The spousal unit loves to shop. One of her favorite stores is Macys. Problem is, there isn't one very close by. We either go to Memphis, Atlanta, or New Orleans for her to get her Macys fix.
Last year she couldn't wait for a trip, so she hit the internet and placed a Macys order and picked up a few items she and my buddy Clarence were able to find. The items arrived, just what she wanted, with one problem.
One of the tops that she ordered still had the security tag on it. She was sceered to pop it off, for fear of a dye explosion. And she knew better than to let me at it! There was no way she was going to take it to Belk or Kohls to see if they could remove it. She decided to just wait, and take it to one of the Macys stores on our next trip.
Lots of trips came and went, but she could never remember to bring that top with her. Fast forward, one year later.
We are in the Macys in Kenner, LA, at the old Esplanade Mall. The spousal unit takes her top to the checkout counter. She tells them her story, bought online a year ago, and still has the security tag on it.
The Macys gals listen intently. They look at her ID, they take her credit card, and then look at the security tag. Their machine doesn't work on that kind of tag. They updated their tagging system over six months ago! They do mention that it doesn't have the dye pack in it, and we could have popped it off at home. (Remember, somebody wouldn't give me a shot at it!)
The Macys gals make a phone call to some dude in the Macys dungeon. They explain the story to him. The guy walks up, with a printout of the original online receipt. He says that he has one of the older tag removers in his office. He grabs the top, and off he goes!
The guy is covered in tattoos. I ask if he is the maintenance man or something? The Macys gals reply "oh no! He is the chief of Security!" I replied "I bet he was tired of looking at cameras all day and was ready to get out of his box and stretch his legs!
The Macys gals got a good laugh out of that, replying "ha! Not this time of year!" Yesterday he busted a woman. She entered the store wearing shorts and a tshirt and was trying to leave wearing three coats, claiming they were hers!
The Dude returns, with security tag removed. Spousal unit is happy. I told the Dude I'd be waving at him in the mirrors on future trips!
Dang! A day in the life of Security! Special order!
Retired in 2012. I'm trying to out run old age and boredom. So far, I'm winning the race!
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Monday, November 7, 2016
Momma Melton
I fell in love with an older woman this past weekend. I've never met her, much less seen her, except for the magic that comes through her hands.
Momma Melton came for a visit this weekend with her son Derrel and daughter in law Sherri. She arrived in the form treats she sent along with them for the weekend we shared.
Derrel and Sherri are friends we met this summer while beaching in Marco Island Florida. Derrel is one of the biggest football fans I've ever met, and he pulls for Georgia Southern. We could tell this from his tshirts, his beach umbrella and everything else you could put a college logo on. Turns out, his team would be playing the spousal unit's Rebels in November. We befriended each other on FB, and initial plans were set for them to join our tailgate!
During our time at the beach, I shared some of my cheese straws. Sherri mentioned that her mother in law was famous for her catering, which included her cheese straws.
During the summer, the Spousal unit finally got her condo in that town up north (Oxford). We finalized plans for Derrel and Sherri to join us during their stay.
Sherri challenged me to a taste test, my cheese straws vs Momma Melton's special catering recipe. I accepted the challenge, and prepared three different versions, knowing at least one of them would be the eventual winner!
I use a food processor to mix it all up, them squeeze them out of a pampered Chef cookie press. A lot of love goes into every twist of that press!
Sherri brings out a small metal tin. It's lined with shrink wrap, and filled with cheese straws filled with more love than you could ever imagine. We pretty much used the same ingredients, with the exception of my excessive use of cayenne pepper. The biggest difference was apparent from first sight. This little ole lady had hand piped these creations. It takes a special hand to do this because of the strength needed to push the cheese dough through the press!
Momma Melton won hands down, not only for the taste, but for the love that she passes on through her handiwork. But she didn't stop at just cheesestraws!
Prior to the trip, Derrel mention that he would be bringing some of her apple tarts. OMG! These were made with the simplest of ingredients. But wow. Hand made crust, individually cut, stuffed, folded, crimped and baked.
She also sent her bacon wrapped cocktail weenies coated in brown sugar. Saturday morning, these little puppies were the first thing to disappear!
Each sample of the items she sent reminded me of my grandmother. She also delivered her love through the goodies she prepared in her kitchen. I so remember her hands, not soft and tender, but rough and firm from all those years spent gardening and cooking at home and the school cafeteria.
Derrel's momma's cooking brought all those childhood memories back to me in a flash! For that, I will be forever grateful :-).
Derrel and Sherri left for Georgia early yesterday morning. Thankfully they left behind the leftover cheese straws and apple tarts. And this was my breakfast treat:
Man, oh man, was it good!
So, next time you meet a stranger or two on the beach, invite them over for a football Saturday weekend. You never know what they might bring! Thank Derrel and Sherri for bringing Momma Melton to me!
Momma Melton came for a visit this weekend with her son Derrel and daughter in law Sherri. She arrived in the form treats she sent along with them for the weekend we shared.
Derrel and Sherri are friends we met this summer while beaching in Marco Island Florida. Derrel is one of the biggest football fans I've ever met, and he pulls for Georgia Southern. We could tell this from his tshirts, his beach umbrella and everything else you could put a college logo on. Turns out, his team would be playing the spousal unit's Rebels in November. We befriended each other on FB, and initial plans were set for them to join our tailgate!
During our time at the beach, I shared some of my cheese straws. Sherri mentioned that her mother in law was famous for her catering, which included her cheese straws.
During the summer, the Spousal unit finally got her condo in that town up north (Oxford). We finalized plans for Derrel and Sherri to join us during their stay.
Sherri challenged me to a taste test, my cheese straws vs Momma Melton's special catering recipe. I accepted the challenge, and prepared three different versions, knowing at least one of them would be the eventual winner!
I use a food processor to mix it all up, them squeeze them out of a pampered Chef cookie press. A lot of love goes into every twist of that press!
Sherri brings out a small metal tin. It's lined with shrink wrap, and filled with cheese straws filled with more love than you could ever imagine. We pretty much used the same ingredients, with the exception of my excessive use of cayenne pepper. The biggest difference was apparent from first sight. This little ole lady had hand piped these creations. It takes a special hand to do this because of the strength needed to push the cheese dough through the press!
Momma Melton won hands down, not only for the taste, but for the love that she passes on through her handiwork. But she didn't stop at just cheesestraws!
Prior to the trip, Derrel mention that he would be bringing some of her apple tarts. OMG! These were made with the simplest of ingredients. But wow. Hand made crust, individually cut, stuffed, folded, crimped and baked.
She also sent her bacon wrapped cocktail weenies coated in brown sugar. Saturday morning, these little puppies were the first thing to disappear!
Each sample of the items she sent reminded me of my grandmother. She also delivered her love through the goodies she prepared in her kitchen. I so remember her hands, not soft and tender, but rough and firm from all those years spent gardening and cooking at home and the school cafeteria.
Derrel's momma's cooking brought all those childhood memories back to me in a flash! For that, I will be forever grateful :-).
Derrel and Sherri left for Georgia early yesterday morning. Thankfully they left behind the leftover cheese straws and apple tarts. And this was my breakfast treat:
Man, oh man, was it good!
So, next time you meet a stranger or two on the beach, invite them over for a football Saturday weekend. You never know what they might bring! Thank Derrel and Sherri for bringing Momma Melton to me!
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Oh How I Love Football Saturdays
To me, it never gets old. The teams don't matter, the score doesn't matter, and the weather certainly doesn't matter.
On this day, it was supposed to be the first day of cool temperatures. Lots dressed for the drop in temp, including me. What we ended up with was a beautiful, cloudless, hot sunny day. It was funny to see the same people that sat in the swelter of September, to then run for shade cover throughout the day. As the sun made its journey west, the tailgate chair chain began its migration east, almost like the African wildibeast crossing the Seringetti plains!
The anticipated cooler weather also brought out the fall food offerings. My buddy Keith brought his famous Louisiana gumbo. To heat it, I brought my handy dandy Coleman gas fired crockpot. A bragged so much on this fine tailgating necessity, that earlier in the week I tried to find them on the internet, so I could share in yet another "cool item" with the others. But, sadly, Coleman has discontinued making them, and the two I located on Ebay were way over priced.
The gas fired crockpot tends to burn a wee bit too hot, so to compensate, I insert a small crock that is just the right size. Ole Keith was concerned that I wouldn't get to temperature fast enough. His gumbo was a bit on the cool side, so I reassured him that it was just a matter of time. He wanted to pour his gumbo into the bigger pot, but knowing it was going to be me doing the cleanup, we stayed with my original plan. In about an hour, ole Keith hollers "Bill, we got boil!" Yes, success! Time to bowl up!
I had brought a ladle for the spooning. To our surprise, one of our tailgating newbies had used the ladle to scoop up rotel dip out of the chafing dish. What! No!! Wait! That's breaking tailgating rule number 162, if you don't know, ask!!! Velvet cheese in your gumbo, who ever heard!
This being the last weekend of October, we naturally had representation with a few crazies. With our tailgating location at the corner of University Avenue and Grove Loop, we have the best location to watch the "you're busted" by the University Police taking care of business with the passerbys:
Our tailgating crew was supposed to be small on this day, but you could not tell it by the crowd we ended up with. The starving college kids made their appearance. My choir director friend stopped by, after making the three hour trip to visit with her "band kid" for a couple of hours before making the return trip home. My young buck preacher buddy stopped by for his football Saturday sugar cookie fix.
Chef Kyle had his Kansas crew in tow for their requested return visit. Their is something about those Kansas women. I can't resist hugging them because they just smell so good!
There were quite a few Auburn Tigers among us, and we even had a "retirement ceremony" for one of their chairs that bit the dust. And our crew member Margaret was celebrating birthday number 51 with lots of her family in attendance!
Here are a few more pics from the day:
The Band began its pep rally, then lined up for its parade March to the Vaught. As they made their turn for the stadium, that was our cue to pack up and follow the pied piper band on to victory land.
On this day, it was supposed to be the first day of cool temperatures. Lots dressed for the drop in temp, including me. What we ended up with was a beautiful, cloudless, hot sunny day. It was funny to see the same people that sat in the swelter of September, to then run for shade cover throughout the day. As the sun made its journey west, the tailgate chair chain began its migration east, almost like the African wildibeast crossing the Seringetti plains!
The anticipated cooler weather also brought out the fall food offerings. My buddy Keith brought his famous Louisiana gumbo. To heat it, I brought my handy dandy Coleman gas fired crockpot. A bragged so much on this fine tailgating necessity, that earlier in the week I tried to find them on the internet, so I could share in yet another "cool item" with the others. But, sadly, Coleman has discontinued making them, and the two I located on Ebay were way over priced.
The gas fired crockpot tends to burn a wee bit too hot, so to compensate, I insert a small crock that is just the right size. Ole Keith was concerned that I wouldn't get to temperature fast enough. His gumbo was a bit on the cool side, so I reassured him that it was just a matter of time. He wanted to pour his gumbo into the bigger pot, but knowing it was going to be me doing the cleanup, we stayed with my original plan. In about an hour, ole Keith hollers "Bill, we got boil!" Yes, success! Time to bowl up!
I had brought a ladle for the spooning. To our surprise, one of our tailgating newbies had used the ladle to scoop up rotel dip out of the chafing dish. What! No!! Wait! That's breaking tailgating rule number 162, if you don't know, ask!!! Velvet cheese in your gumbo, who ever heard!
This being the last weekend of October, we naturally had representation with a few crazies. With our tailgating location at the corner of University Avenue and Grove Loop, we have the best location to watch the "you're busted" by the University Police taking care of business with the passerbys:
 |
| Here we have "Richard Simmons", busted for beer not matching his outfit |
 |
| The local fan whose cooler "hit the bump in the road", cans everywhere, and not a drop to drink, all down the gutter |
 |
| You gotta love gals walking from one party to another, with open container in hand |
 |
| The gal with the pink funnel. The funnel made it thru, but sadly, the beer was history |
 |
| Yes, it's Octoberfest! But unfortunately, without this load of beer! |
Chef Kyle had his Kansas crew in tow for their requested return visit. Their is something about those Kansas women. I can't resist hugging them because they just smell so good!
There were quite a few Auburn Tigers among us, and we even had a "retirement ceremony" for one of their chairs that bit the dust. And our crew member Margaret was celebrating birthday number 51 with lots of her family in attendance!
Here are a few more pics from the day:
Margaret the birthday girl
 |
| Chef Kyle in action |
The Band began its pep rally, then lined up for its parade March to the Vaught. As they made their turn for the stadium, that was our cue to pack up and follow the pied piper band on to victory land.
No win on this day in TSUN land. The crowd quickly disbursed. After two trips to the car and a stop to pick up my passengers, we too were on our way, back to our condo in "that town up north". To our surprise, Taco Hell had closed its dining room before 11:30, ugh!, drive thru only. To heck with that. Waffles and beer at the home place it will be!
The best thing yet, in a few short days we get to do it all over again!
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
60 is the new 40!
Yep, today is birthday number 60!
I was gonna spend it chilling by the pool at the Condo in the town up north, sipping on a few margaritas, but hey, why spend it alone! Instead I'll be working at the Roses in Pearl, then time will be spent in the kitchen making cheese straws and iced sugar cookies for another football Saturday this weekend!
Some ask, "why are you working?" As I told my boss the other day, this ain't no real job. I'm doing something I enjoy, I'm outside, sweating off some calories, and can take off any time I want. Got nobody barking orders, no phone calls all day long, no 200 emails to read & delete, and no boss scheming 25 different ways to run me off!
This 60 thang is like being 40 again! The first time around was a killer! I wake up on Monday mornings fired up ready to attack the week instead of spending Sundays dreading the week that lies ahead!
