Heading east

Today Acadia and I spent four hours together inside a moving car. Greenville to Southern Pines without incident. By 3 p.m., we were checked into our surprisingly attractive room at the Southern Pines Econo Lodge and by 4 p.m. I was sipping a mocha latte at Flynne’s Coffee Bar, an old haunt. I remember the Econo Lodge chain from my touring theater days as a very spartan, somewhat seedy alternative to to Motel 6 and Super 8, so the cheerful desk clerk, comfortable bed, soothing colors, new carpet and furniture, microwave, coffee maker and, believe it or not, silk flowers were a pleasant surprise.

After Flynne’s I walked a block down Broad Street to Chef Warren’s where I’d made a reservation using Open Table, a first for me. The red snapper with capers and wilted greens was very good, as I knew it would be, and almost comically overpriced, as I knew it would be also. But for the next nine days, I’m not going to sweat stuff like that or even the $20 Econo Lodge upcharge for letting a declawed kitten sleep on my bed and maybe poop in the litterbox that leaves with her.