Eric and I did our own thing today. He went bicycling, while I did two loads of laundry and then did a little shopping before my 3:00pm appointment at ENTERPRISE CAR SALES office.
I got my Starbucks and then headed to a store I had seen on Garnet Avenue. It’s called BUFFALO EXCHANGE and it advertises that they buy, sell and trade clothes. I thought it was vintage, but it’s not. It’s just used clothing. There are actually a chain of stores all over the country (over 25). They started in Tucson and have really done well. It clearly caters to the teen and young 20s crowd, but I did manage to find a cute, thin, black cotton coat for $14.50!
After BUFFALO EXCHANGE, I went to the ENTERPRISE SALES office to buy another PT Cruiser. I had already spoken on the phone to Mark (Fooch) Fucinari who told me he had some PTs on the lot. The great thing about Enterprise Car Sales is that there is no haggling, you are guaranteed a price below the Kelley Blue Book value, and the cars are all certified.
Since Eric and I HATE going to car dealerships (you all know what a nightmare that can be), and we’re in a strange place with no one to even make recommendations, we thought it was smart to buy from Enterprise. We have rented from them three times (Chicago, San Francisco and San Diego) and have never had a problem. We know they’re giving us a good price, because we’ve researched it online. The price is good, the car is still under warrantee, and it’s a 2007!
The first car I saw was a silver PT. I had spoken to Eric about colors and told him I didn’t want Silver, because it was SO common and I never really liked silver cars. I also don’t like black or white, so I told him I’d be happy with any other color. They also had a bright blue and a cream color that I really liked. I found out right away that the blue was sold, so we looked at the cream. I really loved the color and the car was in excellent condition, but it turned out that it didn’t have some options we wanted (keyless entry in back and cruise control).
So, we went inside and they finally found a purple one for me (the same color I had in NY!). I would have liked to have a new color, but at least it’s not black, white or silver! If all goes well, we will pick it up tomorrow. I’m so happy, because I LOVED my PT and enjoyed the 2007 PT we rented in Chicago for 4 days. I know it will serve me well as I shop San Diego for furnishings.
By the time I got out of there it was dark and I headed back to the campground. We headed out to dinner and ended up at MARIE CALLENDERS RESTAURANT & BAKERY. There are 139 restaurants in the United States. They’re most famous for their pies!
Eric got the Chicken Pot Pie and I got the Gorgonzola salad, which had walnuts, cranberries and gorgonzola over greens with a delicious balsamic dressing. I had a slice of Strawberry Rhubarb pie, too. Wow! That is such a great flavor. The rhubarb is really tart and the strawberry is so sweet. A great combination!
So, now I have to get a little serious. Over dinner, Eric and I discussed his day, which was just another disappointing ride. He is so frustrated that he says he’s not going to ride anymore at all. I think it’s silly to give up so quickly. After all, including the 5 days we spent here last month, he’s only been here 2 weeks, but Eric tends to go to extremes. I always say with him it’s all or nothing. He needs to find a ride that makes him happy or he won’t ride at all.
While I was at the Enterprise office there was another employee, Veronique, whose boyfriend mountain bikes. I told her and Mark about Eric’s frustration with the mountain biking situation. She called her boyfriend and spoke to him about Eric and gave me his number. He said Eric should call him and he’ll take him out for a great ride. I told Eric and he agreed to call, but says he knows it will be just like the other places he’s gone – dusty, sandy, dirty and dissatisfying.
It’s hard to know how this will turn out. We’re trying to find a place to live, buying a car, settling in, but I don’t know if Eric will ever be truly happy here. We have agreed that the best thing to do is give it a year and see what happens. I’m hoping he’ll either find riding he likes or adjust to road riding or find something else that makes him happy. If not, I told him I’d be willing to go anyplace where it doesn’t snow. I honestly believe I could be happy anywhere it doesn't get cold, but I can’t be happy if he’s not happy.
Life is all about compromise. We came here because we both thought it would be perfect. I thought he’d love the riding; he knew I’d love the weather. I thought I was extending his life, because I thought that the cold weather was bad for his injuries and ailments. I thought that working as a steamfitter would shorten his life and I wanted him to semi-retire while I went back to office work. I thought that having the responsibilities of a house was getting to be too much for him and didn't want him to have to deal with shoveling and cleaning snow off cars. I really believed it was the best thing for him. Now, I feel so bad, because it seems like this move is taking away his greatest passion. And I don’t know what to do.
I don’t want to upset anyone, but Eric is very down about this and it’s hard for both of us. We will continue to work through it, and I know everything will work out. We've been through much worse and have always come out of it stronger than ever.