Initial Impressions 2.0 Blog: #47 - Holiday Photo Trips, Laptop Blue Screens, My Nana's TV, etc

1. One of my recent favorite holiday traditions is snapping photos and videos of a little boat in Allen Harbor in Harwich, MA. I found it maybe 5 years ago by accident. My only issue until this year was that the boat was in an area where if I parked in front of it I had to jump down almost 5 feet to the dock below to be eye-to-eye with it. This year it was moved down where I could easily step my old bones down. Granted I could just walk down the dock to where the elevation was lower, but hey I’m in photo mode. Also, photos of this boat are guaranteed to blow up on social media, and I’m all about the clicks and likes.

2. My final author event of 2024 was one of my best ever. Speaking at the Hyannis Yacht Club was amazing. Very fancy, and very friendly, and all of the people who came out to see my presentation gave it rave reviews. The woman who organized it said the people loved it. I could tell by the number of books I sold. To top it off I got sent home with some choice selections from the lunch buffet. I was busting with happiness when I left, and then busting with food later on.

It was a fun and classy book event.

3. People who know me and have come to my speaking events are shocked I am the same person they know. This comes down to me being far more introverted in my daily life. With my dreams of being a writer came the issue of having to learn to speak in public for events. It was not easy. My first few events back in 2014 consisted of me speaking into an open copy of the book I was presenting. I needed to craft a visual presentation to take eyes off of me. Plus a friend of mine at an event said I looked ‘bush league’ acting like a scared rabbit talking into my book. That influenced me too.

4. My event at the Hyannis Yacht Club was made even better by my cousin Dale being there. She and her husband, my cousin Richard, have always been special to me. As everyone grows older, and some start passing away, we see each other less and less. Last year I saw them both at a family event and she asked me to stay in touch. I did briefly via email but that didn’t last. So seeing her at this event was a thrill. It also helped to have family in the audience to put me at ease. As I just mentioned I am way more introverted than I appear at these events, so any sort of home-field advantage I’ll take.

5. One morning this week I woke up and turned my laptop on as I do every day. I was horrified to get the dreaded blue screen. It mentioned something not being installed or some other issue with an update. My heart was in my throat. I’ve had this happen several times before on old laptops. The worst incident was in the spring of 2020 when my hard drive basically cooked itself. I ended up losing well over 1,000 photos and videos from my amazing 6-day 2,100-mile road trip in November 2019. I turned the laptop off and back on and wouldn’t you know it everything was fine. Granted I’m now expecting another issue anytime now, but it’s almost like the computer gods wanted to remind me not to get too comfortable with my technology running smoothly.

6. As the holidays go along I start to realize just how many places on Cape Cod are a part of my annual photo trips. I start to get memories popping up on social media which remind me to visit these places. By my count, I have close to 10 places that likely will span several trips. It’s almost like an obligation now to get my fair share of holiday cheer. I don’t mind though. Any excuse to take night drives and get some really nice photos is alright with me.

7. When it comes to this year’s first shoot my luck was both good and bad. It was cold, hovering around freezing. It wasn’t very windy, even by the ocean, so that was good. However, a few of the spots I visited are typically lit up either with a spotlight or actual Christmas lights. This year two places were not lit up, at least not when I was there. I guess it could be worse, it gives me an excuse to go back again before the season ends to try to get more photos.

A festive scene on the Eastham town green.

8. Wandering through Stop & Shop one evening this week I passed by Marty the robot that glides along looking for messes for the staff to clean. If you walk near it the robot stops because it has a sensor so it doesn’t just plow into people. But it can be kind of slow and get in the way at times. Me? I just step around it because it’s not a big deal. This angry old man though felt the need to plow into it a couple of times with his shopping cart while badgering his wife. A. He’s a jerk and I feel bad for his wife. B. He looks exactly how you think he looks. 60-something, mustache, some garbage phrase on his shirt that needs a wash, and jeans that look like they’re going to blow away like dandelion spores.