The challenges for me now are so much different than before. Toward the end of my working career, I was in one of those self improvement workshops, where you think "yeah, been here countless times, what am I going to do to kill the next six hours." We were tasked to write down a business plan for the rest of our lives. What do we enjoy doing the most, what is the most fulfilling things in our lives makes us the most happy. I don't remember who the speaker was, but boy, for some reason, his words hit me. Up until then, I had no clue what my personal goals in life were.
Suddenly I had an awakening! It was there all the time, covered up in all the stresses of this "give it to me now" world I was living in. My goal in life was and is to "bring a little happiness to somebody each and every day!"
That is a pretty simple goal, you might think. Hard to do when you are working in a job you no longer enjoy, along side others just doing it for the paycheck.
Attitude adjusted, I made up my mind it was time for a change. Finish out the year end troll, then begin the process of finding something else to do with my life. Another not so easy task, since I've only had three jobs in thirty years! But then God sent me a messsenger! That boss that was spending so much time trying to run me off finally gave up, he "eliminated my position"!
I signed all the nondisclosure documents, took my packet and headed to the door, only stopping by my office to pick up the only things I was allowed to take, two MSU Bulldawgs that my mom had given me.
As I turned the car out of the parking lot, I looked in the mirror and saw something I had not seen in a very long time, I was smiling! The Lord works in mysterious ways. Weeks before all I was seeing was darkness and gloom, but now, oh the sunny days ahead!
I was only 54.5 at the time. And now at 60, I feel younger and more invigorated than ever. I bring a smiling face and a positive attitude to each new day. The people working at the Home Depots can't resist my charming personality, and eventually they begin to smile a bit and begin to greet me when I enter their store.
I try to leave restaurant and fast food workers in a happier mood than before they served me.
I have to admit, my "assembler job" was a challenge for my body. Working on my feet on concrete is a killer. Before, old age was setting in fast and hard. After a few weeks, my body adjusted. I didn't lose much weight, but I have lost an inch or two, and a bunch of fat cells have turned to muscle, just a few! And I do enjoy long soaks in a hot tub full of bubbles!
So, it's never too late for a life change. Whether it's job, or habits, you too can make a change. But you gotta start somewhere, sometime, and trust me, it's NOW!
Life is so sweet! Get out there and enjoy!
I was gonna spend it chilling by the pool at the Condo in the town up north, sipping on a few margaritas, but hey, why spend it alone! Instead I'll be working at the Roses in Pearl, then time will be spent in the kitchen making cheese straws and iced sugar cookies for another football Saturday this weekend!
Some ask, "why are you working?" As I told my boss the other day, this ain't no real job. I'm doing something I enjoy, I'm outside, sweating off some calories, and can take off any time I want. Got nobody barking orders, no phone calls all day long, no 200 emails to read & delete, and no boss scheming 25 different ways to run me off!
This 60 thang is like being 40 again! The first time around was a killer! I wake up on Monday mornings fired up ready to attack the week instead of spending Sundays dreading the week that lies ahead!
The challenges for me now are so much different than before. Toward the end of my working career, I was in one of those self improvement workshops, where you think "yeah, been here countless times, what am I going to do to kill the next six hours." We were tasked to write down a business plan for the rest of our lives. What do we enjoy doing the most, what is the most fulfilling things in our lives makes us the most happy. I don't remember who the speaker was, but boy, for some reason, his words hit me. Up until then, I had no clue what my personal goals in life were.
Suddenly I had an awakening! It was there all the time, covered up in all the stresses of this "give it to me now" world I was living in. My goal in life was and is to "bring a little happiness to somebody each and every day!"
That is a pretty simple goal, you might think. Hard to do when you are working in a job you no longer enjoy, along side others just doing it for the paycheck.
Attitude adjusted, I made up my mind it was time for a change. Finish out the year end troll, then begin the process of finding something else to do with my life. Another not so easy task, since I've only had three jobs in thirty years! But then God sent me a messsenger! That boss that was spending so much time trying to run me off finally gave up, he "eliminated my position"!
I signed all the nondisclosure documents, took my packet and headed to the door, only stopping by my office to pick up the only things I was allowed to take, two MSU Bulldawgs that my mom had given me.
As I turned the car out of the parking lot, I looked in the mirror and saw something I had not seen in a very long time, I was smiling! The Lord works in mysterious ways. Weeks before all I was seeing was darkness and gloom, but now, oh the sunny days ahead!
I was only 54.5 at the time. And now at 60, I feel younger and more invigorated than ever. I bring a smiling face and a positive attitude to each new day. The people working at the Home Depots can't resist my charming personality, and eventually they begin to smile a bit and begin to greet me when I enter their store.
I try to leave restaurant and fast food workers in a happier mood than before they served me.
I have to admit, my "assembler job" was a challenge for my body. Working on my feet on concrete is a killer. Before, old age was setting in fast and hard. After a few weeks, my body adjusted. I didn't lose much weight, but I have lost an inch or two, and a bunch of fat cells have turned to muscle, just a few! And I do enjoy long soaks in a hot tub full of bubbles!
So, it's never too late for a life change. Whether it's job, or habits, you too can make a change. But you gotta start somewhere, sometime, and trust me, it's NOW!
Life is so sweet! Get out there and enjoy!
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Game Day Funnies
Me being a Bulldawg, but with the spousal unit in her beloved land in that town up north, there are always sights and sounds to behold on football Saturday.
I'm in the parking lot. There is this family of five, with one of those fold up red wagons, trying to rearrange there stuff on the wagon so it can make it up the hill. I suggest they might want to bring some bungee cords with them next time. As they begin their journey, two of the chairs fall off the top. These are bag chairs. The youngest, a boy around 12, says "Dad, why don't we just carry the chairs"? Out of the mouths of babes!
People getting busted for "exposed beer containers" is always fun to watch. A young feller was walking pround with his 12 pack of bottle Coronas. The Popo stops him, gives him the riot act, and instructs him to start pouring them out. The Dude was having trouble getting the tops off. More words with the Popo. During this distraction, the guys mom, or much older girly friend, proceeds to pick up the remaining bottles, put them in her bag, and take off before the Popo dude could figure out what happened.
Rain was in the forecast, it was a certainty. Thankfully it held off making for a great day of football. However, during one of the brief moments of rain, we look up, here comes this white convertible with the top down. The high priestess was in the passenger seat, with her umbrella up, protecting that head full of hairspray. I'm betting that when they eventual parked, they probably locked that sucker with the top down.
One of our UPD friends goes by the name "Possum". He has been working game day Saturdays for over 20 years. These days he mostly directs traffic then provides security in the stands. Our tent is next to the one for University PD. Ole Possum came over to visit and get a bite to eat. The. He picked up this hat and put it on:
The Grove Has Its many traditions. One is that one must dress up in one's Sunday's best. Some of these gals have "Sunday's best" confused with "a hot time on Saturday Night". Others have figured out that hey, with color of the day, we can just wear a team jersey and not go for broke buying the latest fashions!
My buddy Kyle lives and breathes TSUN. If a store has an item with "Ole Miss" on it, he has to have it. This weekend was powder blue weekend. Ole Kyle ended up at the Rebel store with money to burn. Rebel Rags had these new tailgate chairs in powder blue with "Ole Miss" painted on them, and for Kyle they were a must have item. On the way to the cash register he spotted the powder blue Ole Miss visor so he grabbed two of them. To Kyle's surprise, the chairs were $34.99 and the visors were $35, EACH! Chachang!!!
Our buddy Mike and his son made the trip from Wisconsin. Mike is a die hard Rebel fan that buys season tickets, but can only make it to one or two games a year. His son got a little too comfy in his chair. The spousal unit started calling his name, "Brad, oh Brad....!" He finally opened his eyes. The spousal unit gave him the finger motion to come here. His brain finally kicked in and up and over he went. He was presented a field pass to enjoy the team sidelines during team warmups. Brad's eyes nearing popped out of his head! Thanks to nephew Justin (M Club member) for the passes!
There will always be a commotion in the stands. In the middle of the Ole Miss Student section, there is the guy wearing an Alabama jersey, alongside his Ole Miss girly friend. The students are giving him hell, and he is giving it right back. He has both hands in the air with the middle finger fully extended. By now he is being bombarded with empty cups and water bottles! Security shows up to monitor the situation. UPD is called in, and after a lengthy discussion, an Ole Miss student is escorted out! It was not a good day to be a smart ass!
As the pregame was coming to an end, the student section was fired up and ready to go. The band fired up for one more song, and in the middle of the students, out came the biggest State of Mississippi flag I had ever seen. What a nice sight to see. Way to go students!
On our way to the parking lot, we were stopped by an Alabama couple. "Sir, can you help us find our car? We don't know where we are, but the car is at the corner of Washington and 5th streets. I was not familiar with that location. I pulled out my smartass phone, pulled up Google maps, typed in that intersection and bam! Up popped the location on the map. I pulled back on the map and found University Avenue and and Jackson Ave for reference. The lady did the same, and off they went. All that Boy Scout training in my youth sure comes in handy!
We finally made it back to the car with all the gear. Headed back to the Condo we go. As we pull into the complex the phone rings. It's our weekend guests, the inlaws. Seems they are lost in the complex, they have been looking for building 34. The spousal unit should have been an air traffic controller, as she guided them in, all the way to a parking spot at the front door!
Next weekend is another home game for the spousal unit and her Rebels. I'm sure even more funnies await!
I'm in the parking lot. There is this family of five, with one of those fold up red wagons, trying to rearrange there stuff on the wagon so it can make it up the hill. I suggest they might want to bring some bungee cords with them next time. As they begin their journey, two of the chairs fall off the top. These are bag chairs. The youngest, a boy around 12, says "Dad, why don't we just carry the chairs"? Out of the mouths of babes!
People getting busted for "exposed beer containers" is always fun to watch. A young feller was walking pround with his 12 pack of bottle Coronas. The Popo stops him, gives him the riot act, and instructs him to start pouring them out. The Dude was having trouble getting the tops off. More words with the Popo. During this distraction, the guys mom, or much older girly friend, proceeds to pick up the remaining bottles, put them in her bag, and take off before the Popo dude could figure out what happened.
Rain was in the forecast, it was a certainty. Thankfully it held off making for a great day of football. However, during one of the brief moments of rain, we look up, here comes this white convertible with the top down. The high priestess was in the passenger seat, with her umbrella up, protecting that head full of hairspray. I'm betting that when they eventual parked, they probably locked that sucker with the top down.
One of our UPD friends goes by the name "Possum". He has been working game day Saturdays for over 20 years. These days he mostly directs traffic then provides security in the stands. Our tent is next to the one for University PD. Ole Possum came over to visit and get a bite to eat. The. He picked up this hat and put it on:
The Grove Has Its many traditions. One is that one must dress up in one's Sunday's best. Some of these gals have "Sunday's best" confused with "a hot time on Saturday Night". Others have figured out that hey, with color of the day, we can just wear a team jersey and not go for broke buying the latest fashions!
My buddy Kyle lives and breathes TSUN. If a store has an item with "Ole Miss" on it, he has to have it. This weekend was powder blue weekend. Ole Kyle ended up at the Rebel store with money to burn. Rebel Rags had these new tailgate chairs in powder blue with "Ole Miss" painted on them, and for Kyle they were a must have item. On the way to the cash register he spotted the powder blue Ole Miss visor so he grabbed two of them. To Kyle's surprise, the chairs were $34.99 and the visors were $35, EACH! Chachang!!!
Our buddy Mike and his son made the trip from Wisconsin. Mike is a die hard Rebel fan that buys season tickets, but can only make it to one or two games a year. His son got a little too comfy in his chair. The spousal unit started calling his name, "Brad, oh Brad....!" He finally opened his eyes. The spousal unit gave him the finger motion to come here. His brain finally kicked in and up and over he went. He was presented a field pass to enjoy the team sidelines during team warmups. Brad's eyes nearing popped out of his head! Thanks to nephew Justin (M Club member) for the passes!
There will always be a commotion in the stands. In the middle of the Ole Miss Student section, there is the guy wearing an Alabama jersey, alongside his Ole Miss girly friend. The students are giving him hell, and he is giving it right back. He has both hands in the air with the middle finger fully extended. By now he is being bombarded with empty cups and water bottles! Security shows up to monitor the situation. UPD is called in, and after a lengthy discussion, an Ole Miss student is escorted out! It was not a good day to be a smart ass!
As the pregame was coming to an end, the student section was fired up and ready to go. The band fired up for one more song, and in the middle of the students, out came the biggest State of Mississippi flag I had ever seen. What a nice sight to see. Way to go students!
On our way to the parking lot, we were stopped by an Alabama couple. "Sir, can you help us find our car? We don't know where we are, but the car is at the corner of Washington and 5th streets. I was not familiar with that location. I pulled out my smartass phone, pulled up Google maps, typed in that intersection and bam! Up popped the location on the map. I pulled back on the map and found University Avenue and and Jackson Ave for reference. The lady did the same, and off they went. All that Boy Scout training in my youth sure comes in handy!
We finally made it back to the car with all the gear. Headed back to the Condo we go. As we pull into the complex the phone rings. It's our weekend guests, the inlaws. Seems they are lost in the complex, they have been looking for building 34. The spousal unit should have been an air traffic controller, as she guided them in, all the way to a parking spot at the front door!
Next weekend is another home game for the spousal unit and her Rebels. I'm sure even more funnies await!
Saturday, September 17, 2016
New Game Day Traditions
Now that we have a Condo in that town up north (Oxford), I'm starting to get the feel for a whole new set of game day traditions.
You get up early to get your pregame setup going. First stop is the gas station off Hwy 6 at North Lamar. They have bulk ice, 20 lbs for 2 dollars. It comes either bagged, or bulk into your cooler.
Unloading your car of the heavy stuff is a whole lot easier at 6:30-7:00 when there is very little activity. The Eupora Peeps next to us are in for a rude awaking this morning. Their usual space is one third of their usual spot. Alabama game squatter dropped a quad set of tents in their chair sitting space!
