Date nights in Carrboro, or, I slow for roadkill

Jul 6, 2013

On a date the other night, at Glasshalfull in Carrboro — we thought about going to the new Steel String Craft Brewery next door, but opted for wine instead — Erin invited me to slide into the booth next to her. We sat, and talked, and drank our wine, sharing a piece of chocolate pecan pie with whipped cream. I ordered a second glass of Badenhorst Secateurs chenin blanc, and felt really good.

Last night was a double date, with Erin’s sister Katherine and husband Tom (she’s an artist and he’s manager of Marfa Public Radio). We were back in Carrboro, enjoying the delicious North Carolina sea scallops over pureed cauliflower and shiitake mushrooms at Acme Food & Beverage Co. and the heirloom tomatoes on mozzarella with pesto. Then, over to the Arts Center for the 10 by 10 in the Triangle — 10 plays, 10 minutes, 10 actors, 10 directors.

The plays were quite enjoyable. A Gun on the Table, by Margy Ragsdale, was really good: a English couple, knitting and reading the paper, discussing a revolver that has appeared on the table between them. Clever and funny, and quotable on the way home. What You Don’t Know, by Mora Harris, was also good: two highway workers scraping roadkill off the road, debating the species of animal and, when they discover a tag with a phone number, what to tell the owner of the now-dead pet.

A play about roadkill? Timely, I told our group. Just that day I’d seen a black vulture pecking at a possum, an orange kitten, the stripes of a hawk feathers sticking straight up, a huge snapping turtle, a deer and a few squirrels. Occasionally I see a dead fox, once I saw a beaver and recently I thought I saw a coyote withering on the side of the freeway. I slow down when passing roadkill, to identify the animal and regret the impact of cars and nature.

Today, maybe the farmers market, and the swimming pool again. (Over on my Fargo test blog, I wrote about the copperhead snake that was killed near the pool last weekend: Swimming, sharks, snakes and sea stars.)

Anton Zuiker ☄