Cheapness In Seattle (A 2019 PNW Trip Report - 2020 update added on 6/25

[QueenJen]

Nice read - it's funny that the kids were looking forward to a long drive with not much to look at.

If you’re thinking this was a really cheap and lame excuse to get Drew to set foot in Indiana so we could cross that state off the list, you would be absolutely correct.

If I recall correctly, you've pulled this move a couple of times before.

I was surprised that there was no mention of PB&J - only take-out.

Do you do all the driving or do you enlist help from the teenagers now?

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Nice read - it's funny that the kids were looking forward to a long drive with not much to look at.

It might just have been farm fields, but it wasn't our house, and that was all that mattered.

If I recall correctly, you've pulled this move a couple of times before.

Yes, indeed. We did that to get into Iowa, and drove just across the border in Oklahoma as well.

I was surprised that there was no mention of PB&J - only take-out.

Given that it was only a few days, we made the highly controversial decision not to bother with PB&J. So we just stopped for fast food on the way.

Do you do all the driving or do you enlist help from the teenagers now?

I still do the driving. The teens are more interested in watching movies/playing games on their phones.

 

[londontime]

On the other hand, here’s two white stripes and two black rectangles. I could do this. This is not art

I can't believe that you don't appreciate the negative reality on the canvas that clearly points to man's eternal struggle between good and evil, and our infinitessimal minuteness as a species within the vastness of the universe, and what awaits us within or outside the parameters of our existence.
Or it could be you are just looking out of the museum window at night.

My parents gave us their old elliptical, and using that combined with finally disciplining myself to eat smaller portion sizes and fewer midnight snacks helped me to lose about 20 lbs. (9 kg). So that’s another pandemic win.

Trex, the unbreakable composite decking material that is supposed to be maintenance-free and last forever…well, it doesn’t necessarily do that. I found this out when I put my foot straight through our deck.

I think it may be time to invest in a new set of scales.

 

[londontime]

I'm pretty happy how my team is doing right now.

This post really didn't age well.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I can't believe that you don't appreciate the negative reality on the canvas that clearly points to man's eternal struggle between good and evil, and our infinitessimal minuteness as a species within the vastness of the universe, and what awaits us within or outside the parameters of our existence.

I didn't see that at all. Clearly, this is symbolizing the economic plight of the working class as juxtaposed with the rich country club lifestyle.

Or it could be you are just looking out of the museum window at night.

Now that I can at least understand.

I think it may be time to invest in a new set of scales.

Well, you do have the order of events reversed there...

This post really didn't age well.

Sorry, folks, playoffs are closed. Moose out front should've told ya.

 

[Cinderella's Fella]

Hi Captain, I have a question on trip planning. Is there a certain website you use for planning? I like https://en.m.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Main_Page, and I was wondering what you used.
Thank you for your input and keep up the good work.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Hi Captain, I have a question on trip planning. Is there a certain website you use for planning? I like https://en.m.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Main_Page, and I was wondering what you used.
Thank you for your input and keep up the good work.

Randall, I've never seen that page before. Looks like it has a ton of info, though. I can see where that would be very helpful.

I don't really have a specific site I use for planning. For many of the trips we take, I will start with a general idea of the "big" sites (i.e. national parks and tourist attractions) that I want to see. I'll start by trying to put together loose driving/travel plans to see how many of those sites I can squeeze into a week or two. So from that standpoint, the tool I probably use most is Google Maps. By now, I have a general idea of how long it takes to tour sites, go on hikes, etc., so I can figure out if I need a half-day, full day, etc. I also have a pretty good idea of how long it takes to cover certain distances, accounting for the need to stop for potty breaks, get out and stretch, grab a meal, and so on. The biggest priority is efficiency--I'm trying to cram in as many places on my wish list in the time I have allotted for the vacation. And I guess I'm enough of a nerd that I have a lot of destinations memorized and/or wish list itineraries planned out in my head already. Sooner or later I should start writing more stuff down.

The other site I probably consult the most is Trip Advisor. That's mostly where I go when looking up restaurant possibilities for dinner. I find the reviews/ratings to generally be fair and truthful--I'll tend to discount reviews that are over the top either way. But it's pretty comprehensive and very helpful when looking for local places that are good. I used to use Roadfood.com more often but they tended to be a bit too obscure at times, as well as occasionally being out of date.

