We Didn’t Plan On This . . .
On last year’s Alabama trip, I referred to it as Our Southern BBQ Tour, since we were eating at 6 BBQ places along the way. We’re only eating at 5 BBQ places this trip, but we could call this Our Old Restaurant Tour.
First up was Weidmann’s in Meridian, MS where we ate this past Saturday, which has been around since 1870, and of course comes with a crock of Peanut Butter on the table.
Then this coming Thursday we’ll be eating at Golden Rule BBQ, which is recognized as the oldest BBQ Joint in the U.S, having started up in 1891. And even more amazing, it’s been pretty much in the same location, only moving slightly to allow for highway expansion over the years, going from dirt road back then to a 4-lane highway now.
Today was the youngster of the bunch, Big Bob Gibson’s, having only been around since 1925.
Jan and I headed down toward Decatur about noon, with a first stop at Buc-ee’s for gas. Not sure why gas is about 20 cents higher here in Athens, but it’s much cheaper down the road a bit.
Then it was on down to Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ, one of our regular stops in this area. And not just because it’s listed on many Top 10 BBQ Restaurants In The Country lists. They’ve got two walls of trophies and plaques to prove it.
Jan and I both got the Pulled Pork Sandwich, hers with Fries and BBQ Beans, and mine with Red Skin Potato Salad and BBQ Beans.
And since we also like their Hot Dogs, we shared one those too.
Then, of course, we had to have some of their pie. Jan’s was the Chocolate,
and I got the Peanut Butter version. I mean, it’s got Peanut Butter right there in the name, right?
You know it’s got to be good since people come in at 3am to start making the pies.
We also got a slice of Chocolate to go for when we see my cousin Marjorie tomorrow.
We Didn’t Plan On This.
We didn’t bring any clothes with long sleeves. It’s been going down into the 40’s at night, and still in the 60’s when we leave the hotel room in the morning. In fact, the high today was only 67 and we were using the heater in the Jeep.
Not what we were expecting.
Finishing up, thought I’d post this comparison between the Titanic and Royal Caribbean’s Icon Of The Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world.
Hope the Icon has enough lifeboats.
Thought for the Day:
Sometimes holding in all this sarcasm physically hurts. And y’all are not helping.
Your Retro-Preview Highlights –
2011 – Margaritaville, Fremont St., and the Bellagio Fountains
2013 – Margaritaville Again
2015 – R.I.P. to A Real American Hero
2018 – Memories of My Mother
And Now On To Today’s Retro-Blogs.™
May 13, 2009
To Boldly Go…
Today was another easy day.
We went to lunch at Sonny’s BBQ and then later in the afternoon went to see the new Star Trek movie.
I went in prepared not to really like it, based on what I’d read.
But I came away pleasantly surprised.
I knew they had made major changes to the Star Trek timeline. But they handled it well.
And they set it up for an entire new line of sequels.
The basic plot starts with the birth of James T. Kirk, but the real action starts at the end of his Star Fleet Academy training..
All of your old favorites are here – Spock, Bones, Scotty, Uhuru, Sulu, Chekov, The Enterprise, etc.
Well worth your time…
May 13, 2010
Redwoods and Cat Barf, again…
Since we had a 295 mile trip today, we got an early start and left the Sonoma-Marin fairgrounds in Petaluma about 8:30 am heading initially about 12 miles north to a small Pacific Pride truck stop we had scouted out yesterday.
I wanted to fill up with diesel before we got up into the boonies of the Redwood National Park. And my experience here just reinforced why I don’t like the big truck stops like Flying J, Pilot, TA, etc.. I was in and out in a little over 10 minutes with 100 gallons of diesel, unlike about a month ago when we left Las Vegas and stopped at a TA truck stop on the outskirts of town. It took me over 40 minutes to get diesel and get back on the road.
About a hundred miles down the road we started encountering our first big redwoods. We had been seeing smaller ones, about 50-60 feet or so, soon after we left Petaluma. But now we were seeing really big ones.
Some of these were over 100 feet high and 8-10 feet in diameter. It’s hard to believe that we’ll be seeing some redwoods here that are over 3 times higher.
