Texas Adventure Day 10

6/26/2017

Today was mostly a travel day, but we did see a few things that I want to remember so I'll recount them here.

First we got up, got dressed and then grabbed breakfast at the hotel.  Holiday Inn Express has a good breakfast some days and I love their cinnamon rolls.     We then loaded up and headed over to Sandra's to drop Murrell off and visit for a few minutes before leaving.  I didn't get to visit with Sandra or Vicki very much this trip and it was my first time meeting Sandra.   They are supposed to come to the house in a few weeks to bring Murrell for her annual summer visit so I'm hoping to get to know them some more then.

We then had to leave, which was hard for Mama, but we can't stay forever so ... off we went.   Today was mainly a drive to Austin which was about 6 hours away, but we broke it up by stopping in Corsicana.   There was a pioneer village that was on the AAA things to do list and I told the nieces not to get excited... glad I did!

It was a replica of an old pioneer village crammed into maybe a 1/4 acre lot.  Most of the buildings were extremely musty and the lady we paid for our tickets with looked surprised to have guest.   There was some things that were worth remembering though:

• They had a "Lefty" museum that was a nice surprise.  He was a country music star and there were neat pictures and memorabilia that were neat to see.
• There was an old out of tune piano that looked kind of neat.
• There were some really old creepy dolls... the stuff horror movies are made of.
• The had a building filled with old pictures from the town.  It was not climate controlled so I hope they have copies as these will not last long :(
• Amanda tried to brand Mama with an old cattle prod.
• Mama climbed up in a tree at 72 years of age - I was worried.   
• I climbed up in a tree to make her happy..... I'm insane.
• She wanted to climb into the stage coach, but I thought it would fall down ... so No.

After that Amanda and I went to find a bathroom while Mama and Kaylee went to take pictures of some flowers.   The bathroom was difficult to find and a nice gentleman playing basket ball told us where it was.  He also said I had pretty eyes and I said thank you... a few minutes later I realized he was talking to Amanda, oops!

We then made sandwiches and ate them in the truck as it was just too hot to sit outside at a picnic table!  Sweat was pouring down my back from the little walking we did :(

After that we left Corsicana and drove the remaining 2.5 hours to Austin.  We are staying in a Crowne Plaza a little outside the city and it is nice.  The valet offered to help us with the bags, but I felt subconscious about the sheer # of bags we have so I did it... I should have let him help.   I am going to be muscle bound by time we get home from lifting these things all of the time.  

We then settled into our room, got baths, rested, and were up and out again.

We went and ate at a local Tex Mex restaurant that was amazing.  I had a skirt steak meal that was melt in your mouth good.   I wanted to wash the truck after dinner, but everything had closed so that will have to wait for another day.   I also needed to get a new Compact flash for my computer, but Best Buy didn't sale them - Can you believe that?  So I needed up buying a card reader given I left mine at home so that I could empty my 32 GB card.... I'm getting a couple of 100GB cards for Europe this year!

Anyway... we ran our errands and came back to the hotel.  It was getting late + it had started storming so I was glad to get back.   We have a jam packed day of touring tomorrow so I'll get off of here now. Sleep well blogland :)

Texas Adventure Day 9.2

6/25/17

So I thought I was done for today, but I have to tell you about our laundromat experience.   Everyone but Kaylee and I were asleep so we decided to wash the cloths that we had planned to wash later in the evening.  I thought the hotel had a laundromat, but it didn't so we headed out to the local laundromat.  

I realized upon driving over to this laundromat that I have no idea how to use a laundromat.  I told Kaylee to stay in the car and I got out and popped in to make sure they sold washing powders.  I was walking in and there was a gentleman standing there and he said "yes, there is a machine to the right that sales it."  I popped in and a guy that worked there confirmed the machine so I went out and got Kaylee.

We then proceeded to get change and put or cloths in the washers.  The guy was extremely helpful and showed us how to use the machines and how much to put in each one.   I believe he may have been slightly autistic, but he was highly functioning and helped me out extensively.

After getting our cloths going we sat and visited for a while with each other.   We then put them in the dryers and the gentleman once again helped us.  I'm sure he was laughing on the inside, but ah well - I needed the help.  

We then waited a bit longer until they were done and then we started to fold them.  At this point the guy is hanging out chatting with us as we fold.  It was a little bit awkward as it felt like he was analyzing our cloths, but he was just trying to get some company I think.  Anyway, this excursion cost me like $25 - I'm not sure how people afford laundromats, but the cloths are clean.   It was a funny adventure and I had a ball telling the girls back at the hotel.    

Once we got back everyone repacked their suitcases and we are checking out in the morning to head to Corsicana and then to Austin.    I'll let you know how that all goes tomorrow :)

Texas Adventure Day 9

6/25/17

Today has been a day of family, so not too terribly much to write journal wise.   Murrell spent the night last night so there are 5 of us in the hotel room here.  You would think it would be crowded, but she is so tiny and I enjoy Mama and  her interacting so much that it's not or if it is I'm not noticing.   We all, including Murrell, got to sleep a little late and went and got breakfast in the hotel... I missed taking the picture again, but the breakfast was good and also free, so win.

After breakfast we drove to Marshall to pick up my cousin - Ima Jean.   Ima Jean has always scared me.  Back when I was younger and we came to visit there as always yelling and shouting in the house she and my aunt lived in - its how they communicated.    I have memories that made me seriously want to never come back to TX so I was very apprehensive about this visit.  However, I was so surprised.  I'm guessing my memories are skewed as she was very enjoyable to be around.  We picked her up and went to the Willow Oak Cemetery in Gilmer TX.

This is the cemetery where Mama's grand parents are buried.  We wondered around, looked at the graves, and tried to determine why everything looks different than Mama remembers.  I think it is the fact that storms have taken trees down which causes the entire place to have a different look - Mama swears they moved the graves.   Who knows what is true, but we did find the markers so I'm considering it a win.

We then headed back to Longview/Marshall area.  Before we took ImaJean back we stopped at a local restaurant, the Bootlegger Grill for some lunch.  The food and service were both excellent.  They did not have a shrimp plate, but they made one for my Aunt Murrell, which was super sweet.   They also had fabulous sweet tea and Amanda's Alfredo was to die for.   I really wish I had ordered that, though my shrimp was also good.

After lunch we drove back to ImaJean's, but we took old rows and Murrell, ImaJean and Mama were pointing out places they and others they knew had lived, things they had done, etc...   Most of it is gone now and it's just fields, but it was nice to hear them reminisce.

We then went back to ImaJeans and her and Mama looked at some old pictures.  My other cousin Steven aka Peanut was there and they were talking loudly and at the same time just as I remember from back as a teenager.   They were not arguing, it is just how they communicate - Mama and Murrell joined right in.  All talking at once and all hearing each other - I don't know how they do it, but they do.   It raises my stress level, but I'm not around it all of the time and am just not used to it.  

We stayed a bit and then headed back to the hotel to do some laundry and nap.  Currently everyone is in nap mode.   In a bit I'll go do the laundry and I think the rest of the night will just be visiting and getting some rest.  If anything else interesting pops up I'll be sure to do a part 2 for the day, but in the meantime I hope you have a good afternoon/evening.

Texas Adventure Day 8

6/24/17

Today was a day set for family and we did see family, but it ended up being a day trip into itself.  We got up around 10 (slept in a bit), grabbed some breakfast at the infamous Waffle House and then headed over to Sandra's house.    But before we talk about Waffle House let us talk about the Waffle House visit.

We get our seat in a bench and I go to take the normal group picture I take and post to FB before every meal.  Only this time an elderly gentleman sticks his tongue out behind the girls heads... which I post to FB anyway :)   Then Mama decides to go get a picture with him... which was hilarious, and it gets posted to FB too.  Only my Mama... I wish I could be that way with strangers.

After breakfast we rode over to Sandra's, my cousin, and almost immediately got into the cars to go see Kilgore.  Kilgore is the home of one of the major oil boons during the 30s.  We went to the Oil Museum, which was great.  They made it look like an old town and it wasn't "stuffy" like many museums are.  You could touch things and well just have fun with it.  They taught about the different soil layers and how oil is made.

They have a pretend elevator ride to take you "8 miles" into the earth.  It has the cheesiest puppets you have ever seen or heard tell of, but it was cute.    They also had a movie about the "oil boon" that was actually pretty interesting, until the end when they shook your seat like you were at an oil drill... that was pretty high on the cheese factor.

I actually had to change my Card in my camera today at the museum.  I started shooting RAW a while back and this is the first big trip since then.... 32GB card filled up :(  I am using my 8GB card now, but I see a purchase in my future...  Ah well, back to the adventure.

We then went to the oil derricks in Kilgore, took some pictures and visited a bit before getting back in the car.   Then we drove and kept driving to see an Indian Burial ground.  What was funny about this is that I had no idea where I was going - I was just following Sandra.   For those that know me, they know this lack of control is a pretty big deal, but I was game so here we went.   When we got there Sandra actually passed it - there was the ground and some type of teepee.   We stopped and took pictures, then headed on to catch up with Sandra.  Only to see her driving back, she thought the burial ground would be like a cemetary vs. a mound of dirt.   It was so funny - the priceless look on her face.  It made the journey worth it.

We then drove down to the New London school memorial.  It was blown up in the 1930's due to a gas leak and over 300 people, mostly children, died.  Very sad...

We then stopped for some dinner at What-A-Burger (where I failed to get my group photo), had dinner and then went on our way again.  We drove down to an Indian Massacre Site and took a few pictures.    I believe Sandra got turned around a bit on the way they stopped and asked a guy directions.   He was gesturing and we have video of him giving them directions which I hope is as funny as I think it will be.

