All posts by Linda

Stretch and Mary

Linda in Site News

We drove through western Louisiana to see our friends, Stretch and Mary, in Lufkin, Texas. Neither of us had been in eastern Texas before and we were pleasantly surprised to see how heavily treed and beautiful this area is.

Stretch and Mary acquired land and a trailer park that they have worked relentlessly on over the past eight years and have created a high-end and high-quality home for themselves and for all the other people who live there.

Ron and Stretch have been dear friends for some thirty-odd years and have a ton of shared history and memories together. Ron adores Stretch and Mary and they mirror the same feelings of love and respect for him. As the newcomer to the foursome, they couldn’t be more gracious or make me any more welcome. I love hearing the stories of their past and of the memories they share.

We enjoyed great conversation, lots of laughs and talked until the wee hours of the morning. The Walmart in Lufkin will never be the same (who knew it was a tourist destination or that we might be considered “WalMartians”?), and our trip there resulted in the discovery of Blue Bell Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream and several other fabulous flavors! We had such a splendid visit with Stretch and Mary and didn’t want it to end, but we needed to get back on the road.

While we were there, Stretch had made an appointment for us to get the brakes fixed on the BMW and, after two nights and our car repaired and ready, it was time to go. We set off and got about thirty miles from Lufkin when a terrible sound started on the right rear wheel. Stretch came to the rescue, took a look and he and Ron determined we needed to get the car back to the mechanic to properly remedy. Our second trip to Lufkin in three days was on the back of an AAA tow truck. The return was not planned, of course, but allowed us ensure the car was safe to drive, to spend one more night with our dear friends, and to partake of Mary’s famous and delicious Manhattan style clam chowder.

It really was time to leave the next morning, and with a cup of Stretch’s great coffee to prime us, we set off once again. We had a wonderful time and look forward to making Stretch and Mary as welcome at our home in Cabo in a few months’ time.

Cracker Barrel and Waffle House

Linda in Site News

We stopped at two classic southern institutions to see what they were all about. One was Cracker Barrel as we’d seen their signs everywhere in the southeastern states and we stopped at a location somewhere in South Carolina. We weren’t terribly hungry, but thought that a biscuit and coffee would hit the spot. Our waitress was lovely, with her soft, Southern accent and going out of her way to fill our order. They don’t normally sell their baking powder biscuits separately , but she checked with the kitchen and came back with a bag of a half-dozen biscuits, two corn meal muffins (a bonus!), butter, cream cheese, apple butter, blackberry preserves and honey. They were delicious, but it was the quality of service that will always endear our Cracker Barrel experience to us.

Our other occurence was memorable, but in a completely different way. We stopped at a Waffle House location, another restaurant chain that appears all over the south, because Ron has a soft spot for waffles and I was determined to try some cheese grits. We stopped at a Waffle House located in Lafayette, Louisiana, and the comedy that we experienced far surpassed the quality of the food we were served. The whole scene was like something out of a Candid Camera episode (for those readers old enough to remember that show!) – I kept looking around for the camera! There were five women working that morning and we gathered that at least two of them were related – mother and daughter, actually. They couldn’t take orders, didn’t provide the utensils needed to eat our breakfasts, nothing offered or served with Ron’s coffee, no syrup brought for Ron’s waffles, no one checked to see if everything was okay, the women were arguing in front of the customers, one of them insisted they weren’t “uppity” like other Waffle House locations, the cook couldn’t get the orders straight, one woman insisted on slopping water on the floor by the grill and mopping despite safety objections from the cook and other workers, etc. Ron was teasing these women mercilessly and they had no idea that he was having fun with them. At one point, Ron asked our waitress if she was the slightest bit curious about whether or not he was enjoying his breakfast (since she hadn’t checked with him). Even with that prompting, she was completely oblivious and insisted that everyone likes the breakfasts at Waffle House. The whole experience was surreal! The grits, by the way, were underwhelming – basically cream of wheat-like cornmeal with lots of butter and, because I’d ordered cheese grits, my serving was topped with a slice of processed cheese. I couldn’t believe it. I’m sure there are better grits (and waffles) to be had, but we wouldn’t have missed this comedy show for the world!

New Orleans, Louisiana

Linda in Site News

We left Savannah, Georgia and drove Highway 10 and saw parts of Florida, Alabama and Mississippi on our way to New Orleans, Louisiana. We arrived at our hotel, the Prince Conti, in early evening and were delighted with our accommodation. An historic, privately owned hotel situated just a block off Bourbon Street, the Prince Conti was perfectly situated, authentically furnished, clean and close to everything we wanted to visit.

After checking in, we took a stroll around the French Quarter and stopped for dinner at a restaurant overlooking Bourbon Street and all the action. We shared a salad and we tasted our first crawfish etoufee with a lovely salad and glass of sauvignon blanc – delicious!

Ron visited New Orleans about fifteen years ago as his Dad, Jake, was born there, but this was my first visit. I had wanted to celebrate my fortieth birthday in New Orleans, but that didn’t happen and I hadn’t made it any other time since. I am so glad that my first visit here was with Ron – I absolutely believe that I was meant to wait to share it with him.

