A Turkey is a Turkey is a Turkey

Gone are the days of the oven roasted, dried out turkey.  These days, rarely do you see such a bird on Facebook.

Years ago, my Dad rediscovered the kitchen.  His favorite chef was Louisiana's Justin Wilson.  Justin had a TV show that featured his cooking inside the kitchen and also outdoors.  One of the featured outdoor recipes was for deep fried turkey.  After watching that episode, dear ole Dad was hooked for life.

Boss Weems' fried turkeys became legend in Inverness long before the popularity spread. It wasn't long before there was a list of others one of his birds.    After a few years, this had become a major undertaking, and he eventually cut the cooking down to just a bird or two.  By then, everybody was trying their hand at turkey frying!

One must be committed to this endeavor, as one needs to overcome the costs:  propane tank and burner, pot with a basket, temperature gauge, and three to five gallons of peanut oil. And, peanut oil is not cheap, but it has a much higher burn temperature.  Rookies have to figure out how much oil to put in the pot to prevent boil overs, must be patient in getting the bird to the right internal temperature, and not burn themselves in the process!

I took my turn over the years frying turkeys, bur decided to go a different route.  I started smoking my bird, covered in Tony C's cajun seasoning.  The salt end ups sealing the skin of the bird, and the meal is as moist and delicious as fried.  And the skin is the favorite part.  No need for 3-5 gallons of peanut oil, just a $2 container of seasoning and a few hours on the smoker, without the smoke!

With our investment in a condo in that Town Up North (Oxford), I had to find an alternative to cooking with charcoal or propane.  I found an inexpensive electric smoker that fit the bill.  The best part, it heats up to a constant 200-225 degree temperature and never runs out of fuel!  Pork butts, ribs, chicken wings and briskets come off mighty tasty!

Smoked 10-12 lb turkey

smoker pork butts

This year, our boys are meeting us in Oxford for Christmas. With the need for more than on 10-12 pound turkey, I needed to add some speed to the cooking process.  As luck would have it, I found a Masterbuilt Butterball turkey fryer on Samsclubauction.com, one of my favorite auction sites.  After a little research, I bit the bullet and bought one.

The best part about this cooker is that it fries, boils and steams.  The unit is considered an indoor model because of the short electrical cord.  For frying, you add 3 gallons of peanut oil, plug it up, wait for the grease to get to temperature, then fry away!  According to the instructions, anyway....   Funny of the day:  me, never to be one that likes reading instructions, took the plunge and read them from cover to cover.  After all the unpacking, and hooking up, I'll be dadgummed flabbergasted if I could figure out how to "make it Heat up"!  I finally went to Utube, and on the 5th video, BAM!  I saw the Dude hit the right combination of buttons.  We now have heat! 

Fried 10-12 lb turkey

The heating element is inside the tank, and it takes it about 45 minutes to bring the peanut oil up to temperature. A basket and lift handle come with it to help remove the done bird.  The cooker has a preset temperature of 375 degrees so that you won't burn the oil.  The electic cord is magnetic and short, for safety as well.  Cleaning up is a snap, with the built in drain plug.  I started with three gallons of oil, and all but three cups of oil went back into the jugs, and fairly clean.  The pot comes out and cleand up with a soapy sponge.

Overall, I was very pleased with this Masterbuilt Butterball turkey fryer.  I can't wait to use it to fry fish, shrimp, etc... and use it as a crap steamer and shrimp boil pot at the Condo in that Town Up North!

Another Season in the Grove

Another season spent in the Grove in that town up north has come and gone.  Its time to pack up all the gear and store it away for next year.  The winter, spring and summer will be spent buying something new for the group, cataloging new recipes, and adding new members to the group for next year's season of tailgating.

By now, everybody has acquired "the wagon" that has a mind of its own,  It is an art to pull that thang without it climbing up you heel or running over somebody else.  Its amazing how much stuff you can pile on one of these, especially when you have a bungee cord or two!

My biggest score this year was a bar height 10ft table that you secure to the tent legs, and but the food tables up next to it.  I knew it was a score when several tent neighbors came and asked, "hey! where can I get me one of those???"  Its an Ozark brand from Walmart.com.

After "the big storm" at yesterday's game, there will be a lot of new tents for 2018.  We had four tents bungee corded together and had people manning all the poles.  Several gusts of wind had the food tables rise up off the ground almost a foot!  We had side walls up to protect the ladies and their hair from the rain.  You had to be ready for the downpours coming between the tents, or you would be soaking wet!

We are lucky with our tent spot, being across the street from the grove.  The "inner circle" of the Grove does not allow any type of gas or charcoal cooking.  We are lucky to have Chef Kyle and his gas powered Weber Q.  Grilled sausage is an every game occurrence, along with grilled quail.  Skewered shrimp have become our new favorite treat!

