Road Trip Destination: National Harbor

I wasn't quite sure what topic I was going to blog on tonight. It was a very interesting day, with several events that would be worthy to "go on" about....

I had jury duty this am, but after rounds of questions, I didn't make the cut. Better luck next time.

My BFF and I went up to National Harbor to check out the new "Peep" store. Yes, it was filled with all sorts of peeps and peep accessories. You have to see it to believe it. They even had peep mouse pads for under $5, Wal Mart's mouse pads aren't even that cheap, oh cool for that matter.

While we were right there, we decided to tour the Gaylord Hotel. That was like nothing I had ever seen before. There was a Chik-fil-A convention going on. We knew something was going on when we pulled into the parking garage and every other car or truck was cow painted. And reading the vanity plates on some of the cars was a give away...EAT MO CHIX

We had lunch at McCormick and Schmick's, oh that cashew crusted mahi mahi with Caribbean salsa was splendid.

The view from the harbor place was really nice. Looks like Disney is going to build a resort there in the near future. It is really worth checking out, I would wait for a nice Spring day, as today was overcast and breezy (cold).

One of the highlights of the entire trip happened while we were enjoying lunch....There was a couple sitting across from us. This man and his wife were very well dressed and were very professional looking. When they finished and were ready to leave, the gentleman came up to our table and said that he didn't want to interrupt, but he wanted to tell us how much we encouraged him and his wife, by praying and thanking the Lord for our food before we ate. He said that they frequently eat out and have never seen that. He said that it was good to know there are other Christians out there. He also said that he and his wife were going to record us, but decided not to. They thanked us, and I thanked them for it encouraged me to have him make a point to stop by and tell me that.

Sometimes I wonder how God is going to use me as a witness, and times like this today, encourage me knowing that God is using me, and once in awhile, He lets me sneak a peek as to how. What a blessing it is to be a Christian, to have been forgiven for all my sin, past present and future, to be loved by My God who will never leave me or forsake me. And to think... all I had to do was to ask Him to forgive me of my sins and be my Savior. Friend... have you asked Him? He is ready... all you have to do is ask.

I hope you all have a blessed night

I rest comfortably on a 45

No, I don't sleep with a gun under my mattress, that's way too dangerous for me. I am referring to my sleep number. You see, I have a Select Comfort bed and 45 is my comfort zone. After being away from my bed for 8 nights, on vacation in various hotels, I was overdue for a good night's sleep.

On the last night of our trip, Greg got sick. He was throwing up and had the runs (sorry Greg, don't mean to put your stuff out there, but, it's part of the story) As I was saying..... He got sick and we were both up most of the night. Thank the good Lord that he was feeling well enough to travel. I had the helm the whole way. We met Emily in Smithfield, as I had a text book for her. She and I had lunch at Smithfield's BBQ, Greg went in, but just sipped tea. We made it a quick visit, wish we could have stayed longer, but Greg needed to get home. Our total driving time was around 9 hours that day. Boy was it good to get home!

Greg had to unpack and then repack his suitcase, as he was going out of town today for the rest of the week. Poor guy, didn't really get to recoup.

I went and picked up our mail from the PO, where it was on hold. Huge bag full for 6 delivery days!

Called into court this evening and surprise........I have to report at 8:30 am. I had plans for tomorrow too! Oh well, I don't want to be in contempt of court, so I will go.

Better get ready for bed, oh what was that??? I hear my 45 calling............

A Travel Day

This morning was pretty much a day in the car driving. We left Tangerine Woods right around 8:30 a.m. We had a real nice time visiting with Mommy and Deac. I hope the weather gets warmer there in Englewood, so they can enjoy the outside more. It has been one of the coldest winters there in awhile.

We stopped at McDonald's for breakfast and were on our way. The ride was uneventful, which was a blessing. We stopped for gas/lunch at a BP/Subway near Jacksonville. We stopped a little while later for oranges to bring home.

