Month: July 2024

20 July 2024

OK, it’s official, the overnight oatmeal is a hit. Jimmie and I had it for breakfast topped with strawberries, blueberries and peaches. We made more today for tomorrow. I can get used to the combination.

After breakfast and a walk with Jimmie (1.6 miles!) we regrouped and decided on the day’s activities. First stop was a CVS for me to pick up some ferrous sulfate for my low iron levels and some Metamusil to keep me regular. Next stop was a visit to the REI store where I salivated over all the camping equipment.

Jimmie found me a map of North Carolina waterfalls at REI and I purchased that and have already warned Jimmie and Stephen I’ll be returning to get in their hair on my next waterfall tour. I did make a great find at the store. They now have vegetarian freeze dried meals for once. Most of the freeze dried meals in the past have been for two people which can be a waste (I have eaten a two person meal in one setting but that’s rare). When I get home, I’ll go online and see what’s available. Even if I don’t camp again, they make great emergency food sources – like for hurricanes.

Next up was the Greensboro Historical Society Museum, aka Greensboro Historical Museum with some 17,000 square feet of exhibitions and over 30,000 objects in the collection. I’ve never been to the Smithsonian but I suspect this is a little like that. As a matter of fact, it is an accredited Smithsonian affiliate.

To be honest, the exhibitions overwhelm you. There’s not a square inch of the walls or display cases that is not covered with some historical object. A small section of the exhibit was on O. Henry. The exhibit has his high school desk and even one of his wedding rings.

I remember reading The Gift of the Magi as well as The Ransom of Red Chief. I love the ending of The Ransom of Red Chief. Never underestimate the ability of a child. It was the Home Alone of its day.

How they got so much memorabilia I have no ideal. It looks as though people swarmed the museum with donations. This place is impressive and you would need many visits to see just the permanent collection.

Lunch was at Jason’s Deli. Jimmie and I had their southwestern bowl (their special of the day) and Stephen had a roast beef sandwich. The food was very good and the place was hopping, even though we were a little later than a normal lunch crowd. I think the best thing was a free ice cream machine.

It started raining as we were dining and we decided to call it a day and head back home. After the large lunch, we didn’t want much for dinner. I shared a half pimento cheese sandwich with Jimmie and we each had a white peach and we all had cubed watermelon. Stephen had a turkey sandwich on Ciabatta bread.

We did our own movie night with Somethings Gotta Give. I had never seen it and it has an Allstar cast with Jack Nicolson, Diane Keeton, Keanu Reeves, Frances McDorman (Fargo fame) and Jon Favreau. It’s a 2001 movie but retains its relevance today. It’s well worth a watch!

Tomorrow we had to Chapel Hill to visit with Jimmie and Stephen’s son, Louis, his wife Rachel, and their two daughters. I’m looking forward to meeting Rachel for the first time and the two daughters. Stay tuned!

19 July 2024

Breakfast was a type of French toast, fresh fruit, and some form of sausage that I stayed away from. I had packed the Jeep earlier and immediately after breakfast I headed towards Greensboro, a 4 1/2 hour trip. I pulled into Jimmie and Stephen’s a little after 2 pm.

After a big hug from Jimmie and unpacking the Jeep, we got down to some serious giggling. We regress to our childhood every time we get together and Stephen puts up with us. To make matters worse, Jo asked if Jimmie could talk so when Jimmie called her sister, Jo was surprised to get a twofer – she didn’t realize I had made it to Greensboro.

As the clothes dried (oh yeah, I had a huge load to wash) the three of us yakked it up. For some strange reason we got off on teeth, dentists, our hatred of going to the dentist, etc. Every point got significant giggling. To top it off, a photo Stephen took of me and Jimmie I doctored and cut our heads off and sent Jo the picture of bodies without heads. I think you can get an idea of the type of humor we get into. All we needed was Jean on the phone call.

I was pretty much raised with these three sisters. This summer I saw Jean for the first time in several years and we started giggling about five minutes into the meet. Put all of us in a room together and we all become stand up comics. And, we think we’re funny.

Stephen cooked some Alaska wild caught salmon burgers for dinner from Costco. I need to find these my next shopping trip there. These turned out excellent. Jimmie had made a broccoli salad that was really, really good. Desert was fresh cut watermelon. I could live off fresh watermelon.

