Travels With Sadie, Day Eight Denny & Alex

I know that this is a bit out of sequence but today has been one hell of a day so far.

I am in Cumming GA with old and dear friends Scott and Deb Douglas who I've known for over thirty years. Deb's mother Irene is also here. Irene is one of the nicest people that I've ever met and one hell of a cook to boot.

I started out the day by finding out that my friend of forty years Denny Moore has died. The whys and wherefores I still don't know because everyone back in California is at his funeral.

Before that could really sink in, my son Dave called to tell me that he is at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach and that they are inducing labor on Amy. My soon to be new grandson, Alex, is a week overdue and poor little Amy just can't lug the big galoot around any more.

So it is a classic example, for me, of one door closing and another door opening.

The circle of life.

Stay tuned. Film at eleven.

Literally.

Travels With Sadie, Day Seven Lanta

We got up early Tuesday morning and set out for Cumming Georgia which is a bit northeast of Atlanta. Alabama and Georgia is some pretty nice country, but it is also non-eventful so after eight and a half hours on the road, we arrived at Scott and Debs. They have two Golden Labs Chelsey the mom and Sugarbear, one of her pups. I was at the Douglas home exactly eight years ago when Celsey had her litter. Chelsey is this sweet female, I really hate to use the term bitch and Sugarbear is a big handsome dog who lives to chase things thrown into the brush and return with them in his mouth.

When I throw a stick or throw toy for Sadie, I end up as often as not, being the retriever and fetching the damned thing.

We hiked through the woods to the Chattahoochee with the three dogs and had a great time.

Travels With Sadie, Day Six. Moss Point MS

Kenny had Monday off so He and I and his wife Janice and his brother Tommy launched a 24' powerboat and set off through the bayous with a twelve pack of Bud to find us some alligators.

Tommy has been cruising the backwaters and bayous for over thirty years and guaranteed that we would see us some gaters. We didn't, but we had a hell of a good time putting around the bayous and swilling down the cold Buds.

We stopped at Huck's Cove Marina Bar & Grill but being it was Monday, it was closed. I guess I'm going to have to come back to Moss Point again, but not on a Monday, because the place looked like a real good place to hang.

I really liked the Gulf Coast along Mississippi and fully intend to be back when I can spend more time here.

Travels With Sadie, Day Five. Moss Point MS

We got out of Houma, LA about 0645 Sunday and drove on to Mosspoint, MS. On our way out of Houma, I stopped off to pick up a beignet and a coffee. I want to Mr. Ron's doughnuts, which I was advised as having the very best beignets in town. It was as if Mr. Ron had never even heard of a beignet. As I was about to leave empty handed, I happened to glance down and spy piece of fried pastry the intrigued me. I was told that it was an éclair covered with a chocolate-praline topping. Beignet? Gimme one of those éclairs, and a coffee. And off we roared. We drove highway 90 instead of geting on the Interstate. The highway is much more scenic than the Interstate. Especially east of New Orleans and into Mississippi.

I want to go back to Louisiana again when I can spend more time taking in the sights and to be able to eat more of the Cajun food.

Along the Gulf Shore in Western Mississippi, I looked up and thought for a moment that I had, maybe, taken a wrong turn when I found myself back in Long Beach.

Of course it's Long Beach Mississippi, but it has salt water and sand and it's warm & sunny. Not too bad. Coastal Mississippi has been a real pleasant surprise.

I made it to Kenny & Janice Schmidt's in Moss Point, MS and settled in. Kenny used to be a liveaboard neighbor in Alamitos Bay Marina back in Long Beach California. He and his wife had their boat trucked to Galveston about six years ago and then motored east along the Inland Waterway through Texas and Louisiana to Mississippi. Of course before they could even reach Moss Point they got pounded by hurricane Ivan. Luckily for them, some shrimpers showed them how to weather the storm and keep from getting killed. They then made it to Moss Point only to meet up with Katrina. Which they also survived. They have a beautiful Golden-Lab mix named Boggs so now Sadie has a new boyfriend. They make a really cute pair.

Tschuss.

Travels With Sadie, Day Four. Louisiana

I worked like a dog all day. Sadie worked like a Golden Retriever, IE she napped. She also found a thicket of prickly balls to roll in. She has hundreds embedded in her thick golden fur coat. They won't brush out and have to be clipped. I have been hankering for Cajun food, so for lunch we went to Big Al's Seafood. Big Al's sounds like a great way to plunge in. We ordered Crayfish, by the pound.