Once we got there and looked around for a bit we headed back to Longview.  When I had Amanda put our hotel in the GPS I realized we are over an hour out - I think we drove around all of East Texas today, but it was fun.  Murrell rode with us the entire day, so her and Mama were talking and visiting which was good.   Overall it was an enjoyable, but long day.   Now Murrell is staying with us the rest of the visit.  Her and Mama are on the sofabed, Amanda and I are on our bed and Kaylee (the smallest of us) has a bed to herself.  It's pretty funny.

Tomorrow we go visit some additional family and go see Mama's parents graves.    Sleep well blogland.

Texas Adventure Day 7

6/23/17

I'm so tired I almost put off writing this, but I know if I do I'll regret it.   Today was amazing - it was also exhausting.   We got up, ate breakfast at the hotel, packed up and headed out.

The first thing (after Walmart and the ATM) was Hot Springs AK.  We visited the visitor center, walked around the bath exhibits and then went for it.   A bath/massage in Hot Springs.    I was expecting to go into a room, get undressed, put on a robe, go to another room, get in bath, etc...   This is not what happened.   You go into a room - get undressed - then a lady helps you put a sheet on, while you are naked - your butt is facing her!  Yep, she gets to see it in all it's glory.

Then she takes you to another room, where another lady, takes your sheet and helps you get into the bath - she then runs more water, and hands you water to drink.   All while you are naked as a jaybird. Now the lady doing this for me, her name was Mattie, was extremely nice.  She made you so comfortable and it was obvious she didn't give a dang about my lady parts so I was ok with her... but she saw more of me than even my Drs.     Both of my nieces and Mama also had this experience... we weren't together so we didn't see each other (Thank God), but I would love to have seen just their faces - it would have been priceless.

You sit in this tub, in water that is 100 degrees, with a jet that is super powered churning the water.   It was relaxing, but after a while I was ready to get out -it just got to be too much... I was ready to remove myself about 2 minutes before Mattie came back into help me, so good timing.  She helps you out of the tub, wraps another sheet around you and takes you to a bench.   You lay on this bench, drinking ice water, with a hot towel behind you and a cool one on your head.   It was amazing!

After this experience, I think I'm done, but NO.  I then go and sit in this steam box - I didn't let her close the door on my face, but everything else was in a metal box, full of steam.  And yes  I'm still naked as the day I was born.    After the steam box, she puts my sheet back on and I sit in a tub with just my butt.   It was odd, but it soothed my lower back so no complaints.

I then am taken to a shower where I rinse off before going back to wait for my massage.   I then get a full body massage (which was amazing) before getting dressed and calling it an experience.  I'm not sure I'd do the whole thing again as getting that hot really takes it out of you, but it was a fabulous time and something I will remember for ever!

After the bath we were all hungry.  So we went to a local burger joint and ate burgers while regaining our energy.   Once done there, we bought some souvenirs in a shop and left Hot Springs behind.

Next on our agenda was Crater Diamond Mine State Park.  This one was something Mama wanted to do... so we did.  It was an adventure.   I brought buckets and shovels with us as I could get them for a $1 and they wanted $4 to rent them...  So we go down with our buckets to this park.  I had a feeling going in I was going to skip out early and take a nap in the truck, but I expected the others to have a good time....

Let me preface this to see it was hot - I mean really hot.   We went down and everyone started digging in this field of nothing but churned up dirt... tons of churned up dirt, that is all it was.   I took some pictures of the girls and Mama digging and then I went back to the truck.  I got the air on, got all settled in and was about to take my nap when the girls come up.   They were hot and wanted in, Mama on the other hand decided to stay- so I let them in and we are all taking a nap.  I tell them to check on Mama in 10 or so minutes as it is really hot and she doesn't do well in the heat.

It hadn't been no more than 10 minutes as Kaylee was just stepping out to go check on her and here comes a golf cart with a woman on it and Mama.   She had almost passed out in the field due to heat - and here I am laying in the A/C truck looking like an ass to this woman I'm sure.     She is fine, it was just too hot, but geesh... I should have stayed down there.   I guess it's OK given everyone is OK, but aaaah.

So I get her and her rocks settled in the truck and then we head to Marshall/Longview where the family is.   We are here for 3 days to visit and rest.   We checked in and I was getting luggage in when Mama found our room was not good.  The carpet was wet from the A/C, so I went to the front desk and was upgraded to a suite.   The room is awesome and we will enjoy it for the next bit.

After we settled in and I got a shower we went over to Sandra's to see Meryl and the family.   It was a good visit and the homemade pie was excellent.   I am tired though and glad to be back in my bed.   Tomorrow we will get to visit more which will be good.

Sleep well blogland - I'm calling it a night!

PS:  I forgot to say that on the way to Longview we ended up going into Hallsville.  We stopped and saw where my Aunt Jenner and several people Mama knew are buried.  We also stopped at the church where she was a baptized and took a picture.

Texas Adventure Day 6

6/22/17

We are now in Hot Springs AR, checked into the hotel and everyone is gone doing this and that - so I'm in the hotel room, alone.  I love my mother and my nieces, but I also love my alone time.   So this moment of solitude is much appreciated :)   The introverts reading will understand.

Today over all was a great day.   We got up, loaded the truck and headed out.  We ate breakfast at this odd place called The Root Cafe.  It was what I would call a hipster restaurant and not really my style, but that is point of vacation.  Try new things.   The eggs were ok, the toast horrible and the bacon was ham.    The coffee was drinkable, but they only had the raw sugar.  What is wrong with this side of the Mississippi?  They don't seem to believe in regular white sugar.

After escaping the breakfast joint we went down to the Central High School location.   This is where the first public schools were integrated and it was extremely interesting.  The visitor place had videos of the 9 black students who went to school there as they are today, recounting stories and giving their perspective now.   It was amazing to hear them - you have to admire their bravery and determination.

They also had a video explaining how the activism of the 9 blacked students was being carried on students today who are actively protesting social injustice.   It was a well done exhibit and the park ranger was extremely nice and helpful.   It was obvious he enjoyed his job.   We also got to see the school itself, from the outside, and the gas station where the reporters were set up.   Amanda seemed to be moved by it - Kaylee - well she is hard to read.

We left the school and headed to the AR state capital and took a few pictures from the outside.   The capital also has statues of the 9 students who integrated which was pretty cool.

We then went to the Clinton Presidential Library.  Clinton is by far my favorite president, at least of my lifetime, but his library didn't really impress.  JFK still has the best library by far.  Clinton's was too much reading and modern looking.  It was hard to take pictures of the few artifacts because of the way they had the lighting set up and it didn't really grab you and tell a story.

There were a few interesting things:

- When he left office we did not have a deficit, but a surplus!
- We had a balanced budget & we still helped the less fortunate in our society.
- He passed FMLA.
- He was extremely well liked internationally.
- He was impeached, but then he was acquitted by the Senate.

Also, they library seems to want to make money off of stupid things.  $24 for a picture behind the Oval Office desk and their souvenir plates are outrageous ($150).    I think they could have done a much better job.

We then and ate lunch at a Noodle house.   It was pretty good, not something I would do often, but it was something different.  After eating we walked up to this red interesting building and took some pictures.   We asked a gentleman what it was and he told us it was their courthouse... very cool looking.

We then drove down to the Big Dam Bridge :)  It is the largest pedestrian bridge in the US.   It goes over the AR river.  The view off of it was pretty and the rapids sounded so relaxing, but the dam/bridge itself was kinda ugly. After seeing Hoover Dam I think my expectations may be a little high.

We then loaded up and headed to Hot Springs.  After we got 5 minutes along the way I spotted the blessed sign - Dunkin Doughnuts!  So we hopped off and grabbed some Dunkin and a Tropical Smoothie for Kaylee.  I was so happy to see some DD: )   We then proceeded to drive to Hot Springs. The rain was full of rain and construction - my favorite things, but it pretty uneventful.

We are now sitting in the hotel and resting.  Dinner is sandwiches and I think everyone is happy just to rest.   The hotel here is pretty central, so the girls walked down to get some ice-cream from a near by shop and Mama went to the goodwill next door.

Life is good and we are enjoying ourselves.   Tomorrow is the Hot Springs and the Diamond mine, then over to Marshall/Longview to visit family.    Have a good night blogland :)

Texas Adventure Day 5

6/21/17

Today was mainly a travel day.  As I mentioned yesterday we changed our schedule to come up North to try and avoid the storm.   We got up, packed our stuff up (which was a miracle in itself) and headed out.   I don't know I think I did something different last time, packing this morning was difficult and I wasn't sure I was going to get the truck to close, but it all worked out.   I do want to say we had two really nice gentlemen help us this morning, one offered and picked up our large suitcases, while the other one helped to close our truck cover.   People are so nice...

We then grabbed a bite to eat at a great restaurant whose coffee was top notch!   I also sat down and chatted with a complete stranger.   He had a O2 machine that is different than Mamas and I wanted to know about it so, I asked to sit and we had a chat ;)   The old me would have never done that, I'm getting nutz in my old age.

We then drove, mostly in the rain, for 6 hours.   The drive overall wasn't too bad and we crossed the 1300 mile marker for our trip which was cool.   There were a couple of things I wanted to remember about the trip so I'll record them here:

- Driving out of New Orleans up 59 you get on this bridge.... or this amazing bridge network, that is.    Mama said it was the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, but I'm not 100% on that.  What I do know is that it's long.... and it has intersections where other bridges come off of it like you were on land.   There are turn around sections (that are blocked off) with Port a Potties  -- I guess in need of emergency situations, lol.   It was really cool.  In some areas we were in brackish/swampy areas and in others we were over water and that was all you could see.   I liked it a lot.

