Sunday, February 28, 2010

Need I say more?

"It looks like a salvage yard" was my mother's comment about the garage where we had Tillie taken.

When Tillie finally makes it to Bridge in Seattle, her true owner, we'll obviously need something to take her place. Should we look for an older version... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56XL0TysIn0

A bit of trivia to add to today's reading... McCullough County Texas (where we're at) has more than three times as many goats as it has people and Brady is the home of the World Champion Barbeque Goat Cook-off that takes place Labor Day weekend. San Angelo (the closest big-deal town) just had their Stock Show & Rodeo. The Grand Champion Wether Goat sold for $22,500; the Steer for $18,900; the Lamb for $14,550; and the Barrow (pig) for $7,500. Be honest. When you think of Texas livestock, what would you think of first? Perhaps you should think again...
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Saturday, February 27, 2010

Gardens, garages & gastronomes...

Although these photos were taken yesterday, the activities are pretty much the same today except it is a tad warmer (do I dare tell you it is 70?!) and the sun has been shining all day. That equals spring planting here in Texas. My mother is hard at work in her vegetable garden planting Swiss chard to replace the turnips she just pulled. (And, of course, I have more laundry on the line...) It's amazing. From that little garden she occasionally has enough produce to give some away. Her words of wisdom for you to remember = "Cow manure is better than chicken manure".


I suspect you thought all our problems with Tillie had finally been resolved. Well........... only in our dreams. Tillie drove around town the first day we were in Brady but the minute John parked her under the carport she decided she liked it and has refused to budge. In a snit about taking her out in the middle of winter, I guess, and she is taking no chances that we might take her back. Her "buddies" this time are my brother-in-law on the left who brought over, Mike, the guy on his knees and is the best mechanic in the area. Mike actually got her running yesterday but when John went out to start Tillie up shortly after Mike had left, she refused to start again. Mike is on his way over again today but if that doesn't work it may mean a trip on a flatbed (whether she likes it or not) to another VW guru about 40 miles away. He has parts although I'm not sure what's left to be replaced...

And under the category of "not to be believed".... about a dozen blocks from my mother's is Brady Donuts which has the best donuts in Brady according to my family. Although there are no signs to tell you, they also serve wonderful Cambodian food at lunchtime (we can now testify to that). If you've never been to Brady, it is in the middle/heart of Texas a "million miles" from anything non-Texan and where BBQ brisket & Mexican food rule. However, no food shortcuts for the owners. They use the real ingredients driving 2 hours one way to the Austin Asian market for things like lemongrass & spicy basils that aren't available locally. The next time you pass a donut shop you might give it a second glance and wonder what else they might be cooking up in their back room...

Friday, February 26, 2010

A morning in Brady...

Brady, the county seat of McCullough County, has a beautifully restored old courthouse. If your computer can enlarge the photo you might note that while they left the jury seats original (they swivel but are unpadded to keep the jurors awake I imagine) the general seating is nicely padded and comfortable. My sister goes for training at the courthouse this afternoon as the Democratic representative to help count and scan the absentee and paper ballots received for Tuesday's primary. When asked to bring a couple of her Democratic friends she allowed she didn't have/know any other than her husband & mother. (I know you are smiling out there, Joe...)

Next stop, Damuth Taxidermy. Never in my wildest dreams would it have occurred to me to stop there but it was fascinating and their work is impeccable. Museum quality to be sure. George & Joe - if you need a little stuffing done, send it here. On the other hand if you just need a set of antlers to "show off", the guy in the bottom left makes fake ones that look just like the originals. He says hunters sometimes have several sets made of a favorite rack to give to friends as souvenirs. The turkey "wing" was particularly spectacular and my mother & sister want everyone to note the table legs just in case you were wondering what to do with any spare legs you might have around the house. It's an amazing business employing 15 people full time and "memorializing" (my term, not theirs) everything from life-size giraffes for $27,500 (they just did one as a matter of fact) down to fresh water fish for $14 per inch. (Think about it KK...)