On our corner of the Grove, we continue to be entertained by the Ole Miss fans who forget the "beer rule", no exposed packages of six packs, twelve packs, or cases please.  Bush Natural Light seemed to be the most common beverage that was sacrificed this year.  Who actually drinks that stuff????  Starving, budget minded, college kids, I guess....

The clothing choices leave nothing for the imagination.  I call them the micro-mini skirts.  Why would you want your cheek lines exposed for all to see.  I just knew the winds of yesterday were going to invert some of those skirts like an umbrella, poof! But no such luck :-(  .  Velcro or duck tape must be involved!

As we were leaving for the last time, all our Popo buddies wished us well, and can't wait to see you next year!  These are great people, that watch your stuff while you are at the game.  And cleanup is a breeze, since all your leftover food has been consumed by said Popo!

We'll give it a couple of months, and planning will begin again for 2018.  We might be on the lookout for some younger folks to join us.  Great spot, great crew, and memories to be made!

Farmer's Table in Livingston

Well, birthday 61 was rolling around, and I new exactly what I wanted to do., the cooking school at Farmer's Table in Livingston, hosted by Chef Conner Wolf. I've been following my little buddy Connor Wolf for years.  I go way back with this kid, to the days with his Dad Tommy, on the soccer fields of Rankin County.  Conner has been cooking ever since he was tall enough to reach a skillet on the back eye of the stove.  I've been tempted to run over to his Momma Patty's house to get the last bite of his latest creations posted to FB, but I knew I'd be too late to even lick the plate!

Chef Conner Wolf

Lately I've been celebrating more than just the day of my birth, more like the week of my coming out party!  I went to the Farmer's Table web site and checked the menus for the week.  Turns out, my special day was lobster roll day.  Lobster in Mississippi????  Well, da boy is a chef, and he has been to one of them fancy cooking schools in Miami, and he's been sou cheffing at Walkers and Local 463 for several years, so he must know a thang or two, or three???!!!  The menu consisted of :  Fall Lettuce Salad, Old Bay Potato Chips and Smoked Comeback, Slow Butter Poached Lobster Rolls, and Almond Cookie with Lemon Ice Cream. Tickets were purchased and the calendar was set for 6:30 on Thursday.

Me and Chef Conner

Farmer's Table is located at the end of highway 463 out from Madison.  Several businesses have made a home there, and quite a few events are planned there throughout the year.  There was not a lot of car traffic, being this was a Thursday night.

As we entered the school, we were greeted by the smell of oil at 325 degrees, with thinly sliced pieces potato coming out pot!  Chef Conner was making us his version of potato chips, as an appetizer and also a side to the lobster rolls.  He had also whipped up a smoked comeback sauce for dipping. Two ladies joined our motley crew, time to get this thing started! This cooking school is gonna be a breeze!

Chef started us off with baking Almond cookies.  Being a cookie baker this was awesome, starting it off with dessert!  This recipe didn't call for any flour, using almond paste and powdered sugar and a few other ingredients to pull it together.  Chef Conner put us right to work, zesting a lemon, chopping almonds, and measuring out powdered sugar in a cup without measurement markings!  After a few pluses of the food processor, they were ready for the oven!

I got to pulse!

Chef Conner has the cleanest hands!

The salad wasn't your typical romaine or iceberg.  We had hand picked fall greens of a variety of plants I've never heard of.  We were put to work prepping the onion, peeling and slicing pears, chopping garlic, and crumbling up some bleu cheese.  I guess us beginners have to start somewhere, chop! chop!  The dressing was a balsamic sherry vinaigrette, held together by a touch of Dijon mustard!  It works! That salad dressing never separated!

Fall greens with pears and candied pecans

While we were seated, enjoying our professionally plated salad, Chef Conner was busy at the stove prepping for our main course, lobster rolls!  He had fresh lobster rolls from a local bakery, and our job was to toast the edges.  He had heated up four pounds of butter to poach the lobster.  Yes, I said four pounds!  While he was working with the butter, we were busy prepping the ingredients for the dressing.  Chef Conner loves his Dukes mayonnaise, and I had to give him a hard time about that since I'm married to a Blue Plate kinda gal.  The two other ladies grew up on Miracle Whip!  The lobster tails were poached to perfection and then sent to the freezer for a little cool down, while the Chef did his magic to the dressing.  I did notice he has a tendency to add a pinch of cayenne to the ingredients!

The lobster rolls were plated, with a side of his old bay potato chips made earlier.  The best part of the meal, was the conversations between the four of us "guest chefs" and our interactions with our host, Chef Conner Wolf.  The meal was finished off with a serving of lemon ice cream and almond cookies.  I was lucky enough to blow out two candles that came with my serving.  No birthday wish here, my wish had already been granted with this wonderful evening!

toasted bun

heaven on a plate

food is love!

birthday boy, lemon ice cream and almond cookies

Kodiak moment by Chef Conner

Me and the Spousal Unit!

Wish was granted

I highly recommend a visit to Farmer's Table in Livingston cooking school.  Be sure to go online to check their calendar of events and get your tickets.  You'll be glad you did!

