12/14

We're back! Pulled into our garage around 3:30 yesterday, and glad we missed the weather we have today!

Sunday J went to an art museum on the campus of Univ of Louisville, and then we had tea in the lobby of the Brown while a woman played heavy duty classical piano, with an opera singer. I was thrilled! Monday we stopped by the American Printing house for the blind for an hour. J could have spent most of the day. Then we stopped by Columbus IN (about an hour north of Louisville) for a short tour to the great buildings. We will return - it's about a 5 hour drive from A2. Monday night we stopped just north of the Indy beltway for an easy drive home on Tuesday.

12/11

Greetings from the Brown Hotel in downtown Louisville. We arrived yesterday, and leave tomorrow. J will visit an art museum on the campus today (what a surprise!) and I will take it easy. Tomorrow she wants to visit the American Printing House for the Blind. She used to teach the blind and wants to see what is new in that field. On the 9th we visited the Hermitage (aka Andrew Jackson's home) outside of Nashville. In town, we stopped by the Hermitage Hotel, a block from the State House. Great bar that was, and maybe still is, a good old boys club. Then we stayed for dinner. For the third time, J got foie gras - twice at the Biltmore. She talked to a waiter who gave her a tour of the men's room - voted best Art Deco men's room.

12/8

Greetings from the Union Station Hotel in downtown Nashville. J took the "butler tour" at Biltmore yesterday AM, so we didn't leave until 1PM. Then we spent 3+ hours driving through the mountains on Rt 40 while it rained constantly. More trucks than passenger cars. When we pulled into Holiday Inn just west of Knoxville around 4:30, the temp was 36 and it was snowing. Fortunately, it was clear and dry today with nothing but sun coming out of the sky. We are next door to the Frist museum, which has an exhibit on Egypt. So J had to see it. Tomorrow, we will visit the Hermitage. Saturday we head for Louisville.

12/6

Greetings from the Inn at Biltmore. We arrived yesterday afternoon and leave tomorrow for Nashville. Is this place nice? How many places now have cloth towels in the rest rooms? J enjoyed foil gras both nights and high tea with champagne today. We each toured the "house" on our own. It is amazing the wealth that can be accumulated when there are no anti-trust or tax laws! The place is magnificent, and nicely decorated for Christmas. Once in a lifetime experience! Dinner and service here is terrific, and the Biltmore chardonnay (at $20 a bottle) is a real value.

12/3

Yesterday, we ate lunch at Wintzel's Oyster House. Guess what we ordered! We first visited the original Wintzel's in Mobile. We had our concerns about the neighborhood, and the large, imposing gentleman standing inside the door - bouncer? We noticed that when a patron left, he went outside. Turned out that he was making sure patrons reached their cars safely. Good food then, and now. After lunch, we visited Tacky Jack's. J remembers their bloody Marys fondly, so she had a few. Still good, so we bought some of their mix. Returned for breakfast this AM, and she had more bloody Marys and I had shrimp and grits. Love that southern food. This afternoon, we put Montgomery Alabama in our rear view mirror, and tomorrow we continue our trek to Asheville.

12/2

Another beautiful day on the Gulf! Today it is Perdido Beach Resort in Alabama, just a stone's throw from Fla. We arrived yesterday afternoon and will stay again tonight. We stayed here many years ago, and it is even better now. Tomorrow we will head north to Asheville. But today we have to visit Jacqui's favorite bar: Tacky Jacks!

11/30

It's a beautiful day on the gulf! We are in Long Beach MS, just west of Gulfport and Biloxi. Mon night we were in Scott/Lafayette LA: oysters for dinner and beignets for breakfast. One of J's friends wanted to know what the deal is with us and oysters. Simple. We love them, can't get good ones in Mich, and love taking advantage of Nature's Bounty when we can. Whitecaps, our favorite local restaurant, was closed last night, so we will return for lunch and dinner today. Tomorrow, we head toward the Fla Panhandle.

Forgot to mention that I met a gentleman on the cruise who asked his waitress for salsa for his eggs. Her response: I don't dance.

11/26

Quiet Thanksgiving with the kids. Randy works for a company with HQ in Paris and he is working on a deal with Shell (Netherlands), so he spent several hours at home on the computer and phone tying up loose ends to meet a deadline. Then he worked his magic on another "5 pound turkey." (Last year we asked how big the turkey was going to be and he responded: I don't know - maybe about 5 pounds. When we finished laughing, he discovered it was 15. We will not let him forget about that anytime soon.). Emily hit the stores at Midnight. J and I passed on that opportunity.

11/24/11

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all. Always a little bitter-sweet for me: Dad died on the 24th, which was Thanksgiving that year. O well.

