"Come and Run From the Heat in the Middle of a Sunlit Street"

Jeremy and I spent a fabulous sunny Saturday afternoon this past weekend simply enjoying downtown Ann Arbor, now that the students have moved home and the townies can have the city back again. Yeah, I'm one of those kvetching, crotchety folks who inherently know that the students (and I even used to be one of 'em here) are essential to the identity of this university town, but who rather enjoy having parking spots and sidewalks and restaurant tables available for us, too ... at least during the summer.

The title of this post, for those who don't recognize the line, is from Neon Indian's "Deadbeat Summer." Now, thanks to working and/or going to school each summer from the age of 14, then "real life" as a grown-up and stay-at-home mom before divorce made me a full-time employee in the working world, "deadbeat" is not a term I have the luxury of applying to myself during the summer (or at all). Too many responsibilities and obligations, too little sunshine on my shoulders! But that first line of the song definitely describes our Saturday adventure -- which was a much-needed and wonderful respite -- as does the next one: "I'd rather get something to eat."



And so, eat we did! Indecisive as always, and wanting to post a new restaurant review since I haven't done that for awhile, I tried to determine where to eat since Jeremy had told me it would be my pick. Pizza? Mexican? And then serendipity -- a hot dog vendor at the corner of Liberty and Maynard.

Now remember -- I can't usually eat standard hot dogs, bacon, ham, etc., because the sodium nitrite gives me a crushing headache reminiscent of what it must feel like to have one's head flattened under a cement truck ... or hit by an A-Rod line drive, as Cleveland Indians pitcher David Huff was on Saturday at Yankee Stadium. But my sinuses had been acting up that morning, hinting at a pending infection, so I'd taken the "big gun" meds to ward off the demons. I dared to hope that perhaps I had enough medically-beneficial chemicals floating through my bloodstream to counter the nasty effects of the soon-to-be-introduced-and-usually-toxic one.

And so, Jeremy and I walked on up to Delicious Dogs on the Run and chatted with a charming woman named Autumn who was wearing a Tigers cap and listening to the game ... gotta love a gal who loves baseball!!! (Oh, and how agonizing was Galarraga's almost-perfect game last night, 'til the ump blew the call on what shoulda been the 3rd out in the bottom of the 9th?!?!?) Hot dogs, jumbo hot dogs, kielbasa, turkey dogs, vegetarian creations, combos ... oh, what's a girl like me to do??? Autumn very helpfully recommended her own favorite, the Polish sausage; and so Jeremy and I each ordered Combo #3 with the sausage, a side of chips and a drink for the most reasonable price of $4.50 per person.

I asked if I could take a photo, explaining that I have a food blog and love to promote local businesses; Autumn was happy to oblige, and promised to look up Food Floozie even though I have apparently run out of cards and had nothing to give to her as a memento. (Gotta remedy that little situation ....)

After slathering my hot dog in mustard and digging a Vernor's (a sweet ginger ale made in Detroit that took me years to get used to, which I now love) out of the cooler after Jeremy chose an iced tea, we meandered across the street to sit in the sun and devour a truly fabulous lunch. The Polish sausage had exceptionally good flavor, was very juicy, and the skin had just the right "pop" when bitten into. The soda was not just chilled but downright cold, which was just what was needed on a hot day. Truly, it was perfection ... :)

And then it occurred to me -- with all my schmoozing and picture taking, I had completely forgotten to pay for our meal!!! So I ran back to Autumn's cart with profuse apologies; she, too, had neglected that little detail, so I didn't feel so bad -- it's not like I was intentionally doing a dine-'n'-dash!

I wholeheartedly endorse Autumn and her delicious wares, and I will definitely go back -- no headache for Mary after so many years of having to buy specialty items or feel like an outcast when others could enjoy a quick treat with protein and I was relegated to a bag of chips or a pretzel. Maybe it was Autumn's charm and welcoming smile that beat back the sodium nitrite heebie-jeebies ... I don't know. But until you've been denied something as simple as the pleasure of a hot dog on a summery day, you can't truly appreciate how genuinely I relished every single bite. Sometimes, it's the little things ....

Tomorrow, I will regale you with the tale of Comet Coffee, the most extraordinary coffee experience -- so, so far beyond being merely a coffee "shop." It was our next stop, the place to run from the heat ... but why use up all my stories in one post, when I've gotta write some sorta shpiel each day of this month for the NaBloPoMo???