Acura Roadside Assistance, part two

From part one, we had a "check engine light" episode, on our trip to Clearwater, Florida.  Luckily, we had booked a hotel room in Mobile, AL for the night that was directly across the interstate from the local Acura dealership.

Next morning, I called Enterprise, no pickup, since the rental is at the airport.  I ask if I can by chance pick up the vehicle early.  E guy says, "no sir, I'm short on vehicles."  I explain that its a truck, and what my circumstances were.  E guy said to come on!

In the process of completing the paperwork, I find that its a new Nissan Titan Quad cab pickup (online said Dodge quad 1500).  In the conversation, the E Guy says its gonna get interesting in a couple of hours.  Seems he only has 6 sedans on the lot, and 12 people coming to pick up reserved cars!  Only one of the customers was flying in, the other eleven were like me, walk up reservations!

In the airport parking lot, we swapped all our beach stuff and other stuff from the Acura MDX to the mighty big ass Titan Quad cab pickup.  We, (I), needed that truck to haul all our stuff and it was the only vehicle big enough for this Vaca man and his beaching gear!  Hertz had nothing!  Luckily, all the stuff from inside the car fit in the quad cab, and all the stuff from the basket hitch went into the truck bed.  Now, on to the Acura car dealership....

We get to the dealership, and wouldn't you know it, the lot is barricaded at all entrances.  You have got to be kidding me.......  Luckily, we had both sets of keys.  I took mine, walked to the service door, and found the drop box for early service.  The gate at the entrance to the dealership had a sign that stated that "the dealership is closed until July 5th, so that their employees could enjoy the July 4th holiday!"  It also included a telephone number that you could text a message, if you needed to contact the dealership during the holiday.  Wonderful!  The car won't even be looked at for four days!  We parked the car as close to the entrance gate as we could get, and left a note on the steerng wheel for the Dealership or the local Popo to see.   What else to do?????  Hopefully a responsible party would get to it before any criminal element......

With half the day gone, the second leg of our trip finally began.  We had booked a room in Gainesville for Sunday night months ago, since check in at the Clearwater Condo wasn't until Monday afternoon.  Three to four hours into our drive, the Acura dealership guy called to let us know that he had moved the car to the service lot of the dealership and they would look at it on Wednesday.

During our stay in Clearwater, we got daily phone calls from the Dealership.  Wednesday was spent trying to diagnose the problem, with no answer.  Thursday they finally hooked up to the computer systems in the car and confirmed that what we told them had indeed happened. (It was the same issue from September of last year, and happened outside Mobile!)  Instead of ordering a new computer module, they reinstalled the software, added some gas, then spent the rest of the day and Friday morning, putting some miles on it, in traffic similar to what we had experienced.

We decided to cut our vaca short and head back Friday afternoon, with an overnight stop in Tallahassee, FL.  The big ass mighty Titan quad cab truck was due back on Sunday anyway.  The Acura dealership confirmed that it would be ready for us to pick up on Saturday.  We made it to the dealership, picked up the MDX, dropped off the Titan (no refund for being 20 hours early) and hit the road for home, arriving without incident.

Yesterday, I called the Acura Roadside assistance number that the woman had transferred me to on Saturday night.  Three minutes of voice prompts and I finally get a feller on the line.  I stated that I wanted to file a claim for reimbursement for the car rental.  The plan says you are entitled to up to $300 per day for three days for reimbursement for car rentals, food, lodging, etc... but you must be at least 100 miles from home to qualify.  The Acura guy asked a bunch of questions, got all the particulars:  vehicle, VIN number, name, mileage, etc....  He then pointed out what the plan covered, and agreed that we did qualify.  He said he put all of my information in their system.  Cool.  Then.....

The Acura help guy tells me that I needed to call the original telephone number to file a claim.  I asked would they be able to see the information that he just put into their system????  He said no, different system.  I would have to go through all of this again!  You gotta be kidding me, 2017!!!  You just cannot make this stuff up!

I hang up with the Acura Guy, and I dial the other number.  Acura Gal answers.  Yep.  I gotta repeat myself all over again.  She asks what phone number was used to place the original road side assistance call.  I gave her the number, and she confirmed that the event had occurred.    She then tells me, "please hold, while I check with my supervisor to see if you have reached the right department for filing a claim."  What????  Really????  I'm glad I wasn't on the side of the road, that Saturday night hoping to get a yow truck!

The Acura Gal reconnected, and yes, I was with the right department.  I was instructed to MAIL all of my original receipts to an address in Massachusetts!  Can I not email it to you???  Nope, snail mail it is.  And of course, I don't have receipts for the food along the way since I paid cash, and I don't have hotel receipts since we used reward points!  Gonna be interesting to see what they do pay out of the "up to $300 per day for three days"......

I did find it interesting that none of the Acura Dealership paperwork mentioned much of anything that we described, including this being a "second occurrence".  Fingers crossed that this car doesn't get a third strike for a faulty computer module inside the transmission.  Otherwise, it will be another adventure fighting over a "lemon law" issue with those sales people that described this MDX as a luxury automobile with trouble free driving!