Trip Advisor is usually pretty helpful if I'm looking for additional attractions or ways to spend the time in between stops.

I tend to go for the usual chains as far as hotels go, both out of a sense of familiarity and wanting to bank rewards/loyalty points. And it saves me a good amount of money if I can get as many places with free breakfasts as possible.

For air travel and rental cars, I have no loyalty whatsoever. I'll just ruthlessly keep searching rates for the best deal I can find. Costco usually offers great deals on rental cars, and I can keep cancelling and re-booking as long as the rates drop with no penalty. Airlines are much trickier that way, but I'm not above re-booking a flight if there's a significant savings and worrying about using the credit later. And for attractions themselves, I'll usually go straight to their websites or google discounts depending on where I'm going.

Hope that helps!

 

[piglet1979]

On Thursday morning, we left Somerset and continued northwest, making a stop in Ohio at Cuyahoga Valley National Park. This was a park we’d visited on that first road trip back in 2011. The park mostly exists to preserve the old historic Ohio & Erie canal, which was a major trade route back in the day along the Cuyahoga River (the same river that once caught fire in Cleveland).

You are in my neck of the woods. Surprisingly, I have never been to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. About the river. It did catch on fire again a year or two ago. Though this time it wasn't because of the previous reason of horrible over polluted water. This time it was an accident on the highway that leaked something into the river. It was cleaned up pretty fast.

For our purposes, we were only using it as an excuse to break up the drive. Not far off I-80 is Brandywine Falls, probably the most scenic portion of the park. There’s a parking area nearby and a short boardwalk trail down to a viewing area for the falls.

Another place I have never been. Seriously, I think I need to take a vacation in my own state.

Tudor’s Biscuit World

This place is huge in WV. We have family that live in WV and when we visit this is where they want to go. Thankfully only for breakfast. Kind of hard to really screw up eggs and potatoes. I really don't desire to go here.

My grandparents grew up in WV and have taken me all over the state. Then when DH and I started dating we would go visit his grandfather and just drive for hours with nowhere in mind to go. This is how we found the battle field Carnifax Ferry. It is more of a park with an open field and a small house (the original house) and then some trails in the woods. If you ever make it that way again it a neat place to stop for a picnic lunch or dinner.

 

[Cinderella's Fella]

Randall, I've never seen that page before. Looks like it has a ton of info, though. I can see where that would be very helpful.

I don't really have a specific site I use for planning. For many of the trips we take, I will start with a general idea of the "big" sites (i.e. national parks and tourist attractions) that I want to see. I'll start by trying to put together loose driving/travel plans to see how many of those sites I can squeeze into a week or two. So from that standpoint, the tool I probably use most is Google Maps. By now, I have a general idea of how long it takes to tour sites, go on hikes, etc., so I can figure out if I need a half-day, full day, etc. I also have a pretty good idea of how long it takes to cover certain distances, accounting for the need to stop for potty breaks, get out and stretch, grab a meal, and so on. The biggest priority is efficiency--I'm trying to cram in as many places on my wish list in the time I have allotted for the vacation. And I guess I'm enough of a nerd that I have a lot of destinations memorized and/or wish list itineraries planned out in my head already. Sooner or later I should start writing more stuff down.

The other site I probably consult the most is Trip Advisor. That's mostly where I go when looking up restaurant possibilities for dinner. I find the reviews/ratings to generally be fair and truthful--I'll tend to discount reviews that are over the top either way. But it's pretty comprehensive and very helpful when looking for local places that are good. I used to use Roadfood.com more often but they tended to be a bit too obscure at times, as well as occasionally being out of date.

Trip Advisor is usually pretty helpful if I'm looking for additional attractions or ways to spend the time in between stops.

I tend to go for the usual chains as far as hotels go, both out of a sense of familiarity and wanting to bank rewards/loyalty points. And it saves me a good amount of money if I can get as many places with free breakfasts as possible.

For air travel and rental cars, I have no loyalty whatsoever. I'll just ruthlessly keep searching rates for the best deal I can find. Costco usually offers great deals on rental cars, and I can keep cancelling and re-booking as long as the rates drop with no penalty. Airlines are much trickier that way, but I'm not above re-booking a flight if there's a significant savings and worrying about using the credit later. And for attractions themselves, I'll usually go straight to their websites or google discounts depending on where I'm going.

