Two days on The Road

Two days on the road would get us from Davenport to O'Fallon. The plan was a long first day and then a shorter one to complete the drive. Day one brings us to Atlanta afte about seven hours and that is a mile stone to be sure. If you have driven through Atlanta I need not offer an explanation and if you have not done that trip, nothing I say will sufficiently paint a picture for you. It is UNBELIEVABLE. Fast and eight or ten lanes going each way and knowing where you are going is  distinct asvantage. We made it through, heaved a aigh of relief and off we went. We had left the house ar five thirty. It's  bit of a go to depart because you have a lot more than when you arrived and we try to bring the booze and cheese to Chris so there is sorting in the fridge and into the cooler. Anyway we got out and got throug day one witout any serious incident. We saved the latter for day two.


Made a note to myself never to stay at The Country Inn And Suites in Manchester TN because it is just too close to the interstate and too noisy. We were in bed by seven thirty. In a new time zone. Out the door by fife tirt and off to Nashville.

Where are these people going so early in the morning.?! and why are they driving so fast?! Nashville was a very busy city in the dark of morning and we were happy to have it in our rear view mirriw. On to Paducah. FABRIC HEAVEN, More fabric than one person could imagine. When I ca,e out of the store, a few dollar on the light side, a flat tire.,One of the last things Mike chose to bring was the little air compressor and then off to Goodyear. New tires and on the road again. Yikes! That could have been a whole lot worse. Dodged a bullet.

Heading for StLouis. Sparing the details of THE TRAFFIC, we got here by three and were met by the welcoming committee. Worth the drive, worth the traffic. So good to be here. Will check my notes and add a little more. Time for a break. Doing this on my tablet which is a typing challenge. Back soon, enjoy your day.

Tick Tock

We have been entertained by an osprey on the hunt. Almost every afternoon between four and five, it soars over the pond behind the house and watches watches watches for a fish or some tasty bit in the water. He drops like a stone, turns his wings back and plunges into the water like an arrow head. He must be successful because he returns each day. There are fish in the pond, and some cormorants appear to be regulars. Assorted ducks and the tall cranes are all part of the local population. Two nights ago when we were visiting the MacDonalds, an owl perched on the top of their lanai but didn't stay long. It's the first time I have seen an owl that close.

Monday was a bit rainy but the rain doesn't last in this state. By afternoon the sun was back and then a good day on Tuesday. Much cooler. We played golf and it was a great day for that activity. We went out at about 7:20am and at that time, it's a challenge to find the ball. By the second hole we were OK and also going out that early, we got to go by ourselves.  A leisurely game, keeping up with a twosome ahead of us and one behind. We were through by ten thirty. Mike thought his watch had stopped.

The Murrays left this morning for the airport and we are sorting and organizing for an early morning departure on Friday. I am poring over the maps to see if I can find a good route around Atlanta. The MacDonalds and the other MacDonalds were here last night to say adios as they are leaving on Saturday. Several groupings are heading to Myrtle Beach for a couple of weeks or a month. The golfers. The GrandParents are going to StLouis. We are so looking forward to that visit.

I didn't think I had bought very much until I began the sorting this morning. What Was I Thinking??!! The fabric shopping will take place in Missouri at a lovely shop in Hannibal and perhaps at Hancocks of Paducah as we drive through a little bit of Kentucky. What good fortune that the route goes that way!!

It's time to leave. We are down to our last roll of bathroom tissue. We have two pods for the dishwasher and the Tide will be rinsed out to get the last of it. I have some miraculous sheets of detergent that dissolve in the water. Who knew? JoLynn brought that package with her. Convenience at it's best: detergent that come is a sheet and then disappears in the water. Something like sliced peanut butter. Why can't we buy that, like sliced cheese?

The house is being shown this morning so we will be out from eleven till two. We cannot get this residence next year as someone has booked it for three months. Our plans are uncertain but we have something in the works for the last two weeks of March and we will find an alternative for the earlier weeks. Or not. Lots of time.

