Philadelphia

The Trip of a Lifetime

July 30 - We were able to drive Karlene's little sports car into Philadelphia. We saw Betsy Ross's house where she rented rooms for living and for her millinery shop. Then we got on an open top bus and took the tour to see the town. What a great history with cool quaint looking homes. There were tons and tons of rows of apartment buildings that were all built the same but each one was decorated uniquely with different colors, wood workings around the door, etc. The highlight of the day was that we put the top down on her car and drove back to Karlene's with the top down, cool air coming from the air conditioner, hair blowing in the wind, warm and humid sunshine streaming down.

July 31 - We were able to stay just a little longer at Karlene's. She and her family were getting together in Phoenix for a family reunion. Dennis got up early to take them to the airport, where they missed their plane. They decided to stay at the airport rather than come home since they'd just get home and have to turn around and go back. I'm anxious to see Karlene's pictures of when she gets her bathrooms remodeled. She's putting in the most gorgeous white marble floor and shower with a wonderful claw foot soaking tub. It should be about finished this weekend.

Washington, D.C.

The Trip of a Lifetime

August 1 - Drove to Washington DC. Seeing the temple appear over the freeway was just as beautiful as everyone described. We were able to do a session at the temple there that evening. It's fun to see how they manage things just a little differently. The next day we were able to leave our truck and trailer at the hotel and shuttle to the metro then ride the subway into Washington DC historical section. We went to the Washington Monument with it's two different colored stones. The White House didn't seem like the White House because the scene we always see is the back of the building. It had gorgeous, green, lush lawns all around with soccer, cricket, and football games going on. We walked past the reflecting pool that Forest Gump walked through. Cute little ducks and geese were very friendly and were thick there. Then we went to the Lincoln Memorial. These are so huge and impressive. The humidity was so heavy that we were perspiring profusely, but no worries, cause everyone else was too. Even our arms and legs got shiny. We got on a trolley and took a tour through the rest of the town. The only places that we didn't get to see was the Smithsonian Institute and Arlington National Cemetery with the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. At Washington DC, my camera 4 gig memory card filled up and Dennis kindly bought me a little 1 gig to get me by until we could download my 350 pix that I'd already taken. He thinks I'm turning into a Japanese tourist.

Time with Doyle and Karen

The Trip of a Lifetime

After seeing Washington, DC, we drove down through Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, to Cary, NC and arrived at Doyle's late this night where they had cookies and fudge waiting for a late snack and visit around the table.

August 2 - They took us to Duke University to see the beautiful 1400 person Catholic Church there. It has amazing statues and stained glass telling all the Bible stories. Duke University also has an incredible garden done by their agricultural college and many donations. I can't even guess how many acres there were of flowers, water features, sitting areas, and landscaped walkways. We got to go to church with Doyle and Karen. They had fun showing off the twins. We also got to see the cute little Raleigh temple.

August 3 - Spent time with Doyle and Karen. We went out for lunch at a Mediterranean place where we ate something tasty and pronounceable. That night they took us for Eastern North Carolina Bar B Q. It is vinegar based rather than the tomato base of Western North Carolina (and the rest of the country). The vinegar was so mild that it made it very tasty. We also had Brunswick Stew which is native to the East. I didn't love it, but it was ok. Hushpuppies were also served and were delightful. Following is an excerpt from a website on Eastern NC BBQ.

Eastern-NC-Style
by H. Kent Craig ©1999

It's easier to be a Master Chef at the New York Academy Of Culinary Arts & Sciences, it's easier to be be a Professor Of Sanskrit at the Sorbone, it's easier to be a Master Steak Chef at Blackie's in DC, than it is to be a Master BBQ Chef Of Eastern-NC-BBQ. That's because Eastern-NC-Style BBQ is plain whole-hog pork meat, with just the tiniest bit of vinegar-based "sauce" which isn't a sauce at all, applied as a moistening agent. Eastern-Style BBQ is usually one of two grades; either excellent, or close to inedible. When you have a fine-chopped (almost to the point of being ground at times, without use of a mechanical grinder) plain meat dish, with just enough vinegar "sauce" to wake up your tastebuds and nothing else, the meat, the grade of the meat, how the pig is butchered and prepared, the pain-staking slow-cooking process, everything culminates to when it hit's your tongue with either an "ahhhhh" or a "yecchhh!".