- Then we drove through farm country.   Farms as far as you could see.   Very little in the way of towns, but tons of farms.

- I got hungry and we had planned to eat sandwiches.   I couldn't find anywhere to really pull over so we finally ended up eating in an abandoned buildings driveway.    I was about to be a Snickers Commercial all by myself!

We are now in Little Rock Arkansas.  We got here a few hours ago, settled in, and then drove to get a bite to eat.  I had looked on Yelp earlier for the restaurant, but when I got in the truck I remembered the wrong one.  So we went in, sat down and ordered drinks. While she was gone to get them I looked at the menu and freaked.... this was the expensive, not good place.  So I said "GET UP" and we all left very quickly before she got back with the drinks... it was embarrassing, but hilarious.     We then went to our intended restaurant and enjoyed a wonderful meal with good service.  I had a chicken noodle soup.  It tasted very different than your traditional chicken noodle, but it was yummy.

Now we are all in our pjs ready to settle in for the night.  Tomorrow is a busy day and I'm praying the rain holds off.   Sleep well blogland!

Texas Adventure Day 4

6/20/17

Today was kind of a bust.  We got up to rain...   It was mainly drizzling so we headed out determined to get the most out of the day.   We drove to our restaurant of choice Cafe Fleur De Lis.    The food and service was good.  I had the french toast and it was yummy, not in my top 10, but excellent none the less and everyone else seemed to enjoy their food.  The coffee, however was too bitter for me.  I actually haven't had a cup all day as I had them exchange it -  shocked I  managed.

We then headed back over to the hop on / off parking lot and purchased tickets for the tour of St. Louis Cemetary # 1 where Marie Le Beu is buried.  At this point it was still just drizzling.... The tour starts in 30 minutes so we wonder the visitors area, use restrooms and get ourselves settled in.   We meet our tour guide, who happens to be the same one from the Garden City Tour yesterday and set off.  Then the rain comes... we were no more than 5 feet in and it started raining.  Not so bad you couldn't do it, but bad enough you couldn't enjoy it.  I took a few pictures - Mama held the umbrella over my camera.   But the longer we went the harder it started to rain and I'm not sure I heard anything that woman said as I was focused on my wet feet. ... Wait I did hear a couple of things to note:

• XXX on tombstones has nothing to do with Voodoo, STOP defacing the graves.
• Nicholas Cage built a triangle tomb there for when he passes away.  I think he loved his National Treasure part a bit too much.
• They don't bury them above ground due to sea level... some are actual underground individual tombs.
• Some of the tombs in the wall have sunken in and you can no longer access them as things sink in this city.
• People are still actively buried in the cemetery and families often share an above ground tomb.

We got back in the visitors center after the tour and looked at each other.  Everyone was wet and miserable.  So we high tailed it back to the hotel to get dry and stay that way.  We ended up taking naps (all but Kaylee whom I'm sure was board) and woke up around 4 pm.  

We had cancelled our river cruise so that left the evening free... but it's still raining.   So, I found the BB King restaurant that had live music and the girls could get in.  So we went down, ate dinner and listened to the music.    The service was bad, but the food was good and the music was awesome.     The first band was enjoyable, but the second band we listened to was fabulous.  I felt bad taking their table so we didn't sit through the entire set, but wow!  The piano player played both Piano and Organ at the same time -it was amazing.  The main singer was and elderly black man that Mama would have run off with if she could have.  

We then headed back to the hotel and got here around 8:30.

Due to the tropical storm headed our way I have spent the past 3 hours re-planning our trip.  I don't want to be on the beach when the storm comes so I called and modified hotel reservations.   Then I went through and modified our agenda to meet the new dates/drive schedule.   It adds some drive time and is not as efficient, but we will enjoy it more.     We will be going to Little Rock tomorrow and will go back down through Austin/San Antonio / Padres Island next week after the storm has passed.   May I just give a shout out to IHG Hotel Brands.   I called and they were fabulous in helping me get the rooms modified and making sure we were properly taken care of!  She rocked.

And on that note - I need sleep!   I hope you are enjoying traveling with us virtually -more to come tomorrow!

Texas Adventure Day 3

6/20/17

Today was another absolutely jammed packed day - I thought I had built in some rest time today, but that didn't happen... everyone is unconscious at the moment and I'm up typing the journal and making sure things for tomorrow are lined up.  I thought with two teenagers on the trip  I'd be going to sleep with them still doing whatever, but no - I've outlasted every one every night so far.  It's pretty funny.

So what did we do today?    First and foremost - breakfast.  Eating out on vacation is one my favorite things.  I love finding unique restaurants that I could never get at home.  This morning we tried Surrey's Cafe and Juice Bar.   The french toast had rave reviews on Yelp so I had to give them a shot.   Mama also had the french toast - she loved it, I didn't care for it too much.  The cream cheese center was too much and the sauce was... well not for me.   I ate enough of it, but not really my cup of tea, the coffee they had on the other hand was delicious.  Their OJ was also fresh squeezed, though I wish they would have refrigerated the oranges before squeezing them or something as it was luke warm :(

After breakfast, which no one raved about, we went down to catch the hop on and off trolley.  On our way we hit a bit of traffic where a tractor trailer had misjudged the turn, went up on a curb and got stuck under the bridge.   That was one thing... the funny thing is that the beggars were playing traffic cop.  It was quite humorous.

Once on the trolley our first hop off was Lafayette Square.  We walked around, took some pictures of the square, the federal building and Gailier Hall before meandering back to the bus.    One thing to note was we made a brief stop at the convenience store to get drinks and the guy was so funny.  He was ignoring a gentleman at the door, I assume a regular beggar, and was mumbling to us.  But he was funny - with a smart ass sense of humor.  When I asked where the closest public bathroom was he said "Go to the hotel next door, just walk in and pretend you are a customer, no one will tell you no".  He was right of course... but the look on his face after his transactions with us thus far just made it hilarious to me.  I have no idea why, but I will remember him for quite some time.

So I went to bathroom at the hotel and off we went back to the bus.   What interest me about the dynamics of this group is that Kaylee and Amanda are always walking ahead of us.  Which is fine, they are young girls who want to chat about whatever young ladies talk about without us "adults" in range, but they don't know where they are actually going.   So I'm constantly having to yell - stop - right  - or something to that effect.   I prefer that over them behind us as I would worry I lost them, but it just amuses me (most of the time).

Once back on the bus we listened to the commentary for a bit before hoping off to take the Garden District tour which is included in our ticket price.   I want to remind you at this point, that it is pushing upper 90s and my mother is right there with us.   Step for step.  You have to admire her and Thank God for oxygen tanks that make it possible.    Without them, there is no way she could do this.

Speaking of O2 let me digress for a second.  She has an oxygen concentrator and it is giving an error column replacement needed.  So I call the local Lincare to get them... they don't carry them!  What the frack, why have a portable O2 concentrator  you can travel with and not carry the equipment in all of your locations to handle issues?   This is why we went with a nationwide company...   UGH!  I was able to get her some portable tanks, but I'm a bit worried about having them in the truck due to the heat.  I may use them tomorrow and then return it... but then what will she use in the other cities.  Have a day to figure this out -- any nurses/medical staff that want to chime in, given Lincare is about useless, I would appreciate it.

Ok... back to our regularly scheduled travel blog.  The Garden District tour was an hour walk around the neighborhood looking at the homes and being told about the architecture and the history.  I found the guide to be fairly interesting and the pace was not so much that it tired us out, but the heat was extreme.  After the walk, which was extremely nice, we rode down to Jackson Square for a bite to eat.
We ate at a restaurant called Gumbo Shop and it was really good + the A/C worked!  We relaxed, enjoyed our meal and told stories with the waiter.  I really did enjoy it, but it had to end and the heat beaconed.  

We went over to Jackson Square and visited the St. Louis Cathedral.  It was quite pretty on the inside and well worth a visit if you ever come this way.   We then meandered around the square and relaxed for a bit before going over to Cafe Du Monde.   This place is supposedly famous and these "french doughnuts to die for".     They taste like funnel cakes and not even good funnel cakes.   So we ate most of it, then headed back toward the bus.

Unfortunately, we had just missed it so there was a 30 minute wait.   We could have walked it, but I think everyone was done for so we looked at tourist shops before waiting in a shady area for it to return.  Once returned we got on the bus - rode back to our car and came home for a much needed rest.

We stayed here for a few, then Amanda, Kaylee and I left to go get some stuff at Walmart while Mama slept.   When we got back she was up getting ready so we all did the same.  I could have handled a nap myself, but alas, I can sleep when I'm dead.

After we got all dolled up I called an UBER to take us down to Bourbon street.  I wanted to be able to drink, but more than that I just wanted to relax and not try and find parking at night in a party town.   We first went to Preservation Hall to watch the 9 O'clock performance.   With  an age restriction this is one the few places that I knew the girls could enjoy the music...

While we waited we chatted with a local bouncer that was near our line and generally had a good time cutting up and trying to not swelter.   The facility itself has no air and limited seating so it wasn't the best experience, but at the same time it is supposed to be a throwback to the old Jazz clubs so ...   Mama was able to sit outside in the hall and hear it perfectly + it was cooler out there as there was a fan, so win.   The three of us all went in and out, sitting some in the hall, then standing and watching. I don't think Kaylee enjoyed it, but Amanda seemed to - even if it was not what she had envisioned.   I thought the music was good, excellent in fact, but the venue needs to get over itself and get some seats and an A/C - vintage is only good for some things.