Cocooning

Two days of our recent trip were spent in Orlando at Parc Soleil, a Hilton Grand Vacation Resort.  This was our rest and relax portion of our trip.

The resort has two pool areas, the central pool with the water slide and it's the center of all the activities.  The other pool it off to the side, is much smaller, and has one of those water powered lift chairs to get handicapped guests in and our of the pool.

When you walk up to the second pool, you instantly realize, it's the favorite for doing the alligator float and cocooning.

You must enter this pool like a boat leaving the harbor, make no ripple, leave no WAKE!  The water is only 4.5 feet at its deepest point.  It's helpful to have some type of flotation device so that you can participate in the alligator float.

The wait staff is at your becon call, as they circle this wet oasis every fifteen minutes to entice you into ordering the cold slushy drink of your choice.  Me being the old vaca pro, I brought my own frozen margaritas pool side!

With the pool being smaller, and everyone doing the same thing, you can't help but start up or join a conversation.  We share restaurant secrets like where not to go,  which one is the best ever, and tips like the Landry Select dining club,  where you get first priority seating, which is especially helpful.

Young people are welcome, but they must obey the rules of alligator floating and cocooning, or us old folks will make their visit a short one!

We met several new friends, like Rose & James, from Pennsylvania, our age, similar life styles and interests.  We are looking forward  to catching up with them on future stays at HGVC resorts.  We are meeting up with other vaca friends during our next Florida trip in August.

Eventually, you have been in the water so long that your hands and feet are totally wrinkled and it's time to dry out.  Once out of the pool and dried off, the July and August heat hits you and back in you go!

By now, you have guessed it, this is the life after your children have grown up and left the nest, and you don't handle the amusement parks like you did ten years ago.  Happy hunting for you favorite cocooning hole!

Restaurant Curse

Several months ago, one of my Facebook buddies, Chris Kennedy, posted a rant about he and his wife trying to have a romantic dinner one night, only for the occasion to be interrupted by the sound of a baby screaming at the top of its lungs!  To add fuel to the fire it has occurred over and over again.  Chris lives over in the Atlanta area, so the odds of occurrences are much greater for him.

I got a good laugh at Chris' rant, thinking that doesn't happen to me very often.  Yeah right!  All of a sudden, these screaming babies are everywhere!  I look at the spousal unit, and give her that look if mine, and I calmly say, "its the Chris restaurant curse"!  Eventually the kid is either picked up, or fed the right combination of food items, but rarely do these parents pick the kid up and take them outside to calm them down!

Its bad enough that these babies are a disruption, But now I am noticing everything!  There is always that guy at the table next door that is significantly louder than his companions.  And this guy, happens to be an expert at everything discussed during their 1.5 hour meal!

Then there was the waitress at Cracker Barrel last night.  The restaurant had some specials, for a limited time.  They called two of them "camp fire" meals, chicken or beef, with veggies, wrapped up in foil and slow roasted.  I ordered the chicken one.  She comes back from the kitchen, "we're all out".  Ok, I'll have the beef.  She comes back from the kitchen, "we're all out of that too."  She then asks "what else would you like to try?"  I looked at her and noticed something was missing.  I replied "why don't we start with a menu????"  She gives me that look, huh??? Then she realizes she doesn't have that either! Eventually I order something that they do have, but during our meal, I'm over hearing the same conversation I had, and its happening to other diners with different waiters!

Today at the Shed Barbecue, the cashier asked for my name for the ticket.  I told her "Bill Bill" for first and last name.  Waitstaff calls out "Bill!"  I answer "here!"  She asks "what's your last name?"  I reply, "my name's Bill Bill!"  Gal looks at me, then she looks at the ticket, and says "oh, yeah!  Cool!"  Finally I won a round!  Maybe this restaurant curse is broken!  (fingers crossed!)

Notes From Clearwater Beach

If you are planning a trip to Orlando and realize it's nowhere close to the beach, you may want to consider a side trip down I-4 toward Tampa, and visit Clearwater Beach.

You probably want to steer clear of holiday weekends, as the beaches were maxed out with visitors this July 4th.  The room rates were pretty steep as well.

The Wyndham Grand Clearwater was running $500 per night and parking another  $25
The Hyatt garage was $5 per hour with a $35 daily max.

Beach side, the going rate for chair and umbrella rental was $40 per day. The cabana rental was $75 per day Now you know why I bring my own!

Most of the beach front is open to the public.  The beaches are manned with real life guards, just like the old tv show "Babe Watch", but no Pamela Anderson!

Bikinis are everywhere!  There must be a shop that sells one size fits all nearby.  I spotted several of those thong thangs as well!  I was surprised to see that the guys with tattoos far outnumbered the gals with tattoos.

This time of year the water is warm as bath water.  The shells are real small, but you can occasionally find a couch shell under water.