9. I made a typical foolish card for some friends and family for Christmas. What I end up doing is creating a card and getting it printed through Walgreens. I do have an account with them but use it probably once a year. When I got ready to have this card printed I needed to sign in. Fine. Since I don’t use my Walgreens account much I needed to check my email to confirm. Sadly my Walgreens account uses my old AOL email. So I had to go sign in there for the first time in forever. When I went to sign in there because I never use my AOL account I then had to verify myself for that through my Gmail account. I did that and was actually expecting to have to verify my Gmail account next through my Subway account or something. Cards are ordered though and all is good.

10. Finally after having my Nana’s old giant CRT TV for 15 years since she died I decided it needed to go. I haven’t turned it on in many years. Basically, it’s been a huge paperweight on an antique stand that I remember her having since I was a kid. As far as I know, it still works. It even has the remote. When it came to carrying the TV down the stairs and out to the street I noticed that it felt far heavier than I remembered. I thought maybe I’m just older and weaker which was pretty depressing. Then I noticed I had the TV still hooked up to the cable wire which made it feel like a thousand pounds. The fact that I forgot to check that was more depressing. I left it out by the street with a ‘free’ sign on it. 

How I thought my move of my Nana's TV might end up.

The History of Bradlees: In My Footsteps Podcast

Bradlees was a beloved chain of retail stores in the Northeastern United States for several decades. Although it has been gone for over 20 years now there are so many who grew up with Bradlees that still have fond memories of shopping there. In this segment from the In My Footsteps Podcast we look back at the story of Bradlees, from its humble beginnings to fading slowly away, and every step in between. Enjoy some memories of Bradlees, the department store with a difference. To listen to episodes of the In My Footsteps Podcast click here: https://inmyfootstepspodcast.buzzsprout.com/ Become A Subscriber to the Podcast on Patreon: patreon.com/InMyFootstepsPodcast Purchase a DVD copy of the Lady of the Dunes documentary here: https://www.oldies.com/product-view/1176D.html Purchase the new book Searching for the Lady of the Dunes written by 12th Generation Cape Codder Christopher Setterlund at https://theladyofthedunes.com/ This video contains some images created with the help of Bing AI, some videos and photos used from Canva Pro. End Music: Local Elevator - Kevin MacLeod

In My Footsteps Podcast: Episode 4 - The History of Bradlees

In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - Angelo's Supermarket

     Today on Cape Cod when one is in need of groceries there are many options, larger chains like Stop and Shop, Shaw’s, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Market Basket dominate the landscape while smaller local stores like Fancy’s Market, Friends’ Marketplace and Eastham Suprette also see their fair share of customers. In the past there have been other supermarkets that have come and gone like A&P. There is one regional chain that many Cape Codders of a certain age remember fondly and that is Angelo’s. Here is the story of that once major grocery chain.

     The story of Angelo’s Supermarket has its roots in a few well known names, Tedeschi and Daggett. In 1923 Angelo Tedeschi left his job as a finish cobbler in a shoe factory due to a severe bout of pneumonia. Needing to find a way to feed his family Tedeschi started his first business, a makeshift deli in his basement on Belmont Street in Rockland, Massachusetts where he delivered imported Italian meats and cheeses to local customers. Just after World War II in 1946 Angelo opened the first Tedeschi Supermarket on Market Street in Rockland. The chain of stores grew to number six by 1960 thanks to the hard work of Angelo’s sons William, Ralph, Robert, and Dominic. These included locations in Braintree, Brockton, Cohasset, Hanover, Hull, and Plymouth. Angelo and his sons had a simple yet profound strategy when it came to running their successful stores, listening to the customers and giving them what they wanted, rather than trying to force a corporate mandate on them.

     In 1961 the family sold their supermarkets to Stop and Shop who wished to expand their reach to Massachusetts’ South Shore. Ironically the Tedeschi’s sold the stores but kept ownership of the actually buildings, making them Stop & Shop’s landlords with Ralph Tedeschi becoming a vice president of Stop and Shop. Within two years the difference in philosophies was causing a rift. For one the Tedeschi’s liked offering nothing but national brands in their stores while Stop and Shop had a high focus on their own store brand products. The two companies parted ways in 1963 with Stop and Shop getting ownership of the Tedeschi Supermarket name as part of the agreement. The four Tedeschi brothers still wished to work in the grocery business though and thus needed to forge a new path.

