The landscape in Boston and her surrounding communities is amazingly colorful this time of year. The leaves change into a sea of gold yellow, tangy orange, fiery red, and even a crisp maroon. The sweaters and warm jackets make their way back onto our shoulders, and our thoughts turn towards the holiday feasts and parties sure to fill our time, calendars, and stomachs in the weeks to come.
Speaking of holidays, today a client called because he wanted a taste of Thanksgiving just a little earlier. Despite that it was a weekend and it was a last-minute request, I was there to make it happen.
In a gentle, grandfather-like voice, the client said he had preordered a fully-roasted, 15-pound turkey from Owen’s Poultry Farm in the town of Needham and he requested that I pick it up, purchase a few other items along with it, and deliver the meal to his home in the Rowes Wharf area of Boston, at the Boston Harbor waterfront. The client noted that the farm would have his turkey dinner ready by 3:30PM, and because he called on a Saturday, the business closes at 4PM on those days.
Here is how I quickly got ready:
After completing some late morning tasks, I made my way to the farm around 2:30PM. There is probably a million ways to get to the same place, but the travel route I took is the one that is most familiar and consistent. Given that it was still early enough in the afternoon on a weekend, the roads are less likely to be clogged with traffic and I would have ample time to get to the farm before it closed. It was great timing, as I expected. I was able to breeze through Route 9 heading westward towards Wellesley, then I made a detour onto Cedar Street heading south until it ended on Central Avenue.
The farm was situated near many private residential homes and a short distance from the Wellesley Country Club across a small body of water. I arrived a little after 3PM and business was brisk, judging from the number of cars moving in and out of the small parking lot. Upon entering the door, there was a small country store feel to the farm and the smell of roasting turkeys was heavenly from the back of the cashier. In addition to picking up the turkey, the client wanted me to also purchase a container of fresh cranberry sauce and a box of butternut squash from the freezer aisle. I can only imagine how many people will be ordering fresh turkeys in the coming weeks for Thanksgiving.
As payment was made for the client’s order, the staff threw in a container of fresh gravy, and then I made my way back towards Boston for the delivery.
The local road traffic can be cruel and unpredictable, so I opted for a quick jump onto Interstate 95 / Route 128 heading south and followed signs to get onto Interstate 93 heading north towards downtown Boston.
Twenty miles and 1-1/2 hours later, I drove up to the client’s building, a full-service luxury condo on Boston’s waterfront. With street parking on Atlantic Avenue next to impossible, I pulled over to the valet section and hopped over to ask the friendly doorman for permission to temporarily park in order to deliver the client’s turkey dinner. Because my client was a resident in the building, he happily obliged and even gave me directions on how to get to my client’s side of the building.
Happy that my car would be in safe hands, I loaded up my arms – one arm cradling the mouthwatering 15-pound turkey and the other arm dangling a bag with the butternut squash, cranberry sauce, and gravy inside – and immediately went to work. I entered the elevator closest to the concierge’s desk, went up a few floors, got off and walked through a “bridge,” a narrow carpeted pathway that would lead to another part of the building, and entered another elevator that would take me to the fifth floor.
I knocked on the client’s door and was immediately greeted by the client’s two Shih Tzu dogs, Waldo and Oscar. The client, a 60-something, cigar-smoking, heavyset man in his comfy pajamas and robe, greeted me with a giant smile and noting the load that I was carrying, invited me into his home. The view of Boston Harbor from the client’s living room was stunning and was hard to ignore. He told me that it would be fine to leave the turkey dinner on the counter, as it would be consumed on Sunday, and he was grateful for my quick help today. On the way out, the client’s wife, also in her pajamas, extended her thanks from the bedroom. What a delight it was to serve this client today.
Images credit: Susan Ho
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