A stop at the Kroger was full of activity. The chips and beer guys were buzzing like worker bees, filling racks, loading the coolers and leaving pallets full in the aisles.
The local liquor store, next to one of the many Chevrons, has yard signs posting "we are now fully stocked with airplane bottles!", and expanded parking in the empty lot next door!
The last stop this early game day morning was Shipley donuts for hot and fresh for the Spousal unit!
Best part of Condo, game day, is waking up to the smell of a brisket cooking overnight in the oven. And rotel dip with sausage will still be warm for the chafing dish when we get to the tent site.
These traditions will have a whole lot more added as the weeks go by. And if we can just get here on Thursday or early Friday a time or two...
Are you ready???!!! Almost! TI me for a quick shower and a five minute ride to heaven!
You get up early to get your pregame setup going. First stop is the gas station off Hwy 6 at North Lamar. They have bulk ice, 20 lbs for 2 dollars. It comes either bagged, or bulk into your cooler.
Unloading your car of the heavy stuff is a whole lot easier at 6:30-7:00 when there is very little activity. The Eupora Peeps next to us are in for a rude awaking this morning. Their usual space is one third of their usual spot. Alabama game squatter dropped a quad set of tents in their chair sitting space!
A stop at the Kroger was full of activity. The chips and beer guys were buzzing like worker bees, filling racks, loading the coolers and leaving pallets full in the aisles.
The local liquor store, next to one of the many Chevrons, has yard signs posting "we are now fully stocked with airplane bottles!", and expanded parking in the empty lot next door!
The last stop this early game day morning was Shipley donuts for hot and fresh for the Spousal unit!
Best part of Condo, game day, is waking up to the smell of a brisket cooking overnight in the oven. And rotel dip with sausage will still be warm for the chafing dish when we get to the tent site.
These traditions will have a whole lot more added as the weeks go by. And if we can just get here on Thursday or early Friday a time or two...
Are you ready???!!! Almost! TI me for a quick shower and a five minute ride to heaven!
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Not So Funny Thing Happens on the Way Home
We have been on the road for hours, heading home from our trip to Orlando. We're on I-10, about 20 miles east of Pensacola, cruising along, about to pass an 18 wheeler, when all of a sudden......
The dash board lit up with five sensor warnings. The engine went from 1500 rpms to 5000! What the hell???
The sensors were saying: check engine light, emmisson system warning, transmission warning, blind spot warning, and no cruise control warning. Dang! Only 15,000 mIles on this sucker!
The spousal unit was driving at the time, looks at me, "do I pull over? Or keep going?" The engine was still running, car was moving, at 5000 rpms, don't stop, phone calls were being made.
First call to Acura of Jackson: "sorry, we're short on service technicians today, one moment please. Service tech: with what you are saying, we would need to hook it up to the diagnostic machine to determine what is wrong. I guess you can pull over, kill the engine and try again."
At this moment I don't think I said "bull shit" but I sure thought it, and then some. Next call was to the salesman to see what our options for getting home would be. More of the same, "I'm on my cell phone and can't transfer to the service department". Sorry we've been there, done that!
My Boy Scout training then went into high gear. Smartazz phone here we come. Internet search for the nearest Acura dealership. It's now 3:30, hopefully there is one that will be open when we get there and they can do the diagnostics! Ah, Joe Bullard Acura, Mobile, AL here we come!
A call to Joe Bullard. We explained our situation, about an hour away according to Google maps. Their service technicians usually shut down at 5:00 each day. They say, "bring it in, we will have a tech here waiting for you." Yes!!!
We make it to Joe Bullard Acura. There are three cars in the service assessment area already, now 4:30, oh boy. We explain who we are, and our issues, and we called ahead for advice. The service manager hears our name, and he is "Johnny on the spot". He barks "send that car to diagnostics immediately, and do not turn off the engine!" I'm liking the sound of that already!
They confirm that 5 sensors have gone waco. The transmission is not communicating. There are two computers under the hood, one is easy, the other is inside the transmission, not so easy.
An hour and a half later: we need to do a full diagnostic run. The error messages have never been seen on this model by Acura before. We will get you some transportation to get home. Major relief, especially since we had two other passengers with us!
There were no SUVS available at the local Hertz. All their loaner cars were out. They gave us the keys to another MDX that they were using off the used car lot, with less than 7000 miles. Joe Bullard Acura, you are the bomb!
When our car is ready, I will have to return their car to pick up ours. No big deal. Somebody is gonna get some cheese straws as a big thank you on the return trip.
If you live in the Mobile area and are looking for a car in the near future, check out the Joe Bullard dealerships along I-65. I don't know about their sales departments, but their service is top knotch!
The dash board lit up with five sensor warnings. The engine went from 1500 rpms to 5000! What the hell???
The sensors were saying: check engine light, emmisson system warning, transmission warning, blind spot warning, and no cruise control warning. Dang! Only 15,000 mIles on this sucker!
The spousal unit was driving at the time, looks at me, "do I pull over? Or keep going?" The engine was still running, car was moving, at 5000 rpms, don't stop, phone calls were being made.
First call to Acura of Jackson: "sorry, we're short on service technicians today, one moment please. Service tech: with what you are saying, we would need to hook it up to the diagnostic machine to determine what is wrong. I guess you can pull over, kill the engine and try again."
At this moment I don't think I said "bull shit" but I sure thought it, and then some. Next call was to the salesman to see what our options for getting home would be. More of the same, "I'm on my cell phone and can't transfer to the service department". Sorry we've been there, done that!
My Boy Scout training then went into high gear. Smartazz phone here we come. Internet search for the nearest Acura dealership. It's now 3:30, hopefully there is one that will be open when we get there and they can do the diagnostics! Ah, Joe Bullard Acura, Mobile, AL here we come!
A call to Joe Bullard. We explained our situation, about an hour away according to Google maps. Their service technicians usually shut down at 5:00 each day. They say, "bring it in, we will have a tech here waiting for you." Yes!!!
We make it to Joe Bullard Acura. There are three cars in the service assessment area already, now 4:30, oh boy. We explain who we are, and our issues, and we called ahead for advice. The service manager hears our name, and he is "Johnny on the spot". He barks "send that car to diagnostics immediately, and do not turn off the engine!" I'm liking the sound of that already!
They confirm that 5 sensors have gone waco. The transmission is not communicating. There are two computers under the hood, one is easy, the other is inside the transmission, not so easy.
An hour and a half later: we need to do a full diagnostic run. The error messages have never been seen on this model by Acura before. We will get you some transportation to get home. Major relief, especially since we had two other passengers with us!
There were no SUVS available at the local Hertz. All their loaner cars were out. They gave us the keys to another MDX that they were using off the used car lot, with less than 7000 miles. Joe Bullard Acura, you are the bomb!
When our car is ready, I will have to return their car to pick up ours. No big deal. Somebody is gonna get some cheese straws as a big thank you on the return trip.
If you live in the Mobile area and are looking for a car in the near future, check out the Joe Bullard dealerships along I-65. I don't know about their sales departments, but their service is top knotch!
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Camping World Stadium :-(
The Spousal Unit and I are on a mission at our 50+ stage in life to do as much as we can, while we can, so that when we are stuck in our rocking chairs at the retirement home, we will have our memories of good times to entertain us. Visiting college bowl game stadiums is one of those bucket list items.
The old Citrus Bowl, now Camping World Stadium, was on the list. Where to park? After a long search of the internet, the Geico Garage, next to the Amway Center looked to be a good choice, a mile or so away from the stadium, but free shuttle service, which was the absolute bomb!
The stadium was rebuilt last year. They kept the upper decks, but ripped out all the lower sections and rebuilt it with chair back seating, to bring it up to NFL standards.
We were not allowed to enter the stadium at any gate but the one on our ticket. Really? At least they had escalators to the upper levels.
We arrived at our seats, to discover the metal bleachers (yep, upper deck) still had standing water in them. Plus, these wet spots were full of mold. Attendants were cleaning them one hour before kickoff! I can understand the water, but why were they still lined with black mold???
Since we had arrived early, we could relax and get a bite to eat. Off to the concession stands I went. I look at the menu boards, most of which are covered over with a paper sign indicating the only items available were a hot dog and an Italian sausage.
All of the attendants were Hispanic. I asked for "two hot dogs and a sausage dawg". They just looked at me, like "huh???" I said it again, very slowly. It did not register. I'm thinking, you have got to be kidding! Finally their supervisor walked up and said something in Spanish. They then handed me two hot dogs. No sausage dog. Our bottled water was handed over with no top. Dang, what kinda place is this??? I attempted to ask for "mustard" and got more blank stares!
I gave up, and went to the next concession window for maybe some better luck. Whew! There were two English speaking workers and they had mustard at the end of the counter! Got my sausage dawg and we were on our way!
During the game, we saw a popcorn vendor one time. There were plenty of "ice cold beer" vendors throughout the game. Most of the beer was served in 24 inch cans with the top popped, which was understandable.
At halftime, the concession lines were backed up to the airport. All the food items were gone long ago. Beer and water were being dropped into one end of these troughs and being served out of the other. I ordered two waters and a diet pepsi, total $15.50 and paid with a $20. I was given $4 and the gal went looking for quarters. I'm standing there with $4 and no drinks . I ask the other attendant, "can I have my drinks?" I get that look again, "no habla English". The first attendant finally returns, no quarters, and I ask her for my drinks. She replied "but I don't have the rest of your change! I just replied "keep the change, drinks please!" The people behind me can't believe what they are seeing either!
Game over, time to leave. We reach the escalators, which are now all moving downward, thankfully! The attendants are only allowing ten people at a time to get on these escalators. Really??? They just revovated this stadium within the past nine months, but the escalators can't handle the weight???
Once you reached street level, you could not see where the streets were because of all the people leaving at the same time. All of the fans had only one route back to the parking lots and shuttle buses!
Thankfully they knew what they were doing at the shuttle bus station. It only took us about 30-45 minutes to board.
Lots of people came by Uber, including some of our friends. Even back at the parking garages they were not getting through on the Uber app on their phones. Just too many requests for their system to handle in Downtown Orlando.
We can mark off the old Citrus Bowl off our list. On a scale of 1 to 10, they get a 4. The atmosphere was great, the FSU fans in our section were great, but this newly remodeled stadium did not deliver.
Time for the next bucket list item!
The old Citrus Bowl, now Camping World Stadium, was on the list. Where to park? After a long search of the internet, the Geico Garage, next to the Amway Center looked to be a good choice, a mile or so away from the stadium, but free shuttle service, which was the absolute bomb!
The stadium was rebuilt last year. They kept the upper decks, but ripped out all the lower sections and rebuilt it with chair back seating, to bring it up to NFL standards.
We were not allowed to enter the stadium at any gate but the one on our ticket. Really? At least they had escalators to the upper levels.
We arrived at our seats, to discover the metal bleachers (yep, upper deck) still had standing water in them. Plus, these wet spots were full of mold. Attendants were cleaning them one hour before kickoff! I can understand the water, but why were they still lined with black mold???
Since we had arrived early, we could relax and get a bite to eat. Off to the concession stands I went. I look at the menu boards, most of which are covered over with a paper sign indicating the only items available were a hot dog and an Italian sausage.
All of the attendants were Hispanic. I asked for "two hot dogs and a sausage dawg". They just looked at me, like "huh???" I said it again, very slowly. It did not register. I'm thinking, you have got to be kidding! Finally their supervisor walked up and said something in Spanish. They then handed me two hot dogs. No sausage dog. Our bottled water was handed over with no top. Dang, what kinda place is this??? I attempted to ask for "mustard" and got more blank stares!
I gave up, and went to the next concession window for maybe some better luck. Whew! There were two English speaking workers and they had mustard at the end of the counter! Got my sausage dawg and we were on our way!
During the game, we saw a popcorn vendor one time. There were plenty of "ice cold beer" vendors throughout the game. Most of the beer was served in 24 inch cans with the top popped, which was understandable.
At halftime, the concession lines were backed up to the airport. All the food items were gone long ago. Beer and water were being dropped into one end of these troughs and being served out of the other. I ordered two waters and a diet pepsi, total $15.50 and paid with a $20. I was given $4 and the gal went looking for quarters. I'm standing there with $4 and no drinks . I ask the other attendant, "can I have my drinks?" I get that look again, "no habla English". The first attendant finally returns, no quarters, and I ask her for my drinks. She replied "but I don't have the rest of your change! I just replied "keep the change, drinks please!" The people behind me can't believe what they are seeing either!
Game over, time to leave. We reach the escalators, which are now all moving downward, thankfully! The attendants are only allowing ten people at a time to get on these escalators. Really??? They just revovated this stadium within the past nine months, but the escalators can't handle the weight???
Once you reached street level, you could not see where the streets were because of all the people leaving at the same time. All of the fans had only one route back to the parking lots and shuttle buses!
Thankfully they knew what they were doing at the shuttle bus station. It only took us about 30-45 minutes to board.
Lots of people came by Uber, including some of our friends. Even back at the parking garages they were not getting through on the Uber app on their phones. Just too many requests for their system to handle in Downtown Orlando.
We can mark off the old Citrus Bowl off our list. On a scale of 1 to 10, they get a 4. The atmosphere was great, the FSU fans in our section were great, but this newly remodeled stadium did not deliver.
Time for the next bucket list item!
Monday, September 5, 2016
Funnies at Universal Studios
The day before the big game we ended up at Universal Studios for a good time with friends.
There are three "best times" when visiting an amusement park: 1. Your very first visit, 2. The first time you take your kids, and 3. When you take people that have never been! This trip was a first for our friends!
At the entrance, parking was $20, so I handed the attendant a $20. He asked me "would you like preferred parking"? Me: "for $20?" Him: "no, $10 more". Oh Lordty! I thought $20 was bad enough!
When you park at Universal Studios you are in one of several parking garages. Take a picture of your parking spot with your smartazz phone so you don't have to remember where you parked.
