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Journal of a Sabbatical |
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October 23, 2000 |
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yesterday |
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Yesterday's Bird Sightings: mallard (32) unnamed cove immediately to the south American wigeon (19) Today's Reading: Coming Home Crazy by Bill Holm
Plum Island Bird List
Copyright © 2000, Janet I. Egan |
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As you can tell from the bird list, I was in Providence for the weekend continuing to get reacquainted with Nancy. We tried to stay awake for the end of the first game of the World Series on Saturday but between the Mets' base running and my lack of enthusiasm for an all New York series (who do I root for when I don't want either of them to win?) not to mentions my still not being quite in this time zone, I fell asleep well before the end. We were awakened at 8:00 AM by a fight on the third floor. Lots of noise. Yelling, scuffling, banging. After debate on whether to call the police or the landlady, we called the guy across the hall who said he'd already called the landlady. Nancy called too and said landlady came over and gave the upstairs people a talking to. They quieted down. This left us in no mood for a mellow Sunday morning in bed. Idiots that we are, we decided to go to Downcity Diner for breakfast despite the fact that this was parents weekend at Brown. I really wanted their fabulous toast. I missed toast so much in China. They don't have the concept of toast. Even when they try, it comes out weird and un-toast-like. Besides that the Chinese don't have Portuguese corn bread. Anyway, Downcity was packed to overflowing. There was a line out onto the sidewalk. I figured I'd faint from hunger before we got a table. OK, so where will the Brown parents not be? Well, for sure all the restaurants on Thayer Street will be packed as that's closest to Brown. So how about Wickenden Street? Maybe Brickway or Cafe Zog? Wickenden Street is full of people waiting to get into Brickway. Literally. They're not just waiting on the sidewalk, they're waiting in the street. Cafe Zog has a line but it looks like we might get fed before I faint. Finally it's my turn to order. I start to order a spinach omelet. The girl behind the counter says "it'll be about 45 minutes". There's an omelet queue. We could drive to New Bedford and get the sublime French toast at Shawmut Diner in 45 minutes. We discuss this and decide we must eat something, anything, now and then maybe we can got to New Bedford. People in line are looking at us strangely. If you are in Providence, the restaurant capital of New England, why would you drive to New Bedford for breakfast? Umm, because there definitely won't be any Brown parents there. I order a pistachio muffin and a large dark roast coffee. Nancy orders a pistachio muffin and a small dark roast coffee. Oops. I got the last pistachio muffin. Nancy settles for cranberry nut. Miraculously we find a table outside in the courtyard and pleasantly enjoy the morning sun and the muffins. By the time we have finished the muffins, the wait for omelets is down to 20 minutes. However, it is now noon and Taste of India is open for lunch. Mercifully, all the Brown parents are still waiting in line at Brickway (next door to Taste of India) and don't fancy Indian food for breakfast. We get a table right away and order the lunch buffet so we don't have to wait any longer for sustenance. For the rest of the day, my stomach kept informing me I'd had Indian food for breakfast. No Brown parents or students were anywhere in evidence on the East Bay Bike Path and we had a great walk listening to birds and crickets and enjoying the autumn leaves and autumn ducks. |
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Today's
image is salvaged from one of the floppies I was complaining
about not being able to read the other day. I copied the
inaccessible files one by one onto a virgin floppy. A virgin
Sony floppy. I've been blaming the Mavica and blaming the
Mac but I think the real problem is the Memorex floppies.
Live and learn. Anyway, so this is the White Bark Pine
Pavilion in Xiangshan Park. I fell in love with white bark
pine (Pinus bungeana) in the botanical garden and
made it a high priority goal to hike up Incense Burner Peak
as far as the White Bark Pine Pavilion before I left.
Somehow I thought any place named White Bark Pine Pavilion
would have lots and lots of them, but a few well placed ones
around a gazebo-type thing will do. The sepia setting on the
Mavica gave me better depth of field than either the normal
color or black and white modes.