Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Bus Trip to Kensington

After lunch and home photographs I took a bus to Kensington and walked around a few choice areas. Saw a place I occasionally worked at when I was younger, ringing up sales at a Children's Consignment Store. Then went along antique row. This is the store one of the characters in my novel goes to when she wants to look at old photographs. It prevents blindness.
Then on over to Clum-Kenndy Gardens, I knew the garden but I don't think I could have told you its name without seeing this sign.





I was appalled by the new Kensington grocery store--it had changed the direction it faced, obliterating a familiar parking lot and my orientation-- that I didn't take a single photograph of it. I did go inside for a few provisions. I asked for a quarter pound of thinly sliced maple ham and the guy started reaching for that long-suffering-sitting-all-day-pre-sliced-thick-as- an-English-pound ham. The man next to me asked for sliced maple turkey and his deli person started slicing it right there in front of him. I glanced at my own pile of sweaty meat and requested freshly sliced meat as well. My deli-guy seemed put out by this, which I can kind of understand, I mean I'm not sure I'd offer to slice meat up if there was some sitting in the counter...but if asked I would know it was one of the responsibilities of my position: To slice meat when a customer specifically asks for it. Anyways he gave me the meat and as I walked away I realized that he had given me sliced turkey, not ham. I did nothing about this. I am a shrinking flower afraid of conflict with deli-countermen. The turkey did not taste good.

2 comments:

J said...

This shopping center near my parent's house used to be faux-colonial and had all these local businesses in it. Then they re-did it a few years ok and it's modern and ugly and filled with stupid national chains. guh.

cc said...

That last photograph of the mini-shopping center was a nod to the fact that it hasn't changed since forever...that's not true...the 7-11 became a generic convenience store and another consignment shop moved in.

But fundamentally unchanged. Unlike the Safeway. It made me very uncomfortable. I like the places that still look like they're in the mid-eighties.