Along with the redwoods, we encountered something else, another cat barf situation. It was Mister this time. Don’t know why this has started. Neither cat had a problem with all the curvy roads last year in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, so why now?
Maybe we’ll try not feeding them on travel mornings and see how that works.
About 2 pm we stopped at a Pepper’s Restaurant in Fortuna for lunch. They were located in a shopping center parking lot so we had no problem finding a place to park the rig.
This was unlike two other stops we tried to make today. We first tried to find a place to eat in Leggett, a small town about halfway along our trip, but neither of the two restaurants was open. A little while later we drove thru Garberville, a very nice little with a lot of restaurants, all open. But we found no place to pull over and park the rig.
We ate at a Pepper’s in Petaluma last week and liked it, and it was good this time too.
We both had sandwiches that were large enough that we had leftovers to take with us for supper tonight. We also got a piece of coconut cream to split tonight for dessert.
Our road, US 101 was pretty good. It was mostly 4 lane with a smattering of 2 lane, usually thru the mountain curves and steep hills.
We had seen several signs about “Elk Crossing” along our route today, but about 30 minutes before we got to our park, we came across a small herd of elk right along the highway, only about 30 feet away. They didn’t seem to mind, or even take notice when we stopped right beside them.
We pulled into Klamath River RV Park about 4:30 and got set up. The view is certainly better than we’ve had for the past week. This is the view out the front of our coach.
And this is the view from out back.
We will be here for 3 nights and plan on leaving Sunday morning. Tomorrow we’re going to take a drive thru the redwoods, and see some of the other sights around here.
May 13, 2011
Margaritaville and Blueberries . . .
Yesterday was our last chance to check out some of the Vegas attractions on the Strip.
So, after we spent the morning resting up from our talk show trip to LA on Tuesday and Wednesday, we left the rig about 4 pm to have dinner at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville at the Flamingo Hotel on the Strip.
From a very large model of Jimmy’s seaplane hanging from the ceiling to a girl sliding down the side of a volcano into a blender of margaritas,
and then dancing on the bar, it was a great start to a fun evening.
Leaving Margaritaville, we drove down the Strip to the Border’s Book Store before heading up to Fremont Street to see the Fremont Street Experience. The Experience is a large video screen covering two city blocks in downtown Las Vegas that shows music videos every evening.
Out of the 4 shown every night, our favorite is the one set to Don McLean’s American Pie.
And something new this year is a Zipline Ride running almost 700 feet along under the screen.
You can even ride it during the show. You’re about 80 feet off the ground, traveling about 30 mph.
Then leaving Fremont, we headed back down the Strip to the Bellagio Hotel/Casino to take in their famous water show.
But to get to the fountains in front we traveled through the lobby and found this beautiful ceiling made from enormous glass flowers 2 – 3 feet across. Just beautiful.
Our viewpoint for the show let us look out across the lake toward the Strip and the Paris Casino.
The water show runs for about 5 minutes every 15 minutes, and each time it uses a different song, We heard Debussy, Chopin, and Beethoven, and even some Elvis. Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture would have been neat.
The show is another one of those events that the camera really doesn’t do justice. But here goes.
I’ll try to post some video in the next day or so when I get a chance.
After a somewhat abortive attempt to find a Boy’s Big Boy to have a late snack, we ended up at Blueberry Hill Diner once again, finally getting home at almost 1 am.
Who knew retirement would be so exhausting?
May 13, 2012
A New Record . . .
128 vehicles in and out today (Monday). That’s about one every 10 minutes for the 24 hours.
That’s too much like work!
They’re in the process of finishing up the well and big trucks are coming and going hauling out mud and other drilling fluids all day long. If they finish up on schedule then they’ll start tearing down on Wednesday, which is when we’ll move to the new site about 45 miles away.
However, we still don’t know the specifics of the move yet, like is our pad ready? Hopefully, we’ll know more tomorrow. If what other gate guards have told us works out, we’ll have several days free to relax and maybe drive into San Antonio, before the rig is set up and running at the new site. Certainly hope so, anyway.
