I am becoming a neighborhood feature on the Segway. In preparation for Chris’ arrival tomorrow, I rushed out to Bi-Rite, that way expensive new grocery down 18th near Guerrero, to purchase some of their spectacular house-made chicken with smoked tomato sausages. What else do you get for a German? As usual, I spotted a few other delicacies that I had to have while I was in there, but I am pleased to report I managed to refrain from purchasing any of their Mexican wedding cookies, their version of which being made with pecans and so good that the entire bag gets eaten before sunset. Afterwards, I went over to Noe Valley to pick up some cheeses.
The round trip took nearly two hours because every time I slowed down, folks wanted to talk about the Segway. And people were swarming in the streets today because it was just gorgeous on this first day in a week without rain. The most interesting person I talked with was a woman who looked my age (and was thus twenty years older) walking with a cane in front of the cheese store. She broke into an ear-to-ear grin when she saw me and remarked excitedly, “I rode my sister’s in the East Bay last week and put one on order!” I just love seeing old folks with ear-to-ear grins.
On the way back home I yelled, “Electricity rules!” to the driver of a Honda Insight that pulled alongside me at a corner, which got big grins from the nearby walkers, but they were decades younger. Maybe it’s because a German visitor is coming, but somehow I’m feeling that I want to get back to the Germanic roots in my speech, and “walkers” sounds a lot more down-to-earth than the effete “pedestrians.”