Mom Trip - Day 3

We arrived at the location for our art quilt workshop and are pretty beat, so this will be a short post. 

We drove pretty much all day from Bowling Green, KY to Wooster, OH. We got stuck in construction traffic in Louisville, KY and game traffic in Cincinnati and then accident traffic in Columbus. 

The folks that we are staying with and learning from are really interesting and I'm looking forward to unleashing the creativity, but first I need to get to sleep and get rested. 

A couple of high points for the day, though were 1. Neither the subject or I realized that we would be driving into a different time zone so imagine our confusion when I looked AT&T the clock in the car and noticed that we had lost an hour. And 2. My dog walker, house sitter extraordinaire may have acquired another stray dog for me....but we will just have to see if he is still around when I return....

In the meantime, off for some much needed shut eye. 

Mom Trip - Day 2 (The Setting of Rules)

Day 2 and the subject and I are still getting along. We awoke to a lovely day in Little Rock at our pleasant Holiday Inn Express. As per custom, we partook of the free breakfast including having a cinnamon roll, which I really want to know if I can order those from somewhere and just keep them in the freezer to heat up when I'm feeling the need for a pick-me-up of flaky crust and cinnamon surgar. 

We got away only slightly later than we had planned. I started as the driver and got us as far as Memphis. We pulled over and checked out the tourist and welcome center where there is a statue of Elvis and B.B. King. They also had karaoke with a live band going on across the river at Mud Island that we could hear. We walked along the shore of the Mississippi River for a few minutes and remembered the times that we had when we lived just south across the line in Mississippi. We also texted a picture to my sister and asked her to guess where we were...this later became a theme for the day. 

Eventually, we got back in the car and continued east. Mom was behind the wheel at this point and remained the driver for the rest of the day. I was comfortable relinquishing the reins, so to speak. We drove on for another hour until I saw a sign for the Casey Jones Railroad Museum and tourist center and insisted we pull off, not because I wanted to go check out the museum, but I figured they would have a decent bathroom and, well, I really needed to use the facilities. We ended up going through the museum because it was free and sort of interesting. The museum is all about Casey Jones, conductor of legend who saved a train full of passengers from certain death in a train crash in 1900. I'm still not 100% certain about the whole story! but there is a song out there about it and he has a museum, so must be important. We did send another picture to my sister from this locale but she was flummoxed as to where we were and to be honest she was a little more concerned with watching college football, specifically the TCU Horned Frogs. 

Mom and I considered having some lunch at the restaurant there at the museum, however, upon seeing the food (sorta cafeteria/buffet style) I knew that it wasn't anything that I could stomach. They were serving good ol' home style Southern cooking (e.g., collard greens, black-eyed peas, hominy, fat back, pickled pigs feet...okay maybe that us going a little far, but you get the idea) and that is just not something my palette has ever appreciated. So, we opted for a scoop of ice cream and headed on our way. 

The next stop we made was at a rest stop just West of Nashville because for some reason today my bladder was on full output. And we got so tickled that mom almost killed us...okay, not really but we were laughing pretty hard at something that I'm pretty certain nobody else would find it quite as hilarious....building those memories. 

It was about this time that I'm looking at the atlas, because that is what the navigator is supposed to do, and I'm trying to find something. Mom looks over at the map as if she is trying to read it while driving. I calmly close the atlas and state "Here's the thing, we have to have a rule that the person in the driver's seat is not allowed to read the map as their job is to actually drive." This became the most recent thing thst got us laughing and now whenever we need to set a rule, we have to start with "Here's the thing... There will be no yelling at one another in the car" or "Here's the thing... If you need to go to the bathroom, state it calmly and with enough advance notice so that the driver can safely navigate off the highway to a clean, well lit location".

We got stopped in bumper to bumper stop and go traffic just north of Nashville and managed to go all of 1.8 miles in about 30 minutes. Luckily, mom was driving and she managed the situation with a much calmer attitude than I ever would have had. And once the traffic cleared it was clear sailing, so to speak, into Kentucky, where we pulled into the state information area to 1. Use the facilities, again and 2. Take another "guess where we are picture" to send to my sister. 

Shortly there after we arrived in Bowling Green where we checked into our hotel and walked across the street to a less than stellar dinner at another chain restaurant. I wrapped up the day by walking the halls to get my 10,000 steps in for the day and learning that my Aggies managed to come out ahead of the Razorbacks and the Horned Frogs whomped up hard on the SMU Mustangs. 