We are back in Sugarland and will stay the weekend. On the 10th, we checked into the Hotel Galvasz - 100 years old. We were standing out front on Fri the 11th waiting for the bus to take us to the ship, when a bride (40 years old +/-) was primping and being attended to. She was boobs-a-poppin', carrying red roses and a large red and white lollipop or sucker - draw your own conclusions. Around 10:30 she loudly announced that she needed a shot, and went into the hotel. I doubt that her shot involved prescription drugs. The ship (Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas) sailed for 2 days, then stopped in 4 ports in 4 days: Roatan (Honduras), Belize, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman. Then sailed for 2 days back to Galveston. J and I took bus tours at the first 2 stops - waste of time and money. I didn't leave the ship again until Galveston. Emily and Randy, being younger, learned to "snuba", then did tubing through caves and tried the zip line. I told J I wanted to try the zip, but she said I needed much more life insurance. J and the kids crewed on a 12 metre sailing ship in a race against Stars and Stripes. The kids actively participated, while J was cheerleader/beer bitch (she prefers "cooler queen"). The kids also swam with sting rays. To me, the best part of the cruise was sitting on my balcony, listening to the water, enjoying the fresh air and sun, reading a good book - Last Call, The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. A cruise is a good place for people watching. J often asked: don't these people have mirrors? And Randy and I enjoyed the cigar bar, where we chatted with some nice folks, while the girls went to the shows. I was surprised at the number of crew members from India, and an Indian dish on the menu each night. I can remember when French was the other international language. All the announcements on the ship were in English and Spanish. Is Chinese next? Even in calm waters, the ship swayed and rocked (the power of the sea), so I looked like I was walking after too many martinis, even though I had not imbibed. J quickly found the champagne lounge, which served Spanish caviar with her drink. After leaving the ship, we spent 2 nights at the Hotel Galvaz before returning to Sugarland.

11/9

We arrived in Sugarland yesterday, after driving through a terrible rain storm on the outskirts of Houston. Learned later that a tornado touched down in the area. Tomorrow we leave for Galveston and board the ship on Friday - 11/11/11. We will leave the computer here at Emily and Randy's house, and we will turn off the cell phones before we leave the dock. So we will be totally out of touch until a day or two before Thanksgiving.

11/7

We depart Lafayette tomorrow. We had lunch and dinner at Fezzo's: 2 dozen raw oysters at lunch + a bisque, and another 2 doz + grilled crawfish salad for dinner. J had a dozen grilled at lunch and another dozen at dinner.

Walking around downtown today, an older man on a bicycle offered me a "brand new Dell computer." I resisted the temptation to ask a price. We passed a restaurant advertising Greek and Lebanese food "all Kosher". OK.

11/6/11

We are in Lafayette LA, having departed from Memphis yesterday. On the way out of town, we passed a sign for Graceland, so the Boss insisted we check it out. From the street, only 2 airplanes were visible. Sorry, but I refused to pay $10 to park and $31 apiece to view the "mansion".

Today we had lunch at Don's in Hammond LA. A dozen oysters on the half shell + crawfish bisque for me, and 12 grilled oysters + crab au gratin + a bloody Mary for J. She liked the drink so well, she asked about one to go. No problem, so long as she doesn't put the straw in it until she leaves the building. Is this a great state or what!!

A sign at a gas station in town: Beer. Because it's still election season.

Sampled some boudin balls and cracklins here in Lafayette. Terrific!

11/4/11

She Who Must Be Obeyed celebrated her natal anniversary in grand style. She started with a facial at the hotel spa, enjoyed high tea at 2:30, and a terrific dinner with her favorite wine from Oregon at 7. The only hitch was after a few glasses of champagne, she entered the men's room, used it and wondered why it had urinals.

11.3.11

Greetings from the Peabody Hotel in Memphis TN, where the ducks march through the lobby and go into and out of the fountain in the middle of the lobby. J has a milestone anniversary of her nativity tomorrow (clue: she can now use a medicare card) and she wanted to celebrate somewhere fancier than a Holiday Inn. This is a great old hotel with all the modern amenities. We will leave Saturday, but it may be a reluctant departure.

We left A2 on Tuesday and stayed in Terre Haute, where we joined our friends Gary and Sharon for a nice dinner. I used to do that often when I was going to and coming from Kansas. Gary is CEO of Clabber Girl, and he gave us a guided tour of the HQ on Wed morning. Beautiful old building that Gary has renovated and turned into a local attraction with artifacts and photographs dating back to the mid-1800s when the Hulman family emigrated from Germany and started the company. A very nice museum, that includes a cafe and kitchen designed for demonstrations.

Wed we drove to Murray KY to visit J's Aunt and Uncle who live in nearby Mayfield. Nice visit.