Today marks the beginning of our 2nd month gate guarding. We plan on doing this another 3 months or so, before heading up to Celina, OH the first part of September.
Brandi and Lowell sent over some more Landon pics.
Here he is chilling out at Pink Berry. Cool glasses!
And here he is chowing down on Boudin Balls and Ranch Dressing at T-Bone Tom’s in Kemah.
That’s about it for today. IF we stay on schedule our next blog may be from our new site.
Stay tuned!
May 13, 2013
It’s Time to Get Out of Dodge . . . Well, Las Vegas, anyway.
We left Apache Junction when the temps started getting into 3 digits, and now that weather has caught up with us. Officially it was 101 today, but it was 113 under our awning, so it’s just about time to hit the road.
We’ll leave here Wednesday and spend one night in Tonopah, NV where it will be 82/52. Starting Thursday we’ll be in South Lake Tahoe for two weeks where the temps are forecast to be in the high 60’s/ low 70’s and high 30’s/ low 40’s at night. Very, very nice.
I braved the heat for a while to finish topping off my house batteries with the distilled water I got yesterday, and also packed some stuff away to get a head start for Wednesday.
I also washed out a couple of compartments using my new Little Big Shot Super Hose Nozzle,
This thing is really neat. It will adjust your water spray from a needle-fine hard stream to a full spray. The needle spray is great for washing out areas without getting water all over everything next to it, and the full spray is great for washing your coach.
Then after working out in the heat, a nap seemed to be a good idea, and I was right.
Since we wanted to see the Bellagio Fountain Show after dark, we planned on a late dinner, so we picked up Jim and Peri at 6pm and headed down Flamingo Rd. to the Flamingo Casino. We were having dinner at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville located in the casino there.
Our meals were good, and there’s something entertaining always going on, from dancers on stilts,
to a bikini-clad girl sliding down the slide of a volcano into a giant margarita glass,
finishing up with a trapeze act hanging from a large fishing hook high over the crowd. Really neat.
By the time we finished dinner, it was after 8pm and now dark, so we walked down the Strip toward the Bellagio.
The shows are every 15 minutes so we didn’t have to wait long for the next one. In fact we stayed for 3 shows, since each one is different.
For a little more, you can check out this short video of a show.
Tomorrow we’ll start getting ready to travel, and then finish up with one last buffet at Boulder Station Casino with Jim and Peri, before we head out on Wednesday morning.
May 13, 2014
Rollin’ On The Mississippi . . .
For the 2nd time in 7 years, we ran into an RV park where the shore power voltage was too high, I.e. above 132 volts. The last time was in Montgomery AL in 2010.
The voltage here at Tom Sawyer RV Park was running about 128 volts, but every now and then it would spike up to 133, just enough to cause our Progressive EMS to kick out. This was probably caused by AC’s on rigs around us cutting on and off. After checking the readings on my EMS, and seeing the spikes were short-term and seldom, I turned the bypass on so that the unit would stop popping the power on and off the rest of the evening.
We headed out about 9:30 for a quick, easy run up to Sikeston, MO. A couple of hours into our trip I pulled in the Pilot at Hayti, MO on I-55N to get some diesel. Coming up to the turn into the place I saw two entrances. The first one was labeled TRUCKS.
OK, probably not me. The second was labeled AUTOS/RVS.
OK, me.
Pulling in, Jan and I looked around for the RV pumps.
There were none.
So I pulled over to the right side of the pump islands to fill up there, although it would mean that I was stretching across both sets of pumps, but it wouldn’t be the first time.
New problem.
There were NO diesel pumps on the Auto pump islands. AT ALL.
And I wasn’t the only one lost. There was another RV, and a couple of dually diesel pickups orbiting the Auto pumps with me. Luckily I didn’t get hemmed in and was able to get back to the side exit, get back out on the road, and then into the truck area.
Followed closely by my new friends, like a line of baby ducks. Luckily there were open lanes so we didn’t have to wait.
My Silverleaf computer interface said I’d used 83.9 gallons, and 85.0 gallons filled my tank. Pretty accurate.
That 85 gallons took me 779 miles for an average of 9.16 MPG. The speed control set on 55mph, and a lot of flat country with no headwinds made that possible.