Hope that helps!

Thanks Mark, I make use of a few of those also. Time to start planning...

 

[franandaj]

We couldn’t wait to get to Alaska.

That sounds like an epic trip you had planned!

We held onto the idea of the Alaska trip as long as we could. We were supposed to go in July, and when our country first locked down in March, I was optimistic and thought we might still be able to travel over the summer, because surely everyone would follow the same rules and selflessly do what was best for the health and wellbeing of their fellow countrym—

HA! Sorry, I couldn’t make it through that sentence with a straight face.

Such a sorry situation.

Over the summer, my sister-in-law had a baby. He was their fourth child (I mean, can you imagine?? FOUR kids?? You have to be some kind of a masochist to do that to yourself)

Who in their right minds would do THAT?

How bad had it gotten? My kids were pumped about the prospect of driving across Ohio. We’ve done that drive before. It’s 8.5 hours to Perrysburg, Ohio from my house. There’s nothing in Pennsylvania or Ohio on that drive. They would be staring at farm fields. And they were excited about it.

Definitely needed a change of scenery!

All of the hotel rooms had stickers across the door frames showing no one had been in there since it had been cleaned, which was reassuring because we knew from reading articles posted on social media that viral particles cannot get past stickers on the doors.

Well you've got that going for you.....

We made it to Perrysburg and had a nice visit with my brother and his family. On Friday, we drove an hour north for two reasons: 1) to pick up another state for Andrew, and 2) to visit the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Both solid reasons.

Drew had missed out on that visit. He gave some lame excuse like he was “not alive in 2011”, but I think he was probably just being lazy or not paying attention. You know what little boys are like.

Yeah.....slacker....

Outside the building is the “world’s largest baseball bat”.

I like that "Flatten the Curve" and I even get the reference or double entendre!

We took a short drive over to the riverfront and parked near a pedestrian bridge over the Ohio River. It’s called the Big Four Bridge, and it was an old railroad line that was converted to a walkway between Kentucky and Indiana. If you’re thinking this was a really cheap and lame excuse to get Drew to set foot in Indiana so we could cross that state off the list, you would be absolutely correct.

Yeah, I remember a similar move on a previous TR......

This particular night, we had a room on a high floor in the hotel (I can take credit for requesting that one, I like trying to get a room with a view). We happened to be facing west toward the city. And as darkness fell that night, the sky lit up for a solid 30 minutes. Apparently everyone in Kentucky has their own private stash of fireworks and was not afraid to use them. I should not have been surprised by this. But we sat back in the room and enjoyed a 180-degree view of fireworks all over the night sky.

Nice. I don't even remember what we did on 4th of July. But I could look up in our dinner log and see what we ate.

In the morning, we drove east into West Virginia, and just like that, Drew was now up to 48 states on his own (he needs Alaska and Hawaii to complete all 50).

Go Drew!

Also, the mechanical engineering building was a little run-down, not nearly as impressive as the rest of the campus. So he seemed a bit cool on it overall. Well, this is why we visit.

Totally! I remember when I was looking at colleges. I auditioned at UCLA, but couldn't stand how "city" it was. We also drove to USC and it was even worse "city". I ended up at Cal State Northridge and while it was still way more "city" than I came from it was slightly more suburbia that I wanted coming from where I did. I like Long Beach a whole lot more, and am glad I'm here now!

Thankfully, we did pull another pandemic trip off. I’ll jump into that next time.

Cool! Looking forward to hearing about it! Is that the one in the cabin?

 

[pkondz]

But it was $35 for the stupid graduation outfit! It's a scam.

But the memories are priceless!

Well... $35.


And that's all you'll remember.

Man plans…God laughs.

<sigh> Ain't that the truth.

There was no cruise. No glorious arctic scenery. No remote boat tour. Just a whole lot of sitting around our house and watching Netflix.

But no giant Alaskan mosquitoes, so call it a win?

“World’s Greatest Couch Potato”.

They actually have that! The Academy Awards has its Oscars, Netflix has its "Spuds".

when our country first locked down in March, I was optimistic and thought we might still be able to travel over the summer

I remember optimism. Kinda.

If you need a Netflix show, we got a lot of laughs out of The Good Place.

Fun show. Enjoyed it quite a bit.

