They handle the snow a little differently here in Tennessee than they do back in Wisconsin. It would have to snow pretty hard in Viroqua for the schools to close. It was not unusual at all for it to snow 3-4 inches, but school started on time and went all day anyway.
Last week, we got about a half inch of snow here in Tennessee and school was closed all day. Today, the weather report is calling for a total of 4 – 6 inches starting tonight through tomorrow afternoon. Even though it hasn’t started snowing yet, school ended an hour early because they didn’t want to take a chance that the snow would move in before the schools closed. The kids got a good laugh out of this, although they were more than happy to leave school early.
Kim called a few minutes ago from work and said that a lot of the people at her office are planning on going to the store to stockpile food for the weekend. They are afraid that they won't be able to go anywhere until at least Sunday. Even then, they are not sure any stores or restaurants will be open.
By the way, Canoecopia starts today in Madison. This is the first time we have missed the event since I was being treated for cancer in 2004. It's only the second time since we moved to Wisconsin in 1999 that we'ved missed the show.
In case you don't know, Canoecopia is a huge canoe and kayak show put on by Rutabaga, a large canoe and kayak shop in Madison. In addition to a ton of exhibitors showing everything from canoes and kayaks, to outfitters from all over the world, to outdoor clothing manufacturers, Canoecopia features seminars throughout the weekend on topics related to canoeing and kayaking. It's a great event and one that I will really miss going to this year.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Review: Tomato Tomato
Kim’s parents visited last weekend on their way back from Florida to Illinois. On Friday, we decided to try a new pizza place called Tomato Tomato. The pizzeria is just off the square on West Main St.
After a short wait, we were shown to our table. Tomato Tomato is not very big, so the tables tend to be a bit close. Even so, the atmosphere is comfortable and casual.
T.T. has several beers on draught, including a fishbowl mug of PBR for just $2.00. Kim’s Dad couldn’t resist and had to try one. As I looked around the restaurant, a lot of other people were taking advantage of the offer as well.
The pizza at T.T. is a bit different than other pizza places. Although they offer the traditional pies, they specialize in pizzas that are a bit more gourmet. For instance, they have a list of pizzas, each named after a nearby street, that include unusual ingredients or combinations of ingredients. We ended up ordering three different pizzas; a four cheese pie for Shelby and Lou, and then Kim, her parents and I ordered a College St. (four different types of mushrooms covered in bleu cheese) and a Vine St. (white pizza with EVOO, truffle oil, some sort of Italian cheese (whose name escapes me), and we added portabella mushrooms).
The four cheese pizza was excellent, with a thin, extremely tasty crust, excellent sauce, and a perfect blend of cheeses. The Vine St. was also very good. It had an excellent taste. The pie had a lot, but not too much, garlic, which really made it delicious. My favorite was the College St. The combination of a very good thin crust, excellent sauce, four different types of mushrooms, and plenty of cheese made the pizza a joy to eat.
We definitely enjoyed the pizza at Tomato Tomato. The restaurant has a great atmosphere, excellent service (Ted was our waiter and he did a great job), and wonderful, tasty pizzas. On a scale of 1 – 10, Tomato Tomato gets a 7.5.
After a short wait, we were shown to our table. Tomato Tomato is not very big, so the tables tend to be a bit close. Even so, the atmosphere is comfortable and casual.
T.T. has several beers on draught, including a fishbowl mug of PBR for just $2.00. Kim’s Dad couldn’t resist and had to try one. As I looked around the restaurant, a lot of other people were taking advantage of the offer as well.
The pizza at T.T. is a bit different than other pizza places. Although they offer the traditional pies, they specialize in pizzas that are a bit more gourmet. For instance, they have a list of pizzas, each named after a nearby street, that include unusual ingredients or combinations of ingredients. We ended up ordering three different pizzas; a four cheese pie for Shelby and Lou, and then Kim, her parents and I ordered a College St. (four different types of mushrooms covered in bleu cheese) and a Vine St. (white pizza with EVOO, truffle oil, some sort of Italian cheese (whose name escapes me), and we added portabella mushrooms).
The four cheese pizza was excellent, with a thin, extremely tasty crust, excellent sauce, and a perfect blend of cheeses. The Vine St. was also very good. It had an excellent taste. The pie had a lot, but not too much, garlic, which really made it delicious. My favorite was the College St. The combination of a very good thin crust, excellent sauce, four different types of mushrooms, and plenty of cheese made the pizza a joy to eat.
We definitely enjoyed the pizza at Tomato Tomato. The restaurant has a great atmosphere, excellent service (Ted was our waiter and he did a great job), and wonderful, tasty pizzas. On a scale of 1 – 10, Tomato Tomato gets a 7.5.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Back to School
The kids started school today and I’m more nervous about it than they are. I hate that we are putting them through this. Even though Shelby is outgoing and friendly, she has her group of friends back in Viroqua and she’s not particularly interested in establishing new friendships. I’m sure she eventually will make new friends, but I hate that she has to go through this.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Review: Marina's Restaurant
While we were waiting for our furniture and other possessions to arrive in Murfreesboro, we decided to check out a pizza place that we heard was “pretty good.” Marina’s is an Italian restaurant (as opposed to a pizzeria) on North Maple St. just off the downtown square.
Marina’s is located in an old building that has served as a restaurant since it was built in the early 20th century. The décor honors the age of the building and very little has been done to update it.
Our waitress, Sara, was very friendly and offered us some helpful information about the businesses on the square. She also told us that in her opinion, Marina’s has the best pizza in Murfreesboro. That sounded promising.
We ordered two pies, a cheese for the kids and a sausage and mushroom for the adults. The kids gave a big “thumbs up” on the cheese pizza. They ate the whole thing, so I didn’t get a chance to try it. However, I did get to try the sausage and mushroom pizza and it also gets a “thumbs up.”
Marina’s was very generous with the mushrooms, but not so much on the sausage. The crust was thin and very good, while the sauce was tasty and for a change there was enough of it.
Overall, our experience at Marina’s was very good. The service was top notch and on a scale of 1-10, the pizza gets a solid 7.
Marina’s is located in an old building that has served as a restaurant since it was built in the early 20th century. The décor honors the age of the building and very little has been done to update it.
Our waitress, Sara, was very friendly and offered us some helpful information about the businesses on the square. She also told us that in her opinion, Marina’s has the best pizza in Murfreesboro. That sounded promising.
We ordered two pies, a cheese for the kids and a sausage and mushroom for the adults. The kids gave a big “thumbs up” on the cheese pizza. They ate the whole thing, so I didn’t get a chance to try it. However, I did get to try the sausage and mushroom pizza and it also gets a “thumbs up.”
Marina’s was very generous with the mushrooms, but not so much on the sausage. The crust was thin and very good, while the sauce was tasty and for a change there was enough of it.
Overall, our experience at Marina’s was very good. The service was top notch and on a scale of 1-10, the pizza gets a solid 7.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
FAQ About Our Move
My last post probably created more questions than it answered. So here are some questions and answers about the move.
What about the agency? I meant to say something about this before, but I forgot. I’ll be keeping the agency. I’ll be splitting my time between Viroqua and Tennessee. It’s not a perfect solution, but I’m going to do my best to make it work. The year has started out unusually well for the agency (January and February are usually REALLY slow), so I’d like to keep the momentum going. Eventually, I’d also like to get a cabin and a few acres in Viroqua where I can stay when I’m there and where we can spend time in the summer. All in due time…
What’s going to happen to the RV? I’m not sure yet. Since we won’t be living in it any more, I’m tempted to sell it. However, I’ve also thought about keeping it for weekend trips. Tennessee has a lot of really great state parks we could explore, so the RV could come in handy. On the other hand (or is it the first hand?), if we sold it, the money would come in handy. As you can tell, I don’t have any idea what we are going to do with the RV.