Once the performance was over we walked the girls down a section of Bourbon street itself.  This is of course known as the wild city and even though it was only 10 o'clock and a weekday the girls got to see plenty of what Bourbon Street is.   I would have liked to have went into a bar and listened to some music - maybe next time.  I must say I thought there would be more street music to listen to, I was hoping the nieces could experience more of that, but didn't see it tonight.    Maybe tomorrow... we shall see.

I then asked what they wanted to do - sleep, walk more, or go eat.   1 said eat, 1 said sleep and 1 didn't really answer so eating it was.  I had another restaurant picked out, but it was too fancy for a quick bite so we ended up at a place called Royal Cafe.     It was a little pricier than I had planned, and not what everyone wanted once we got there, but they walked off when I was trying to choose a restaurant so I vetoed the right to complain and we decided to stay there and get a bite.    

The hamburgers people got seemed good.  I got a Gumbo and it was good, but what I had at lunch was better.   Once we had finished eating it was 11 pm and they were closing down.  I grabbed an UBER and we are now safe and sound in the hotel.

It was really a great day, but super busy.  They are saying rain tomorrow - pray it holds off for us please.   We welcome the breeze, but the rain can stay :)

Good night blogland - sleep well and thank you for joining us on this journey.

Texas Adventure Day 2

6/18

Today was a extremely full day - it started at 8:30 and it's 12:41 AM on 6/19 as I'm typing this, but it was really good overall.

First we got up, got dressed and were ready to start packing the truck by 8:30.  This was my first day packing it solo and it was a job and 1/2, but I did manage to successfully put the jigsaw of our luggage together and while there may have not been room for even a small insect when we were done it fit.   I did have to get a gentleman to help me pull the straps down for the truck bed cover, they take a ton of upper arm strength that I just do not have.

The same gentleman that helped with that also apparently wanted to pursue a further relationship with Amanda, he thought she was cute.   However, she declined and the day went on... LOL.  What it is to be a teenage girl again and have guys hit on you.  I don't miss being a teenager, but there aspects that would be nice to go back and repeat - hee.

Well, anyway after the rebuff we went into the dining area to grab some breakfast.  It looked OK, but I really wanted a sit down place and the food just didn't look appetizing so we decided to go out.   I had a restaurant option pre-chosen from my research so we checked out and were on our way.  Now keep in  mind we are in Selma, AL this morning.  The deep south and apparently they are the definition of the bible belt, because everything was closed this Sunday morning - including my chosen restaurant.

So we diverted to a fast food joint called Jack's.  It was actually pretty good and the coffee was decent.  I was having a rough morning due to not sleeping well last night and the coffee put some much  needed "goodness" in my morning and made me where I could be tolerated by the others.

We then left and headed down to Brown Chapel AME Church and King Monument.  They were people entering to have church and it is right across from some apartments with people out on their porches so we felt a little out of place, but I felt it important to see these historical places.  Selma has one of the most known acts of violence against black people and it should be remember so that it will never be repeated.  I think it's important to honor those protesters sacrifice and see the places that were important to them.  So uncomfortable or not we got out of the car to see the outside of it and take some pictures.

This church is where the Selma to Montgomery march was organized.  It was a key organizational hub for the black rights movement.  The outside of it is brick with some white brick and it isn't a particularly pretty structure, but it is important none the less.  The gentleman handing out bulletins to the church goers was nice enough to give us one as we were passing and invited us in.   Now keep in mind we are in shorts and flip flops, but he still invited us to attend his service.  That is what all churches should be doing.  We politely declined, but the impact he made was substantial.  I didn't feel uncomfy anymore and he knew we were there to honor the history.

Once we left there we headed over to Old Live Oak Cemetery.  We spent a good 30 minutes meandering the grounds, each going about our own way.   This cemetery is so pretty!  The moss on the trees, the old headstones, it is just amazing!  I loved walking around taking pictures of it and could have spent more time there if the bugs weren't so bad (even with bug repellent).

Upon leaving the cemetery we drove to Church street.  I got out and took pictures of a few of the churches as they were very pretty while the others rested in the A/C of the car.  We then went down to the Old Train Depot end of water street and took some pictures.  The entire town is closed on Sunday so it was deserted - it felt like a ghost town.  Some of the stores were also out of business and empty which helped with this feeling. We walked down to the river front park and took pictures in of the Edmund Pettus Bridge from side and also played on the playground (which was quite funny).

We then drove down a bit and I got pictures of the St. James Hotel, which as an interesting structure.  However, when I got back in the car and drove a bit further - I had not taken pictures of the Hotel, but some other building entirely as this as the hotel so I stopped again.  It was rather funny - now I have pictures of some random building and the hotel :)

Our last stop in Selma was the bridge itself.   Where the protesters were so brutally attacked for demanding their rights in a peaceful way.   We took some pictures and there was a man their explaining history so we chatted with him a bit.  We also bought a book he was selling on the history of Selma, if for no other reason than he was man enough to stand out in that heat without withering to sell his books.  

I had planned to go to the museum but it was closed.  By extension we accidentally missed seeing the voting rights monuments and park attached to the museum :(  I would like to have seen them.    We then left for lunch, but being Selma on a Sunday it was closed so we decided to eat sandwiches at our next destination and moved on.

We drove to Old Chawba.  Old Chawba is the original capital of Alabama and it was a major port town.  Now it is nothing but architectural ruins and depressions in the ground of what used to be.   No one really knows why it was abandoned which is why I wanted to see it.  When we got there we checked in with the visitors center and then had a picnic in front of a really old church.  The church looked like something out of a witches movie and the niece's had a good time joking about it.

We then drove into the city.  I don't know what I was expecting, but there were only a few ruins - most of it was fields with signs telling you what was there.  I was a little disappointed in it, but then I think about the fact that this was a thriving city, a state capital, and this is all that is left of it?  It amazes me - even if I did want to see a falling down building or two.  One of the things that made me sad was the "new cemetery".  It is in disrepair and needs some upkeep and for them to remove some junk (bleachers, etc...) that has been put back there.  I hope whomever is running the park does that quickly.

After driving around the city a bit more we headed on to New Orleans.   When we went to leave we realized there was no signal for the phone, therefore no GPS.   I am very lucky that I printed the Google Map directions and also had the AAA directions so we were able to make do.  Kaylee navigated and I drove.   I'll be honest it was a little unnerving without the GPS or my music (I hate silence in a car with people - I hear all every small sound they make), but we did it and I was really grateful to God for giving me the foresight to print some directions.

Once we were back to the GPS land Mama mentioned we should avoid 10 and go 90 if we want to see something other than interstate.   So I looked at the map and thought it would be about 30 or 40 minutes out of our way to pick up 90 out of GulfPort MS so we started driving that way.  I think I probably miscalculated that time, but the experience was worth it.

When we got to GulfPort the view was so nice and the beach so white.  We stopped  - walked the beach for a few - stuck our toes in the warm water and just enjoyed ourselves for a few minutes before heading on.   We drove 90 for about 20 miles before it started getting too dark to see anything and then I followed the GPS to the quickest way to our hotel.  By this time it was 8:30 PM and everyone was ready to be out of the car.

So we arrived here around 9:30 or 10, unloaded and proceeded to do the nightly routine.  I was organizing while the nieces got showers and as I sit and type this everyone else is snoozing.  I seem to be the only night owl in the bunch.     I kept Kaylee up with the light :(   Hope she is OK tomorrow... I moved the floor next to the bathroom after I got a shower and stuff so hopefully this little bit of light isn't bothering her.   I'm about to cut it off anyway - it's after 1 AM here and I need sleep myself.   Tomorrow we explore New Orleans and we start our day promptly at 9.

Sleep well blogland.

Texas Adventure Day 1 Part 2

6/17/17

Well we didn't stay in.   Kaylee and I visited some while Mama and Amanda slept, then we woke them up at 6:30 and headed out.

We drove down to a neighborhood we had passed, parked and walked around.  There was one building that looked like it may have been an inn at one time.  It was obviously empty and in disrepair, but it had a quality to it.  A eerie feeling that was fascinating.   The other houses in the neighborhood had been redone and were old Southern Mansions that have been brought back to life.   The area was obviously historic as there were placards marking historic homes and some with signs explaining the history, but people gave us odd looks as we were walking around.  I'll be honest despite the very clean neighborhood and the fancy houses I was very watchful of my people and our surroundings - It didn't scream safe neighborhood, but it should have from looking at it.  Just a feeling I guess - or maybe it was the run down houses/businesses right down the road we had passed... not sure.  Despite my "feelings" we had no incidents and enjoyed looking at the houses.  The bugs had started to come out in the dusk though and they were biting so we headed on out.

We stopped by Walmart, where I did purchase a replacement cooler.  It seemed each of us had at least one item to buy.  But, let's talk about this Walmart.  The construction looked new, but it wasn't as large as the one we have at home.   The isles were dirty - I mean stuff strewn everywhere and well just in disarray.  They had 3 checkout lanes open and they were backed up down the isles... it was ridiculous!

One thing waiting in line did give me time to notice though - every one seemed to know everyone.  All around me people were greeting each other and having brief conversations before going about their day.   It is something  you don't see many places and it warmed my heart.

We then grabbed some fuel for the truck and headed back to the hotel.  We did our Bible Study time together, chatted a bit and now I sit and type in this freezing cold hotel room (thanks to Mama) as the girls and her sleep, or at least try to.

