I have been trying to find a new hat for when I’m on recess duty and on parking lot duty after school. I’ve only found one hat that I really like, but it was so expensive, I just couldn’t get it. Yesterday, I decided to go back to the store to see if it’s been marked down. After all, it is a summer hat, and summer is almost over.
The store is in Georgetown (in Washington DC), so it’s a little over an hour away. I was nervous as I stepped inside the store. I spotted the hat immediately and took it down from the shelf. It was one third off! Woo hoo! Even though it was still pricey, I knew I would get it.
I spent a little time looking at other hats, but then took the hat of my desire to the storekeeper. We had some nice chit-chat. She gave me a frequent buyer card, and even stamped it twice – once for my top hat, which I got a long time ago. If I buy eight more hats, I get the next one free!
After getting my hat, I walked around Georgetown a little. The weather was beautiful, and I love the old colonial buildings. As I walked along, I was really exited to see something I’ve only read about – ginkgo tree fruits.
They were bigger than I expected.
When I first got a ginkgo tree for my back yard, I read all about how I should make sure I got a male tree, because female trees grow fruit, and it is extremely foul-smelling. The sidewalk was covered with fruits, and some were crushed, so of course I had to smell them. There was a slight scent, but it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as the descriptions. Maybe they need to rot first or something. The literature says that the seeds inside can be roasted and eaten and are quite tasty, but I didn’t take any.
By the time I got home, it was getting late and I was getting tired. I took a picture of my new hat, and spent some time relaxing before bed.
It is an actual Panama hat – handmade in Guatemala. That’s weird, right? But I read up on it: Guatemalans would make these hats, and they would be imported to the United States via Panama. This hat is the genuine article. Now my only question is, since it’s white, is it okay to wear after Labor Day?
Well, all I can think of is this song. I only knew the chorus from my mom singing it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gFOzaSQY6Q
Cool hat!
Does that song have the Millennial whoop in it? Dodie was way ahead of the times.
Only you…
1) …would drive twice to DC and expend time and fossil fuel to buy a hat that was only 1/3 off the price you saw on the first visit. [It is awesome, BTW, adn if it wards off the hateful melanoma – rock on!]
2) …would fail to snitch a few ginkgo seeds to take home to roast but would still stop to smell the seeds to see if they were as foul as you’d heard; cite earlier corpse flower experiences.
3) …would take the time to explain why panama hats made in Guatemala are not necessarily odd – thank you for that.
We love you, Brad – thanks for always writing interesting tidbits for us to glean after the fact.
You absolutely can wear white after Labor Day. That’s an old-“fashioned”rule, so go for it!
I LOVE HATS…..& So Did Uncle Lyle [(Not For Him) But He Liked When I Wore One]….I remember having a Hat For Easter One Year That He Especially Liked. Yours Looks AWESOME!!!! Nice Choice! 🙂
Awesome hat! You’re so cool to have hats. If your worried about white, tie a bandana or something colorful on it. A neat belt around it! Ooo I’m getting carried away. You’ll just have to go get another one! Punch! Nice on the basketball net!