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bigmacbear) wrote2021-11-12 11:59 pm
bigmacbear) wrote2021-11-12 11:59 pm
Augusta, day 2 of 4
FRIDAY
I woke about 5:30 AM to pee, went back to sleep and got up with the alarm at 7:15. We got up, dressed, and went downstairs for breakfast with Lillie and the crew. After breakfast we sat and talked with Sharon, who is from Far Rockaway in Queens. Then we headed for the Augusta GreenJackets team store to replace a treasured T-shirt of Gary's which had worn out. The store is across the Savannah River from downtown Augusta in South Carolina. The city and county have invested heavily in developing a former brickyard into a very nice riverfront park with a walking path and amphitheater, the ballpark (complete with team store and several restaurants, one of which is actively under construction by a crew of hot bears), a wetland area called Brick Ponds Park, and a new municipal building in the style of Independence Hall. We first explored the amphitheater, then stopped by the store for Gary's T-shirt, a commemorative baseball, a couple of ball caps and a pair of sunglasses with a GreenJackets logo (a bee with green stripes instead of yellow) painted on one side. After shopping we returned to the river walk, sat on a bench for a bit (and were greeted with "Good morning" by quite a few walkers and joggers, one of whom was walking a beagle that sniffed about us trying to find a treat), then walked the circuit all the way around the ballpark to return to the car. As we sat on the bench, Alan and I made plans for lunch via text; we were going to meet up at Hildebrandt's German deli for sandwiches around noon.
Unfortunately, when we arrived they were closing early, apparently due to lack of staff. So we met the Alans outside and agreed to have lunch a couple blocks away at Groucho's Deli. I had a Big Dipper (roast beef, ham, and cheese on a fat roll with Formula 45 dipping sauce, chips, and a pickle; Gary had a pita sandwich with turkey and the same sides. We sat and talked over lunch, then proceeded on a leisurely walk up and down Broad Street. We stopped at the James Brown statue and I got a picture of Gary with the statue from an angle that wasn't so backlit by the high sun. Then we stopped by the Book Tavern bookstore, where a lean, older black dude played a saxophone and later, as I sat out front to rest my back, played a piano decorated with a portrait of James Brown and noted it was out of tune but it still works. Inside the store, and at several other locations around downtown, small artworks by Leonard "Porkchop" Zimmermann (whom we met on a previous visit) were in abundance; we also stopped by the advertising agency where he works to look in the window. Soon after, we crossed Broad Street to see the other side before returning to our cars. We stopped in a curious shop in what used to be the studio for the local NBC affiliate, where pallet loads of random merchandise were for sale alongside individual items (mostly Christmas decorations and other gadgets). The pallets looked hastily assembled as though they fell off the proverbial truck. Our last stop before reaching the lot where Alan parked was a little pocket park called Augusta Common, where they had a tree stump and an old Ivory Soap box in honor of Free Speech. I got a picture of Gary in mid-rant (mocked up, of course) standing on the soapbox. After the obligatory selfie and hugs all around, we parted ways at the curious sunken parking lot in the middle of Broad Street and drove back to the hotel.
We took some time to recharge before the family meet and greet scheduled for six. A school group had arranged for a dinner party on the patio by the pool so we gathered in the lobby instead. Gary's stepbrother Kawand was there, and Damon who we met at the 80th birthday party for Gary's dad. We sat and talked with Sharon for a while. Lillie offered us beer, and I got a Corona, but we had to go in search of a bottle opener; we borrowed a multi purpose tool from the front desk clerk, and right afterward one of the ladies fetched a corkscrew with a bottle opener in the handle. A friend of Darnell and Lillie from her work, Valerie, sat with us for a while before dinner was served. I was a little surprised to hear "Darnell!" being called out, but it was answered by a boy of perhaps not quite ten, likely named for his grandfather. Uncle John said grace over the meal. The food was very good: baked pasta with beef or turkey (we had beef), garlic bread, green beans, two chicken dishes, pulled pork, and dinner rolls stuffed with ham. After dinner I went up to the room to use the bathroom and stash our gift bags. When I returned to the party, Gary was chatting with Charlene and she was showing him pictures on her phone. I took a picture of them together and Charlene gave me her phone number so I could send her the picture. She wants us to come to Houston for her birthday next year (she's Gary's age). We had some birthday cake and banana pudding. All the sisters posed for pictures together and then Charlene's daughter got in the picture. Gary took pictures with Charlene's phone and I sent the ones I took with my phone to her and to Lillie. We left the party around 9:30 and watched the 10 PM news. Just as we were about to change channels for the 11 PM news, the power went out momentarily and took the cable TV out with it. I finished my journal entry and headed to bed.