I also have enjoyed the nieces today.  I have of course known them all their lives, but they are becoming young women now and it's nice to get to know that part of them.   The grown part that tells stories and has interest I can relate to.   I hope they enjoy the trip and I hope we continue to get to know one another as adults.

Its time for me to join the rest of the team for some shut eye.  Sleep well blog land.

Texas Adventure Day 1 Part 1

6/17/17

Today we embarked on our girls adventure to Texas.   It's me, Mama and two of my nieces - Kaylee and Amanda.   I'll try as always to journal our adventures here.

We began packing the truck at 8:15 and it took 30 minutes to pack it up.  Jack had to bring out his engineering degree to get it done... I pray I can pack it back up tomorrow.  It took a feet in spacial relations and I'm not all that great at that, wish me luck.

We then left, stopped to get some ice for the cooler and then grabbed a quick bite to eat.  We ate at Chick-fil-A and Kaylee's parents and the hubby joined us.  Chick-fil-A was awesome as always, but I still had to go grab some Dunkin before heading out on our adventure.

And then we were off - 9:55, a whole 5 minutes earlier than my agenda :)

We then headed to Lagrange GA for the first stop in our adventure.

We ate at Mighty Joe's Pizza.   It was good... the options in Lagrange weren't all that and this was one of three I had narrowed our list down to.  The pizza was good, but I've had better.  What I found funny was the other's reactions.  Here are some examples:

• Amanda - Ordered Cheese Pizza.  Just cheese??? I now know she is truly odd :) LOL
• Amanda - The fact the TV wasn't centered in the wall or the fact the picture frames were not straight drove her insane!  It was so funny.

We then headed to the Biblical History Center.   I'll say it is a great idea - a remake of biblical places so that people have an idea of how people lives.  Sample crosses like what Jesus was really crucified on, etc...  There was a lady giving a tour, but she was going to depth and almost preaching so we walked away and did a self tour.  We enjoyed seeing the items and taking pictures.   Kaylee and Amanda are quickly learning, if they didn't already know that Mama and I love to take pictures.   The facility was interesting, but at the same time it felt touristy or fake?  Which of course it was - they were recreations of things, not the actual things so I'm not sure what I was expecting.   However, it was a nice stop to stretch our legs.  And it was interesting.  

The one thing that irritated me was they have a real museum part with real artifacts from Israel.  There is no sign saying no pictures so I was taking some - without the flash and was gotten on to.  If they don't want pictures, put a sign!

Anyway - I think it was a neat experience, but not one I would care to repeat.

We then headed toward Selma.  However, first we had to stop to get some more ice for the cooler (we may end up buying a new one as this one doesn't keep ice frozen long at all).  We are trying to drink out of the cooler vs paying convenience store prices for drinks, etc...    

We are now in Selma and resting a bit at the hotel.   The hotel is nice, but the A/C is leaking and the carpet is wet.  They only have a room that is smaller so we are opting to put towels down... it will be ok for one night.    We may rest here all night or we may go explore some of Selma tonight before settling down - I'll let you know what we decide in part 2 :)

Nashville Day 4

5/28/17 (5/31/17)

This post is technically for Sunday 5/28, but I was too tired when we got home to write it so here it is a few days late.

Sunday was really a fabulous day - tiring, but fabulous.  We really packed it in.  First thing we got up, packed our stuff and left the BNB for the last time.  It really was a nice place to stay, it had a few minor issues, but overall it was nice.  I had planned today, but the rest of the week went a little different than originally planned so we pivoted and changed our agenda.  

First we went to breakfast at American Cafe in the Grand Ole Opry Resort.  We really wanted to see the place and so we killed 2 birds with one stone, breakfast + sight seeing.   Breakfast was nice, we sat next to a waterfall and generally enjoyed the food and ambiance.  Afterwards we walked through the resort and looked at their indoor conservatories.  It was amazing - we didn't get to see all of one of them due to an Indian wedding, but that was neat to see in itself.  Their dress is so elaborate and pretty - It was a gorgeous wedding.

After leaving there we drove downtown to do a second day on the Trolley.  Below are a few of the sites we saw:

1) We stopped and took a better picture of Tootsies - the bar where Loretta Lynn's husband and others used to hang out while they performed.

2) We went into Ernest Tubb's Record store

3) We went to see the outside of the State Capital and the War Memorials they have in the park outside of it.  The grounds are really pretty and they have several statues that are interesting. They also have the tomb of James K Polk, whom my father claimed was a relative - who knows if it's true.

4) We went into the Farmers Market for a snack and walked some more of the Centennial Park.  By this time Mama was getting pretty tired.   Also, when we got back on the Trolley our bus driver was hilarious.  she asked what I had to eat and I told her a hot dog...  she said "with all of that international food, you had a hot dog? "  Yep - I said!   She was a hoot, you would have had to hear her.  She had road rage with the local traffic and was generally entertaining to listen too!

5) By time we got back to our car it was roughly 5 PM so we started home.

We stopped by Bryan's on the way home, it's a bout 1/2 way and visited him for a bit.  I am amazed every time I see him and Jack together how much they look alike.   It was good to see him and the kids, who have grown like weeds and will be adults before I know it.

Around 10:30 we left his house, grabbed some dinner at Waffle House and then I drove us on home.   We got here about 2:30 AM on Monday and rested most of the day.   Overall it was a fabulous trip and we made some great memories.  

I hope you enjoyed trucking along with us via the blog.  If you ever get the chance to go, I do highly recommend the city...

Nashville Day 3

5/27/2017

I didn't sleep well last night so I woke up grumpy and edgy.  I'd like to say I got past it as the day wore on, but I'll be honest that it overshadowed the day and I was constantly trying to control my reactions that were way over the top at any little thing.    Jack was also not at 100% as one of his kidney stones has decided to make itself known.  However, despite these issues we made it a great day.

First we got up and went to Another Broken Egg.   We had to wait 30 to 40 minutes so Mama sat inside on a bench, I hung around outside and Jack went to get us some sunscreen.   Once we were seated service was extremely slow and didn't really get better through the meal.   That being said the Cinnamon Roll French Toast is still worth it.  This one was a little drier so Charleston still wins for the best, but it was good.   Mama got something she hated, but refused to let me send back and Jack's bacon had to be remade due to being burnt beyond recognition.   I had to track down waiters to get it fixed and was fortunate enough that the guy I asked for help went above and beyond to get it taken care of... or waiter well, I hope it was an off day and he is more on his game tomorrow.

After breakfast we bought our Trolley tickets and headed out.   The first thing we wanted to get off and see was the Ryman.  The media introduction they did was fabulous - it was informational, but also extremely entertaining.  I loved it.  The rest of it was neat -- it didn't really grab my fancy, but I think it was the mood hanging over my head more than anything.   We got our picture made on the stage and walked the pew areas - I will admit it is amazing to be in the same building that you know the greats of country music performed in.

After that we sat and had a snack/drink before heading back to our Trolley stop.  The Trolley was late, which annoyed me, because well everything annoyed me today.   I called to see where they were right as they pulled up.  There were only 3 seats (not together) and we grabbed them...   We proceeded to ride and listen as the driver gave us bits of history about what we were seeing.   The rain came and so we decided to continue to ride vs. getting off and just listen.   After a while we did eventually get off and eat lunch.  We ate at a restaurant called the Urban Cookhouse and it was fabulous!   I had a steak sandwich and oh.... it was delicious.  I think it was my favorite meal of the trip!  They didn't have table service, but still it was sooo good.

After lunch we hopped back on the Trolley and rode back to the area where our car was.   We bought the upgrade for the Trolley so we can use it again tomorrow, bought some souvenirs and headed back to the BNB.

Once here we got cleaned up and dressed before heading out to catch our show at the Grand Ole Opry.   We had to go pick up our tickets first at a Vacation Place I bought them from and once we did that we were on our way.

We had to park quite a ways out and after the rain it was extremely muggy, but all in all it wasn't so bad.  Once there we grabbed some snacks and headed to our seats.   We were seated on the first floor on the very last row.  You think they would be bad seats, but they were really quite good!  And the show, oh the show was so good.  We saw the following acts:

• Mike Snider
• The Railers (a new group)
• Suzy Bogguss - I didn't know her but later did research and now I'm a huge fan.
• Connie Smith - Wow, what a voice!  Even at her age it was still fabulous.
• Tracey Lawrence !!!!
• Bobby Bare - Love him.
• The Whites - Not so much
• Ray Stevens - he is so funny!   He is opening a place here and I'd love to come back and check it out.
• Opry Square Dancers
• Riders in the Sky - these guys were so funny.
• Ronnie Milsap - This made my night.  He didn't perform the songs I really wanted him to, but still such a treat!

The show was incredible and by time it was over the grumpy cloud had lifted.

We left the show and went to grab a bite to eat at Caney Fork.  This is a restaurant that serves wild game type food and it was pretty cool.   Mama and I split the seafood platter and I had my first frog leg.   It tasted like twangy chicken - I liked it.   The food overall was good, though they need to improve upon their crabcake.   The service was stellar and the atmosphere was fun, especially given how tired we all were.   They have this indoor pond with huge catfish that we just sat and watched during dinner, I loved it.

And after that we called it a night.  I would have loved to have gone dancing, but I'm just too tired and Jack probably didn't feel like it even if I wasn't... so here I am 12:15 on a Saturday night/Sunday evening barely holding my eyes open so I can type this.  Yep I'm getting old   See you all tomorrow, sleep well blogland.

