Up, up and away

Airplanes.

From my earliest memories I have enjoyed talking about, watching, and being around airplanes.   Seldom in my travels have I passed an air museum that I didn't visit and the sight of anything flying always catches my attention.  Even though I've grown to dislikes heights and the experience of another commercial flight, I'm still fascinated with flight.  So when neighbor Don came knocking at my door with an invitation to attend the local South Haven air show ...  I was all in.  As it turned out, quite a few folks from the RV park decided to join in on the festivities.

I attended last years show but this year was far better attended with more WWII war planes and many many more private aircraft.  All lined up on the grass or tarmac, I tried to visit them all to marvel at the technology, regardless of how old they were.  Just the thought of strapping into one of the old fabric covered winged chariots and escaping the surely bonds of earth get one a little tingly.

Though there were several highlights of the show (sky divers, a pancake breakfast, antiques cars) the premo' attraction was a vintage WWII B-17 bomber.  Shiny and immaculately maintained, this magnificent war bird is still really something to see.  Just sitting on the tarmac or making a low level pass, I can only imagine what a sight it would be with the sky filled with them during the war.  The plane is now stationed at an air museum at Willow Run Airfield (near Detroit) and is flown and maintained by a bunch of guys whose love of flying is infectious.  More than happy to answer any question or tell great old flying stories, this group of airman are doing all they can to preserve the tradition and pride of one of America's greatest aircraft.

With so few B-17's left on the planet, and even less that are air worthy, having it make an appearance at the South Haven Air Show is really special.  And if you had an extra $400+ plus bucks in your pocket you could get a ride in it.

The old bird can still draw a crowd

Low level pass at 200ft

Two old Navy (not the clothing store types) fighter planes with matching paint were parked near the B17 and beside the interesting nose art (you know...images of skimpily clad pin-up girls), had markings on their rudders that indicated they were at one time based at Guantanamo Bay Cuba.  My guess is that they were pretty rare birds as well.

Gitmo Baby

On the 'civilian' side of the show were a number of really neat private aircraft.  And one in particular caught my eye.  Owned by South Haven's very own Don Woodhams was a 1948 Temco Swift.  Its 125hp motor would pull this gleaming beauty upwards to 160mph.  With retractable gear, this little hot rod of the skies had a range of around 1000 miles.  Small and compact, Mr Woodhams classic is what I'd call the epitome of private aircraft ownership.  I wish I had had the chance to talk to the owner in person as I understand he has two more aircraft in his fleet (one a 1941 Aeronca 65-ca).

Temco Swift 125

Swift's cockpit

Some of the other highlights that caught my eye.

I not sure if this is a Piper or Taylorcraft or ? ... but it sure was sweet.

Piper

So if you are ever in the South Haven Michigan area at the time it celebrates its annual Blueberry Festival, one of the neat things you can do is check out the airport air show.  It's a hoot.

So there you have it folks ... another day goofing off with friends and taking pictures and loving airplanes.

Yup!  I'm still livin' the dream.

Phil

Around our little world

Just to add a little spice to our trip east, we decided to drive through Canada and return through the states.  Not that we don't enjoy Canada, after all it cuts over three hours from the trip each way, but we wanted to see some different scenery along the way.  Besides circumnavigating two of our Great Lakes sounded more adventuresome ... even though our trip would be on land.

We got to thinking (actually over-thinking) about the route through Canada as both of our passports had recently expired and we'd heard that we'd need something more than a drivers license and a birth certificate to get in and out.  We scurried around looking at various options ranging from changing the route to getting a new $45 'enhanced' drivers license now available here in Michigan.  We stopped by the Secretary of States office to get one of the enhanced variety only to find the place packed with customers.  Not wanting to wait, we headed home and Sharon made some phone calls and discovered that our expired passports were still acceptable so we decided it was better to 'enhance' our wallets than the State of Michigan.

Our documentation worked beautifully and we buzzed along to our first stop in Engersoll Ontario.  Since the exchange rate is now unfavorable to the US dollar, it costs us about 10% more for the room.  It was an okay room, probably a 3 star example.

We travelled all the next day arriving at my sister's place on Upper Saranac Lake New York about 5:45 in the afternoon.  As luck would have it everyone was just getting ready to go out to eat and since we were hungry, we quickly got ready and headed towards Lake Placid even though we were not very presentable after travelling all day.

We were dining at a place adjoining the Lake Placid Lodge called "Artisans".  Since I occasionally fancy myself as an artist, and it appeared to be a quaint little bistro to break bread with other art types,  it seemed like a good spot to stop.  I had forgotten my beret and canvas but what the heck, why not give it a try.  http://www.lakeplacidlodge.com/dining/artisans/ 

Overlooking a very placid Lake Placid, this was not a place to eat if you've just come in from the slopping the hogs.  A little more upscale than our usual haunts with all types of uniformed folks scurrying around helping you with seating, picking wine, de-crumbing the table and all other nice little things to make your stay more comfortable.  We were seated on the lakeside porch (probably because I had been driving all day and the onshore breeze would keep the air fresh) with the table covered with wine glasses of all types and sizes.  Thankfully the hired help knew what to do them so I just sat back and let the wine pouring begin.  Shortly after a few rounds of drinks we placed our orders and soon thereafter the restaurant staff paraded out with a special treat from the chef.  Placed on an oversize 15" plate was a slice of radish so thin it looked like a bloodshot contact lens.  Atop that was a generous 1 inch piece of arugula.  Resting ever so gently next to the radish and greenery was a razor thin piece of meat about 2 inches long.  Delicately dribbled over this little trio was a yellowish cream maybe made of something mixed with something else.  As I glanced around the table I quickly knew that I was the only one who had no clue what was on the plate.  Not wanting to play my stupid card, I silently but swiftly stabbed the little pile of stuff and popped it into my mouth trying to appear suave and all knowing.  Not bad actually ...  "do you suppose I should ask for another?"  Well ... maybe not.  I did learn that the meat was smoked duck.  Tasty but I hope they were paying the dishwasher a little extra for his cleanup effort that night.

Shortly our entrees arrived (I ordered a chicken dish) and we were all pleased with our selections and it turned out to be a very nice evening out.  Luckily we had found enough returnable cans along the roads while still in Michigan as the bill was not for the faint-hearted.