Jimmie and Stephen stocked up on every kind of fresh fruit you can think of. I’m gonna eat well during my visit. Jimmie and I also made our own version of overnight oatmeal to try tomorrow. We’ll let you know the verdict.

After dinner, Jimmie and I did around an 0.7 mile walk through the neighborhood. We both had to stop and rest twice on a hill. My legs are really weak and I still can’t feel the bottoms of my feet. Uphill is a challenge.

Every time I stay in Greensboro with Jimmie and Stephen, it just feels right. I’ve even claimed my own room on the second floor – the Fred room. It’s the way we roll with Jo, Jean and Jimmie and me – we’re family.

We may do some sightseeing tomorrow and then again we may do nothing. Stay tuned!

18 July 2024

Breakfast was at 9. I was up by 5. While waiting for breakfast, I met a woman from New Jersey. As we got to talking, she asked where I was headed next. I said Greensboro. She said she was heading to Greensboro. I said I was going to visit my cousin. She said she was going to visit her cousin. As we continued to talk, she mentioned she had been quoted in the New York Times. I said my friend Michael told me last night he had been quoted in the New York Times. Actually, I was mistaken, Michael was quoted in Esquire – which is better. She and I became breakfast companions.

Breakfast was ho-hum. It was a biscuit with a vegetable quiche thing, sweet potatoes and onions, and one sausage patty. It was preceded by a small fruit cup. I’m not sure about serving a vegetable quiche and then sausage. What’s the message? The cook told me tomorrow will be something sweet.

Michael arrived shortly after 12:30 and we walked to a restaurant near the BandB. It’s called Billikens Smokehouse. I’ve never eaten barbecue in such a luxurious mansion.

The barbecue was excellent and Michael treated me to lunch. I had brisket, baked beans and baked apples. It was our waitress’s first day on the job and she did pretty well.

From there, Michael drove me to the Fredericksburg Battlefield. We watched the movie of the battle at the Welcome Center and then toured Marye’s Heights where the retaining wall of the sunken road was found. I have been mispronouncing this word “Marye” as Mary. It should be pronounced as Marie. I’ve always wanted to view the wall. I’ve read several books about the Civil War and Marye’s Heights and terrible carnage on the Union soldiers and the incompetence of Burnside.

Near the wall was the Innis House. You can look through the windows and see the bullet holes in the house.

Michael and I stopped under a magnolia and I insisted on a selfie. Michael thinks he looks terrible in selfies. So do I. Years ago Michael and Tom took a selfie under the same tree.

Behind us is the memorial of the Angel of Marye’s Height. After the battle, he took water to the wounded soldiers.

From the battlefield, Michael drove us to Chatham Heights. The house served as Burnsides’ headquarters.

From there you overlook the town of Fredericksburg.

From Chatham Heights, the Union army shelled Fredericksburg with great effect. The house also served as a hospital during the battle and Clara Barton and Walt Whitman served as nurses there. The house earlier had hosted Thomas Jefferson and later Abraham Lincoln.

Michael also pointed out what he thinks is the oldest catalpa tree in the U.S. This is the location that limbs amputated were dumped.

Michael had never heard about catalpa worms so I explained the life cycle and told him about how good of fish bait they are.

Not all catalpa trees get worms (larvae) on them and people who have the larvae sometimes try to “infect” other trees. The moth lays eggs on the leaves and the larvae feed and fatten. They drop to the ground and burrow into the ground and pupate there. After pupation, the adult moth climbs out of the ground.

Michael has promised me that if I come back, he’ll serve as tour guide to DC and environs. I think it’ll have to be a fall trip because the heat here is pretty intense.

Stay tuned!

17 July 2024

I was awake by 5:30, mostly because I got so much sleep yesterday and last night. I took my time packing and hauling everything down to the Jeep. Then it was off to breakfast at the Settlers Inn.

When I was there yesterday for breakfast, I looked at one of their offerings and thought I would get it the next day. It was overnight oats. It’s the first time I’ve ever eaten those and I think it might become a regular part of my diet. I understand the key is using rolled oats and not instant nor steel cut.

The trip to Fredericksburg ended up around 5 1/2 hours. The traffic really wasn’t too bad until you hit the DC area and then everything came to a stop.

The Robert Johnston Inn is nice. It’s located right in the old part of Fredericksburg. I’m in the Virginian Room and I feel very patriotic. I’m not sure what makes this the Virginian room. It looks more like the Americana room with all the U.S. flags all over the place.