We got to our Hampton Inn in Bluffton , SC late in the afternoon. It is a big , new hotel. The breakfast area is at least twice the size of the normal Hampton. There are 434 rooms. Our room is nice, it is like a mini suite.

We went to dinner at a Mexican Restaurant called Mi Tierrita. It was really good. I had a Carne Asada Burrito and Greg had a Macho Combo (chicken burrito, beef taco and cheese enchilada).

I was able to catch up on some farming tonight and we watched some Olympic events.

We leave here in the morning around 8:30 so we can meet Emily in Smithfield at Zaxby's for

lunch.

A Fine Friday in Florida

Today is Friday the 19^th of February. We are here in Englewood, Florida visiting with Mommy and Deac. This morning Mommy had a hair appointment. Greg and I went out to find a Radio Shack to get something for the TV. Afterwards, we rode over to Englewood Beach and then on to Blind Pass Park, where we got out and walked down to the beach. There were a few people out sunning themselves, others just walking along the beach and some just sitting out there reading and getting some fresh air. It was mostly overcast, but the sun did peek out now and then. It was a nice ride. We stopped at a gun shop that we had seen on the drive into town a few days before. It wasn't a big shop, but we each found something that we wanted and bought. I got a padded travel case for my .38 and Greg got a magazine for his AR-15. We then pulled into a Dunkin Donuts for a coffee on the way back to Tangerine Woods.

The four of us played some Rummikub in the afternoon. First time ever, I tied for the win with Deac. We headed up to Sonny’s in Venice for dinner, we got the family meal, which was supposed to be for 4, but could have fed 6-8. It was a platter filled with sliced beef and pork,a whole chicken quartered, easliy 8-10 meaty pork ribs, a bowl of cole slaw, a bowl of green beans, a bowl of Bar-B-Q beans, and an assortment of garlic texas toast/ cornbread loaves... another good meal. We brought home alot, there was simply too much food for the 4 of us.

We tried watching some more home DVD’s, had a few hang-ups. Don’t know the cause, they run fine on computer though.

Packed up all the non essentials before bed and did my “Farmville” for the night. Then we headed to bed. Heading out early tomorrow.

Good Times/ Good Eats

We have been enjoying visiting with Mommy and Deac. We watched an awful movie today. I was embassased, as I brought it along and thought it would be good. It wasn't! It was called couples Retreat, Don't waste your money, it stinks!

We spend a lot of time just talking, which is great, that's what we came to do, just spend time with them. We did go out to eat a bit while we have been here. We went to Momma's Italian, Sonny's B B Q, and Walt's,a seafood place in Sarasota.

Something weird/funny happened at Walt's. While we were there an older lady came in and brought her Pekingese dog with her. She used the guise that it was a "service dog." The owner came out and questioned her about it, and asked for the "papers/license" to prove it. The lady got indignant and said he had no right to ask her that. It went on for quite a while, she couldn't produce the papers, and finally she took the dog to the car, and came back and waited for her food. It was very busy there and the service was really slow. She was still there waiting when we left, and she wasn't looking too happy. Oh well Nuff said.

Came home and had a nice big fat brownie with White house cherry ice cream on top. We all sang Happy Birthday to Mommy. A good day was had by all.

Heading for the West Coast

We got up and left Miami Wednesday morning. We were headed over to the west coast of Florida, to Englewood, to spend a few days with Mommy and Deac. Our ride over included driving through Alligator Alley. We had a little excitement when we got to the toll booth. It seems the person in front of us, didn’t have the $1.50 to pay the toll keeper. You could tell it was going to take longer than it should have to sort out. The passenger in the car actually came back to our car and asked Greg for the money to pay the toll. He said no, by then the toll keeper had gotten the driver’s license number and license plate number and they rolled on out of the toll booth. I wouldn’t want to see the ticket that person gets for failing to pay the toll. (I was hoping that we wouldn’t breakdown on this road and have to ask someone we had earlier turned down for $1.50 to help us.) The ride across Route 75 was pretty dull…until I noticed alligators sunning themselves on the banks of the water that ran along the side of the road. That was cool. I have never seen so many gators in one place. They were everywhere.