We got in the Hinton RV Park in Sikeston MO about 12:45 and got parked and set up. This is a very nice park where we stayed in 2012. It has nice long hard gravel pull-thru’s with an easy in and out.
After a nice nap, Jan and I left the rig about 4pm heading a couple of miles down the road to have dinner Lambert’s Throwed Rolls, one of our favorite places.
They have 3 locations around the country: Foley, AL, Ozark, MO, and here in Sikeston. And over the years we’ve eaten at all 3.
Later in the evening, I went online and canceled all the Thousand Trails reservations that I made for the Lake Conroe TT and the Colorado River TT through the end of August. I did this at the time when we didn’t know how things would work out with Jan’s breast cancer situation. But now that that’s been resolved, they can go away.
Tomorrow we’ve got another fairly short run of 185 miles up to Vandalia IL to spend a few days visiting with Jan’s sister Debbie, and her family. We’re really looking forward to it.
May 13, 2015
R.I.P. to A Real American Hero . . .
My uncle, Theo Wesley Calvin, Jr., died this afternoon at the Floyd Fann State Veterans Home in Huntsville, AL.
He was 93.
I knew from an early age that, like my mother, her brother, Uncle Buddy (what I called him) had been in WWII. But it was only much later that I found out just what that entailed.
My family and I visited my mother’s family in Athens, AL, as long as I can remember. Here I am with my Aunt Virginia and Uncle Buddy when I was about 18 months old.
This was probably in 1950.
Over the years, as I visited, and later lived in Athens, I learned more about his service to our country. One time exploring in my grandmother’s attic, I came across a WWII Army helmet that had ‘T. Calvin’ painted on the inside. And it also had a thumb-sized dent with a crack in it.
When I asked my uncle about it, he looked at me for a few moments and then said it happened the day after D-Day after his landing on Omaha Beach. He said it knocked him down, and his head rang for a week. Then he wouldn’t talk about it anymore.
Over the years, I picked up more facts, like that he fought across Europe under the command of General George S. Patton in an Anti-Tank Company
It was only in the last few years that even more of the story came out with the appearance of a mystery envelope full of medals in 2012.
As it turns out, Uncle Theo not only landed at Normandy on D-Day in June 1944, but he was also was part of the Operation Torch landings in North Africa in November 1942, and the Operation Husky landings in Sicily in July 1943. In all, he fought in 7 campaigns during the war, and received a Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, signifying that he was wounded twice, both times in France.
He also fought in the last major offensive of the war, the Battle of the Bulge during December 1944 – January 1945. Dug in near Bastogne, Belgium, he said it was so cold nobody wanted to fight. “We could see the enemy, but we didn’t shoot at them, and they didn’t shoot at us.”
Among the many medals Uncle Theo received were a Bronze Star, the Belgium Fourragere, and the French Legion of Honor.
In 2011, Theo was the Grand Marshal of the Veteran’s Day Parade in Athens, honoring him for his service.
And then in 2012, Lt. Gen. Richard P. Formica showed up to pin that envelope of new medals on SSgt Calvin, medals that had been forgotten and not awarded at the end of the war.
Since we’ve been RV’ing, we’ve always made it a point to visit our relatives in Athens, and especially to visit my Uncle Theo in the Veterans Home where he’s been for the last several years.
Our hearts go out to my Aunt Virginia, and the rest of the Calvin family in North Alabama.
He will be missed.
May 13, 2016
Worse The Second Day . . .
Well, after a quiet morning, probably our last for a day or so, we headed out for Katy about 2:30, to pick up our grandson Landon so he can spend tonight with us in the ‘Truck House.” Unlike our last couple of trips south, this one was pretty smooth with no hang-ups or slowdowns.
We got to Brandi’s just about 4pm and Lowell had him all packed and ready to roll. Brandi was still at work, so Landon hugged Lowell and Miss Kitty, the dog., and we were on our way.
Going home, we took the new 99 Grand Parkway to avoid all the going-home traffic. And it really does. As soon as we got a mile or so off I-10 everyone was cruising at the 70 mph speed limit.