Day two was a good old kick-back day with nothing scheduled but a leisurely boat ride in my sisters electric launch.  Cold drinks to tame the heat of the day and a lowering sun made for calm cruise around Upper Lake Saranac.  I could get used to this.

Admiral Bob at the tiller

Here's part of the crew as we puttered around the shoreline imbibing and snacking.  Not surprisingly we're all pretty good at it.

One of the traditions of Upper Lake Saranac is the Fourth of July wood boat parade.  Lead by the lake's very own fire boat (not wood), about 15 classic Chris Crafts, Gar Woods, Hacker Crafts, and Century's get in line and parade around the 7 mile long lake.  My brother-in-law has a drop dead beautiful 22 foot Chris Craft that we all had piled into and, with a rather large container of freshly created Bloody Marys,  cruised off waving our flags, and hands at all the folks on shore helping us celebrate our nation's holiday.  A beautiful day and a great time was had by all.

The Upper Lake Saranac fleet

1st mates Sharon and Susie

Not surprisingly our visit to my sisters for the annual "Brothers and Sisters" get together was a big success.  We certainly appreciate the hospitality.

We planned to return home through the US hugging the southern Lake Erie shore line and taking in all the fantastic wine country in New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio.  We ended up finding a room in Erie PA only after stopping a few other places and discovering we weren't the only tourist on vacation.  Unfortunately the place we found was attached to one of those wild water indoor parks and the place was filled with kids who were so hyped up it was a struggle for us to get to sleep.  We're going to return to this area sometime in the near future.  We'd passed far too many wine tasting rooms not to.

Heading out early in the morning we had about 8 hours to get home so we somehow found time to stop at the new casino in Toledo.  As far as casinos go it was nice, but not many folks there on a weekday.  And a pleasant prize was in store for us.  We broke even and had sense enough to leave and finish our trip home.

So another adventure.  Safe and sound.

Still livin' the dream.

Phil

And away we go

Another day trip is under our belt. (in more ways than one). But no use jumping to the end of the story so early.

We've made the decision to remove the j-couch in the coach (cleaver wording eh!) and replace it with a new recliner. Not that there was much wrong with the old couch but I really needed a better place to plunk down and think about world hunger and space travel and other things of that magnitude. Nothing fancy ... just a chair that I could fall asleep in in something under 10 minutes. We'd actually begun the chair search about a year ago and have tried out quite a few but nothing (other than that $3500 model) felt good enough to buy. Since there was not much chance in me spending that much cash on a chair we needed to find something. We've committed to have the couch taken out in a couple of weeks when in for annual service, so now we have to quicken the pace in finding that 'perfect', affordable chair.

A little internet work and a few phone calls later we decided to head to RV Mecca (you know ... Elkhart Indiana) to check out a few places that made furniture for the RV industry.

So bright and early we headed south to Elkhart. About an 80 mile trip through the farm lands of northern Indiana. Cows and Deere's, horses and buggies. The corn was already above knee high and could be seen by the hundreds of acres everywhere.

I had created a short list of places to visit and plugged the addresses into the GPS and the search began.

First stop was a factory about 15 miles south of Elkhart. Clean and well maintained outside, I was sure this was going to be a worthwhile stop. Upon entering the spacious, well appointed lobby, I spied the receptionist and politely asked where the showroom was. She quickly noted that they just make the furniture there and did not have a show room. For that, I would need to go back into town to one of the retail stores that sold their products. I'm now thinking that maybe I can work that stop in later in the day but thought I'd at least get something so I asked her if she had ever sat in one of the chairs I was interested in buying. "Oh no sir" she replied. "They don't allow us to sit in the chairs we build here and as a matter of fact I've never even seen one". So now I'm thinking maybe this wasn't just a good idea after all and headed back to the car. Our next stop took us about 10 miles further west ... down more country roads ... past a number of well groomed Amish farms, and black buggies with black horse pulling them along side the road.

Our GPS had us turn down an unpaved road and indicated that the next location was about another 1/2 mile or so to our next destination.

We pulled up to a well maintained building in the middle of farm country. With not a car in the parking lot the row of bicycles hinted that this was an Amish run business. We walked inside only to find a big room with lots of furniture but no people. We browsed around for about ten minutes and finally a young Amish woman appeared and offered help. I had a number of questions that she couldn't readily answer to she went to the back and summoned the owner. A tall bearded man in his mid 30's joined us and introduced himself as the owner. We discussed my concerns and we proceeded to try out about every chair in the show room as we talked. Sharon and I both were impressed with the quality, selection and price and decided to buy two of the chairs and a small table. Each properly sized for our respective butts. Since all the furniture is custom built, we'd have to wait until mid-July to get them. We provided a small down payment and each took a little sigh of relief that our hunt for comfortable chairs was over.

As some of you may already know, chair hunting does work up an appetite so we headed back to Elkhart to find something new. As we motored along I passed this big restaurant out in the middle of nowhere that looked pretty good but be drove along for another mile or so before a light bulb went off and said maybe I should turn around and give that place a try. Luckily there was a small business up ahead to make the turn and as luck would have it it was another Amish place that made furniture. However this time it was outdoor furniture make from engineered plastic composites. Wow! what a selection of chairs, tables, kids play houses ... all available in every color of the rainbow. We browsed around a bit and found a number of pieces we liked but since we'd already committed all our furniture money at the last stop we noted the location and headed back to the restaurant. Arriving at the eatery we went inside and quickly noticed aisle upon aisle of homemade cookies, pies, jams, and canned fruit of kind and description. Beyond the back counter was a bevy of young women in white hats and long gingham dresses scurrying around making sandwiches, baking breads and pies and other things all good and wonderful. We each picked out a sandwich and with a few minutes of the young girls brought out our order. The place was clean. The prices were very reasonable. The the food was great.

Since we had made a commitment to ourselves to at least stop at the remaining stores on our list we continued on and after the last stop knew that we had not been hasty, and had indeed purchased from the right manufacturer. It was a good day.

So another day trip is behind us and we finally have some new chairs on the way ...

Still livin' the dream.

