Thanksgiving and more!

1100 miles and we're still not out of Florida!

OK, so its been a few days since we've blogged. In part we've just been relaxing and enjoying the sun. The other is that Mike has just been plain lazy. Sorry for the lapse, but we're now back at it.

Nov 25 2008. Pompano Beach, FL. So, on Tuesday we arrive at Mathew's grandparent's (Debbie's parents) apartment and enjoyed our traditional brisket dinner. Almost as quickly, we hit the pool and begin planning for Thanksgiving (not all at the same time). Tuesday and Wednesday are just R&R with Mathew spending most of the day in the pool. We did a bit of cooking in advance, but mostly R&R. Thursday of course is the big day--morning is prep time and watching the Thanksgiving Day parade (we're missing NY just a little bit). The turkey goes in the oven at 1230pm--Mathew and Dad hit the pool at about 130pm (for the second that day)--and the guests arrive at 300pm. Everyone thinks the dinner is delicious. Mike's stuffing (a sausage, artichoke, and Parmesan cheese stuffing) is the lead-off hit, but Debbie's apple pie as usual clears the bases. It practically evaporates off the plate. Friday is a cleanup day and then we head to Sanibel Island around noon.


Friday-Sunday (11/28-30), Sanibel Island. Debbie has been coming here since the 70s and a few years ago she decided to share this treasure with Mike, and we've been coming for at least the past six years. Mathew has been coming here since he was almost born. We enjoyed two absolutely spectacular days here--Saturday was spent biking through the Ding Darling NWR and then had a great meal with some local Grouper from Timbers and sunset dive into the surf (Mathew's first real, fearless venture into the Gulf.) We also spent a good part of Saturday morning building a seashell laden sand castle. Mathew's new-found friend Charlie from West Virginia provided a great incentive and help. As anyone who has ever been to Sanibel Island, Sanibel is for seashelling. More on this later, but let's just say that we probably spent more time looking down than up.

A Good Day to Leave. Sunday brought a lot of wind and some rain. But we got a good walk on the beach and some late seashelling just before the rains came. By the time we were to Tampa the rain was coming down in sheets and the wind was practically blowing us off the road. The rest of Sunday is spent making our way to Tallahassee where this is being written.

NOTES FROM THE ROAD: Strange sounds north of Perry, FL - could they be Spring peepers? They sure sounded like them.
Another unusual sighting - fall colors in FLORIDA, how could this be? We just never knew they had deciduous trees. It was very beautiful. We also found a local orange grove, Hancocks and bought some tasty navel oranges and very sour Meyer lemons.



Needless to say, Florida is a big state. From where we entered north of Jacksonville to where we'll leave near Pensacola, we'll have covered just about 1100 miles on the road in Florida. That's like traveling from New York City to Omaha, Nebraska.

Tomorrow we're off to New Orleans
and then to Mike's brother's in Texas.

See ya'll later.

Day Nine--Kennedy Space Center

November 24 2008--Titusville, FL. It was a beautiful day--56 F and sunny, cloudless skies when we arose. We loaded the car (again!) and set out for the Kennedy Space Center. We knew before we got there that the tour of the KSC was both expensive and long, but we went anyway to see if there was an a la carte approach. Alas, there was not, so we backtracked a few miles to the US Astronaut Museum. Cheaper and more self-guided. It was still too much for Mathew to absorb--and I'll say not truly friendly to a 4 1/2 year old--but a great time and great exhibits was had by all. There were two rides: one a G-Force simulator and the other a Mars Rover simulator. Both incredibly nauseating, but very exciting. Now we know what it is like to drop out of the sky at 10,000 ft in a stalled fighter jet. Anyway, we took some great pictures and learned a lot about the early days of the US space program. After lunch and a little exercise, we headed on down I-95 for Pompano Beach and Mathew's grandparent's place. We'll be there for a few days and then on to Sanibel Island.

We're also going to stop at the Houston Space Center for a little more NASA. I am sure we may have a future astronaut on our hands.

Start: Titusville, FL, 56 F
Stop: Pompano Beach, FL, 76 F
Total Day Trip Mileage: TBD
Total Trip Mileage: TBD

