move on to the construction phase. Until then, the closest we come to an operating model railroad is the annual visit to the layout in Elmira. The remains of their car collection are gone, victim of climate, wandering vandals and advanced age. Now it might be better to speak of the rail station museum. Anyhow, there have been a few modifications in the displays, a new building to house the compulsory gift shop and an added committment to the miniature railway next door.
Our scheduled visit to a house went off in the early afternoon, with the chance to wander and dream taking us roughly an hour. At the end, we were no more sure of the next move than the realtor, so we’re back to thinking and weighing our possibilities. Some decisions are best made over time; we could find ourselves caught up in more of a financial situation then we really want.
Over coffee, we checked out the photos from our earlier visit and then we went off to drive the sideroads and lanes, following the breadcrumb trail of “for sale” signs that seem to have appeared (like mushrooms) on every available tree and post. There is no lack of places waiting for a buyer. We even checked out a former schoolhouse, on sale as a community hall. I wonder if anyone is in the market for one of those?
Another restaurant has disappeared. We were ready to have supper in North Lake but the great dining room with the great view is just an empy shell this year. We’ll have to change the rendevous we’d given a family member for two weeks hence. Instead, we made our way down the road to the bridge over Naufrage harbour; on the other side is the Shipwreck Point Café. Another decent seafood supper with the requisite fresh biscuits and chowder. This place even boasts cookbooks from the local high school concert band.
The nice part about our campground is the neighbours that return, year after year. My old buddy Bill (a bit long in tooth and tail at the ripe age of fifteen) was back guarding his bowl and table. His mistress came along, too, but the trip is his. With a quiet evening ahead, there were kayakers in the water and a steady stream of eastward air traffic as the sun went down.