Phil

Preparation

We're heading out to upstate New York to visit my sister at the 2nd annual Brother's and Sister's weekend over the 4th of July so what better a time than to get the coach into the shop for a little service and extra TLC.  Since my grand daughters graduation reception is just prior to the trip east, we figured we could get a few important things done before driving the old Trail Blazer across Canada to northern NY.

Speaking of my grand daughter Allison  ... and certainly not to brag ... she is one bright cookie.  Not only a honors graduate but she also received several scholarships to attend Grand Valley State University.  She has a bright future ahead of her and will certainly continue to make her entire family proud.

I'd created my usual check list for all the things I needed checked out on the coach.  I'm sure the service people know all the right things to do but they make me feel better by listening to all my little suggestions and ideas.  We got the coach across the state without incident, or so we thought.  Arriving on the outskirts of Flint we tackled the famous I69 pothole challenge course that continues for several miles.  Three lanes of divots and bomb craters that would probably seem right at home in Baghdad.  Well I can tell you there were few of these shock busting holes I missed and before the couple of miles passed the damage was done. I could feel something had given way.  Oh well ... at least I was almost in sight of the repair shop.  I limped into their parking lot, unhooked the toad and checked in.  I think they were kidding when they mentioned that they could now think about taking an early retirement now that my coach was there. They laughed.  I pretended I didn't hear them.

So as we drove away from our mobile living quarters for the past 8 months, we were a little sad but also a little apprehensive as to what possible problem awaited us when we arrived at our house.  Since previous trips have surprised us with everything from floods to raccoon infestation when arriving after a trip, we are just a little edgy pulling into the drive. As luck would have it this time all was well at the home front.  What a relief.

Still livin' the dream.

Phil

Things to do this summer

Lots of activities here in South Haven this weekend. Harborfest (www.southhavenharborfest.com) began today and the weather couldn't be better.  Temps in the mid-80's and blue skies await festival goers as the unofficial start of summer begins here in Southwest Michigan.  On the shores of the Black River, in downtown South Haven with of backdrop of sail and motor boats, crafters of all types have lined the waterway with their tents filled with treasures of all things cleaver and artsy.  And did I mention the food tents?  I can personally attest to the pulled pork sandwich from one of the local merchants.  As good as any Texas pork I've ever had.

And if you're in the mood for a little fun and lots of chaos, come down and watch teams of 10 folks with big wooden paddles in colorfully painted boats churn up the water in the annual dragon boat races.  Stroking to the beat of war drums, these hardy oars people race up and down the river to the excitement of the cheering crowds.  The Vikings would be proud.

I think I have finally solved my annual problem of dying flowers.  We buy flower baskets to hang and annuals to plant around our lot and we then occasionally leave, to either go back home or visit other parts of the state.  Sometimes I remember to ask one of my neighbors to water them ... sometimes I forget.  When I forget ... the plants die.  Or at least look like they have.  So this year I've built a neat little watering system that not only waters the hanging baskets but also the flower boxes ... and even the lawn.  Since we return to the same lot each year I thought it worthwhile to keep the place looking decent even when we're not here so this little system should be helpful.

Off to the local irrigation company I go and before long I have a battery powered timer, a bunch of 1/2" tubing, and couple of handfuls of little miniature sprayers and drippers and a vague idea of what I was going to build.  I laid out and buried the 1/2" tubing creating two different watering zones.  One zone each in the front and back of my site.  I then added fittings so as I could hook a common garden hose back to the faucet. On the faucet I added the timer and a pressure reducer to bring the water pressure down to 25 psi.  That effort pretty well took up the first day.  The next morning I began adding the sprayers and other watering fixtures around the site.  It looked all set to try but once I turned the water on I soon discovered which fittings hadn't been tightened down so well.  Water was squirting in all the wrong places but after a little tightening, the system finally settled in to what I had planned.  So call it cleaver and an engineering marvel or just an exercise in just how lazy retirees can get, but the flowers and grass are thriving during the current drought and heat wave we are experiencing.

So twice a day, for about five minutes, I find my lawn chair, and with a cold drink in hand, observe the fruits of my labor.  Water spraying around and making everything green.  I can thank my old neighbor Mel for pointing out the pleasures of lawn watering to me several years ago.  He certainly had it right.

So the lazy days of summer are upon us and life is good.

Still livin' the dream,

Phil

A little of this ... a little of that

Okay already.   I've been a little remiss in writing but we have been busy.  Family gatherings, birthday celebrations, the normal medical checkups ... the list goes on. 

I've recently set up my ham radio station at the park and have enjoyed a little chatting around the globe with some of my fellow 'hams'.  One of my first contacts was with a commercial airline pilot flying 146 passengers in an Airbus 320 from Saint Lucia to Toronto.  He was headed north, about 150 miles off the coast of New York city at 37,000 ft.  I've not had the opportunity to talk with any 'jet jockeys' ( or as us hams call them ... 'air mobiles' ) before so this was a real treat.  I also managed to install an underground watering system for my plants at the sight we're parked on.  Since we'll be gone a bit this summer I thought it might save the flowers.  It really isn't all that fancy ... just fun to do. When I leave in the fall I'll just disconnect the hoses and it will be ready for next spring.  We're also getting ready to take the coach in for service.  You know ... just a few things that will still cost an arm and a leg but need to be done. We're looking for a new recliner for the coach as well.  Something for my butt to relax in after a long day of relaxing on the patio. 

Just a short note on this evenings activities.  My grand daughter Allison will graduate from high school next week but tonight was the annual honors program for outstanding seniors.  A packed auditorium with beaming parents and grand parents was filled with joy, happiness, and pride for those honored. I don't know how many kids were being honored but it was a magnificent evening with many receiving scholarship awards (including my grand daughter) that will certainly help in financing these next four years.  I must admit that I've been a little down on kids in general for lack of initiative (some may call it laziness), and not knowing what they want to do with their lives, but not this group of young adults.  This single Michigan high school senior class was awarded over $2.4 million dollars in scholarship money this year alone.  When the principal announced that giant number we were all stunned.  So my faith in the younger generation is now soaring and with great pride we are eager to see Allison and her classmates grow and prosper. 

So there you have it ... the short version.

Still livin' the dream and so happy to see my grand daughter livin' hers.