We got to Mommy and Deac’s mid-afternoon. It was good to get there, and they both seemed to be doing well. Mommy made Jambalaya for dinner, it was excellent, she has always been a great cook.

Greg turned a lot of VHS Home movies into DVD’s for Mommy and Deac. We have been previewing them. Some of them are really funny.

We played a few rounds of Rummikub. That is always fun. Mommy and Deac are Pros.

Time to turn in for the night

Out to Lunch...Be Right Back

Tonight's blog will be posted tomorrow. Check back in to see what we have been up to the past two days.

Pictures to go with the Key Largo post. The glass bottom boat and the view of the Elk Horn Coral through the glass bottom of the boat.

Tuesday in the Keys

This morning we headed down to Key Largo. It was nothing like I had imagined, but it was nice and we had a fun day. Once on the Key, we stopped at a visitor center, mainly to use the bathroom, but to see what the key had to offer for sights. It wasn't your regular state run visitor center, it was Joe Blow's( not his real name), mainly is was a place that you could book a boat, scuba, snorkeling etc. tour.

We went to the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. There we bought tickets to go on the glass bottom boat cruise. It took us out to Molasses reef, about two miles out, where we were able to see some cool under water creatures. The cruise was 2 1/2 hours. It was a nice day and the sea was pretty calm.

We headed back to Miami and had dinner at Pollo Tropical. We had lunch at one near downtown yesterday. It was so good, we had to go back again. I had a cup of Caribbean Chicken soup, a half rack of Caribbean ribs , white rice and black beans. All very tasty! Greg had the Trio, which consisted of 1/4 chicken, ribs and wings with Black beans and white rice and a side of cole slaw. We got all this and 2 drinks for $20.

Leaving town in the morning. Heading through Alligator Alley to the west coast, Englewood to be exact, where we will be visiting Mommy and Deac for a few days!

I am beat tonight, all this warm sunshine and being out on the water, wears you out.

Miami on a Monday

Drove over to Key Biscayne to Bill Baggs Park. Not only was there a light house and a keeper's cottage, there were a lot of opportunities to do so me walking. We saw a neat little inlet called "No Name" Harbor. Boats could sail in there and spend the night with a little protection from the sea. There were trails to walk thru the mangroves, which we did. We did some driving around too. Pretty big park on the southern tip of Key Biscayne.

We drove through the Art Deco strip of Miami Beach. Lots of shops and lots of people wandering around. Looks like it would be a great place for nightlife. We didn't go out on the beach.

For dinner we drove over to the Bayside Marketplace, next to the American Airlines Arena, and not too far from the cruise line wharfs. This place was nice as well. It was an indoor/outdoor mall with live entertainment. It reminded me of a mall in Honolulu. There were outdoor restaurants where you could sit and overlook the waterfront and hear the music. We decided on a Cuban restaurant called Mambo's. I had a combo plate with black beans, rice, ground beef creole, cassava, a tamale, and a serving of fire roasted, crispy pork. Greg had a Cuban marinated steak, with Plantains, black beans and rice. We topped off dinner with a Cuban Coffee. It was a yummy meal. We strolled around and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the Marketplace after dark.

Mackerel Sky Picture

For some reason, (my incompetence) the picture didn't make it to the last post

When in Rome.....

Happy Valentine’s Day to you all. Today I am getting a head start on my blogging. As I write, we are on the road heading toward Miami. We have already gone by the traffic locked area called Daytona. Today is the running of the Daytona 500.I have never seen so many cars lined up for an event. Although have never driven the beltway before a Redskins game either. May be the same situation, I don’t know. Above the track there was the Good Year blimp and several small airplanes with advertising banners, kind of like at the beach. These looked like they might be circling the track over head. We are on a stretch of road that is pretty much pines, palms, and completely flat. No much in the way of cool stuff to look at. The weather is pleasant, sunny and everything here is green! We did see a “Mackerel sky” this morning. That term was used a lot by my parents. They had a lot of funny little sayings that Greg had never heard of. Noah Webster knew of them, as most all have checked out in the dictionary. I took a picture so you can see what I mean. The sky has a scale look to it, like you would see on the side of a fish.