The sand is a fine powder, and is compacted.  It took some effort to get my cup stake into the sand.  Once I got everything up and placed where I wanted it, i took my seat then began enjoying a few conversations with Rita.

The sunsets are amazing.  The beaches face west, so you get to see the sun disappear under the water horizon.

We are already making plans for a return trip, possibly in 2018, along with a stop in Orlando to see all the new stuff that is in the works there!

Happy beaching everybody!

Acura road side assistance

You never know when car trouble will strike you, but it usually, almost always happens "after hours"!

Back last September, coming back from Orlando, one of the computer boxes went bad.  We were close to the Acura dealership in Mobile, and we got there before the service department closed.  They gave us a loaner, which we kept for a week, then I made a return trip to pick up the car.  The dealership was wonderful in helping us in our time of need.

Fast forward to yesterday, a Saturday, 8 p.m. and we are approaching Mobile, heading back to Florida for another vaca.  Plans were to spend the night, then head to our destination in the morning.

Spousal Unit is driving, and suddenly the dashboard lights up just like it did in September.  Computer module inside the transmission has gone haywire, again!  No panic,  this has happened once before, but not late at night.

Plan is to call the 24 hour hotline for roadside assistance, find out what to do about repairs and a replacement vehicle so we can continue our planned trip.  I find the number in the glove box and make the call.

I ring 1-800 Acura, which of course, puts me in the cue, and we wait.  Several minutes pass, then finally, a customer service representative.  Now the check list:  name, rank, car vin number, car model,  year of manufacture, etc...

I explain that we are in route, and do not need a tow.  What do we do with the car tonight, tomorrow etc... and what do we do about a loaner or rental?  Gal says "I don't know, I'm new at this job, and my notes...."  I tell her that here is what I'm going to do:  our hotel happens to be across the highway from the dealership, here in Mobile.  We are going drop the car off, fill out the after hours paperwork and drop the keys in the drop box.  Now, what about a rental?"

The gal says to me, "we don't handle that at this telephone number, only roadside assistance, but I can transfer you to that number."  I ask, "is it a 24 hour service line?"  She of course does not know the answer, and cannot determine if it is yes or no from her manual, but she transfers me anyway.

The phone number rings, and I get the recording "our offices are currently closed.  Our next business day will be Wednesday, July 5th." Click. You just cannot make this crap up!

Ok, I know what to do with the car.  There is a Hertz rental place next door.  I put my smartass phone to work.  All the Hertz locations in Mobile are closed on weekends, and the one at the airport does not have any vehicles available that would meet our needs.  Am I surprised???

Next search, Enterprise!  Found a vehicle, at the airport, but it's pick up only, with no option to come get you.  I book it, a Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab, alright!  I can put my rack in the back and not have to leave it with the car for the dealer to find on Monday!

We arrive at the hotel, cut the car off, then recrank it.  Yes! We can still roll!  Off to the airport at noon for the pickup, then the next leg of this adventure begins!

A Ride Down 30A

Yesterday, we had a hankering for a roadie trip to Sandestin for a lunch date at the Acme Oyster House.  We're in Panama City Beach for the week and haven't found a spot that meets our craving requirements,  Acme is only 45 minutes away, and the mental images of those chargrilled oysters just will not leave my head!

We arrived down here on Saturday and the traffic on 98 and all the side roads was bumper to bumper.  Yesterday's trip was a breeze, but once all the schools let out, it will be bumper to bumper again!

The food from Acme was wonderful!  Raw oysters, chargrilled oysters, and oyster poboys, with a few shrimp sprinkled here and there!  Our bellies were full, it was now time to head back to PCB.

Son#1 and his girly friend have not had the pleasure of a car ride down 30Aaaa, so a detour was in order.  In the old days, the only things to see were a bunch of scrub pines and a stop at the one destination on the loop, Seaside.  The roadway is still a two lane, but that is about the only thing that has stayed the same down this memory lane ride.

There is now a bike path that pretty much runs the length of 30A.  There are lots of eateries along the way, with green spaces dedicated as parking lots for all those bicycles that got to go somewhere!  The one destination of Seaside is now joined by multiple communities, and the only thing separating them are the road signs welcoming you to each community.

The view of all those scrub pines have been replaced with side roads filled with expensive beach houses and gated communities.  During our ride, there were only glimpses of the emerald green water, on the other side of all those homes.  The best part, people have built these same expensive houses on the other side of the road and no view of the gulf!

As we passed through Seaside, we could not help but notice how congested it was with foot traffic, bicycles, and golf carts.  We could barely see the food truck booths on the side of the road for all the people in front of them!

All these weekly residents of 30A were former visitors of Destin, Sandestin and PBC.  They left those destinations for the solitude, peace and quiet of 30A.  Sorry dudes! Those days are long gone!  You are still spending a fortune on your accommodations, plus the golf cart rental, and being elbow to elbow on your chosen spot in the sand!