Are the kids going back to “regular” school? Yes. In fact, the Lascassass Elementary School (grades K-8) is just behind the house we are renting.
What about the blog? I can’t live without the blog. Will you keep writing your blog? I think I will. Our road trip may be over, but our mutual adventure through life continues. If you’ll keep reading, I’ll keep writing.
Why do you move so often? Good question. I wish I knew.
What about the agency? I meant to say something about this before, but I forgot. I’ll be keeping the agency. I’ll be splitting my time between Viroqua and Tennessee. It’s not a perfect solution, but I’m going to do my best to make it work. The year has started out unusually well for the agency (January and February are usually REALLY slow), so I’d like to keep the momentum going. Eventually, I’d also like to get a cabin and a few acres in Viroqua where I can stay when I’m there and where we can spend time in the summer. All in due time…
What’s going to happen to the RV? I’m not sure yet. Since we won’t be living in it any more, I’m tempted to sell it. However, I’ve also thought about keeping it for weekend trips. Tennessee has a lot of really great state parks we could explore, so the RV could come in handy. On the other hand (or is it the first hand?), if we sold it, the money would come in handy. As you can tell, I don’t have any idea what we are going to do with the RV.
Are the kids going back to “regular” school? Yes. In fact, the Lascassass Elementary School (grades K-8) is just behind the house we are renting.
What about the blog? I can’t live without the blog. Will you keep writing your blog? I think I will. Our road trip may be over, but our mutual adventure through life continues. If you’ll keep reading, I’ll keep writing.
Why do you move so often? Good question. I wish I knew.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
The Rest of the Story
If you read my last post, you know that we have called an end to our great big road trip. We were on the road (or at least away from home) for two-and-a-half months and the trip wasn’t going as well as we had hoped. However, there is more to the story than I included in my Kickapoo Free Press column.
Using the Way Back Machine, let’s go back to the summer of 2007. We had decided that Kim needed to get a job outside of my agency. Kim was working for free, which was great for the agency, but horrible for our family finances. Good paying jobs around Viroqua are few and far between (some would say “non-existent”), so she submitted her resume to State Farm. Kim worked for State Farm for 13 years as a (very good) claim representative before giving up her job to come to work in my agency in July 2006. When she didn’t hear back from State Farm after a month or two (she called and emailed, but they never responded), we came up with the bright idea of going on our road trip.
In early February, Kim received a call from State Farm out of the blue. To our surprise, Kim was offered a claim rep job without an interview. To make the deal even sweeter, they offered her more money than she was making when she quit in 2006. The only downside (if it is a downside) is that the job is located in State Farm’s office in Murfreesboro, TN. Even so, the opportunity was just too good to pass up.
So as I write this, the movers are moving our stuff into a house we rented in Lascassas, TN. Everything has happened so fast, we haven’t even had a chance to tell a lot of our friends about the move. If you are among the many that is finding out about the move through this post, please forgive us. The past three weeks (since Kim was offered the job) have been crazy. Hopefully, things will settle down now so we can let you know what is going on.
Using the Way Back Machine, let’s go back to the summer of 2007. We had decided that Kim needed to get a job outside of my agency. Kim was working for free, which was great for the agency, but horrible for our family finances. Good paying jobs around Viroqua are few and far between (some would say “non-existent”), so she submitted her resume to State Farm. Kim worked for State Farm for 13 years as a (very good) claim representative before giving up her job to come to work in my agency in July 2006. When she didn’t hear back from State Farm after a month or two (she called and emailed, but they never responded), we came up with the bright idea of going on our road trip.
In early February, Kim received a call from State Farm out of the blue. To our surprise, Kim was offered a claim rep job without an interview. To make the deal even sweeter, they offered her more money than she was making when she quit in 2006. The only downside (if it is a downside) is that the job is located in State Farm’s office in Murfreesboro, TN. Even so, the opportunity was just too good to pass up.
So as I write this, the movers are moving our stuff into a house we rented in Lascassas, TN. Everything has happened so fast, we haven’t even had a chance to tell a lot of our friends about the move. If you are among the many that is finding out about the move through this post, please forgive us. The past three weeks (since Kim was offered the job) have been crazy. Hopefully, things will settle down now so we can let you know what is going on.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Hot Off The Presses: Column #4
Here's the March column for Kickapoo Free Press:
Postcards from the Road
The End of the Road
My wife sometimes accuses me of being overly optimistic. She says that I too often focus on the positive and I don’t take into account the potential negative. I’d like to defend myself, but the truth is that she is more right than wrong. Here’s a prime example.
When we first started planning our cross-country RV adventure, I was excited about all of the places we would go and the things we would see. Best of all, I’d be able to share it all with my kids. I was convinced that the trip would be a great time and our shared experiences would become life-long memories.
What I didn’t think about when I was planning the trip was all of the things that could go wrong. I didn’t think about getting the RV stuck on the ice just three miles after leaving home. I didn’t consider the possibility of wrecking the tow dolly at our very first campground. It never entered my mind that we would hit not one, but two deer with our van while camping in Tennessee. I had no idea that the RV would be so hard to drive when the winds in Florida gusted to more than 30 miles per hour. And yet, each of these things (and more) happened during our road trip.
Our plan was to spend the Christmas and New Year’s holidays in Florida with my parents before heading up the west coast of the Sunshine State and then on through New Orleans, Houston, Dallas, and beyond. It was a good plan. The only problem was that no one wanted to follow it.
At first, we started making excuses for staying with my parents in Florida. We had to get our Van repaired, then my Mom’s birthday was coming up, then there was a concert we wanted to see. Our great cross-country adventure had turned into an extended Florida vacation.
Little by little we each started to make comments indicating that maybe our plans for the RV trip needed to be changed. When things started to go wrong, my wife Kim mentioned more than once about how a successful RV trip needs someone who is handy with tools or is wealthy. She didn’t have to mention the fact that I fell short on both accounts.
Our daughter Shelby said that she thought it was an omen that so many things had gone wrong in such a short time. She said it seemed like God was telling us to give up on the RV trip and to live like normal people.
Although our son, Lou didn’t seem to have a strong opinion one way or the other, he said that he’d like to go back to regular school. On the trip, I guess that Mom made him work too hard.
I didn’t want to give up on our trip. I wanted to go to all of those great places and see all of those great things. I wanted to build life-long memories with my family. Unfortunately, I had to confess that the trip had become a big pain.
Between the mechanical problems, the expense of having to fix wrecked parts, and all of the other mishaps we suffered through during our first few weeks on the road, the headaches of the trip outweighed the great experiences. We were building memories, but they were the kind we would just as soon forget.
The day we decided to end our great cross-country RV adventure was a sad day, at least for me. I think Kim and the kids were relieved. But for me, the RV trip represented more than just a long vacation. It was a goal I had set for myself. It was something I wanted to accomplish before I die.
At the moment, I’m not sure how I should approach our aborted adventure. Should I look at it as a dream postponed until another time or should I view it as no longer being a goal? It’s going to take a little time to get my head around that one.
No matter what I decide, I am glad that we gave it a shot. I think there is great value in trying, no matter the results. Plus, I have a lot of other goals to pursue in the meantime. In fact, I can’t wait to get started. I’m looking forward to having some great experiences. Of course, it could be that I’m just being overly optimistic.
Postcards from the Road
The End of the Road
My wife sometimes accuses me of being overly optimistic. She says that I too often focus on the positive and I don’t take into account the potential negative. I’d like to defend myself, but the truth is that she is more right than wrong. Here’s a prime example.
When we first started planning our cross-country RV adventure, I was excited about all of the places we would go and the things we would see. Best of all, I’d be able to share it all with my kids. I was convinced that the trip would be a great time and our shared experiences would become life-long memories.
