Chilly Sunday outing

Finally it feels like winter. There's even a thin layer of snow on the ground. And patches of ice to watch for. Time for a mini-vacation. Sometimes a 5-minute drive can take you far away.


There's a new tea place to try. Very zen. I worry that they won't last long. What kind of a business model can deal with sky high Montclair rents and an inventory where nothing costs more than four dollars? Well, they do have loose teas by the pound - and a beautiful selection of one-of-a-kind teapots from China (clay) and Japan (iron). We'll hope for the best and drop in often.


Then the bookstore. Right across the street, as it happens. How does this place survive in a Barnes and Noble/Amazon world? Well, the selection is incredible. New and used books, cheek by jowl, all discounted - thousands and thousands of them on three levels. Obsessively alphabetized, categorized. Such a pleasure to browse there. Graphic novels (an interest not shared with anyone I know) are well-represented. I may have to go back and pick up that copy of "Miss Remarkable" to send to Z. ( Update: I see that it is available for .01 on Amazon. Hmmm. )

Time has passed, and the tea was just --well, tea. The cookies were pretty small. And I pass a Japanese restaurant that is new to me on the way to the car. It's still early (the darkness plays time tricks), and the place is nearly empty. I can sit anywhere, so - why not next to the fish? Hold still, fish!