Phil

DIY ... Not!

Saving money on repairs occasionally creeps into every rv'ers mind and a few days ago it found its way to me.  It wasn't going to be a big thing ... like overhauling the transmission (doesn't need it anyway) or repainting the coach (needs it but can't afford it) but something more modest ... something that's simple that I can use my vast knowledge of repairing things.

You see my windshield wiper blades needed replacing and the wiper arms needed painting so ... how hard can that be?  I asked.  Take them off, scrub them up with a little sandpaper, get a can of spray paint and presto'-chango'. Good as new.

So I dug out the tool box and started the project.  First order of business was to take off the wiper blades.  Pretty simple stuff until I found that mine were bolted to the arm with a very small shoulder bolt.  I found the right tools and, with the confidence of Donald Trump at a cocktail party, quickly and surely managed to twist the rusty bolt in half thus ruining it.  Oh well ... at least I got it off.  After my first little mishap, the removal went smoothly but after looking at the arms, I thought why not take them to a powder coater to make them really look good.  I tried out powder coating while in Florida to refurbish my metal heating vents in the coach and they turned out better than new.  In a nut shell, powder coating is applying a powdered paint (sort of like talcum powder) to the electrically charge metal part.  The charge attracts the paint and it clings to the metal.  The part is then baked in an oven whereas the paint is melted onto the metal thus leaving a smooth, even coat.

So the next day I found a nearby company that did powder coating and stopped by for an estimate.  'Sorry', the lady at the counter said.  The estimator was out of the office but if I would leave my name and phone number he would call me later.  Day turned to night and no phone call so I thought I'd pay them another visit the following morning.  After a short meeting with the estimator, he said they could do the job later in the week for $25.  A little high I thought, but I said okay.  He said he'd be happy to do the job  but the wiper arms needed to be sandblasted first and they didn't do that type of work but said to try a couple of other local companies who could.  Fifteen minutes later I was at the door of the first prospect.  A greying elderly woman looked over her glasses and after I said what I wanted, she said in a slightly irritated voice, "What?" "What made you think we did that kind of work?"  I explained that she was recommended by the other company but she replied,  "we're a lawn maintenance company and we have a sand blaster ... but that's just for cleaning our lawn mowers!"...  So we parted company and I was off to what I'd hoped, was a real sandblasting outfit.

After another ten-minute drive, I arrived at the second shop and found a worker standing in the drive.  I could see by the equipment around the place that they did do sandblasting so I was getting excited that I might finally get this part of the job done.  I explained what I needed and he went on to tell me of the intricacies of what I was asking him to do.  I've done a little sandblasting years ago and do know that this was about a ten-minute job at best.  Apparently he was used to doing bulldozers and tanks, as this was apparently high precision for him.  He led me into the office and shuffled some papers around then said that he wasn't authorized to give out estimates but his boss would call me later; however, he did think that it would be about $25 to do the sandblasting. Again an outrageous estimate, but just an estimate from a worker-be so I thought I'd leave him the parts and wait to hear from the boss.  True to form the boss didn't call that day so I went back the following morning and finally found him.  I questioned him about the wiper arms and he gave the feeling that he didn't know what I was talking about, but after wandering around a bit, he found them in a pile of other parts awaiting blasting.  No paperwork but I said those belonged to me.  He looked them over and said he maybe could get to them in a day or so and that would be about $15 each or about $30.  OMG are these guys nuts I thought?  $55 bucks total to sand and paint a pair of wiper arms!

I wasn't a math major in college but I immediately figured about $6 dollars for a can of spray paint, a little emery paper and a little elbow grease and this crazy idea of sandblasting and powder coating would soon be a distant memory.  The sandblaster boss guy apparently read my mind and silently handed over my parts.  I said "thanks" and told him I'd figured out something else.

So having derailed my train of great ideas, I now had to buckle down and ... do it myself.  Off to the big box store to buy my supplies I went.  Flat black paint, a little sandpaper and I almost forgot, that broken bolt need to be replaced.  Of course the big box store didn't have the proper bolt so I went to the local hardware store that didn't have the bolt either.  Since we were going back to our home across the state,  I waited until we got home and found a place that had the bolt I thought I needed.  Then, back across the state I went a few days later with my new treasure.

It was a beautiful bright day and a great day to finish up this project, I thought.  I got all the parts and pieces together and after sanding and painting the wiper arms it was time to get started with the assembly.  Murphy's Law has always been my closest partner and today was no exception.  To start with, the special shoulder bolts that I ran all over hell's half acre to find were an 1/8" of an inch too short.  This discovery set off a chain of events that included sawing, hammering, pounding, three more trips out for more parts and the help of one other guy.  Remember this all started when I decided to changes wiper blades.  The last time I had the ones on my TrailBlazer changed the guy swapped them out for free.  That's right ... free labor!

Okay ... what did I learn for this DIY debacle?  Don't try it if you have any doubts!  If your wife can do it ... let her.  If not ... hire it out.  I'm retiring my tools and the notion that I can fix things.  It doesn't pay.  A simple change of wiper blades took better than a week to accomplish, probably enough fuel for my truck to drive to Chicago and back, a level of frustration a guy my age shouldn't experience, and finally, I surely can find better things to occupy my time.

Now that the wipers are fixed, I can hardly wait for the next rain.  So if you happen to be in our park and it's raining, you should look me up.  I'll be the only guy in the park sitting there with the wipers running and a grin on my face.

Still livin' the dream and spending more time on Angie's List.

Phil

Getting comfortable ... finally

The rains have ended and we're once again enjoying the sunny skies of South Western Michigan.  Cool nights turn to warming days, most of the early spring flowers have already bloomed and we're now enjoying fresh asparagus and patiently awaiting the first crop of strawberries in about three weeks.  The days of cleaning up a soggy basement are past and it's time to once again get started goofing off.

As it turns out, our summer camp will be missing some of the regulars, some having been here for many years.  We'll surely miss them all and hope some day to share a campfire somewhere along the trail.

Lots of neat stuff on the agenda for the coming months.  If sports car road racing is in your blood, we have Gingerman Raceway (www.gingermanraceway.com) nearby.  From Porches to Ferrari's to Corvettes to Vipers, all the hot rides will be racing around the 2+ mile course throughout the summer.  Talk about a photo op!  If you're in the mood and have your own hot ride, sign up for the driving school and learn how to really drive that go-fast car without getting a ticket or wrapping it around a telephone pole.

