My wife Bronwen likes to say we pay a luxury tax to live in Maplewood.
By that she means, we pay more in property taxes than our friends in other communities because we have something they don't, we have perhaps the finest town in the state!
I buy that argument to a degree but still, it doesn't mean these tax hikes can go on forever. I'm going to stop right now before I begin lecturing (once again) on what we need to do in order to alleviate the yearly tax gains because frankly it's a downer.
Find out what's happening in Maplewoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Instead, let me just give you a taste of what my family did this weekend, a 48 hour period where leaving Maplewood wasn't desired or required. On Friday evening we ate at the Village Gate. I had my favorite, the roasted chicken. We spoke with Jimmy the bartender and his dad John Sr. I shared a few war stories from my recent campaign for Township Committee. Both seemed interested because my stories are great! Of course, my wife will tell you they were just being polite. Perhaps she's right, but at the Village Gate, you always feel like you're home!
Bronwen and I then went over the the Village Wine Store, chatted with the owner Allan a bit, and bought a bottle of red! We returned home but soon found ourselves being pulled in separate directions. Bronwen decided to head over to a neighbor's house to relax but I wanted a little action so I actually left the cozy confines of Maplewood, stopping off at Bunnys in South Orange. My good friend Jeremy Moss was hosting a DJ fueled dancathon! Man, can those Clinton School parents party! Our good friend Tami was leading the charge on the dance floor but luckily for me, I managed to stay away before I could make a fool of myself. Instead I cozied up to the bar, chatted with Monster for a bit and enjoyed a cold one (or two) Monster of course, never offered to buy a round. Nothing new here!
Find out what's happening in Maplewoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
On Saturday, my family woke up and took a three hour bike ride through the reservation enjoying the beautiful weather! We returned, had some lunch and then headed over to the Memorial library where we saw some old friends from our YMCA days. David Coble's family was on hand donating more than 100 books. David, who passed away in June of 2005 and my son were pre-school classmates. If you look up courage and dignity in the dictionary, there should be a paragraph on the Cobles.
After a low key Saturday night, we awoke on Sunday, and once went to the reservation, this time taking a long three hour hike. We then spent the afternoon cooling off at the town pool! How nice to have it open again!
Well, there you have it, a lazy weekend but one I would not trade in. Not for anything!
Lee