There fire escape plan is a folding ladder under the bed that you hang over the window sill. Have you ever tried to climb up or down one of those? I had that experience in the Coast Guard and you really have to be fit to do that.

The one thing I appreciate is I didn’t have to remove 32 pillows from the bed before getting into it. It seems to be a trait of these BandB’s to put pillows all over the bed and only 4 of the 32 are functional for sleeping.

There are two dining rooms for breakfast.

There’s one sitting room.

Breakfast is at 9 am. You have to keep track. They are really upset if you show up at the wrong time at these BandB’s.

After getting the luggage up to the room, I called Michael to tell him I made it. He picked me up around 5:30 and we headed to a Spanish restaurant and had tapas. As he drove us to the restaurant and drove me back, he pointed out some historical parts of the city.

He’ll come back around 12:30-12:45 tomorrow and we’ll tour some more historical areas. Michael is always interesting to listen to and we both have a love of Civil War history and Fredericksburg is the place to be for that.

I met Michael several years ago through Joel and he and I communicate quite frequently. We also have other friends in common in Fort Lauderdale, Greg and Michael. It’s a small world. Michael is an accomplished author of 23 books, a lot of them historical fiction. We always have good conversations when we get together.

While dining, we had a thunderstorm push through the area and bringing a little rain that the area needs. Tomorrow should be a little cooler than today and we plan to do some walking in Fredericksburg.

Stay tuned!

16 July 2024

We had a pretty severe thunderstorm last night. We didn’t lose power but the sister Settlers Inn did. People were not happy when the air conditioners went out. I think some of them transferred to our inn. The difference in the waterfall was significant.

You can see a pretty significant increase in the water flow.

Breakfast was at the Settlers Inn, about a mile down the road. Fortunately, the lights were back on and the air condition worked. The Settlers Inn dates to the 1920’s and is quite attractive – unlike the interior of the Ledges.

A young couple came in with a very young infant with flaming red hair. He was a toddler and loved running around the restaurant with the parents chasing him. He was amazingly cute and reminded me of a third cousin who had flaming red hair – and similar personality!

Yesterday when I was talking with Michelle, she mentioned a trip to Moka Origins that she recommended. I set out to find the place and typed in the address to the GPS. The GPS dropped me exactly where I should be but I couldn’t find the turnoff. I finally figured out my mistake and drove up to this massive old building and asked for further directions. It turns out the massive (and I do mean massive) building is a yoga retreat called the Himalayan Institute.

Once I finally found Mika Origins, I toured the facility. They let you see how to make their chocolate.

Then there is the store where you can buy various types they manufacture. I decided to have a mocha latte. It was quite good! They sell their coffee and chocolate.

After retreating from the retreat, I stopped in Honesdale to see the town.

From there, I stopped in downtown Hawley.

One thing that really impressed me is the banners they put on telephone poles. They do advertise specific events but many of the banners are dedicated to Hawley heroes. I think that’s a great idea. They were mostly military but it doesn’t have to be restricted to those.

Finally, I couldn’t not take an image of this. Warm Beer and Lousy Food. My kind of place!

I stopped at a local grocery and stocked up on fruit for my drive to Fredericksburg tomorrow. When I get into town, I hope to meet up with my friend Michael who often comes to Fort Lauderdale to visit friends in the area.

The rest of the day I intend to rest, read and relax.

Stay tuned!

15 July 2024

Welcome to the Poconos!

Breakfast at Waterfront at Hambleton Inn was, as usual, at 9 am. I haven’t been impressed with their breakfast. It’s edible but not any thing special. What’s strange is the chef owns his own restaurant in town. I decided not to eat there any of the nights as I assumed his food was like his breakfasts.

Today’s trip was about 5 hours and not too taxing. I admit to breaking my reduced sugar diet and having two Dunkin’ Donuts after pulling off at a rest stop for a bathroom break.

I arrived at the Ledges around 3 pm and checked in. The place is pretty much like the photos on their web site.

I’m on the second floor and you have to haul a suit case up a long stairwell and then up the spiral staircase to get to the bedroom. The photo above is my living room.

This is the kitchen opposite the living room.

The spiral staircase is a little rickety and at the top, the handrail is a little loose. I think it would have been better to put the entrance on the second floor and you can always walk down to the kitchen/living room.

Everything is very modern, and to be honest, a little sterile.

This will be my first experience with a wet bath. It has a rain shower head and the tub does something but I’m not sure what.