Nashville Day 2

5/25/2017

We continued our adventure today in Nashville.  First of we went and grabbed Jack some breakfast and then ventured out for our own sustenance.   We ate at a restaurant called the Sky Blue Cafe.  It was OK, but not in my top 50 of breakfast places, maybe not even top 100.  That being said it wasn't "bad" and we were able to fuel up the bodies for our busy day so I'll count it as a win.

After breakfast we headed to the home of Andrew Jackson, The Hermitage.   This is one of the best preserved plantation houses I've seen and while there were only a few rooms open and most you peered in, it was still a nice visit.  The trees hid much of the view of the house itself, but the grounds were stunning.  We took a horse and buggy ride through the grounds and generally enjoyed meandering.  A couple of tidbits I found interesting:

1) He medicated his slaves, a very rare practice to treat illnesses of slaves back then.
2) He gave them wages occasionally and provided more food for them than most plantations.
3) The slaves got a day off.
4) He had one black gentleman that stayed on after the slaves were freed (actually it may have been his grandson's by then) and that man ended up being buried in the gardens.   The only slave buried there we know of and he had a marker which is also quite unique.
5) His son was actually his nephew.  His brother in law had twins and gave them one to raise so they would have an heir...
6) His son/nephew couldn't manage money or business very well at all.
7) The first 15 years they lived in a 2 room building out back.  They only built the larger house when Andrew realized he would need something larger in order to entertain DC Style.

We spent about 4 hours here  - the grounds were more extensive than I had planned so our visit a bit longer.   By the time we were done some biting flies had come out and I was ready to go... do you know when they bite it stings?  Yea, I didn't either - I do now.  

We decided to come back to the BNB and eat left overs for lunch vs. going out.  Both us wanted a small nap after being out in the hot sun and neither of us were hungry enough to warrant paying to go out.   So we came home, had our snack and laid down.   Jack meanwhile was still in meetings.... we tried to be super quiet for him.

We woke up around 3:45 and I could tell Jack was wrapping up so we waited for him to finish.  Given his day was over he came with us as we went to visit the Parthenon.    Yes, you read right - Parthenon in Nashville, TN.  It was building in the late 1800's for an exhibition and they kept it.   It is the most comical thing ever... I guess if you had not seen the actual Greek buildings it would be something else to see, but to us it was just well... quite silly.  We did enjoy it though and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Athenian statue inside.  That thing is massive and on a cheese scale of 1 to 10 it is an 11.   I loved it!  So worth the $6 entry fee.  

All kidding aside the building is impressive and it's in Centennial Park which has some pretty ponds and statues on it's own.   We didn't walk the entire park, but we saw the Women's Suffrage statue, sat and enjoyed the water and generally had a leisurely stroll in the afternoon sun.   I was beginning to get redder on the shoulders than I like so we decided to come on back to the BNB.

Once back we got cleaned up, took additional naps, and headed out to enjoy an evening of Nashville Bars, but first food must be had.   As you know I research restaurants well in advance.... We had already eaten at 2 of the 5 options I had selected for dinner, 1 we had dismissed the other night (George Jones for being too loud) and the other 2 just didn't sound good tonight so we went to Yelp.   We found a BBQ place near here that Keith had recommended and Jack has been eating for lunch and decided to walk down for that.   Upon getting there I realized that they are where you order your food and then sit down...    Maybe it's petty of me, but I really don't like those restaurants.  I'll eat there to save a penny, but when I'm out for teh night I want to sit down and have my order taken so we headed out.

Next door was McCabe Pub. It only had 3 stars on Yelp so my hopes were not high... boy was I wrong.  This was the best meal we've had here and the service was great.  We sat on the patio and just enjoyed the night.  The pub is in the neighborhood we are staying in --- yes it's in the neighborhood. We don't really have restaurants in neighborhoods back home so that was cool in it'self.  Nashville is just a city that is alive and I love the energy that comes off these little areas like this.  Love it!  Oh and did I mention we walked to the restaurant?  Walked!  Just love it!

After dinner we headed back to the BNB, grabbed what we needed and summoned an Uber.   First we went to WildHorse Salon downtown.  It was still in restaurant mode so we were seated and ordered some drinks.   This bar is just cool.  It has gigantic screens so you can see the artist and the first band they had was really good.  We enjoyed sitting and listening to them for about an hour... they then went off and they had an intermission.  During intermission the bar had line dancing lessons, which were cute to watch.   The 2nd band that came on I didn't care for very much.  The guy was trying to sing songs outside his range and well to me it was just noise so we decided to leave and head to Tootsies.

Mama has wanted to go to Tootsies for a long time, because it was where the artist husbands hung out back in the day when the artist were playing the Grand Ole' Opry at the Ryman.   Walking to get there was intense and I'm glad I had 3 drinks or I would have had a panic attack.  The mobs of people were insane... it was just waves and waves of people.   We held hands/belt buckles/whatever we could find and formed a line behind Jack who weaved us through til we got to Tootsies.  The line was out the door and well... it was just too many people.

So we proved we were old, called for an Uber and made it back to our BNB before 11:30 PM.  That being said, I'm comfy in my PJS and ready to call it a night.  I do hope to go out and dance some tomorrow as we didn't get that far tonight, but I'm not willing to deal with those crowds to do it...so we shall see.

Sleep well blogland -- hope you are doing well.

Nashville Day 1

5/26/2017

Today was a great day.  I'm so grateful for the weather, it was sunny, but in the 70's - which made it perfect for a light jacket and walking around.  Loved it.

So what did we do today in this perfect weather?

First we went and grabbed Jack some breakfast and brought it back as he had to work.  So grateful to have a hubby that doesn't mind us going and exploring while he works from the BNB.   After we got him nourished we went off to start the day.

First - Breakfast!   Breakfast is my favorite meal to eat out and I research restaurants of where to eat on vacation well in advance to avoid the "what do you want", "I don't know, what do you want" conversations that typically happen when everyone is hungry and grumpy.   The choice this morning was Pancake Pantry.  

It was really good - I had coffee, french toast and bacon.  While I can say I've had better french toast (Another Broken Egg still wins that hands down), it was pretty good.   The bacon was crispy and the coffee fantastic!

After Breakfast Mama and I drove down to the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum.  We spent a good 3 hours walking though it and I enjoyed it.  I liked seeing the stage outfits the best - they just cracked me up.  I also enjoyed seeing pictures of the artist when they were younger and catching glimpses of their stories.   They have video of various tv performances and it was cool to see how it's all evolved.   One for instance said "So and So artist, in COLOR" (sorry I don't remember the artist name) it was the "in color" that caught my attention and just made me giggle a bit.

After the museum we walked back to the car to get some drinks.   We borrowed a neighbors cooler (no idea what happened to the one we had at some  point) and am really glad we did.  They wanted $5 for a coke at the museum and I spent 9 for a pack of 36 so Costco for the frugal win!

After we sat and rested a few minutes we walked down to Schermerhorn Symphony Center to take a few pictures.  I realized tonight when we were strolling I failed to see the actual front of the center - what I thought was so pretty this afternoon was just the side, lol!  So I want to go back tomorrow in the daylight and get some more pictures of it.  It is really a pretty building that reminds me of the buildings in Greece.   We didn't get to go inside as they were closed for rehearsal, but it was still a pretty building and the security guard was nice as he told us no - southern charm at it's best.

We then headed back to the truck and drove down to get a bit to eat.  We went to Hattie B's chicken because the Yelp reviews just raved about it.  The wait was 30 or so minutes, in the sun, with no place to sit down... And it wasn't worth it.  The food was good, but not rock my world, wait in hot sun for 30 minutes, good.   I wouldn't wait again.  I would go if there was no line as the food and service were good - they just were not great.

After lunch we went to the next door cupcake shop to get Mama a cupcake, which was also just ok and then we headed out to our next stop.  The State Capital - the building is pretty and we had intended to stop and look around.  However, finding parking was hard ... Let me digress - parking in this city is insanely expensive!  I paid $10 to go to the museum and then $11 for 2 hours to eat lunch!  That's  $21 just to park my car for less than 6  hours total.... and it wasn't even covered parking - heck one wasn't even paved....   Ok, back to our story.

We weren't finding parking easy and the guy we asked said the closest public parking was down a few blocks at the library.  By this time it was 4 PM and we were both a little tired.  So we decided to skip it. We will be back this way on Saturday with the hop on/off tour and will get the pictures we wanted then - I just didn't feel like dealing with it today.

So we came back to the BNB and took a nap.   After napping we got up and headed out to continue the adventure.

First we went to the George Jones Museum.  It was a really nicely put together museum and i enjoyed seeing his life.   This is Mama's favorite artist so I think she really enjoyed it.   We had planned to eat at the restaurant on the base floor of the building, but it was so loud you could hear the music 3 or 4 blocks away so we decided to eat somewhere else.     The Stillery was on my list from researching for another night so we ate  there.

It was really good!   We ended up eating upstairs in the bar area because it was first come/first serve without a wait. This is where the live band was playing and one thing I really appreciated is that while you could hear them it wasn't over powering to where you could not have a conversation.   We weren't really very hungry, so Jack and I split a pizza.  Mama got a catfish dish - everything was good and the music was enjoyable.  

After we ate we walked across the pedestrian bridge that goes over the river here.  It was a beautiful view of the city and the neighboring vehicle bridge.   The night was just perfect for a river walk and it was  the perfect end to a fabulous day.

We are now back in the BNB and getting ready to get some sleep before we venture out again tomorrow   I hope you are all well and that you enjoy these glimpses into out travels.

