I had meetings in Birmingham today - one before lunch and one after. After the first meeting I headed downtown for the the second one.
I had about an hour to kill and it was lunch time. There are no fast food places downtown which is fine with me because I steer clear of them whenever possible.
As I drove through historic Five Points South, I remembered the old hippie store that Jilda and I used to frequent. It's called the Golden Temple and they sell candles, incense, crystals, and health food. I remembered they also have a cafe.
I wheeled into a parking place, fished a few quarters from my pocket to feed the meter, and headed inside.
Before I got to the corner, it started raining again, so I stepped back to the truck and grabbed my raincoat. As I pulled the hood up, I was so glad that Jilda insisted that I bring the coat.
The soup of the day was lima bean soup with wild rice and rosemary. I ordered a bowl with some peppermint tea.
I grabbed a booth by the window and sat spooning the soup into my mouth. It hit the spot.
The rain must have kept a lot of people at home because there were only a few other customers eating, so I sat for a long time watching the rhythm of the city, and listening to the rain ticking off the awning.
It's been a long time since I've done that.
My last meeting only lasted about 30 minutes so I was soon back on the road heading for home in the rain.
Jilda had already left for work and Caillou was lying in front of the window waiting for me to return.
I grabbed my walking stick and we went for a short walk in the rain. I snapped this photo of vines on the trunk of a hickory tree.
Your photos make the most mundane things look beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteRick - it's left me wanting to know what happened next...
ReplyDeleteSounds like it was a pretty good day.
ReplyDeletemood
Moody Writing
It's great when we make the time to just enjoy our surroundings...;-)
ReplyDeleteDear Rick, a well-written post that situated us into your day. Thank you for sharing the eating of the soup. I've been away from blogging for several weeks and doing that time I baked a lot of cookies, quick bread, and yeast bread and also tried a number of new recipes. One was for a potato leek soup that was scrumptious and another was for a curried squash soup. It, too, was delicious.
ReplyDeleteIf you have any postings you'd like me to read from the last six weeks, please do let me know. Peace.
Thanks Dee for your kind words. The blog on Character made it into my new book coming out in the spring.
Deletehttp://www.rickwatson-writer.com/2013/12/my-column-from-sundays-newspaper.html
I like finding little eateries in old buildings in downtowns trying to reinvent themselves. Such a tough job; running a small cafe and rejuvenating a downtown.
ReplyDeleteDo you have a camera lens that messes with the lines in the pictures you take, or do you soften them with a computer application?
Hey Joanne, I use a Hipstamatic app on my iPhone and then run that through a Oil Paint filter in Photoshop. That's how I get that effect.
DeleteIt's fun :)
I haven't used Photoshop in years. I may have to upgrade from all the free software around. Your pictures are lovely.
DeleteSounds like more than the soup hit the spot at the café! Just to sit and enjoy the rain and quiet is something many...including me...don't always take time to do. Throw in a good walk, even in the rain, and you have a wonderful day! Hope the rest of your week is as nice.
ReplyDeleteThe picture is truly amazing...Can you see the faces in the bark? I see so many...perhaps Tree Spirits? :)
ReplyDeleteI have been complaining too much about the rain...you have helped me to just appreciate it. Thank you for the inspiration...:)
The Golden Temple sounds like the perfect place to kill an hour between meetings :)
ReplyDeleteOh, and Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!