Before you get to security, make sure your spousal unit is carrying the backpack. That way you can go through the fast line through the metal detectors. My spousal unit is gonna get checked anyway because of all the metal in her hips and knees!
At Universal, buy your tickets online and save yourself about $20. Our visit was last minute so no savings there. They were not selling the "single park" ticket today, the cheapest being the "one day, park to park". When boarding the Harry Potter train, you have to use your "park to park" ticket or a multi-day ticket. Not sure why this was an issue today since no "single park" tickets were being sold.
When you enter the park they require a finger scan with your ticket and they ask you to sign your ticket. This makes it easier on you and them when you use your ticket at the train or a second day admission. Just be sure to use the same finger on the scan!
Dining in Harry Potter land can be challenging. Some of the places serve "English Pub fare". If you don't read the menu closely, you end up spending a lot of time asking the check out clerk "what is this, what is that?"
Before standing in a line for a motion ride, make sure those in your party are actually going to ride the ride! Now that is a time saver!
In Harry Potter land, be sure to walk thru the inside theme rides with your party even if you're not going to ride the ride. You get to check out all the stuff that leads up to the ride, then you meet your friends at the end.
Be sure to pack a poncho. When in Florida it will rain, and you will get wet. It is so funny to see the "wet tshirt contest" after a downpour!
During our ride on the train, a little girl was in our cabin. It was obvious that this was not her first rodeo. She explained to "us adults" that there will be pictures to see thru this window on the trip, but "they aren't real". I told her to use her magic wand and cast a spell to make them real! She gave me one of those looks like "really?"
There is a shop that sells a giant donut, with sprinkles etc.... that comes in a box. I suggest you buy that sucker at the end of the day or you're gonna be carrying that thing all day!
We were in line for the Jurassic Park ride, when it and a lot of others were shut down because of approaching bad weather. We made our way to "King Kong Skull Island" at the suggestion of the announcer, since it was an indoor ride. It's a new one we haven't seen before, so okay. Get there, seems everyone is there, and there is a two hour wait! The rain is now a downpour and to heck with a 2 hour line! To the car we went!
It was so funny watching and looking at the people in the rain. Some were jumping up and down making big splashes, some could have won first prize at a wet tshirt contest, and others were complaining about being all wet, and we were in the water ride section of the park at the time!
We made it back to our resort earlier than anticipated, but some were needing the head start on resting up for the next day. Glad we have a washer and dryer, as the dryer ran for over 4 hours drying out those wet shoes!
The spousal unit and I had our heads on our pillows and I asked her "will we be doing this when we are 70 or 80??? HYDR!!
The next adventure for us is always just around the corner. Shoes are dry and clean clothes are at the ready, can't wait!!!
There are three "best times" when visiting an amusement park: 1. Your very first visit, 2. The first time you take your kids, and 3. When you take people that have never been! This trip was a first for our friends!
At the entrance, parking was $20, so I handed the attendant a $20. He asked me "would you like preferred parking"? Me: "for $20?" Him: "no, $10 more". Oh Lordty! I thought $20 was bad enough!
When you park at Universal Studios you are in one of several parking garages. Take a picture of your parking spot with your smartazz phone so you don't have to remember where you parked.
Before you get to security, make sure your spousal unit is carrying the backpack. That way you can go through the fast line through the metal detectors. My spousal unit is gonna get checked anyway because of all the metal in her hips and knees!
At Universal, buy your tickets online and save yourself about $20. Our visit was last minute so no savings there. They were not selling the "single park" ticket today, the cheapest being the "one day, park to park". When boarding the Harry Potter train, you have to use your "park to park" ticket or a multi-day ticket. Not sure why this was an issue today since no "single park" tickets were being sold.
When you enter the park they require a finger scan with your ticket and they ask you to sign your ticket. This makes it easier on you and them when you use your ticket at the train or a second day admission. Just be sure to use the same finger on the scan!
Dining in Harry Potter land can be challenging. Some of the places serve "English Pub fare". If you don't read the menu closely, you end up spending a lot of time asking the check out clerk "what is this, what is that?"
Before standing in a line for a motion ride, make sure those in your party are actually going to ride the ride! Now that is a time saver!
In Harry Potter land, be sure to walk thru the inside theme rides with your party even if you're not going to ride the ride. You get to check out all the stuff that leads up to the ride, then you meet your friends at the end.
Be sure to pack a poncho. When in Florida it will rain, and you will get wet. It is so funny to see the "wet tshirt contest" after a downpour!
During our ride on the train, a little girl was in our cabin. It was obvious that this was not her first rodeo. She explained to "us adults" that there will be pictures to see thru this window on the trip, but "they aren't real". I told her to use her magic wand and cast a spell to make them real! She gave me one of those looks like "really?"
There is a shop that sells a giant donut, with sprinkles etc.... that comes in a box. I suggest you buy that sucker at the end of the day or you're gonna be carrying that thing all day!
We were in line for the Jurassic Park ride, when it and a lot of others were shut down because of approaching bad weather. We made our way to "King Kong Skull Island" at the suggestion of the announcer, since it was an indoor ride. It's a new one we haven't seen before, so okay. Get there, seems everyone is there, and there is a two hour wait! The rain is now a downpour and to heck with a 2 hour line! To the car we went!
It was so funny watching and looking at the people in the rain. Some were jumping up and down making big splashes, some could have won first prize at a wet tshirt contest, and others were complaining about being all wet, and we were in the water ride section of the park at the time!
We made it back to our resort earlier than anticipated, but some were needing the head start on resting up for the next day. Glad we have a washer and dryer, as the dryer ran for over 4 hours drying out those wet shoes!
The spousal unit and I had our heads on our pillows and I asked her "will we be doing this when we are 70 or 80??? HYDR!!
The next adventure for us is always just around the corner. Shoes are dry and clean clothes are at the ready, can't wait!!!
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Roadie trip to Orlando
Time for the roadie trip to Orlando to see the spousal unit's Rebels play Florida State on Monday night. With a 7:00 a.m. departure and 11 hours of driving, it was gonna be a long day.
I gave up fast driving long ago, glad I did! Being a holiday weekend, I spotted six of MHP's finest before reaching I-10. Eventually that number hit 10 before we reached our destination. I my age, I'm glad these guys were out there working!
Around the 11:00 hour I found my Bulldogs on the radio. As we were approaching Tallahassee, our travel mate Jackie asks "how are you getting that game on your radio all the way down here???" The look on her face when the words "satellite radio" registered in her head! We had quite the laugh on that one! Unfortunately it was not a happy ending for me or the Bullypups. Gonna be a looonnnggg season....
I asked our other travel mate Taylor if she liked Steak & Shake? She had never been. The location in Tallahassee is one of my travel stops. I was building it up big time with Taylor. As we approached, around 2:00 est, I noticed that the McD's parking lot was empty. Then I realized that the Steak & Shake next door was closed too! WTH??? Apparently the storm that came thru last night had knocked out the power on that side of the Interstate. Sadly we ended up at Wendy's, which was short on its crew and running short on lots of food items as well. I'm betting they had one of their biggest day ever due to that storm.
Driving further down the road, I got honked at by a Hummer all decked out in Rebel red and white with a bunch of blue magnets on the fenders. I was then reminded by the spousal unit that she too had covered her car in similar magnetic signs. Being a Bulldawg, I don't know how to respond to all this hotty toddy, land shark roadie sign language. Gonna have to get educated on a better sign language reply other than a middle finger! (Joking!!)
After a driver swap, the spousal unit got "tomahawked " by a passing Florida State Car. The Spousal unit did her best attempt at honking Dixie back at them!
We finally got checked in and met up with our buddy Paul. It as almost 8:00 est and the hunger pains were kicking in. Time to use my Landry Select Dining Card!
All five of us loaded up and headed to Disney Springs. I had to show off the new parking garages. The signs said "full" but at that time of night there had to be an empty space or three. My passengers were amazed to see all the electronics in the garage, telling you how many spaces were available on each row and where the empty slots were. I just love these high tech garages!
Our destination was Trexx, especially since I had a $25 birthday credit on my card. My friends were amazed as we walked to the head of the line, passing tons of people, and got first available seating, the best benefit of the dining club!
My buddy Taylor ordered a "blue icee" and the waiter talked her into a souvenir cup. Oh the laugh we got out of this!
The waiter was from St. Petersburg Russia. Paul asked him "what cut of meat was a flat iron steak?" The waiters response was "beef". What a hoot!
Before we left, we had taught the waiter "hotty toddy " and I made sure to remind him to say it to any Florida State fans he had as guests this weekend, since it was a special football greeting!
Back at the room, Paul's wife Emily and her niece arrived around 1:00 a.m. we got a kick out of an item she brought for the trip. We are all staying in a 3 bedroom HGVC condo, and she was worried about needing extra towels and bed linens. I told her not to worry, but if she was a heavy user of TP, she might want to bring an extra roll. She brought this huge multipack!
I can't wait to see what else this adventure has in store for us!
I gave up fast driving long ago, glad I did! Being a holiday weekend, I spotted six of MHP's finest before reaching I-10. Eventually that number hit 10 before we reached our destination. I my age, I'm glad these guys were out there working!
Around the 11:00 hour I found my Bulldogs on the radio. As we were approaching Tallahassee, our travel mate Jackie asks "how are you getting that game on your radio all the way down here???" The look on her face when the words "satellite radio" registered in her head! We had quite the laugh on that one! Unfortunately it was not a happy ending for me or the Bullypups. Gonna be a looonnnggg season....
I asked our other travel mate Taylor if she liked Steak & Shake? She had never been. The location in Tallahassee is one of my travel stops. I was building it up big time with Taylor. As we approached, around 2:00 est, I noticed that the McD's parking lot was empty. Then I realized that the Steak & Shake next door was closed too! WTH??? Apparently the storm that came thru last night had knocked out the power on that side of the Interstate. Sadly we ended up at Wendy's, which was short on its crew and running short on lots of food items as well. I'm betting they had one of their biggest day ever due to that storm.
Driving further down the road, I got honked at by a Hummer all decked out in Rebel red and white with a bunch of blue magnets on the fenders. I was then reminded by the spousal unit that she too had covered her car in similar magnetic signs. Being a Bulldawg, I don't know how to respond to all this hotty toddy, land shark roadie sign language. Gonna have to get educated on a better sign language reply other than a middle finger! (Joking!!)
After a driver swap, the spousal unit got "tomahawked " by a passing Florida State Car. The Spousal unit did her best attempt at honking Dixie back at them!
We finally got checked in and met up with our buddy Paul. It as almost 8:00 est and the hunger pains were kicking in. Time to use my Landry Select Dining Card!
All five of us loaded up and headed to Disney Springs. I had to show off the new parking garages. The signs said "full" but at that time of night there had to be an empty space or three. My passengers were amazed to see all the electronics in the garage, telling you how many spaces were available on each row and where the empty slots were. I just love these high tech garages!
Our destination was Trexx, especially since I had a $25 birthday credit on my card. My friends were amazed as we walked to the head of the line, passing tons of people, and got first available seating, the best benefit of the dining club!
My buddy Taylor ordered a "blue icee" and the waiter talked her into a souvenir cup. Oh the laugh we got out of this!
The waiter was from St. Petersburg Russia. Paul asked him "what cut of meat was a flat iron steak?" The waiters response was "beef". What a hoot!
Before we left, we had taught the waiter "hotty toddy " and I made sure to remind him to say it to any Florida State fans he had as guests this weekend, since it was a special football greeting!
Back at the room, Paul's wife Emily and her niece arrived around 1:00 a.m. we got a kick out of an item she brought for the trip. We are all staying in a 3 bedroom HGVC condo, and she was worried about needing extra towels and bed linens. I told her not to worry, but if she was a heavy user of TP, she might want to bring an extra roll. She brought this huge multipack!
I can't wait to see what else this adventure has in store for us!
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Buy A Condo She Said
The Spousal Unit is on a roll! Man Cub graduates from MSU in May, he's out of the Starkville Condo by June, that unit is sold by the end of July, then, the first of August, we closed on a condo in "That Town Up North", otherwise known as Oxford.
"Its unoccupied" she says, "almost move in ready", she continues. "Just some paint on these white walls and in we come"! Yeah, right, okay. Its like that cheer they say up there "Are you ready?" My reply is " so, I guess I'm the painter?" And you know what her next line was...".HYDR (Hell Yeah, Damn Right)!"
FIRST TRIP:
The day of the closing, we of course got the keys. The Spousal Units Acura MDX was loaded to the max, including the rack on the back that had one of those mail order memory foam mattresses in a bag, for one of the beds. After unloading everything, it was back to Brandon to prepare for a vaca week planned nine months earlier.
SECOND TRIP:
"Its unoccupied" she says, "almost move in ready", she continues. "Just some paint on these white walls and in we come"! Yeah, right, okay. Its like that cheer they say up there "Are you ready?" My reply is " so, I guess I'm the painter?" And you know what her next line was...".HYDR (Hell Yeah, Damn Right)!"
FIRST TRIP:
The day of the closing, we of course got the keys. The Spousal Units Acura MDX was loaded to the max, including the rack on the back that had one of those mail order memory foam mattresses in a bag, for one of the beds. After unloading everything, it was back to Brandon to prepare for a vaca week planned nine months earlier.
SECOND TRIP:
By this time, the Spousal Unit has had time to pick out some paint colors. We make the stop at LOWES, and pick up Paint, brushes, door locks, digital thermostat, LED light bulbs, shower heads, ceiling fans, and enough stuff to fill up a cart and hear the cash register go cha-ching, ching, ching!!!
Next morning, the Spousal Unit got busy washing all the new towels and sheets that were delivered courtesy of UPS. I quickly knocked out the three new door knobs, one for the front door, one for the storage room, and one for the "owner's closet" to secure things off limits to any overnighters that use the unit. Replacing the door knobs was far easier than calling a locksmith, $50 vs a minimum of $100 just for the service call. Next, the new shower heads were installed, and ready to go. Man, that first hot shower with the rain shower head was wonderful!
