Thursday, August 13, 2015

No Phone Zone


The best days of summer are here, and I am doing OK.

It is warm and wonderful and the perfect time to enjoy an ice cream treat. On these lovely evenings, with the sun still high in the sky and the air being pleasant, there is nothing nicer than visiting the local dairy bar. The other day, after hours of trimming overgrown bushes, hubby and I decided that we deserved a reward, so off we went to our town's little piece of heaven.  There must have been about 40 gourmet flavors to choose from and we took a long time staring at the various selections before making our most difficult decision of the week.   As we sat outside on a picnic table devouring our luscious, frozen delicacies, we watched the steady stream of customers coming by with friends and family to also take advantage of the lovely August night. What I noticed was that this was a place where no one had their phones out.  Everybody was talking to each other face to face.  Children were laughing and playing rather than checking social media.  All it takes to really connect people is a cone of melting double dip ice cream.


57 comments:

  1. Ice cream is always such a treat and it certainly requires concentration to beat the dribbles! Hope it tasted wonderful.

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    1. Ice cream is truly one of the greatest inventions of mankind.you can also get away with liking your fingers when you are done.

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    1. As you know Cro, it is the real and simple things in life that bring us joy.

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  3. Lovely picture you've painted there with words! I'll have to do this with the kids before summer ends.

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  4. What a fun observation, it takes two hands to eat ice cream, from a cone or from a dish. You remind me we haven't made the summer trip yet to the home made ice cream stand. We best hurry, school starts next week.

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    1. Two hands, Joanne, one holding the ice cream, the other the napkins negates the need or want of a phone. If only people ate ice cream every season of the year, the world would be at peace.

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  5. Delightful post, Arleen. I too favor ice cream over phones. I never get worrisome news from ice cream.

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  6. Your header photo is gorgeous. I can imagine all those people enjoying their ice creams and not a mobile phone in sight. Like Cro says .... absolute heaven.

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    1. The only thing people place above their needed phone connection is their food. Ice cream treats even trump that. Excuse the word trump.

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  8. Such a delightful experience. No cell phones. Good ice cream. With someone you love and loves you back.

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    1. Life is good with sugar and cream and a summer moon above. Simple things and natural distractions make life wonderful.

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  9. Too many people are on their phones these days, and it's refreshing (like ice cream!) to know that sometimes people remember to enjoy one another and not worry about missing a text message or e-mail!

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    1. If only people ate more ice cream cones, life would be more joyful.

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  10. Great story! Who knew people could actually do this.....have an activity where their head wasn't in their chest and their fingers going a mile a minute. Wow! There's still hope for the human race. And what a great place to happen!! An ice cream store. Ice cream?? Count me in !!

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    1. It is good to see people doing things with their hands other than texting.

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  11. It's been so long since I've had ice cream! I miss having a little extra $ to be able to buy it.

    I was beginning to think that there wasn't ANY place where people weren't constantly on their phones! My coworkers at my last job paid more attention to their phones than to their actual jobs.

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    1. I usually buy the flavor of the week which is usually half priced. Bargains can be found.

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  12. Well of course if your ice-cream was in a cone then it takes two hands and a fair bit of attention to eat it without having half of it melt down your arm! What flavours did you choose? We go to an ice-cream parlour when we visit the Dales (next week!) and it always takes me ages to decide what flavours I might most enjoy. We sometimes choose a double scoop and feel like naughty children!
    I would have loved to have seen some photos - but then you would have needed a hand that wasn't busy with ice-cream!

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    1. Ice cream is wonderfully messy and needs our total attention. My favorite flavor is their award-winning chocolate with raspberries. They have a cool name for it, but it escapes me. My hubby likes salted caramel.

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  13. Abso-doggone-lutely! I'd pick a really good ice cream cone over fiddling with a cellphone any day. (And it's purely immaterial that I don't even HAVE a cellphone...)

    But you left us hanging. Forty gourmet flavors? Which did you choose? (I'd have one scoop of strawberry, and one of almond pistachio.)

    Happy weekend!

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    1. I like your choices. Strawberry is my all time favorite, but It is nice to try something different every now and then. Last week, when visiting another town, we stopped at a Gelato store and I got plain raspberry. It was the best I have ever had and I look forward to returning to often.

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  14. Reminds me of home. For the life of me, I couldn't tell you what the name of the shop was anymore, but there was this little ice-cream shop around the corner from me fashioned to look like an old 50's diner and it was HEAVEN. Hand made ice-cream, all delicious, different deals every day. Loved it.

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    1. Ice cream often stirs up memories of childhood and the fun days of summer. Thanks for stoping by.

