Home Dept.

support your local business...
support the "mom and pop businesses"...
when you can.


I was well overdue to replace my grill...
my Weber kettle had served me well
but... the damage from the deck falling on it during the Snowpocalyse 
and the wear from the weather and time had this grill on its last leg
without a welder I could not "shore" things up
the disconnect of the pan that catches the ashes was dangling such that it was no longer effective and no longer as safe as I felt it should be


so...
it was time to replace my grill
I was well over due


first there was the mental debate
Charcoal or Gas?
sure I love the flavor of cooking with charcoal
but I love the ease and convenience of gas


over the years I have flipped back and forth
it seemed like it was time to flip again
so... I leaned towards gas and decided to make a purchase


an errand to Bethesda had me thinking I would head to Strosnider's Hardware
well... I thought that Strosniders would do my "quality control" 
as it turns out they had "weeded out" the lesser grills
but their selection also lacked the lower priced grills
I am not their market... I do not have the high dollar Bethesda tastes or the Bethesda Gold Card
so I continued my search


www.strosniders.com


Closer to home I looped by Annie's Ace
a new hardware store in "the hood"
the neighborhood that is
it was a quick walk though
Annie's Ace had a decent hibachi selection
so... again I was back in the car


www.annieshardware.com


Mount Pleasant's Old School Hardware is having a GRILL SALE
but... this is Special Order
I wanted my grill then and there
but if you have the day or two to wait
check their prices and see if they have what you are looking for
www.oldschoolhardware.com


knowing that Old School Hardware has a small space I did not bother making a stop there
in fact... I was frustrated that I had not made my purchase earlier in the day
things were working out such that I was not sure if I could make my afternoon appointment


from Annie's Ace I drove on down to Home Depot
I took a route that kept me off Rhode Island Avenue as long as possible
I moved pretty fluidly
parking the car and rushing in


choices... choices... choices...
so many choices
ironically... I wanted choices
but there were TOO MANY CHOICES!


it is always tempting to spend more money
but I tried to stay rational
I tried to avoid spending too much money 
and I tried getting lured into a grill with bells and whistles that I would not really need


www.homedepot.com


eventually I decided on the GRILL KING 4 Burnewr Gas Grill!
I saw a display model... but could not find a box
a very helpful Home Depot employee told me that her computer is telling her that they have 52 Grill Kings in stock... but we could not find one box holding a Grill King


but... out front were a number of pre-assembled grills
sure enough.... there were two dozen of the grills that I was looking for
too bad I wanted it in a box so it could fit into my Honda Element
I made my purchase and then disassembled the grill enough that it would fit in the back with the seats removed


ah... the frustration
my shopping took longer than I had expected
sure I had my grill.. but I had to miss my appointment


bummer...
at least I have a new grill


last night we had fajitas... the burner on the side was perfect for sautéing shrimp and heating tortillas
very happy with my purchase
it is great when the things we buy improve our lives