Guys’ day out

Thursday, January 24 and Friday, January 25, 2013

Dunedin, FL – Val was up at five this morning to be ready for his pickup to go to Orlando for a car show and auction with his brother John, Cam (the real car enthusiast) and Tom. The sun was just hinting at an appearance on the horizon when they drove off, and I rolled over and went back to sleep.

While the boys admired vintage cars, lovingly restored with gleaming finishes and meticulous care, and attendees were bidding for more four-wheeled prizes to add to their collections (one person had 58 cars in his possession! A bit more tricky to store than postage stamps!), this snowbird was checking out the stores!

There are so many big stores in the area, filled with stock that we never see in Canada, or, if we do it costs a lot more. My first stop was Jo-Ann, a craft and fabric superstore that’s a creative person’s dream. It was fun just browsing through the store and looking at all the different ways one can express oneself, whether in yarn or clay or beads or wood or whatever. With Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day and Easter all on the horizon, there were all sorts of red, green and pastel items on display, and all at 30 per cent off. Despite all the temptation, I was just there to look, so I actually got 100 per cent off.

We were out yesterday with John and Fawn looking for hardware items in a couple of hardware stores – and even there, Fawn and I were entertained with colourful banners, kitchen items and even jewelry – in a hardware store!

Our other source of entertainment yesterday was a delicious supper at Panera Bread, a franchise in these parts that offers delicious soups, salads and pastries at very reasonable prices. It’s John’s favourite place to eat out, and we could see why. I had cream of tomato soup, crusty brown bread and Fuji apple chicken salad, with blue cheese and pecans and crisped, thin slices of apple. Everything was fabulous, including the shared wedge of coffee crumb cake Val and I had for dessert. We do miss Tim Hortons, but this place is one we wish we could take home with us.

The car show was a big event, Val says, and he enjoyed seeing all the different vehicles people had brought to auction off. His favourites were the 1940s station wagon with real wood on the sides and the robin’s-egg-blue 1957 Chevrolet with whitewall tires. I think, after the two-hour drive each way plus the show and the early wake-up, Val will sleep well tonight. Me too.