My customer ordered five pounds, which sounded like too much so I ordered one pound. He upped it to two pounds and told the waitress that he would polish off what I didn't. Two pounds was just about right for this two hundred pounder. We had some corn cobbettes and boiled potatoes for sides. My hands still smell of mudbugs from shelling the little critters. After driving for three straight days and then working all day, all I wanted to do was take something back to my room and eat it with a cold beer, shower and fall into bed. My customer, Joe Fox, recommended The New Orleans Hamburger and Seafood Company, which is where I went. I took home the thin sliced fried Catfish, which he also recommended with Jumbo Shrimp, New Orleans style coleslaw, garlic fries and hush-puppies. A sixteen oz. cold beer and I was ready for sleep.

Today, as I head for Moss Point Mississippi, I am stopping to get a Beignet and coffee for the road. I'll also try to grab a Muffuletta or Po' Boy.

Travels With Sadie, Days Two & Three. Texas

Once again we got a late start. We really didn't get under way until ten AM. In western New Mexico, we crossed into the Mountain Time Zone and then went over the Continental Divide. To paraphrase Dorthy, You know Sadie we're not in Long Beach anymore. We are no longer in the West, and we're heading farther east. I'm sure you know that if you drop some water in a stream west of the Continental Divide the water will eventually end up in the Pacific Ocean. East of the CD and it will end up in the Atlantic. Between South Bend and Elkhart Indiana, there is a North-South Continental Divide. I'm not too sure exactly what that means. South of this CD and water ends up in the Gulf of Mexico before eventually ending up in the Atlantic? And north of this CD and it ends up n Cleveland? We eventually made it to Texas. There is one word that describes Texas, big! It is huge. I saw a billboard in El Paso advertising Furr's Cafeteria. There used to be a Furr's in Paramount CA but it is now gone. I knew that Furr's was a Texas chain, but I just assumed that the whole chain had folded. I guess not. I liked the place but it was, pretty much, an all you can eat place, and faced with that prospect, I can eat a lot. Not good for me or my waistline. To see what is available, have a look. http://www.furrs.net/menus_daily.cfm?var=Saturday&state=TX&city=6&location=11925%20Gateway%20Blvd.%20West&menuType=1

My thoughts on food were focused on the Cajun variety like Etouffee and Muffulettas so gallantly, I forged ahead. The speed limit in West Texas is 80 MPH, but in order to keep my fuel consumption under control, I kept it to slightly under 70 and Texas kept droning on and on. It was getting late and we were still in Central Texas and the weather started to worsen. The wind was blowing the semis all over the road and it was thundering and lighting was striking everywhere so we pulled into a rest stop.

Three AM, I woke up and we got rolling again. Eight hundred and eighty stinking miles later, we finally got out of Texas at 1224. We are now in Houma LA and the whole area is under a tornado watch. I was so beat when we got here that we just fell into bed and still havent had even a Po' Boy.

Tschuss.

Travels With Sadie, Day One. California & Arizona.

Well we finally got out of town. It was a late start so we didn't really get on the freeway until 11:30. I stopped in Banning to get a Big Carl. I have been pretty good with the burgers and red meat lately, but being I'm setting out for, some, part unknown; I thought that I could go weeks without a Big Carl and better have one while I can. That's my story and I'm stickin' with it. Across the street from Carls Jr. is the old horseradish store. The place looks like maybe it's had it's run and appeared to be permanently closed so I thought that I'd better get a picture of it while it's still standing. Occasionally, when I mention that there is a store in Banning that only sells horseradish, I do get these strange looks. So here is pictorial proof you doubters!

The rest of the drive to Palm Springs was pretty routine. I don't drive to Palm Springs often, but often enough to consider the drive routine. Once you get east of "The Springs", you are actually on the road. We crossed the Colorado River into Arizona at Blythe at 1515 and gassed up in Arizona where the cost of gasoline is a bit less.

We bypassed Phoenix around Gila Bend and made it to Willcox by 2130.

We probably could have made a bit better time, but I tried to stop about once an hour to allow Sadie to stretch her legs and romp around the desert. I guess she has now outgrown the romping phase of her life. She ran around a bit but mainly stayed close to pop.

Sadie was all enthused about "going for a ride" when we left, but by the time we got to Gila Bend I think she was done. She just sat in the front seat and stared out the side window with her face pressed against the glass.

In Willcox she did romp around a bit and peed and pooped and peed and pooped a second time, just in case.

It's now 0920 and I think I'll go shit, shine, shower, shave & shampoo and then we'll gas up and be on our way.

