Tandy Leather

Today I rode 130 miles north to Tandy Leather in Connecticut.  Now 130 miles on the east coast/New York wise, is about 4 hours.  The entire thing is road work, and traffic jams, narrow lanes, and well, yeah 4 hours.  I arrived at the supposed location of the Tandy Leather store at approximately 3pm, after some detours through towns and makeshift routes.  Google Maps chimed in "destination is on your left."  Guess what I saw, to my chagrin...an empty store.  Famished, sunburnt, and thinking "of course it's not there"  I pulled over to cool my jets and call the number of the store, cause I figured they'd just re-located somewhere in town.  Someone answers I put the phone up to my helmet to try to get an ear on their location.   They moved to a place called Berlin, 15 miles south, down another highway, but still on the way home.   And what's 15 miles when you've just come 130.  I was Stoked it wasn't a complete waste of an overshot.  Although I could have done without all that 84 road work/traffic.

So there I was, hungry, and keeping their doors open, drooling all over the tools and rolling in the beds of fine leather.  The gal helping me find all the things I need was a real help, she gave me all sorts of advice and showed me all sorts of tools that I'd need after explaining in amateur depth what my projects were to consist of.  So, after trolling the aisles and throwing everything in my basket, I'd racked up a good pile of goods/necessities up at the register.  Basically I was like, "ring it all up, and I'll take the stuff off that I really don't need according to how affordable it all is and how much I can strap to the bike.   The first tally was up in the 190's, so I took a couple things off, talking briefly about each item, to each item, about how I really didn't need it.  Then we were down to 170's, then 160's then 150's and then when it got down to the 140's and I couldn't really do without anything I definitely needed, I was like, "let's do it."

I boxed and double bagged, and then shook that woman's hand.  Then I proceeded to cleverly strap everything: large roll of leather to the back of the sissy bar, standing out proudly far above my head, much the way a flag pole would. The pack of holster patters went delicately in a backpack, and the 'how to carve leather' book and box of tools, rode right behind me strapped to the passenger seat.  Then I went next door for Chinese food, at the kind of place that just had bare tables, and no service.  Not the way I expected Chinese in Connecticut to be.  But I was hungry, and the guys at the table next to me, owned the white SUV outside with the stenciled letters that read loudly across the back window "White Knight."

I made it out of there safely.  And me and my new trade tools, rode home a new route through the ups and downs of what Connecticut probably calls mountains.  It was the 15 south.  Decent separated two lanes up, two lanes down.  And the flow of traffic was delightful.  I knew I was making good time.  I left at 6:30 and I got home at 10. So I'd say I made better time for sure getting home.  Navigating the city is always going to be a labor of time/traffic/and wondering why people/I, deal with this shit.

Ok, It's late, I've got a ripping headache, and neighborhood kids are underaged drinking outside.  I'm going to bed.  Stay tuned for photos of my leather goods, and videos of my trip back from Connecticut.  I took one video. haha