Went inside, got my bike and the string backpack, then went right back out again. The weather was stunning today. Breezy, sunny, no humidity, lower 80's. Couldn't be more perfect for early August. Perfect day for a long bike ride. I explored Barrington on my birthday and in May with Lauren and Jess, but I hadn't taken a look around Audubon and Haddon Heights in a while.
Started off with lunch at the Legacy Diner in Audubon. It was quarter of one when I sat down, and they were pretty busy. Even so, I did get my coconut pineapple pancakes quickly. Good thing I ordered the short stack! They were the size of the plate. That and a couple of strips of chewy bacon were more than enough for brunch.
Headed down Atlantic, past the Atlantic Avenue Elementary School and under the bridge to Haddon Heights. Far more than most of the towns in this area, Haddon Heights prizes its older homes. There's some lovely examples of vintage houses going far back as the 1700's here. In fact, I started off by checking out a nice antique store on Station Avenue, next to a tea shop. They were apparently having trouble with their electrical system, though their lights seemed to work fine and it wasn't terribly hot. I looked around, but ultimately moved on.
The Haddon Heights Library is next-door. While small compared to the massive Cherry Hill Library, they're not tiny. At least, they had room for a table lined with books for sale. I made my best find of the day here. Lower Cape May Regional High School's library had The Time Life Book of Christmas when I was there in the mid-late 90's. I used to take it out every Christmas week. It's an anthology of holiday history, recipes, traditions, artwork, and short stories. I loved it, and I've looked for it ever since. Since the books for 50 cents each, I also grabbed a collection of positive or inspiring quotes by Jim Henson, his Muppeteers, and those who worked with them, It's Not Easy Being Green.
Next stop was John's Friendly Market, a small groceria a few doors down from the library. They were a nice old-fashioned store with bags of home-made cookies on the counter and shelves of canned goods and a deli in the back, with a fairly good selection of produce for a small store. They even had used books for sale out front. I grabbed Cherry Coke Zero, which I've never seen anywhere else in 20 oz bottles.
Rode around for a while. I rode my bike around the circuit of the small triangular park in Haddon Heights. I was looking for Haddon Lake Park, but I forgot that one is further down, closer to Audubon. I finally gave up and tried to find Station Avenue instead, but I got turned around. At least I got to admire the many lovely old homes from the late 1800's and early 1900's around the park.
Stopped briefly to use the ATM machine at PNC Bank, since it's a block from the Library and John's, then rode back down Atlantic to Audubon. By this point, it was past 3 PM. I would have taken the White Horse Pike back, but I wanted to avoid the rush hour traffic.
Figured I'd visit the Abbey Road used media store in Audubon while I was hitting antique stores today. Some of his records are old enough to qualify. I had a nice long chat with the gregarious owner about everything I've been through in the past few months, and really the past few years. I want a decent job and a home so badly, but I have no idea where to go. Not only did he say I was a very nice woman and one of his best customers, he gave me really great bargains on two DVD sets and a pile of CDs:
The Odd Couple Second Season
A set of four B film noirs put out by 20th Century Fox centered around private eye Michael Shayne
Live and Let Die soundtrack on LP
The rest are all CDs:
A Very Special Christmas 3
Bugs Bunny On Broadway (Symphony recording of music from Looney Tunes shorts)
Soundtrack from When Harry Met Sally
Fred and Ginger at RKO (Selections from most of their films together, plus Fred's A Damsel In Distress and The Sky's the Limit)
Time Life's Movie Classics (2-Disc collection of songs and famous instrumental pieces from movies of the 50's, 60's and 70's.)
Television's Greatest Hits & Television's Greatest Hits: Remote Control (Instrumental collections of theme songs from TV shows. The first covers the 50's and 60's, the second the 70's and 80's.)
Headed home after that, taking the long way through Oaklyn to once again avoid traffic. Stopped briefly at Common Ground Coffee House for something to drink. Their "Manor Mixer" is actually a blend of fresh juice and coconut milk, and it's very tasty.
Went straight into writing when I got home. Joyce is delighted with her new slippers, but not when Patti tells her she can't get home the way she came. She and her dog companion will have to see the mysterious Wizard of Match, who lives in Television City. He may know the way back to Burbank.
Had dinner around 7. Ate leftovers while watching Match Game '79. The final week of the CBS run continues with everyone trying to figure out "__ Turner" in the Audience Match. Gary does much better with "__ Comb" in the Head-to-Head.
In honor of the Muppet book I found earlier, I watched an episode of The Muppet Show after my shower. Diana Ross is the star of the fourth season finale, and she's the only act an unusually unruly audience approves of. They throw tomatoes at anyone else and outright attack a fish singing group. Fozzie's terrified to go out, until Diana pulls him out for one of her biggest hits, "Reach Out and Touch."
Finished the night on YouTube for the rest of the Valerie Bertanelli Match Game '78 week. I seriously regret that the poor kid felt so uncomfortable, she wouldn't come back until the 2010's. She played extremely well and didn't seem that out of place. At least, she did better than Ed Asner or an obviously drunk Patty Duke. At any rate, I'm glad her week is now available. There's two more missing episodes left after this, the first two episodes of the next week that were also on the tape with Valerie's week.
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