Tschuss

Travels With Sadie

It is Tuesday evening and Sadie and I are due to hit the road in the morning. It rained today and now it has cleared up but it's still blowing like stink outside.

There are Small Craft Advisories posted. The lines are creaking and it reminds you why you live aboard. We'll be taking the BRT. Big Red Truck.

I'm "packing". The boat is a mess. What a dump. There was a time when I would shove whatever clean clothes and underwear & socks into a bag and be on my merry way. Now I'm beginning to think that I am starting to pack like a girl. You know, for three weeks. Six pair of jeans, three for work. Two for going out in public and the newest pair for "formal" wear. Maybe eight tee shirts three pull-over "golf" shirts and maybe two dressy shirts. Work shoes, deck shoes, that's about it. Well, maybe not so girlie after all.

Sadie's the smart one here. She just snoozes while I get ready to stow her food and dishes. Her bed and squeaky bunnies, and her Duck. In case you slept through the course, and don't speak Golden Retriever, a Duck is this red rubber throw toy that you toss into the water for her to retrieve. Ha ha ha. Sorry, it's just a little private joke.

I have my list, and I'm checking it twice. It's a pretty big list.

I did learn one travel tip from Carl that I'm willing to share. According to Carl, you pack all of your old crap. The stuff that you should have thrown away by now. After you have worn it, and got it dirty or torn, you toss it. This way you'll have less crap to tote around and maybe a bit of room to bring new crap back. Eh???

Anyway, we're off in the morning and I intend to make it to New Mexico on Day One.

Tschuss

On the road again, there's more.

It looks pretty official. Sadie and I will be on the road for a few weeks.

This is one of my very favorite pictures of her. She'll be perfect company on the trip.

You know if you talk to yourself, and people see or hear you, you're labeled as a crackpot. But if you talk to your dog, most folks won't even give it a second thought. Not that I really care, mind you.

We'll be off to Houma, Louisana and then on to Cumming GA. After that Cincinnati.

It also looks like Brown County Indiana is on the agenda. I spent a year and a half in southern Indiana as a young sailor a very long time ago. I was weird for us, mostly, city boys to be in such a rural setting. I always try to go back through there when I get a chance to see how things have changed, and also how they haven't changed.
Then next, we'll be off to see my sister in Cuyahoga Falls Ohio.
After a little family visit, it will be on to southern Michigan and northern Indiana.
Cammanche Iowa will probably be the end of the "official" trip and then
Old Route 66, as much as practicable, will be the long way home. Maybe not, maybe we'll take the Northern Route and stop to see my old Navy buddy Bart in Wyoming.
It's been three years since I've made an extended road trip and the road is beckoning to me.
Can you hear it?
I can. So can Sadie.

More beer talk.

Arrgh. All of a sudden this afternoon. I started thursten for a cold Leinenkugel or Pig's Eye beer. In case you don't know of these two, allow me to elaborate.

Leinenkugel would be my first choice of suds for no other reason then the name. Hell, with a name like that, Leinenkugel just has to be good. And it really is. They brew about a dozen different varieties.

Of course let's not overlook Sam Adams. The genius behind the beer is none other than Jim Koch. With a name like Jim Koch, this guy has to be the top beer gun.

Now if you want to have a really good beer, you have to buy a ticket on Luftansa and fly to the Old Country. To say that German beer is the best in the world is simply the understatement of all time. Every little town in Germany has at least one brewery and the local brew is all that most gasthauses serve. On the beer mug will be the crest for the brewery and under the crest it will say SIET and a year. SEIT, in German, means since and most of these places say seit 1600, or thereabouts. They have been making the same beer for 400+ years. Ya think they got it down by now?

I did have a hell of a beer in Amsterdam. I asked the beertender what kind it was and he said Heineken. It was so good that I didn't believe him. He insisted that I come around behind the bar and have a look at the label on the keg and sure enough it said Heieken.

There was a few brews that we drank overseas.

The first was Primo.

Ah Primo. That's the stuff we used to swill when we got to Pearl. Sort of pinapplie tasting. It wasn't all that great but after a week at sea, who the hell cared as long as it was cold.

Then there was good old San Miguel. Quaff of choice in Olongapo. Only one Phillipene peso a bottle when a Yankee Doller whould exchange for seven Pesos and a stick of gum. They also made it in Hong Kong. Great stuff.

Mostly these days, I'll have a nice ale or settle for a Coors when I just want to wet my whistle.

Well after all of this beer talk, gotta go get me a cold one.