Most times Eastern-Style is served with cole slaw, as a side dish if served on a plate, or atop the BBQ itself if served in a sandwich. Craig Claiborne, the former NY Times food critic and a converted fan of NC BBQ, often said an Eastern-Style BBQ sandwich, with the astringency stress of the (usually slightly hot pepper flavor but not much) vinegar sauce balanced with the cool blanche' of the cole slaw made such an Eastern-NC-Style sandwich a true delicacy, an epicurean delight.

When and wherever Eastern-Style NC BBQ served, in addition to cole slaw, two things are also invariably served with it, those being sweetened ice tea so strong as to where a cup or pitcher full of melting ice won't dilute it much, and "hushpuppies". "Hushpuppies", again, seem to be a peculiarly North Carolinia' culinary invention, though, equally again, even though I've never found them for sale at any restaurant outside of North Carolina, one would have to think that fried cornbread balls, which are all that hushpuppies are, would be almost universal in taste appeal and popularity. Hushpuppies are merely cornbread-dough-batter elongated "nuggets" about the size of a small cheese stick, deep-fried very quickly in a super-hot greasebath, which gives them a flavorful golden-brown crust with a yellow and equally flavorful soft middle, and are as or more addicting than great BBQ by themselves.

The Trip Home

The Trip of a Lifetime

August 3 - We drove to U-Haul and dropped off the trailer then for 2 1/2 hours drove free of anything behind us. We picked up a boat for Keith from Lee and Greg Lowe close to Charlotte, NC, which was really convenient and pretty much on the way. We drove about 8 more hours to Nashville, TN and stayed the night. The boat was bigger and less maneuverable than the trailer so we didn't go sightseeing in Nashville. Rats. While in Nashville, we got settled into the hotel then ran about 1/2 block and across a highway to eat supper. While we were eating a tremendous downpour came rollicking through. They said it would usually take at least 2 hours to blow over and we waited quite a while to see if it would, but finally bit the bullet and ran through 2 inch water and drenching, cold rain. We laughed the whole way and had quite a fun time of it even if it was cold and we were wishing for some of that hot East Coast rain. Our shoes were still wet the next morning but we were ok since we had other shoes.

August 5 - This day we drove through Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, and stayed the night at Topeka, Kansas. We ran to Wal Mart the next morning for a few items and saw a place where I could do my nails, so I did since. They feel really elegant. The guy even free handed some pretty decorations for my thumbnails. It was really cool.

Colorado

The Trip of a Lifetime

August 6 - Drove to Denver, Colorado through some of the most wonderful farm lands God ever made.

August 7 - Came over Loveland Pass and didn't even burn the brakes out. The timberlines up in the Colorado Rockies are beautiful. It was fun to look forward to seeing Michael (who survived on his own and loved being in charge) and sleeping in our own beds. YEA! What a fantastic, dream trip.

We traveled through 23 states over 5000 miles and loved every minute. Dennis says he still likes me, too - big bonus!

Grandma Garner

Merintha Mae Blacker Garner passed quietly away in her sleep on April 25, 2009, after suffering a massive stroke two days earlier. If anyone gets a ticket straight into heaven, she will; for a better person has never lived on this earth. She loved unconditionally. She bore widowhood (15+ years), blindness, deafness, loss of her physical body, and pain without complaining. If ever she was inclined to complain, she'd say, "Now, Merintha, count your blessings." And that would be the end of it. I love that dear woman. She has set a perfect example of how I want to be.

J J J Jayda

Miss Jayda entered the world (with assistance via petocin and forcepts) on March 9, 2009 at 21" long and 8#6oz. She got to spend 10 days in the Primary Children's Hospital taking antibiotics for bubbles in her colon. She couldn't eat until the 8th day. Cherie had been pumping faithfully and things went smoothly. The first week she was out of the hospital, she gained a little over a pound. Her mama and papa were really concerned and stayed with her every minute they could. Jayda loves to be held and would sleep as long as she was in their arms. When she was laid down, she fussed. What a doll.