11.3.11

Greetings from the Peabody Hotel in Memphis TN, where the ducks march through the lobby and go into and out of the fountain in the middle of the lobby. J has a milestone anniversary of her nativity tomorrow (clue: she can now use a medicare card) and she wanted to celebrate somewhere fancier than a Holiday Inn. This is a great old hotel with all the modern amenities. We will leave Saturday, but it may be a reluctant departure.

We left A2 on Tuesday and stayed in Terre Haute, where we joined our friends Gary and Sharon for a nice dinner. I used to do that often when I was going to and coming from Kansas. Gary is CEO of Clabber Girl, and he gave us a guided tour of the HQ on Wed morning. Beautiful old building that Gary has renovated and turned into a local attraction with artifacts and photographs dating back to the mid-1800s when the Hulman family emigrated from Germany and started the company. A very nice museum, that includes a cafe and kitchen designed for demonstrations.

Wed we drove to Murray KY to visit J's Aunt and Uncle who live in nearby Mayfield. Nice visit.

hello be on the lookout for new posts after november 1st.

5/19

Home again, home again! Yeah!! We were on the road for almost exactly 4 months and put 11,000 miles on the car. Great trip. Saw things we have never seen, and may never see again. Glad we did it, but damn, it is good to be home. If I never see another motel breakfast buffet, that may be too soon.
Last Monday (14th), we spent several hours at Churchill Downs. More interesting than I would have thought. They have a large, well done museum, nice gift shop (J needed a mint julep cup!), and a restaurant that serves very good lunches. J took the "behind the scenes" tour for 2 hours, and I went out and took my own unguided, unauthorized tour. Tuesday it rained all the way home. Didn't arrive until 7, which was later than we planned. Ran into 2 traffic jams around Dayton - and we were stuck in one of them for an hour.
Once home, we have begun the process of putting our lives back in order. While we were gone, we got a new master bath and closet, and fresh paint in the bedroom (after the wallpaper was removed). And, of course, 4 months of mail.
Next trip: Dayton 5/6 and 7 for a short ceremony at the 95th Bomb Group Memorial remembering the last B-17 shot down. We bought a brick last year in Orville's memory and we want to see it - in addition to getting together with some of the members of the Greatest Generation.

PPS

We lost 2 hours over the weekend. First was the switch to daylight savings time. Then we re-entered the eastern time zone. The clock reads 9:14, but it feels like 7:14

PS

I saw a man wearing a Tee Shirt that read: I am right 97% of the time: who cares about the other 4%.
Billboard in Alabama: Big Bob's Booby Bungalow.

3/13

We are in Louisville, about half a mile from Churchill Downs, which we want to visit tomorrow. Thursday, we stayed in Tuscaloosa and the only thing to report was that our motel breakfast was great: fresh fruit, including grapefruit halves. A real treat! Friday we made it to Nashville, and stayed Saturday. We stayed at a Ramada across the street from the Titans' stadium, which is very close to downtown. We drove around town Sat AM, before all the party animals took over Broadway. Spent time in the Frisk museum, which used to be a post office. Beautiful building! Then went to Belle Meade Plantation. We ate dinner at Union Station, which has been converted to a hotel. Magnificent building! We have visited great train stations in NY, DC, Phila, and Indy. This puts all of them to shame. If you go to Nashville and do not visit this site, you are missing a bet. You don't have to stay there or eat or drink there. Just walk through the public areas and marvel. Had a nice brunch at the plantation this AM before mushing on to Louisville, where we ate at Lynn's Paradise Cafe - purported to be one of the top 4 fun places in the US. Not sure what drugs Lynn and her designer were taking, but the place is indescribable. Apparently Bobby Flay did a Throw Down with Lynn at the restaurant, and she won. Crazy decorations, but very good food. We both had salads, and J really enjoyed her mint julep and bourbon ball milk shake.

3/9

This afternoon turned into a beautiful day, and J is out catching some rays. Drove up to Biloxi and then Ocean Springs (a quaint little town). Casinos seem to be flourishing - big surprise. Too many vacant lots for sale, where nice old homes used to sit. Sad. There were several parades on 90 (beach front road) last night, as evidenced by the strands of crushed beads in the road.
We found White Cap restaurant for lunch. It used to be out on a pier, but was destroyed by hurricanes. Mom and her sister liked to eat there, and I fondly remember the day we had lunch there and they wondered why I had only 1 dozen oysters. Finally I told them that I had 2 dozen at the casino, while they played the penny slots. Restaurant was rebuilt on land, and oysters are still very good, I am happy to report. And they serve a baker's dozen! J had a dozen of their grilled oysters. Probably going back for dinner.
Last night she stayed up till midnight watching the live telecast from New Orleans of the Rex Ball and meeting of Rex and Comus. A ton of money in those rooms, and old traditions. And I suspect there is too much in-breeding: the queens and their courts were not at all attractive. J agreed, so it is not just a male perspective.

