Had myself a ball in a small town

Last weekend, we took a dreamlike trip to western Massachusetts. We stayed in Stockbridge and hit up some of the most important sites--this deserves a separate entry and it's coming--but we also managed to swing by nine other towns that weekend. Here are a couple of highlights:

Lee

We took a look at the Stockbridge tourist map to get an idea of what we could see nearby. In Lee, otherwise known for its outlet shopping right off the Mass pike, we saw a little listing called the "Retro Pop Shop." Charmed by this ambiguous name, we decided to check it out. (One of us happens to be among the soda industry's greatest supporters.) Josh's premonition was correct; this place is a vintage sign shop with tons of soda collectibles from the 50s, 60s and 70s. The collection includes antique Coca Cola ice chests, milkshake makers, and tons of advertisements, mostly printed on metal. We even found a sign from the Clicquot Club, a defunct soda company headquartered in my hometown. Fun Catherine the Greatest Historical Fact! The Clicquot Company  was the first to can soda in the United States! Sure, that happened 80 years ago, but it's really all we have to offer sooo...Anyway. Here's a picture of the shop. It's definitely worth a stop by if you're in the area. His inventory is a bit disorganized, but it makes the treasure you find in there feel extra special:

Alford

This town will be one of my favorite stops simply because there is so little to it. We stopped at the town center, where there were town offices in a converted school house, a town hall across the street and a cemetery.

That's it.  400 people live in Alford, and please read this adorable excerpt from the town's Web site:

Alford has no post office, no stores, no motels or hotels, and not a single gas station, all of which are available in neighboring towns. Rural mail delivery comes from two neighboring zipcodes; West Stockbridge MA 01266, and Great Barrington MA 01230.

You know it's rural when you don't even have your own zip code, and you take the time to explain on your Web site that your town hosts no businesses. Josh and I sat on the swings for a few minutes and remarked on how silent it was. We could hear a few birds and a distant lawn mower, but we saw no passing cars and only a couple of people going for a walk. I did notice Alford has a library, also housed in the town hall. And, bless it, it's open for two hours a week.

If this town were a person, I would pinch its cheeks. I am thinking about signing up for its newsletter, just so I can delight in all the quaint things they'll tell me. For example, in the Wildlife section of their site, they boast "crows" among the creatures someone might be lucky to see around town. So precious.

Songs that make your heart sing: WTF am I watching? edition

I am reviving this much-loved feature, wherein I highlight tunes I think we should all be listening to this week. This time, I'm focusing on music videos that bring confusion to some of our much-loved anthems. 

"You Can Call Me Al" by Paul Simon is an excellent song from one of my favorite albums, but this video is totally inexplicable in the very best way. Why is Chevy Chase in it? What is with the demonstrative gestures and matter-of-fact lip synching. Does Paul Simon always keep flutes in his pocket? Have two people ever looked siller next to each other than Paul and Chevy? This video poses so many more questions than it answers, and that's how I like it. It's worth mentioning that Paul Simon's official YouTube channel re-posted this last year, so it's obvious nobody here has any regrets.

Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill" is one of the finest contributions to America's musical landscape. Every time it comes on while I am driving, my car's upholstery is treated to a truly rousing rendition, and I can feel my heart beat in sync with Peter's lyrics "My heart going BOOM BOOM BOOM."

What makes the video remarkable is that Mr. Gabriel begins to ride a bike around the 1:10 mark, which is not something I'm used to seeing during a live performance. Which makes me wonder about other times I could start riding a bike when other people normally would not. Some thoughts: 1) While waiting for a deli clerk to fill my order for a half sour pickle 2) In a CVS. I spend too much time and money in this store as it is, but maybe having wheels would help move the process along 3) At staff meetings. I work in health care and physical activity = health. Who could argue?

Mendon Drive-In

I love making up statistics, and I make an effort to do it as often as possible. People generally fail to question me, and even better, this premeditated fabrication makes me sound more informed than I am. Which is why I would love to tell you that there are only 63 drive-ins left in the United States. That sounds feasible, right? I mean, this isn't the Eisenhower administration.

But I also went to journalism school, and they mentioned something about checking facts sometimes? Because I guess things are supposed to be true, and Catherine the Greatest is a news source, right? You wouldn't believe how many 3 a.m. phone calls I get from CNN. I haz mad scoops, yo.