Fishing ... did I mention fishing?  Charter a boat for salmon or perch fishing right here in town.  Half or full day, or just sit on one of the piers, whatever you choose you'll get exposed to some of the finest fishing grounds in the Great Lakes.  I went down to one of the local fishing tackle shops today and ended up buying the first fishing license I've had in about fours years.  What a great surprise as well.  I'd forgotten that once you're age 65 the price to fish drops down to about $11.  What a bargain.

And finally ... we've noticed a new restaurant not far from camp.  It's a steakhouse so we'll be making a stop over there before too long and let you know how it was.  After checking out the town, most of our old eating haunts are still in business  ... so this is a good thing.  But this evening I fired up the old grill and slow cooked some well seasoned center cut pork chops.  With a plate of fresh cut veggies, this little combination was scrumptious.  I'll give it 4 stars.

So we're getting settled.  We still have flowers to plant, and the coach to clean-up but settled in for the summer.  Life is good.

Still livin' the dream.

Phil

ps ... we went shopping for a new car the other day. Disappointing outcome.  Car I'd pined for was uncomfortable to drive and costs far more than it was worth.  Ended up getting my old TrailBlazer detailed and buffed up and hoping it will make another 140k miles.

Another day

Another day ... another restaurant. 

Not that the last few days haven't been interesting enough, but yesterday we had the opportunity to try a new eatery.  The occasion was to celebrate a number of family birthdays and since we'd eaten at every other restaurant in Battle Creek (many times), we decided to try a relatively new one called the Addington Hills Cafe (addingtonhillscafe.com).  Since we grew up in Battle Creek (you know the home of Kellogg's, Post and Chex breakfast cereals) we remembered this building as Greensmith's Florist shop.  Actually it was once owned by the parents of a set of twins I went to high school with, but now has been transformed into a trendy, upscale dining establishment worthy of some attention.  The florist and gift shop continues in operation on the upper level while the dining occurs below at street level. 

Located on a well traveled street near the hospitals and art center, it offers both inside and outside dining (weather permitting).  Depending on your seating choice, it can be subdued and romantic or bright and cheery.  Battle Creek has not supported this type of dining in years past so I am hopeful that the tide has turned and the Addington Hill Cafe will spawn others.  The restaurant has a Mediterranean appearance and chef Salvador will have enough surprises on the menu to keep you coming back.

The seven of us were seated and greeted with a well set table with linen napkins, nice silverware, and stemware.  Our waitress was pleasant and patient as this group had more questions about the menu than the finale on 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire'. 

Steak is the speciality of the house, though the menu had pasta, fish, and chicken entrees as well.  Since today is May 5th, the Mexican celebration of heritage and pride, the special on today's menu was a grilled Cinco De Mayo rib eye steak with a tex-mex rub of spices, fresh asparagus, and a special southwest potato consisting of a blend of mashed potatoes and a mild Spanish sausage.  Between the seven of us we had the special, a fillet Mignon, and chicken Marsala.  The presentation was excellent and the portions were large.  Though the order took a little longer than we anticipated, we were well taken care of with drinks and breads with flavored butter while waiting.  The food arrived hot and was very tasty.  Evidence of enjoyment was seven clean plates at the finish.

They serve breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday and dinner only Thursday through Saturday.  So if you're planning on dinner here, you'd better call ahead for a table.  As the word continues to spread about the 'Addington', tables may be hard to get.  The next time we're in Battle Creek I'm going to try their breakfast fare so I'll let you know how that goes.

Still livin' the dream.

Phil

ps ... if any of you readers know of interesting restuarants in Southwest Michigan let me know.  We love checking them out.  It's what rv'ers do best.

addingtonhillscafe.com

Mamma said there would be days like this ...

With some anticipation I'd planned on making May 4th a special day.  I wanted to make my bride's birthday a little special ... something I'd not excelled at in the past.  I had a nice gift in mind and maybe a romantic dinner later in the day. But ....

The phone first rang at 4:03am.  The phone never rings that early with good news I later thought.  It actually rang 3 more times before I was able to figure out what that noise was.  The air conditioning was running and the slightly muffled sound apparently didn't make much of an impression on my subconscious.  Sharon caught on to what the noise was and finally got my attention.  I ambled to the other end of the coach and grabbed my cell phone.  Yup ... 4 messages had been missed.  I hit the playback button and listened to the lady at the other end of the message.  Cobwebs were still swinging inside my head so I played another message and it was the same lady.

At that point the light bulb went off in my head and I realized it was my automated alarm system calling me to tell me I had a problem.  I listened one more time and finally realized that I probably had a problem back home.  Back home meant a three hour drive to the other side of the state to see what was going on.  The alarm code indicated that I had a flooding problem. Oh crap!

We are beginning to wonder if the house is trying to tell us something.  Maybe like.. 'don't leave me for the winter or I'll allow bad things to happen'.  We've had broken water lines and a destructive clan of raccoons in earlier years so we were hoping maybe we'd been dealt enough grief, but apparently not.

I called my son who lives nearby but, as luck would have it, he had disconnected his answering service earlier that evening because of a number of crank calls so I couldn't reach him.   So I next called my daughter who lives some 15 miles away for help.  She was a little groggy when she answered but quickly agreed to go over to the house to see what was up.  We packed a few articles of clothing then headed east from South Haven.  Three hours of wondering what lay ahead.

My daughter finally reached the house in about an hour and gave us a status report over the phone.  The news was not so good.  The little town we live in had about 5.5 inches of rain over the course of about 6 hours. And the little town we live in had an electrical power outage shortly after the deluge started. This was not adding up well for us.  She said the entire basement was flooded a little bit.  Not feet of water but enough to completely saturate all the new carpeting and pad plus soak into all the bottom edges of the paneling.  She assessed the situation and determined that her immediate job was to save as much of our collection of old family photographs as she could, as any of the furniture was too heavy for her to move.  The power eventually returned sometime in the middle of the night but by then the water had fully saturated the ground surrounding our house and the brand-new heavy duty sump just couldn't pump it out of the sump pit as fast as it was pouring in.

