my hometown, daily photo five

~ jama

 

So here we are on main street Occoquan.

 

Years ago, I became enamoured at the prospect of writing in restaurants and cafes. I picked my places for the good food, of course, but I was sure I would write better if the place had personality.

Well, the entire town of Occoquan is personality plus — lots of character, very charming and quaint. 

I’d often walk up this side of the street, sometimes stopping in a couple of antique or gift shops,

looking at stuff like this (you didn’t think I’d go a whole week without a food photo, did you?):

Then I’d meander a little more, until I came to this sign:

My mouth watered as I walked up the narrow steps to a 150-year-old house with terraces and a bumpy brick patio. On the second floor, I found my favorite spot in the back room, in front of a window facing the street. I took out my spiral notebook (no laptops then) and began writing.

In a few minutes, a waitress brought my chicken salad sandwich and a piece of lemon meringue pie. All their pies are homemade and absolutely to die for. I dined in such serenity, gazing onto the street below. Yes, I felt like a real writer.

But I was also too easily distracted, fascinated by the man with a bowtie and his ruddy-cheeked wife. Curious about the stray cat across the street by the rug merchant. Wondering whether the baker used Crisco or butter in his pie crust.

I no longer write in restaurants. It got too expensive, and I ate way more than I needed to. Some of my observations did find their way into some stories, though. Best of all, I got superior service wherever I went, because the servers thought I was a food critic.
 
Check out all the other LJ hometowns at Cindy Lord’s blog!

 

16 thoughts on “my hometown, daily photo five”

  4. Re: lovely town…
    I would say yes, in that the small businesses there probably depend on tourist browser trade to survive. But locals love it too; sometimes you’re in the mood for something other than Gap,Old Navy and Macy’s.

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  10. The Golden Goose sells antiques. As far as I know, there is only one bookstore there — selling children’s titles, open on weekends only. Many of these small businesses come and go, and it’s hard to keep track of them.

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  11. Oooh, I had fun meandering back and forth through this post, munching on a chicken salad sandwich, chatting with the cute fella about his blue VW van, backtracking for a slice of lemon meringue pie, snapping up a few jars of jam for a gift basket, poking into a few antique shops for bday gifts, then sitting down with my notebook and an iced tea …

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  14. The baker wouldn’t divulge his recipe. Looks like I’m going to have to sample more pies to see if I can’t figure it out for myself. I think the man in the red shirt is similarly concerned.

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  15. What a lovely town to browse in! It reminds me of Weston here in Vermont. Love the shot inside the store… is it a natural food store?

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