Here Comes the Rain Again

Got a slightly later start than we have been today. The men who clean out Lauren's fireplace in her basement room were supposed to arrive at 9:30, but they got here early. I read A Fatal Groove and had breakfast while Lauren directed them and showed them what needed to be done. 

It was nearly 10 before we started out. Yesterday's showers returned as we made our way down to the enormous Walmart in North Adams. It's huge, on par with the one in Somerdale, and with the same lovely view of mountains and the surrounding area. Lauren's parents requested some grocery shopping. She asked for help to get down Cream of Wheat boxes that were too far back on the shelf to retrieve and had to go back for medicine. Otherwise, we had no trouble here. She even got cheese danish for her parents' dessert and apple danish for ours.

Pedrin's Dairy Bar is directly across the street from Walmart. This low slung building is a local fast-food eatery that's home to quick and delicious ice cream, burgers, and fried fish. I was more interested in the grilled chicken sandwich, with fresh lettuce and tomatoes and sweet potato fries. Lauren had a cheesesteak with regular fries. Both were enormous, on huge hoagie rolls. They only have outdoor seating. Thankfully, the rain had taken a leave of absence. We enjoyed our meals on their picnic tables, keeping our napkins from being blown away by the heavy winds.

Next stop after lunch was a little further down the road at the North Adams Goodwill. Lauren found two shirts here. I didn't see any clothes, but I did pick up two CDs and a DVD set:

Debbie Gibson - Electric Youth

Thelonius Monk - Straight No Chaser

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Series 3

After that, we went in the other direction back to Pittsfield. There's a larger Goodwill at a shopping center just outside of town, about 15 minutes from Lauren. This time, we both did well with clothes. I found a nice blouse in black, maroon, and white plaid and a simple coral sweater, along with the novel Flipped For Murder by Maddie Day. Lauren picked up blouses. 

By this point, the rain had started up again. It never poured, but it continued as a steady shower for the next few hours. No matter. We still wanted to hit up the Lee Outlets just outside of the entrance to the Mass Pike. 

We spent the next few hours going in and out of stores. Lauren picked up blouses at Chico's, t-shirts at the Gap and Old Navy, and trousers at J.Crew and Ann Taylor. I found a super-soft flannel blouse at J. Crew (I wanted one in blue too, but they didn't have my size) and a much-needed pair of corduroys to replace the ones that have pretty much had their plush rubbed off at the Gap. We struck out at The Loft and Eddie Bauer. I bought two lip balms and two purse-sized bottles of hand lotion buy three, get one free at Bath and Body Works. Lauren bought travel-sized bottles of hand sanitizer that were 5 for $8. 

The rain finally slowed down as we headed back into Pittsfield for dinner at Lauren's local 99 Restaurant. Mr. Miller texted Lauren while we were at the Outlets and said that bacon cheeseburgers are super-cheap there on Mondays. We thought we'd try them. This time, our appetizer was Crispy Cauliflower, cauliflower in tempura batter. Yummy! The spicy mayo was a bit much for me, but the cauliflower was nicely crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. She had cole slaw with her burger. I had fries. The fries were perfectly seasoned; the burger was juicy and flavorful. 

Had cherry vanilla ice cream and apple danish for dessert while playing a few last rounds of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. I once again played Princess Peach, and Lauren was her Richard Dawson Mii. This time, we took on the Triforce Cup and the Egg Cup. Rainbow Road did me in on the Triforce Cup. I kept falling off those darn edges and came in dead last. The best I finished on that one was third, and that was on Wario's Gold Mine. I did somewhat better on the Egg Cup. My best showing there was second, but I ended up coming in fifth, thanks to a sixth place finish on the Excitebike Arena.

Finished the night with the Monday night Eagles-Buccaneers game. The Bucs were 2 - 0 before this, but they couldn't outrun the Eagles on a roll. Though they did manage to get one touchdown in during the second half, it wasn't enough to overcome the Eagles' defense. The Eagles are now 3 - 0 again with their 25 - 11 win.