But that is still a nice chunk of time, and the pace of our time there is becoming more relaxed. The inside of the house is about in shape to start bringing more furniture, pictures, purchase the rugs, the bar stools, and so on. I have the go ahead to buy new towels.
Thursday morning when I was up there, I ventured out to check out a grocery store Barry had found while looking for a place to buy his chain saw. He told me he thought I would like it; it had a butcher shop and was very nice. Before I left, in order to make sure I would not get lost on the way there, I visited their website. I thought of Neil as I read about the history of the business, feeling good that this was more than just a big Save Mart or Safeway, it was a part of the local history, with a story and people attached to it.
However, I was not prepared for the huge establishment that sold a wide range of goods - produce, deli, fish, meat, groceries, auto parts, housewares, hardware. Dozens of magazines. Sleds. Three aisles of wines. There was a post office location. But it was mostly the people that struck me. Most people there were older than myself by a bit, but all with an active, almost hippie vibe to them. The notable exception was a group of perhaps a dozen very cute kindergarten age kids, holding hands in pairs, under the guidance of two young ladies. The store staff were friendly and attentive in that typical Nevada County way.... as I stood at the fish counter pondering my purchase, I was greeted with "you look like you would like some of that Coho." "Thank you, yes, that sounds great." No waiting to check out. We love that.As is becoming a custom, Mom and Dad came down the mountain for lunch. We enjoyed sandwiches and conversation on the deck, pondering all that this new property can hold in store for our future. It's always good to take a step back and talk to others; when you hear your own story being told, it can give you a better appreciation of things. Answering simple questions. Helping make things real.
The new floors are in need of some coverings. That afternoon, we quit work a bit early in the day to go downtown Nevada City to check out a local rug store Barry had seen in past wanderings. The shop was under "new management", and the proprietor was a relaxed, friendly man maybe in his late thirties, and it was a pleasure to wander the two sections of his new business, pondering the differences between a $3000 rug and a $300 one. We found designs we liked, and the owner gave us information on how to go online and pick something out we could come to the store to see in person later.
In no hurry to get back to our work, we decided to check out a few of the antique stores in the main old downtown area. Only a few were open (apparently, antique stores close at 4 PM during the week?), but the one in particular we found was stocked with some nice and interesting furniture pieces that seemed to be reasonably priced. But it's giving us an idea of being able to continue to furnish the house with simple, but old pieces. One store that was closed, we peeked into, and saw a serious inventory of lamps, some similar to the one we have in the house now from Jackson Street, and others that were similar without the shade. We will come back during mid day very soon.
As intriguing as the antique stores (and the few gift shops we went into in search of cards to leave with greetings to our neighbors) were, a number of "watering holes" beckoned. We decided to have a beer at the place Barry had gone to for dinner a few weeks ago, Matteo's Public, a bit off the main street. With what seems to be the recurring theme up here, it was the best balance of local, rustic, but hip and welcoming. We sat at the bar, and watched the evening unfold as the staff prepared for the upcoming influx of hungry and thirsty patrons. Since we all know there is no such thing as "a beer", we had a second round and talked of strategies for trailers, boats, campers, trucks. We discussed the ongoing question of when to make this our primary residence. A conversation the week prior, with our Marin realtor, Mary Kay, revealed that the market there was hot, we probably didn't have to do much to make the Carnoustie property sellable, and her estimate of what we should put the house on the market for was significantly higher than what we thought. Boldened by our second Pilsner, Barry declared "let's do it", and promised to contact Mary Kay when we got back to Novato. Stay tuned....
We are coming to the realization that we have plenty of firewood . What we need is a bigger woodstove. And a wood chipper. And a quad to haul it with. And so it begins.....
