The East Coast is currently experiencing a heat wave – it’s hot, and not just “wow, it’s warm out” hot, but starving-cows-and-tsetse-flies-in-Africa hot; being outside is not a particularly pleasant experience. As a result I didn’t make it very far today, and sought out air-conditioning for the evening rather than the planned bear encounters. I rambled up the coast a bit, picking up some stuff at my dad’s favorite outdoor store in Kittery, and after asking about a good seafood place was told by a particularly crusty old fellow “well, that would be Bob’s”. It’s an established fact that when a crusty old fellow gives you advice in New England you take it, so I headed over to Bob’s Clam Hut and got a massive plate of clams, haddock, shrimp, and lobster stew. Tastiness factor: 8.5.
One thing I’m suprisingly liking about being back here is the range of ages – in California, young people are disproportionately represented, while in New England there seems to be a more uniform range of ages. One extreme example: at Bob’s the lady taking orders was perched on a stool but still barely visible over the counter. I’d guess she was in her eighties, and I would have loved to see someone complain since she gave off a grandmotherly “I’ve been on this earth too long to have to deal with your crap” sort of vibe. There’s a sense here that people have been doing what they’re doing for a while, which gives this feeling that while people may not have the breadth of experience that the mobile masses on the West Coast do, everyone here has a depth of experience that would put most Californians to shame. It’s a bit odd to discover that I miss having old folks around, but traveling has a way of making a person aware of weird and embarrassing personality quirks like that one.