Soft Candy in an Exotic Land…
Saturday, September 4th, 2010Two o’clock this morning found me wondering why more “One Way” signs aren’t vandalized with the addition of “…Or the other.” Maybe it’s a generational thing – Blondie not being who all the kids are listening to these days.
The other reason I couldn’t sleep was, because like a child headed off to Disney World in the morning, I was too excited about today’s getaway to the next town. Seriously. Hec and I, after stretching at a couple of rest stops along the way, have arrived at the Marriott Residence Inn on International Drive, Portsmouth, NH for what is sure to be one hell of a cultural-shock filled minibreak.
We are conveniently located next to the Redhook Brewery – a delightful place to spend time if you enjoy mediocre (so I’m told) beer, inferior food, or wine that even my mother wouldn’t drink unless it was mixed with ginger ale and had a sherbet ring floating atop it.
Thus far, we have lunched at exotic Chipotles, browsed through a kitchen store in a strip-mall, and discovered a quaint boutique named “Bed, Bath & Beyond.” At this stop, Hec practiced nonchalantly tossing a box of Magnum XLs onto the checkout counter and asking, “Got anything bigger?”
For some reason, we often get strange looks from fellow-shoppers…
Exhausted by this effort, Hec is now napping – which means he is lying in bed watching The Stand for the billionth time. After I finish this, I plan on contemplating the Marriott candy bowl. I mean it. Ever stayed at a Marriott? There is ALWAYS a candy bowl with the exact same type of candy; one that I have never encountered in the real world. Since the bowls are always chock-full, I’m wondering if anyone ever eats the candy or, if they do, where the refill candies come from. My theory is that Marriott has merged with all the old-school grandmothers of the world. You know, the ones whose hard candy is always either soft or shaped like a ribbon…
Oohh… the scene in The Stand where Ed Harris quotes Yeats and then shoots himself in the head is coming up. Must dash…