Then the fun began. I took the cover off the old thermostat, only to discover that the unit was a heat pump. We swapped out one in Starkville, and it was a royal pain in the ass. Dadgumit! And I think I bought the wrong one! Next, two ceiling fans. I took down one of the light fixtures, only to discover there was only a light weight rod spanning the ceiling rafters, not nearly strong enough to support our ceiling fans, double dawg dadgumit! Off to paint!
I've been painting all my life. we went through three buckets of paint with ease, running out on Sunday, about the time we needed to pack up and head back to home base. I felt pretty good about all the work we had gotten done. The Spousal Unit even got the cable going on the TV that made the trip. Before we left, the complex manager showed up with the internet guys to install the modem. A wireless router was already in route courtesy of Amazon Prime!
THIRD TRIP:
Time for more painting. Two bedrooms are now a light shade of blue, and the living and dining are a color called "lambs ear". The cabinets in the kitchen were stained wood, which just darkened up the place. Painting these called for a trip to Sherwin Williams since LOWES doesn't carry oil based enamel paint.
After the Spousal Unit had done some research, it turns out that the new thermostat would work after all, yes! This sucker was programmable and wifi enabled, so it could be monitored remotely. Now that's what you call high tech!
The bathrooms got new curved shower rods to add more roominess to these fiberglass tubs. I also added new tub drains that you press with you foot to open and close. The cabinets got one coat of paint before I ran out. Next trip with a stop at Sherwin Williams should do the trick!
I installed a wireless doorbell so that the spousal unit could hear the door if she had company knocking while she was in the back prepping. That sucker has 35 different tone sequences, and of course we went with the first one.
The wireless router came on with no problems. It allows you to have two "logins", one for you at higher speeds, and another at a lower speed for guests. I wanted to name it the "geriatric luv shack" but the Spousal Unit overruled me! Rats!
I was then able to turn on the wifi features of the new thermostat. We can now adjust it and monitor the temperature from Brandon, or from our smart phones. We can put the unit on 80 degrees and then adjust it down on our way up there on future trips! Technology is awesome, once you figure it out!
The ceiling fans by far were the worst project of all. I put the fans together, ready to be hung. I then removed the old light fixture. There is now a four inch hole for me to work with. I pushed the small rods enough so I could pull them apart, then bent them to one side. I then installed a much bigger rod through that four inch hole. This rod is held in place by tension between the rafters. Three hours later we had two operational ceiling fans!
While working on the last one, there was a knock on the door. The upstairs neighbor had worked late last night had was having trouble sleeping with me banging in the ceiling and Oscar & Otis barking at every little odd noise. he wanted to know when we would be done with our renovation projects. That pretty much tells you that there is no insulation between floors. I started laughing, and the Spousal Unit said "what????" My comment back was "I can't wait till he has some spend the night company and the ceiling begins to talk to US!!!" I'll probably take him some cookies on the next trip as a peace offering :-).
During the trip, we also acquired a bigger TV, one of those "smart TV's". It took that sucker almost an hour to complete its search and destroy mission to load all the channels that weren't scrambled. Basic and expanded basic service along with the internet are included in our month HOA fees. We decided to wait on the digital signal upgrade "for a fee" for now.
Finally all of my "almost move in ready"chores are almost done. I only have one more coat of paint on the bathroom cabinets to go for our next trip, which will be the first home football game. The Spousal Unit takes over with adding décor and additional furnishings. We have a queen, a double, and a set of bunk beds at the ready for sleepovers. After the painting, my only chores will be grilling on the patio or driving to one of the eateries for my foodie addiction.
And she said, "its almost move in ready......."
Sunday, August 7, 2016
GPS Crazy Chick
When we got our first Garmin years ago, it literally saved our marriage. Before, we would try to find our way using a paper map, or worse, some hand written instructions, and of course, we would end up missing a turn, taking a wrong turn, and end up being mad at each other.
Enter the GPS gal to save the day! The spousal unit did not appreciate my love affair with the Garvin chick. She would say "you never get mad or yell at her!" I'd just look a her and say "well at least with her, if I miss a turn, she says "recalculating"!"
Our GPS with our Chevy Traverse was wonderful. If you couldn't load or find the location in the GPS, you simply called the OnStar folks and they would send you the directions via satellite, and off you go!
Well, the old Traverse got a few too many miles on her, and repairs were becoming a nagging issue, so time for a new ride. The Spousal unit decided on an Acura MDX.
The Acura has a "state of the art" new high end, high tech, GPS system. It mostly works off of voice commands. That works great except that she will only listen to the driver, ignoring all other passengers. The process works great, as long as you are speaking the Acura version of the English language. If you are an ole southern Redneck like me, your patience will eventually run thin.
The backup plan would be to hit the "Acura link " button and ask for the directions to be downloaded, just like OnStar. Only problem, they want $300 up front just to turn on that feature! Being an independently minded feller, I ain't go time for that!
Normally, when heading to a new dot on the map, I'll take the time to load the coordinates before we leave the driveway. This trip, I knew where I was going and how to get there. The trip was gonna take around six hours, and about halfway, I got board, so what the hell, let's play Captain Kirk and voice command!
The Acura chick prefers you to give her city and State first, to narrow down the search. I told her "Miramar Florida". I admit, I spoke it in Southerneze, dragging out F-l-o-r-i-d-a! She comes back with some place in Oregon! WTH??? It got a little better once I tried "Destin", with a quick reference to "Florida". But, the more I tried voice prompting the exact location, the more frustrated I became.
I looked over at the Spousal unit, who was laughing at me, so much that she was about to wet her pants. I asked "what???" She replied "you are yelling at her like you used to yell at me!!! I guess the honeymoon with you two is over"! Busted! She had my number! We were now both laughing our heads off!
Finally I just hit the cancel button on the Acura chick, hit goggle maps on my smartass phone, typed in the desired location, and bam! Instant directions! Strike up a win for Google!
I'm not done with the Acura chick yet. There are many more battles with her coming before I throw in the towel!
Enter the GPS gal to save the day! The spousal unit did not appreciate my love affair with the Garvin chick. She would say "you never get mad or yell at her!" I'd just look a her and say "well at least with her, if I miss a turn, she says "recalculating"!"
Our GPS with our Chevy Traverse was wonderful. If you couldn't load or find the location in the GPS, you simply called the OnStar folks and they would send you the directions via satellite, and off you go!
Well, the old Traverse got a few too many miles on her, and repairs were becoming a nagging issue, so time for a new ride. The Spousal unit decided on an Acura MDX.
The Acura has a "state of the art" new high end, high tech, GPS system. It mostly works off of voice commands. That works great except that she will only listen to the driver, ignoring all other passengers. The process works great, as long as you are speaking the Acura version of the English language. If you are an ole southern Redneck like me, your patience will eventually run thin.
The backup plan would be to hit the "Acura link " button and ask for the directions to be downloaded, just like OnStar. Only problem, they want $300 up front just to turn on that feature! Being an independently minded feller, I ain't go time for that!
Normally, when heading to a new dot on the map, I'll take the time to load the coordinates before we leave the driveway. This trip, I knew where I was going and how to get there. The trip was gonna take around six hours, and about halfway, I got board, so what the hell, let's play Captain Kirk and voice command!
The Acura chick prefers you to give her city and State first, to narrow down the search. I told her "Miramar Florida". I admit, I spoke it in Southerneze, dragging out F-l-o-r-i-d-a! She comes back with some place in Oregon! WTH??? It got a little better once I tried "Destin", with a quick reference to "Florida". But, the more I tried voice prompting the exact location, the more frustrated I became.
I looked over at the Spousal unit, who was laughing at me, so much that she was about to wet her pants. I asked "what???" She replied "you are yelling at her like you used to yell at me!!! I guess the honeymoon with you two is over"! Busted! She had my number! We were now both laughing our heads off!
Finally I just hit the cancel button on the Acura chick, hit goggle maps on my smartass phone, typed in the desired location, and bam! Instant directions! Strike up a win for Google!
I'm not done with the Acura chick yet. There are many more battles with her coming before I throw in the towel!
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Gibbs Country Store revisited
We've been to Gibbs Country Store, via the back roads from Bolton, riding as passengers with great friends. I've been wanting to plan a return trip since then, but could never find the time til now.
Thank you Google Maps for showing us the way to Learned, MS! Gibbs Country Store is located five miles off Hwy 18, past Raymond. When you notice that your cell phone is down to one bar, you know your are almost there.
You can get an idea of about how long you will wait just by counting the cars along the side of the road that approaches the restaurant. There were a lot of BMW's, Tahoes, infinities, Lexus, and a Caddy or two.
We arrived around 6:20, put our name on the list, then took a seat outside with an anticipation of an hour wait. Thankfully we found an unoccupied bench, instead of sitting on top of an old car tag along the edge of the front porch. Had we opted for one of the car tags, you would have been able to make out the outline of the county and State on our backside for days!
For a one street town, Learned was a happening place! A stretch limo pulled up, and out popped six passengers. I hope the driver has satellite radio to occupy his time, because his cell phone was gonna be useless on in this neck of the woods. A Chevy pickup passed by, and I figured that he had to be local because of all the mud on the side of the truck.
To pass the time, i got in plenty of bird watching. Cars would pull up, and out would pop all these women, with
a glass of wine in one hand and the bottle in the other. It was quite a balancing act to manage both plus a purse! One group of six had never been. One of the guys said all his friends that had been said Gibbs was wonderful. Part of the reason its so good is by the time your name is called you are starving to death!
Finally, 1.5 hours later, our name was called. The restaurant was at capacity. The two of us were seated at a table for four. No sooner had we taken our seats, when the cashier walks to a big table next to us, and she proceeds to ask them to "speed it on up" as others were waiting for a seat! After that, we offered the two remaining seats up for other guests. Enter Steve and Bob, seventy and ninety years old respectively
Johnny Crocker was there, playing his guitar, and taking requests from the diners. The place was loud from Johnny and the wine and beer being consumed, that I told Steve and Bob that I hope I didn't yell at my wife on the way home!
Each time the back door was opened, the restaurant would be filled with the smell of charcoal on a slow burn. I looked at our new friend Steve, and said "smell that? Ah, the smell of money!"
As we were wrapping up our meal, I noticed two young girls at the next table. To fight back their hunger pains they were all in with the salad crackers and butter that the waitress had.dropped off.
Our meal complete, it was time to settle up. I love their of method of closing out your bill. "You had two steaks, two drinks, and a dessert, $80!" A $20 tip made it a $100 evening!
As we made it past all those fancy cars, I was so thankful that the GPS lady was waiting to escort us home! Man! I love technology!
Thank you Google Maps for showing us the way to Learned, MS! Gibbs Country Store is located five miles off Hwy 18, past Raymond. When you notice that your cell phone is down to one bar, you know your are almost there.
You can get an idea of about how long you will wait just by counting the cars along the side of the road that approaches the restaurant. There were a lot of BMW's, Tahoes, infinities, Lexus, and a Caddy or two.
We arrived around 6:20, put our name on the list, then took a seat outside with an anticipation of an hour wait. Thankfully we found an unoccupied bench, instead of sitting on top of an old car tag along the edge of the front porch. Had we opted for one of the car tags, you would have been able to make out the outline of the county and State on our backside for days!
For a one street town, Learned was a happening place! A stretch limo pulled up, and out popped six passengers. I hope the driver has satellite radio to occupy his time, because his cell phone was gonna be useless on in this neck of the woods. A Chevy pickup passed by, and I figured that he had to be local because of all the mud on the side of the truck.
To pass the time, i got in plenty of bird watching. Cars would pull up, and out would pop all these women, with
a glass of wine in one hand and the bottle in the other. It was quite a balancing act to manage both plus a purse! One group of six had never been. One of the guys said all his friends that had been said Gibbs was wonderful. Part of the reason its so good is by the time your name is called you are starving to death!
Finally, 1.5 hours later, our name was called. The restaurant was at capacity. The two of us were seated at a table for four. No sooner had we taken our seats, when the cashier walks to a big table next to us, and she proceeds to ask them to "speed it on up" as others were waiting for a seat! After that, we offered the two remaining seats up for other guests. Enter Steve and Bob, seventy and ninety years old respectively
Johnny Crocker was there, playing his guitar, and taking requests from the diners. The place was loud from Johnny and the wine and beer being consumed, that I told Steve and Bob that I hope I didn't yell at my wife on the way home!
Each time the back door was opened, the restaurant would be filled with the smell of charcoal on a slow burn. I looked at our new friend Steve, and said "smell that? Ah, the smell of money!"
As we were wrapping up our meal, I noticed two young girls at the next table. To fight back their hunger pains they were all in with the salad crackers and butter that the waitress had.dropped off.
Our meal complete, it was time to settle up. I love their of method of closing out your bill. "You had two steaks, two drinks, and a dessert, $80!" A $20 tip made it a $100 evening!
As we made it past all those fancy cars, I was so thankful that the GPS lady was waiting to escort us home! Man! I love technology!
Sunday, June 26, 2016
So, You Want A Place In Oxford
You went to school years ago at the school up north, located in a town called Oxford. Every fall you make the Saturday trips to Mecca, better known as "The Grove". You pay your dues so you will have a place under the oaks to call your home along with your fellow tailgaters. if only for less than 24 hours. Then its pack it up time, haul it all off, and then do it all again repeatedly all fall. Thankfully the "tent set up guy" handles the heavy stuff, and he pretty much guarantees you your same spot week after week, year after year!
Then, if you're like us, you have the car all packed up, and you are in your own bed by 2 or 3 in the wee hours of the morning. This is easy in the early years, you are young, you bounce back strong. Later in life, your eyes open, but nothing else is moving. If you're lucky, you can get a room in town on a nonconference game weekend. During SEC game weekends, the room rates are out the roof! Some locals are now renting out their homes on those big SEC weekends.
