Friday 7/20
Chilling out today. Breakfast at house. I have very little to set up besides books, so I don't need to go to Utz Center for table setup. Instead I go to NAWCC gift shop and ask manager Abby if I can borrow a couple of vertical book stands to display my books, and she lends them to me. She is one of the sweetest persons at NAWCC, and I really should send her an amazon gift card when I get back.
From there, I cross the old Highway 30 bridge over the Susquehanna River to Wrightsville and return to the Wrightsville Inn for another pile of crab meat, this time with fries, cabbage slaw, and a Yuengling beer. All delicious. The tab comes to $30, and worth every penny. Now, back to the house and do a little computer work and take a nap. I get a call from buddy Stan Czubernat about 4 p.m., who has flown into Baltimore from Houston, and has done a little watch sniffing down at the Utz Center. He is now ready to check into the Comforrt Inn and wants to know if I have found us a place for he and I to have a nice steak dinner.
Of course I have! The Roosevelt Tavern, just a short way from his hotel. Highly rated in Yelp and Tripadvisor. A bit spendy, but I know Stan doesn't mind blowing a little coin if the food is good. I shower and shave and take the three mile drive to his hotel. He greets me and I give him a complimentary copy of my new Elgin book because he has helped me with it. He says, "Come up to my room; I have something really cool I want to show you." It is a Gallet brand man's wristwatch. The date on the reverse side of the dial is 11/94, seeming to indicate 1894 date of manufacture. Stan has found a mention in an obscure Wiki-journal that says Gallet made "bracelet watches" for members of the European Mounted Infantry in this year, but none has ever surfaced. If this pans out, Stan will have found the earliest known example of a man's wristwatch. The record now is held by Omega, which is confirmed to have made a man's wristwatch in 1903. There are still some things to confirm, but barring any snafus, Stan will rewrite the history book on men's wristwatches. The band on this watch indeed appears original; it is sewn right on to the watch. It is fragile, but it's all there including the buckle. This is indeed very exciting, and Stan has contacted the Gallet company, and they are very anxious to cooperate with Stan's research and help in any way they can from their Swiss archives.
We take my car to the Roosevelt Tavern. They are moderately busy for a Friday night, so I am glad I made our 6 p.m. reservation. They have two steaks on the menu, a filet mignon at $33, and a 28-day dry age prime NY strip steak for $40. Stan goes for the NY strip. I'm a little timid on the whole "aging" thing, so I go for the filet. Stan goes for appetizers because he says he's on the edge of being "hangry," which is a combination of hungry to the point of angry. The waiter brings bread and butter, and I snag one of the shrimp off the cocktail. Our entrees arrive, and Stan and I exchange beef bites and I could have indeed ordered that strip steak, but the filet is dreamy also. It's served with mashed potatoes and roasted baby carrots. Stan skips dessert, but I order an orange pound cake, grilled in butter and drizzled with Gran Marnier, served with a scoop of orange sorbet made from freshly squeezed orange juice. Cup of decaf. All delicious. Tab is $110 plus $22 tip, and Stan won't let me contribute a penny. Says his business of WWI Trench watches is doing very well, and he needs tax deductions.
I get Stan back to his hotel by 8 p.m. and he has been up since 2 a.m. and says he is hitting the rack. I drive back to the house, do a Seinfeld immersion for about an hour, and hit the bed myself. It's going to be a busy Saturday, the day of the Mart. This is where I will make (or not make!) my money to put toward this trip!
Bruce
Good luck at the Mart!
ReplyDeleteMario.