Friday’s Gallivanting

Yesterday we started out the day with a few medical appointments. After those we went to Wal-Mart. It is just isn’t a shopping day unless we go to Wal-Mart.

We have about 5 Wal-Marts to pick from. Because we were near downtown Marietta we chose the one across from The Big Chicken.

Earlier this week we read in the paper that the Marietta Police Force now has a contraption that looks like something in a Robo-Cop or Star Wars movie. It is a little metallic room jacked up high in the air. It has dark tented windows and people cannot see in. They do not have to be there – they also have video cameras looking out and a person at the police station can monitor what all is happening in the parking lot.

First they put in the parking lot at of a shopping center in West Marietta in a high crime area. Guess who complained? The merchants complained. They said the police were invading their customers’ civil right to privacy. And they said the large Star-War looking tripod looking thing were scaring off their customers. Were they afraid their civil rights were being violated or afraid their immigrant status was being examined?

Most of my friends consider me a liberal, which, to their definition, I probably am. However, when it comes to the law protecting the citizens and to use what ever device or means they can, my conservatism comes out. I say, keep the things, the more intimidating the better.

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We dropped by a place we have wanted to eat out in downtown Marietta, The Travel Fare, or The Traveling Fare. Go to Mill Street just off the Square, you can’t miss it.

If you have read any of my postings that mention restaurants, then you probably know I like hole-in-the-wall unpretentious type of places.

This place is that. It is no-pretentious and as far I can tell, it is a little restaurant with the dining room about the size of a bedroom. On one wall is a mural of a fountain, another wall overlooks the window to Mill Street. On the opposite wall from the front window is things to make the operations easier, such as a shelf for menus, silverware, etc. Also is a picture of their daughter (which was there and a brother a couple years older, he was probably in school). If we figured it out correctly, the solo cook is the co-owner and his wife is the other co-owner and is also the waitress, and their 4* year old daughter was the hostess and entertainer.

*How do I know that she is 4 years old? Because one of the customers asked her how old she is and she held up 4 fingers.

I counted that the place could seat 18 people, if some of them were crunched up, as a group of 8 women in the medical profession did when we were there.

Incidentally, this is two doors down from where Anna’s father worked most of his working life as manager of Veach’s Wholesale Grocery.

Someplace, on a sign or a menu we read that they were proud and maybe even famous for their chicken pot pies – so, that is what we ordered. The chicken pot pie was had very nice big pieces of chicken in it and was delicious. As a side item I picked a salad, which was also very good.

While we were waiting the 4 year old daughter came over smiling and spoke to us in her bashful way, but was mostly drawn to the table of 8 ladies in the medical profession. How do I know they were in the medical profession? Some of them had those flowerily-looking nurses garb on.

We noticed her mother, would let her talk to the customers until the food was brought, then she pulled her away so they could eat. By the way, they all ordered sandwiches. The lady closest to me had a BLT, cut in half, she only ate a part of one and left the other one. I wonder why?

Three men came in that looked like contractors or something of that sort. The little girl went over and socialized with them. One of the men, played a game of quarters with her, showing her how to spin a quarter on its edge on the table. She thought that was pretty good. The waitress and the three men knew each other by name. She told us later they come almost every day- well, she said, at least 4 times a week.

The guy with the quarters had ribs for lunch. The other two had beautiful delicious looking salads. Anna made a comment to me that one got ribs and the other two got salads.

As I said, it is a small room. The guy with ribs and quarters said to us, “They will live longer but I will have more fun!”

I like that.

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Next we went to Smyrna for a hair appointment for Anna. While she was in the beauty shop I went to the library in downtown Smyrna. It was closed for Good Friday.

I was not that far away from the Covered Bridge and went there. I had a purpose. Years ago I saw a trolley or a passenger train car in the woods, near the covered bridge, near the train trestle bridge. Now the train tracks is no longer there. In its place is the Silver Comet Trail, which is a strip miles long going through more than two counties for people to exercise by running, skating, biking, walking, and so on. I could not find the train passenger car. I think it had been hauled away, possibly refurbished and is being used in the form of an antique someplace.

While in the area I also wanted to look up the Concord Baptist Church cemetery which is to have a grave of a witch in it. I couldn’t find it either.

Just several days ago Deborah gave an excellent picture and verbal tour of the area, which included the cemetery visit with instructions on where it was. When we got home I read that post again and know what I did wrong – or what I didn’t do right, there is a difference you know.