What I didn’t think about when I was planning the trip was all of the things that could go wrong. I didn’t think about getting the RV stuck on the ice just three miles after leaving home. I didn’t consider the possibility of wrecking the tow dolly at our very first campground. It never entered my mind that we would hit not one, but two deer with our van while camping in Tennessee. I had no idea that the RV would be so hard to drive when the winds in Florida gusted to more than 30 miles per hour. And yet, each of these things (and more) happened during our road trip.
Our plan was to spend the Christmas and New Year’s holidays in Florida with my parents before heading up the west coast of the Sunshine State and then on through New Orleans, Houston, Dallas, and beyond. It was a good plan. The only problem was that no one wanted to follow it.
At first, we started making excuses for staying with my parents in Florida. We had to get our Van repaired, then my Mom’s birthday was coming up, then there was a concert we wanted to see. Our great cross-country adventure had turned into an extended Florida vacation.
Little by little we each started to make comments indicating that maybe our plans for the RV trip needed to be changed. When things started to go wrong, my wife Kim mentioned more than once about how a successful RV trip needs someone who is handy with tools or is wealthy. She didn’t have to mention the fact that I fell short on both accounts.
Our daughter Shelby said that she thought it was an omen that so many things had gone wrong in such a short time. She said it seemed like God was telling us to give up on the RV trip and to live like normal people.
Although our son, Lou didn’t seem to have a strong opinion one way or the other, he said that he’d like to go back to regular school. On the trip, I guess that Mom made him work too hard.
I didn’t want to give up on our trip. I wanted to go to all of those great places and see all of those great things. I wanted to build life-long memories with my family. Unfortunately, I had to confess that the trip had become a big pain.
Between the mechanical problems, the expense of having to fix wrecked parts, and all of the other mishaps we suffered through during our first few weeks on the road, the headaches of the trip outweighed the great experiences. We were building memories, but they were the kind we would just as soon forget.
The day we decided to end our great cross-country RV adventure was a sad day, at least for me. I think Kim and the kids were relieved. But for me, the RV trip represented more than just a long vacation. It was a goal I had set for myself. It was something I wanted to accomplish before I die.
At the moment, I’m not sure how I should approach our aborted adventure. Should I look at it as a dream postponed until another time or should I view it as no longer being a goal? It’s going to take a little time to get my head around that one.
No matter what I decide, I am glad that we gave it a shot. I think there is great value in trying, no matter the results. Plus, I have a lot of other goals to pursue in the meantime. In fact, I can’t wait to get started. I’m looking forward to having some great experiences. Of course, it could be that I’m just being overly optimistic.
Hot Off The Presses: Column #3
I just realized that I never posted my February column for Kickapoo Free Press. Better late than never. Here it is:
Postcards from the Road
Adjusting to Life on the Road
When we were planning our cross country RV trip, I knew that life on the road would be a big adjustment for our whole family. In particular, I was interested to see how the kids would adjust. I was worried they would have trouble adapting to their new life. As it turned out, I shouldn’t have been worried.
From the time we left home, the kids have adjusted to life on the road without missing a beat. As we were heading south out of Wisconsin and through Illinois, the whole family settled into their new routine. Our twelve year-old, Shelby took over the front passenger seat, put her feet up on the dash, and started learning to play her guitar. Louis, our eight year-old son, settled into the seat behind Shelby and passed the time watching DVDs and playing video games. From the start, the kids were comfortable with their new lives.
At the end of our first day on the road when we stopped to sleep at a truck stop, the kids were excited to try out their new beds. Shelby slept on the convertible couch and Louis slept on the dinette which converted into a bed. The kids helped get their beds ready and then slept well until morning. By contrast, I tossed and turned for most of night.
At the campground in Tennessee, both kids claimed the territory where they would do their school work. They took to homeschooling like they had been doing it for years. Kim found the teaching to be a bit more work than expected at first, but enjoyed the one on one time with the kids. When their school work was finished, the kids went outside and rode their bikes around the campground as if they were back home in their own driveway.
Driving through Alabama, they resumed their positions in the RV and shared their new favorite food, Clementines, reportedly much tastier than Tangerines. While I worried about the traffic and making the next turn, the kids played games and ate snacks.
I really shouldn’t have been surprised by how well the kids adapted to life on the road. When I look back on my own childhood, I was the same way. It wasn’t until I hit my teens that I started to worry about things that never happened. In adulthood, I perfected that talent.
Author Richard Carlson made a career out of telling people not to sweat the small stuff. His message is one that adults need to hear and heed, but it’s one that is lost on most kids. Kids are blessed with an innate sense that everything is going to work out fine. They don’t need stress-relieving books and reassurance. As a parent, I sometimes wish that my kids weren’t so fearless, especially when it comes to physically risky behavior, but I also wish that I could share in their constant belief that, in the words of Bob Marley, “every little think is going to be alright.”
Comedian George Carlin added to this discussion when he said, “Don’t sweat the petty things and don’t pet the sweaty things.” It’s good advice, but for most of us, it’s easier said than done. After all, what about the mortgage, and the price of health insurance, and that meeting at work, and the doctors appointment, and on and on and on. Life can be stressful and there’s so much to worry about.
One thing I have learned over the years is that being stressed is a response. We may not be able to control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond to what happens to us. So being stressed is a choice. We can choose to be stressed and worried about what happens to us (or what we think might happen), or we can choose to calmly accept things and just go with the flow.
I have to admit that although I am better at choosing my responses than I used to be, I’m still not great at it. So while I’m learning to worry less and be more fearless, I’ll watch how my kids handle the changes that come into their lives. Right now, they’re handling it by going outside to play catch in the Florida sun. This time, I think my response will be to join them.
Postcards from the Road
Adjusting to Life on the Road
When we were planning our cross country RV trip, I knew that life on the road would be a big adjustment for our whole family. In particular, I was interested to see how the kids would adjust. I was worried they would have trouble adapting to their new life. As it turned out, I shouldn’t have been worried.
From the time we left home, the kids have adjusted to life on the road without missing a beat. As we were heading south out of Wisconsin and through Illinois, the whole family settled into their new routine. Our twelve year-old, Shelby took over the front passenger seat, put her feet up on the dash, and started learning to play her guitar. Louis, our eight year-old son, settled into the seat behind Shelby and passed the time watching DVDs and playing video games. From the start, the kids were comfortable with their new lives.
At the end of our first day on the road when we stopped to sleep at a truck stop, the kids were excited to try out their new beds. Shelby slept on the convertible couch and Louis slept on the dinette which converted into a bed. The kids helped get their beds ready and then slept well until morning. By contrast, I tossed and turned for most of night.
At the campground in Tennessee, both kids claimed the territory where they would do their school work. They took to homeschooling like they had been doing it for years. Kim found the teaching to be a bit more work than expected at first, but enjoyed the one on one time with the kids. When their school work was finished, the kids went outside and rode their bikes around the campground as if they were back home in their own driveway.
Driving through Alabama, they resumed their positions in the RV and shared their new favorite food, Clementines, reportedly much tastier than Tangerines. While I worried about the traffic and making the next turn, the kids played games and ate snacks.
I really shouldn’t have been surprised by how well the kids adapted to life on the road. When I look back on my own childhood, I was the same way. It wasn’t until I hit my teens that I started to worry about things that never happened. In adulthood, I perfected that talent.
Author Richard Carlson made a career out of telling people not to sweat the small stuff. His message is one that adults need to hear and heed, but it’s one that is lost on most kids. Kids are blessed with an innate sense that everything is going to work out fine. They don’t need stress-relieving books and reassurance. As a parent, I sometimes wish that my kids weren’t so fearless, especially when it comes to physically risky behavior, but I also wish that I could share in their constant belief that, in the words of Bob Marley, “every little think is going to be alright.”
Comedian George Carlin added to this discussion when he said, “Don’t sweat the petty things and don’t pet the sweaty things.” It’s good advice, but for most of us, it’s easier said than done. After all, what about the mortgage, and the price of health insurance, and that meeting at work, and the doctors appointment, and on and on and on. Life can be stressful and there’s so much to worry about.