(I mean, can you imagine?? FOUR kids?? You have to be some kind of a masochist to do that to yourself)

And traveling by ourselves in a car, we could largely keep to ourselves, sticking to the van, our hotel room, and my brother’s house and eating outdoors or getting takeout.

PB&J for the win!

Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia, which are…sort of close to Ohio. I mean, it’s only like a couple of inches on the map.

Which is why, and this actually happened, we had relatives from Europe ask if we could pick them up from the airport... In Halifax, NS!

So we decided to make the trip, if only for our own sanity.

Nice. I haven't been outside my Province... heck I haven't been able to leave the southern part of my Province since this thing started.

How bad had it gotten? My kids were pumped about the prospect of driving across Ohio.

All of the hotel rooms had stickers across the door frames showing no one had been in there since it had been cleaned, which was reassuring because we knew from reading articles posted on social media that viral particles cannot get past stickers on the doors.

Oh yes. Nor can they move diagonally. If you play chess, viral particles are like rooks, not queens.

(the same river that once caught fire in Cleveland).

Familiar with that one.

That’s worth getting out of the car for, right?

Very! Pretty!

to visit the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Yep, just when we’ve finished sending Sarah to school, now Dave is close to graduating and we need to go through the college search all over again.

Ah, once more unto the breach.

Dave is interested in mechanical engineering

Good for him.

And I apparently took no photos. I will hang my head in shame.

Dude. What is wrong with you?!?!?

I’m sure the winters would be cold

We ate an outdoor lunch at Zingerman’s Roadhouse, which my brother claimed was the place for Michigan football fans to hang out. I remember it being…fine. I had the smoked brisket sandwich, and it was decent, but I’ve had better.

High praise, indeed.

On the way, we stopped in Dayton, Ohio to stretch our legs and check out the offices of the Wright Cycle Co., part of the larger Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park.

Cool! Should plan on that some day...

The Cycle Co. is, of course, the preserved bicycle shop that Orville and Wilbur Wright operated in Dayton back at the turn of the 19th century while they worked on their plans for their mechanized flying machine.

That consarned contraption'll never get off the ground.

We got to Louisville in time for our 2:00 p.m. tour of the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. Again, this was a repeat of a stop we’d made in 2011, but somehow Drew had missed out on that visit. He gave some lame excuse like he was “not alive in 2011”, but I think he was probably just being lazy or not paying attention. You know what little boys are like.

The tour is a neat one, about 30-45 minutes where they take you through the process of making a baseball bat

Not a baseball fan... but would be interested in that.

Outside the building is the “world’s largest baseball bat”.

Like how you put that in quotations.
Like you see bigger bats pretty much everywhere you go.

These are the cuts of wood specially selected for major league ballplayers with contracts with Louisville Slugger. These meet the precise specifications each player asks for in his bats.

Huh! I had no idea. I thought there was a set, stock set to choose from.

Near the end, this guy was giving a demonstration of how they used to have to carve the bats by hand. It looked painful and labor-intensive, but it was also a bit mesmerizing watching the man work.

I've actually been captivated by a couple of lathe videos. It is mesmerizing.

Here’s one used by Babe Ruth during his famous 60-home-run 1927 campaign.

Cool!!!

It’s a little hard to see, but he would cut a notch around the center label every time he hit a home run with it.

Surprised there's any bat left.

You can even order a personalized bat before it starts, and it will be ready for you by the end of the tour.

Okay, that's pretty cool too.

Thome is a mountain of a man, and if I stood next to him I would look like Flat Stanley if Flat Stanley was allowed to have a beer gut.

Sadly, we had discovered a restaurant there that we’d fallen in love with in 2011, and it had abruptly closed a few years later.

<sigh> I can't even imagine the number of good restaurants that are going to be gone.

I try to take credit for these moments as sheer incredible vacation planning, but I think my family might be onto me.

Stick to your guns. Wear them down!

And as darkness fell that night, the sky lit up for a solid 30 minutes. Apparently everyone in Kentucky has their own private stash of fireworks and was not afraid to use them. I should not have been surprised by this. But we sat back in the room and enjoyed a 180-degree view of fireworks all over the night sky.

Niiiice.

and another stop for lunch on a whim at a local chain in West Virginia called Tudor’s Biscuit World. We learned there that our whims are sometimes defective, and we promised to be more vigilant in the future when making decisions on an empty stomach.