3/9

What did I say about plans? We were awaken this AM by flashes of lightening and claps of thunder, accompanied by heavy rain and strong winds. Local weather stations reported that there was a tornado warning in our county and people should take cover. Hotel employees said that tornadoes were spotted around Biloxi and that one touched down in Pasgagoula (sp?) and turned over cars, so workers were sent home. In addition, there were warnings of flash flooding. All of this basically following the route we are planning for the drive home. We decided to stay another night.
Forgot to mention that yesterday at lunch, J thought she was in heaven. On vacation she likes a bloody mary at lunch, and ordered one. When she finished, the waiter informed her that it was 2 for the price of 1, and did she want the second one? Silly question! The designated driver had diet Coke.

3/8

Best made plans of mice and men... She Who Must Be Obeyed wanted to explore downtown Lafayette, so we stopped at the visitor center on the way. Found out there was a parade, and a restaurant that serves beignets. Caught the tail end of the parade and drove past many folks camped by the route, cooking and eating - and perhaps enjoying a cold beverage. We passed several floats/party wagons returning and/or going to the next parade. It rained most of the day, and we drove several miles through torrential rains west of Baton Rouge. Visibility very limited. Slowed to 45, made sure the lights were on, and hit the flashers. Haven't driven in that kind of rain in many years. Stopped for lunch at 1:30 at Don's in Hammond. Many places close for Mardi Gras, but the parking lot was packed. Another dozen oysters, and a cup of crawfish bisque. Made it to Gulfport around 3:30, and checked into a Holiday Inn Express with gulf view. Put only 200 miles on the car today. Local weather is full of tornado watches in Miss. If weather does no cooperate, we will stay another day.

3/8

Emily got another good report from the Dr, but it will be a while before she knows gender. She and J are hoping for a girl. I picked up J at 11 yesterday, and we spent last night just west of Lafayette. Had a great meal at Fezzo's: 2 dozen oysters on the half shell (best I have had since my last visit to the Big Easy), with a cup of seafood gumbo. J had a dozen lightly cooked oysters (she can't eat raw seafood) with shrimp and okra gumbo. Unfortunately, service left much to be desired. SE Mich can have all of those terrible jelly donoughts: I like the LA way of celebrating much better! Plan is to head north in Miss, but you know about plans.

3/6

Clothes are packed. Car is half loaded. Randy is cooking dinner tonight. Tomorrow, Em has a Dr appointment at 9 or 9:30, so J will spend the night and the girls will go together. Afterward, I'll pick up J, hit I-10 and head east. Good lord willing and the creek don't rise: we will be home in a week. Been a good trip, but we are ready for our home and routine - and tired of motel breakfast buffets.

3/2

On M0n (2/28), I took J to a very large shopping mall with a movie theater so she could watch King's Speech. She thoroughly enjoyed it. Meanwhile, I explored the mall and found a Specs, which is a chain of liquor stores in the area. This one was huge, and could adopt the motto: If we don't have it, you don't need it. Beer, wine, hard liquor, snacks, glasses, etc. A very large male employee asked how I was doing, so I asked how he was doing. His answer: I'm sober, but I have the remedy. I don't recall ever hearing that line before, and it is probably not too popular in PC areas.
The weather was perfect on Tues (mid to high 60s, sunny, no wind), so we drove to Galveston. I had a dozen very good oysters at lunch and then we went sight-seeing. Only other time I was here was shortly after Ike. Lots of rebuilding, building, repairs, etc. The Strand is open for business. Apparently everyone thinks it will be another 100 years before they get another devastating hurricane. Hope they are right. J of course had to tour the Moody museum. Before we left town, we stopped at the Hotel Galvez on Seawall Blvd. Over 100 years old, but in pristine shape - at least the public areas. Got another dozen oysters (for $12) with a glass of wine. The locals are getting ready for their second weekend of Mardi Gras. I'll skip it, thank you very much.

2/25

It's been a quiet week here in Lake Wobegone. Em left for San Antonio on Tues for a class in acupuncture for animals (who knew?). Randy has been involved in a big project which takes lots of his time in the evenings and last weekend. And he may have to fly out to Buffalo on Sunday. Em will be back Sunday afternoon, so the girls can watch the Oscars together. We spent a couple of hours this afternoon with Randy's son who helped J pick out a new cell phone. Thursday is Em's birthday, so we will stay for that, plus the following weekend, and hit the road on 3/7.

2/21

Emily was off work Sat afternoon and all day Sunday, so it was "girls' weekend" that included manicure, pedicure, shopping (mainly for maternity clothes), breakfast at their favorite restaurant, and the highlight of the weekend - high tea. Randy had to work, but we went to Katz's Deli for breakfast. Salmon was worth the drive.

