Our RV Adventures

After a light breakfast about 8:30 here at the hotel this morning, we headed out about 11:30 to meet my cousin Margie and her husband Walter at the nearby 306 BBQ.

She’s the daughter of my grandmother’s sister, so Google says she’s my First Cousin Once Removed, but I’ll stick with just ‘Cousin’.

We’ve eaten at 306 BBQ a number of times before and always enjoyed it, so we happy to meet Margie and Walter there.

Jan had the BBQ Chicken with Squash Casserole and Brown Sugar Green Beans,

while I got the 2 Meat Plate (Ribs and Pulled Pork) with Baked Beans and Collard Greens.

One thing funny did happen while we were ordering at the counter. Athens being basically a small town, pretty much everyone knows everyone else. So when a gentleman spoke up and said ‘Hi’ to Margie and Walter we didn’t think anything a out it. But since we were all  ordering, Jan and I didn’t get introduced.

I’ve mentioned in the past when we were visiting up here, I found myself checking out people around us in stores and restaurants, wondering if I would run into one of the 3 girls I dated when I lived here in the mid-60’s. But then I realized that I was looking for the young ladies as they looked when they were 16 or so, the last time I saw them, and not at them in their late 60’s or so like they would be now.

I also mentioned that a few years ago, when my most serious girlfriend, now divorced, moved back to Athens from Michigan, she called my Aunt Virginia and in a roundabout way, inquired as to my ‘present marital status.’

Well, after lunch when we were back at Margie and Walter’s, I found out that the gentleman at the counter with us was the younger brother of that girlfriend. I think he was 2 or so the last time I saw him, and still in diapers.

Oops!

Like I said, Athens is a small town.

Tomorrow we’re getting together with my Aunt for a late lunch and then some time together at her house.

Thought For The Day:

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After visiting the hotel’s ‘Coffee Bar’, our Extended Stay America’s version of the Free Breakfast, we were packed and on our way by 9:15am.

Except for our initial keycard problems, our stay here was pretty nice. Our room was really a studio apartment, with a 4 burner oven/stove, a large apartment-sized refrigerator, and a microwave.

Plus the dining table made a nice computer table. A very nice stay for about $70 a night, including all taxes.

Although a little disconcerting to start with, the ‘Coffee Bar’ turned out to be pretty nice. Especially since the coffee was really good.

Plus they had pre-packaged muffins and granola bars, as well as 4 different flavors of do-it-yourself oatmeal.

And since this is an long-term residence type of place, with a stove and fridge, they even have an online cookbook for cooking on the road.

Although we were heading for Athens AL, about 180 miles north, we made a zig-zag stop at the Golden Rule BBQ out in the Irondale area of Birmingham about 90 miles along the way.

I’ve been eating here since the early 60’s, but I’m a youngster in regards to this place. It’s been in business since 1891, yes, almost 130 years. And it’s listed as the oldest continuously-operating restaurant in the state of Alabama.

So they must be doing something right.

Jan and I got the same thing, a Jumbo Sliced Pork Sandwich, mine with Outside Cut, and fries.

‘Outside Cut’ means that the meat is cut from the outside char or ‘bark’, giving the meat a little sweet crunch. Delicious.

And of course, we had to each have a piece of their famous homemade pie. I got my favorite Lemon Cream,

while Jan got a slice of the Double Chocolate Cream but she wouldn’t let me take a photo of it so no one would know she had dessert. You didn’t hear it from me.

Though it was raining a little as we left Montgomery, it started coming down in sheets as we got out of Birmingham. So much so that finally I got behind a brightly-lit semi and followed him, hoping he could see the road better than me, since I couldn’t see it at all.

This long-distance trip in our truck is the first one we’ve done like this since 2015 and it takes a little getting use to. So as we are pulling into a Rest Stop, Jan reminds me, by saying, “You’re a car”, that I need to stay on the Auto side, and not the Truck/Trailer side. Everything helps, I guess.

We got into our Day’s Inn in Athens about 2pm, and got unloaded during a lull in the rain into our very nice room.

A King, Non-Smoking room for only $66/night total. A great deal from Expedia.

Later, around 4:30 we drove right down the road to do something unusual for us. Two meals in one day. But it was to keep up a tradition.

We always have dinner our first night in Athens at the nearby Catfish Cabin, and hey, who wants to mess with tradition, right?

We both had the Blackened Catfish Filets with Steamed Veggies.

And of course a basket of their fantastic homemade hushpuppies.

Really, really good.

Catching up on yesterday, we met up with long-time friend’s Kathy and Weylan, up in the Prattville area at the Longhorn Steakhouse there.

Jan and Kathy worked together here at Jackson Hospital back in the mid-70’s and have stayed in touch. So we always get together when we’re in the area.

While Jan and Kathy were talking over old times, Weylan and I were talking over old jets, specifically F-4B, C, and D Phantoms, his in the Air Force, and mine as a civilian tech working on Marine F-4’s at the Marine Corp Air Station in Beaufort SC, part of Parris Island.

For about 3 years, I worked for both Lear-Siegler and Qualitron-Aero, moving around the country to different bases, ones like Otis AFB on Cape Cod MA, and England AFB in Alexandria LA. Jan and I really enjoyed this, but our son Chris was reaching school age and we didn’t want to have him changing schools every few months. So we settled down after that and I went back to working as a Broadcast Engineer.

It was really good getting to see Kathy and Weylan again, and we’re looking forward to next time.

Thought For The Day:

Karmasutra: When life screws you over in all sorts of creative ways.

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