Back to the living, we passed a "Nut Hustler". I thought it was for picking up pecans & John thought it was for shelling pecans but it turns out it is used for spraying the trees to keep the bugs out of the nuts.

And finally, a trip to the supermarket to show you times are changing even here. Used to be stores here did not have olive oil or, if they did, it was in very small bottles. Now you can buy it in quarts. Of course lard is still king taking up 2 shelves and available in 25 pound buckets...

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Of family & spring...

This is my mother posing with a batch of her homemade hand-rolled hand-cut egg noodles made with farm eggs we brought from New York. She does make the BEST chicken and noodles which, if I remember the story correctly, my father insisted she learn to make the "right way" from his mother. She earned an "A".

And in case you're wondering, she a naturally happy person which is why she is smiling and not because the bottle of wine has been partly consumed...









Today was the day "set aside" for my sister and I to help Mother prep her next quilt for the frame. Years ago she ran out of quilt projects so I suggested she make one for her own bed for every season. This is the one for fall but has been stashed away for a bit while she quilted quilts for others. In the meantime she mislaid the name of the pattern so if any of you quilters out there know what it is, please let us know. She's already got it on the quilt frame. She listens to Diane Rehm while she quilts and tells me she's fallen behind in her listening.



One last photo for you folks in the northeast. Since Texas seems to have sent you their snow (in feet we understand), perhaps that means you will soon be receiving spring flowers as well.
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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Of snowmen & Olympics...

I assure you that although this snowman on the left does look a bit like me after that harrowing trip from NY to Texas in Tillie, we did NOT bring it with us for NY. It is impressive that Texas had enough snow to make a snowman this time of year especially since the normal temperature for late February is 66.


The other two snowmen look a bit more jolly.
Perhaps they also think it a bit silly that school in Brady was closed yesterday and delayed two hours again today... Can't be too careful I guess.

With predictions of nothing but sun today and temperatures in the high 40's I hung laundry on the line. Pretty pathetic that all over France I had my choice of clothesline shots to include in the daily blog while here in the US I only saw clothes hung out three times on the trip down and have to take pictures of my own clothes on the line. However, it is my mother's clothesline and she still hangs out clothes when possible. (Rumor has it she's 88...) Perhaps we need to create an Energy Conservation Olympics with competitions in laundry hanging or garden digging or.... submit your suggestions...









The forecast for today is for a big melt

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

And now for the real scoop...

Our adventure from yesterday that I was too weary to post last night...
After looking across the Mississippi into Louisiana for two days, Tillie finally added this state to her map. And we began seeing signs for things perhaps you won't see other places. Crawfish - loved the sign at a restaurant advertising them "live or boiled" (no need for a comment here, your imagination is as good as mine...). Then there's the person with BBQ barrels in his side yard and a handwritten sign saying "Fresh Coons" with a painting of raccoon just in case you didn't think you read it right. It seemed a bit early for lunch (or dinner or...) so we just kept going. "Strange Stump Grinding" was another goody.

But even in Tillie on Louisiana back roads it doesn't take long to cross the narrow part of the state so before noon we were in Point Blank, Texas. Another blink and on we went with the temperatures dropping. John reconnected Tillie's "heat" (by the way she can really crank out the heat when the outside temps are above 60... As the temperature outside falls so does her heating capacity.). Early afternoon we were in Huntsville the home of Sam Houston and his statue which is the "World's Tallest Statue of an American Hero". (Give it some thought. I suspect even where you live you could come up with being the world's something or other...) While we did take the time to find Sam, we passed on visiting "Old Sparky", Texas' first electric chair, at the Texas Prison Museum. (Was that just Tillie or did we all shutter as we drove by?) We were intrigued by the sign outside the working prison by the Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice for their "Horse Development Program". (Is this for horses gone wrong?) But time was short because of the approaching snow so we decided to "bite the bullet" (seems a most appropriate phrase to use in this part of the world) and drive on to Brady. The rest is, of course, history (please refer to yesterday's blog is you are unsure if we arrived...)

