the CREW's LAST WRITES: Not A Drop, the Target's notes.

Not a drop of water shed this session 'round. Thigh to waist beckoned, 60th Street Break. 10/6/2022

It's been 10 months since our last retreat. I could say a lot had happened but in reality, time just keeps moving forward. The question is, are you riding the wave or duck diving for the next set? It seems to me I am just trying to stay afloat. With the mid-fall evening in its last hours, the beach option was a pass and we planned to head directly to the tavern of choice. For this monster occasion LWatt had prepared her famous chocolate chip cookie squares as a gift. Of course, Wattman had to stop to do his surf check. Thus, they both showed up blaming the other for being late. No worries, it was good to see friends smiling all around after such a long absence. We had decided on a location we visited 4 years plus ago. Shottie's Point is situated in a small space that is part of K-Coast Surf Shop on 35th and the main drag, and with this being the start of the Endless Summer Crusin', we had to wait for a table. Business was good.
After being apart for such a long time we had a great deal to catch up on, and remembering what we had told each other previously was a challenge in itself. Being seated at a booth in the corner, we got to the first order of business- the menu. The beer selection was a combination of drafts and cans. The Watt requested glasses and while cold, they were not iced. As we made our beer selection, I announced I had been sober since our last meeting ten months ago. Not a single drop of beer. It seemed to me only when I was down with the Crew (Wattman I suspect) that any level of alcohol was required.

However, the beer was cold and we made our dinner selections of Old Bay Wings and "the Chooch," a seafood pizza with Old Bay, crab, and shrimp. The wings were large, hot and well-seasoned. But it was my first wings in ten months so maybe that played a role in how quickly I devoured my share. The pizza itself was nicely made and while we did find small portions of shrimp, the crab was a bit scarce for my liking.

Even with a small waitstaff, the service actually was pretty good and there was music playing in the background though it tended to blend into the background noise. To Watt's pleasure, there were several TVs in the bar, all running loops of different surf contests. We spent most of the eve jaw jacking and soon enough we started saying our good nights. After ten months, it all felt like some sort of special occasion. We had good food, cold beer, and lively conversation with great friends reunited. You would have thought we had picked up without missing a beat. But alas, NO. As we stood outside it suddenly occurred to us that we hadn't done our ratings. Hastily, we wrote down our thoughts, did our high fives, and planned the next retreat.

THE RATINGS-

Old Bay Wings: B+

"The Chooch" Seafood Pizza: B-

Beer: C+

Atmosphere: C+

Value: B-

Overall Score = 2.64

Did we mention the Endless Summer Cruisin'? The town rumbled with Hot Rods, Customs, and Classics through the weekend. This year being the 25th anniversary we could not let this post close without a few pics. With each flashing cruiser, we all unanimously agreed...this summer had flown by. Definitely got to do a better job of taking advantage next summer. Let's face it, they're never really endless.