By now, your kids are out of the house, out of college, and hopefully off the payroll! Let's buy a condo! No more late night travel, a place to call your own, and friends will always be welcome! We've got plenty of extra money now, let's do it!
Well guess what, you are now behind in the game. All the old apartment complexes built in the 70's to 90's have already gone condo, and they are all owned by investors, retirees, and weekenders, just like you. If you are lucky, and your timing is just right, you might catch one on the resale market, as kids graduate, and the parents lose interest, or they are now selling to "move on up"!
Condos selling below $90,000 are nonexistent. Those going for $91,000 to $115,000 are far and few between. The pickings become more plentiful once you get into the $125,000 to $250,000 range. And don't forget the HOA fees, which on the low end are $300 to $600 per quarter. Some have a pool and club house, while on others the fees only cover the building structure.
The housing market is not any better. Houses going in the $150,000 to $250,000 range are receiving 3-6 offers within days of going on the market. The builders are pre-selling their developments, attracting the higher income sector and the retirees looking to relocate to Oxford.
The Spousal Unit and I ventured into this land of OZ yesterday. Our price range limited us to five units to look at. Two of these were townhouses, with upstairs and downstairs, and one sold pending the day before our tour. Two of the others were the same floor plan, 2 bdr, 2 bathrooms, at one complex, and were 1100 square feet. The last one was 840 square feet and was in one of the oldest apartment complexes in town and was 2bdr with one bath.
I had viewed pictures of the 840 sq. ft. unit on the internet the day before. When we stepped into it, it was like OMG! this is one of those tiny houses we've seen on TV, but bigger. Apparently I had a pre-conceived mental picture of the dimensions in my head, but that was quickly blown away once I stepped in!
After touring all the units, we had to narrow our choices down. That was easy, all the townhouses were marked off the list quickly. The days of falling down stairs are long gone and the days of having to crawl up stairs are fast approaching. The 840 sq. ft. unit had location going for it but nothing else. That left us with two units at the same complex, with one being upstairs, and the other down. These were two units of five that an investor bought up less than two years ago, and he was now cashing in. The downstairs unit it will be!
None of these units have been "flipped" and as the realtor kept saying, some just need some "lipstick". The same units flipped were going for $140,000 up. Fortunately the old saying that "you can put lipstick on a pig, but its still a pig" doesn't apply to Condos. A fresh coat of paint, new carpet or floors and some work on the kitchen, and you've got yourself a weekender!
An offer has been made. Now the waiting begins.......
Then, if you're like us, you have the car all packed up, and you are in your own bed by 2 or 3 in the wee hours of the morning. This is easy in the early years, you are young, you bounce back strong. Later in life, your eyes open, but nothing else is moving. If you're lucky, you can get a room in town on a nonconference game weekend. During SEC game weekends, the room rates are out the roof! Some locals are now renting out their homes on those big SEC weekends.
By now, your kids are out of the house, out of college, and hopefully off the payroll! Let's buy a condo! No more late night travel, a place to call your own, and friends will always be welcome! We've got plenty of extra money now, let's do it!
Well guess what, you are now behind in the game. All the old apartment complexes built in the 70's to 90's have already gone condo, and they are all owned by investors, retirees, and weekenders, just like you. If you are lucky, and your timing is just right, you might catch one on the resale market, as kids graduate, and the parents lose interest, or they are now selling to "move on up"!
Condos selling below $90,000 are nonexistent. Those going for $91,000 to $115,000 are far and few between. The pickings become more plentiful once you get into the $125,000 to $250,000 range. And don't forget the HOA fees, which on the low end are $300 to $600 per quarter. Some have a pool and club house, while on others the fees only cover the building structure.
The housing market is not any better. Houses going in the $150,000 to $250,000 range are receiving 3-6 offers within days of going on the market. The builders are pre-selling their developments, attracting the higher income sector and the retirees looking to relocate to Oxford.
The Spousal Unit and I ventured into this land of OZ yesterday. Our price range limited us to five units to look at. Two of these were townhouses, with upstairs and downstairs, and one sold pending the day before our tour. Two of the others were the same floor plan, 2 bdr, 2 bathrooms, at one complex, and were 1100 square feet. The last one was 840 square feet and was in one of the oldest apartment complexes in town and was 2bdr with one bath.
I had viewed pictures of the 840 sq. ft. unit on the internet the day before. When we stepped into it, it was like OMG! this is one of those tiny houses we've seen on TV, but bigger. Apparently I had a pre-conceived mental picture of the dimensions in my head, but that was quickly blown away once I stepped in!
After touring all the units, we had to narrow our choices down. That was easy, all the townhouses were marked off the list quickly. The days of falling down stairs are long gone and the days of having to crawl up stairs are fast approaching. The 840 sq. ft. unit had location going for it but nothing else. That left us with two units at the same complex, with one being upstairs, and the other down. These were two units of five that an investor bought up less than two years ago, and he was now cashing in. The downstairs unit it will be!
None of these units have been "flipped" and as the realtor kept saying, some just need some "lipstick". The same units flipped were going for $140,000 up. Fortunately the old saying that "you can put lipstick on a pig, but its still a pig" doesn't apply to Condos. A fresh coat of paint, new carpet or floors and some work on the kitchen, and you've got yourself a weekender!
An offer has been made. Now the waiting begins.......
Sunday, June 19, 2016
One Day
Well, I've reached the magic age of almost 60 and my boys are now full fledged adults . "one day" they too will be called Dad!
One day, the woman in your life will surprise you with the words "you're gonna be a Daddy". These are magical words because suddenly, with those five words your whole outlook on life just changed. You will watch her tummy grow, and before long, you will feel and see movement coming from inside of her. Together ya'll made this happen and both of you will be welcoming one of God's gifts into this crazy world we live in.
One day your life will be full of new firsts. You will welcome your newborn to this world. You most likely will hear the first cry at delivery. The first diaper change won't be far behind. You will now be responsible for three lives, not just your own. The responsibilities are only beginning!
One day you will discover the first tooth.
One day you will help with those first steps.
One day you will remember swearing you would never enter a McDonalds again. You will be in the parking lot, about to revisit your own childhood with your first adult purchase of a happy meal!
One day you will be dropping off and picking up at daycare. Then, there is the first day at real school. Momma's aren't the only ones to shed a tear as you drive off, leaving your precious cargo in someone else's care.
One day you will be that T-ball and soccer coach. You will learn from a kid's perspective, that running through the tunnel after the game and enjoying snack time are the best parts about sports.
One day you will be there to make bobos all better. They will fall down, and you will be there to pick them up, The hardest part is when its time to let them pick themselves up.
One day you will be there for the first date, the first dance, and the first curfew.
One day you will be there when your precious one graduates from high school and is about to move off to college. You will hope and pray that you have taught all the right life lessons along the way and that your precious one remembers them.
One day your life as a college parent will end, and your precious one has become that new adult with the world waiting on them to make a difference.
One day you too, will be sitting at home, waiting for that special phone call, or visit, from the one that calls you "Dad". It will be your turn to reminisce and wonder where all the time went. You will wonder, "did I give it my all?" For me, there are no regrets, no wishes for second chances.
I was there for you every step of the way. Hopefullywe both learned a lot, some things for the first time, and others as reminders of those life lessons that came our way.
My "One Day" has been every day of your young life. It is my hope that you have at least half as much fun in life on your "One Day" as I've had in mine.
Life is good, 'One Day" at a time.......
One day, the woman in your life will surprise you with the words "you're gonna be a Daddy". These are magical words because suddenly, with those five words your whole outlook on life just changed. You will watch her tummy grow, and before long, you will feel and see movement coming from inside of her. Together ya'll made this happen and both of you will be welcoming one of God's gifts into this crazy world we live in.
One day your life will be full of new firsts. You will welcome your newborn to this world. You most likely will hear the first cry at delivery. The first diaper change won't be far behind. You will now be responsible for three lives, not just your own. The responsibilities are only beginning!
One day you will discover the first tooth.
One day you will help with those first steps.
One day you will remember swearing you would never enter a McDonalds again. You will be in the parking lot, about to revisit your own childhood with your first adult purchase of a happy meal!
One day you will be dropping off and picking up at daycare. Then, there is the first day at real school. Momma's aren't the only ones to shed a tear as you drive off, leaving your precious cargo in someone else's care.
One day you will be that T-ball and soccer coach. You will learn from a kid's perspective, that running through the tunnel after the game and enjoying snack time are the best parts about sports.
One day you will be there to make bobos all better. They will fall down, and you will be there to pick them up, The hardest part is when its time to let them pick themselves up.
One day you will be there for the first date, the first dance, and the first curfew.
One day you will be there when your precious one graduates from high school and is about to move off to college. You will hope and pray that you have taught all the right life lessons along the way and that your precious one remembers them.
One day your life as a college parent will end, and your precious one has become that new adult with the world waiting on them to make a difference.
One day you too, will be sitting at home, waiting for that special phone call, or visit, from the one that calls you "Dad". It will be your turn to reminisce and wonder where all the time went. You will wonder, "did I give it my all?" For me, there are no regrets, no wishes for second chances.
I was there for you every step of the way. Hopefullywe both learned a lot, some things for the first time, and others as reminders of those life lessons that came our way.
My "One Day" has been every day of your young life. It is my hope that you have at least half as much fun in life on your "One Day" as I've had in mine.
Life is good, 'One Day" at a time.......
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Fairhope and Point Clear
When you finally get across Mobile Bay on the dreaded I-10 tunnel and bridge, take a right on old Hwy 98. This will lead you to a different slice of paradise.
When you see the exit for Point Clear, the exit lane immediately tells you that you are headed to somewhere special. The roadway is lined with American flags. You would swear that they must be celebrating something special, and they are, your arrival!
Fairhope is a sleepy kind of town. No major shopping centers, and no Walmart close by. Lots of shops dot the main streets full of art, antiques, and clothing than can occupy a day for the bargain hunter in you. There are no high rise buildings to block your view. The streets are full of 100 year old live oak trees with Spanish Moss dangling in the breeze.
There are several parks and vantage points to view Mobile Bay, especially at sunset. There are plenty of boats to watch sail or motor by.
In the spring, they have a wonderful arts and craft fair that have vendors by invitation. We have been to it several times, and the spring azaleas are usually in full bloom.
A little further south down the road is Point Clear. More and more people are making this area their home, as evidenced by the new housing construction that is going up.
The Marriott Grand is the last stop on this road, as far as I'm concerned. There is no "true beach" scene here, with the murky waters of Mobile Bay, but that doesn't matter at all.
The convention center is the draw, and along with the attendees come the spouses and kids. There is a wonderful pool with water slide and waterfall, as well as attendants to take care of your every need. There is also a golf course for those that are inclined.
The fun part of this place is the relaxation. Like Fairhope, the property is covered in old live oak trees with Spanish Moss overhead as you stroll on their many pathways.
At 4:00 the staff perform a drum March to the pier, with children not far behind. Once they arrive at the pier, they fire off the ceremonial cannon. A couple of guest just jumped poolside when it went off.
There is a walkway along the shoreline. The pathway is dotted with several wooden swings that are a joy to sit in and watch the sun set dead ahead. The breeze off the Bay helps as the summer begins to heat up.
Either early, or after the sun sets, you can find additional enjoyment discovering a new favorite restaurant or two.
If you're looking for some place to rest and relax, give this slice of the Alabama coast a shot!
When you see the exit for Point Clear, the exit lane immediately tells you that you are headed to somewhere special. The roadway is lined with American flags. You would swear that they must be celebrating something special, and they are, your arrival!
Fairhope is a sleepy kind of town. No major shopping centers, and no Walmart close by. Lots of shops dot the main streets full of art, antiques, and clothing than can occupy a day for the bargain hunter in you. There are no high rise buildings to block your view. The streets are full of 100 year old live oak trees with Spanish Moss dangling in the breeze.
There are several parks and vantage points to view Mobile Bay, especially at sunset. There are plenty of boats to watch sail or motor by.
In the spring, they have a wonderful arts and craft fair that have vendors by invitation. We have been to it several times, and the spring azaleas are usually in full bloom.
A little further south down the road is Point Clear. More and more people are making this area their home, as evidenced by the new housing construction that is going up.
The Marriott Grand is the last stop on this road, as far as I'm concerned. There is no "true beach" scene here, with the murky waters of Mobile Bay, but that doesn't matter at all.
The convention center is the draw, and along with the attendees come the spouses and kids. There is a wonderful pool with water slide and waterfall, as well as attendants to take care of your every need. There is also a golf course for those that are inclined.
The fun part of this place is the relaxation. Like Fairhope, the property is covered in old live oak trees with Spanish Moss overhead as you stroll on their many pathways.
At 4:00 the staff perform a drum March to the pier, with children not far behind. Once they arrive at the pier, they fire off the ceremonial cannon. A couple of guest just jumped poolside when it went off.
There is a walkway along the shoreline. The pathway is dotted with several wooden swings that are a joy to sit in and watch the sun set dead ahead. The breeze off the Bay helps as the summer begins to heat up.
Either early, or after the sun sets, you can find additional enjoyment discovering a new favorite restaurant or two.
If you're looking for some place to rest and relax, give this slice of the Alabama coast a shot!
Beware of the YETI!
I've never been one to spend money on things that are pricey, mainly because that's never been my mindset, and over the years the money was spent raising two boys.
When it comes to a "want list", mine has never been long, since it's my tendency to just buy it when I want it.
When the YETI coolers came out, the curiosity got the best of me, but the pricing made me chuckle with the mindset of "ha! Not in my lifetime!"
To my surprise, and delight, the spousal unit and the boys gave me the small YETI Roady as a gift. This cooler has been impressive! One beach run, I filled it up with our "Ziparitas" (frozen margaritas in a ziploc bag) and they were still frozen six hours later when we reached our destination!
