Lincolnized Saturday

So Bad It Defies Description

Yesterday the wife, Buddy and I pulled up stakes and headed for my hometown, Keene, NH.  We were visiting our close friend, my wife was bent on some tax free shopping, and Buddy just loves the travelling.  Just before we were supposed to head out Buddy went nuts and while he does this on a fairly routine basis he was alerting on the backyard which was strange.  I glanced over and there were two huge turkeys strutting across the yard.  I was truly tempted to let Buddy out and see some feathers fly but to his intense displeasure he remained inside. We have them come by every now and then usually followed by some coyotes that seem to be assisting with turkey population control.  We then had a very enjoyable ride up to New Hampshire listening to Casey Kassem’s American Top 40 from 1975 on the radio.  It was strangely comforting to listen to the music while driving through the same areas that I first heard the music back in the 1970s.  My friend and I were planning on seeing Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter while my wife shopped for some flowers she’s putting together for my sister’s new deck.  When I first heard about this movie I was of course a little shocked but then I heard Tim Burton was involved and it made a little more sense.  Finally I heard that the same director that did Wanted, one of my favorite movies, was the director and I thought it could be special.  Boy, was I wrong.  The movie was simply terrible.  The action was poorly choreographed and the lead actor had no screen presence whatsoever.  The plot was maneuvered to try and mirror actual history and in doing so completely lost any pace it had.  I think we as an audience could figure out this wasn’t actually true but for some reason the filmmakers were trying for authenticity – the unintentional comedy quotient was pretty high.  My friend and I have an old routine when we see a really bad movie, dating back to the 70s, giving small applause and saying “Bad Cinema!!”  We said it almost simultaneously as we left the theater.  Go figure, having Abraham Lincoln as a vampire hunter didn’t work – who could have possibly saw that coming.  The rest of the day was much more enjoyable.  We established contact with my wife who had interrupted her shopping spree due to strong thunderstorms moving through the area.  Her chosen refuge was a spa where she was just finishing up a pedicure and manicure.  Since she hadn’t had an opportunity to descend on TJ Maxx (her preferred hunting grounds) my friend and I headed to the Elm City Brewery for a great afternoon of catching up with our favorite bartender.  As the afternoon turned into evening our beer consumption started to threaten our ability to drive home.  We contacted the wife who proclaimed it was too early to stop shopping.  When we pointed out that it was nearly 8pm she squawked in surprise.  The late daylight of the New England summer was confusing her again.  We ended up together at Margaritas for one of our traditional dinners.  We were joined there by another friend and spent a fun evening poking fun at each other.  We even ran into a gal who was a high school classmate of my friends and I.  We all decided the Red Sox were on the verge of exploding and were likely to win the division going away.  Of course this means they’ll have to get out of last place at some point but such is the life and fantasies of Red Sox fans.  I was a little concerned by the lack of people at Margarita’s, one of our favorite watering holes in Keene.  It usually has a lively crowd and festive atmosphere.  Last night it was almost deserted and left me hoping it doesn’t go under.  Of course it could be time to branch out and find a backup place.  I’m looking forward to the research involved in that search.  We all went back to my friend’s house where we watched the end of the Sox game and continued laughing together.  This morning Buddy was going absolutely bonkers because my friend always takes him out for a walk first thing in the morning when we visit.  He launched himself when my friend came downstairs who good naturedly took him out for the sought after stalking of Keene’s sidewalks.  A fabulous summer weekend spent in my favorite place on earth with some of my favorite people on earth. 

Turkeys Tormenting Buddy

My Friend and Our Favorite Bartender at Elm City Brewery

Both Friends at Margarita's Along with the Sox

Empty Margarita's - Cause for Concern?

Buddy Taking my Friend out for a Walk