2/19 part 2

The other day we were on a 2-lane frontage road. I had the curb lane, and the a**hole in the other lane decided he wanted to make a right turn, so he cut in front of me. I slammed on the brakes and laid on the horn. Didn't faze f***wad one iota. Emily tells me to be careful, since many of these idiots carry guns. I brought some sandwiches back to the motel today and we ate them in the breakfast room. There were 5 groups of people, almost all men, totally engrossed in the TV show about concealed guns: which to buy, how to carry them, practicing your draw, etc. Before we began this odyssey, I told a local attorney our plans. He claims he hates Texas so much that he will not take a flight that crosses Texas for fear that they will have to make an emergency landing. I am beginning to have the same warm feelings about Houston.

2/19

Lots of good news today! It's official: J is scheduled to become a grandmother on 9/6. She and Emily are both very excited. And the good news for me is that J will spend part of August and all of September in Sugar Land! Party on Cottonwood!
Had a nice home cooked dinner with the kids last night - the first time since Thanksgiving that we did not eat at a restaurant. Nothing fancy: grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, and spinach. Tasted great. One of the little things that we miss. Will also be nice not having to run down to the lobby every morning for coffee and the same old breakfast before they stop serving.
Kimble was the museum that J visited in Fort Worth. She says it is a beautiful building, and the art work was also great.

2/18

Arrived in Sugar Land just in time for the afternoon rush hour yesterday. Some of the most aggressive and crazy drivers we have seen are on Houston highways. Saw a near accident right ahead of us, when some idiot forced another driver from the left lane onto the shoulder - at 60 MPH. Accident or stupidity? We are looking forward to some home-cooked meals while we are here - something we have not had since Thanksgiving. The simple things in life!
We both liked Fort Worth better than Dallas. Visited the Stockyard section before we left, and drove by the old courthouse - beautiful old building. J checked out a museum.

2/15

We liked Abilene, especially the warm weather and the Grace Museum, which is a beautifully restored old hotel. No rooms available in Fort Worth, so J got the deal of the trip for us at the Renaissance Hotel in Dallas: $99 per night, and the 3rd night was free. A spacious, well-appointed room on the top (30th) floor. Everyone was still talking about the Super Bowl: the terrible weather and the fact that the NFL booked our entire hotel. Did some sightseeing including a sculpture museum and the Trammel Crow Asian museum. Apparently the tough economic times have not hit Dallas: road and building construction everywhere. On Sat afternoon, we observed a large site with 2 tall cranes moving concrete around the site, 2 pumpers, and at one point 15 concrete trucks in line waiting to off-load. Someone was paying some serious OT. One of J's friends recommended burgers at a restaurant that serves them only on Sun and Mon. Great. We finished them off with house-made ice cream: French sea salt and carmel. Delicious. We are now at the former Texas Hotel, where JFK spent his last night. Local restaurants were all booked last night for Valentine's Day, so we ordered a pizza.

2/10

Headed for Abilene today and Fort Worth tomorrow. Houston on Thursday. The other night we watched the local news, and either the weather reporter was a total goofball or drunk. The highlight for us was video of I-40 in a whiteout and his comment that the authorities did not shut down the highway - "but I wouldn't drive on that sucker!"

2/9 part 2

We spent a very enjoyable 2 hours at the Silent Wing Museum, dedicated to glider pilots of WWII. Lots of memorabilia, including a full-sized glider from the era, and parts of others that showed how they were put together, etc. Did not know that many of the gliders were built by Ford at Willow Run. Once again, J really wanted to call her Dad, who originally wanted to be a glider pilot, but became a top turret gunner on B17s instead. He survived 35 missions.

2/9

Temp here in Lubbock at 9AM was 5, wind chill negative 14. Yesterday we drove around Texas Tech Univ. Large, spacious, self-contained (as opposed to UM which mixes town and gown), with beautiful buildings. We saw someplace that the U was founded in the mid-20s. Of course J found a museum on campus, so we spent some time there. Lunch at Cafe J - seemed appropriate. After lunch we visited the Buddy Holly museum. Located where? On Crickets Dr, of course. We would like to see the glider museum today, if it warms up a bit.

