November 1963

I can still see where I was forty seven years ago today as if it was a video on YouTube. I remember walking home after we were all dismissed from school, and seeing neighbors crying in their driveways, and out in front of their homes.  Dressed in housecoats, most with their hair in curlers, they were in the uniform of the times, but their sadness was timeless.  JFK was gone.  It was also one week, to the day, from when my mother died suddenly.

From Friday to Friday,  it was a very bad week.

As we heal, we grow, and learn from tragedy.  We experienced something that was devastating emotionally, and to not recover, and put the raw energy of sadness to work to better ourselves would be not only be a shame, but a waste.

As a nation, we went in directions we may not have gone if JFK had lived that day on November 22, 1963.  Some good, some could have been chosen better.  The same could be said happened to me as a result of my mothers death on November 15th.  Some life choices I would never have made, or even thought of if I had not experienced what I did.  Most good, some could have been chosen better.

November 1963 was one of those key times in my life that I chose to grow from.  I don't think I consciously chose to, but rather did so as a reaction to what I was feeling back then.

We are the some total of our life experiences, both the tragic, and the good .  How we choose to be affected by each one determines who we become,  and who we are.

Board of Selectmen Meeting

The Board of Selectmen will meet at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, November 24, 2010 in Veterans Memorial Hall, Sturbridge Town Hall.  Note time.


9:30 AM  Sal's Pizza   Common Victualler License 

I Have A Feeling, Woohoo *

Just as events, or an era, sneaks up on us, like the recent "financial downturn" ( such a kind, and gentle term for a depression) the recovery sneaks up on up on us as well.

It is coming.  As a matter of fact, it is already be here.  How can I make such a statement?  I am just reading the signs as they poke their heads from that recessionary ooze, and I have this feeling.

Signs?  Yes, small signs to the world, but in my world, big ones, enough to give that certain feeling.

Let's start with local businesses.  The Sturbridge Coffee House is moving to a new location where Romaldo's Restaurant was until recently.  Amazing.  A coffee house a few doors down from Dunkin' Donuts, of all places, survived the recession, grew, and is now able to move a larger space.

Think about that for a moment.  They actually grew enough to move to a newer, bigger space.  They grew all the while directly competing with DD's, and now, they have the munchkins to move directly next door to Dunkin's.

Yeah, they got brass munchkins alright, and they are telling the world that they have had enough with all this negative "world in financial chaos" talk.  They're doing fine, and are movin' on up.

The restaurant, formerly known as the Cedar Street Restaurant, is being rebuilt with a  huge new addition, and a new name, The Cedar Street Grill.  This is something one does not do when things are bad.  Either the new owners have captured a genie with unlimited wishes, or they have great confidence in their product,and where the world is going financially.  Confidence doesn't come from guessing, either.  It is a feeling, that is grown from reading the signs.  It's all about reading the signs.

The Charles River Wine Company, a town based distributor of fine wines since 2004 has won Planning Board approval to move his distributorship to the long empty building beside the Hearthstone Inn where Romaldo's once was.  The new store would move from offices located in the Sturbridge Marketplace at the Falls on Main Street, and offer to the general public the same 600 plus fine wines they have sold wholesale through their distributorship.  They will also offer New England produced goods, cheeses, and foods.  This is a big step for a six year old company.  A step one doesn't usually make unless they are ready, and the future looks good.

They have read the signs, too.  They also have that feeling.

There will be businesses closing their doors like New England Graphics at the Marketplace at the Falls will do in late December, but they aren't so much closing as they are bringing the curtain down after a successful 28 year run, and will keep the business going at their other place on Route 12 in Auburn.  This was planned long ago.  There will be businesses, like Romaldo's, closing their doors for different reasons more related to the economy.  This is, or course sad, but when we pull back, and look down at the entire picture of what is going on here in town, we can see that there are those that are making it, too.

Yes, I have a feeling that this going to be a good year.  A good, good year. *


*Apologies to the Black-Eyed Peas.

They're Here. Finally.

Sal's Pizza is open.  Finally.

After what seemed like 20 years of building, refurbishing, tweaking the building, and parking lot, has only been two years, or so.  The new restaurant opened at 376 Main Street in front of the Yankee Spirits liquor store yesterday, November 17.

So, what to do on a dark, and drizzly Tuesday evening?  We went to check out Sal's.

Mary came home around 5:30, and Jen, Mary and I hopped in the truck and drove over.  First thing that greeted us was the parking lot, obviously.  The way the parking is set up is a great, and efficient use of the limited space they have, and as long as folks stay within the lines, it will be fine.

Inside the restaurant it was clean, and new, but lacked the warmth one would expect from a pizzeria inspired by Boston's historic North End, but it was the recipes from the North End that was the true inspiration, not the brick and mortar, and that shows.

We ordered two slices of pizza each, a Greek Salad, two bottles of water, and a bottle of iced tea, for $20.00.

A "slice" is equivalent of 1/4 of one of Sal's large pizza's, and the Greek Salad was large inside its plastic container.  I do like having the option of having a slice, and not a whole pizza with leftovers to bring home.  The pizza was good.

Sal's is a chain of restaurants, a franchise, with over 30 locations in New England, and other locations as far south as Florida, and one in California.  As a franchise it lives up to what one would expect inside: effective furniture, easy maintenance surfaces, and floors, and a neutral  color scheme.  Very franchise like.  Very corporate like.

Beyond the franchise feeling, the employees we encountered, all knew what to do, and went out of their way to serve their customers, and above all, they smiled while doing it.  Very nice.

Although we have several pizzerias here in town, each one offers something the other one doesn't.  If you want your pizza delivered you will call one place, if you want an enormous pizza, you will go to another, a great sandwich and a pizza may beckon you to another store.  All of the pizza places in town are individually owned, and not franchises.  We have burger franchises, sandwich franchises, it was only a matter of time before the pizza franchise arrived.

I wish  Sal's Pizza luck on their endeavor here in Sturbridge.  They'll have a tough, loyal local audience with specific allegiances to their own special pizza place, but Sal's location will insure a great deal of traffic from the conventions at the Host Hotel, tourists as well "the locals".

Welcome to Sturbridge, Sal's.  Good luck.

Veterans Day 2010

To many, everyday is Veterans Day.

Thank you to all that have served, and that are serving now.