One thing I have learned over the years is that being stressed is a response. We may not be able to control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond to what happens to us. So being stressed is a choice. We can choose to be stressed and worried about what happens to us (or what we think might happen), or we can choose to calmly accept things and just go with the flow.
I have to admit that although I am better at choosing my responses than I used to be, I’m still not great at it. So while I’m learning to worry less and be more fearless, I’ll watch how my kids handle the changes that come into their lives. Right now, they’re handling it by going outside to play catch in the Florida sun. This time, I think my response will be to join them.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
JohnSmith in Concert
JohnSmith is one of our favorite singer-songwriters. The first time we saw him perform was at a house concert in Milwaukee in front of a crowd of about 20 people. We were really impressed and ended up buying two of his CDs (Kickin' This Stone and The Four Directions). We saw him again about a year later at Folk on State in Madison along with Berkley & Hart. At that concert, we bought his newest CD, Break Me Open.
This past summer, John and his former partner, Dan Sabranek (of String Ties) played a couple of times at Ciatti’s in La Crosse. The combination of John and Dan together is great. At one of their shows last summer, we purchased John’s two earliest solo CDs, Traveler and Hole in the Clouds.
So it was a pleasant surprise to find out that John was playing a few shows in Florida while we were there. We chose to see him at Shack in the Back in Southwest Ranches (near Davie), FL, about two hours drive from our base in Port St. Lucie. The concert was well worth the drive.
Before I talk about the show, let me share a little about where the concert was held. Shack in the Back is a converted horse barn that sits behind the home of Ellen Bukstel. What a cool place to have a concert. Ellen has fixed the place up so it is comfortable and a great place for a show. There is room for a food table (there were some great desserts), a big fire pit, and plenty of seating. It was really cool.
As always, John was very good. He seemed very emotional that night in Florida, more than any other time we have seen him. John lives in Trempeleau, WI and this was the first time we have ever seen him outside of Wisconsin. Perhaps he was homesick. Whatever the reason, the emotions in his already emotional songs (like From His Window) were extra strong.
John played songs from all of his CDs, including several from his newest CD (Break Me Open). He also treated the crowd to two new songs that will be on his upcoming CD, due out sometime in 2008. I told John he needs to hurry up with the new CD so we have another one to buy.
If you don’t know anything about JohnSmith (I don’t know why there is no space between his first and last name) you can check him out at www.JohnSmithMusic.com. If you’re in to acoustic singer-songwriters, you’ll love John.
This past summer, John and his former partner, Dan Sabranek (of String Ties) played a couple of times at Ciatti’s in La Crosse. The combination of John and Dan together is great. At one of their shows last summer, we purchased John’s two earliest solo CDs, Traveler and Hole in the Clouds.
So it was a pleasant surprise to find out that John was playing a few shows in Florida while we were there. We chose to see him at Shack in the Back in Southwest Ranches (near Davie), FL, about two hours drive from our base in Port St. Lucie. The concert was well worth the drive.
Before I talk about the show, let me share a little about where the concert was held. Shack in the Back is a converted horse barn that sits behind the home of Ellen Bukstel. What a cool place to have a concert. Ellen has fixed the place up so it is comfortable and a great place for a show. There is room for a food table (there were some great desserts), a big fire pit, and plenty of seating. It was really cool.
As always, John was very good. He seemed very emotional that night in Florida, more than any other time we have seen him. John lives in Trempeleau, WI and this was the first time we have ever seen him outside of Wisconsin. Perhaps he was homesick. Whatever the reason, the emotions in his already emotional songs (like From His Window) were extra strong.
John played songs from all of his CDs, including several from his newest CD (Break Me Open). He also treated the crowd to two new songs that will be on his upcoming CD, due out sometime in 2008. I told John he needs to hurry up with the new CD so we have another one to buy.
If you don’t know anything about JohnSmith (I don’t know why there is no space between his first and last name) you can check him out at www.JohnSmithMusic.com. If you’re in to acoustic singer-songwriters, you’ll love John.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Review: Valentino's Pizza
Our friends Mike and Rhonnie Guido recommended a pizza place we had never been to before. The name of the place is Valentino’s on Malabar Road in Palm Bay, FL. We were on our way back from seeing the shuttle launch in Titusville, so we swung over to pick up Rhonnie and Mike and we went to Valentino’s.
The first thing I noticed as we approached Valentino’s was the wonderful garlic smell. It smelled great. This was a good sign.
Valentino’s menu says that they serve the world’s best pizza. It also says they deliver. One of these things is true. The other isn’t.
We started our evening with that delicious smelling garlic cheese bread. It was good, but it wasn’t worthy of raving about. The smell of the bread was better than the taste. Of course, we were there for the pizza, not the garlic bread.
Valentino’s serves New York style pizza. To date, I haven’t found a New York style pizza that I really like, but I kept an open mind. We ordered two extra large pies, a Hawaiian (pineapple and ham) and one with tomatoes, basil and garlic.
The first problem was that the pizzas took nearly 40 minutes to arrive at our table. That’s far too long for thin crust pizzas. The second problem was that they gave us two large pies instead of two extra large. The third problem was that they delivered the pies to the table straight out of the oven without letting them rest. The cheese was still molten and far too hot to eat.
All of these problems were definitely a bad start. The first slice I had was from the Hawaiian. Finally, a New York style pizza with enough sauce. The crust was thin, tasty, and done just right. The ham and pineapple were also very tasty. I wish there had been slightly more ham and pineapple, but that wasn’t a big problem. Once the cheese cooled a bit, it was also very good.
The other pizza (I wish it had a name) was very good. It had tomatoes, fresh basil and garlic with an olive oil base. There was no tomato sauce. The crust was a little overdone, but not bad. The problem with the pizza was that it had onions on it. It wasn’t supposed to have onions. Rhonnie doesn’t like onions on her pizza. But it had onions just the same. In my opinion, the onions didn’t ruin the taste of the pizza. In fact, it tasted very good. But they weren’t supposed to be on the pizza.
Our waitress was apologetic for how long it took to make the pizzas. She was also apologetic for there being onions on the pizza. But all we got was an apology. No free garlic bread. No discount on our bill. Just an apology. It’s just my opinion, but I don’t think that was enough.
Anyway, if I disregard the problems, the pizza itself was actually pretty good. I would give it a 7 on a scale of 1-10. But if I also factor in the poor service, that rating would come down considerably. Rather than focus on the service, I’ll simply say that the pizza at Valentino’s was pretty good.
The first thing I noticed as we approached Valentino’s was the wonderful garlic smell. It smelled great. This was a good sign.
Valentino’s menu says that they serve the world’s best pizza. It also says they deliver. One of these things is true. The other isn’t.
We started our evening with that delicious smelling garlic cheese bread. It was good, but it wasn’t worthy of raving about. The smell of the bread was better than the taste. Of course, we were there for the pizza, not the garlic bread.
Valentino’s serves New York style pizza. To date, I haven’t found a New York style pizza that I really like, but I kept an open mind. We ordered two extra large pies, a Hawaiian (pineapple and ham) and one with tomatoes, basil and garlic.
The first problem was that the pizzas took nearly 40 minutes to arrive at our table. That’s far too long for thin crust pizzas. The second problem was that they gave us two large pies instead of two extra large. The third problem was that they delivered the pies to the table straight out of the oven without letting them rest. The cheese was still molten and far too hot to eat.
All of these problems were definitely a bad start. The first slice I had was from the Hawaiian. Finally, a New York style pizza with enough sauce. The crust was thin, tasty, and done just right. The ham and pineapple were also very tasty. I wish there had been slightly more ham and pineapple, but that wasn’t a big problem. Once the cheese cooled a bit, it was also very good.