Super Bfowl Sunday

Can we pick 'em or what? We are in Amarillo and woke up this AM to SNOW! Emily says temp in Houston is 70. We decided to stay another night here at the Drury. Will go down for happy hour tonight, score some beer and junk and watch the game in the room. Dinner last night at the Big Texan Steakhouse, which has been featured several times on the Travel Chanel. If you can eat their 72 oz steak and fixin's in less than an hour, the meal is free. They seated us up front near the platform where a young man was taking the challenge - and he won in 54 minutes. Young man, around 5'7" and maybe 150 lbs. Our steaks were substantially smaller: good taste, well prepared, but the meat cutter does not know how to trim. Many years ago, Pete Sherman and I were at a steakhouse in Indy and they offered a similar challenge. We looked at the details and price, decided against the challenge, but if we ordered it and split it, the price was right. Then the waitress told us it would take a few hours to prepare the meat. We passed. Weather permitting (or, as my Grandmother used to say: Good Lord willing and the creek don't rise), we will head for Lubbock tomorrow.

2/4

Spent a couple of hours yesterday at the Pueblo Cultural Center Museum. Had eaten at the restaurant a few times and visited the gift shop, this was the first visit to the museum. Very impressive. Lots of art and artifacts, plus displays. Could easily spend a week there reading all the info and history.
Governor announced yesterday that there was a shortage of natural gas and some 30k homes had no heat. She closed the government offices and schools to conserve nat gas for residential users, asking everyone to turn down the thermostat by 10 degrees. Most of the schools were going to be closed anyway, due to frozen (broken) water pipes and disabled buses.
Today the temp rose to the mid-30s, and the winds died down. Break out the Bermuda shorts! We took the tram up to Sandia Peak - 2 miles high. Magnificent views, and a beautiful day. One of the workers said that the other day the wind chill at the peak was negative 40. It took a while to get to the tram, because I entered an address in the gps, which turned out to the corporate headquarters, which was on the other side of the mountain. Oh, well. Back to the Cultural Center for dinner and had a bowl of mutton stew. Have never before seen it on a menu, and I loved it. We head east tomorrow.

2/3

Went to the balloon museum yesterday, which was very interesting. Lots of displays and history. Then we drove around the Univ and downtown. Most of the streets around the U are named after other universities. I could not find Villanova - their loss. Temp as measured by my car never got over 11, and winds were still strong. Reports last night of rolling black-outs in Las Cruces, and fear of gas shortages in Abq. Local temp at 10AM today: 6, but forecast of mid-20s today.

I keep forgetting that a TV station in Phoenix is KGUN, and they pronounce it K Gun.

2/1

Yesterday, temp stayed in the mid-teens, but sustained winds of 30MPH turned cold into FRIGID! At 10 today, temp was 4, which was colder than A2. Schools, including the University, were closed yesterday and today. Hot air balloon museum was closed yesterday, but the turquoise museum was open. I had no idea turquoise came from that many parts of the world, in that many colors. Apparently, the color stones most people associate with turquoise come from Kingman AZ Went back to the Pueblo Center last night for comfort food: we split a flat bread app and bison short ribs. The whole state has been socked. Alamogordo has at least 6 inches of snow on the ground, and I-25 is closed from Las Cruces to just south of Abq.

2/1

Looked out the window this AM and saw snow on the ground - 1-2 inches. And temp at 9AM is 16. Good day to hit a museum. Traffic is moving well in town, so getting there should be no problem. Had a nice dinner last night at the Pueblo Cultural Center, right across the street. Menu emphasized Native American recipes. Will probably return to tour the facility and have another meal. We changed our plans, and stay here until Fri, when the sun returns and temps warm up.

1/31

Yesterday we roamed around the Mesilla Plaza - a stop on the Butterfield Stage route, which was a predecessor to Pony Express. Had a nice lunch at Peppers on the plaza. J said her huevos rancheros were the best ever, and I had a chile relleno burger - something I had never even heard of much less eaten. Very good. J had a turquoise margarita, which had a small piece of turquoise in it which she kept as a reminder. After lunch, we headed north on 25, arriving in Albuquerque around 6:30. Had dinner at a Mexican restaurant, which was packed on a Sun night.

Neither of us slept well last night, so we got a late start. Had a nice lunch on Central aka Rte 66, near Old Town. Then we spent an hour or two walking around Old Town Plaza. Would have stayed longer, but no sun, very windy, and snow started to come down. Returned to the motel around 3;30, and the temp was 41. We seem to bring bad weather no matter where we go. But at least they are not predicting a foot of snow here!

1/30

Returned to Las Cruces yesterday after shipping some pictachios to Mich, and driving through White Sands. Very nice, and the sparkling white sand reminded us of driving through snow. Fortunately, temp was 57.

We were going to stay here another night, but weather in Albuquerque is turning cold - high temp for Tues is 29, with snow showers. Even El Paso is predicting crummy weather. Will check out Old Town and the Plaza here before we head north. Billy the Kid was tried and convicted here, but escaped before he was hung.