Anyoo. That was just my roundabout way of telling you that there are actually 365 drive-ins open in the U.S., according to an unreliable source. So maybe you're thinking that the Mendon drive-in isn't that special. But it is. Look at what we got from the snack bar:

In case my photography skills are lacking, or the hand model failed to display the goods effectively, those are sausage, pepper and onion sandwiches, freedom fries, and diet Cokes. If you bought this at a regular movie theater, it would probably cost you between $45 and a down-payment on a modest home. This is also a lie because Showcase Cinemas doesn't know what's good for it, and refuses to offer this kind of culinary delicacy.

I can tell you that for just a couple dollars more than the cost of two adult admissions in a regular theater, the drive-in will admit as many people as you can fit into your car for not one, but two movies. That's $25/car for people who are having trouble following me. Is that everyone? Maybe we should break this down into a list:

DRIVE-INS FOR DUMMIES:

1. Get caffeinated. The first movie doesn't start til sunset, which is close to nine o'clock. If you are planning to stay for both movies, make sure to bring some family-friendly stimulants because you won't be rolling back onto the mean streets of Mendon until close to one a.m.

2.Bring a sweatshirt or a blanket to spread across your vehicles bench seat because it gets chilly. And also, since this blog is apparently for retirees, remember we are old and can catch a chill much more quickly than we used to! For the kids: if you packed your mother's minivan full of six of your best high school buds, bring chairs or blankets so you can spread out on the grassy knoll surrounding you. But no funny business, and keep your hands where I can see them. Also, please drive carefully. Life is not a video game.


3. While I've been told that it's inappropriate to provide running commentary in a traditional move theater, this might be an option for you in comfort of your Chevy Malibu if your companions allow. Drive-ins are also ideal settings for movies where you might want to sing-a-long, or feel that you will become so overwhelmed with the storyline that shouting, thrashing, or tomato throwing might occur. Please remember your windshield is in front of you, and tomato splashback is a risk.

So that's it. I don't know what more you could possibly want to know. As for the embedded CTG correspondents ( and unpaid interns) I have scattered throughout our great nation, what can you tell me about the drive-ins in your area?  The comments section is open.

Inspiration: The Wisdom of Fred Rogers

Just because we are technically "too old" to sit down and watch Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" doesn't mean we have to leave that era completely behind. Recently, I saw a documentary on PBS called "Mister Rogers & Me," which tells the simple and affecting story of two brothers who knew him personally and wanted to find out what motivated a man who seemed so good and so driven to make a positive, simple change.

Many of Fred's philosophies and personal nuggets of wisdom are included in the film. One of my favorites keeps coming back up in conversation. It's a reminder to keep in mind how easily we can affect others, and to strive to keep those effects positive: “If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.”

Here's the documentary's trailer: 

You could buy the film here at the Web site or cross your fingers and hope your local PBS affiliate replays it.


NB: A commenter recently pointed out that if a reader is to judge the contents of this blog, he might guess I am in my mid-60s and retired. I am okay with this.

Five towns in one day!

People have asked Josh and me how we decide where to go and what to visit as we pursue our goal of visiting all the towns in Massachusetts. Sometimes we have a particular place in mind that brings us to a particular town, but lately we've just been looking at a map and picking a route that would allow us to hit several towns in one area. Last weekend we chose to head southwest along the Connecticut border, our main destination being Lake Chaubunagungamaug in Webster, MA. Sometimes that lake name is spelled Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaug and has been cited as one of the longest place names in the world. You can understand why it is more commonly called Webster Lake.

That day we just set out with a road map and decided to see what we found. Our only rule about visiting these towns it that just driving through them doesn't count as "visiting." We have to stop and see something, or at the very least make a small purchase at a store, even if it's just a 7-11. We stopped in Uxbridge first and walked through a deserted town center. The hot dog place? Closed. Gift shop? Closed? We settled on gawking at the town hall and checking out the old jail windows in its basement.

From there, we went to Douglas where we stopped in at a flea market and took a look through costume jewelery, old tools and coin collections. In Dudley, we drove through the Nichols College campus and wondered what it must be like to go to college in such a small, rural town.We drove around Webster looking for Lake Street, and drove around the edge of the water, which was dotted with speed boats out for Memorial Day weekend. We ate at Waterfront Mary's, a burger and sandwich place and debated the merits of summer recreation vs. winter. We started to head home, but not before stopping in Oxford, an adorable old-fashioned town with tree-lined streets and plenty of park space. We strolled through the cemetery in the town center, which remained rather undecorated considering the holiday weekend.

This was one of our favorite days so far in the expedition because our only task was to get to the lake, and everything else along the way was a surprise. We broke our record with five towns in one day and brought our total towns visited to 30. We're gonna hit 10 percent soon and you're all going to want to throw us a party.