Tonight there was a free cocktail at the bar for guests of the hotel. It was vodka, soda, and cranberry.

The windows of the dining room overlook the waterfall. I’ve reserved dinner there for the next two nights. Strangely, for breakfast, they send you to a sister hotel with a $28 cap on your order. All you do is give your room number. The two sister hotels are the Settlers Inn and Silver Birches. There’s a shuttle if you want it.

I met the shuttle driver, Michelle. She’s a riot. She gave me all the scoop on how to do things and then recommended a tour of a Chocolate and Coffee Factory Cafe in Honesdale which is supposedly close at hand. Just think! The two most perfect foods!

This is my second trip to the Poconos. When I visited Bar Harbor, Maine, I stopped at a bed and breakfast in the Poconos for one night. The mountains remind me of the Smokies. Like getting to the Smokies, there’s a lot of depressed areas around.

Driving to get here, you passed a couple of derelict hotel properties. I assumed they couldn’t compete with the newer facilities nor keep up the properties. Those would be fun to explore.

The overall vibe I get of this place is a night club. Hopefully that’s not the case because I want a good night’s sleep. The Glass bar and dining room look a little worn. You can certainly tell the place was once a factory.

Stay tuned!

14 July 2024

Breakfast this morning was a blueberry pastry with fresh blue berries, a mimosa, and crab Benedict. For some reason the crab turned me off. Of course it would – the famous Chesapeake blue crabs.

After breakfast, I strolled around and looked at some of the architecture in the town of St. Michaels.

After walking around and spending a lot of money in the shops, I decided to try a boat ride. It starts at 2:30 and I have to be there by 2:15. Of course, I lost my boarding pass and I’ll need to get there a little early to see if they will board me or if I have to by a new ticket.

From purchasing my ticket, I found the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum which consists of several acres. It had several interesting exhibits of boats that have historically plied the waters of Chesapeake Bay.

Another interesting exhibit is from the U.S. Naval Academy on permanent loan to the museum.

This is the bow spirit of a relatively small 88 foot schooner. It weighs 480 pounds and the schooner was weighed down in front too much. It eventually ended up at the naval academy and tradition was to rub her large bosoms for luck.

The story goes that one midshipman rubbed her for luck and got his wish and then told his mother who became outraged. She pestered the academy until an admiral ordered it moved, hence the current location.

The good news is they let me on the boat. They really want their laminated pass back and I hope some merchant calls them and sends it to them.

The boat can accommodate 190 passengers so you can see they were a little shy. They were also very quick to point out the tip jar – twice.

It was a nice little cruise. There were dolphins, a bald eagle and several mansions. In comparison to a Water Taxi tour or the Jungle Queen tour, it was rather lacking but then they don’t have the super yachts, billionaire homes, and the excitement of the intracoastal.

Tonight, I going to try to go back to Limoncello. Someone next to me at the bar had a huge serving of melon and prosciutto. I need some fruit in my system!

Stay tuned!

13 July 2024

A day of no dizziness, no falls, no health issues! I did put a dent in my Jeep on the right side when I hit the wooden gate of the Waterfront Hambleton Inn. I’m not sure I was the first one to do that but if it was on me, I’ll pay to have it repaired.

The trip was 9 1/2 hours. Most of the time was spent in gridlock in DC and then getting across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

This is my second time across the bridge. The first time was when I was around 5 years old and traveling with Archie and my parents. You can tell the traffic was moving slowly if I took a chance on a photo. There was no real reason for the backup but for gawkers and rubber neckers. The trip was 9 1/2 hours and I’m exhausted.

I got a phone call from Bobbie that I had left a large packet of pills and a shirt. I have no idea how that happened. I didn’t hang any shirt in the wardrobe and I couldn’t find the packet of pills before I left. Maybe the maid service put a shirt in the wardrobe and put the pills in a drawer?

The Waterfront Hambleton Inn is pretty nice if not a little old. I think it dates to the 1830’s and there are no even floors in the place.

There’s a reason it’s called the Waterfront Hambleton Inn. This is a view from the inn.

St. Michaels reminds me of a very clean Duvall Street in Key West and a lot of the houses and businesses remind me of the Keys. The shops are a little more upscale.

Jasmine provided me the information I needed and she recommended a restaurant, Plates at 208. I couldn’t find it. I even had a map. Finally, I found where the restaurant was located and it had moved to the neighboring town. Jasmine needs to update her spiel.