1/28

Greetings from Alamogordo. We left Tucson yesterday around noon. J really wanted to see the memorial for Giffords at the hospital on the way out. It was huge and moving. Stayed last night at the Drury in Las Cruces, but they were booked for tonight, so we came here - 65 miles +/-. We may visit the White Sands Monument tomorrow on the way back to Las Cruces. But first we will visit the store that sells local wine and local pistachios. Probably spend the weekend in LC before we head north to Albuquerque.

I have lost count of the # of border patrol check points we have encountered. They always just wave us through, but I would love to know what they see or hear that results in a search. However, I have no desire to find out the hard way.

Many women we have seen on this trip have long, straggly, unkempt hair and spike heals more commonly known among us perverts as f...me pumps. Not really a good look. Or maybe I am just getting older.

1/26

We certainly hated to leave San Diego: great weather, fantastic food, and terrific views of the harbor from our room. Check-out time on Mon was 12pm, so we stayed in the room until 11:45, admiring the view one last time. Mon night in Yuma, and Tues night in Tucson. Our route to the Holiday Inn (after SD, we are back to Holiday Inns and McDonalds) took us past Ina and Oracle, so we pulled into the parking lot. The impromptu memorial is still there in front of the Safeway and there were people milling around, talking, and taking pictures. So J hopped out and did the same. She said it was moving to be there.

We were planning on leaving this AM for Las Cruces, but J came down with a bad cold. Since she has a history of bronchitis, we decided to give her a day of rest, although we spent most of it at an urgent care facility, getting scrip for the good drugs. We passed Gifford's office, which has many balloons, candles, flowers, and personal messages in front of it. Off to Las Cruces tomorrow.

1/23 part 2

J really wishes she could call her father. In 32 years in Navy reserves, he visited SD several times. Said he wanted to buy land here, but it was not in the cards with 5 kids.

When we checked in, there was a large international convention of Rotary clubs. A bellman told us that over 800 of them checked out on Sat. The lobby looked and sounded like the UN

1/23

Easy to figure out why San Diego is so popular: lots of sun, balmy temps, and light breezes. Fri we took a 2-hour boat tour of the harbor. Lots of military ships and helicopters - mostly Navy and some Coast Guard. Also some cruise ships, including the one that caught fire and was dead in the water a few months back. Tugs towed her into this port, and Fri she was being towed back out, on the way to San Francisco. We were told that it was a 10-minute walk from our hotel to the tour boat. Sat, someone confirmed what I thought: distance is over a mile. Do you know how long it has been since I have done a 10-minute mile? We took a bike taxi back to the hotel. That kid earned his money! Sat we took the trolley tour around the city. Hi-lite was a trip across the bridge to Coronado, with a stop at the Hotel Del Coronado, where parts of "Some Like It Hot" were filmed. Nice lunch on the veranda overlooking the ocean. Today J wants to visit (you guessed it!!) more museums. I have done enough walking for a while and will rest my aching knees. Tomorrow (Monday) we leave and head back east. Will visit Las Cruces and Albuquerque, then on to Austin before stopping over in Houston for Emily's birthday (Mar 3).

1/20 continued

Arrived in San Diego early PM and checked into the Hyatt on the water. Very civilized. Hated the last part of I-15: road and drivers both. Dinner at the seafood restaurant in the hotel: terrific - tuna sashimi, lobster pot pie, albacore cervice, crab cakes that were as good as Baltimore.

1/20

It is a sad state of affairs that we need to pass through a security check point before we get anywhere near the Hoover Dam, and another before we enter the building that contains the power plants.

We got a late start leaving Henderson because J wanted to drive down the strip and then stop at the Bellagio, because they had an art museum that she had not seen in the western hemisphere, including Dale Chehuly (not spelled correctly, I am sure) glass on the ceiling of the main lobby that (just like his other work) was spectacular. And the saving grace was Petrossian, just off the lobby. Looked for a motel at Barstow, but there was a Marine base nearby, and something was going on (deployment?), so no rooms anywhere in town. On to Victyoryville. Dinner at Barstow was Peggy Sue's 50's Dinner. Lot of fun. Photos of Annette F brought back old memories.

Arrived in San Diego early PM and checked into the Hyatt on the waterfront. Very civilized. Haated I-15 the closer we got to SD - both the road and the drivers. Had a great dinner tonight: tuna sashimi, albocore, lobster pot pie, and crab cakes that rival Baltimore. Next table was Richard B, who plays a police officer in Law and Order SVU (with Mariska - one of my favorites).

1/18

Rt 66 in Kingman is also known as Andy Devine Highway. I heard that Andy was from Kingman. Drove to Henderson yesterday and passed a vehicle with a sticker: vaginaterian. I think it was Mencken who said that no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.

First order of business was a stop at the Acura dealership for an oil change. Service dept was busy, but we did not see anyone who appeared to be a potential buyer.