Well, no. Most everyone was doing 80 or above. This is like driving through west Texas, with absolutely nothing around you, just open countryside. So even though the route is further, and more expensive, than taking the Sam Houston Tollway, it’s certainly quicker during rush hour.
And there are the six entertaining toll booth charges. Where in the heck do they come up with toll amounts like $1.03, or $1.11, or even $1.98?
When I set our Garmin GPS to take us back to Conroe, the online traffic info said we would have 45 minute delay, and would be home about 6:15. But taking the Parkway we were back at the rig by 5:30. Nice!
Not actually back at the rig though, because we made a dinner stop at where Landon wanted to eat, Taco Bell.
The last time we ate at one was during our two-month blowout repair sabbatical out in Prescott, AZ last year. It’s strange because we always like it, but it never comes up when we talk about where we want to eat.
Getting back to the rig for real, Landon changed into his swimsuit and I dropped him and Jan off at the park pool for about an hour and a half or so, before picking them up a little after 8pm.
Getting home, we all snuggled down and watched the first episode of Star Wars, well, the fourth in the episode list, but the first one for us when we saw it in 1977. Landon had never seen it, and was looking forward to it.
Finishing up, apparently, a Treadmill Faceplant Face looks much worse the second day.
Here”s the first day.
And here’s the second day.
At least he’s smiling now.
May 13, 2017
The Biggest We’ve Ever Seen . . .
It got cold enough last night that we thought we might wait up to a covering of snow, but no luck.
But we did get more white stuff on and off several times during the morning and afternoon, but none of it stuck around. The temp finally crept up to the low 40’s, staying mostly overcast all day.
For breakfast this morning, along with our coffee, we had half of our Cardamom Ocean Rolls from yesterday’s visit to the Sparrow Bakery.
Really good, especially with the cardamom flavor.
Later our daughter Brandi sent over these pics of Landon at hockey practice.
Looking pretty good on skates
Not sure if Landon just checked the other kid, or maybe he just likes short naps.
And here’s Landon with his uncle Chris who came up to watch practice.
About 4:30 we headed out for dinner at Cinco de Mayo down in La Pine, with a stop right next door to pick up our friend Dina.
Whoever recommended Cinco to us years ago is lost in the mists of bad memories, but if they read the blog, hopefully, they’ll speak up. But whoever it was, it was a great recommendation.
Jan had the 3 item combo with a Chili Relleno, a Beef Taco, and a Beef Enchilada.
These are the biggest plates we’ve seen anywhere with a diameter of almost 19”, and they fill them up. So everyone had leftovers.
Dina got this huge Taco Salad.
I got the Carne Asada Dinner.
Everything more than met our expectations. Except their much-vaunted ‘Hot’ salsa. A number of the Yelp reviews talk about how hot it is. Well, maybe for Oregonians, but not for Texans.
In Texas, it would be, maybe medium-hot. So I used some of my Volcanic Pepper Dust to spice things up.
Besides Habaneros and Scotch Bonnets, this also has Moruga Scorpion Peppers, the 2nd hottest pepper, in it.
What I haven’t yet had a chance to try is the Carolina Reaper, the world’s hottest pepper as of a couple of years ago.
That thing looks deadly just sitting there.
Tomorrow we’ll probably just stay at home, with Jan whipping up a batch of her world-famous chili. And I can guarantee it will be hotter than Cinco de Mayo’s salsa.
May 13, 2018
Mother’s Day Memories . . .
I’ve mentioned before that my mother was an Army Nurse during WWII. Her first command as a Captain in the Army Nurse Corps was at Fort Benning, GA, where she was Chief of Nursing while George Patton was there.
When Patton left for California to set up the Desert Training Center for the Tank Corps, my mother, now Major White, was transferred to West Point where she spent the rest of the war, again as Chief of Nursing.
In August 1945, her nurses were on the train heading for New Orleans where they were to board a hospital ship heading for the coast of Japan to prepare for the coming invasion of the Japanese mainland. She wasn’t with them since she had the flu and was going to be on the next train, Then Hiroshima happened and they were turned back around
So it’s a good possibility that I’m only here because of the atomic bomb.
