Text 18102, 152 rader
Skriven 2011-11-22 09:12:17 av Ruth Haffly (1:396/45.28)
     Kommentar till en text av Nancy Backus
Ärende: things 56
=================
Hi Nancy,

 NB>  NB>> That is one of the nice side benefits of fall travel...
 NB> Traveling  NB>> south in the spring is similarly nice from here...
 NB> getting to see  NB>> earlier blooms along the way... :)

 RH> Or as we do it, seeing how far spring has gotten on the way up. On the
 RH> way down, seeing how much northward progress has been made in since we
 RH> headed north.

 NB> That too.  :)

Still, whatever way we go, it's a long drive. Some stops are very brief
(5 minutes or less), others take longer but they add up to at least an
hour longer than driving non stop would be.

 NB>  NB>> Familiar names..  :)  I use US15 for most trips point south...
 NB> at  NB>> least as far as Harrisburg, where the paths diverge...

 RH> We usually pick up I-81 somewhere in that area. We've gone north/south
 RH> on 15 in PA as long as we've lived in the south.

 NB> I-81S to get to my brother's, bottom of VA; I-83S to get to my
 NB> sister's, between Baltimore and Annapolis; 283(?) to get to Lancaster
 NB> region
 NB> (grandmother used to be in Quarryville); PA Turnpike to get to
 NB> Philly... etc...

I've got a couple of aunts in NJ but we usually don't split off to see
them. So, it's 95 to split for either eastern or western NY, sometimes
with a stopover in MD.  We know we're back in the south (on the way
down) when we start spotting Chik-Fil-A on the "food this exit" signs.
(G)


 RH> On our honeymoon, we lost a hub cap to our 1971 Pinto on old 15, in
 RH> an area that's now under water. The car itself ended up in a auto
 RH> junkyard somewhere in the New Columbia area; we were in an accident
 RH> the day after we lost the hub cap.

 NB> Guess that car just didn't want to leave the area... ;)  Made for
 NB> quite the adventure, I guess... how badly did it change your plans..?

Actually a hurricane blowing thru the area (the F one in 1975) was the
cause for both events. The flooding it caused put us a couple of days
behind on our trip south--we couldn't get beyond Harrisburg so we were
going to visit one of Stve's uncles (and family) in New Columbia. The
rain from the storm weighted down a tree branch, concealing a stop sign
crossing old 15 so Steve didn't see it at first. By the time he did, hit
the brakes and we skidded into the intersection, a semi truck was coming
up from right. We stopped, but not before his back tires bent the front
couple of feet of the car to the left.  Nobody hurt, just shaken,
thinking about what could have happened. Got a recall notice on the car
a couple of years later after the dangers of rear end collisions were
exposed so we sent back a reply that the car had been destroyed in a
front end collision. Anyway, staying with Steve's aunt & uncle while
waiting for the water to recede and a replacement car (Steve's dad drove
down a 65 Falcon for us>), is when I found out how much Steve liked
green peas. (G)

 NB> negligible is more like a couple  NB>> hours, driving for a 10-12hour
 NB> day is only a day trip...  ;)

 RH> True, in the same manner, have you noticed that it takes a shorter
 RH> time to go back home (even if you're going the same way but in reverse)
 RH> than it took to get to a new place?

 NB> Yup.  :)   Anticipation and concentration on the directions etc make
 NB> the trip much longer.... :)

Mostly concentration on directions I think.


 NB>  NB>> And it would mean shorter stops for meals...  :)  Besides, it's
 NB> not an  NB>> everyday occurance, and wouldn't have become so.. it was
 NB> just another  NB>> aspect of the trip...  :)

 RH> Still, I'm glad they offer more than just hamburgers and fries. I
 RH> usually go for salads and/or chicken.

 NB> More variety can mean more clientele... :)  And more families that
 NB> want different things can be happy at one spot... ;)

Big plus there. Like the food courts at a mall--we can all get something
different. Not necessarily what we really want but not something we
absolutly don't want but have not choice but to accept. There was one in
one of the malls in Tucson that had a good gyro; Rachel and I stopped in
one day on our way home from getting things for her wedding. Got our
meals to go; she got a McD's sort and I got the gyro. Unwrapping it in
the car, the aroma of the onions and garlic were making her wish she'd
gone for it too. I don't remember the name of the chain or which mall it
was in but it was good food.

 RH> I'm glad I'm taking this 7 week term off tho. Been sewing just about
 RH> every day but Saturday and Sunday the past couple of weeks. Too busy
 RH> with other things (like cooking for Life Group) on Saturday to sew.

 NB> Keeps you busy, for sure.. :)

Yes, but better busy than bored.

 RH> Steve had to take time out from his work yesterday to 1) verify the
 RH> garbage disposal was dead 2) call the landlord, discuss situation with
 RH> him and 3) go out to buy a new one, come home and install it. He got
 RH> the same type as was in there, just a different brand, so it was a
 RH> (fairly) easy out/in. Meanwhile, I'm cooking, can't use half the sink,
 RH> getting to the other half was an obstacle course..................

 NB> Sounds like a really crazy day...!  Back to normal, now, though...?

As much as normal can be. Steve is finishing a paper, will work on
another one tomorrow. In addition to my usual Monday madness, I made NC
style chow-chow today (a green tomato relish); I was able to get some
green tomatoes at the farmer's market on Saturday. We also got some
beets, baby Brussels sprouts, spinach, green peppers and pullet & duck
eggs. Sprouts were roasted, acorn & butternut squash I got a couple of
weeks ago was (pressure) cooked, all put in the freezer. Beets were also
pressure cooked and frozen, spinach will go into a wilted salad with hot
bacon dressing for tomorrow's supper.


 NB>  NB>> ... He does not get lost all the time; he discovers Alternate
 NB>  NB>> Destinations

 RH> We "go exploring." (G)

 NB> Likewise.  :)   Some of my best alternate routes were discovered
 NB> serendipitously while "exploring"... :)  "Lost" is only when time is
 NB> of the essence... and things won't resolve...  ;)

Our "go exploring" times are usually when we're headed to a place for
the first time. Haven't had as many of them since we got the GPS. (G)

(Later)
I also cooked & froze some collards Saturday. Forgot about doing those.
Today I'll make pie crusts (to be filled with pumpkin & baked tomorrow),
a cheese ball and probably some marinaded carrots, all for our combined
dinner with several other church families. I'll also get the veggies for
a veggie tray to be put together Thursday morning; think I've got
everything I need for a pickles, olives, etc tray to assemble Thursday
as well.

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net  FIDO 1:396/45.28


... It isn't hard to meet expenses...they're everywhere!

--- PPoint 3.01
 * Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)