Thursday 13th October – our first Walmart relations

Having already spent a fortune yesterday on preparation costs, the theme continued today! But it was bike day. Being the frugal one, and in a blind panic about how much our trip had already cost, I attempted to find a suitable second-hand bicycle on Craig’s list, which is kind of like Gumtree in the UK where people put their property up for sale ranging from items for a couple of quid up to cars, jewellery and more expensive items.  The description of the first bike we went to see said that it had been left out in the rain ‘for a couple of hours’. This turned out to be a drastic understatement. I took it for a test-ride but the seller was clearly very concerned that I might die, as he kept shouting out to “test the breaks!” and “don’t go too fast!” It was clear from the get-go that this was a rust-bucket project not a quick ‘doer-upper’! He almost offered it to me for free such was his keenness to get rid, however I declined and as we left had to admit to Simon that maybe he was right, a rare occasion! Investing in cheap, new bikes would save a lot of extra mileage, cost and bother in the long run. 

And so marked the beginning of our relationship with Walmart, the mega US department store (especially if it’s a Walmart Superstore, clue’s in the title). For the Brits who haven’t been fortuitous enough to step foot in a Walmart, imagine a very large Tesco Extra and then ‘Super-size’ it. You can buy nearly anything in these places, and yes, including guns and ammo – you’ll find them just along from the Toy Department!  We were left to our own devices to select bikes off the racks, pull them down and take them for a spin in the aisles. Simon selected a funky grey Mongoose with orange writing for $120 and I chose a more basic, mostly white mountain bike for $80. Even with the current shoddy exchange rate that’s a brand-new bike for 65 quid, bargain, so of course we then spent more on necessary accessories. We easily loaded the bikes into the back of the hire car and after a bite to eat we found an opportunity to test the bikes in the outside world having been recommended to visit Concord, Massachusetts. We found some free parking in a residential area and took a ride through the local cemetery before heading to the North Bridge, scene of ‘the shot heard round the World’.

The top pic is Simon posing on his new wheels by the Minute Man statue by Daniel Chester French. The lower image is an overview of the monuments and the bridge itself.  This location is where the first American soldier fired in anger and under orders against British troops at the commencement of the American Revolution in 1775 (although there seems to be some in-fighting between Concord and Lexington about whether shots were actually fired there earlier the same day but I’m not going to get involved in all that ‘he said, she said’). The rest of Concord was also very pretty and, dare I use the expression, quaint.  It was lovely to get our first opportunity to act like tourists having been in the country for 4 days or so.  It was a taste of days out to come.

Back in Westford it was another night for poor Eleri in hospital, but the doctors were hopeful that she was on the mend.  Another payment towards our new home was made as another 24 hours had passed in the UK.  Evenings here so far have consisted of cheap nights in with a couple of beers for relaxation before turning in for bed in good time for another hectic day to come.