We stopped by Hoover Dam which was quite crowded. We speculated that the multitudes were celebrating MLK day by going to the dam, which was confirmed by our return trip today. Lots of walking, but very impressive and well worth the visit. Also impressive was the bridge crossing the canyon a little down river, in sight of the dam. It was completed recently, and named for Pat Tillman.

We had breakfast at a restaurant visited by Guy Fieri, of Diners, Drive-Ins, etc. Very good.

1/16

Forgot to mention that J's favorite part of the train ride returing from the canyon was the free-flowing champagne. What a surprise!

We reluctantly left Sedona after lunch today. Beautiful weather and scenery. Our hotel had great views of the rocks, and we never tired of looking at them. They changed as the day went on and they got more or less sun.

We arrived in Kingman this PM, and drove around the Rt 66 which runs through downtown. Some great old buildings, the best of which is the Mohave County court house. One can only hope that the inside is as nice as the exterior. Tomorrow we head for the Hoover Dam, which is a long drive - 70 miles! Then we head for San Diego.

1/15

Greetings from Sedona. When we left Lake Havasu, we drove to Williams. Elevation: just under 7000 ft. Temp was 43 when we arrived at 3:30 PM. Lots of snow by the side of the road, and in piles in town, but roads were clear and dry, and nothing but sunshine coming out of the sky. We stayed at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel, which was conveniently located near the Grand Canyon Railway depot. At 9AM, temp was 9, but sunny again. Locals said that Rt 40 was closed recently for 200 miles - from Kingman to Winslow. We watched a wild west show (a little hokey) and boarded the train for the Canyon. Very civilized 2.5 hour trip. Upon arrival, we took a bus trip, with 3 stops along the south rim. Magnificent views. My first trip, J's second. A once in a lifetime experience. As we drove toward Flagstaff ("Flag" as the locals call it), we had more magnificent views of snow covered peaks. Then more great views as we drove down 89A to Sedona. J whined, so we decided to stay a second night.

1/9

Forgot to mention that our hotel lobby has a full scale replica of the British royal coach used by the Royals on special occasions. The other night, we went to the restaurant in our hotel for dinner, and ran into a large party of "parrot heads", most of whom were older than we are. I like Jimmy Buffet as much as anyone, but these weezer-geezers were more than we could handle, so we exited stage right and went elsewhere.

Yesterday we took a 2.5 hour boat tour. From the London Bridge north to just south of the I-40 bridge. Beautiful day: clear sky, 60 degrees, no wind. Great day to spend an afternoon: looking at great rock formations and wildlife - including a pair of big-horn sheep.

Will probably check out the Parker dam (which created Lake Havasu) today.

All the news today and last night was about the shootings in Tucson. Last week the news was about a standoff outside the Chandler Fashion Mall - just down the road from our hotel when we were there. Just what this country needs: another nut-case with guns.

1/6

Greetings from Lake Havasu City. We arrived late yesterday afternoon and checking into the Martini Bay/ London Bridge Hotel. We have a nice view of the bridge. J is not feeling well today, so we did minimal activity. Right now she is out on the balcony catching some rays. Temp is in the high 50s, but the sun is very hot if we are out of the breeze. Yeah, I know: life gets tough in the big city!

Before we left Yuma, we visited the Territorial Prison, dating back to 1875. Very interesting. I asked them to keep J, but they refused. I think she scared them. Had a very nice dinner at Julieanna's Patio. Very nice food and interesting decorations. While you wait for dinner, you can watch the peacock strutting around the patio. Some nice old buildings in Yuma, but most of the town reminded us of Washtenaw and Stadium Ave.

The drive up 95 is very boring. No gas stations or restaurants between 8 and 10. And most of the road south of Parker is straight as an arrow. This whole area is RV heaven. On the road, in parks, and on lots for sale. Have never seen so many!

1/3

Greetings from Yuma! Pulled in here around 6PM, and temp was 60. But the hi-light of the day was the trip to Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch, near the intersection of 8 and 10. Good investment of $5 each, which includes a cup of animal feed for the deers, goats, ostriches, miniature donkeys, and exotic, beautiful birds. The deer ate out of my hand, but an ostrich is very aggressive - and it bites. J took several pictures of the birds sitting on my arm, eating out of the cup I held.

Sunday we drove around ASU campus. J was disappointed that the museum was closed. Afterward, we drove around downtown Phoenix and found their museum - which was open.

Will be here in Yuma for a few days.

1/1/11

I am told that there are several ostrich farms/ranches (which is correct?) here in the Chandler area, and they have a festival in March, which includes ostrich races. Ride 'em cowboy!

J stayed up and watched the ball come down last night. The good news is that midnight in NY is 10PM in AZ.

Lazy day, watching football.