Tonight I am writing from our room at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Miami Dade. The rest of the ride here went well. As we got closer to the area of West Palm Beach and further south, the ride got more interesting, so I put my computer away and enjoyed the scenery.

One thing happened that was funny, cause the same thing happened to me yesterday, Greg was driving and the gas light came on. We pulled off the next exit and gas was 2.85 a gal (cash) and 2.91 credit. Guess which one we use???

Tonight we decided to try something different for dinner. Neither of us had ever had dinner at the Cheese Cake Factory, so we thought we would try it. Well, let's just say when we got there, there was no question in my mind as to whether or not we would wait in line to eat there. After all, it wasn't my birthday. We decided to find somewhere else to eat. We found a place called the Havana Spice Cafe. We decided to eat local cuisine. It wasn't a fancy place, but homey. There were Cuban men for waiters. They were dressed in all black. I had no idea if the food would be spicy or not. I didn't even know if I would like it, but I had to try it. We had a very nice waiter. I think he could sense that we were not familiar with Cuban food. He was helpful and helped me chose my sides. After looking at he menu I settled on the Pollo al vino Bianco. It was fantastic, to say the least. It was a thin chicken breast sauteed in a white wine cream sauce with mushrooms. I had white rice and maduros (sweet plantains), for my sides. Greg chose Ropa Vieja. It was shredded beef in a creole sauce. He had the same sides. We started off with Cuban bread that was toasted in a press. Since we were both full from the delicious meal, we decided to forgo dessert, but had a Cuban coffee (super sweet espresso), instead. If ever in Miami, I highly recommend Havana Spice Cafe. They have a website, but I haven't been to it yet, but I will post it, hopefully it is "G" rated. You never know with the internet. You type in a simple common word and it takes you to a site that makes you blush. Anyways, here it is:

http://www.havanaspicecafe.com

Simply put, I had a very nice Valentine's Day, and I hope you did as well.

On the Road Again

Greetings from King's Bay, Georgia. We are a little more than half way to our first destination in Miami, Florida.

We left Mechanicsville in the wee hours or the morning. It was about 6:30, but for some of us those are the wee hours! Anyways, We picked up breakfast at the McDonald's in Dalghren, Virginia. We stopped in Hopewell, VA to gas up at Wawa, it was $2.49 gal. When we came out of the store, it was snowing. It was light snow, and was really no problem driving. We did see a few plows out on the roads. There was even one that was going at a pretty good clip, with his blade down, pretty much plowing clear road! We made a stop in Lumberton, North Carolina for lunch. We decided when in NC, eat NC style BBQ. We dinned at Smithfield's, the best BBQ in NC. Actually, I have only ever eaten NC BBQ at Smithfield's and at Howard's in Lillington, NC. I remember it was good, but not as good. I also like the recipe that I use.

Back to the trip.... After lunch, I got behind the wheel. We didn't stop again, till Greg woke up and saw a DQ sign. Luckily I was already in the right hand lane, as we immediately exited 95, for a Heath and a Turtle Blizzard.

On down the road we went. We had some sluggish traffic here and there. Still snow on the ground till Savannah. We made one emergency bathroom break, we'll let you wonder who it was. Greg drove the last leg of the trip for today.

Arrived here at the Navy Lodge. Pretty much looks the same as it did when we stopped here for the night with the kids, heading to Nana and Grampa's for Christmas one year.

We both took lots of pictures on the way here, but there are two pictures that I wish I had gotten, but didn't for one reason or another. One was of the people sledding on the exit ramps in NC, The other picture would have been of the wild bore I saw grazing along the road in Georgia. I was driving at the time and Greg was busy doing something on his Blackberry, so neither of us snapped a picture. But that was cool!