Our bellman at the hotel, Chad, recommended that we leave our car the next day and, instead, take the cablecars to explore. It was a great suggestion – for $3 each, we were able to travel all over the city (until 4:00 the next morning!), get on and off with no restrictions, and explore the city with total freedom. We had a fabulous day! Our first stop was the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) where we took in the Sculpture Gardens and then the actual museum itself. NOMA has a wonderful collection of art and we were able to view pieces from some great contemporary artists as well as some of the masters such as Degas, Renoire, Picasso, etc.

The restaurant at the NOMA is rated one of the top ten museums restaurants in America, so we decided to have lunch there (we shared some delicious gazpacho, salad and a Cubano sandwich with a glass of red wine) before heading out on our next streetcar adventure.

Our next stop was the Garden District, where we jumped off the streetcar and explored Audubon Park, then walked for miles back towards the center of the city to fully appreciate the beautiful homes and magnificent architecture. Our final streetcar adventure was the River District, from where we walked back through the French Quarter to our hotel, after getting foot reflexology at a little establishment en route. That foot rub felt SO good after so much walking!

After a quick shower at the hotel, we headed to Deanie’s for dinner and enjoyed a feast of charbroiled oysters, salad and crab stuffed flounder with a glass of sauvignon blanc. We grabbed a cab and headed to the Maple Leaf Bar to listen to some live jazz. Ron had been to this club on his last visit and it is ALL about the music – seven nights per week. The band that was playing that Tuesday night was the Rebirth Brass Band that is comprised of three trumpets, two trombones, one tuba, two saxophones, bass and snare drums and other percussion (including congas). The music was phenomenal! We picked up their CD entitled “Rebirth of New Orleans” to keep their music with us and remind of an evening of music that literally blew the roof off.

Our cab drivers both to and from the Maple Leaf Bar were a delight. On the way to the club we rode with Manuel, an author who wrote of his escape from Ethiopia over a decade ago. He wrote his book in his native language, which we should try to find for our beautiful Ethiopian friends, Liya Kebede and Winnie Schulman. Our cab driver for the return trip was Oscar, a New Orleans native who we hope will come to see us in Cabo with his wife and daughter.

One of the highlights of our trip to the Maple Leaf Bar was driving through the area that Tulane and Loyola Universities are situated in. The campuses of both universities are spectacular!

Just before we left the city, we walked around the corner of our hotel to Thomas Edison Square, where live jazz is playing all day and night long, to sample a traditional New Orleans beignet and it was absolutely delicious. Beignet – done that – and we can’t wait to return to New Orleans for more fabulous adventures and great memories.

America’s Bible Belt

Linda in Site News

Ron and I obviously travel great distances and cover thousands of miles on the highways and bi-ways of North America. We strive to stay current by watching local and national news on television, picking up local papers, and the New York Times (the paper whenever possible or the digital version when the paper isn’t available). In the car, we enjoy listening to NPR (National Public Radio) stations across the US (and CBC when travelling across Canada last year), despite our bad luck of travelling during public fundraising drives.

Finding NPR stations can be a challenge, but we were alarmed in the southern states to realize that almost ALL other radio stations are religiously based. Talk about finding Jesus – he’s on virtually every radio station!

We couldn’t help but laugh at one talk show that was negating the science behind a recent archeological discovery and insisting that it was all a “hoax”. Unbelievable!

The most upsetting, however, is the sign on the back of the Covenant Transport trailers that reads “It’s not a choice, it’s a baby”. Both Ron and I are huge proponents of freedom of speech and diversity of opinion, but advertising such a politically and morally charged issue on a transport trailer or anywhere so public is completely inappropriate, in our viewpoints.

Savannah, Georgia

Linda in Site News

We arrived in Savannah, GA in late afternoon and parked near the waterfront as that appeared to be where the action was. There’s a lot of history in the south, most of it good and, unfortunately, some of it bad, but it’s important to take in as much as we can to understand the past. It’s hard to imagine the ships bringing slaves to the harbors of this beautiful city and the horrid treatment of people.

We watched the sun set over the harbor and took a stroll down the historic marina area. We were feeling like listening to some live jazz, and were referred (by a lovely young woman in a gorgeous B&B we’d love to stay at on our next visit – see www.oldeharbourinn.com) to a nearby restaurant called Jazz’d (jazzdtapasbar.com) that serves tapas – perfect! We shared some fabulous dishes: She Crab Stew (a Savannah favorite cream based stew with chunks of blue crab and vegetables), Sauteed Mushroom Ratatouille, Fish Tacos “A La Plancha” and Chorizo Sliders with a glass of California pinot noir. A two-piece blues band called Bottles and Cans (Ray Lundy and Mike Walker) were playing and we thoroughly enjoyed them, despite that we were hoping to hear some jazz that night. Both musicians play guitar, but Ray’s voice is really unique; raspy and whisky-soaked.

The couple sitting at the adjacent table from Charlotte, North Carolina, Hillier and Yvonne, bought us a glass of wine to welcome us to the south and, before the end of the evening, we were able to buy them a glass of port to thank them and put a smooth finish to our conversation and evening. Hillier and Yvonne have only been seeing one another a few months and I think they would be close to our ages. Hillier commented that he couldn’t imagine travelling like we have and felt that, as a man of color, that it wouldn’t be possible. We struggled to understand his viewpoint, but respect that he has a right to that belief. Only he has walked in his shoes and lived in his skin. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting them and sharing some fine music and conversation and were grateful to have met them.