Last summer we were at Point Clear, Alabama for a spousal unit retreat. While she was in meetings I went shopping. I returned with a set of YETI 30 oz ramblers as wedding anniversary gifts to ourselves. The first day I became a believer! It didn't take long for this to become our favorite roadie cup on trips but they also became our favorite beach cup. Turns out they are the perfect container for our Ziparitas! Once you have sucked out all the liquid, you have Hawaiian ice to enjoy the rest of the day!
Yesterday I stopped by Sonic and got a route 44 frozen lemonade. I eventually transferred it to my rambler and there is still frozen lemonade in the cup this morning!
It's now a year later and we are again in Point Clear, and it's time for another anniversary gift. As I'm looking around, it hits me, why not another YETI?
I like a cold beer, and the spousal unit likes her DDP's. Hummm. Looks like the YETI Colster is what the DDP ordered! I couldn't wait to take them on a test run! On the way back to the Grand, I loaded up on beer and ice. The DDP could wait!
Back at the hotel, I waited for the beer to get good and cold. Finally, I had ice cold beer! Test time! I inserted the can into the Colster and pop went the top! First sip, ice cold! Second, third and fourth sips, ice cold! I purposely took an hour to drink the first beer, and like the Colster wrapper said, it was cold to the last sip!
Granted, your average beer drinker isn't going to take an hour to finish a can! But, I can just see the spousal unit at the beach, sipping her DDP and it not getting warm. And I'll be under the umbrella updating FB and not have to worry about my beer warming up! We have always brought plastic bottles to the beach, but now, hey! Cans are us!
I can already see it. Next year it will be the YETI Hopper bag! But small, medium or large???
Yep! I have a new addiction! Just glad YETI didn't come along before kids and their college educations.
Beware of the YETI!
When it comes to a "want list", mine has never been long, since it's my tendency to just buy it when I want it.
When the YETI coolers came out, the curiosity got the best of me, but the pricing made me chuckle with the mindset of "ha! Not in my lifetime!"
To my surprise, and delight, the spousal unit and the boys gave me the small YETI Roady as a gift. This cooler has been impressive! One beach run, I filled it up with our "Ziparitas" (frozen margaritas in a ziploc bag) and they were still frozen six hours later when we reached our destination!
Last summer we were at Point Clear, Alabama for a spousal unit retreat. While she was in meetings I went shopping. I returned with a set of YETI 30 oz ramblers as wedding anniversary gifts to ourselves. The first day I became a believer! It didn't take long for this to become our favorite roadie cup on trips but they also became our favorite beach cup. Turns out they are the perfect container for our Ziparitas! Once you have sucked out all the liquid, you have Hawaiian ice to enjoy the rest of the day!
Yesterday I stopped by Sonic and got a route 44 frozen lemonade. I eventually transferred it to my rambler and there is still frozen lemonade in the cup this morning!
It's now a year later and we are again in Point Clear, and it's time for another anniversary gift. As I'm looking around, it hits me, why not another YETI?
I like a cold beer, and the spousal unit likes her DDP's. Hummm. Looks like the YETI Colster is what the DDP ordered! I couldn't wait to take them on a test run! On the way back to the Grand, I loaded up on beer and ice. The DDP could wait!
Back at the hotel, I waited for the beer to get good and cold. Finally, I had ice cold beer! Test time! I inserted the can into the Colster and pop went the top! First sip, ice cold! Second, third and fourth sips, ice cold! I purposely took an hour to drink the first beer, and like the Colster wrapper said, it was cold to the last sip!
Granted, your average beer drinker isn't going to take an hour to finish a can! But, I can just see the spousal unit at the beach, sipping her DDP and it not getting warm. And I'll be under the umbrella updating FB and not have to worry about my beer warming up! We have always brought plastic bottles to the beach, but now, hey! Cans are us!
I can already see it. Next year it will be the YETI Hopper bag! But small, medium or large???
Yep! I have a new addiction! Just glad YETI didn't come along before kids and their college educations.
Beware of the YETI!
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Marco Island Observations
This trip to Marco Island was one of the best beach trips ever, probably because it is so different to our usual trips to the "Redneck Riveria" along the Alabama coast and Florida panhandle.
The shoreline faces west, so you get these unbelievable sunsets over the water, and it's cool to watch the sun finally dip below the horizon.
The beach sand is not my favorite, preference being the sugar with sands of the panhandle. The sand is very compacted, from all the crushed shells you have to traverse to get to the water's edge. The biggest benefit of these beach conditions is all of the sea shells that you can pickup off the shore. Out in the water, if you waded to the next shallow area on a sand bar, you could spot live starfish and live sand dollars. These must be returned to the waters to insure that they are still there for future generations.
Our time there was at the end of "snow bird" season. You could tell what months they prefer just from the list of weeks that were for sale. One listing in mid February was for top floor, 2 bedroom, four consecutive weeks for $165,000. This was the exception, but lots of snow birds find that a bargain compared to the cost of private ownership of a condo unit on the beach.
There were quite a few people from California. That at first surprised me. They all said that they loved their beaches back home, but you just can't beat being in these warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Two ladies said their time will be spent on this beach and in these waters, and no time in the pool because they all have them back home!
There were plenty of noodles and toys to use at both the pool and the beach. These are a collection of items left behind by guests that flew in.
These northerners have this beach destination thing figured out. They fly in, then stop at Walmart, Sam's, etc... and pickup beach chairs and umbrellas. Some have even figured out that you can go to the consignment and resale shops and pick up chairs and umbrellas for a fraction of the cost, then either leave the stuff behind or resale it back to the shops. I think we all have a bit of Jewish blood in us because nobody wanted to pay $28 a day for a setup each day! Some of our "new friends" gave us four chairs, two mats and an umbrella that were not a week old. We shared some of this pirate booty with our new favorite couple from Georgia!
The best part about this southwest corner of Florida is that "my beach season" is the "off season" for the snowbirds! There were only a dozen or so couples on the beach during our entire week's stay! I had a FB memory pop up from 4 yrs ago at Sandestin, and it was wall to wall umbrellas!
For us, there will be many more trips to this corner of Florida. For us, the pleasure we get from this place far out weigh the drive to get there. We are only half way home and already we have the itch to return!
Life is good. All the time!
The shoreline faces west, so you get these unbelievable sunsets over the water, and it's cool to watch the sun finally dip below the horizon.
The beach sand is not my favorite, preference being the sugar with sands of the panhandle. The sand is very compacted, from all the crushed shells you have to traverse to get to the water's edge. The biggest benefit of these beach conditions is all of the sea shells that you can pickup off the shore. Out in the water, if you waded to the next shallow area on a sand bar, you could spot live starfish and live sand dollars. These must be returned to the waters to insure that they are still there for future generations.
Our time there was at the end of "snow bird" season. You could tell what months they prefer just from the list of weeks that were for sale. One listing in mid February was for top floor, 2 bedroom, four consecutive weeks for $165,000. This was the exception, but lots of snow birds find that a bargain compared to the cost of private ownership of a condo unit on the beach.
There were quite a few people from California. That at first surprised me. They all said that they loved their beaches back home, but you just can't beat being in these warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Two ladies said their time will be spent on this beach and in these waters, and no time in the pool because they all have them back home!
There were plenty of noodles and toys to use at both the pool and the beach. These are a collection of items left behind by guests that flew in.
These northerners have this beach destination thing figured out. They fly in, then stop at Walmart, Sam's, etc... and pickup beach chairs and umbrellas. Some have even figured out that you can go to the consignment and resale shops and pick up chairs and umbrellas for a fraction of the cost, then either leave the stuff behind or resale it back to the shops. I think we all have a bit of Jewish blood in us because nobody wanted to pay $28 a day for a setup each day! Some of our "new friends" gave us four chairs, two mats and an umbrella that were not a week old. We shared some of this pirate booty with our new favorite couple from Georgia!
The best part about this southwest corner of Florida is that "my beach season" is the "off season" for the snowbirds! There were only a dozen or so couples on the beach during our entire week's stay! I had a FB memory pop up from 4 yrs ago at Sandestin, and it was wall to wall umbrellas!
For us, there will be many more trips to this corner of Florida. For us, the pleasure we get from this place far out weigh the drive to get there. We are only half way home and already we have the itch to return!
Life is good. All the time!
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Beach Lingo
If you've never been to.the beach, but are planning on going and eventually want to become a beachnick you must be familiar with the lingo:
1. Chorus line: when you look up and see five or more guys in a row, in the water, facing the horizon, after drinking one too many beers.
2. Squealer: you're laid back, enjoying the view, and sounds of the surf, then you hear it: woman screaming her head off, because "something" just touched her. What!?? There are fish in this water???
3. Bombs away: when some nut decides to feed a bird. One bird becomes a whole flock. Feeding one becomes a freenzy, and the next thing you know, you're the one getting bombed from above!
4. Swoll up: there's that gal, cute little thang, wearing her itty bitty bikini, and she's at least five months pregnant!
5. Red Flag: the color of the day, telling you that you've got no business being in the water today. Rip currents will eventually grab somebody with no regard for themselves or the unlucky soul that tries to save them.
6. Rentals: these are the chairs and umbrellas that greet you when you top the dune. They rent for $25-50 a day, with a discount for the week. Be like Bill, bring your own....
7. Crime scene tape: sometimes you will see a spot in the sand that has been marked off with sticks and crime scene tape. Nobody died. This is the location of a sea turtle nest. If you're lucky, and your timing is right, you might get to watch the little ones making a run for the water!
8. Flying kite: not what you think. It's a windy day, and some nut has not secured his umbrella or tent canopy. Then a big gust of wind grabs it and off it goes! Hopefully nobody close gets hurt.
9. Roasted and toasted: there is always that guy that doesn't bother with sun screen. Next thing you know, he's riper than a tomato! He won't be back tomorrow, or any other day!
10. Diaper babe: the woman that refuses to buy a new swimsuit, and the one she has on, the elastic and spandex is totally shot, evidenced by her saggy bottom!
11. Navy Diver: that guy, that shows up with his latest purchase from the surf shop: snorkle, mask, and fins. You can usually spot him in three feet of water getting tossed about by the rolling surf!
12. Jay Bird: some parents let their toddler free style, with nothing on but a smile.
13. Fire walker: the Dude that shows up barefoot on the hottest day ever. Hot! Hot! Hot!
14. Sentry : that lone wolf that shows up, by himself, usually with a chair and a small cooler.
15. D J: the guy that brings his boom box and plays his music loud enough for the whole beach to hear!
16. The Creature from the Black Lagoon: this would be the guy or gal that comes in from playing in the gulf, and they have more tattoo ink than clear skin on their body!
17. Cliff diver: that newbie at the beach that gets a running start and dives through the first wave, only to crash land on the sandy bottom!
18. Board walk shuffle: the amusing sight of watching older folks making their way to and from the water!
19. Noodler: that man or woman that requires more than two noodles for floatation in the resort swimming pool.
20. Sargent Major: that woman, that takes charge, and uses the first fifteen minutes to remind all the kids about beach safety, and how to stay alive in that water out there!
There are a lot more. These will help you make it thru the first hour, then you're on your own!
1. Chorus line: when you look up and see five or more guys in a row, in the water, facing the horizon, after drinking one too many beers.
2. Squealer: you're laid back, enjoying the view, and sounds of the surf, then you hear it: woman screaming her head off, because "something" just touched her. What!?? There are fish in this water???
3. Bombs away: when some nut decides to feed a bird. One bird becomes a whole flock. Feeding one becomes a freenzy, and the next thing you know, you're the one getting bombed from above!
4. Swoll up: there's that gal, cute little thang, wearing her itty bitty bikini, and she's at least five months pregnant!
5. Red Flag: the color of the day, telling you that you've got no business being in the water today. Rip currents will eventually grab somebody with no regard for themselves or the unlucky soul that tries to save them.
6. Rentals: these are the chairs and umbrellas that greet you when you top the dune. They rent for $25-50 a day, with a discount for the week. Be like Bill, bring your own....
7. Crime scene tape: sometimes you will see a spot in the sand that has been marked off with sticks and crime scene tape. Nobody died. This is the location of a sea turtle nest. If you're lucky, and your timing is right, you might get to watch the little ones making a run for the water!
8. Flying kite: not what you think. It's a windy day, and some nut has not secured his umbrella or tent canopy. Then a big gust of wind grabs it and off it goes! Hopefully nobody close gets hurt.
9. Roasted and toasted: there is always that guy that doesn't bother with sun screen. Next thing you know, he's riper than a tomato! He won't be back tomorrow, or any other day!
10. Diaper babe: the woman that refuses to buy a new swimsuit, and the one she has on, the elastic and spandex is totally shot, evidenced by her saggy bottom!
11. Navy Diver: that guy, that shows up with his latest purchase from the surf shop: snorkle, mask, and fins. You can usually spot him in three feet of water getting tossed about by the rolling surf!
12. Jay Bird: some parents let their toddler free style, with nothing on but a smile.
13. Fire walker: the Dude that shows up barefoot on the hottest day ever. Hot! Hot! Hot!
14. Sentry : that lone wolf that shows up, by himself, usually with a chair and a small cooler.
15. D J: the guy that brings his boom box and plays his music loud enough for the whole beach to hear!
16. The Creature from the Black Lagoon: this would be the guy or gal that comes in from playing in the gulf, and they have more tattoo ink than clear skin on their body!
17. Cliff diver: that newbie at the beach that gets a running start and dives through the first wave, only to crash land on the sandy bottom!
18. Board walk shuffle: the amusing sight of watching older folks making their way to and from the water!
19. Noodler: that man or woman that requires more than two noodles for floatation in the resort swimming pool.
20. Sargent Major: that woman, that takes charge, and uses the first fifteen minutes to remind all the kids about beach safety, and how to stay alive in that water out there!
There are a lot more. These will help you make it thru the first hour, then you're on your own!
Monday, May 23, 2016
Beaching On the Cheap
Somebody asked for the essentials for beaching. I try, as best I can, to do it as cheap as possible. This includes buying extra swimmy suits at the end of the season when they are marked down 75% off. Ain't no reason for a woman to show up at the beach with a six year old swimmy suit that the elastic is shot and her rear has a sag line, if you know what I mean! It's best to have two or maybe three suits so that you will always have a clean one while the other is either drying or being washed.
