Cupcakes and Mr. Buckets

After a good sandwich and a cup of cold strawberry soup at our usual lunch stop, we headed down the road a few blocks to check out a new bakery. Anything different here at the beach is instantly an entertainment, so we had to know just what freshly baked goodies could now be ours.

The answers appeared in the display cabinet in front of us: cupcakes and donuts. Sure, the shop also sold bread and baklava, but those were imported, and we sought only those items baked right here.

After a brief conference, all on hand agreed that we would have to sample the cupcakes, not the donuts, but then a dilemma presented itself: With five different types of cupcakes, which do you try?

That answer was easy: All of them. We walked out with thirty cupcakes, enough sugary goodness to wire both starting line-ups in an NFL championship game.

Another notable oddness in our day occurred later, courtesy of my nephews, Chase and Luke. As we were driving back from dinner, they regaled us with tales of a children's toy, Mr. Buckets. At first, we did not believe them, but then they told us about this commercial, and we had to accept that this demented toy had indeed existed.



What meth addict toy designer managed to persuade his or her bosses that it was a good idea not only to build this toy but also to create a commercial extolling you to put your balls in his top so they could pop out his mouth?

We're now considering buying one off eBay for the beach house.