The Travel Diary of Samuel Peeps Day Seven

Yesterday was spent mostly in and around Denton, about 45 minutes from our 'holiday cottage.' While Gus was at work, we went with Angie to see her office, tour the building where she teaches at UNT and the campus bookstore where I bought my new mean green sweatshirt.



Later, spent time at the used book store on the plaza downtown (again), and antique malls, but unfortunately, none of them had sewing notions, ribbon, etc. Lots of jewelry, furniture, and dishes. Also no WWII posters or war postcards. I guess the solution is to go back to London to Churchill's Cabinet War Rooms!

A sub sandwich and a couple antique stores later, we went to see Gus at Reaper where he works and got a tour of the place. It's really fascinating how they make the molds, then cast the creatures in pewter. Here is Gus, managing the store.

Late in the afternoon, Kevin and I took a walk around the neighborhood and ended up with a tour of one of the neighbor's backyards. We find the most ingenious ways of getting acquainted with people. It seems that there was this tree that appeared to be on common property, at the end of the block, with huge pinecones under it. So after we'd gathered a few of the pinecones, we heard an unmistakably agitated voice directed at us, 'Do you know whose property that is?'

We looked up to see a woman looking quite perturbed with us. We had run into a Texan who was very big on property rights, namely hers, and we were, unbeknownst to us, violating them. I told her how sorry we were, and that we had thought that spot was public property. She went on to explain all her grievances re. private property issues she's had in the past, people who violate them, and tried to make me appreciate just how difficult it is to grow azaleas in Texas! I'm not sure how the azaleas got in there, but her knickers were most definitely in a twist.

Nevertheless, diverting attention to her backyard and the flowering bushes therein, I felt like Bertie Wooster, trying to get out of trouble with Aunt Agatha! She managed to calm down and actually become quite friendly. Well, maybe not quite friendly. Still slightly suspicious, but at least a slightly more friendly demeanor. Despite our obsequious and repeated offers to put the pinecones back, she insisted that we take them. I think we finally convinced her that we do, indeed, understand about property rights.

After spending a few hours engaged in good conversation with Angie and Gus, I polished off the evening by doing a load of laundry so we'll have underwear for the remainder of the trip. One of my better ideas of the day.

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