One of the funnier aspects of living in The House Behind is how quickly I became small town in some very tangible ways. By that I mean I look forward to things that never would have hit my radar in my past life.
We have a local seafood festival, for example. It runs for three days and essentially gridlocks the city from outsider traffic. Even this, I don’t mind. My partner drives us over and picks us up, my friends and myself. We then don’t deal with parking issues which can be frustrating unless you live right nearby then you probably are making bank by allowing people to park on your property.
Luckily, we are a few minutes down the road so as long as we steer clear of the main road (yes, there really is only one of those), we are fine.
Friday night is the time to hit this particular festival. It’s mostly locals and a lot of families coming off a workweek and wanting to enjoy the relative lack of crowds. The highlight — or so I thought from last year — is the vendors with scores of talented artists, craftspeople and tradespeople displaying their wares for sale but honestly? The music is surprisingly good despite my big city, upscale tastes.
I am not a big fan of fried everything, even seafood, so my friend Nina, who relocated to the area earlier this year, and I decided to ask more questions of all the food truck vendors. She is allergic to shellfish (yes, I know, we found this ironic too) but loves shrimp, clams, etc. We found plenty to enjoy that did not send her into anaphylactic shock which is always helpful in not spoiling the evening.
What is particular to this festival is that no alcohol of any kind is sold. Now, I know what you are thinking because it occurs to me as well. Why the heck not? I agree on one level but honestly, no booze seems to cut down on any issues. It’s a family-centric event after all.
Plus, my wine at home is way better than anything one could get at a festival. I am happy to wait a few hours before imbibing. Meanwhile, the weather was fine, this being October after all, the food great and the music even better.
Just another day in small town paradise.
the house behind 