One of the original Angelo's (not South Yarmouth)
Photo Courtesy of The Patriot Ledger

     In 1964 the Tedeschi’s bought one of the less successful stores from Stop and Shop in Holbrook, Massachusetts. They renamed it after their father and the first Angelo’s Supermarket was born. Part of the agreement in parting with Stop & Shop was a non-compete, so the Tedeschi’s looked for new horizons in which to open more Angelo’s. They found a perfect home on Cape Cod in South Yarmouth. They began the process of nailing down a location in May 1964. Initially the Tedeschi’s wished to purchase approximately four acres of land abutting the South Yarmouth Elementary School on Route 28 owned by Aletta Root. There was also the option of buying some land on Route 134 in South Dennis. In the end they decided to purchase another long-standing Cape Cod store, Daggett’s Market located on the north-side of Route 28 in South Yarmouth.

     Daggett’s Market had successfully been in business since 1930 on Main Street in Hyannis before moving to South Yarmouth in 1959. The Tedeschi’s officially closed Daggett’s Market on June 7, 1964. It was not the end for Daggett’s though as it took the empty space next door and opened Daggett’s liquor store which still is operating today.

Through tireless work the Tedeschi’s completely stripped Daggett’s Market and had it revamped and replenished with stock in only ten days. Angelo’s Supermarket opened to the public June 17^th. The store was jammed with customers immediately with an added incentive of there being ten television sets given away to lucky shoppers. Angelo’s was a huge hit in South Yarmouth but the Tedeschi’s did not stop there.

An ad for Angelo's from the 1960's

     The following summer Angelo’s in South Yarmouth was enlarged while a third market was built on West Main Street in Hyannis at a cost of $400,000 ($3.2 million in 2019). From there it was off to the races for the new supermarket chain. Additional locations sprung up in Falmouth, Dennis Port, Sandwich, Orleans, and Harwich Port on Cape Cod. The Tedeschi’s reach expanded with the acquisition of the Curtis Food Stores chain in August 1972, converting nine supermarkets into the Angelo’s brand while keeping twenty-four convenience stores as-is.

     In March 1979 the Tedeschi’s bought Christy’s Market in Mashpee, it was converted into what would be the 18^th Angelo’s Supermarket in Southeastern Massachusetts. By the mid-1980’s Angelo’s was the top grocery chain in Plymouth County and well known throughout Southeastern New England. The original Cape Cod location in South Yarmouth moved next door into a newly built 35,000-square-foot building in June 1984. The Tedeschi’s were riding high when they were made an offer they couldn’t refuse.

     In the fall of 1985 an offer was put in for the Angelo’s franchise by New Jersey-based Supermarkets General which owned the Purity Supreme and Heartland Food Stores chains of grocery stores. The sale was finalized on January 31, 1986 for $27.25 million ($63.8 million in 2019) but despite the ownership change Angelo’s kept its name and identity for the moment.

     Changes began coming though. On August 31, 1986 the Dennis Port Angelo’s was closed. Slowly but surely the Angelo’s name was replaced by Purity at the remaining locations including the first ever Cape Cod store in South Yarmouth. In a fitting piece of irony Purity was acquired by Stop and Shop in 1995.

The former South Yarmouth Angelo's, today an Ocean State Job Lot. 

     The Tedeschi family name lived on through a string of successful convenience stores, including the eventual purchase of competing chains Li’l Peach in 1996 and Store 24 in 2002. The number of stores would total 182 at their peak before 7-Eleven bought the Tedeschi chain in May 2015 with only a few Tedeschi still in operation in 2019.  

Though it has been nearly thirty years since the last Angelo’s Supermarket faded into time those of a certain age on Cape Cod and in Southeastern New England still look back with fond memories.

View my previous blog posts: In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - Jane Toppan's Poisoning Murders

In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - Thomas Ridley & Cape Cod's Loneliest Grave                                   

Cape Cod Sunsets 2020 Calendar available at Zazzle here: Cape Cod Sunsets 2020

Be sure to check out my website: Christopher Setterlund.com

My 5th book, Cape Cod Nights, is on sale at Amazon.com and through Arcadia Publishing