My father, on the other hand, a police detective in civilian life before he enlisted, spent the war in the Navy Shore Patrol, stationed in Chicago guarding the Navy Pier installation. He always said that he figured he did his part because “no Japs ever made it past Chicago.”
And then there’s a couple of the other mothers in my life, our daughter Brandi, and of course, my wife Jan.
Both here in one photo.
Jan and I headed out a little after 9am, on our way up to Katy,to meet up with our daughter Brandi, and her family. Then it was off to Anthonie’s Market Grill in nearby Simonton for a Mother’s Day get-together.
We’ve never eaten there before, but Brandi and Lowell had heard a lot of good things about it, and the reviews are great.
We were also meeting up with Brandi and Lowell’s friend’s Eric and Chantelle Nugent, and their son, Maddox.
Unfortunately Landon had wandered off.
And luckily for us, the reviews, if anything, were understated. The food was fantastic.
I started off with one of their House Specialty Bloody Marys.
Made with Spicy V-8, as well as some added heat, it was great. I’m not sure what they used to heat it up, but it wasn’t the Tabasco Sauce that many places use, because I can taste that. But it was much hotter than standard Spicy V-8 juice.
Jan had the 1/2 Flame-Kissed Rotisserie Chicken with the Grilled Asparagus.
I really like Wedge Salads, and I’d heard Anthonie’s had a great one. So I got the Wedge Salad with Grilled Chicken.
Brandi and Lowell both got the Ribeye, Brandi’s with their Creamy Spinach Stuffed Grilled Tomato. Brandi gave me a couple of bites, and this was a really good piece of meat.
One of the things that make Anthonie’s so good is that, despite the high-quality of the food, the prices are on the level of a Longhorn or Saltgrass Steakhouse. Not bad at all.
Hopefully, we’ll get to go back soon.
On a side note, Brandi and Chantelle are leaving tomorrow morning for the Dominican Republic and the Punta Cana resort area. Chantelle is a travel agent and is always winning sales contests for free trips, resort stays, etc.
So she and Brandi get to spend an all-expenses paid 5-day stay at an all-inclusive resort there. Nice!
After that great meal, Lowell, Landon, and I drove back to their house, while Jan and Brandi headed out to get Mother’s Day Mani-Pedi’s. So they came home with pretty toes, and Lowell and I got to nap.
So a good time was had by all.
We headed home about 3pm, with a detour by our new storage room. We had brought a loaded bin and some other things to drop off, and also finally installed our combo lock on the door.
I was happy to see that no one stole our stuff before we got it locked up
May 13, 2020
We Got Stimulated, with Mexican To go . . .
Jan and I picked up food from our local Los Ramirez Mexican this afternoon, and were happy to hear that they will be reopening their dining room starting on May 18, which is next Monday.
Turns out that’s the date when restaurants are able to go from 25% occupancy up to 50%. And I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what a number of other non-yet-opened restaurants are waiting for too.
While we were out and about, we went by the local PO to pick up our mail and found ourselves ‘stimulated’. DakotaPost, our Sioux Falls, SD mailing service sent out our check via Priority Mail on Monday and it showed up this morning.
Very Nice!
But also in today’s mail was the postcard from ATT/DirecTV officially informing us that we will lose our DNS East Coast/West Coast channels come June 1st. So now for the first time, we’re seriously looking at dropping DirecTV and picking up alternative streaming services, with one of our main criteria the amount of online recording we’re allowed, and also being sure that all the other channels we want are also available.
We already have Netflix, Prime Video, CBSAllAccess, and CuriosityStream so we’ll be looking at what else we can ask.
It we do drop DirecTV, they will be losing a 24-year customer, all because they didn’t lobby Congress to continue the DNS service.
May 13, 2021
My Backup, Backup, Backup Plans . . .
We had a little cool snap last night with temps down in the low 60’s, so it was very nice sitting out on the patio this morning. And it looks to stay the same way for the next few mornings. Very, very nice!
Since our June travel plan dates have firmed up, yesterday I started booking hotels in Brandon, MS, Athens, AL, Birmingham, AL, Montgomery, AL, and Daphne, AL.