Hope the snow is melting. Sharon sent pics of our house and it's piles of snow. Hard to believe it's still winter in NS.

Enjoy the day. I haven't been doing a great job with this blog. We have been enjoying our company and by evening, we are often pretty tired. Tomorrow will be an early day and I will be back when we get off the road, points unknown. Happy trails, I'll be back.

Sunday in the Sunshine STAte

Another beautiful day. Is that getting monotonous? Just  a little for me. I like some variety in weather, at home and here. Just a day now and then that speaks to you and says 'do some of those things that need to be done" and there are such things here as well as at home.  You can make a mess in three weeks and you can lost track of things. I need a morning to do some chores. It's supposed to rain tomorrow or at least there is a POSSIBILITY of rain. That could change within the next hour but for now, we are undecided as to what we will be undertaking in the morning. This is our last week, and only a partial week at that. I think we will head for The Littles and their parents on Friday. That will put us on Saint Madeleine by Saturday afternoon. I called Chris this afternoon and am waiting for him to get back to me to see if we are still invited for a visit.

We ate at the Olive Garden last night. I love Italian food and we brought some home, which we finished this afternoon. Even better the second day. Also did a bit of shopping at Joann. I haven't done well with my shopping. Nothing terribly interesting in a pretty bag. I may end up with the bulk of my list being checked off at Mardens on the way home and believe me that won't be in a pretty bag. I have to do the grocery shopping in Maine too. That list is thin too. Rotel tomatoes; poblano peppers; some spices. I got some interesting ones at Penzy's during the art show, when we took a break and sauntered into a shop to cool off. Nothing exotic, just a couple of mixtures that I had not seen before. I have to buy backing for three quilts at Mardens.

Chris just called; publishing!!

Can it be Saturday already?

We just got back from dinner at The Olive Garden this evening. I love Italian food and obviously hundreds of others do too. Lots of people eating out tonight We had a great meal and got back just before dark and by luck, I find that I can watch the last games of the womens worlds curling, at least at the moment I am listening to the Bronze medal game and just hoping that the championship game hasn't been played. Perhaps I will get to see it. I'll have to check the web page, which I find most unfriendly.

Today we went to the Lakeridge Winery Wine and Food Show. A spectacular day for that kind of event. Sitting out under a shade tree, drinking crisp white wine and listening to really fine live music makes for a great event. There was food to be had an eaten and wine to be tasted and bought if the spirit moved you. It's a lovely location, up on a hill in the Claremont area. Yesterday was the sidewalk art show in Winter Park which is in the north east corner of Orlando. Close to where Chris worked in Maitland. That also was a great outdoor event. Both days were hot. As the weather man keeps saying, unseasonably warm. They still call these high 80's 'warm'. I call it hot. Pool days when we are back here at 621.

I cannot believe the snow in Nova Scotia. The more I hear of it the more I realize there will be snow still on the ground, not just in the woods, when we get home. UGH!

Last night was the Pictou County party, here at our digs. I am guessing there were about twenty people here, a few whom I didn't know but most were familiar faces. Always an enjoyable get together. Plenty to eat and drink. Good company. Successful gathering.

We may try to get a golf game in next week. Still some shopping to do but we are going to St Louis so there is still lots of time for ticking off items from the list.

I am a bit distracted this evening, feeling there are things I need to write but just can't form the ideas. This house is now for sale; it was shown today, while we were out. Apparently the person who buys it will most likely want to use it as a rental and we will be informed as to that situation. In that case we will try to get the house again next year for the same time. Our plans for next winter are quite up in the air at this point. Booking the house will just assure us of having a place if we decide to come back.

Hope all is well where you are. We are doing fine, enjoying our company and this wonderful weather. It seems that things are well at The Ranch, the driveway is cleared and that's the main thing. Gloria can get in to take care of the cats without being lost in a snow bank. Take care all, be good to each other, and I will be back sooner rather than later!! It was a busy week!!