I woke about 5:30 AM to pee, went back to sleep and got up with the alarm at 7:15. We got up, dressed, and went downstairs for breakfast with Lillie and the crew. After breakfast we sat and talked with Sharon, who is from Far Rockaway in Queens. Then we headed for the Augusta GreenJackets team store to replace a treasured T-shirt of Gary's which had worn out. The store is across the Savannah River from downtown Augusta in South Carolina. The city and county have invested heavily in developing a former brickyard into a very nice riverfront park with a walking path and amphitheater, the ballpark (complete with team store and several restaurants, one of which is actively under construction by a crew of hot bears), a wetland area called Brick Ponds Park, and a new municipal building in the style of Independence Hall. We first explored the amphitheater, then stopped by the store for Gary's T-shirt, a commemorative baseball, a couple of ball caps and a pair of sunglasses with a GreenJackets logo (a bee with green stripes instead of yellow) painted on one side. After shopping we returned to the river walk, sat on a bench for a bit (and were greeted with "Good morning" by quite a few walkers and joggers, one of whom was walking a beagle that sniffed about us trying to find a treat), then walked the circuit all the way around the ballpark to return to the car. As we sat on the bench, Alan and I made plans for lunch via text; we were going to meet up at Hildebrandt's German deli for sandwiches around noon.
Unfortunately, when we arrived they were closing early, apparently due to lack of staff. So we met the Alans outside and agreed to have lunch a couple blocks away at Groucho's Deli. I had a Big Dipper (roast beef, ham, and cheese on a fat roll with Formula 45 dipping sauce, chips, and a pickle; Gary had a pita sandwich with turkey and the same sides. We sat and talked over lunch, then proceeded on a leisurely walk up and down Broad Street. We stopped at the James Brown statue and I got a picture of Gary with the statue from an angle that wasn't so backlit by the high sun. Then we stopped by the Book Tavern bookstore, where a lean, older black dude played a saxophone and later, as I sat out front to rest my back, played a piano decorated with a portrait of James Brown and noted it was out of tune but it still works. Inside the store, and at several other locations around downtown, small artworks by Leonard "Porkchop" Zimmermann (whom we met on a previous visit) were in abundance; we also stopped by the advertising agency where he works to look in the window. Soon after, we crossed Broad Street to see the other side before returning to our cars. We stopped in a curious shop in what used to be the studio for the local NBC affiliate, where pallet loads of random merchandise were for sale alongside individual items (mostly Christmas decorations and other gadgets). The pallets looked hastily assembled as though they fell off the proverbial truck. Our last stop before reaching the lot where Alan parked was a little pocket park called Augusta Common, where they had a tree stump and an old Ivory Soap box in honor of Free Speech. I got a picture of Gary in mid-rant (mocked up, of course) standing on the soapbox. After the obligatory selfie and hugs all around, we parted ways at the curious sunken parking lot in the middle of Broad Street and drove back to the hotel.
We took some time to recharge before the family meet and greet scheduled for six. A school group had arranged for a dinner party on the patio by the pool so we gathered in the lobby instead. Gary's stepbrother Kawand was there, and Damon who we met at the 80th birthday party for Gary's dad. We sat and talked with Sharon for a while. Lillie offered us beer, and I got a Corona, but we had to go in search of a bottle opener; we borrowed a multi purpose tool from the front desk clerk, and right afterward one of the ladies fetched a corkscrew with a bottle opener in the handle. A friend of Darnell and Lillie from her work, Valerie, sat with us for a while before dinner was served. I was a little surprised to hear "Darnell!" being called out, but it was answered by a boy of perhaps not quite ten, likely named for his grandfather. Uncle John said grace over the meal. The food was very good: baked pasta with beef or turkey (we had beef), garlic bread, green beans, two chicken dishes, pulled pork, and dinner rolls stuffed with ham. After dinner I went up to the room to use the bathroom and stash our gift bags. When I returned to the party, Gary was chatting with Charlene and she was showing him pictures on her phone. I took a picture of them together and Charlene gave me her phone number so I could send her the picture. She wants us to come to Houston for her birthday next year (she's Gary's age). We had some birthday cake and banana pudding. All the sisters posed for pictures together and then Charlene's daughter got in the picture. Gary took pictures with Charlene's phone and I sent the ones I took with my phone to her and to Lillie. We left the party around 9:30 and watched the 10 PM news. Just as we were about to change channels for the 11 PM news, the power went out momentarily and took the cable TV out with it. I finished my journal entry and headed to bed.