The other pizza (I wish it had a name) was very good. It had tomatoes, fresh basil and garlic with an olive oil base. There was no tomato sauce. The crust was a little overdone, but not bad. The problem with the pizza was that it had onions on it. It wasn’t supposed to have onions. Rhonnie doesn’t like onions on her pizza. But it had onions just the same. In my opinion, the onions didn’t ruin the taste of the pizza. In fact, it tasted very good. But they weren’t supposed to be on the pizza.
Our waitress was apologetic for how long it took to make the pizzas. She was also apologetic for there being onions on the pizza. But all we got was an apology. No free garlic bread. No discount on our bill. Just an apology. It’s just my opinion, but I don’t think that was enough.
Anyway, if I disregard the problems, the pizza itself was actually pretty good. I would give it a 7 on a scale of 1-10. But if I also factor in the poor service, that rating would come down considerably. Rather than focus on the service, I’ll simply say that the pizza at Valentino’s was pretty good.
The Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis
Our schedule has changed yet again. We’ve postponed our trip to Orlando to see Kim’s parents and to go to one of the theme parks (we still don’t know which one), but we did go up yesterday to see the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis.
When we used to live in Florida, there was an older condo complex that we would go to to see the launch. It was directly across the Indian River (Intracoastal Waterway) from the launch pad, so it was a great place to watch the shuttle blast-off. Of course, that was ten years ago, so I wasn’t sure if the condo complex even existed anymore, let alone if we could get in there to watch the launch.
As we drove north on U.S. 1, I was amazed at how many people had come out to see the launch. All of the parks along the river from Port St. John to Titusville were packed and cars were parked all over the place. In fact, capitalism was in full bloom along U.S. 1 as people were charging $10-$15 to park in their yards and entrepreneurs along the route were charging top dollar for t-shirts and bottled water. Shuttle launches are a cottage industry along the Space Coast of Florida.
When we saw all of the people already in place almost two hours before the scheduled launch, we decided to grab some food and then go stake out a location. Kentucky Fried Chicken was the first place we came to after making the decision, so we ducked in and grabbed a bucket of chicken for lunch. It was a good decision. The folks at KFC said we could park in their parking lot while we watched the shuttle launch.
We then walked directly across the road to a large vacant lot on the river that is owned by the city of Titusville. As it turned out, the vacant lot is right next door to the condo complex we used to go to.
As we were crossing the street to get to the vacant lot, a police officer on a motorcycle stopped us. I thought he was stopping us because we had crossed the street on a “do-not-walk” sign. However, he just wanted to give the kids a sticker with the Titusville Police Department badge logo on it. I thought that was really nice (and I was relieved not to get a ticket).
I had read earlier that the space shuttle mission STS-122 had a crew of Americans and Europeans on board. In addition to six Americans, the crew also consists of an astronaut from Germany as well as France. The mission of Atlantis is to take the European Space Agency’s Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station.
About 45 minutes before the launch, a thunderstorm moved into the area northwest of Cape Canaveral. The launch sequence continued to countdown, but it was placed in a “red status,” meaning the launch would not proceed if the weather didn’t clear. Thankfully, with about 20 minutes to go, the storm moved off and the countdown continued.
At t-minus nine minutes, NASA has their last chance to hold the launch sequence (barring an emergency). I expected them to hold at nine minutes (I still thought they were going to scrub the launch), but the countdown continued and it looked like Atlantis was going to blast off.
As the countdown moved below five minutes, the anticipation started to build. I’ve attended probably 6-8 other launches (including a couple of night launches), so I didn’t think I would get too excited. I was wrong. The closer the countdown got to launch, the more my anticipation grew. The same thing was happening to the kids. The lower the countdown got, the more they talked and the more questions they asked. Shelby had attended one launch when she was really young, but she doesn’t remember it. So this was like the first launch for both kids.
At about t-minus 90 seconds, everyone around us stood up to get a better look. The sky was partly cloudy, but the ceiling was high, so we knew we’d have a good view, at least for a short time. When everyone stood up, the kids got even more excited.
Right on time, the shuttle’s engines roared to life. The bright flames lit up the Cape and reflected off the waters of the Indian River. The crowd around us oohed and aahed. Some people started to clap.
As Atlantis cleared the tower and zoomed into space, it left a plume of smoke in its wake. From the Cape, Atlantis headed north up the Eastern seaboard. We lost sight of the shuttle for just a second as it went behind a large cloud. When it re-emerged, people started clapping again. We could still see the bright flames up in the sky right up until Atlantis dropped her external fuel tanks. I was disappointed that we couldn’t see the fuel tanks as they fell toward the ocean, but I guess you can’t have everything.
As Atlantis disappeared from sight, the crowd once again began to clap. This time, I joined in. Even after seeing several shuttle launches in the past, the sight is still awe-inspiring.
The kids were equally as inspired, although they have a slightly different way of showing it. Shelby kept looking up at the sky long after the shuttle had disappeared from sight. I don’t think she wanted to miss seeing the shuttle again just in case it reappeared. Lou was standing in front of me during the launch and was holding both of my hands. When Atlantis disappeared from sight, he turned to me and said, “That was really cool.” High praise indeed.
When we used to live in Florida, there was an older condo complex that we would go to to see the launch. It was directly across the Indian River (Intracoastal Waterway) from the launch pad, so it was a great place to watch the shuttle blast-off. Of course, that was ten years ago, so I wasn’t sure if the condo complex even existed anymore, let alone if we could get in there to watch the launch.
As we drove north on U.S. 1, I was amazed at how many people had come out to see the launch. All of the parks along the river from Port St. John to Titusville were packed and cars were parked all over the place. In fact, capitalism was in full bloom along U.S. 1 as people were charging $10-$15 to park in their yards and entrepreneurs along the route were charging top dollar for t-shirts and bottled water. Shuttle launches are a cottage industry along the Space Coast of Florida.
When we saw all of the people already in place almost two hours before the scheduled launch, we decided to grab some food and then go stake out a location. Kentucky Fried Chicken was the first place we came to after making the decision, so we ducked in and grabbed a bucket of chicken for lunch. It was a good decision. The folks at KFC said we could park in their parking lot while we watched the shuttle launch.
We then walked directly across the road to a large vacant lot on the river that is owned by the city of Titusville. As it turned out, the vacant lot is right next door to the condo complex we used to go to.
As we were crossing the street to get to the vacant lot, a police officer on a motorcycle stopped us. I thought he was stopping us because we had crossed the street on a “do-not-walk” sign. However, he just wanted to give the kids a sticker with the Titusville Police Department badge logo on it. I thought that was really nice (and I was relieved not to get a ticket).
I had read earlier that the space shuttle mission STS-122 had a crew of Americans and Europeans on board. In addition to six Americans, the crew also consists of an astronaut from Germany as well as France. The mission of Atlantis is to take the European Space Agency’s Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station.
About 45 minutes before the launch, a thunderstorm moved into the area northwest of Cape Canaveral. The launch sequence continued to countdown, but it was placed in a “red status,” meaning the launch would not proceed if the weather didn’t clear. Thankfully, with about 20 minutes to go, the storm moved off and the countdown continued.
At t-minus nine minutes, NASA has their last chance to hold the launch sequence (barring an emergency). I expected them to hold at nine minutes (I still thought they were going to scrub the launch), but the countdown continued and it looked like Atlantis was going to blast off.
As the countdown moved below five minutes, the anticipation started to build. I’ve attended probably 6-8 other launches (including a couple of night launches), so I didn’t think I would get too excited. I was wrong. The closer the countdown got to launch, the more my anticipation grew. The same thing was happening to the kids. The lower the countdown got, the more they talked and the more questions they asked. Shelby had attended one launch when she was really young, but she doesn’t remember it. So this was like the first launch for both kids.