Me, I'll stick with my regular locations, with beach cart and wagon in hand, and all the necessities to keep my beach queen happy.  "On the beach resorts" now take a back seat to the coastal parks that are practically void of wall to wall umbrellas and canopy tents.

Time for me to go claim our spot in the sand in PCB!

Beaching Essentials 2017

The thrill of beaching each year brings with it new innovations that bring more fun to the experience.  Some essentials will never change, but technology and new ideas keep adding to the fun.

Most resorts have access to chair and umbrella rentals.  When you go beaching as much as we do, bringing your own chairs and umbrellas can save you money in just a few visits.  We like the "Tommy Bahama" brand of chair.  The chair is built to hold up to 300 lbs, is wide and deep enough to comfort almost any normal sized human, including me!  For umbrellas, we prefer the lightweight "sportsbrella" umbrella.  You need to use an umbrella anchor, especially in windy conditions.  The plastic ones work great, and are very inexpensive.

Sportbrellas, chairs and cart

New Tommy Bahama chairs and the new wagon

Plastic Anchor

My latest addition to my beaching accessories is a power drill and an auger, for drilling out a hole in the sand for the umbrella anchor.  In just seconds you have a hole for your anchor and you just back fill with sand!  There have been many windy days where umbrellas just took off!

Dewalt is the drill of choice!

This year, I'm trying out a beach wagon, with wide tires.  The important thing to remember is to not overload the wagon, or you will be dragging that sucker through the sand vs pulling it!  I've been using a beach cart, but wanted to give a wagon a try.  We will be using both on an upcoming family trip, with extra hands to pull them!

My ice chest of choice is a Kelty.  I have two sizes and use them both.  They are soft sided, and have thick layers of insulation  that help keep ice in the cooler all day.  The Kelty is pricey, but REI occasionally marks them down, They are a whole lot cheaper and lighter to carry than Yeti type coolers.  I'm too dang cheap to even give the Yeti Hopper bag a try! Frozen margarita in ziploc bags are our favorite ice pack!

Kelty with Yeti Rambler

Kelty with Yeti Colster

When drinking chilled can drinks (beer!), the Yeti "Colster" can't be beat!  This little dude keeps the beer cold til the last drop.

We would be lost without our cup spike for holding our drinks.  These keep the sand away from the cup/can and most importantly your mouth!

Our latest addition has been bluetooth speakers.  We connect our favorite Pandora channels through our smartazz phones.  These small speakers put out plenty of sound, but don't disturb your neighbors.  Pandora puts very little drain on your battery.

Bluetooth speaker

For extra power, we bring along an external battery.  They work great keeping your phone charged and you can run your speaker off it, if by chance you didn't recharge it over night.

External battery

I hope you find this list to be useful in your planning your next beach trip.  I can't wait to find a few more items to "add to the list"!

Smartphone Activation EZ my Azz!

Well, the ole Samsung Note 4 began biting the dust last week, so I placed an order for a replacement phone thru the insurance plan.  This process took over 1.5 hours on the internet, after chatting with 1-800 India with AT&T and then the 1-800 Philippines with the insurance carrier.

The phone arrives with two day delivery.  Time to run through the process of moving from the Note 4 to a Galaxy S7.  With today's technology this should be a piece of cake!  I look at the new phone.  The back doesn't come off. What the heck????  I compare the simm cards and the newest one is smaller!  Oh boy, I can tell this is gonna be fun!

I do an internet search, to find that you push a provided pin into a whole and that pops our the bracket that holds the smaller simm card and the sd card.  Got it!  In they go!

Next, I do the Google backup from the cloud, from the old phone to the new phone.  After that was successful, I did the AT&T data transfer.  So far all my contacts and applications have made it over.  Winner!  Winner! Chicken dinner!

Time to activate the simm card with AT&T.  An internet search gets me to the right place, click I go!  Whoops!  AT&T does not recognize the phone as a new purchase.  Now you click the transfer to activate an insurance replacement phone.  Okee Dokee.  I get to the screen that asks you what phone you are replacing.  PROBLEM!  Internet link tells me to call 1-800-AT&T.  I get Joe the Plumber!  American English speaking dude, awesome!!!

Joe the plumber and I go through all the hoops, then he says, "you now need to restart both phones" for me to activate the new simm card.  WHAT????  Dude how are we gonna finish this????  Joe the Plumber tells me "you should have called in from a third phone".  You gotta be kidding me......

I finally ask Joe the Plumber if I can finish this process at a retail store.  Joe says "absolutely!"  Off I go to AT&T retail store.  So much for technology.  So much for 1-800 AT&T!  I get to the retail store, and explain my situation.  The salesman had the biggest grin on his face and says "no problem!"  He then proceeds to take the old bigger simm card out of the old phone, place it in a cutter machine,  chop chop!  He then inserts the newly sliced older simm card into the new phone, and says "all done!"  I'll be dang!  All that technology still hasn't replaced a Ronco Vegimatic veggie chopper!!!!!