Monday, February 22, 2010

Natchez to Brady...

A quick post so those of you who are following us won't think we're stranded somewhere... again...
Even though we hadn't planned to drive this far today, the treat of snow for tomorrow at my mother's in Brady (what is with this weather?!!!) spurred us on. For once Tillie ran like a top up until... With only 11 miles to go she began to cough and the generator light came on. We turned off clock, unplugged the GPS, put the lights on low which helped some. Then John remembered he'd turned on the heater fan earlier. When he turned that off, walla, she returned to normal. Since we almost never drive Tillie at night we had forgotten how bad she is at multi-tasking. So we made it to Brady without incident!!! Then the most amazing thing happened. About 4 blocks from my mother's we pass a VW just like Tillie coming out of a side street. He was amazed too because he followed us the rest of the way and we're now "in the know" about area mechanics should Tillie feel "the need..."

Sunday, February 21, 2010

A Day in Natchez...

Oh, the joy of sidewalks beneath your feet without the anticipation of "breakdown"! We woke up this morning to find Tillie tucked snugly in the parking lot so we were left to explore Natchez uninhibited by the limitations of a certain yellow vehicle. Using the suggested walking tour we walked the river front and "below Natchez" as JE suggested. Very pretty (but I think we're still panting - strolling downhill is one thing after several days of sitting but going uphill is another story...). At Rosalie Mansion John was allowed to run his hands across the keyboard of the piano which, I'm to point out to Terry, is a Chickering, the same year & maker as ours at home. (However, even tone deaf me can tell you there's a world of difference in how they sound.) In this same parlor room were also two ladies spittoons (not that that has anything to do with anything...)

Several churches, walkbys of many other beautiful "homes" & a visit to the Natchez Coffee Roasters (no roaster in sight and our coffee was served in a paper cup. Now really, they should be able to do better than that!) found us wanting more so it was off to Longwood, the largest octagonal house in the US. Our tour guide pointed out (for our benefit I'm sure) that NY state has the most octagonal houses - 130. This one was started before the Civil War and the project abandoned when the war started with just the exterior and the "basement" completed. We should all have such basements. Very elegant so don't take pity on the Nutt family who were "forced" to live there without completing the upper floors. Although a bathroom was in the plans for the second floor using rainwater collected off the roof, the family "made do" (sorry...) with a 5 seater outhouse, 2 rooms, one with seating for 3 and one for 2, no waiting. Amazingly, there were to be 6 floors (in the house that is) plus the basement. The person who bought the property from the family and gave it to the Pilgrimage Garden Club stipulated it was never to be completed. We understand a ghost wanders the building and they have a great Halloween party in case you are interested. Also, amazingly, that is Tillie you see parked outside. Longwood was just a bit too far out of town to walk. Even more amazing, Tillie didn't require a mechanic today either!!!!!!!!!

Dinner tonight was at King's Tavern, thought to be the oldest building in Natchez (late 1700's) where the food is good and the ghosts are renowned, especially Madeline. She apparently had been having an affair with King, the tavern owner, and his wife had her killed. Her body was discovered bricked into the fireplace in the 1900's and she still haunts the tavern (or so says the Enquirer). Two other bodies were also found but I guess they keep a low profile. Supposedly if you take a photo in Madeline's bedroom you'll see her aura. (You do see it, don't you?)

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Tupelo to Natchez

Look familiar? And just so we get this out of the way because I know you are wondering... the "mechanic of the day" is Chris Moak who came to our assistance, roadside no less. (His friends from just across the road from where Tillie decided to stop gave him a call.) For a real job Moak repairs huge Caterpillar generator motors on oil rigs in the Gulf. For kicks he plays around with a friend who is a VW guru. (The guru, although Moak is certainly no slough, was off digging an outhouse for artifacts... for fun...) At any rate, the guru has the part we need but we have to wait until he gets home so we left Tillie beside the road and Moak brought us to a hotel he recommended. He'll fix Tillie and deliver her to us later. Mississippi folks are the best!