At about t-minus 90 seconds, everyone around us stood up to get a better look. The sky was partly cloudy, but the ceiling was high, so we knew we’d have a good view, at least for a short time. When everyone stood up, the kids got even more excited.
Right on time, the shuttle’s engines roared to life. The bright flames lit up the Cape and reflected off the waters of the Indian River. The crowd around us oohed and aahed. Some people started to clap.
As Atlantis cleared the tower and zoomed into space, it left a plume of smoke in its wake. From the Cape, Atlantis headed north up the Eastern seaboard. We lost sight of the shuttle for just a second as it went behind a large cloud. When it re-emerged, people started clapping again. We could still see the bright flames up in the sky right up until Atlantis dropped her external fuel tanks. I was disappointed that we couldn’t see the fuel tanks as they fell toward the ocean, but I guess you can’t have everything.
As Atlantis disappeared from sight, the crowd once again began to clap. This time, I joined in. Even after seeing several shuttle launches in the past, the sight is still awe-inspiring.
The kids were equally as inspired, although they have a slightly different way of showing it. Shelby kept looking up at the sky long after the shuttle had disappeared from sight. I don’t think she wanted to miss seeing the shuttle again just in case it reappeared. Lou was standing in front of me during the launch and was holding both of my hands. When Atlantis disappeared from sight, he turned to me and said, “That was really cool.” High praise indeed.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
The Week Ahead
Here’s the plan for this week. Keep in mind, the plan is written in Jello, so it could change at any time.
Tomorrow, we are taking the kids on a surprise field trip. I can’t tell you yet what it is, but it should be both educational and entertaining. From there, we’ll be heading to Orlando to meet up with Kim’s parents.
On Thursday, we’ll be heading over to Cape Canaveral to see the Space Shuttle launch. Kim and I have seen a few launches during our days living in Florida. They are always fantastic, so we're all looking forward to seeing Thurday's launch.
On Friday, we’ll be going to one of the theme parks in Orlando. We haven’t decided which one yet. We were supposed to go to Universal Studios last month, but our plans changed (surprise, surprise). We’ll see what happens.
Saturday is my Mom’s 76th birthday. We’ll be coming back to Port St. Lucie to take her out to dinner and celebrate her birthday.
Next week, the RV goes into the shop. Hopefully the repairs won’t take too long or be too expensive. I know, wishful thinking…
Tomorrow, we are taking the kids on a surprise field trip. I can’t tell you yet what it is, but it should be both educational and entertaining. From there, we’ll be heading to Orlando to meet up with Kim’s parents.
On Thursday, we’ll be heading over to Cape Canaveral to see the Space Shuttle launch. Kim and I have seen a few launches during our days living in Florida. They are always fantastic, so we're all looking forward to seeing Thurday's launch.
On Friday, we’ll be going to one of the theme parks in Orlando. We haven’t decided which one yet. We were supposed to go to Universal Studios last month, but our plans changed (surprise, surprise). We’ll see what happens.
Saturday is my Mom’s 76th birthday. We’ll be coming back to Port St. Lucie to take her out to dinner and celebrate her birthday.
Next week, the RV goes into the shop. Hopefully the repairs won’t take too long or be too expensive. I know, wishful thinking…
Monday, February 4, 2008
Changng Our Change of Plans
I haven’t been keeping up with the blog the way I had planned. Sorry about that. I’ll try to do better.
In case you didn’t know, our plans changed once again. We were finally forced to take our van into the body shop to repair the damage done from the deer hit in Tennessee. The blinker and the right front head light had stopped working and it was getting dangerous to drive, so we took it to the body shop.
In place of the van, we had a Toyota Camry rental car. It was smaller than the van, but at least we’d have a vehicle with a right blinker and head light for our trip north, right? Wrong. The rental car company was happy to let us take the vehicle out of state. The only proviso was that we would have to pay mileage on all of the miles we racked up outside of Florida. If we had made the trek to Viroqua, it would have cost us more than $2,000. The decision: no trip to Viroqua.
So that means that we can get back on our original schedule, right? Wrong again. Right now, we are supposed to be in Pensacola, Florida. The past few weeks we were supposed to be in the Everglades, at a state park near Sarasota and at a campground near Cedar Key. None of those things have happened. Instead, we’ve stayed at our base in Port St. Lucie. Here’s why.
First, Kim’s parents have come to Florida for a visit, so we’ll be spending some time with them up in Orlando. Also, we had planned on taking the kids to see the Space Shuttle launch on January 10. Unfortunately, the launch was delayed and is now scheduled for February 7. Rather than miss the launch, we’ve decided to stay put so we can see it.
Perhaps the most important reason we haven’t left my parents house is that the RV isn’t ready to hit the road. It is having some electrical problems, so we have to get that fixed before we can continue on with our journey.
At this point, I’ve given up on trying to stick to any sort of schedule. We’ll just have to see what happens when it happens.
In case you didn’t know, our plans changed once again. We were finally forced to take our van into the body shop to repair the damage done from the deer hit in Tennessee. The blinker and the right front head light had stopped working and it was getting dangerous to drive, so we took it to the body shop.
In place of the van, we had a Toyota Camry rental car. It was smaller than the van, but at least we’d have a vehicle with a right blinker and head light for our trip north, right? Wrong. The rental car company was happy to let us take the vehicle out of state. The only proviso was that we would have to pay mileage on all of the miles we racked up outside of Florida. If we had made the trek to Viroqua, it would have cost us more than $2,000. The decision: no trip to Viroqua.
So that means that we can get back on our original schedule, right? Wrong again. Right now, we are supposed to be in Pensacola, Florida. The past few weeks we were supposed to be in the Everglades, at a state park near Sarasota and at a campground near Cedar Key. None of those things have happened. Instead, we’ve stayed at our base in Port St. Lucie. Here’s why.
First, Kim’s parents have come to Florida for a visit, so we’ll be spending some time with them up in Orlando. Also, we had planned on taking the kids to see the Space Shuttle launch on January 10. Unfortunately, the launch was delayed and is now scheduled for February 7. Rather than miss the launch, we’ve decided to stay put so we can see it.
Perhaps the most important reason we haven’t left my parents house is that the RV isn’t ready to hit the road. It is having some electrical problems, so we have to get that fixed before we can continue on with our journey.
At this point, I’ve given up on trying to stick to any sort of schedule. We’ll just have to see what happens when it happens.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Review: Pistilli's Pizza
We had the chance to get together for pizza with our friends Mike and Rhonnie Guido from Palm Bay, FL. We wanted to try Pistilli’s Pizza in Indian Harbor Beach, so we all loaded up into our van and headed beach side.
Pistilli’s in located in a small strip mall on Eau Gallie Blvd, about two blocks from the Atlantic Ocean and Canova Beach Park. It’s nothing special to look at (especially considering it was dark), but I was more concerned about the pizza than the architecture. Inside, there are 10-12 booths/tables as well as a carry-out counter. We were there on a Saturday night, but the place wasn’t very busy. Not a good sign.
Pistilli’s advertises that they serve “Jersey Style Pie.” When I asked for a definition of “Jersey Style Pie” I was told that it is just like New York style, except that it’s made by people from New Jersey. You learn something new every day.
We ordered two pies. The first was a sausage and pepperoni for the guys (Mike, Louis and me), and a “Pizza Caserta” (ricotta, mozzarella, garlic, fresh tomato, spinach & artichokes) for the ladies (Rhonnie, Kim and Shelby).
The sausage and pepperoni pizza was good, but not great. The crust was a little dry and there wasn’t enough sauce. The sausage was the shaved/sliced kind we had at DaVinci’s previously, although I have to admit that it had a much better flavor. I don’t like my sausage shaved/sliced, but at least it tasted good. The pepperoni was also tasty and there was a sufficient amount on the pie.
On a scale of 1-10, I’d give Pistilli’s sausage and pepperoni a 6.