Day Eight--Shrimp 'n' Grits

Nov 23 2008--Charleston, SC. After our dinner out at Sweatman's, we stayed at a very low key hotel in St. George, SC. Then in the morning we found our way into Charleston SC. Mike spent a few summers in Folly Beach, SC (just outside Charleston) back in the 70s and had not been back in 35 years. Charleston is an incredibly historic southern town that, among other things, was where the Civil War started. We took a dual-mule carriage ride through historic Charleston and saw some really neat houses, mansions, buildings, and churches--Charleston has 186 active churches. In a town of 85000 people! We also learned that the difference between a cemetery and a graveyard is...... (see below). After the carriage ride, we went to Jestine's Kitchen for a great southern meal. It was a bit more upscale than I imagined (I don't think they had mesclun greens back then), but the food was transcendent. Mike had Shrimp and Grits; Debbie had a Fried Oyster Po Boy sandwich, and Mathew had a banana and peanut butter sandwich. But the highlight of the day for Mathew was being made an honorary junior fireman with the Charleston Fire Department--he got to sit in the fire engine and they even blew the siren for him. After our Coca-Cola sweetened chocolate cake, we hit the road for Florida. About 830pm, we arrived in Titusville, FL (near Kennedy Space Center) and crawled into bed after a long day.

Departure Info: 1011 miles, 44 F, Charleston, SC Arrival Info: 1455 miles, 54 F, Titusville, FL Total Day Trip Mileage: 444 miles Total Trip Mileage: 1455

Ok, so do you know the difference between a cemetery and a graveyard? A graveyard is continuously unseparated from the church and a cemetery is, say, across the street from the church.

Now, on to Cape Canaveral!

Days 6 & 7: More TJ and Sad Good-Byes

11/21/08--Charlottesville, VA. Everyone went to the University of Virginia to visit the Rotunda and walk the lawn. It was cold and windy, so not a great day to be outside. But
Mathew got yet another dose of TJ and we all further realized the great accomplishments of the man (TJ, that is; Mathew's accomplishments are yet to come). We went up into the dome of the Rotunda--the first library for UVA and a place where luminaries speak and have spoken. Before we came down from the dome room, Mathew got to stand in the "exact" spot as TJ did the last time he returned to Monticello before his death. We also went out on the lawn and saw the rooms where past students such as Edgar Allen Poe lived, and the serpentine walls constructed by TJ for their strength and conservative use of building materials (one brick think, maybe 5' high). We also went to the Discovery Museum on the downtown mall where they had--in addition to the normal discovery stuff--an exhibit of music roots. very cool!!

11/22/2008--Charlottesville, VA: Departure Day. After a brief visit with the grandparents, Mathew and his folks packed up the car and hit the road for South Carolina. Now, Charleston has pretty much been our day-after-C'ville destination. But after seeing an episode of No Reservations, we're going to stay about an hour west of Charleston for the night almost for the sole purpose of eating at Sweatman's BBQ in Holly Hill, SC. Apparently some of the best, and most traditional SC BBQ around. More later on this, but I have to finish my Virginia peanuts first. Yum!

NEWS FLASH: Mathew declines comment; cites Fifth Amendment. Smiles belie Finnish stoicism.

Late Note on Sweatman's: My God, I didn't want to leave!! First you arrive at a big old wood building in a dusty parking lot on a dark back road in Eutawville, SC. Second, you merge with a large number of large people arriving and then you line up at BUFFET. Yes, a buffet. For those of you expecting white table cloths and sommeliers, forget it. This is like eating at home. The menu is short and scribbled on dry erase black board. But you know what you came for--PORK. There was the hash and rice, pulled pork (white and dark), ribs (slathered in the most wonderful sauce), and skin (a house specialty that they were out of). Then you get a gallon of sweet tea, sampling of BBQ sauces and sit in a room akin to eating out at the local fire hall. And it is quiet--like a pork church. This, folks, is down home. And I am so glad we drove the extra 10 miles or so to get there because it just simply doesn't get any better or more traditional than this. As for the pork, well, let's just say I went back for seconds, finished off Debbie's ribs, and Mathew's pulled pork. All this for a just $9.95 a plate.

Start Mileage/Location: 510 miles, Charlottesville, VA, 33 F
Stop Mileage/Location: 1010 miles, St. George, SC, 30 F
Total Day Trip Mileage: 500 miles
Total Trip Mileage: 1010 miles

Day Five--Monticello

Nov 20 2008--Mathew finally got his encounter with Thomas Jefferson--his hero. Mathew, Mom & Dad, and his Grandma went to Monticello for the day. We arrived at the brand spanking new visitor center (a vast improvement over the old one) and took the shuttle to the main grounds. We had about 40 minutes to "kill" and so toured the gardens and orchards. There were peach trees, apple trees, cherry trees, and a vineyard. The vines still had some grapes on them which we tasted copiously. Ironically, when last Mike dined in Berkeley, California we were served some Zinfandel grapes with a dessert fruit plate--horrendous tasting things--but the Cabernet grapes we tried were great fresh eating fruit. Now they aren't table grapes, but they were good and a real treat. We wandered up to the veggie garden and tried some very pungent arugula, very hot Texas Bird peppers, and a few other things--lambsquarter, rosemary, etc.