Finally!  two hours later, I am back in business with a new working cell phone!  But wait!  I now need a new tempered glass and Otter box too!  It never ends.......

Oh NOLA, Oh How I Have Missed You

Being owners of a timeshare, we get to go and stay at lots of our favorite places.  You have to plan ahead, often times 9-12 month out, but it has certainly worked for us.  Plans were made months ago for a visit to NOLA this Easter weekend.  This also worked out to be the spousal unit's birthday weekend.

We got a condo at the Avenue Plaza, on St. Charles, in the garden district.  The streetcar line stops just several yards for the front door. This is a great place to stay during Mardi Gras, if you can manage a reservation.   The goal this trip was to leave the car parted the entire stay until departure.  You can get an all day (24 hr) bus pass for $3, and its good for all the streetcar lines and buses throughout the city.

The spousal unit got enticed to attend the owner's update meeting with a $100 gift card.  It's their time to tell you how to get more out of your ownership by you giving them more money!  NOT!!!  The one hour time limit came and went, but finally we were out the door and streetcar, here we come!

We always try to do something different every trip.  This time, we are on discovery for some new eating establishments to add to our favorite list.  My friend Karlene had posted some pics at a french bakery, La Madeleine's Country French Cafe, months back and it had caught our interest.  It's located at the bend in the track in the Carrollton section.  One of our favorite finds in this area is a restaurant called Carrollton Market, also recommended by a friend.

This being the birthday girl's weekend, our next stop was Kendra Scott, on Magazine Street, for some bling bling!  The streetcar stopped at Nashville Street.  Time for a multi-block stroll to Magazine!  Its interesting to take time to look at the old houses in New Orleans.  In most, the living quarters are elevated, since the city is below sea level.  The green spaces are so limited, with the houses on top of each other, but the homeowners do a lot with what they have.  Flowerbeds have already been planted, and all the privacy hedges are trimmed regularly.  Its a big job to keep these old houses up, and if you look close enough you can find where paint is beginning to peel here and there.

We finally reach Magazine Street, and just two building down, there is our destination, Kendra Scott!  Armed with her $100 gift card, the spousal unit was ready to shop!  I found a chair in a corner by the door and quickly claimed it as my own.  The spousal unit was delighted with all the jewelry items on display, and I got all excited over all the eye candy manning the store!  These gals were working hard for their commissions.  Sitting in  the corner, I was able to spot all the security cameras that were mounted on the ceiling and walls, losing count after 15!  The eye candy had their routine in place.  When one would begin helping a new customer, another would work her way to the front hallway, to monitor the customers trying on the jewelry.  It worked like clockwork, one would move in for the kill (commission), and another would man the monitoring station at the hallway.  Spousal unit made her selections.  She made a comment about being here for her birthday weekend and they gave her half off on her most expensive item!  The bookkeeper in me smelled a big markup on the prices!

With bus pass in hand, our next stop was the Quarter. If you've got the time, you have to take a bus ride along Magazine Street.  The people that ride this bus route can't be found anywhere else .  I love striking up conversations with them because you never know where it will go!  We get off the bus at Canal Street and are headed to the red line streetcars when this couple that was on the bus, asks me how do you get to the French Market?  I ask, "do you have an all day bus pass?"  She says "yes! thank you Jesus!"  I reply "follow me!  But my name is Bill, not Jesus.  He comes tomorrow!"  We take the Red Line to the end of Canal, then on to the River Line.  We exit near Cafe Du Monde, and say goodbye and point out the next stop to our new friends.

Cafe Du Monde is a major tourist stop, with everyone wanting beignets, coffee or a coke.  There is always a line, either for a table, or for the takeout window.  Knowing a few secrets, we were seated and had our treats in minutes.  I began staring at this cutie pie in this dark blue dress.  As we left I told her I couldn't believe she didn't have any powdered sugar on her!

A walk around Jackson Square is always fun.  On a Saturday you can usually spot a bridal parade around the Square.  Its interesting to look at what some call art, some of it looks like paint splatters.  There are plenty of palm and tarot card readers to occupy some of your time.  I love listening to the sketch artists talk as they are putting the finishing touches to one of their renderings for tourists!

Time for dinner!  Unfortunately the place we picked out, Red Gravy, near the J.W. Marriott, closes at 2, so it will get a visit later in our stay!  We ended up at The Redfish Grill on Bourbon St.  Its owned by the Brennan family, so we knew it had to be good.  We went into the bar while we waited for a table.  We ended up being offered a seat at a table by a family from New Jersey.  They came for the Carnival Cruise.  I suggested some items that they might like to try off the menu, but made the mistake of telling them what was in it.  We did get the lady to try an specialty oyster, it was hilarious watching it go down!  The waitress said the funniest thing to her is the tourists that think boudin balls must be alligator testicles!!!!

