Settling in

This is not fun.

I'm reading an email from our friends Bill and June and they're already on the road to Texas and the weatherman on the TV is warning of tornadoes followed by a major temperature drop ... Our coach will apparently be in the shop for many weeks for remodeling, it looks like we need a new furnace at the house ... My lawn tractor gave up on me even though I still have 3,769,657 more leaves to mulch and the headlights on our car keep burning out.  Is this what they call "The Michigan Payback"?  So who do I go see about apologizing for not staying here for the past six winters?

Burning Bush

But alas!  Maybe there are a few silver linings out there!  Just to name a few ... Our beautiful little Grand Daughter Lola turned three and the party was super, as is she.  Our daughter Leigh got her first whitetail deer on opening day ... I'm real proud ... She got it with her a Dodge Journey at 75 mph.  She's fine ... deer is definitely dead. Our other beautiful Grand Daughter Allison just turned nineteen and has discovered college life is pretty sweet ... Our Grandson Austin at fourteen, is now as tall as I am and GI Joe doesn't much interest him as much as the ladies do ... My sister Judy thankfully has survive a nasty fall while moving into new home in North Carolina ... Her elbow is pretty banged up but spirits are high ... We gather with bunch of our Cousin's RV friends in Battle a Creek for lunch and gambling at the nearby casino ... Seeing our friends was a whole lot better than the gambling however ... And our long weekend trip to Iowa to see our friends Jim and Carol was a blast ... I learned that bib overalls are not considered 'business casual' ...Cedar Rapids is a pretty cool city ... And we're very fortunate to have such good people as good friends ... And speaking of good friends ... We've had almost a lifetime of good times with our friends George and Paula ... We've already got together several times with them and we're looking forward to a winters worth of visits.

Barberry

Very dead Hostas

Now about those 3,769,657 leaves ... The weatherman said the winds would soon be picking up and my neighbors would probably get most of them so I went looking for a rake.  Our backs were already screaming at us and we're hoping the ibuprophen is still in the medicine cabinet when I looked around and found my neighbors pitching in and helping us clean them all up.  So very thoughtful.

So there you have it ... goofy pictures and all.

Still livin' the dream but kinda' wish we were with Bill and June ... heading South.

Phil

Out on the town

I'm trying to catch up here a little bit as we've been far too busy to write this blog. I regress.

Before we left Fentress Texas a few days ago Bill, June, Sharon and I decided we wanted to try out one of the better steak house in the area.. After a little research I got to choose Myron's Steak House in New Braunfels (www.myronsprime.com) as the place to go.  Highly rated and serving only the finest prime beef that was dry aged for some three weeks then wet aged for another week or so.  OMG this is Nirvana. Now keep in mind that anything prime that is sold is expensive and with all that aging the price keeps on going up.  But cast aside the cost I say ... we'll eat Ramen noodles for a month.  I gotta try it once.

Here's 3/4 of the group just before heading in for our feast.  The thorn between two roses on this Valentines Day. The other thorn was taking the picture. Duh!

Service and attention to detail was first class, as one would expect.  The food.  OMG!
Something about prime aged beef that give it a 'beefier' taste sets it apart from anything else you might run across in lesser places.  Sharon had a bone-in filet (a cut that I have never seen at a restaurant before) and I had a bone-in rib eye.  Each plate served exactly as ordered.  Bill and June had filet and a host of scrumptious appetizers that they generously shared.  Myron's wine selection was one of the things they also like to brag about.   With some vintages selling at over $800/bottle, you had to be very careful what you ordered or you'll be eating those darn ramen noodles far longer that you had planned.  Top off the feast with a special brewed coffee and a creme' brulee dessert garnished with fresh fruits ... Happy Valentines Day to us.

So fellow food sluts ... this is how to do it right and live high on the hog ... so to speak.  One big expensive night out maybe once every 6 months ... it's worth saving up for.

Still livin' the dream and enjoying each day as it comes.

Phil