Nashville Day 0

5/24/17

I'm calling this day 0 as we haven't actually seen Nashville yet, lol.  Jack had to work this morning so we had planned to leave the house around noon.  In reality it was closer to 12:40 before we left the house.   We stopped, grabbed some ice, and then headed to Diablos to grab a bite to eat before hitting the road.

On the way it was raining really hard - I'm super glad that Jack was driving vs. me.  

We stopped by Amie's (which is about 1/2 way) and visited for 45 minutes or so.  It was good to see her and Mr. Barrett.  He slept most of our visit, but he was so cute.

Then we headed on to the AIRBNB in Nashville.   So far it's a nice fit.  I didn't realize the only bathroom is through one of the bedrooms so no real privacy because you have to go through someones bedroom.   It was on the post of the property, but I missed it - totally my fault.   Also the ceiling fan is squeeky, but we have an entire house that is super cute and it's cheaper than renting 2 hotel rooms so I'll take the win.

Tomorrow our adventure really begins so for tonight I'll wish you sweet dreams.  

Atlanta Day 2

I could have sworn I wrote a journal about the rest of our Atlanta journey, but I can't find it if I did so I'm writing this a few weeks later.  My memory now is better than it will be years from now, but I still wish I could find the original journal entry - sorry!

On Tuesday we got up and left the BNB around 8:15 - once there we headed over to RIA's Bluebird for breakfast.  This was a quaint little restaurant with an artsy feel.  The breakfast was really good and it was close so win on all fronts.  I remember their coffee being particularly enjoyable and it helped me cope with the very annoying 2 year old that came in partially through our meal.  It's not a big restaurant so when a patron is annoying it impacts everyone.

After breakfast we headed back to the BNB to wait for our tour guide.  Even though Mama and I have both lived in the Atlanta area I thought it would be cool to be guided around - I was not wrong.   He picked us up at 10 and drove us around several neighborhoods, downtown and really all over the Atlanta area.  I found him extremely nice and knowledgeable + given it was a private tour he didn't mind stopping and letting me take pictures galore.

What was really cool about the tour was Mama.  She lived here in the 50's, he moved here in the 80's.   So he told the history from one era and she told it from another era's perspective - it was pretty cool.  At one point we went to an old mill that had been converted into Condos, Condo's he actually lived in at one point.   Come to find out, Mama used to work in the cotton mill back in the day and was talking about where the cafeteria used to be, etc... It was a neat experience for him and us I think.     I remember at one point after she had been reminiscing for a while and talking about her various jobs (of which she had several) he asked "How old are you?"  It was comical - I don't think he even realized he popped his question out.   I got plum tickled.

After the tour we went back to the house, ate a sandwich and rested for a little bit.

Once we got some much needed rest we headed back out to explore some more.   We went down to the MLK National Historic site and explored.  The day we were visiting on 4/4, which was the day MLK passed away.   So it was a big day - they had his birth place open and also were holding in a special memorial service with his family.

The first thing we explored was his the house he grew up in.   Now, this was a bit of an experience.  Everyone had cameras and they said no photography.  No problem, I can have my camera out and not take a picture... If you have ever seen me with all of my gear on I look a bit like a hiker with straps all over me, criss-crossed.  It is a pain to get on and off so I figured I would leave my camera's out and just not take pictures.  I can respect the rules, well.... the gatekeeper at the door would not allow me to keep my camera out. I had to stop the line and get all of my gear put up.  Never mind that the people with their phones and their point and shoots weren't required to put theirs up.  It irritated me right from the get go.

While the lady was happy to worry about my camera (which I wouldn't have used), but she did not bother to tell us that it was a silent visit.  So Mama and I started talking about the house and different things in it, only to be SSSSHHHED loudly.   To say the least I was happy to get out of the house he grew up in.  It was small, but quaint and I wish I could have enjoyed seeing it more vs. feeling harassed.

Once we left his house we headed down to Ebenezer Church.   This is the church where he was a pastor.   They were having a memorial service and Mama sat in it for a few minutes, but not very long.  What is interesting - in the church you are allowed to talk, in the house not so much?  Does that make any sense?  Yea not to me either.

While we were in the area we also went to the MLK Visitor Center and to the King Center.  We walked through several of the various exhibits.  It was interesting to learn about his life, the items he did for not on the African American community, but for all of us as Americans.  I can't imagine the life and time he lived in and pray we continue to move forward to where racism is no longer a thing, but something that only exist in the history books.

After leaving the MLK Site we headed downtown to Centennial Olympic Park.   By this time it was later in the afternoon and hot!   We sat in Waffle House for a bit and just got something cold to drink before we ventured out into the park.   Once we left the restaurant we headed out and walked through the park to the Coke Museum, sat and watched the people for a bit and ventured back.  It was a good hour to two hour stroll where we stopped and rested several times.   I enjoyed it, but I must admit it was hot and I was sweaty and ready for a cold shower.

So we headed back to our BNB to get cleaned up and rest a bit before dinner.  

After resting we drove down to Oakland Cemetery and walked around a little bit.  We had been here earlier today during our tour, but I wanted to take a few more pictures.  We spent about an hour or so and then headed out for dinner...

We had planned to go eat at a place called Erica’s Sidewalk Café, however when I GPS's to it I realized it was literally a food truck in a dark ally.  I didn't feel safe and had no intention on eating there so I pulled over in a safe spot and hunted my trusty YELP/Trip Adviser for a restaurant.  We ended up eating at a place called the Pittypat's Porch.  It is a more expensive restaurant, but well worth it.  We sat outside and watched the people wander around.  It was perfect and relaxing. The staff were extremely friendly and the food was awesome!

Once we had eaten our fill we headed back to get some much needed sleep.   Overall it was a terrific Mother-Daughter day.

Atlanta Day 1

This was handwritten on 4/3/17.  I'm just now getting it typed up and into the blog :)

Today we got up and left the house around 9:30.   We stopped for some quick drive through breakfast at McDonald's and some necessary Dunkin Doughnuts then headed out toward the Big A.

The drive itself was uneventful and we arrived to Atlanta around 12.   The AIRBNB wasn't ready yet so we stopped at a brunch restaurant called Folk Art.  I had french toast and some maple apple bacon which was yummy.    And of course coffee which was delightful.  Another Broken Egg still has the best by far (French Toast that is), but this was good.  Mama had a burger and you could tell they were patted out by hand, which was awesome.   The service was a little slow, but given we weren't in a rush and the ambiance it was cool.

When we left the restaurant it was raining pretty good so we rushed to the car.  Once there I couldn't find my phone so I grabbed an umbrella and went back -> no phone.  I get back to the car and Mama had found it.  It had fallen out of my purse into the backseat, thank the Lord.

We then headed to the Carter Library.   It was nice.  I didn't realize how much he has done post presidency to help the world.  Talk about a Godly man making a difference.   He also brokered the peace deal with Egypt and Israel that still stands today.  I'm reading about Israel in the old testament so this was pretty cool to see the peace eons later brokered by such a Godly man.  Also, on the videos shown in the museum his wife and him are so soft spoken.

After leaving the library/museum - in the rain again - we headed for the AIRBNB.  It is in Grant Park, which is down town Atlanta, and it is great.   It's a 3 bedroom house.  Probably built in the 20s.  The house has been fixed up and is really spacious and convenient to where we are going.   I love having an entire house to myself.

We rested for a bit and ventured out to Westview cemetery.  I was hoping to see Big Mamaw's grave and Mama wanted to see Mrs. Foutts.  We went to the office and got a map with directions, but we still couldn't find the graves :(

The graveyard itself was pretty though.   Not as many old tombstones as some others, but it has a mausoleum that was pretty and graveyards in general are peaceful places.  The gates closed at 5:30 so we had to get out, but I do hope to go back and look some more.

Once we left we headed to Five Points to go to Walgreens.  I don't mind driving in Atlanta, but I hate trying to find a parking place.   Mama's telling me the history of the place and I though she was telling me to turn.  It was tense for a moment, but once the miscommunication was over, and we parked it got better.  We paid for parking and got hustled for $2 by a street gentleman and then proceeded on our way.

We walked to Walgreens, got Mama's medicine, some souvenirs and headed out again.   We then just walked a bit.   Looked at the bank building where Mama almost got assaulted as a 16 year old woman.  Listened to her compare how it looks now to when she lived her in the 50's - it was pretty cool.

We then drove to Kroger on Glendale Dr.  - I think it's called murder Kroger.  Got a parking spot right up front - Woot.  Grabbed some drinks, lunch meat, etc... for the house and headed back to the BNB.

We dropped off our stuff, cleaned up a bit and went to grab dinner at Tom, Dick and Hank.   It is a BBQ joint that had a good review.  The service was good and I liked the ambiance, but I didn't care for the sauce they put on the meat.

Oh, but I forgot!  On our way to find this BBQ place or more accurately while looking for parking I went down a 1 way street the WRONG way! Can you say AAAH!  Luckily no one was coming, but gosh!

We are now back safe and sound.  We are calling it an early night.  Big day planned for tomorrow, sleep well!

Pictures can be found here: http://www.mylerna.com/2017/Atlanta-Trip

NY Day 3

2/19/17
NY Travel Journal - Day 3

Today we did quite a few things, but we also rested.   It was just the right combination of both - tomorrow I leave Jack up in the Big Apple to work while I go back to GA.   He will be busy all week and I'm not an explore NY on my own type of girl + I've seen about all I really "wanted" to see.  So what did we do today?

Well, we got up and went to La Bonbonniere.  It is a complete hole in the wall, but Trip Advisor said it had one of the best French Toast in NY and they were not wrong.  The food was great and the service was quick, which was a blessing because we were running a tad bit behind.