Catching up

I didn't realize that I hadn't added a post since Thursday. On Friday morning we drove to The Villages to visit with Sylvia and Duncan in their beautiful vacation home. What a lovely place they have; beautifully decorated with Sylvia's hand all over it. We had lunch and then did a tour of the facility/ Keeping in mind that The Villages is home to 100K people, we probably didn't see it all but what we did see was pretty impressive. If you are here, it's worth going for a look, all you want and need, right there at your disposal. Beautifully groomed land and lovely club houses; just so beyond what I expected to see. Golf carts are the mode of transportation in the local area and they too come in all varieties. Quite an interesting day and wonderful to spend time with our good friends, the Dingles. Home by nine; didn't know the Pictou County party was going on. Out of that loop and missed the email. Too bad but we had a great day.

We have done our usual round of touring, out and about every day. Trying to get some pool time and generally enjoying the vacation. Jocelyn turned six on the fourteenth. I can hardly believe that. She and Bhreagh are such beautiful little girls. We are looking forward to seeing them next month for a few days. Skype visits aren't enough but better than nothing. I cannot help but think of absentee grandparents in the past and how they could be virtually unknown to their precious grandchildren. We miss Chris and Laura and The Littles when we are here because for several years we saw them every second day. Life. Change.It's what happens.

We played golf today and that always takes a lot of energy. I was pretty tired when we got home. It's a hot day here, hotter than I like but it's the kind of weather people want when they come to Florida. Especially in light of the cruel winter that dumped more snow on the Maritimes yesterday. We followed the storm with CBC. What did we do without the internet, I wonder!? I listen to CBC radio out of Hfx every morning and again in the late afternoon. Just while I think of it...this morning when we were heading to the GC, we left here around six twenty, and the TRAFFIC on the interstate was amazing. There is just no time when you can anticipate slow traffic. It's always busy here. I often wonder where all of these people are going, and why they are in such a hurry to get there!!

JoLynn and Herbie have arrived in Orlando and are still in the airport navigating the difficult waters of car rental. You have probably been there once or twice and can relate to the difficulties and misunderstandings that often surround that transaction. They will be here this evening. Time unknown.

This is it for me for tonight. I feel there was something I intended to write about but have forgotten and now I think I need to take little reminder notes so that there is something of interest in my posts. Take care everyone, and be good to the ones you love and maybe to the ones you just like. I'll be back in a day or so.

Roy's Hawaiian Fusion

How much of my life revolves around food?! It's amazing that the last two posts are just about food. Roy's has been a favorite restaurant of Chris and Laura for years. They had their wedding party there and we were there with them several years ago. It's  quite the eating establishment and it didn't hurt that the owner remembered Chris and Laura. We had reservations for six o'clock. Mike went to the cigar store and I went to my favorite Barnes and Noble before heading to eat. Combing two favorite stores each with the meal.

I can only describe what I ate and drank and what the table shared. When we sat, we immediately received the bowl of edamame which seem to be boiled or steamed edameme pods with coarse salt and a light spicy dressing. Yummy. Everyone gets those at Roys when you sit to your table. Then came the ribs in a delicious sauce, and a plate of steaming hot towels for our sticky fingers. And then the tray of lobster pot stickers. Yumm-O!! I had a Mojito with pommegrate juice and a lot of mint! My app was shrimp wrapped in prosciutto and served on a bed of cheddar grits. Mike had oysters, Rich had the Calamari and Claire had sushi which we sampled and was delicious. Unfortunately for her, she mistook the wasabi for guacamole and ate the whole bite at once. OMG!!! She recovered to enjoy the remainder of the dish. For a main, I had sea scallops with pork belly and an apple fennel slaw on pureed potatoes. The servings are small at Roys. You don't feel like you are stuffed and that you have to work hard to finish. Three large scallops presented on a long narrow plate. I have pictures. Mike had the swordfish and Rich, the short ribs because it was a favorite of Chris's and each time they were there together, Rich sampled from Chris's plate. This time he had his own and loved it. Much sharing and sampling went on, everyone loved their selections. Before we had a chance to consider dessert, our plates were cleared and new smaller ones and more hot towels arrived. Then, a tray of two chocolate lava cakes, two pineapple cakes, four scoops of pina colada ice cream and mixed fruit arrived. Amazing meal. The restaurant, on a Wednesday evening, was practically full and it's a big place. A big noisy. That was my only reservation. I would love to go back. Maybe next time.