Now that that bit of info is out of the way... we started the day at Elvis' birthplace in Tupelo. This is John age 65 next to Elvis age 13. Age is only an illusion. It also turns out Tupelo's shimmering and shaking is not limited to Elvis. It's also the home of America's first fish hatchery which we chose to bypass. Instead we hopped onto the Natchez Trace Parkway again and headed to Natchez. 260 beautiful miles through Mississippi countryside with no traffic lights or stop signs and almost no traffic. I counted 11 vehicles in the last 33 miles we traveled. Along the way we saw turkeys, deer, hawks, heron, daffodils, armadillos, cotton fields, Spanish moss and had a picnic lunch beside the Pearl River. It's a great way to cross Mississippi and enjoy one of our National Parks.

The one off the parkway stop we did make was at the little town of Kosciusko for gas. By chance, it turns out to be the birthplace of Opray Winfrey so of course we had to go take a look... Obviously no one has caught on that if they were to capitalize on this and open something for tourists on the site they might go a long way in bringing in some added jobs and revenue to the low income folks on this back country road. PS - This was the first stop of the day where Tillie had to be "defibbed" to get started again.

Given Tillie's fickleness, we dare not push our luck by traveling on a Sunday so we're staying put in Natchez for a day. Monday we have a better chance of finding someone new for Tillie to meet.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Tupelo, Tupelo, Tupelo

Today dawned bright and sunny, warm at last with blue skies. Tillie started right up and we headed west across the rolling red clay hills of north Georgia into Alabama. My only notes from this morning were lots of fishermen doing their thing and spotting the first clotheslines with clothes hung out to dry. And, just in case you're interested, there's a zoo for sale near Paint Rock, AL.

Finally (we gained an hour and are now in Central Time), it was time for lunch so we decided to find something in the neat downtown section of Athens, AL. As we were rounding one corner of the square there was a loud snap and, E-gads!, no clutch (so much for lunch...). While John was once again groveling around under Tillie, I put on my "sleuthing hat" and went in search of info regarding a VW mechanic. Tillie must have the luck of the Irish because, sure enough, Hill Automotive was only 4 blocks away, and downhill at that so we could actually roll her there. Bruce (the beloved mechanic for today) did not have a new cable but was able to splice it with another one he had. Now let's be honest. You're thinking what a pain in the butt this all is and how it must be costing us a fortune. But that's not really the case. We get to meet a lot more people than you probably would zipping by in a nice new car. And, I suspect, if any of these things went wrong with your car you might still be waiting on parts. These old ones can get going again with practically nothing other than a little ingenuity. And the mechanics like them (and take pity I suspect) so never seem to charge the going rate. (The total of all 4 emergency stops with parts is still under $200.) There are some really GREAT people out there!

While Tillie was having her afternoon "fix" with Bruce the mechanic, I went exploring Athens. Loved the Limestone Drugstore (photo above) in the old bank building so wandered in to see what it was like inside. Turns out while you wait to have your prescription filled, you can get an ice cream at this beautiful old soda fountain. There is absolutely nothing on the outside to indicate it's there so if Tillie hadn't broken down I would never have gotten my first ice cream cone of the year. Cost me all of 81 cents I might add. Maybe I'm the lucky one!

Mid afternoon we were on our way again. Saw signs for Ivy Green, the birthplace of.... Helen Keller but decided to pass it by. About 5 miles beyond that was a sign for "Coon Dog Cemetery" but decided to skip that as well. I know, I know, we've just got no sense of adventure sometimes. But eventually we hopped on the beautiful Natchez Trace Parkway and made our way at a leisurely 50 mph Tillie pace to Tupelo (I just love that name). It's the birthplace of.... Elvis Presley so we'll probably be dreaming of hound dogs, or maybe coon dogs, all night.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

A tribute to chickens...