After breakfast, we headed to the 9/11 Museum.   I'm glad I went - they did a good job making it a combination of educational and a memorial.   That being said - I have no desire to ever go again.  It's one of those one time only moments - I cried, I thought about where I was on that day and I remembered.    They have a room where they read and show the victims name on a wall and then a family member verbally shares a recorded memory.  I don't know how many hours it takes to go trough all the names - I only made it through 5 names before my heart required me to leave.  The last one was a 4-year-old little girl.   I don't understand hate and evil - I don't get it.   I don't understand a belief so fanatic that I would kill thousands.   I don't understand and I hope I never do.

After the museum we went and saw the memorial itself - I think it is pretty and moving in its own right.   Once we saw it we headed back into the World Trade Center Oculus.  This is a very weird alien looking building where all the trains come into - it is also a mall type facility.  that being said the food choices are limited and there isn't seating.  It is modern, uninviting and weird.   We were ready to sit and I wanted a bite to eat so we hopped n the train and went to the next station which was City Hall.

Upon arriving we walked through the park toward the Brooklyn Bridge.  Once through there were food vendors so I grabbed a Chicken Gyro and we sat on a bench and rested for a few minutes.

Once I had eaten and we had a few minutes off of our feet we decided to take the walking path that goes onto the Brooklyn Bridge.  It was super busy, but I had fun and we took a lot of pictures.     I thought the Bridge itself was pretty and well just the experience was worth it.  I hope the pictures turned out, my lens is not wanting to autofocus - hope it is the lens and not the camera.   I'll play around with it when I get home and if necessary ship it off for repair :(

After walking partially across the bridge we turned around, grabbed the metro and headed back to the hotel.   We took a slight different walking path back to the metro and took pictures of City Hall, a courthouse, and some other really cool buildings.   Some of the architecture you find in NYNY is surprising.  You expect skyscrapers but then you find an old world, European style buildings that are breathtaking in a completely different way.

Once back at the hotel we took a nap.  I needed it and while I hate that we wasted part of the day, it made it so that we could enjoy the evening.

After the nap, we went back out to Time Square but walked our way there - stopping as we saw fit to shop and meander.  Once there we waited in line for over an hour for the Star Dust Diner.   They have aspiring Broadway singers working there and they sing while you eat.  It was fun and the food was also good.  We had Guac as an appetizer, then we both had burgers and fries.  After dinner, we got a milkshake and just sat for a few minutes.    It was worth the wait!

After dinner it was 9:30 so we headed back to the hotel.   My legs hurt from the walking I'm not used to, but the weekend has been fabulous.  Jack has been here with me and we've been with each other vs. on our phones.   It's been great.   I fly home tomorrow afternoon so I get to start my day slowly tomorrow which is also going to be great!

It's been a great time and I wish I could stay longer, but at the same time, I'm ready to be away from the crowds.  

NY Day 2

2/18/17

NY Travel Journal - Day 2

Well, today was jammed packed.  We got up at 8:45 AM and just got back to the hotel at midnight!  I'm tired, but it was a great day filled with lots of things... If it's ok with you I'll journal them here :)

First, we got up and went down to Tick Tock diner.  This was recommended by a friend and it did not disappoint.  I had the strawberry pancakes.    The wait staff were funny and the food was good.   We then meandered down to the NY Public Library.  On the way, we walked through Bryant Park.  It was quaint and peaceful.  They have an ice skating ring and I enjoyed watching the people skate.   I want to try it but I don't want to get all icky on this trip so maybe another time.   After the park, we made it to the Libary.  This building is an architectural marvel.  It is so ornate and pretty with carved ceilings, paintings, sculpture.  It is just incredible.  I really enjoyed meandering around in it.    

We also go to see the stuffed animals that inspired Winny The Pooh while at the library, which was kinda cool.   At this point, they look like really old, sad, stuffed animals.

On a side note I'm taking a photography class and now am shooting fully manual.   I was determined this trip to stick with it and I have.  It has certainly forced me to learn alot, quickly.  NY is ever changing - you go inside its one lighting situation, take a picture on the street another, take another of the tall buildings, different lighting.   For every lighting, there are several adjustments with my camera I have to make - NY is the perfect place to force yourself to do it!  You aren't going to get it one way and just ride the smooth pony, nope - every 10 minutes of shooting, different situation!    It is frustrating because I'm just learning, but I'm trying to be patient with myself.   I am looking forward to seeing the pictures on my computer when I get home.

But I digress - I'm here to talk about NY, not my lack of camera skills.   After the library, we went down to Rockafeller Center.  It is basically a mall with ice skating - that being said - we enjoyed it.  We got a sandwich, sat down and watches the skaters.   We meandered the halls and just had a good time.  Upon leaving we went out the main entrance and I am so glad we did or we would have missed some of the most beautiful, story-telling murals I've seen in quite some time - they were breathtaking.

Upon exiting Rockafeller we headed down to St. Patricks Cathedral, which is just WOW!  Jack sat inside and just enjoyed the place while I wondered around and took lots of pictures.   It is an absolutely beautiful building - architecture that compares to many of the cathedrals in Europe.  Magnificent - I also loved that I saw many people praying.   So often when Cathedrals are open for visitation they become just tourism destinations so it was nice to see this one being used for prayer.

We then meandered down and saw another church from the outside that was very pretty.   And then we ended our day with a horse-drawn carriage ride around Central Park.   It was expensive for a 45-minute ride, but it was nice to get off of our feet and we saw more of the park than we could have walked today so I'll count it a win.  Our tour guide was Irish and I loved hearing the lilt in his voice.

One our ride was over we decided to go back to the hotel to get ready for our night at the theater.   We got rested for a few, got dressed and were gone again.  We had dinner at Sardis.  The food was great - I had Penne Pasta with Chicken and Jack had the steak.  Both were fabulous!  We had cookies for dessert - I don't recommend those.  Our waiter was fabulous though and he made sure we had plenty of time for our show.   I really liked how attentive he was and it was just an awesome experience.  The restaurant itself has caricatures all around of famous people -- they are all signed so I assume they have all paid the restaurant a visit.  I recognized a few faces, but most I did not.  I'm so out of the loop.

We then headed down to the Gershwin Theater to see Wicked.   The show was fantastic.  I loved the twist of the story and the singing was incredible.   Highly recommend to anyone who hasn't seen it!  I loved it.  Not sure I loved it enough to buy tickets again, because well, they weren't cheap.  But it was an experience I'll treasure.  

We then meandered around Time Square for a few, grabbed some cheap travel souveniers and headed home.   I will say the Metro here sucks!  The signs are confusing and half the time there isn't a sign.   It is frustrating for me but makes my husband furious.   After a couple of mishaps, we are here.... if I had one piece of advice for NYNY it would be to get consistent signs that make sense at all of the Metro Stops and to have the lighted maps inside all of the trains.     But that is just my opinion, I'm sure they have bigger fish to fry!

Overall, we are enjoying the trip.   I'm glad to be off my feet for a bit and plan to go to sleep very soon as tomorrow will be another big day!  Sleep well dear friends.

New York

2/17/16
New York Adventure, Day 1

I'll be brief tonight as I need sleep.  I awoke this morning in GA, packed while Jack worked and we left the house around 11:30 headed to the airport.  We received a message our flight would be delayed so we detoured for some lunch first.

We stopped at Buffalo Wild Wings and had a good lunch, although it was boring as Jack was listening to a work call while we ate.  We then headed to the airport only to find our flight was further delayed.   Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things though I was anxious about having to reschedule out of Atlanta.

We took off an hour and half late from Augusta, but when we arrived in Atlanta we found out that flight had been delayed too.  This was a huge blessing to us as it meant we actually could make the flight.  We made our way to the gate and as I went up to ask the ticket agent to sit me next to Jack (without paying out the nose) we found out Jack got upgraded to 1st class - Yay for him.   That of course meant I could not sit next to him.     He offered me the seat, but I fit much better in the coach seats so I went on back and by back - I mean the way back.  I might as well have been in the tail.

My seat partner was nice, but there was a gentleman behind us who had a breathing issue.  For anyone who knows me knows that I have issues with noises.   Any kind of noise - people chewing, breathing, cleaning their fingernails - it just drives me insane or makes me angry depending on the moment.   Not the guys fault by any stretch of the imagination, but 2.5 hours of that was not something I foresaw being a pleasant flight.  I texted Jack and begged for his noise cancelling head phones.  He was kind Aden brought them back to me - problem solved!

We then landed in Newark, got our bags, grabbed and Uber and headed into the city.  Our Uber driver was super nice and even brought me my phone after he dropped us off as I had stupidly left it in his car.     We checked in at the Holiday Inn - downtown Manhattan - corporate discount - $130ish a night!  Can you say WOOT WOOT! :)  

After dropping our luggage in the smallest room this side of the Atlantic we promptly headed out for Pizza.  We ate at NY Pizza Suprema and it was fantastic.  You go through a line - get your slice and then sit down and eat.  It was loud and they expected you to know how it all works.  Which is how I picture NY as being in general.  This is not typically my cup of tea, but when in Rome...

After dinner we walked down to Time Square - enjoying the ambiance, but I'll be honest.  I was cold, tired and just ready to come back to the hotel.  So we headed back - hoping to grab the Subway and get out of the wind.   Can I just say that I remember the NY Subway being easier to navigate?  Maybe it was because we are tired, but it was all very confusing.     Anyway - we are here now.  Safe and warm in our bed.   Tomorrow is a new day and I'm looking forward to enjoying the day.

Sleep well blogland.