By now it was time to tour the house. Having been through the house many times over the years, much of the tour was familiar to us. But Mathew was amazed by all of the things he had only read about--the clock, the dumbwaiter, his library (Tom loved books), his study, his instruments, on and on. The one thing they didn't really go into was Tom's culinary contributions the states, so Mathew chimed in and made sure everyone knew that Jefferson had brought Love Apples, Ice Cream, and Macaroni and Cheese back from France. What are Love apple? Why they are tomatoes! Most Americans didn't eat tomatoes because they were associated with death (they are in the solanaceous crop family, same as skullcap.)

After the indoor tour, we headed back outside to tour the outdoors some more and the house's underground outbuildings--kitchen, wine cellar, smokehouse, etc. Then we headed to the family grave site to see Tom's grave stone and then to the visitor center cafe for a quick bite to eat. Then we took a spin up Carter Mountain Orchard to show Mathew where his Dad lived and worked 20 years ago, and to pick up some apple cider.

Tomorrow, we're going to take a tour of Charlottesville and the University of Virginia, and Saturday we're off to Charleston, SC.

Day Four--On Our Way!

Nov 19 2008—At 1130am, we’re on the Garden State Parkway heading for the dreaded I-95 corridor (the traffic delays never came). By 2pm, we’re in Delaware, a bit later Maryland (3pm), Washington DC (4pm), and at 6:20pm we arrive at Mathew’s grandparent’s house in Charlottesville, VA. Unfortunately, we did not get a chance to stop in the Baltimore/DC area, but tomorrow Mathew finally gets his visit to Monticello and everything Thomas Jefferson.

Start: Red Bank, NJ
Stop: Charlottesville, VA
Day Mileage: 344 miles
Trip Mileage: 472 miles

Days Two & Three: Assessing the Mess

Nov 17 2008—Somewhat of an “assess the mess” day, rearrange, clean, finish packing, and stay sane—day. Plenty of the above to go around, so we welcomed the extra day even though I can’t wait to get on the road.

Nov 18 2008—This is the day! We wake to snow—just a light dusting—and a cool breeze. And after a one day delay—too much stuff, not enough containers—we finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and figure that the snow is just a way of the universe telling us to get on our way. The last moving pod arrives at 11:30am and we leave at 4:20pm—just in time for the ABF to come get the last two pods. We make a quick stop at the chiropractor and get on the thruway. At 8pm we arrive in Red Bank, NJ, our stopover for the night. We get a good night’s sleep in front of a roaring fire, a breakfast of bagel’s and lox, and at 11am, we’re on our way south the next morning. Thanks Amy, Anthony, Ava, Amanda, & AJ--See you in California!!

Start: Kerhonkson, NY
Stop: Red Bank, NJ
Total Mileage: 128 miles

Day One--Too Much Stuff!!

Nov 16 2008—All-day packing job. THANKS!! To the extraordinary individuals that helped us get the house packed up and into the pods along with calmly reasoning with us when moments of delusion crept into our thoughts: Jeanne Powell and Mike Stopski; Paul Thurst; Jason Hurwitz and Christa Whiteman; Fabia Wargin and Luis Leon; Jeff Davis ; Richard, Susan & Robbie Lewis, Ken Oldehoff & Brian Farmer. Amazingly, only one item was broken, a mirror to Debbie’s dresser, the only piece remained unbroken was a section with Peace & Love written on it with crayon which was done over 15 years ago. Oh no! We need another pod, we have too many treasurers to take to CA.

Bad Jam and Old Oyster Sauce

You know we're getting down to the nitty gritty when the fridge needs to be cleaned out. But that's where we're at. Kinda nice though because it means that we're done with a lot of the major stuff and winding down to the final details. In fact, my truck goes in on Monday for one more inspection before heading off to California. That truck has been around the block a few times and at 147,000 miles, has resided in Minnesota (its birthplace), Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, and now California (probably its final resting place). It has taken me to Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virgina, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, and even Canada. It is more well traveled than most people I know. As you can see, it has been across country twice (more or less), taken me to a fair number of concerts, and was my best friend next to Rocky for many lonely years. It has been a good truck and WILL BE (damn it!) a good truck for at least another 100,000 miles. After Tuesday, the next time I sit in it will be in northern California.

The next week also brings final packing, final cleaning, cleansing ceremony, a bottle of champagne, and a teary good-bye. But we'll be back, because we have lots of great memories and lots of great friends. Probably the only sadness I have in leaving is that I was not able to set foot on Stone Ridge Orchard and say a final farewell to the trees and plants. C'est la vie! Onward and upward. Never apologize, never explain.

Until next time. Mike