Hi Gram,
I checked out of the hotel on Wednesday and went looking for a grocery store to find some breakfast. I’ve learned as I’m traveling that restaurants aren’t my best option for every meal. They can be loud, the meals are often larger than I need, and expensive to boot. A better option is to walk into a grocery store, pick up some yogurt, maybe a bagel or pastry or perhaps some deli meat, usually a bottle of water or maybe a smoothie, and go have breakfast at a park and enjoy the sounds of nature. I also prefer to find local stores and restaurants, shying away from chains and franchises if I can. So for these reasons, I found myself at Talar’s Market, a local Halal meat and grocery store.

When I walked in, I was immediately uncomfortable in a good way. This was not what big box grocery stores look like, and I felt like I was transported to a foreign town. There were bolts of fabric on display in front of me, bags of rice and lentils piled to my left, and a small refrigerated display case off to my right. I browsed the display case, looking for yogurt, but found instead bottles and cans of drinks, some recognizable and some not. I decided on a carbonated mint yogurt drink, then wandered the aisles to see the options of common staples such as pasta and ingredients, the crackers and cookies, and all the other groceries that a family who shopped here would need. I chose some breakfast biscuits and made my way to the single checkout cashier at the front of the store.

I took my breakfast to a park nearby and sat on a bench, curious to see how everything would taste and enjoying the textures and flavors. The bottle advised shaking it gently before opening, which I did as soon as I got in the car so the carbonation could settle down. Despite my caution, it still overflowed 10-15 minutes later once I got to the park, but that’s the benefit of eating in the park – it’s okay if a little spills onto the grass. After breakfast, I headed to M0nica’s to get in one last ride before loading the bike up onto the car. We chatted a little about our days before she had to get back inside for a work call. I rode about 10 miles, heading back to the path we had ridden on before, but also following a few spurs that took me to the university nearby, through some neighborhoods, and around the mall.

Once I got back to Monica’s, I reassembled the bike rack onto the car and made sure I had everything buckled down. This would be the first time taking this setup on the highway and I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t have any troubles. Monica got a break between calls and came out to see me off and say goodbye. I found myself torn by the excitement to continue on my journey and see more friends but also wanting to have more conversations and spend time with Monica.

With everything assembled, I hit the road and headed north to Daniel’s, just north of Atlanta. We had planned on grabbing dinner, but I got there a little early so we decided to take Zannah, his sweet dog, to the dog park. This was probably the largest dog park I’ve ever seen. There was a long grassy run where dogs could chase balls, but also a couple of small wooded areas with paths through them where owners could walk the dogs and the dogs could chase the squirrels up the tree. There were plenty of water bowls, balls, and challenge structures there to keep them all hydrated and entertained. We chatted up a few of the other dog owners and petted lots of good boys and girls.

With Zannah tired out, we headed back to Daniel’s house and dropped her off before heading to Kababji, a Mediterranean restaurant down the road. We each got a platter with a variety of meat, hummus, pita, pickles, and baba ghanoush. It was more food than I should have eaten, but exactly the amount that I did eat. It’s always good to see Daniel at camps or on road trips, but all good visits must end, so we headed back to his house so he could return a call and I could get on the road. I drove north for a few hours before feeling tired and pulling off to find a hotel in Kings Mountain, NC.