In any case, I ate at the Limoncello Restaurant. It was outstanding!

I didn’t have a reservation so I sat at the bar. Shay was the bartender. I had the Sacchetti con Pera & Gorgonzola which was petite pasta purses filled with pears and cheese, Gorgonzola sauce, and crushed walnuts. It was bliss! 

One correction from yesterday. The restaurant Bobbie recommended was the Americano, not the Americana. Big difference. The Americana is a burger joint 2 hours away. The Americano is just across the state line in Tennessee and is recognized for its steaks. It’s been voted the best steakhouse in the tri-cities, winner of the Reader’s Choice Awards Best Steak 2022, and selected one of the best restaurants of 2022 by Open Table.

Bobbie made reservations for 5:30 and told me it was around 2 miles past Elk River Falls. That turned out to be 6-7 miles past Elk River Falls. I walked in and mentioned to the host that Bobbie made the reservation for me and she gave me a choice of seating. She said they treated Bobbie’s guest special. Since it was a steak house, I ordered steak. It was a filet and it was one of the best I’ve ever eaten. You could almost cut it with a fork. Troy Boane is one of the owners and he stopped by the table to make sure I was taken care of.

The profits of the steakhouse go to charities, particularly in the area of Appalachia to help alleviate the “food desert” in which some people find themselves.

I meant to include this in an earlier post. Janet told me what it meant to be a Select Registry Inn. They are inspected every 3 years. Someone comes and stays at the inn for a few nights and checks on everything, top to bottom. They make a list of corrections they need to make and then re-inspect they are done. Four Oaks in Camden, SC is due for an inspection this year.

My experience is that Select Registry properties are a cut above most inns. They aren’t perfect. For example, the hallway between my bedroom and bath at the Lodge at River Run. On the whole, I like their properties. None are perfect.

Tomorrow I intend to sleep late and take a leisurely tour of St. Michaels. I may even spring for a massage. I’m up to no good tomorrow.

Stay tuned!

11 July 2024

Breakfast was outstanding as usual. Blueberry muffin, orange juice, cheese and spinach soufflé. I figured I would just make my escape but no. Janet insisted on seeing me out the door. This was a great two nights.

I was able to head towards Boone, NC around 10 am. I-85 was a mess of traffic and slowdowns. The worse was yet to come.

I pulled into Terry’s house around 1:30 and promptly got a welcoming hug from him. Terry taught Anatomy and Physiology on Central campus while I taught Biology on South. We probably met at science faculty meetings but I really got to know him in the Faculty Senate. The year he retired he agreed with much pushing from me to run for VP of the Senate and I couldn’t have made it that year without him. He and I also attended a Chautauqua course together on the Okefenokee Swamp and he would go on field trips with me to Archbold Biological Station.

We immediately got to laughing and giggling and then headed to an Indian restaurant for a late lunch. They were 30 minutes from closing and yet they put up with us and we finished our meal.

After returning to his house, we sat on his back porch and continued to catch up with each other. I left around 4 pm.

The trip to Banner Elk from Boone is a 30 minute drive. It took an hour. Apparently it is Highland Games in Banner Elk and thousands have descended on the area. I may not leave the inn.

I had a lot of trouble finding the place because my GPS would only let me enter 3 of the 4 digits of the street address. I finally found the place around 5:30 and Bobby was waiting to check me in and get home.

Bobby either wasn’t making much sense or I was a ditz. She kept talking about how I was going to pass a woman as I headed to my room. I finally had to ask her if the woman was staying in my room and she started laughing.

To get to the Rainbow Trout Room, you take two flights of stairs down, walk through a kitchen, go through a hallway and find your room. In the kitchen/living room area are 8 bunkbeds. What Bobby was trying to tell me that the woman in the Humingbird Room could not get into the bed because it was too high and she was sleeping in one of the bunks in the downstairs kitchen/living room.

Even more peculiar is my bathroom is across the hall from my room. The hallway is mine but I have to lock the doors at each end to make sure no one comes in on me from the kitchen or somewhere else in the house.

For what was supposed to be a four hour trip, it was an exhausting day. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit with Terry but got a little frustrated with traffic and not being able to find the inn. It all came out in the end. I now remember why I don’t like coming to the mountains in the summer. Sure, it’s 10° cooler than in Piedmont but the traffic isn’t worth it.

I don’t know what I’ll do tomorrow but it doesn’t involve the Highland Games.

Stay tuned!