We attended Clay's 50th Grifton High School Reunion on Saturday at Baron and the Beef outside Kinston. The last couple of every 5 year reunions have been held there. The steakhouse has neither a proper website or menu online so I won't try to place any links. There were only about 20 past students this year. As more of the class dies off or becomes unable to attend, it becomes a more somber affair. We enjoyed our meals and the company. I am glad I have never been to a reunion of my own though!
We stayed overnight this year as we felt too old to drive back home after. We paid about $86 at the Quality Inn less than 5 miles away. It was convenient and clean, had a well-used swimming pool and included breakfast but it still seemed a bit pricey for the roadside motel that it was.
We leave for Vancouver in a couple of weeks for our O cruise in Alaska, to Miami via San Francisco and the Panama Canal. We've just booked a Big O birthday trip with Mom for 2018 to Switzerland and Austria to see the Alps. We've booked a Tulane Alumni trip earlier in 2018 to Israel so next year is already a pretty big travel year for us. We need to get the house painted sometime in there. Renew our passports. We are on track to obtain Global Entry with appointments in Miami when the cruise gets in there.
Little Bob hits the road
Little Bob hits the road
Sunday, August 27, 2017
Monday, August 21, 2017
Awesome Eclipse in Sumter
photos
At last, today was the great American eclipse! It was really hot here, but that meant it was sunny and blue skies. So good news for eclipse watchers. We got up around 7am and went to the lobby for complimentary breakfast buffet after I showered. We were early enough that we easily got food and seats. It was a good complete buffet. I took a yogurt to the room fridge for lunch later. Clay had a steak sandwich in the fridge from my leftovers last night. We went out for a few hours hoping they would have time to service our room. We went next door to the Tractor Supply and saw live chicks for sale. Cute! We stopped at a Honda dealer. We stopped at CVS because Clay forgot to pack his bathroom bag and his medications. He is doing without his prescriptions but had to have an antihistamine. We went to Swan Lake Iris Gardens where they are supposed to have all 8 species of swans. We only saw 3 or 4 plus a lot of geese and ducks. It was very nice and the parking lot was nearly full and people were already set up with lawn chairs to view the eclipse. We still plan to just view it from outside the hotel. We went to the Sumter Mall after that to cool off for a couple of hours. We came back to the room around noon and ate. The room hadn't been serviced. We got on sunscreen and packed some supplies and a small ice chest and set up behind the parking lot with our lawn chairs. There were actually a surprising number of other people with the same idea around the hotel and in the big vacant lot next door where we had originally planned to set up. The eclipse was really incredible. If you weren't expecting it, it would be scary. It was worth the pre-eclipse broiling we endured!
We came back inside after the totality as did most everyone else. The room still hadn't been serviced. Since they were across the hall and saw us leave and didn't come in during the 2 hours we were out, we called it and put out the do not disturb sign. If they manage to get to it while we're at dinner so be it but we're in for the rest of the afternoon.
Hopefully, Clay will post some photos on these entries at some point. I know he took photos both days. We're both glad we came for the total eclipse of the sun. The corona was better than what we'd have gotten at home with 97% blockage.
Around 5pm we walked across the parking lot to the Buffalo Wild Wings next door. We ate some heavy food! We shared an appetizer of mini corn dogs. I had buffalo mac & cheese and Clay had classic wings. It was happy hour so after Clay was carded, he had a pint draft of Blue Point.
That was our Eclipse Day!
photos
At last, today was the great American eclipse! It was really hot here, but that meant it was sunny and blue skies. So good news for eclipse watchers. We got up around 7am and went to the lobby for complimentary breakfast buffet after I showered. We were early enough that we easily got food and seats. It was a good complete buffet. I took a yogurt to the room fridge for lunch later. Clay had a steak sandwich in the fridge from my leftovers last night. We went out for a few hours hoping they would have time to service our room. We went next door to the Tractor Supply and saw live chicks for sale. Cute! We stopped at a Honda dealer. We stopped at CVS because Clay forgot to pack his bathroom bag and his medications. He is doing without his prescriptions but had to have an antihistamine. We went to Swan Lake Iris Gardens where they are supposed to have all 8 species of swans. We only saw 3 or 4 plus a lot of geese and ducks. It was very nice and the parking lot was nearly full and people were already set up with lawn chairs to view the eclipse. We still plan to just view it from outside the hotel. We went to the Sumter Mall after that to cool off for a couple of hours. We came back to the room around noon and ate. The room hadn't been serviced. We got on sunscreen and packed some supplies and a small ice chest and set up behind the parking lot with our lawn chairs. There were actually a surprising number of other people with the same idea around the hotel and in the big vacant lot next door where we had originally planned to set up. The eclipse was really incredible. If you weren't expecting it, it would be scary. It was worth the pre-eclipse broiling we endured!
We came back inside after the totality as did most everyone else. The room still hadn't been serviced. Since they were across the hall and saw us leave and didn't come in during the 2 hours we were out, we called it and put out the do not disturb sign. If they manage to get to it while we're at dinner so be it but we're in for the rest of the afternoon.
Hopefully, Clay will post some photos on these entries at some point. I know he took photos both days. We're both glad we came for the total eclipse of the sun. The corona was better than what we'd have gotten at home with 97% blockage.
Around 5pm we walked across the parking lot to the Buffalo Wild Wings next door. We ate some heavy food! We shared an appetizer of mini corn dogs. I had buffalo mac & cheese and Clay had classic wings. It was happy hour so after Clay was carded, he had a pint draft of Blue Point.