Over the years I found that I get the best deals using Booking.com, rather than the other services. And yes, I know I can possibly get a slightly better deal by calling the hotels directly, but not always.
Sometimes, yes. Sometimes, no.
Then this morning I started sending out emails/FB Messages letting family/friends know when we’d be in their area, and we’ve already heard back from three of them.
Really looking forward to seeing everyone.
I’m sure regular readers with remember my recent experiences with ordering Jan a pair of flamingo cups for Mother’s Day.
And that I always have Backup Plans for everything.
The first set, shipped in a plastic bag, but at least wrapped in bubble-wrap, came in like this.
But at least the company gave me an immediate refund as soon as I sent them the photo.
But then I found the same cups on Amazon and ordered another set, thinking that at least Amazon would pack them correctly.
This was my first Backup Plan.
But even Amazon had a problem with shipping them. While one came through OK, the other one looked like this.
So I had Amazon send me a replacement cup.
This was my second Backup Plan.
But not really trusting Amazon, I found another, different flamingo cup on Amazon and ordered it.
This was my third Backup Plan.
And in this case, both plans came through. The second (or fourth, maybe) came through fine.
As did the new one (or fifth one?).
This one was packed in a cardboard box in a frame of Styrofoam, and that inside a larger box along with bubble-wrap.
And, Jan likes this one even better, saying it’s prettier, and more importantly, holds a lot more coffee.
May 13, 2022
So Far, So Good . . .
Well, as I had hoped, I got the new Shipping computer in place and working this morning, with only a couple of bobbles. Mostly due to the correct printer not connected with the correct program. But, Jennifer successfully processed all of today’s orders with no problems.
Right now I got the new computer set up right next to the old one, but if everything goes OK on Monday, then on Wednesday I’ll move the old one back into my area. I’ll leave it on for a couple of days in case I need to move some forgotten data over to the new one.
Glad I got this done before we go on vacation in a couple of weeks.
Tomorrow it’s Pho Barr and WalMart once again. Looking forward to a quiet weekend with nothing really scheduled except for a few chores around the rig.
Thanks to everyone for all the kind comments about my Ramses posts. It was an amazing exhibit, and to me, much better than the Pompeii one we saw several months back.
One thing that’s hard to wrap your head around is how old the Egyptian civilization actually was.
Like –
When Ramses became Pharaoh in 1279 BC, the Pyramids were already 2000 years old.
and
Cleopatra lived closer to the moon landing than to the building of the Pyramids.
Amazing!
May 13, 2023
Our Southern BBQ Tour . . .
The First Leg.
We were on the way about 7:45 this morning, heading out on the first leg of our Southern BBQ Tour. At least that’s what it seems like.
Starting with the Sonny’s BBQ here in Brandon, MS, we’ll eat at six of our favorite southern BBQ places along the way, including twice more at Sonny’s, one in Pensacola, FL, and one in Baton Rouge on the way back to Houston.
Our first stop was about 45 minutes later for a pitstop, coffee, and topping the Jeep off with gas. Next up was the Pilot station at the Breaux Bridge exit about 200 miles along. The only slowdown was approaching the bridge coming into Baton Rouge, and it lasted all the way until the I-10/I-12 split.
Then after a final pitstop at the Welcome To Mississippi rest area, we got to the Sonny’s BBQ here in Brandon about 3:30. We find it much easier to eat before we check in to our hotel. That way once we get to the hotel, we’re in for the night.
Jan got the Half Rack of Baby Back Ribs, with Beans and Beans.
I went with my usual Pork 3 Ways, with Sliced Port, Pulled Pork, and Ribs, along with Beans and Beans.
Our food was as delicious as always, but it took forever. Or at least it seemed like it. And we didn’t get out of there until after 5pm. Then it was just a few miles down the road to the Sleep Inn where we are spending the night.
Tomorrow we’ve got about a 325 mile run up to Athens, AL where we’ll spend the next few days catching up with family and friends.
Can’t wait.
Jennifer, our Office Manager, is Karma-sitting for us while we’re gone, and she sent over this photo of Miss Karma making herself at home.
