dorchester

60F today and sunny. for reasons unclear, we went into dorchester for lunch with dave. after winding slowly through the fenway, guided by a flawed GPS unit--every minute in a car confirms the wisdom of selling the trusty saturn--we showed up at an amazing house (painted somewhere between slate and federal blue). dave's apartment in it is replete with quartersawn oak trim, original stained glass, custom cast iron radiators, enormous old glass casement windows, and the rest. tracey managed to conceal it well but i had a major case of apartment envy that became more pronounced after i noted a vestibular space into which at least 60 linear feet of books could easily be tucked, plus an enormous yard in back and a deck overlooking the street and a large, mature maple. we got lunch at nikisha's roti shop down the street: a trinidadian-style flatbread stuffed with chickpea meal and fried on a griddle, then wrapped around curried chicken, potatoes, and chickpeas laced with hot and jerk sauces. not the same thing at all, but 3am prata at the shop on clementi road came to mind and would not be dismissed. on the way back, we detoured by way of the tropical market and the edges of the ashmont hill neighbourhood. many of the houses on the hill are well-built woodframe, set back from the street on double and triple lots. a large proportion had carriage houses attached or close by, ideal for a woodshop. i had plenty of time to ponder this while nursing a glass of water on the deck and talking about japanese denim weavers.