That was our Eclipse Day!
photos
Sunday, August 20, 2017
Sumter, South Carolina
We arrived at the Springhill Suites after about 4 to 5 hours drive. Google Maps had said the quickest we could get here was about 3 hours and 45 minutes. It is supposed to factor in road closures, construction and traffic conditions. It said about one hour more to take route 401 all the way. So, Clay headed east to I-95. When we got there we rolled into a bumper to bumper parking lot rolling along at about 35 mph. After all the news of the crowds headed to the eclipse totality zone for tomorrow we were afraid it would be that way all the way. I thought Clay had checked the NCDOT web cams from home but he said in the car that he never thought of it! We got off I-95 at the next exit and followed Google maps instructions to wander over to 401. There was no traffic there and we drove it from north of Fayetteville all the way to Sumter. (I checked after dinner and I-95 from Benson to the SC border was clear so I have no idea what was happening when and where we were briefly stalled on I-95.)
The Springhill Suites had called us on Friday to confirm we were still coming because they are booked solid for the eclipse. It is very nice here. There are a number of chain restaurants nearby. We are happy with our choice of locations. Even better is that we got 2 nights free with Marriott rewards from last year's JW Marriott stay at Essex House for Macy's Thanksgiving Parade last year. Now just have fingers crossed for a few hours of clear skies for the eclipse tomorrow!
We had a nice hearty meal at Logan's Roadhouse nearby. We thought it was in walking distance and it might have been except there were no sidewalks in the area. Traffic was light so we drove. It was good and reasonable priced. It would have been excellent but my steak was seriously oversalted otherwise it was an excellent and tender filet mignon. Clay liked his ribs. Springhill Suite had given us free Chupa Chups and a treat bag with snacks and a Moon Pie and candy in it so we were full and skipped dessert.
We have HBO on the tv in the room, so it is movies for us tonight. Fingers crossed for clear skies tomorrow. We have to figure out how to spend the morning out of the room and hope it gets made up so we can come and go through the afternoon. We brought lawn chairs and have plans for the back parking lot or next door vacant lot as our eclipse viewing spot tomorrow afternoon.
The Springhill Suites had called us on Friday to confirm we were still coming because they are booked solid for the eclipse. It is very nice here. There are a number of chain restaurants nearby. We are happy with our choice of locations. Even better is that we got 2 nights free with Marriott rewards from last year's JW Marriott stay at Essex House for Macy's Thanksgiving Parade last year. Now just have fingers crossed for a few hours of clear skies for the eclipse tomorrow!
We had a nice hearty meal at Logan's Roadhouse nearby. We thought it was in walking distance and it might have been except there were no sidewalks in the area. Traffic was light so we drove. It was good and reasonable priced. It would have been excellent but my steak was seriously oversalted otherwise it was an excellent and tender filet mignon. Clay liked his ribs. Springhill Suite had given us free Chupa Chups and a treat bag with snacks and a Moon Pie and candy in it so we were full and skipped dessert.
We have HBO on the tv in the room, so it is movies for us tonight. Fingers crossed for clear skies tomorrow. We have to figure out how to spend the morning out of the room and hope it gets made up so we can come and go through the afternoon. We brought lawn chairs and have plans for the back parking lot or next door vacant lot as our eclipse viewing spot tomorrow afternoon.
Monday, August 14, 2017
One year later
It feels like a lifetime ago, but it was only one year. Clay says it feels so long ago because the Down Under trip earlier this year was so strenuous that it took over a year off his life! We went with Crystal Cruises on the North West Passage cruise last year about this time! That was a spectacular experience. Crystal did a fantastic job. Last Friday, a package we weren't expecting was delivered to our front porch. Since we weren't expecting it we didn't actually find it until Saturday. It was from Crystal. It was a copy of a big coffee table book about our North West Passage Cruise in 2016. We found ourselves in the big parka-clad group photo. It was a classy surprise. Crystal continues to surpass our expectations.
In tremor update news. I stopped Neupro patches at 2mg. I never made the last bump up to 4mg, but stopped after 4 weeks of 1 and 2 mg useage. I was so focused on suicide that continuing was impossible. Not to mention that the dopamine agonist was doing nothing to help with my tremor. In fact, now weeks after I stopped the drug, my tremor remaining big and jerky instead of the small fast flutter it was before the drug. I am going to be very sad if my old small fast tremor is never recovered. The big jerky tremor is making my life much more difficult than it was pre-Neupro.
Plans continue for our return trip to Alaska via Canada next month as well as the Oceania cruise around to Miami. We have already booked a trip to Israel for early next year through Tulane Alumni. We have to get our passports renewed before that one.
In tremor update news. I stopped Neupro patches at 2mg. I never made the last bump up to 4mg, but stopped after 4 weeks of 1 and 2 mg useage. I was so focused on suicide that continuing was impossible. Not to mention that the dopamine agonist was doing nothing to help with my tremor. In fact, now weeks after I stopped the drug, my tremor remaining big and jerky instead of the small fast flutter it was before the drug. I am going to be very sad if my old small fast tremor is never recovered. The big jerky tremor is making my life much more difficult than it was pre-Neupro.
Plans continue for our return trip to Alaska via Canada next month as well as the Oceania cruise around to Miami. We have already booked a trip to Israel for early next year through Tulane Alumni. We have to get our passports renewed before that one.
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