The Pizza Caserta was a different story. The ladies were gracious enough to let me try a slice of their pie and I was impressed. The ingredients on the pie were blended well so no one ingredient stood out, but all worked together to create a great taste. I’ve had similar pies at other pizzerias and it always seems like they overdo the garlic. Not so at Pistilli’s. The only downfall of the Pizza Caserta was the semi-dry crust (although not as dry as the sausage and pepperoni crust).
On a scale of 1-10, the Pizza Caserta gets a 7. So overall, the pizza at Pistilli’s gets a respectable 6.5.
Pistilli’s in located in a small strip mall on Eau Gallie Blvd, about two blocks from the Atlantic Ocean and Canova Beach Park. It’s nothing special to look at (especially considering it was dark), but I was more concerned about the pizza than the architecture. Inside, there are 10-12 booths/tables as well as a carry-out counter. We were there on a Saturday night, but the place wasn’t very busy. Not a good sign.
Pistilli’s advertises that they serve “Jersey Style Pie.” When I asked for a definition of “Jersey Style Pie” I was told that it is just like New York style, except that it’s made by people from New Jersey. You learn something new every day.
We ordered two pies. The first was a sausage and pepperoni for the guys (Mike, Louis and me), and a “Pizza Caserta” (ricotta, mozzarella, garlic, fresh tomato, spinach & artichokes) for the ladies (Rhonnie, Kim and Shelby).
The sausage and pepperoni pizza was good, but not great. The crust was a little dry and there wasn’t enough sauce. The sausage was the shaved/sliced kind we had at DaVinci’s previously, although I have to admit that it had a much better flavor. I don’t like my sausage shaved/sliced, but at least it tasted good. The pepperoni was also tasty and there was a sufficient amount on the pie.
On a scale of 1-10, I’d give Pistilli’s sausage and pepperoni a 6.
The Pizza Caserta was a different story. The ladies were gracious enough to let me try a slice of their pie and I was impressed. The ingredients on the pie were blended well so no one ingredient stood out, but all worked together to create a great taste. I’ve had similar pies at other pizzerias and it always seems like they overdo the garlic. Not so at Pistilli’s. The only downfall of the Pizza Caserta was the semi-dry crust (although not as dry as the sausage and pepperoni crust).
On a scale of 1-10, the Pizza Caserta gets a 7. So overall, the pizza at Pistilli’s gets a respectable 6.5.
Monday, January 14, 2008
The Kids Are Glowing
The kids attended a special program today given just for home schoolers by Dr. Robert Krampf at the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant on Hutchison Island near Port St. Lucie, FL. The program was called The Nuts and Bolts of Lightning.
We found out about the program last week when we visited the FPL Energy Encounter exhibit at the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant. The Energy Encounter is a very interesting exhibit that explains electricity and different ways to generate power in terms that even I can understand.
Today’s program talked about interesting issues involving lightning. For instance, did you know that:
- Lightning strikes one mile away from you for every five seconds between the lightning strike and the thunder clap;
- If you are about to be struck by lightning, your hair will raise up off your head approximately one-two seconds before the lightning strike;
- If you are caught in a lightning storm, your best defense is to crouch down into a ball as close to the ground as you can with your feet together. The smaller you are and the closer to the ground you are, the less likely you will be struck by lightning. Do NOT lie on the ground;
- You should not take a shower or wash the dishes during a thunder storm because lightning can strike a home and follow pipes into the shower or sink. Also, water is an excellent conductor of electricity;
- Lightning can also follow the telephone cord. So do not use a corded telephone during a thunder storm. However, it is safe to use a cordless telephone;
- Contrary to popular belief, Benjamin Franklin did not discover electricity by being struck by lightning.
Shelby and Louis will get back to their books tomorrow, but it was a nice break for them to have a field trip today.
Friday, January 11, 2008
An Evening with Jack Williams
Kim and I were lucky enough to see Jack Williams in concert last night. He was playing at the Blake Library in Stuart, FL.
In case you’re not familiar with Jack, he is a singer-songwriter who plays “acoustic music.” I guess you’d call him a folk singer (if you felt the need to label him), but he is also a storyteller, a comedian, and a traveling philosopher.
The concert was a lot of fun and Jack was great. His voice was weathered and bluesy, and his guitar playing was phenomenal.
Several years ago, I got to see Michael Jordan play basketball. Each time I would see him play I would come away wishing that I could do something, anything, in my life as well as Michael Jordan plays basketball. After seeing Jack Williams in concert, I am left with the desire to be able to do something, anything, as well as he plays guitar.
It’s a little funny that Jack is such a virtuoso on the guitar because when he walked on stage, my first thought was, “Jeez, that guitar is sure beat up.” And it’s true. Jack’s guitar has seen better days. The top of the guitar is faded and delaminated, and the pickguard is so old and worn that it is falling off the guitar. Even so, the sweet, soulful music Jack created with that old guitar was amazing.
On stage, Jack told stories, cracked jokes, and talked about his beloved south, all the while strumming and picking his guitar. The sound of the guitar was omnipresent. I got the feeling that at home, Jack sits and play his guitar while he talks to his wife Judy (who was also at the concert). It’s somewhat comical to think of Jack and Judy sitting at home in Arkansas, talking about the weather, a neighbor, the bills, or anything else while Jack provides background music for their lives. I don’t think there is ever a time when Jack isn’t playing his guitar. It must make it hard to drive and play guitar at the same time, but somehow Jack manages.
During the concert, Jack did several of his own songs (Eternity & Main, Mama Lou, A Natural Man, Frog in the Kitchen) as well as a couple of other people’s songs (Buckets of Rain by Bob Dylan), but the highlight (at least for me) was the last song he did.
Jack has a way of ending a concert that is truly unique. It is to music what stream of consciousness writing is to literature. For about twenty minutes, Jack played and sang anything that came into his head. During the course of his finale I remember hearing such diverse songs as “Young at Heart,” “Girl from Ipanema,” “Misty,” “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” “The Weight,” and several other songs, both strange and familiar. Jack also made up a couple of mini-songs during the finale.
Jack Williams is a great performer and his concert provided one of the most enjoyable evenings I have had in quite some time. If you ever get the chance to see Jack in person, I would highly recommend it.
By the way, while talking to Jack and Judy, I found out about a great place to order hard to find music CDs and DVDs (as well as Jack’s CDs and DVD). Check out www.rediscovermusic.com. I got a copy of the catalog and they have a bunch of great stuff.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Review: Anthony V's
Anthony V’s in Tradition Square (Port St. Lucie, FL) cooks their pizzas in a wood-fired oven. That was what caught my eye when we decided to give their pizza a try. I hadn’t read any reviews or talked to anyone who had eaten there. It was kind of a pizza review version of a blind date.
First impressions were very good. Tradition Square is a very nice shopping plaza and Anthony V’s is a great looking pizzeria. When we got there, there were only a couple of tables available. Ultimately, we decided to eat outside. It was a beautiful night and eating outside was a good choice.
We struggled with what to order, but we were intrigued by the Buffalo chicken pizza. Our favorite pizza at Great River Roadhouse (our hometown pizzeria) is a Buffalo Pie and it is great. Our server warned us that they were really busy and it would be 30-45 minutes before our pie was ready. We ordered some garlic knots to fill the time. They were only average, but we still had high hopes for the pizza.
It took more than an hour to get our pie and I’m sad to report, it really wasn’t worth the wait. The chicken was cut into chunks, breaded, and cooked in buffalo sauce. It didn’t taste bad, but I expected the entire pie to be covered in buffalo sauce, not just the chicken. Kim said the chicken tasted like it had been purchased frozen and just heated for our pizza.
Instead of having buffalo sauce, the pizza had regular pizza sauce. It didn’t taste bad, but it didn’t belong on a Buffalo chicken pizza.
