When we arrived in Fall River, we quickly found the company, thanks GPS! And I decided that I would go to the meeting as well, instead of sitting outside in the car for who knew how long. It was so cool as we entered the building, to find the following:
We met first with the sales director, who showed us around the facility, and described the products. He then brought us back to the conference room, where we met with the president, and all four of us talked about the plan and vision to get the product on the market here and to foster sales growth. It was so interesting, and the everybody we met from the company was so nice. They seemed so level-headed. I have to say, Joern's parents' business is so incredibly interesting!
After our meeting, which was surprisingly long, we decided to stop in Newport before heading home. We love Newport. Altough it is well known for the gigantic houses dotting the coastline, I really enjoy all the little shops along Bannister's Wharf, and the general atmosphere in Newport.
After lunch, we took a lovely ride out to Ocean Drive to see the houses, and the beautiful Altantic vistas.
We came home to a message from the shipping company that the ship was overbooked, and our container would need to be moved from Thursday to the following Monday. Slightly frustrated we accepted that the container would not come for another 4 days after we expected.
At my godfather's cookout on Sunday, we brought up the fact that were were looking for crown molding while we were home. My godfather, who happens to be a carpenter, quickly jumped on this discussion, and offered to purchase crown molding for us at the lumber yard he works with, and to provide it to us at his cost. We spent a good portion of that evening disucssing crown molding and looking at samples. We agreed to meet my godfather at the lumber yard on Tuesday morning.
I quickly learned on Tuesday morning that if you are overwhelemed by decision making, it is not such a good idea to go to a lumber yard to look at crown molding, and baseboard, and beadboard. There were so very many choices! My godfather was able to help us narrow down our choices, and let us bring home some samples.
We also headed back out to the outlets in Riverhead on Wednesday. After 7 or so trips back and forth to Long Island, with truck-fulls of furniture, it finally rained. Fortunately, we had my father's car, fully closed. The five medicine (3 white, 2 espresso) cabinets we purchased all fit nicely inside.
photo from www.restorationhardware.com
While at the outlets, we also purchased a fab set of pots and pans from All Clad. We can't wait to use them on our new oven!
After 6 months of knowing we could always run out to the outlets and pick up one more piece of funiture for the house, it was a strange feeling to leave Long Island that day, knowing that the container would soon be coming and we would be finished with this furnish the house experience.
When we got home on Wednesday, we headed back to my godfather's house, where he gave Joern a lesson on mitre cuts for the crown molding. He spent quite a bit of time showing Joern how to cut the crown molding, as well as gave us lots of tips on installation.
Somewhere along the way, we made it Joern's favorite restaurant, Five Guys Burgers and Fries. Not the healthiest, but sure tasty twice a year!
Saturday night, we headed to Waterford, CT to the Speedbowl. I must admit, 15 years ago, I was humiliated to go to the races. Now, it has become a fun Saturday night, and a good way for my dad and I to spend time together when I'm home.
Sunday was busy, but lots of fun. We started off at Bruegger's Bagels with my dad's breakfast crew. Over the years, my father has formed a special friendship with a bunch of, mostly retired, engineers who have their morning coffee and bagel at Bruegger's. Joern and I call it the Stammtisch, which is a German term for a table in a restaurant that is reserved strictly for regulars who gather often to drink beer and talk. My dad's Stammtisch is similar, but gatherings occur in the morning and involve coffee instead of beer: the American version. The group has come to know Joern and myself well, and it is always fun to say "hi" in the morning.
We then headed to South Benson Marina in Fairfield to spend a couple hours on my godparent's boat. Growing up, both my dad and godfather had boats. Since they are best friends anyway, we often would head out on Sunday, drive somewhere, and tie the boats together for the afternoon. I have many fond memories of lazy Sunday summer afternoons laughing with my godparents, and a very spry little me, who loved to jump between the two boats.
My father has since sold his boat, and my godfather has since upgraded. Their boat is really beautiful, and perfect for a drive out on the Sound. We headed over to Westport to Cockenoe Island, a popular spot for boaters to hang out. It was perfect timing when we arrived, because the water was little more than waist-deep, so it was great for cooling off without worrying about washing away.
After some swimming, we had lunch, and chatted for a while. We were out about 5 hours. It was so much fun, and such a wonderful way to share a piece of my childhood with Joern.
We ran from the boat back to Trumbull, to another cookout. This time, the cookout was held by one of my dad's friends from the bagel place (his Stammtisch.) It was really enjoyable to meet and chat with the many people there. The food was great and a fabulous way to round out our second week at home.