'Some of the worst flooding in our area in decades' the news reporter was saying on the radio.  As we got closer to home we discovered that both major interstates were closed due to flooding so we had to take a back-road approach to get the the house.  We hoped we could find a way.  As it turned out, our route passed right past our insurance man's office so I gave him a preemptive call and he said stop in.  It didn't take too long to get the bad news.  Even though the electrical failure caused the pump not to run, thus causing the flooding, this was still considered a storm sewer back up issue and we did not have coverage.  I never had purchased this rider over the past 35 years because we never had an issue like this but this was just one of those special weather events that caught us, and many others off guard.  I left his office in despair and headed home to see the damage.  Once inside we immediately discovered that my daughter had gathered and spread out out all the wet photographs to help them dry out.  It's interesting that we seem to have a greater appreciation of those mementos of our past than what was damaged in the basement.  I hope anyone reading this takes note and finds a way to protect their precious memories.  Sealed plastic boxes work best.  Plastic bags will all leak (as we found out) over time so get them off the floor into protective boxes.

As I went downstairs it was certainly bad but not catastrophic.  The emergency cleanup squad came over later in the day and removed all the wet carpet and pad and brought in air handling fans to dry the place out.  There were about 8 of the fans and giant dehumidifiers running when the workers left and they said they'd return in about four days to see how things were progressing.  I can only imagine what the electrical bill will be for this month.

So another little one of life's speed bumps on this day.  Certainly not as bad as some families had to endure around the area but bad enough.   Nothing we can't overcome but it's just damn bad it had to happen on my bride's birthday.  She was a real trooper about it all but she deserves better a better birthday.  I've got my work cut out for me.

Regardless ... we're still livin' the dream.  But just a little soggy at the moment.

Phil

Summer nest

After a five hour drive yesterday from Anderson Indiana,  we arrived at our summer hangout in South Haven Michigan.  Cousins RV Park (http://www.cousinssouthhaven.com) has been our camp for some 5 years or so and we find it a comfortable place to rest up for next winter's adventures.  I think we were the third couple (of the 'regulars') to arrive and we were all within just a few hours of each other.  So lots to do to get set up here.  Cleaning the coach is high on the list.  We ran into a storm of fish flies/May Flies/Hexagenia Limbata or some might just call them ... bugs, in Tennessee.  It was as if someone was roadside with a shovel full of pea gravel and threw it against the windshield.  Wham!  It was over in an instant.  The windshield almost went black from the impact then the 'bug juice' spread across the whole front of the coach.  So by now it is well dried on thanks to the 60 mph trip home, so I'll get to spend a few hours getting the mess cleaned up. 
It has been a great winter for us.  Great weather (for a change), interesting places to visit, and most of all seeing family and meeting old friends and gaining new friends.  It's a pretty simple formula for us and with a little luck, we'll continue looking over the crest of the next hill.
Now livin' the dream on Michigan's sunset coast.


Phil


ps ... a special shout-out to Tom and Lisa.  I think I now have some new readers from Maine.  I may be paying that area a visit later this summer so I'll need lots of tips on great restaurants to try out.


pss ... another special shout-out to our friends Tracy and Judi.  What a team!  

Travel Day II

Made it to Anderson Indiana today.  Took a route I had never driven before adding to my lingering anxiousness from our mountain decent.  I wonder if they have shrinks that specialize with RV'ers?  Sign me up.  


The last 50 miles of our today was on a two lane road.  Thinking that I'd by-pass lots of traffic and construction on the Indianapolis beltway, I headed north from I74 on Indiana 9 to Anderson.  BTW ... the northbound by-pass around Cincinnati to the west was a dream.  No more going through the downtown guts of that city for me.  I've been punished there several times in the past but no more.  It may be longer but it's so much quicker.  I'll continue ... The surface winds were picking up due to an approaching storm and the trucking world decided to take the same bypass on the southbound side of I 9.  The results was hang on to the wheel Philip!   Strong gusts from all angles slammed us around as oncoming trucks and heavy winds across our bow made for an interesting ride.  The roads were Michigan-like (pot-holes and lumpy) with little or no shoulder to run off on.  Thankfully, we finally arrived in camp around 4:00pm. 


Timberline Valley RV Resort (www.timberlinecampground.com) is located maybe a half hour east of Indianapolis and makes it a convenient place to stay if you're visiting the city.  Well kept with spacious lots and very quiet.  We were escorted to our site, which in my opinion, is something I wish all parks would do.  Nothing like a pair of experienced eyes I say to help you get parked correctly on the first try.  Priced at around $30/night, We thought it was a fair price.  Their WIFI was slow but workable but there was not cable service.  Are we getting spoiled or what? 


We got a call from Sharon's sister and she and her husband John wanted to drive down from Indianapolis and join us for diner and a trip to the local casino.  Thankfully, the food was good as the gambling was not.  But we really do appreciate the time they took to drive down and see us.  It's always good seeing them and getting 'caught up'.  It was a nice casino combined with a horse racing track.  It reminded us of the one in Sarnia, Ontario Canada.  Multiple vices served at the same place.  What a deal!


So another day closer to our South Haven camp.  If the weather behaves we'll be there in a day or two.
If the weather turns too cold, we'll retrace our steps until it does.  Life is too short to have to put up with crummy weather.  That's our story and we're sticking to it!


Still livin' the dream here in Timberline Valley, Anderson Indiana.

Travel day

Today we survived the final leg of our trip over the western side of the Appalachian mountains ... and I'm relieved.  Too many orange barrels and too  many trucks trying to push me down the hills.  Okay I could have driven faster but I guess I'm just not good enough or confident enough, or ... wait a minute!  Maybe I am okay.  Maybe it's okay to be safe and prudent.  To heck with them.  We're at our next stop and we're safe.  If I delayed them a little ... get over it.  (I think I'm beginning to sound like a grumpy old man)

Anyway it's not been an overly great day.   Another tense day behind the wheel but finally we're in camp and all is well.  Except for the place we're staying (which will go un-named).  We were here several years ago and it was marginal.  Now, marginal would be a good grade for them.  Most buildings on the property are past the need to be demolished.  The pool is empty and a huge eyesore.  The roads all are in need for repair.  The only redeeming value is the price and its proximately to the route we are taking,  So one night will be enough and we'll be off on our northern trek.  I guess we've really been spoiled by the nice places we've camped in all winter.