Tomorrow we have another semi long day of driving ahead where we finally arrive at the location for our quilting workshop. 

Mom Trip 2014 - Day 1

Today is day one of my adventure with my mom. We are on a drive across the country to a quilt camp and then off to explore Niagara Falls and then upper Michigan. 

We left almost on time. I hadn't finished packing, so I needed to get that wrapped up and I have to convince Leo that I would back and to be a good boy. I'm pretty certain that he knew something was up as he was a little reluctant to go outside to go potty, although he eventually did and I felt okay leaving him alone (I have a house sitter/dog walker staying with him so that his schedule won't be too out of sorts).

Anyway, mom and I got on the road and headed for Little Rock, AR. We stopped a couple hours out to have a quick bite at a rest stop (some cheese and crackers and fruit) and to stretch our legs. We then got back in the car and mom took over the driving for awhile. Yes, I actually let somebody else drive my new baby and I'm pleased to say that she did a fine job and I will allow her drive some more on this trip. 

As we crossed into Arkansas, I noticed a sign for the William Clinton Presidential Library so we decided that we would stop there before heading to the hotel, because we really didn't have anything else to do and we were making really good time. And surprise, surprise...there was a Chuhuly exhibit at the library, which was great to see. 

We then headed to the hotel and a quick dinner at a chain steakhouse. Nothing fancy for us...yet. 

So, after day one, we have both survived. 

Happy Feet a la Sara

Sara posted yesterday about how happy her feet were after meeting up for our bi-weekly "Pedis and Pinot" event (although we don't actually drink Pinot...sometimes we'll go out for dinner afterwards and have a Margarita or a glass of wine). In her blog, she mentioned getting flowers on her toes because the plan for the green sparkle polish (for St. Patty's Day) over the neon pink (for her birthday) just didn't quite cut it, while I got a green polish base and topped with the green sparkle:

Yes, I figured I'd get a shot with Leo since I hadn't put a picture of him out here in a couple of week.

I also decided that I would display my toes in the choice of sandals that I'm deciding on for my upcoming trip to Hawaii:

I was trying to decide which would be better as I'm only keeping one pair....I'm going with the ones on the right because they are MUCH more comfortable. 

Lo-Tiv-Ro Tour Wrap Up

Today we headed home, at last. It was a great trip, but long and we were all ready to get back to our own beds and routines. On the flight from London back to Dallas, I watched 4 films, but couldn't tell you a single thing about any of them. One of my pieces of luggage was stuffed full and the seams were starting to rip so I had to do the really classy act of having the airport wrap my luggage in plastic wrap. I only wish that I had gotten a picture of the plastic wrapped luggage because I was so proud walking through the airport with that getting my hillbilly vibe on. Unfortunately, my other luggage could have easily held more because it is magically spacious, but if I'd added anything more it would have been over the weight limit.

In closing, here are some additional pictures I took of things that made me think of folks back home or are just interesting....

Thinking of all my winos....

And my Texans....

And my people who use phone booths. Sadly, I never did see the T.A.R.D.I.S.

And my Martins...

Just thought this was a really cool door handle. It was for a meat market.

On the left hand of the gate is a sign that says "Please keep gate shut". I think somebody can't read.

Hmm, I wonder...

At Heathrow airport where we had breakfast before heading to Rome.

Everywhere else in the world toilet women wear A-line dresses. In Rome, they are fashion forward with a poofy Marilyn Monroe wind-up-my-dress dress.

Hmm, again...

There is a children's shop in Tivoli....

Before Tyra Banks coined the phrase, it was a long standing family name...

The Pope's cat, well kitten. It seems that these 3 kittens showed up in Vatican city and anything within the walls of the Vatican become the Pope's and are here-by sacred. Some of the people in the tour group actually got in trouble for reaching out and petting the kitten as it is now a holy vessel of the Pope....

Continued excavation and learning being done by archeorobot.com within the grounds of the Roman Forum.

Just thought this was an interesting store in Rome:

Summer lovin'....

Run, Run, Run to the Exit!!

We can only Supersize over here. The McDonalds in Rome, you can get the Mythic Chicken!! By the way, I was yelled at by the McDonalds staff for taking this picture...

Well that is one way to relax on your scooter....

I have a strange fascination with dopplegangers:

I like the "o" in "your" and it almost shows off my cute dress (that was way too big) that I wore on my last day.

The very last picture I took is of a deflated Tweety-bird balloon caught in a tree and I think this goes to show that it was definitely time to go home.

