Ramblings on Boardwalk Sunday in Delaware

The cerulean blue sky bathed the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk at Rehoboth Beach this morning as I made my first Sunday Morning Walk.  This time of year just might be my favorite time of year.

I live ten miles north of the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk as the seagull flies.  If I go early in the morning I can miss most of the traffic in and out of Rehoboth Beach, the east coast capital resort de jour of many folk in the Washington, D.C./Balitmore/Philadelphia and New Jersey area of the eastern sea board.

Even though I went early this morning, the air was heavy with humidity.  After I finished my two mile walk (the Rehoboth boardwalk is one mile in each direction exactly) I wandered around some of the nearby streets to soak in some of the flavor of prime Atlantic seacoast resort living.  Of course I could never afford to live in one of those houses near the boardwalk or beach but I can still walk the streets and fantasize.

Sunday is the best time for me to make a run to the boardwalk because the weekday rush hour traffic is gone and most of the weekend visitors are still sleeping off Saturday night.

Last night I saw an old friend (from high school days) was at my neighbor's house, dog sitting his mutts.  I drove over and asked him if he want to go out for dinner.  He did.  We went to Villa Sorrento which is a wonderful, small, family Italian restaurant in Lewes with tasty Italian dishes and reasonable prices.  The only downside, from my viewpoint anyway, is that the owner occasionally breaks out into an aria.  I don't need anyone singing to me while I'm stuffing my face with pasta.  I don't know what it is with a lot of these restaurants down here but many of them feel that it is necessary to have "entertainment" for the diners.  I don't know about you but I would prefer to eat my meal and have a conversation with my dining partner.

After I got back last night, I watch another episode of season two of "Mad Men."  I am hooked on that show.  I must have missed something from watching season one episodes but when did Peggy have a baby?  I think I missed a DVD or two from my Netflix rental.

Yesterday I went out to Sandhill Nursery and Peppers to pick up the last of my plant purchases this season.  My pansies (don't go there) are exhausted and about to give it up and I need to replace them with something hardier.  I went for the wave petunias.  Purple and lavender of course.

Right now I'm hot a sweaty and thinking about taking a shower to freshen up.  I plan to stay inside the hacienda all day until later this afternoon when the heat and humidity lets up a bit.

Oh, I forgot to tell you.  On the way back from the Boardwalk I stopped at Panera and ordered four black bean soup to take out.  I got The Look.  This is the third time in since Panera opened up two weeks ago I've ordered FOUR BLACK BEAN soups to take out.  I'm pretty sure some of the staff at Panera how has me pegged as one of these eccentric resort folk.  You know, "that old guy who comes in here early in the morning and ordering FOUR black bean soups for takeout!"  Whatever.  Just another brick in the wall of Weird Ron's Reputation.  Like I said.....WHATEVER.  I really am at the point in my life that I don't care what anyone thinks of me.  I really don't.

I just finished reading a book about Jean Arthur, the screwball comedy actress of the Thirties.  Some of you younger readers probably have no idea of who Jean Arthur was but she was a very successful actress.  She was also a very private person.

One of Jean Arthur's few (maybe only) close friend described Jean's personality as she got older:

"She just didn't like people around that much.  She's essentially a loner.  She likes people around when she wants them around.  She didn't need a lot of people to make her happy.  That's the only way to be if you can achieve it."


Asked late in life what advice she would give to young people in the action profession, Arthur replied that she would give none.  "That would be sticking my nose in somebody else's business," she said. "Influencing their lives.  And I think everybody has to find their own way."  


Guess what, Jean Arthur and I have something in common, our outlook on life.


Have a great day!

Panera Bread

The new Panera Bread restaurant, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

Gail (my barber yesterday): "Have you tried the new Panera Bread restaurant yet?

Me (getting my haircut from my barber Gail yesterday morning): "No, where is it?"

Gail: "It's just past the Colonial Storage on Rt. 1.  You can't see it from the road."

Me:  "Oh great!  They open a new restaurant and I can't see how to get into it from Rt. 1."

Gail: "It's easy to get into, just make the first right turn when you see the Colonial Storage sign."


Since this past winter, I've been hearing rumors that a Panera Bread restaurant was going to open in our area.  When I heard the good news I felt like a man wandering in the desert, dying of thirst and they seeing a cool oasis with water beckoning.  Could it be true?  Were we really getting a decent restaurant here in Gayberry (aka Rehoboth Beach)?  We, who are held hostage on this Delmarva peninsula with tourist trap local restaurants and below par national chains (with the exception of Cracker Barrel and Bob Evans).

COULD THIS NEWS REALLY BE TRUE?

Well folks, I'm here to tell you that it is true!  Thank God almighty, we here on the lower peninsula finally have a great restaurant that is Single Diner Friendly.  Not only is Panera a restaurant that welcomes single diners, this restaurant also has great food at affordable prices. And there is more!

