Visit to Durham County Main Library
I had planned to visit the North Carolina Capital building but my plans changed. I woke at 7:00pm and went for coffee.
Joe Van Gogh Coffee Durham
I was excited about going to the coffee shop on Broad St. in Durham. I read that they roasted their own beans and had sandwiches. I was expecting that smell of roasted coffee beans and pleasant environment to sit in and work for an hour. Expectation can shape emotions and lift you up or drag you down. That smell of freshly roasted coffee beans was not to be found. The barista never acknowledged anyone and didn’t want to answer any questions. He was that way with everyone. OK, the coffee was good. So, I took the last small table and pulled out my laptop. There was pleasant music playing and I thought I’ll sit here for an hour and get some things done.
About 15 minutes later, a deep thumping sound started. It was as if a car with loud speakers and bad hip-hop playing had just parked in front of the building. The floor was vibrating. The music in the shop could still be heard behind the vibrations and constant drone. I tried to absorb the sounds for about 30 minutes. In the end the environment was creating anxiety for me and I packed. Outside, I realized the drone was coming from the shop next door. No one else seemed to be bothered by this.
Durham County Main Library
From the car, I found a library nearby. I was asking the universe to create a wonderful environment. As I drove up, I saw a brand new (one year) technology rich library complex. I asked where I could use my laptop and they directed me to this beautiful space on the third floor. There were meeting rooms, quiet booths, work tables, couches and much more. The wifi was very fast and yes, it was very quiet. The only thing this library was missing was a coffee / pastry shop.
I settled in for an hour or so, and in the end, I stayed until closing at 6:00pm. I was able to read and write without any distractions. It was a lovely experience.
Copa Cuban Food
I hadn’t eaten anything since the coffee shop except for the five pieces of handcrafted chocolates from French Broad Chocolates in Ashville. They had been in a small box sitting in the sun. They melted in my mounth and I tried to make them last all afternoon without success.
There were many good restaurants in Durham. The Copa came up as a Cuban restaurant not far from the library. It had been years since I had authentic cuban food. I found parking quickly and walked three blocks to the restaurant. All the tables were reserved but the bar was open. I ordered a chicken avocado sandwich dish to be eaten with knife and fork. It came with rice and beans on the side. I sprinkled the habanero pepper sauce on the sandwich and beans. They told me to be careful with it. I continued to add sauce which had a nice flavor. I was almost done when I thought, I wish I had taken a picture.
For desert I had cuban style flan. The food was excellent as was the service. The owner came out to serve the flan and we talked about how flan differs in different parts of South America.
The owner is Cuban as is much of the art work around the restaurant. I really liked some of the photographs of Cuba taken by one of his relatives.
I found another Cracker Barrel near the airport closer to Raleigh. They were closed when I pulled in and I was the only car in the lot at the back. I had been asleep for about an hour when I was awakened by a load sound like someone power washing their car. I got out of the car and a camper van had pulled up beside me and was running a very large generator. In most campgrounds this isn’t allowed. There were vehicles parked in this huge parking lot and they chose the parking spot beside me. I moved the car to the front of the building away from the noise.
It was an interesting day dealing with noice. The temperature went down into the 20’s but I slept very well.