We toured the town of nearby St. Mary's. It was dark, so it was kind of hard to see. We were cruising, looking for a place to eat. We went to a Chinese Buffet. Didn't get stuffed, just ate to fill the belly. Left there and went in search of a cup of coffee. Where is a WAWA when you need one??? Got a cup of coffee at McDonald's. Came back to the Lodge. Greg said he was just going to lay down and stretch out, but he's looking and sounding pretty asleep to me.

Well, time for me to add some pics and hit publish, so I can get some sleep too. Just remember, tomorrow is another glorious day full of adventure ready to happen.

Happy Valentine's Day All.

I Can't Believe What I am Thinking

It started last night, sleet and then changed over to snow. It snowed through the night and ended around 3:00 this afternoon. I went out to start shoveling the driveway, but the two Timmy's came over and wanted to know if they could help. A quick flashback went through my mind, of how my back was hurting from shoveling just a few days ago, I hired them on the spot! It took them the better part of an hour and they had it back down to the asphalt. I paid them, and off they went.

Greg worked from home today, as the APL was closed, due to weather. I made Chicken Parmesan for dinner, as requested. After the dishes were picked up, we played 2 games of Triple Yahtzee. Last night we played two games of it as well. We hadn't played in years. It is good to play a game with another human. I usually play against the computer.

So back to my tag line...See how easy it is for me to get off on a rabbit trail? I'm thinking I have had enough of the white stuff for this year. Maybe it is because Greg and I are now responsible for all the shoveling, or the fact that keeping the fire going is much harder with snow covered wood, or that frequent snow storms have had me cancel 2 parties, or maybe it is the fact that I am not able to jump in the car and go.

Bottom line is; I'm sick of snow! I think We will get out of town and get away from it.

The Bitter Sweetness of the 2010 Blizzard

This morning, while gazing out the kitchen window, I noticed the yard didn't quite look right. Four of our Leyland Cypress trees had lost the battle with the weight of the snow. I immediately got suited up to go out and see the extent of the damage. I was too late to save the trees, I saw at least one uprooted. The snow was so deep. I had a hard time getting out to the back of the yard. It was easily up to my knees. Greg came out to help me and we got the trees on the fence line pretty much dusted off of snow. I had the brilliant idea to go get one of the pairs of snowshoes I inherited from my Father. I brought them out and stepped into them. That was easy enough! Now walk with them. It was like having huge tennis rackets strapped to your feet. I was having fun making cool tracks in the back yard. The problem came with me trying to get down off that snowbank and through the narrow path between the house and the garage. It didn't happen! I ended up plunking down on my butt in a snow bank. It wasn't a pretty sight seeing me try to get up. I was laughing so hard. I finally took the blasted things off and walked out to the front yard to join Greg, who was already working on the huge hew out at the end of the driveway. I couldn't resist putting the snowshoes back on. I was doing fine till I tried to get back up the slope! If my neighbors were looking out their windows, they had a good laugh! I fell, I couldn't get up, I flopped over onto my stomach and still couldn't do anything but laugh. I finally got the snowshoes off and made it down the rest of the hill. Greg said he wished he had his camera, I wish he did too. Maybe we could have been on America's Funniest Videos.

We are supposed to get another storm through here tomorrow. Think I will try out the snow shoes just in the backyard till I get the hang of walking in them.

Super Bowl Sunday

Woke up this morning to a brilliant blue sky and a couple feet of glistening fluffy snow. What a sight. Church was cancelled for today, both morning and evening services. We were smart and shoveled out our driveway yesterday during the storm. It was good exercise, and I have the sore muscles today, to prove it. John and Amber came over and had lunch with us. They stayed and visited for awhile, then were heading to a Super Bowl Party at April & Tommy's. Greg and I had a homemade pizza and watched the game on TV. Glad the Saints won, it was their 1st Super Bowl win. I like to see the under dog come out on top. Federal Govt. is closed tomorrow also the JHAPL, so looks like Greg has a snow day!