The 2nd Day of the New Year

Because New Year's Day had fallen on a Sunday, the vast majority of workers had Monday off also.  However, many stores had returned to normal hours by Monday.  Rich and I grabbed our wheely cart and headed to our local "Cold Storage" grocery store.  We grabbed some staples for the coming week, and some wine, and headed home.  "Cold Storage" has a promotion going on now, whereby you get a stamp for every $10 you spend.  When you complete a sheet of 20 stamps, you can buy certain items at a discounted price.  One of the items is an electric grill, which we desperately want.  Our microwave says it has a grill feature, but I fear that the meat will come out being the consistency of rubber.  Anyway, I've looked for the grill every time I've gone grocery shopping, to no avail.  Monday, when we shopped, they had gotten new shipments of every other promotional item - except the grill.

Rich, accessing the gate to our apartment.

Rich, under CNY decorations in the mall.  There was a pop-up store, selling linens,  in this area the previous week.

The walkway along the river.

Coming into the complex, by the pool.

There is a larger "Cold Storage" in a larger mall a little farther from our apartment.  Michelle had driven me there, and Rich and I had taken a taxi there, but, on Monday, we decided to try to walk there.  Monday afternoon was very warm and humid, as is usual, but it was a long pleasant walk along the river, mostly in shade, to the "Great World City Mall".  There were several things we were looking for besides the grill, too.  Unfortunately, the grill was not in stock there, either, and only about 1/3 of the shops in the mall were open, due to the holiday.  Our trip was not a complete bust, as we were able to get some needed items from the hardware store.  We also had "a good stretch of the legs", as the Quiet Man would say.  A dip in the pool would have been a nice way to end the outing, but we got home just in time for the "daily downpour".  Oh well - naptime instead!