And now that we have come to the end of our trip, the diversion is over and I must return to the daily grind...oh and blog about something else....

Lo-Tiv-Ro Tour Day 13

Today was the last day of the trip and was spent relaxing, packing, doing some last minute shopping and site seeing. Surprisingly, I did not take many pictures on this day (perhaps my camera and I were both just too worn out after 12 days and over 4,200 pictures).

We started off trekking across Rome to one of the shops where we stopped on our very first day to pick up some souvenirs. We then wandered over to the Piazza Novona where we sat for an hour or so just people watching and enjoying la dolce vita (the good life) as represented in the name of this shop:

We then wandered through a couple of more shops. I picked up a beautiful bag, which is the perfect size to hold wallet, phone, chapstick, book, keys and sling across your body and head out the door.

You can't tell from the above picture, and actually this one doesn't quite do it justice, but the purse is a wonderful grape color.

We stopped in at the gelato shop where we were our first day near Trevi fountain and had a last yummy dish of gelato. We then headed back to the hotel to get packed.

After packing what I could, I then made a last ditch trip to a couple of shops to pick one or two things up and came across this beautiful purse which has handles that are set to be able to carry it as a backpack, if so desired.

My companions were heading out for dinner and when I completed my final shopping I swung by the restaurant and met them for a last glass of wine, salad, and tiramisu. We then headed back to the hotel and to bed as we had to get up at 4 AM to get our cab in the morning for the airport and for home. 

Lo-Tiv-Ro Tour Day 12

Today, we start back at the Piazza del Popola. I thought I would change the direction of the lion fountain picture and take one from behind this time. Actually, I took this picture because as I was sitting there waiting for everybody to arrive I noticed that those sculpture didn't forget a thing...sadly my Leo no longer was what this leo has:

Can YOU tell what I'm referring to?

After everybody arrived, we headed off to explore Tuscany. We first stopped in a medieval hill town called Montepulciano.

The bell is rung by "Punch" who later became part of a puppet duet called Punch and Judy.

Picture of the Communal Palace:

The church, Santa Maria delle Grazia.

This is a car-free town, for the most part as residents are allowed vehicles, but as you can tell by the streets, there isn't a lot of room....

After our tour of the town and some instruction in medieval and Renaissance architecture, we headed to the Abbazia di Sant Antimo. It is here that we heard Gregorian monks chanting. This was definitely a magical moment and something that I would love to travel back and experience again. Since I was with a tour group, I was not able to explore in the fashion that I would like and at my own speed; I just got a taste of the good stuff and want more.

We were not allowed to take pictures inside the church, so I tried to get one from outside. It is a small church, compared to the huge basilicas that I've been seeing through the recent days, but it was still gorgeous. As we sat and listened to the monks the windows above and to the sides of the alter looked out over the rolling hills of Tuscany and well, I don't have words for it.

We left the Abbey and headed to the winery Poggio Il Castellare where we were treated to lunch and a wine tasting.

A shot of the patio and the view from the winery:

We ate at this long table shaded by canopies.

Our first course (and my favorite course) consisted of the following plate. We had chickpeas, bruschetta pomodoro (with tomato and basil), bruschetta with fava beans, pecorino cheese and prosciutto, and the regional dish called Panzanella, which is a salad made of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, basil, and bread. Since the Tuscan people do not cook with a lot of salt, their bread does not have salt on it. To provide that extra kick of flavor, you drizzle olive oil over everything. I thought I wasn't going to enjoy this, but that food was so wonderful it brought tears to my eyes.

Our next course was pasta and then some biscotti for dessert, obviously the next two rounds were not worthy of picture taking. The meal was accompanied by four different wines, none of which was purchased by me, but I did enjoy them all.

Inside the cellar:

View from the winery:

Our last stop of the day was to go to Pienza, another wonderful walled town in the hills of Tuscany. There was one primary street that circled the village inside the walls and where there were no less than 5 cheese shops. The whole town smells of pecorino cheese. I wandered around the village and picked up a couple of pieces of pottery and some jewelry. I also purchased some aged basalmic to bring home and try on my next salad.

Again, this town is ancient, well 6 centuries ancient, and has not expanded outside its original wall. It is another place where I would have liked to spend a much greater amount of time just soaking up the culture and the landscape and finding cool doors to take pictures of:

Definitely a place that I would like to return to and I'm so very happy that I made the decision to take this trip and spend one of my last remaining days in the country.