That bad, huh?

(it was still a national river when we visited, but apparently late last year they aced the interview and were promoted to national park status).

we could see the famous arch bridge over the New River.

Wow, that's beautiful.

We walked from the hotel to a restaurant called Macado’s, which has a huge menu listing just about every possible sandwich combo you could possibly think of. This place was a winner. I had a very tasty chicken parm sandwich (called the “Julius Caesar”) and would gladly eat here again.

I need to start a spreadsheet or something of all the places you recommend.
Hmmm... maybe you've got one?

The buildings are somewhat gothic and have a strong Harry Potter vibe to them.

"You're a wizard, David."

I loved the campus

Uh huh.

setting,

Sure.

people we met,

Right.

and the fact that the college had its own golf course

There it is!

 

[Steppesister]

Kind of a lot’s happened since then.

Uhhhh, yeah.

we all tried to figure out how we were going to make it through those two long weeks to flatten the infection curve.

I'd insert , but this seems more appropriate.

My parents gave us their old elliptical, and using that combined with finally disciplining myself to eat smaller portion sizes and fewer midnight snacks helped me to lose about 20 lbs. (9 kg). So that’s another pandemic win.

I put my foot straight through our deck.

Mike did that once and broke 3 ribs. The deck sat like that for 3 more years. You're lucky!!

So we ended up just getting a couple of gray boards that were in stock and making a bit of a welcome mat out of it. It was the best we could do.

I actually like it a lot. It looks intentional and well done.

She’s insanely talented.

She is absolutely incredibly gifted.

The Law of Art: if I could do it, it’s not art.

It's a solid Law.

And there was also this display. I don’t know the actual title, but I’m calling it “The Edge of My Garden”.

As I mentioned, we moved Sarah into a dorm on campus in January. It’s been a little hard to meet people due to COVID restrictions, but she’s been thriving in her classes and has a couple of really good friends, including her roommate. I remember well the feeling of enjoying the independence of living on my own when I started college, and I think she’s happy to be doing her own thing, too.

I remember those days and really enjoyed making friends and making my own rules.

It feels like we’re starting to get back to normal. Let’s hope that continues.

YES!!

Finally, I had one more breakthrough achievement in 2020. I smoked my own bacon for the first time.

You did better than me. I was talented enough to leave 1/2# out on the counter last night. Probably going to poison myself but can't bring myself to toss it.

We put some in the freezer and then tried to eat it again in a couple of weeks, and it was awful. Completely tasteless.

You need nitrates. Might poison your family (and you) but it'd taste better.

 

[Steppesister]

We had started keeping track of our family’s travels throughout the U.S. back in 2011. After 9 years of hard work, everything had led up to the summer of 2020. We’d reached 49 states together, and now, with Sarah about to leave home for college, everything had worked together to reach the climax and the end of our journey. It was going to be a vacation for the ages: 2 weeks, starting with a cruise from Vancouver through the Inside Passage up to Seward, followed by a road trip around the state, packing in as many sights as we possibly could. We were even going to splurge on a flight to Glacier Bay National Park, a stay in the remote lodge there and an all-day boat tour of one of the most remote national parks in the U.S. It was going to be huge, expensive, and incredibly memorable.

Looking like travel is back on the table and I'm confident you'll get to do this sooner than later.

Over the summer, my sister-in-law had a baby. He was their fourth child (I mean, can you imagine?? FOUR kids?? You have to be some kind of a masochist to do that to yourself)

Try 5.

How bad had it gotten? My kids were pumped about the prospect of driving across Ohio.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Once a vacation planner, always a vacation planner.

We made spreadsheets for our spreadsheets.

And I apparently took no photos. I will hang my head in shame.

As you should.

After the tour, you’re led into a museum with quite a bit of memorabilia, including bats used by hall-of-famers, some of which you can hold for photos.

Ok, that's pretty cool. I"m not a big fan, but do love a live minor league game now and then, but holding a bat from a legend would be really neat.

And as darkness fell that night, the sky lit up for a solid 30 minutes. Apparently everyone in Kentucky has their own private stash of fireworks and was not afraid to use them. I should not have been surprised by this.