Today was a GREAT day for driving & enjoying the scenery. No snow, moderate wind, a relaxing time to take some notes for you as we traveled into South Carolina. Loved the NC license plate that read "S*NSHINE"; and the billboard for a motel that advertised "Fresh, new bedding" (as opposed to?...); Blenheim world famous ginger ale (now you know if you didn't before); a truck towing a container that read "Rain for Rent" (expect this is a low time of year for them). You can also tell it's getting warmer inside Tillie as well. John left his snow mobile boots in NJ and we shed our hats in NC. In SC we unzipped our coats and in Georgia I put away one of my lap robes. Things are looking up!

Tillie must sense that this may be her first and last trip through the south so seems determined to check in at least once a day with one our nation's backyard VW gurus. Today when we stopped at the Georgia welcome stop, Tillie refused to start again. John worked on her while I chatted up the personnel to locate "Hooker" who turned out to be only about 10 miles away. I also called AAA for a tow, but John got her going in time so that little "excitement" could be canceled. Hooker worked her right in and after putting in new timing stuff, she's running like a top again. (Can't wait to see who she'll find for us tomorrow...)



We didn't make it quite as far as we'd intended today so tonight finds us in Gainesville, Georgia which as luck would have it, is the Poultry Capital of the World, a fact that the tourist info office at the border fails to mention in its info but which we think is pretty neat. Never, ever have we seen a monument dedicated to a chicken, one of my favorite birds.


Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Of Bluebirds & BBQ

Much to our amazement, Tillie started right up this morning. Guess the hot wire/jolt last night acted like a defibrillator and set her to rights. However, (why is there usually a however?) she absolutely refused to go into reverse and only begrudingly went into second. So it was back to our now favorite mechanic at CJ Buggs. A little adjustment to the clutch (plus, I suspect, a good talking to her by Charlie that if she didn't shape up she'd be sitting in a snow bank until spring with her cousin who is waiting on a new motor...) and we were on our way down the beautiful Shenandoah Valley.

Lunch found us in Union Grove, NC the home of the oldest old time Fiddler's Convention in North America and also the home of the Cook Shack. That's the kitchen to the right with the cook who makes the best cheeseburger in NC. And to the left (with me) is LW Lambert who has been world banjo champion 11 times in his career. He's now 84 but still plays most Saturday mornings along with other bluegrass bands at the Cook Shack. So if you're in Union Grove on a Saturday morning stop by for some great pickin' and some great cookin'!

Then it was on to Hickory to George & Vicki's where it is sunny (YES!), above freezing (YES!), the snow is mostly gone (YES!), the robins & bluebirds are everywhere (YES! YES!), the pork BBQ is just as good as we remember (YES!), and George & Vicki & the cat kids are looking great (YES!). While "the guys" were out doing guy things, I spent a relaxing afternoon seeing some of the wonderful things Vicki is doing in her photography classes at the college. She's on the high honors list - no surprise.

Tomorrow we're off again, to where? is yet to be determined.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

And we're off... again...

Braving the snow and the cold, we start Tillie up and we're on the road again, heading south.

We had forgotten but were reminded today how much VW's hate the wind. Between the winds and the trucks, traveling on 81 south certainly kept us awake. Plus it gave John a good shoulder workout trying to keep her in our lane. As for myself, I was just trying to keep warm.

Trivia question... What do Woodrow Wilson & the Stadler Bros. have in common?