There was this guy next to us, in a wheel chair, with a brace on his knee.  He was surrounded by friends, including a lot of pretty women, tending to his every need.  I commented, "you know, if I was in a wheel chair, with all these pretty women tending to my every need, I might have to take advantage of the situation!  Ya'll didn't notice that the knee brace was on his other leg before he went to the restroom!"  Those ladies looked at each other, and then the laughter exploded!

The ride back to Avenue Plaza on the streetcar brought more interesting people.  We loved the short little couple from Seattle, I swear he looked like a leprechaun!  He said he still hasn't found that pot of gold!  Turns out we were staying at the same place!  I invited them for a nekeed swim, they said, we could get arrested!  I said, not in NOLA!!!

Can't wait for what tomorrow brings!  Happy Easter!

Walmart.com or bust!

I've been a fan of Amazon Prime for years.  Pay a fee up front, and get 2 day shipping for free.  If you haven't tried it you, once you do, you will be addicted in no time!

Walleyworld now has free shipping if you spend $35 or more.  Ok, I was game, and was needing some supplies for that condo in that town up north!

I downloaded the Walleyworld app, and a shopping I went!  Paper plates and bowls, ziploc bags, toothy paste, and velveeta!  Surely velveeta can survive a few days of shipping in the spring.

I checked out using my existing account info.  I get a confirmation email, indicating I can pick up most of my items at my local store and the other items would be shipped.  WTH???  I'm  thinking everthang should be shipped!!!

Ok, I figure, first time, there is always next time.  Today I'm driving by, and it registers "go thru the drive up pickup window"!

I pull up, and dial the number on the sign in the designated parking sport.  The lady on the other end of the line "I'm sorry sir, but this pickup line is only for grocery pickup."  Whoa!  What???  "You will have to come inside and go to customer service to get your items."  Me:  where is that?  Them:  "the back of the store."  Really???

I go park,  walk to the back of the store, and after showing the clerk my barcoded receipt, I had my items. The other items are scheduled for delivery next week.  Seems this store is having a lot of issues with the "pickup" option.

I'm planning on trying again.  With my new found knowledge, I'll be ready for round 2!  A bonus to going in, I got to spot several shoppers that qualified for those "People of Walmart" Facebook links!

I'm the New 60!

Well, back in September,  I hit the magic number of 60!  But hey, I'm not your momma and daddy's 60, I'm the youngest of the young 60!  Or so I thought......

At my last doctor's visit, back in June, he said, well, "now that you will be 60, it's time for another colonoscopy! "  Good God!  Have 10 years passed by that quickly???

So, before the year was out, I scheduled and had my "procedure".  Forget the gallon jug, referred to as "go lightly", I'm all about the mini-prep!  Just 5 ounces of that awful stuff, plus a bunch of water.  I even took the time to read the side effects, a bunch of medical lingo, etc... and possibly of kidney stones.

Three days after the procedure, I'm at Home Depot, doing my grill assembly gig.  Then it hits me!  When you have had as many stones as I've had, you know the symptoms of kidney stones!   Fortunately I was able to handle the pain, and eventually it made it to my bladder.  Had to have been an itsy bitty one!

A few weeks later it was time for my sixth month checkup.  During the blood draw the dang tech had to stick me twice to hit a vein!  That has never happened to me before!  "Now that you're 60......."

In the Doctors office, I hear a knock at the door.  A young, attractive, 28, single "physician's assistant trainee" enters the room.  I know all that, because "at my age" I can get away with asking that!  She goes through all the lab work results, then she hits me with the big one!  "Now that you are 60, you need to consider the shingles vaccine, and the pneumonia shot, in addition to your annual flu shot".  I fired back, "whoa!  Let's back this up to 59.5!  I even told the Doctor about how mean she had been to me before he entered the room!

At home one night, I accidentally dropped my laptop, splitting the power supply port. I've never dropped my laptop like that before! No replacement part, had to move my stuff to another box, at a cost of $200!

Then, recently, I dropped my cell phone in the driveway.  In slow motion, I saw the phone pop out of its protective case, and land face down on the concrete.  Picked it up, yep, cracked!  Another drop, and another $200 to replace half the phone since I'm still under contract! Now that you're 60......

To make this 60+ thang worse, my boss had an 20+ yr old employee complaining about all the work he had scheduled that week.  The boss then proceeds to tell him about his 65 year old employee that does this and more without any help.  I said 65???  He said it sounded better than 60!

The next week I was in Roses, doing assembly.  I went to the cashier to buy a Powerade.  I noticed that she rang it up as a discount.  I'm  thinking, wow, she just gave me a 10% employee discount!  I then look at the ticket, and it was a senior citizens discount!!!  Wait a dang minute!  I do not feel that old!!!!  Now that you're 60.......

So, I feel like I'm the new 60!  Young at heart, and I can out build most of our new hires.  But at every opportunity,  the old 60 keeps raising it's ugly head!

I just hope I can make it to spring.  With that margarita machine of mine and that swimming pool at the Condo in that town up north, hopefully all those cute coeds can get me back into the "new 60 frame of mind!"