This makes me even more ridiculously excited to move there!! I know my sis and BIL would buy thousands of dollars of fireworks every year and have huge parties. The 4th is a BIG deal in Bowling Green, KY. Apparently, it's a KY-wide thing.

In the morning, we did yet another DYI tour of the Virginia Tech campus. The campus basically is the reason for the town’s existence, as it’s built in a beautiful setting in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The buildings are somewhat gothic and have a strong Harry Potter vibe to them. It’s a former military academy and much more of a “stereotypical” college campus than Michigan was.

All my Maryland nieces and nephews went to VT. One is on the crew team there. The LOVE, LOVE it. Great school.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

You are in my neck of the woods. Surprisingly, I have never been to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. About the river. It did catch on fire again a year or two ago. Though this time it wasn't because of the previous reason of horrible over polluted water. This time it was an accident on the highway that leaked something into the river. It was cleaned up pretty fast.

Interesting. I hadn't heard about the most recent incident. We found the national park to be a worthwhile stop, though. The falls are nice, and there's also a train ride you can take if you have the time.

Another place I have never been. Seriously, I think I need to take a vacation in my own state.

Sounds like it!

This place is huge in WV. We have family that live in WV and when we visit this is where they want to go. Thankfully only for breakfast. Kind of hard to really screw up eggs and potatoes. I really don't desire to go here.

My biscuit was nothing special. It was a little skeevy in there, to be honest.

My grandparents grew up in WV and have taken me all over the state. Then when DH and I started dating we would go visit his grandfather and just drive for hours with nowhere in mind to go. This is how we found the battle field Carnifax Ferry. It is more of a park with an open field and a small house (the original house) and then some trails in the woods. If you ever make it that way again it a neat place to stop for a picnic lunch or dinner.

Thanks for the tip! I'll try and keep that in mind.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

That sounds like an epic trip you had planned!

It was going to be huge! And hugely expensive. But we were going for one last blowout before Sarah left the home.

Such a sorry situation.

Bleh.

Who in their right minds would do THAT?

I mean, you'd have to be a moron!

Definitely needed a change of scenery!

Everyone was so sick of quarantine at that point.

Well you've got that going for you.....

At least we knew they cleaned the room.

Both solid reasons.

It was an excuse to get out of the house.

Yeah.....slacker....

Youngest kid. Gets away with everything.

I like that "Flatten the Curve" and I even get the reference or double entendre!

Hey, good work outta you!

Yeah, I remember a similar move on a previous TR......

We may have done that a couple of times.

Nice. I don't even remember what we did on 4th of July. But I could look up in our dinner log and see what we ate.

Probably something I can't pronounce.

Go Drew!

Just don't ask if he remembers all the states.

Totally! I remember when I was looking at colleges. I auditioned at UCLA, but couldn't stand how "city" it was. We also drove to USC and it was even worse "city". I ended up at Cal State Northridge and while it was still way more "city" than I came from it was slightly more suburbia that I wanted coming from where I did. I like Long Beach a whole lot more, and am glad I'm here now!

Sometimes it takes a while to find the right vibe. We're still working on it with Dave, but I'm confident we'll get to the right place.

Cool! Looking forward to hearing about it! Is that the one in the cabin?

Yep, that's the one! Hopefully soon.

 

[franandaj]

Probably something I can't pronounce.

This made me laugh so hard that I had to go look up what we did actually have for dinner that night and it was Hot Dogs, Corn on the Cob and Cole Slaw. I'm guessing you can pronounce all of those even though you might not eat Cole Slaw.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

But the memories are priceless!

Well... $35.


And that's all you'll remember.

Pretty much. I tried to block out the actual ceremony.

<sigh> Ain't that the truth.

Every once in a while, we get reminded of how little we actually control.

But no giant Alaskan mosquitoes, so call it a win?

All things being equal...I'd take my chances with the mosquitoes.

Unless they're the same as the Everglades mosquitoes.

They actually have that! The Academy Awards has its Oscars, Netflix has its "Spuds".

I feel like I could win one of those.

I remember optimism. Kinda.

Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.

Fun show. Enjoyed it quite a bit.

We laughed quite a bit with that one. We just finished Ted Lasso on Apple+, and enjoyed that one quite a bit as well. More than I thought I would.

PB&J for the win!

Actually...not as much on this particular trip.

Which is why, and this actually happened, we had relatives from Europe ask if we could pick them up from the airport... In Halifax, NS!