We filled up the tank this morning at $4.01/gal and the mountains took their toll on fuel mileage.  Normally we're getting better than 9 mpg but now we're getting 7 mpg.

Aside from the little speed-bumps today, we're still livin' the dream.

Phil

Surprises at every turn

There's vacationing, there's traveling, and finally there is roaming.

Years ago when we had the time and money we vacationed.  You know how it goes ... you get a week or two off, pack the bags, the kids, and the car and then off in a rush.  Two long days of driving, staving off those 'are we there yet' zingers from the back seat, eating at the 'golden arches', staying at those motels whose rooms are not too well lit for a reason, then finally arriving only to find the few days you planned to relax have evaporated and you get to pack the bags, pack the kids................. and so on .

Next came traveling.  Those wonderful days when just the two of you could pack the bags and pack the car then head off in a rush.  Two long days of driving, stopping at every rest stop because 'somebody has got to go', then finally arriving only to find the few days you planned to relax have evaporated and you get to pack the bags, pack the car.................. and so on.

Finally we have roaming.  We roam now.  No bags to pack, no agenda, we have our own bathroom and kitchen, and we're sleeping on our own sheets each night.  We still stop occasionally for the same reasons but we seldom have to worry about getting anyplace because we do indeed like to 'stop and smell' the roses along the way.

For instance ....  here's what smelling the roses is all about.

We got word of a hot dog restaurant in Hendersonville that was pretty good.  Let me tell you folks we know our hot dogs, especially since we hail from the birthplace of Angelo's and Leo's Coney Island restaurants back home.  Pretty famous dog shops by most standards.  So with that background, it was going to be a very tall order to find some place to match our back home haunts.

We get into the old TrailBlazer and drive a few miles and the GPS indicates that it's nearby but all we saw was a mostly vacant strip mall with a small, but bright and perky little establishment at the very end.  I think we're almost there.

As luck would have it they were closing within 15 minutes but we ventured in anyway.  Handwritten menus on two big blackboards on the wall, floors and walls as clean as a hospital, and after a long day, two people behind the counter that had the enthusiasm and friendliness of someone who had just won the lottery.  Smiling and helpful caught me off guard.  Most times folks at closing time, and after a long day don't usually exhibit those traits.  I could see by their menu a great many other items were available but we were sticking to our guns and ordered chili dogs and fries.  As we're standing at the counter waiting for our order we begin chatting with the folks behind the counter and discover this is really more than a hot dog stand and the owner has been in food service for around thirty years.  This is no rookie.

In about ten minutes I declared we have discovered Nirvana.  The Great American Dog in Hendersonville NC.  Owner Tom and sidekick Lisa have created a little culinary gem.  As good a chili dog as I have ever had, hand-cut fries cooked the way I wanted them (dark and crispy), but listen to this ... shrimp, scallops, cod, clams and a host of other goodies.  Now you say... so what!  Anybody can offer seafood.  But here's where Tom steps in.  You see Tom and Lisa are from Maine and Tom had a big seafood restaurant there for many years. So when he decided to move south, he brought his old habits with him.  Fresh seafood, not frozen would be the order of business to accompany his new hot dog business.  Seems like a strange mix but once the hotdogs get you in the door, the thought of fresh seafood make your eating decisions very tough.

Ya' gotta get here

So here's the couple that pour their hearts and souls into the business.  Customer is king here.  It may not be the fanciest place in town, and it may not be gourmet but it's everything else you may want in a restaurant.  Great food, clean as a pin (even the restrooms) and folks behind the counter that are happy to see you.

Lisa and Owner Tom at
The Great American Dog
808 Greenville Highway
Hendersonville, NC

Just to make sure our first visit was no fluke, we stopped in there today for an early dinner.  We'd been thinking about that fresh shrimp all day so we took an unusual step and visited a restaurant twice in the same town on the same trip.  We walked through the door and we were treated like an ultra rich uncle they hadn't seen in years.  We felt at home because they made us feel at home.  We both ordered the shrimp and it was as good as any gulf shrimp we've had in Alabama. Very fresh, very large, all with a light batter.  Too bad all of you are not here with us as I would have bought your dinner too.  Whoops ... too late now.

So this is what roaming is all about to us.  Stopping to find out the good and interesting in a community.

After we left the restaurant we stopped several blocks down and pulled alongside an old beat up pickup truck.  A leathery old man looking 80, but probably mid 60's, was standing at the open tailgate selling fresh strawberries.  It appears that strawberries are usually sold in one gallon buckets around here and he had only two buckets left.  They were heaped high like my grandfather Tony used to sell his raspberries at his roadside stand.  You couldn't have balanced another berry on that pile.  These strawberries were some of the largest and sweetest berries I have tasted in some time.  Far better than this winters Plant City Florida crop, I handed over the money and rushed home to sample some more.

Almost wish we were staying a little longer but we're pressing on to Berea Kentucky tomorrow.  It's pretty close to the famous Kentucky Bourbon Trail so maybe we'll discovery some new things to sample.

Still livin' the dream

Phil

Little Changes

As you probably have noticed, I've continued to fool around with the blog layout.  In my haste, I forgot that maybe some of you do not have either the latest browser software on your computer and subsequently some of the changes I made will make my blog unreadable.  Though that may be a blessing in disguise to some, I've decided to return the the usual format, with only a few alterations.  If you have any issues or would just like to make a comment, please do so in the 'comment section'

Still livin' the dream in North Carolina where the weather is just plain fantastic.

Phil

Things to do on a rainy day

I think I may have stumbled upon a sure-fire way to tell ... before you go into a restaurant, how good the food will be.  No, really!  It's a matter of simple observation probably overlooked by millions of eater-outers'.  I'm not expecting the Noble prize for great thinking but here's my perfect example.

See this?  Do you see the condition of this entrance door?  It's almost worn out.  This wasn't caused from somebodies old dog scratching to get in but money packing patrons itching to place an order.  I've visited a BBQ place or two around the country and I can assure you my science is good.  Head out to Lockhart Texas to Black's and you'll see what I mean.

