The Baltimore Oreos and Other Tales from the Street

Welcome, race fans, and thanks for coming back to the Box that Bends.

We've spent the last couple of days at a convention in Baltimore for the day gig. The Baltimore MLB franchise was one Crew member's favorite team as a kid because he misheard and thought they were the Baltimore Oreos.
"Wanna go see the Oreos?"
"Yessssssssss!"

So, as a nod to that misguided person (at least in earlier years) we have included a snap of Camden Yards taken from the sky bridge down the street. And as a nod to history, here is a shot of the Please-Don't-Let-Us-Get-Mugged-While-Shooting-The-Constellation-At-Night photo.

At any rate, the convention (AKA: The Intersection of Bunion and Blister Central), was a mad success -at least when it comes to scanning badges and making inappropriate and iffy conversation. However, it was good in other ways.

Relax. Fear not. For though we have walked through the valley of pot bellied men and pop-up booths, we have been mildly active at the Box Bend ranch and day camp. All that drivel to say this: We think we have finally closed on the Barbour Store property. We say think because we are still receiving closing extension notices from the owner. Let this be a lesson to anyone considering the game: REO (bank owned property) can be Code for Banked Own Glacial Ice Flows. We've had bunions develop faster than this closing.

We are still waiting with less than baited breath on Richmond Road... this is our little basement flood-slash-science experiment house on five acres. Our realtor is trying to talk us into modular for this site and we've already heard theft stories. So...

And then there is the 200 pound gorilla in the room.

Hello Hazel.

Some types of female gorillas can weigh around 200 pounds and live up to 35-40 years. And that's how long this hairy primate seems to be taking. Our GC has gone strangely radio-silent. The finish line is right there, but seems to be obscured by terrain that suffers from a deluge of slight wrinkles, "maybes," and hope. Hope isn't a strategy. And it can smell like the B.O. wafting off a caged beast at the National Zoo in Washington, DC. So, we'll be calling for a progress report today.

Main Ave is on hold until Hazel hits the feeding pen.

Concerning our other business pursuits, well the RE franchise seems to be doing well and we are opening a new office on Glenwood South in Raleigh. That's not us, though. All credit goes to our business partner on that one.

The two or three other businesses we are after are progressing as well. For now they seem to be caught aomewhere between the bankers and the holding pens at the zoo. However, that's the fun of trying to escape gravity.

​Or so we've been told.

Stay tuned.
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