Goodness. That's some Olympic-level navigational cluelessness right there.

Nice. I haven't been outside my Province... heck I haven't been able to leave the southern part of my Province since this thing started.

I feel like we all need a follow-up vaccine for cabin fever.

Oh yes. Nor can they move diagonally. If you play chess, viral particles are like rooks, not queens.

Interesting. I suggest we all walk down hallways in diagonal fashion, then.

Ah, once more unto the breach.

Nobody is doing in-person tours yet, though, so we haven't really been able to do a whole lot.

Good for him.

You'll like this: he wants to design and build F1 race cars.

Dude. What is wrong with you?!?!?

I know. Straight-up dereliction of duty.

High praise, indeed.

Sometimes it's hard to find creative ways to say "meh".

Cool! Should plan on that some day...

I wish we could have gone into the museum. I would have liked to explore a bit there.

That consarned contraption'll never get off the ground.

Flyboys and their crazy ideas!

Not a baseball fan... but would be interested in that.

Neither is my wife, and she enjoyed it too.

Like how you put that in quotations.
Like you see bigger bats pretty much everywhere you go.

I was thinking more along the lines that I don't know if this is an actual wooden bat or made of some other material.

Huh! I had no idea. I thought there was a set, stock set to choose from.

They all have preferences as to the size (length) of the bat and the type of wood that is used. Many prefer maple or hickory bats as opposed to the traditional ash.

I've actually been captivated by a couple of lathe videos. It is mesmerizing.

One of those tools I wish I knew how to use.

Surprised there's any bat left.

I think it got "retired" part of the way through the season after he got a crack in it.

Okay, that's pretty cool too.

All of my boys have one now!

<sigh> I can't even imagine the number of good restaurants that are going to be gone.

This one died before COVID, but it is sad to see some places go. Hard to make a living in the restaurant business.

Stick to your guns. Wear them down!

They just refuse to believe I'm competent in any way. Not sure what gives them that idea.

Niiiice.

That was a special moment.

That bad, huh?

It had the atmosphere and cleanliness of a Waffle House, but the food wasn't as good.

Wow, that's beautiful.

Very cool bridge. If we'd had more time we could have taken the old one-lane road down to the river and seen it from below.

I need to start a spreadsheet or something of all the places you recommend.
Hmmm... maybe you've got one?

Nope!

But that's why I put all the web links in these TR's. If I (or one of you) happens to be visiting somewhere and you think, hey, I remember there was a good place there...it's a little easier to look it up.

"You're a wizard, David."

He is in some ways.

There it is!

College with golf course >>> college without golf course

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I'd insert , but this seems more appropriate.

We have to laugh so we don't cry.

Mike did that once and broke 3 ribs. The deck sat like that for 3 more years. You're lucky!!

Yikes! Yeah, all I got was a couple of scars.

I actually like it a lot. It looks intentional and well done.

Thanks! The important part is that there's not a giant hole in the deck now.

She is absolutely incredibly gifted.

Again, thank you. I'm amazed at the things she creates.

It's a solid Law.

I have yet to find any exceptions or violations.

I remember those days and really enjoyed making friends and making my own rules.

The independence was so wonderful. I think at that age, we're all ready to get away from mom and dad and do our own thing.

You did better than me. I was talented enough to leave 1/2# out on the counter last night. Probably going to poison myself but can't bring myself to toss it.

NOOOOOOOooooo...

You need nitrates. Might poison your family (and you) but it'd taste better.

I cured it ahead of time for 7 days. But it didn't seem to matter with freezing it. Blech.

Looking like travel is back on the table and I'm confident you'll get to do this sooner than later.

Less than a month now!

Try 5.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Anything but our living room was an improvement.

We made spreadsheets for our spreadsheets.

It's what we do!

Ok, that's pretty cool. I"m not a big fan, but do love a live minor league game now and then, but holding a bat from a legend would be really neat.

It's a neat tour, just long enough to be interesting and just short enough not to bore anyone.

This makes me even more ridiculously excited to move there!! I know my sis and BIL would buy thousands of dollars of fireworks every year and have huge parties. The 4th is a BIG deal in Bowling Green, KY. Apparently, it's a KY-wide thing.

If you can get up high, you can see a panorama of fireworks!

