Friends or Shopping?

After four days of staying up way too late, laughing much too hard, eating considerably too much sugar, telling too many stories and realizing that we have been apart far far too long our reunion had to come to an end. Sadly Julie drove off for home as Warren and I were taking Shannon to the metropolitan Owl’s Head airport this morning for her flight to Fort Worth. Thirty-six years apart had not dulled our love for each other in anyway. It proves my theory that if you have a great friendship once you can pick it right up at any point.

Despite the lack of sleep in our go-go-go weekend Warren and I had to rush back to his house to get ready for another old friend of mine, Wendie Demuth, who was coming for lunch. Since I just saw Wendie at her daughter’s wedding last month it was a huge bonus to get to spend five hours yaking away with her on Warren’s porch as we watched the tide come in on Clam Cove.  
Warren is such a good sport about entertaining my friends at his house. He made us his famous tuna melts and served us on the porch. Every year I find more and more old friends in Maine and invite them to lunch. If this keeps up at this pace Warren might change me catering fees.
Late in the day Warren and I got in the car to go visit a store called Big Al’s so I could get some things to put in a care package for Carter at camp. I can’t tell you what I got so as not to spoil the surprise, but I can show you somethings I did not get.

The first was this do-it-yourself doll kit. If I were a child and received this package of lose doll parts I am certain I would have nightmares. I have no idea who this “Horsman” is who makes this product, but adding the word “shoppe” to the title does not make it more valuable.

Another item I did not get Carter was the “Salon Perfection Hair Coloring Brush.” Why this blond woman on the package wants to color her hair red I am not sure, but at $8.88 I was not going to find out.

One item I was slightly tempted to buy for myself was this “Jobar’s Sauna Suit.” After all the reunion naughty food I have eaten since I have been in Maine I thought that anything that helps with reducing should be considered and at $2.88 it was not much of a risk. The one thing that held me back is that it says on the package, “one size fits all” and I have a universal rule never to buy anything that makes that claim because I find it just not to be true.

Big Al’s had the most extensive card department with the best organization I have ever seen. They had signs over the racks so you could easily find the card you were looking for, for the person you were looking for. Even those hard to find cards for people like sister in laws, step sisters, or like a sister or anniversary cards for “granddaughter and husband.”  

The most confusing grouping was the graduations cards, broken down between “college and regular.” I am not sure what regular is, but whatever it is, college in Maine must be special.
Needless to say the things I got for Carter’s care package are special and are sure to elicit some big response. I think I should stick to visiting friends in Maine and leave the shopping to another place.