Where you place your order - no host, no waiter - splendid!

No kissing up to the host (or hostess) of the local overpriced eatery for a good seat.  No waiting for a waiter (or waitress) and being held hostage to their ATTITUDE OF THE DAY.  Oh yes folks, I have been treated in a rude and offhanded manner more than once for having the temerity of go into a restaurant and actually expect prompt, courteous and efficient service from THE HELP.  HA!  Try that in the Tourist Season.  You'll get THE LOOK.

Hey, it's not that I don't know all about tourist meccas.  After all I did vacation for many years at The Cape (Provincetown) but I was fortunate in that almost all of the restaurants in Provincetown were excellent and provided superior service.  The one exception was one year that I chose to take my vacation on Labor Day which is a no-no because it is the End of the Season and The Help is burned out (poor folk).  When I chose  Slower Lower (aka Sussex County Delaware) to retire, I sort of expected the same kind of restaurants and service since this is a heavily gay dominated area.  Oh how wrong I was.  But that is a subject for another blog posting (as it has been for several of my past blog postings).

So it was with much anticipation when I heard that a Panera Bread restaurant would be opening in the area where I chose to retire and spend my waning days on this earth.

I was introduced to Panera Bread several years ago when I visited my brother John at his home in beautiful Greenville, South Carolina.  Brother John is at his local Panera Bread almost every day for a quick lunch and occasionally bringing home a treat for his wife Barbara at home.  John is a care pastor at one of the Greenville mega churches and as such doesn't have a whole lot of time to go through the rigmarole of the long tolerated and accepted practice of going to a restaurant, waiting to be seated by a host (or hostess), waiting for the waiter (or waitress) and then the wait for the waiter (or waitress) to take his order, then wait for the food to come, and then to wait for the bill and then (the best part) to leave a TIP for this outdated and inefficient way of grabbing a quick bit for lunch.  And we all know if one eats at a restaurant, dining alone is frowned upon because you're taking up a WHOLE TABLE that could be used by more people thus creating a bigger bill and leaving a bigger TIP.  Not that there is anything wrong with traditional dining.  Hey, if that's your preference, then go for it.  But for me (and my brother), most times we just want to get something good to eat at a reasonable price and not have to endure the inefficiencies of our traditional dining mode routine that is so costly in our time and money.

Comfy open dining area - no host to seat you - seat  yourself

So yesterday I stopped at our new Panera.  It was everything I expected.  As soon as I walked in I could see the choices of eats before me.  I was greeted by a pleasant young woman behind the register waiting to take my order.  I already know what I wanted....black bean soup.  AH YES!

Panera Bread drive thru - I love it!

I placed my order and got my receipt and then waited for my number to be called out.  While waiting I looked around the interior of this new Panera Bread restaurant.  Yes, over there in the corner was a SINGLE WOMAN with her laptop having breakfast (I was getting my soup early, not for breakfast).  No one was giving her dirty looks or asking her "Are you done yet?"  No push, no rush.

Drive Thru menu - "We're not in McDonald's anymore Toto!"

I saw plenty of empty booths. I saw places where I could sit and not be bothered while I had lunch ALONE while reading my magazine, paper or even on my new Macbook Pro laptop computer.  Now since I do live at a resort and this is The Summer Season, I don't know how practical it would be for me to linger at this Panera but I can definitely see me here in the off season.  I like to eat at home but sometimes I like to get out and mingle with the folk.  I hate always trying to arrange someone to go with me to eat.  Bill doesn't like to eat out.  Most of the people I know are either too busy to eat out with me or can't afford to eat out with me, or just don't like to eat out with me (which I am in denial about, who wouldn't want me for a dining companion, I mean really)?  One thing I gave up on a long time ago is trying to arrange my schedule to coordinate with someone else's schedule for a simple dine out for lunch or dinner.  Hey, I do things spontaneously.  No one I know does things spontaneously. That's just the kind of guy I am.  I am TOO MUCH  for some people.  I know that.  Deal with it.

So here we go folks.  I now have an additional reason to hang around a few more years.  The addition of Panera Bread has just made my life easier and more enjoyable.  Now all I need Down Here (Lower Slower, Sussex County, Delaware) is a Wegmans.

My late Mom shopping at Wegman's (she is in the white shirt) - 2005

I hate to say this but I don't think we will ever have a Wegman's here in Lower Slower because it would put too many of our inefficient, overpriced and outdated supermarkets out of business just like they did in Downingtown, Pennsylvania where this picture was taken and where I used to live.  One year after Wegman's open their store, four local supermarkets who long dominated the local market and held us hostage, out of business.  That's what needs to happen down here in Lower Slower, competition.  Way overdue.