Fertile Soil

It constantly fascinates me, the situations where older friends seem to easily open up, eager to engage in lively conversation or to share an anecdote from the past, a tender story about their earlier years.  The #1 place for producing fertile soil for such moments seems to be over a dinner table. whether in the dining rooms of senior residences, across from each other at cozy diners, or over white linen table cloths at more formal restaurants.

Never fails to delight me!

Two nights ago, a grannie client was feeling a bit down in the dumps after a somewhat deflating afternoon.  I must have picked up on her fledgling blues during a touch-base phone call, because instead of trotting to one of our regular dining spots, I surprised her with a special pre-dinner drive.  

Started out under lowering skies, her spirits seemed as grey as the clouds, but they (at least the spirits) quickly lifted as we nipped thru funky parts of Glenside (especially the part where we were parallel to railroad tracks), skirted Chestnut Hill to deliciously curvy Lincoln Drive, over to the Kelly Drive where at least 30 racing shells of all sizes were on the river (for a few seconds, where the drive is very close to the river, we were within 30' of an eight!). 

Swooping past Boat House Row & the elegant Fairmount Water Works (seriously - incredibly elegant), we sped along toward the Philadelphia Art Museum; as we drove past that iconic (in so many ways) masterpiece, had to keep my eyes peeled, as i'd never taken the Vine Street Expressway west-east. It was a snap! 

Oh, my gosh!! It was a surprisingly gorgeous experience (the east-west view is fairly ho hum). and super easy to get onto i-95, the slip left onto Columbus Bldv (still think of it as Delaware Ave) & our destination - CHART HOUSE restaurant. 

What a reception we received! While making reservations, I'd noted on the comments space that my companion would be an older woman who loved celebrations. They certainly made her feel like royalty! 


My grannie client was bowled over by sitting virtually atop the water.  Still light out, our table offered a clear view of the USS New Jersey, docked on the Camden side of the Delaware.  Up river was a dramatic view of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, while down stream we could see the Commodore Barry.  After night fell, the Spirit of Philadelphia, docked next to Chart House, pulled back in our full sight, headed out for a dinner-time cruise. Barges went up & down the Delaware, helicopters kept taking off & landing from behind a splendid collection of condos to our right.

Jason, our server, took care of us like my client was HIS grannie! Chart House offers three $29.99 trios - she ordered chopped salad, the short rib with wine reduction over yukon gold mashed potatoes & topped with perfect aspargus, and creme brulee, with a cocktail to start & coffee to close. 

Me? A large water with four lemon slices & the smallish but perfect salad bar.

My g.c. might have been a bit down in the dumps when we started out, but on our return she practically purred with utter contentment.  

All of it was splendid - from the drive to the first sip of her vodka martini to her last bite of creme brulee - but for me the BEST part was the wonderful discussion we had as the meal progressed.  The open water & open skies seemed to open up everything, including the range of topics we covered, from our specific faith to religion in general to wondering about other planets in the universe and the nature of God.  

Fertile soil, indeed!