When you travel to the beach as much as we do, you figure out that chair and umbrella rentals are expensive! We opt to bring our own. I like the Sportsbrella model the best because it is light weight and has the UV coating on the underside. Luckily we have never had one tear up on us by the wind. I use plastic anchors to hold the umbrellas in the ground. I tried using a metal one once, but the tightening knob rusted shut after one season.
For me, I cannot do without my beach cart. They roll great, til you reach sand, then you end up dragging to your spot, but it can carry just about everything you want to bring. We then collapse it at put it behind our chairs.
We like using sand spikes to hold our cups, and sometimes our electronic devices. These spikes help keep the sand off your stuff.
This year we have added a Bluetooth speaker so we can listen to Internet radio or pandora. Helps pass the time when the beach birds aren't flocking that day.
If you are into shelling, be sure to bring along a mesh bag and also pick up a dip net or shelling stick. These are helpful in keeping the sea water out of your mouth when those rogue ways come your way.
Most resorts furnish beach towels that can be exchanged at some point for a clean one. We tend to bring extras, just in case.
Toiletries are a no brainer, but you can pack a littler lighter by bringing the small sample sizes of shampoo and tooth paste to save room in your suitcase.
If you are bringing a wee one, a fitted sheet makes a great play pad. Just put something substantial in the corners to keep the sheet stretched out tight. Your wee one will have a ball and be "sand free" for the most part.
If you are doing the Condo thing, you need to pack a box with all the kitchen items that you will need: washing powder pods, foil, paper supplies, seasonings, etc...
We bring along our margarita machine, ziploc bags, and all the ingredients for frozen ritas. I freeze them overnight and use them as ice packs for the early part of the day, then by 11 or so, it's "5 o'clock somewhere"!
I've learned from other guests, that if you are flying in for your beach vaca, think about stopping by the resale and consignment shops for umbrellas and chairs. You can either sales them back to the shops, or leave them at the complex for newly arriving guests to enjoy!
We usually cook at least half our meals at our unit and also do simple breakfasts and pack sandwiches and snacks for our all day stay beaching. Bringing the basic seasonings from home help keep down the cost of the trip to the grocery store.
Once you are at the beach, enjoy yourself. Respect others by not playing you music too loud, and pick up after yourself. Be mindful not to feed the birds. You will start a freezy, and some poor soul will get "bombed".
That's about it for this one. Enjoy yourself, especially when you are beaching. No problems, no worries, just wind, sand and surf!
When you travel to the beach as much as we do, you figure out that chair and umbrella rentals are expensive! We opt to bring our own. I like the Sportsbrella model the best because it is light weight and has the UV coating on the underside. Luckily we have never had one tear up on us by the wind. I use plastic anchors to hold the umbrellas in the ground. I tried using a metal one once, but the tightening knob rusted shut after one season.
For me, I cannot do without my beach cart. They roll great, til you reach sand, then you end up dragging to your spot, but it can carry just about everything you want to bring. We then collapse it at put it behind our chairs.
We like using sand spikes to hold our cups, and sometimes our electronic devices. These spikes help keep the sand off your stuff.
This year we have added a Bluetooth speaker so we can listen to Internet radio or pandora. Helps pass the time when the beach birds aren't flocking that day.
If you are into shelling, be sure to bring along a mesh bag and also pick up a dip net or shelling stick. These are helpful in keeping the sea water out of your mouth when those rogue ways come your way.
Most resorts furnish beach towels that can be exchanged at some point for a clean one. We tend to bring extras, just in case.
Toiletries are a no brainer, but you can pack a littler lighter by bringing the small sample sizes of shampoo and tooth paste to save room in your suitcase.
If you are bringing a wee one, a fitted sheet makes a great play pad. Just put something substantial in the corners to keep the sheet stretched out tight. Your wee one will have a ball and be "sand free" for the most part.
If you are doing the Condo thing, you need to pack a box with all the kitchen items that you will need: washing powder pods, foil, paper supplies, seasonings, etc...
We bring along our margarita machine, ziploc bags, and all the ingredients for frozen ritas. I freeze them overnight and use them as ice packs for the early part of the day, then by 11 or so, it's "5 o'clock somewhere"!
I've learned from other guests, that if you are flying in for your beach vaca, think about stopping by the resale and consignment shops for umbrellas and chairs. You can either sales them back to the shops, or leave them at the complex for newly arriving guests to enjoy!
We usually cook at least half our meals at our unit and also do simple breakfasts and pack sandwiches and snacks for our all day stay beaching. Bringing the basic seasonings from home help keep down the cost of the trip to the grocery store.
Once you are at the beach, enjoy yourself. Respect others by not playing you music too loud, and pick up after yourself. Be mindful not to feed the birds. You will start a freezy, and some poor soul will get "bombed".
That's about it for this one. Enjoy yourself, especially when you are beaching. No problems, no worries, just wind, sand and surf!
Marco (Polo ) Island
I can honestly say that this place is one of the hardest locations to find something to write about. We are here a month or so out of the "busy snow bird season". For the most part, this is the most laid back locations that we have been to, which was just what we were looking for!
Here, you take your time to get up. No rush to get to the beach, because there is hardly anyone here! The sand is nothing like that up in the panhandle of Florida and the Bama Coast. It's highly compacted, which makes walking and pushing your beach stroller a breeze. Lots of shells in the sand, and especially along the waterline.
I finally learned to back some water shoes for going back and forth to the water. We bought a shell scoop with is awesome for grabbing those finds in the water and on the shore and not have to bend over.
I've had a giggle or two, watching older retirees come out of the water carrying their noodle, or playing in the sand with their bucket and shovel! I feel that I'm trapped on set of the next filming of the movie Cocoon!
The trip down here will wear on you, but once you get here and see that beautiful blue green water, the trip is worth it!
The only bird watching has been of the feathered kind. The others are weathered, leathery, and have skin flaps like me! Three birds were up to no good. Two were getting along til a third crashed the party. One flew off, later returning with a fish in his small beak. He begang churping the loudest, til the other one left. The third, was obviously a female. She and the other soon left, I'm assuming to share in that fresh catch! Women!
No need to do the chair and umbrella rental thing since there is no problem setting up your own. I got all new chairs, new Sportsbrella umbrellas and a new Beach stroller. Cup spikes are a must to keep the sand off the cups and electronic devices. We added a Bluetooth speaker this year and bought a shell scoop when we got here, and it's the bomb!
The resort, the Charter Club, has a professional grilling station that will be utilized the rest of the week. Since we are on the west coast of Florida, we don't want to miss too many of the sunsets from this awesome coastline.
The Everglades is a short distance away and an airboat tour is climbing up the bucket list fast.
The radio is playing, and the frozen margarita is melting, so it's time for me to get back to "wasting away"!
God Bless!
Here, you take your time to get up. No rush to get to the beach, because there is hardly anyone here! The sand is nothing like that up in the panhandle of Florida and the Bama Coast. It's highly compacted, which makes walking and pushing your beach stroller a breeze. Lots of shells in the sand, and especially along the waterline.
I finally learned to back some water shoes for going back and forth to the water. We bought a shell scoop with is awesome for grabbing those finds in the water and on the shore and not have to bend over.
I've had a giggle or two, watching older retirees come out of the water carrying their noodle, or playing in the sand with their bucket and shovel! I feel that I'm trapped on set of the next filming of the movie Cocoon!
The trip down here will wear on you, but once you get here and see that beautiful blue green water, the trip is worth it!
The only bird watching has been of the feathered kind. The others are weathered, leathery, and have skin flaps like me! Three birds were up to no good. Two were getting along til a third crashed the party. One flew off, later returning with a fish in his small beak. He begang churping the loudest, til the other one left. The third, was obviously a female. She and the other soon left, I'm assuming to share in that fresh catch! Women!
No need to do the chair and umbrella rental thing since there is no problem setting up your own. I got all new chairs, new Sportsbrella umbrellas and a new Beach stroller. Cup spikes are a must to keep the sand off the cups and electronic devices. We added a Bluetooth speaker this year and bought a shell scoop when we got here, and it's the bomb!
The resort, the Charter Club, has a professional grilling station that will be utilized the rest of the week. Since we are on the west coast of Florida, we don't want to miss too many of the sunsets from this awesome coastline.
The Everglades is a short distance away and an airboat tour is climbing up the bucket list fast.
The radio is playing, and the frozen margarita is melting, so it's time for me to get back to "wasting away"!
God Bless!
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Roadside Sightings
I am so glad that the spousal unit and I travel so much by car. There is so much to see along the road side, especially when you are not on the Interstate.
It's nice to see the progress being made along hwy 471. The new route over the railroad track is going to be awesome. We got stopped at the red light at hwy 80, and I look up and see this four man MDOT crew, walking down the center lane:
The lead guy had a hand held stop sign for the traffic. The second guy had some type of survey device. The third guy was on a cell phone, and I'm guessing the fourth guy was a requirement of any State MDOT contract! As I'm watching, they would walk a bit, stop, then walk some more. The lead guy stopped prematurely and they all looked like the keystone cops, almost making a pile of bodies in the middle of the road!
It's nice to see the progress being made along hwy 471. The new route over the railroad track is going to be awesome. We got stopped at the red light at hwy 80, and I look up and see this four man MDOT crew, walking down the center lane:
The next sighting was signage for a road side vendor. I noticed the sign said "sweet taters for sale". I laughed, knowing that the spousal unit hates the word "tater". Well low and behold, we approached the next sign, and it said "sweet potatoes for sale"! We both got a laugh seeing both versions from the same "tater truck"!. How they make a living selling "taters" on the side of the road out of the back of a pickup is beyond me!
As we neared Hattiesburg on Hwy 49, I began seeing a lot of blue light activity. As we got closer, it became clear that it was some type of escort, but who or what could it be??
The procession began with eight motorcycle patrolmen, followed by several police cars. Then we see it. It's the "Travelling Vietnam Memorial" which we can recognize from the signage on the side of the trailer.
Following the truck and trailer was a steady stream of Patriot Riders, escorting the exhibit to its next stop, presumably Jackson. Behind these riders were two additional patrol cars.
It was kinda neat seeing this procession of riders, paying repect to their fallen brothers. I personally have not seen this travelling memorial, but it just made my bucket list!
The procession began with eight motorcycle patrolmen, followed by several police cars. Then we see it. It's the "Travelling Vietnam Memorial" which we can recognize from the signage on the side of the trailer.
Following the truck and trailer was a steady stream of Patriot Riders, escorting the exhibit to its next stop, presumably Jackson. Behind these riders were two additional patrol cars.
It was kinda neat seeing this procession of riders, paying repect to their fallen brothers. I personally have not seen this travelling memorial, but it just made my bucket list!
Ed''s Burger
Robert St. John opened a new burger joint in Hattiesburg and I committed myself to stop by and give it a try on my next trip thru the Burg.
Since we were headed beaching today, lunch was a planned stop at Ed's. On the way down, the spousal unit looked up the address and read a few reviews on Yelp. Lots of negative press about the long lines, but you would think Robert St. John would have it all figured out by now.
True to form, Ed's is right next to all of Robert's other restaurants on Hardy Street. Plan to walk a bit from the parking lot, since very few spaces are up close to the restaurant. We showed up right after CSPIRE had given away free samples to their walk in customers. No matter, AT&T here!
Just as the YELP reviews commented about the wait, yep, there was indeed a line, at 12:45. We joined the others and grabbed a menu. On the wall, was the storyline about the wait.
The footprint of the kitchen of the former restaurant that was in the building, limited them on being able to turn out volumes of food. Solution, longer wait to order, with much shorter wait for the delivery of the food. The public's response to Ed''s has till to this day, been overwhelming, for the staff and the owners! On this day, Robert St. John was seen working the crowd.
Ed's is a 50's style burger joint. Burgers are their specialty. There are other items on the food menu. They have all the drink orders covered, from tea, to soft drinks and even beer. And you can finish up with a hand dipped milkshake.
We enjoyed our first visit, having tried the bacon jam burger and the chilli cheese burger, and of course, a milkshake!
Don't be in a hurry on your first visit, and try to pick an off peak hour so the lines won't be a turnoff to you. Here are a few pics from our visit:
Since we were headed beaching today, lunch was a planned stop at Ed's. On the way down, the spousal unit looked up the address and read a few reviews on Yelp. Lots of negative press about the long lines, but you would think Robert St. John would have it all figured out by now.
True to form, Ed's is right next to all of Robert's other restaurants on Hardy Street. Plan to walk a bit from the parking lot, since very few spaces are up close to the restaurant. We showed up right after CSPIRE had given away free samples to their walk in customers. No matter, AT&T here!
Just as the YELP reviews commented about the wait, yep, there was indeed a line, at 12:45. We joined the others and grabbed a menu. On the wall, was the storyline about the wait.
The footprint of the kitchen of the former restaurant that was in the building, limited them on being able to turn out volumes of food. Solution, longer wait to order, with much shorter wait for the delivery of the food. The public's response to Ed''s has till to this day, been overwhelming, for the staff and the owners! On this day, Robert St. John was seen working the crowd.
Ed's is a 50's style burger joint. Burgers are their specialty. There are other items on the food menu. They have all the drink orders covered, from tea, to soft drinks and even beer. And you can finish up with a hand dipped milkshake.
We enjoyed our first visit, having tried the bacon jam burger and the chilli cheese burger, and of course, a milkshake!
Don't be in a hurry on your first visit, and try to pick an off peak hour so the lines won't be a turnoff to you. Here are a few pics from our visit:
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| Food order on the way! |
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| signage inside Ed's |
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| self serve drink station |
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| the decor! |
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| chilli cheese burger |
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| bacon jam burger |
As Arnold used to say, "I'll be back"!
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