The crust is a little hard to describe. It was slightly overcooked, making it a little dry, yet it was soggy. Neither thing was good.
On a scale of 1-10, I’d give Anthony V’s pizza a 5.5. However, I also have a bit of a disclaimer. We didn’t know anything about Anthony V’s before showing up on their doorstep. My gut told me to order a more “common” pie (i.e., sausage, pepperoni, etc) in order to get a true read on their pizza. In the end, we ordered a specialty pizza and we were disappointed. I wouldn’t mind giving Anthony V’s another try. I’d like to have a good experience. I wanted to like the pizza at Anthony V’s. Maybe we’ll try again.
First impressions were very good. Tradition Square is a very nice shopping plaza and Anthony V’s is a great looking pizzeria. When we got there, there were only a couple of tables available. Ultimately, we decided to eat outside. It was a beautiful night and eating outside was a good choice.
We struggled with what to order, but we were intrigued by the Buffalo chicken pizza. Our favorite pizza at Great River Roadhouse (our hometown pizzeria) is a Buffalo Pie and it is great. Our server warned us that they were really busy and it would be 30-45 minutes before our pie was ready. We ordered some garlic knots to fill the time. They were only average, but we still had high hopes for the pizza.
It took more than an hour to get our pie and I’m sad to report, it really wasn’t worth the wait. The chicken was cut into chunks, breaded, and cooked in buffalo sauce. It didn’t taste bad, but I expected the entire pie to be covered in buffalo sauce, not just the chicken. Kim said the chicken tasted like it had been purchased frozen and just heated for our pizza.
Instead of having buffalo sauce, the pizza had regular pizza sauce. It didn’t taste bad, but it didn’t belong on a Buffalo chicken pizza.
The crust is a little hard to describe. It was slightly overcooked, making it a little dry, yet it was soggy. Neither thing was good.
On a scale of 1-10, I’d give Anthony V’s pizza a 5.5. However, I also have a bit of a disclaimer. We didn’t know anything about Anthony V’s before showing up on their doorstep. My gut told me to order a more “common” pie (i.e., sausage, pepperoni, etc) in order to get a true read on their pizza. In the end, we ordered a specialty pizza and we were disappointed. I wouldn’t mind giving Anthony V’s another try. I’d like to have a good experience. I wanted to like the pizza at Anthony V’s. Maybe we’ll try again.
A Change of Plans
A couple of things have happened to slightly change our plans. During the week on January 14, we were supposed to be staying at a campground in Everglades National Park. Unfortunately, the campsite we tried to reserve wasn’t available, so the campground offered us a site that did not have electric or water. In the end, we decided it would be easier to use my parents’ home in Port St. Lucie, FL as our base and to drive down south to see the things we want to see. We may still visit the Everglades, but just for the day.
During the week of January 28, Kim and I have to be in La Crosse for a meeting. We’ll probably leave from Florida on January 26 and then spend the entire next week in Viroqua. Shelby is excited because she’s going to get to see her friends (who she has been missing terribly). We’ll be driving the van back rather than the RV. It’s too cold in Viroqua to stay in the RV and it is too expensive to drive it north just for the week.
If things work out, we are going to stop to see some friends on the way back to Florida. We want to stop to see Caryl & Jerry Holthouse in Tennessee, Neil & Gail Wallace in Alabama, and Randy Pobst, and Kevin and Jackie Walsh in Georgia. When we get back to Florida, Kim’s parents will be visiting her brother Jeff in Orlando, so we may not hit the road as soon as we come back. It’s nice to not have to be on a set schedule.
During the week of January 28, Kim and I have to be in La Crosse for a meeting. We’ll probably leave from Florida on January 26 and then spend the entire next week in Viroqua. Shelby is excited because she’s going to get to see her friends (who she has been missing terribly). We’ll be driving the van back rather than the RV. It’s too cold in Viroqua to stay in the RV and it is too expensive to drive it north just for the week.
If things work out, we are going to stop to see some friends on the way back to Florida. We want to stop to see Caryl & Jerry Holthouse in Tennessee, Neil & Gail Wallace in Alabama, and Randy Pobst, and Kevin and Jackie Walsh in Georgia. When we get back to Florida, Kim’s parents will be visiting her brother Jeff in Orlando, so we may not hit the road as soon as we come back. It’s nice to not have to be on a set schedule.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Frigid Florida
I know most of you aren’t going to feel sorry for us, but it is freezing in Florida. The low last night was in the 30’s with wind chills in the 20’s. West of us, the wind chill was in the teens.
From a practical standpoint, the freezing temps are really hard on Florida’s agricultural crops. Farmers are breaking out smudge pots and hiring helicopters to fly over their fields to distribute warmer air. Oranges, grapefruits, tangelos, tomatoes, and all of the vegetable crops are all suffering. I haven’t heard how much damage was done last night, but it wasn’t good.
From a personal standpoint, it’s just down right cold. Thirty degrees in Florida is much colder than thirty degrees in Wisconsin. I’m guessing that is because of the higher humidity in Florida. Whatever the reason, it’s really cold outside.
The cold is only supposed to last two days and then the weather will improve again to the normal overnight lows in the 60’s. However, until then, we get to breakout the long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, and heavy blankets.
From a practical standpoint, the freezing temps are really hard on Florida’s agricultural crops. Farmers are breaking out smudge pots and hiring helicopters to fly over their fields to distribute warmer air. Oranges, grapefruits, tangelos, tomatoes, and all of the vegetable crops are all suffering. I haven’t heard how much damage was done last night, but it wasn’t good.
From a personal standpoint, it’s just down right cold. Thirty degrees in Florida is much colder than thirty degrees in Wisconsin. I’m guessing that is because of the higher humidity in Florida. Whatever the reason, it’s really cold outside.
The cold is only supposed to last two days and then the weather will improve again to the normal overnight lows in the 60’s. However, until then, we get to breakout the long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, and heavy blankets.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Review: DaVinci's Pizzeria
I read an Internet review about DaVinci’s Pizzeria (U.S. 1 in Port St. Lucie, FL) and had high hopes for the place. My first impression wasn’t so good. The plaza where DaVinci’s is located is a bit run down and DaVinci’s sits between a Curves and a closed down used bookstore. The obligatory pawn shop is just two doors down.
Once inside the front door (the wooden front door), everything changed. The first thing that greeted us were photos of the owner and his family dating back to his days in Italy. And best of all, the owner, Vitorio, was in the restaurant.
We started our evening with garlic knots. They were delicious, buttery and covered with plenty of garlic.
We ordered two pizzas; a sausage and mushroom for Kim and me, and a cheese pie for Shelby and Lou. Although I had high hopes, the pizza at DaVinci’s let me down. The sauce was good, but there wasn’t enough of it (a common complaint I have of New York-style pizzas). They also skimped a bit on the cheese.
The sausage was sliced (as opposed to ground or chunked). We found out that it is the same sausage that DaVinci’s uses with their sausage and peppers. In my book, that’s a no-no.
Overall, the pizza was okay, but nothing great. I’d give it a 5 on a 1-10 scale.
Once inside the front door (the wooden front door), everything changed. The first thing that greeted us were photos of the owner and his family dating back to his days in Italy. And best of all, the owner, Vitorio, was in the restaurant.
We started our evening with garlic knots. They were delicious, buttery and covered with plenty of garlic.
We ordered two pizzas; a sausage and mushroom for Kim and me, and a cheese pie for Shelby and Lou. Although I had high hopes, the pizza at DaVinci’s let me down. The sauce was good, but there wasn’t enough of it (a common complaint I have of New York-style pizzas). They also skimped a bit on the cheese.
The sausage was sliced (as opposed to ground or chunked). We found out that it is the same sausage that DaVinci’s uses with their sausage and peppers. In my book, that’s a no-no.
Overall, the pizza was okay, but nothing great. I’d give it a 5 on a 1-10 scale.
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