Making it to our destination mid-afternoon we decide to fill up with gas before finding a place to stay and doing a bit of sightseeing. No problem except.... Tillie forgets how to start or turn over or even make a noise. I suppose you (not me) could say it is lucky that I have not forgotten how to push. Where oh where is Mary who was with us when Tillie had to be pushed on our last trip west?! For some reason she thinks studying jellyfish in Japan is more exciting than going with us on this trip - go figure! The first photo is the auto parts store who diagnosed the problem as a dead battery and they happily sold us a new one which John (not so happily) put in and which did NOT solve the problem.

However, as with all good VW's of which Tillie is one, they never break down unless they're in reach of a "VW guru". Sure enough, CJ Buggs was only two miles away and even though it was almost quitting time, Charlie took us in and got us going again. Diagnosis - a dead starter motor. None in town so he jury rigged a "jump start" system to bypass the starter so I don't have to push (I love that man!). Of course we still have to get a new starter but hopefully our friend George will have that situation well in hand by the time we get to Hickory tomorrow.

Oh yes, the answer to the trivia question is Staunton, VA (pronounced without the "u"). We had planned to walk around their pretty Victorian town and visit the Wilson library and.... but I guess that will have to wait for another trip south.
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Monday, February 15, 2010

Waiting out the clipper...

Let's see... Judy's wonderful blueberry almond french toast for breakfast; an outing to fill up Tillie's tank before the snow comes (it's evening and it's just arriving...); cousin John repairing John's band saw; a bit of grocery shopping followed by a stop at the Habitat Store (just our luck, it's closed on Mondays). Time? 10:15 a.m. Task left? A picture for this blog.

While it may appear John took up employment in a workshop style tavern, it's actually the new bar cousin John has in the works, complete with bar stools, for their home. It's made completely with wood from their own property and an original design by cousin John. The bar is almost done - needs a bit of finish that he'll do in their auto body spray booth. The stools need some steam bent wooden circles to hold the legs together - thank heavens! When I first saw them I knew there would be no way I'd ever dare sit on them as they are. Can't you just imagine those beautiful curved legs going splat?! And, of course, if we all come to visit, they're going to need a lot more than two!

Although hanging out at the bar has been a lot of fun, we hope to be on the road again tomorrow!
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Sunday, February 14, 2010

The Plan - Go to Texas for a little warm weather???



The reality - well, your guess is as good as ours...

Add to that - we're driving Tillie, the VW. There are several things we knew (had forgotten but now definitely remember!). VW's HATE cold weather and particularly snow but where is there NOT snow in the US right now? This is Tillie "warming up" in our driveway in NY and the scene in NJ is not much different.

So what else had we forgotten? The inside of these buses in the winter are COLD! Except that they have motors, they are not unlike a buggy - bumpy, breezy, and invigorating. You bundle up with everything you have own (note John's driving apparel including the felt lined boots). For myself I added a lap rope (they aren't just for old folks' homes), then another... An hour into the drive the engine had finally heated up to almost normal although that does nothing for the inside heat situation but does make it run a bit smoother. Old VW's are also a bit breezy - no chance of carbon monoxide poisoning you will be relieved to know. Next - Tillie always draws a lot of attention making us feel rather like royalty on parade. This time of year, however, we did begin to think they were just wondering who let those two old crazies out? Then there is the issue of "wimpy" windshield wipers and John's groveling at my feet (we're stopped, of course) trying to get the windshield wiper fluid working. This involves finding the fluid hose, connecting the bicycle pump and giving it 15 pumps for pressure (who thought that one up?!). From my perspective under the lap robes, it was hysterical. Who knows what folks who passed thought John was doing at my feet that caused the lady to be laughing hysterically. Of course, this was followed sometime later by a discussion on where to buy a spray bottle so John could stick his arm out the window periodically to spray the windshield to clean it... (Mercifully, the road dried and this tactic did not become necessary...) And finally there was the air leak we could hear when we arrived, only to finally realize it was only static from the radio (static being the only station available on a VW radio - no surprise). But we're here at cousins John & Judi's in good spirits and, from the sounds of the weather forecast, likely to remain for a couple of days... Stay tuned...