There is a new fish and chips place in Champions Gate, near by. Two years ago it was a little French bistro that we liked very much but there was nothing there last year. It's in a very out of the way location and needs word of mouth advertising. We heard about it from the people in the next house. We will try it!!

We passed on golf this morning. Every once in a while I have a really low morning and today was that day. I am just getting my feet under me now at noon and this afternoon we will get out for a tour, maybe to Downtown Disney or something over at the parks. We are scoping out Universal for St Patrick's day. Last year we went to Pat O'Brien's for the event but we won't go for eight hours this time. JoLynn and Herbie will be here and we are trying to put together an interesting celebration. There's plenty to do; just choosing the right place is the difficult task.

Another shooting in Ferguson. Two policemen.

A beautiful florida day. It rained hard last night after I went to bed. A deluge. And then it was done.

That's about it for now. Time to perk up and perhaps go out in an hour or so. Had a Skype visit with Aron and Rika this morning. I have missed seeing them for the past couple of weeks. Stay in touch; enjoy the day where you are and be good to everyone you know. Till the next time! Thanks for reading.

Whole Foods

This we went to Whole Foods on Sand Lake in Orlando. This is one of the high points of my visit here, going to this store and seeing how some people do their shopping. First of all, we did buy several items. I buy tubes of tomato paste at Whole Foods. I feel rather silly going through the aisles to find that, on the top shelf, and putting several boxes in my basket. It's such a plus to have tomato paste in tubes because, obviously, you use only what you need and you don't have gobs of it in the freezer or in the trash in between uses, Just in the fridge, waiting to be opened when you need it. Back to Whole Foods.

Fresh fruits and vegetables at their finest. Looking their best and displayed beautifully. The smoked salmon display was enormous, offering quantities from the small packs we get at home to full sides. A dozen different types, some in the shape of flowers for the hors d'oeuvre table. The fish! Crab cakes in various types. Ready for the pan. The olive bar. I don't know how anyone would choose which of the olives to purchase as their were SO MANY VARIETIES and combinations. The meat counter. OMG. Samples everywhere and we tasted everything. It was like going to lunch. Prepared foods, breads, deli...all the usual things you would expect to find but so beautifully presented. And of course the classical music in the background. Wine. DID I MENTION THE BAKERY!? Whole Foods is a destination and if you have the opportunity to go, don't miss it. We have been to The Fresh Market in the Dr Phillips area. We used to stop there on our way home from church in Bay Hill so it's in that general vicinity and it's the same thing. An amazing food store. Surpriseingly  the prices are very good. I didn't feel anything was overpriced. We bought shrimp, some wine, some bread and cheese (Cambazola which I would pay between 7 and 8 dollars a wedge at SuperStore...same price) Yes there is a 20% difference, have to say this particular wedge was quite large and generally in the same price point.Also bought rare roast beef deli meat that's very difficult to get here and snacks. A bit of everything and felt we had done well when we left.

Bonus at WF today was the market set up outside offering a lot of the items we find at the Celebration Market on Sunday mornings. Every Tuesday, apparently. 

We had our tea on the deck this morning and our after dinner treats there this evening. A spectacular day. Talked to Gloria this afternoon and got caught up on the antics of Ringo and Daisy. I miss those little guys!! Allan MacDonald just rang the bell so I am off for a visit with him Back tomorrow or the next, be good to each other!!