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  15. All it takes to really connect people is a cone of melting double dip ice cream.
    That's a great insight and funny too. It's amazing people have become so addicted to social media, but nice to know some things never change - like appreciating good ice cream on a hot day. :)

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    1. Lexa, I know people who have their smart phones in their hand or close by for most of the day. I do not understand that need. I have a phone, but it is a dumb one. It fits me perfectly.

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  16. I'm not familiar with the term dairy bar, but it sounds a great place to be!

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    1. Joanne, a dairy bar is an ice cream parlor/store and, yes, they are a great place to visit in the summertime.

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  17. Hi Arleen...Ice cream eating does require - demand - one's undivided attention! :)

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  18. Love, love evenings like this. A night to remember when the weather turns brisk.

    Thanks for your nice comments in my posts---they mean more than you know.

    Jane x

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    1. Unfortunately, the temperatures have risen and humidity has returned. We have to lick our cones a little faster now.

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  19. Sounds wonderful. I'm about to visit a real "no phone" zone. Looking forward to breezes, books and double scoops.

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  20. What a lovely image you have painted! Rossi Bros, our local ice-cream (and Belgian Chocolates) parlour has sold out to a large coffee shop chain and moved into a tiny takeaway-only place at the back. We all remember going there since our own childhoods. Sad :-(
    CLICK HERE for Bazza’s fabulous Blog ‘To Discover Ice’

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    1. It is always sad when the Mom and Pop places we have known and loved are replaced by a franchise. The good thing is that your ice cream parlor still remains, even if it is in the back.

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  21. There's a lot of love in this post. Sharing simple pleasures with your husband, that's so lovely. And the header pictures is lovely too.

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  22. Hi human, Arleen,

    That sounds like the ideal day. A dairy good pawsting, I must say.

    Pawsitive wishes and doggy kisses,

    Penny xx

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  23. I hope you get some doggie ice cream this summer, Penny. I hear it is the cat's meow.

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  24. It is sad to see so many people in restaurants and cafes who would rather text on their cell phones then talk to each other. I'm glad you found a place that took you back to a happier time, and how could you not be happy when you're eating ice cream?!

    Julie

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  25. I was looking for an email for you but couldn't find one. Thank you for your recent comment. I was very touched. I'm doing fine and any day now will get a post done-really. Sue

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  26. Arleen- it's a rare time when you see folks without their cell phones!! Ice cream would be the perfect occasion. I'm guilty of being too dependent on my phone, I admit. How cool that you made that observation..,
    Love
    Vicki

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  27. Just stopping by to say that I hope you've had a good weekend (maybe had some ice cream) and are doing well!!

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  28. An icecream restaurant has just opened down the road from us. Unfortunately it fronts on to a busy main road but you still see people sitting outside on chairs and tables and enjoying it.

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  29. An icecream restaurant has just opened down the road from us. Unfortunately it fronts on to a busy main road but you still see people sitting outside on chairs and tables and enjoying it.

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  30. Hello honey I sincerely loved reading your post. Nothing better than enjoying a summer evening with your hubby and a delicious ice cream. I had to laugh about the biggest decision you would make all day in picking the flavor. haha
    Hope your well and enjoying the end of the summer weather. It is still hot hot here and today we are having thunderstorms so I am working inside.
    Was really happy to see your comment. I always love hearing from you and of course your sweet comments.
    I am feeling pretty good this week so I took advantage of it and visited blogging buddies and did my post. Today I feel tired or out of sorts but hoping it passes so I can continue feeling good.
    I so want to go see the leaves changing in New England area but I know I am not being realistic about traveling with my health being good some days and not so good the next. Haven't completely shook it off yet. haha
    Now girlfriend you have me wanting ice cream and I live to far from our Dairy Bar so I guess I will have to shake that off too.
    Enjoy the weekend
    Love
    Maggie

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  31. I love this post. Especially the part of "no cell phones". Love it, ice cream is one of summer 's sweetest pleasures!

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  32. What a great post :) We have a wonderful favorite ice cream stand off the highway to Pinehurst NC I never thought about it but, my kids and everyone else there were so focused on our "treat" There are picnic tables, hammocks, rockers, etc but not a phone in sight! Now - I have to go there this weekend!

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  33. As always....so nice to log in and see youve been to visit me!! Do you like Fall or do you prefer summer? Yall staying busy?

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  34. How very sensible of you to allow yourself the perfect ending to a busy day.

    Sadly, those days are already over and it’s time to get a cardigan out.

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  35. Thanks for coming by the blog again! I do love the bird photo up there in your banner/header...did you take that photo? Nope, we have not ate at the restaurant in the old Wentworth Mansion...it's supposed to be good, but it's pricey!.....special occasion dinner for sure!

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  36. Popping in again now that we are almost through October to say that the ice-cream season is well and truly over here in England but what a lot of memories this post stirred up for all your readers! Coffee ice-cream and rum and raisin are among my favourites, I would eat it even if it were snowing!

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