All my Maryland nieces and nephews went to VT. One is on the crew team there. The LOVE, LOVE it. Great school.

I really loved that school. The campus is really beautiful, set back in the mountains. Would have loved to have gone there. But then a lot of things would have turned out differently.

 

[pkondz]

Pretty much. I tried to block out the actual ceremony.

It's your only defense.

Every once in a while, we get reminded of how little we actually control.

Very true.

All things being equal...I'd take my chances with the mosquitoes.

Unless they're the same as the Everglades mosquitoes.

I'm thinking... and I have absolutely no idea, but based on where I've been... black flies are the problem up there, not mosquitoes.

Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.

I hope not.

Wait...

We laughed quite a bit with that one. We just finished Ted Lasso on Apple+, and enjoyed that one quite a bit as well. More than I thought I would.

Never heard of that one. We don't have Apple TV.

Actually...not as much on this particular trip.

My disappointment knows no bounds.

Goodness. That's some Olympic-level navigational cluelessness right there.

I think it stems from this:
"Look at the size of our (Germany) country on the map! We can go from Nuremburg to Frankfurt in 2.5 hours. (Roughly one edge to the middle.) So now we look at Canada. Halifax is here on one edge and Winnipeg is there in the middle. Ergo... 2.5 hours.

I feel like we all need a follow-up vaccine for cabin fever.

Can mine come in a bottle?

Interesting. I suggest we all walk down hallways in diagonal fashion, then.

Instant immunity!

You'll like this: he wants to design and build F1 race cars.

Atta boy!!

Neither is my wife, and she enjoyed it too.

It's nice when she lies to you like that.

They all have preferences as to the size (length) of the bat and the type of wood that is used. Many prefer maple or hickory bats as opposed to the traditional ash.

Huh. Interesting. (Not just typing "interesting" because I'm bored. I really had no idea.)

One of those tools I wish I knew how to use.

I've used one once in 8th grade (shops class). Metal lathe too, although it wasn't as dramatic. Would love to do more of that. I think my dad (a carpenter by trade) might have an old one, but... I doubt it works anymore. He hasn't used it in... probably 30-40 years.

They just refuse to believe I'm competent in any way. Not sure what gives them that idea.

Bright bunch!

But that's why I put all the web links in these TR's. If I (or one of you) happens to be visiting somewhere and you think, hey, I remember there was a good place there...it's a little easier to look it up.

Sure, but now I'll have to re-read all that!


You're killing me Smalls!

College with golf course >>> college without golf course

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

This made me laugh so hard that I had to go look up what we did actually have for dinner that night and it was Hot Dogs, Corn on the Cob and Cole Slaw. I'm guessing you can pronounce all of those even though you might not eat Cole Slaw.

That's so disappointingly normal. But you're right, I wouldn't touch the cole slaw. Blech.

It's your only defense.

In so many ways...

I'm thinking... and I have absolutely no idea, but based on where I've been... black flies are the problem up there, not mosquitoes.

Well, I know this sign has been seen around the state, so...

I hope not.

Wait...

I see what you did there.

Never heard of that one. We don't have Apple TV.

Really? Huh. I wouldn't have guessed that Apple+ (the streaming service) wouldn't be available in Canada.

I think they had said Ted Lasso was available for free at the moment, too. It's about an American football coach who gets hired to coach a UK Premier League soccer team. We all thought it was very funny.

My disappointment knows no bounds.

You were probably a lot more disappointed than my kids.

I think it stems from this:
"Look at the size of our (Germany) country on the map! We can go from Nuremburg to Frankfurt in 2.5 hours. (Roughly one edge to the middle.) So now we look at Canada. Halifax is here on one edge and Winnipeg is there in the middle. Ergo... 2.5 hours.

Makes perfect sense that way. Why didn't you pick them up? Slacker.

Can mine come in a bottle?

We have our top men working on that.

It's nice when she lies to you like that.

And usually much preferable to the truth.

I've used one once in 8th grade (shops class). Metal lathe too, although it wasn't as dramatic. Would love to do more of that. I think my dad (a carpenter by trade) might have an old one, but... I doubt it works anymore. He hasn't used it in... probably 30-40 years.

The closest I came was watching the Mythbusters use one.

Sure, but now I'll have to re-read all that!


You're killing me Smalls!

(maniacal laugh)