Carbon Dating Page 19
Even though it tends to pay the bills.
But, later.
For the moment, I was going to enjoy the hushed awe and wide-eyed amazement of a young lady experiencing her first rapid-preparation food service environment. She was particularly impressed by the fact that one could walk straight into a room-size refrigerator, and passing through that, walk straight into a room-size freezer. Coolness knows no bounds. Hairnets notwithstanding.
Of course, we topped off our visit with a mid-afternoon feast from the steam tables. Manny sat down with us in a booth and regaled us with his family’s restauranting history. The need to provide deliciousness had been in their blood for generations (and they had the secret recipes to prove it).
Willow was particularly quiet on the drive home. Her silences usually precede poignant—or profound—or utterly snarky—observations. They are definitely a window into whatever is percolating in her mind, and I figured there was a lot going on in there, considering the events of the weekend. So I waited and didn’t clutter the air with my own comments.
“There aren’t very many good places to eat in Fidelity, are there?” she finally said.
“Tell me about it,” I muttered, remembering the disappointingly unexceptional meal at the bistro. “Maybe there’s just not enough foot traffic yet.” The downtown core was progressing, with new shops popping up here and there, but it was a long way from bustling. The chamber of commerce needed a good PR person. On the other hand, their budget was probably seriously lacking.
“Manny has the lunchtime and casual-eating crowd, no question,” Willow continued. “But if someone wanted to go out for a gourmet dinner—for a romantic date or a celebratory occasion, or even if they just wanted another chance to eat really good food—they’d have to drive into Portland.”
I began to wonder if an interest in business strategy had replaced her fascination with speculative fiction. The whims and mores of teenagerhood.
“So, I’ve been doing some research…”
Uh-oh. I cast a raised eyebrow in her direction.
She grinned at me from behind the sprinkling of freckles. “Have you ever heard of supper clubs?” She didn’t wait for an answer, just proceeded to bowl me over with her idea. “So,” she said, admirably wrapping up her pitch with the clincher, “you’re going to need a sous-chef.” And with that, she pointed at her own chest with a knowing nod.
My mouth was open, but no sound came out.
“The Tin Can Canteen.” Willow wriggled gleefully in the passenger seat. “Don’t you love the sound of that?”
You know, it wasn’t half bad, her proposition. Better than doling out spin for the foreseeable future, at any rate.
NOTES & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
While there is extensive documentation about military plane (primarily WWII-era) wreckage in the Oregon coastal mountain range, I fudged the distance and location a bit for this story as compared to any actual sites. However, there are still missing planes which have yet to be accounted for, so…
The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver dive bomber, stationed or stored at times at both Naval Air Station Tillamook and at Naval Air Station Astoria, was known to be difficult to handle, earning it the nickname “Beast” as well as another, less printable moniker.
My stomach thanks Debra Biaggi, who conveniently happened to have a birthday which precipitated my first visit to the real Pip’s Original Doughnuts. Hurry up and have another one, will you? (As if I need excuses to snarf chai and doughnuts.) This manuscript came together rather precipitously itself, in one final, write-it-or-bust burst, and Debra faithfully gave it her thorough attention to help smooth off the rough edges and dangling participles.
However, I do claim all errors, whether accidental or intentional, solely as my own.
Also, deepest gratitude to the readers who took the time to post reviews online. Your comments continue to make a world of difference, not just for me as an author, but also for all the other readers out there who are considering what new mystery series to dive into.
SOURCES
A lot of reading goes into writing. These are some of the books, articles, and websites that inspired and informed Carbon Dating.
● Paradise Lot: Two Plant Geeks, One-Tenth of an Acre and the Making of an Edible Garden Oasis in the City, Eric Toensmeier, Chelsea Green Publishing, 2013
● The Resilient Farm and Homestead, Ben Falk, Chelsea Green Publishing, 2013
● Never Salute with a Broken Garter: WWII with an Oregon WAVE, Margaret (Peggy) Parent Lutz, self-published, 2005
● On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, Harold McGee, Collier Books, 1984
● Joy of Cooking, Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker, Scribner, 1997
● ‘Loggers find WWII-era wreckage near Rockaway Beach’, Lori Tobias, The Oregonian, 25 March 2010
● ‘The Use of Horticulture in the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in a Private Practice Setting’, Howard Z. Lorber, LCSW, Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture, 2011, 21(1)
● www.dpaa.mil
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jerusha writes cozy mystery series which are set along the rivers and amid the forests of her beloved Pacific Northwest. She spends most of her time seated in front of her attic window, engaged in daydreaming with intermittent typing or pinning Post-It notes to corkboards (better safe than sorry!). She also considers maple-frosted, cream-filled doughnuts an essential component of her writer's toolkit.
She posts updates on her website www.jerushajones.com
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She loves hearing from readers at jerusha@jerushajones.com
To see all Jerusha’s books on Amazon.com, including the Imogene Museum cozy mystery series and the Mayfield cozy mystery series, click here amazon.com/author/jerushajones
ALSO BY JERUSHA JONES
Imogene Museum Cozy Mystery Series
Rock Bottom
Doubled Up
Sight Shot
Tin Foil
Faux Reel
Shift Burn
Mayfield Cozy Mystery Series
Bait & Switch
Grab & Go
Hide & Find
Cash & Carry
Tried & True
Tin Can Cozy Mystery Series
Mercury Rising
Silicon Waning
Carbon Dating