The reason this old door is worn out is that inside is BBQ.  Good BBQ.  Ribs, pork, and chicken carry the load here.  Nothing fancy for sure but just good food.  What you may not know about Carolina BBQ is there are two distinct styles available.  A vinegar-mustard base coating/sauce and a tomato based coating/sauce concoction.  We must have been luckily today as they offered both in this joint.  So we tried each, in a special combo plate of pulled pork, ribs, and chicken.

Look at that menu and all the goodness

Conclusion ... I was surprised I liked the vinegar/mustard base but actually mixing them both together was  the one for me.  So if you are ever around Greenville SC stop in at Henry's Smokehouse.

Moving on ... we were searching around rain-soaked Hendersonville NC for a nice lunch so we headed downtown.  Lots to choose from here but Sharon noticed a little Thai place that had a chicken-cashew special on a sign outside, so we went in.  A place called 'Limeleaf Thai Fusion' does not exactly drag you off the street, but once inside it was pretty fancy.

Nice cloth tablecloths and settings, low indirect lighting, and a pleasant wait staff.  The special came with soup, and an egg roll, for $5.95 per plate, this was an absolute bargain.  I'm not a big fan of the sweet and sour sauce that was on the dish but Sharon loves it and I loved the price so it was a win-win.

Romantic LimeLeaf Fusion

 We stopped in a nearby mall and noticed this little beauty.  She didn't tolerate me hanging around taking pictures and before long, she produced one of those dark, deep barks that let me know she wasn't too happy.  I was leaving anyway, I think.

Marmaduke?

We decided to take a short trip to the nearby town of Bat Cave.  Who knows why but I thought there had to be an interesting story behind the name.  So down another one of those twisty, two lane mountain roads I've grown to love.  Especially when it's raining and foggy.  Looking into my rear view mirror and I see a big yellow school bus gaining on me at every corner.  Now this is another one of the 7% descents so again my blood pressure took a leap.  All I can think of is those poor little kids hanging on for dear life and this mad-man behind the wheel had plans to take us all over the edge.  The elevation dropped over 1000 ft in the stretch of about 2 miles so I started looking for a turn-off to get out of the way.  The kids were on their own, I'm going to save us.  I got a little of head of the bus and pulled into a small side road.  The only thing I noticed as they went by was a bus full of sweet little kids having a ball in the back of the bus.  Laughing and  smiling without a care ... so why am I worrying?  I think I need a little more practice on these roads.

Anyway, we made it to the bottom of Hickory Nut Gorge, Bat Cave and the non-stop tourist trap was waiting for us.  Apparently, not known to us 'flatlanders', people actually vacation in these parts so there are plenty of places to stay, eat, and buy stuff for several miles along the valley.  Bat Cave is named for Bat Cave Mountain and I guess there is even a big cave somewhere around there with a bunch of those hairy little carnivores flying around at night.  Sharon wasn't too interested in finding the cave so we moved on.  However, down the road was this beautiful old home, now antique shop that was worth a picture.  A lot of the businesses were still closed as the tourist season doesn't start for a few more weeks.

Fancy storage place for old stuff

Another big attraction in this area is Chimney Rock.  A large chunk of granite with an observation- lookout platform at the top. Some say on a clear day you can see Los Angeles, I think.  It's also surrounded by a big state park.  Since I'm not a big fan of heights there was little chance of us going to that attraction. (www.chimneyrockstatepark.com)

Hickory Nut Falls ... a 404 ft drop.

What really caught my attention here and many others local areas, are the number of great trout stream.  You can hardly go 10 miles without seeing a really fishable stretch of water.  In the Gorge, the Broad River runs alongside the road (NC 64/74a) and empties into Lake Lure.  Large, smooth boulders litter the river bottom creating many giant pools I'm sure are filled with monster rainbows.  More fish stories coming up later.

We stopped into the visitors center at Lake Lure to find out what was the big deal about this area.   This in one hot destination in season.  So within a few weeks it will be wall to wall mountain vacationers with traffic jams and folks fighting for a parking place.  At the Visitor Center's suggestion we drove about halfway around Lake Lure and discovered many resorts and beautiful mountain perched homes.  No doubt the views are spectacular.

We even found a luxury class 'A' RV park near the lake.  Apple Valley Farm RV Resort (www.applevalleyfarm.com) has about 60 sites that were very well landscaped and maintained.  I questioned  if anybody in their right mind would take the route we took to get here, but later discovered on our return trip a far more benign road, far more suitable for big rigs.  It looks like it would be a very quiet and relaxing spot to camp that is just close enough to the activities around Hickory Nut Gorge.  However it is not inexpensive.  Somewhere around $60/night I think.

All this sightseeing really takes its toll so we really needed to seek out some nourishment.  We headed back to the Hendersonville area.  We'd gotten a tip from somebody the good Mexican food could be had at Pappa's and Beer.  OMG ... if you like Mex food, and we really do ... find this place if you're in the area.  I've been in many of this style restaurant but this is hands down, one of the tops.  Great service,
great chips and salsa, and excellent margaritas.  We ordered chicken fajitas for two and ended up with enough food to take home for two more full meals.  And the bill was less than $25 bucks.

When we first arrived in the Flat Rock / Hendersonville area we only planned on staying about two days.  Those two passed and we decided on two more, then another two beyond that.  So I guess I'm trying to say there is a lot to see and do in the area.  Our next stop, Nashville will be coming up soon.  Maybe Sunday.

So another day, another adventure and we're still livin' the dream.

Phil

ps ... to continue with another fish story ... while eating dinner the other night at Piggy's and Harry's ( a combination BBQ shack and ice cream parlor), we sat next to the local police captain who is an avid trout fisherman.  Fishing the Oconaluftee river near the Cherokee Casino, he took a 9 lb rainbow on a night crawler.  Using ultralight spinning gear and a 2 lb line, it apparently was a helluva battle.

Oh Edith ... where art thou?

I thought I may had a glimpse of her.  A fleeting moment, out the corner of my eye, as I entered her bedroom.  The bristled hair on my arms alerted me to something odd before I entered, but I quickly brushed off the notion for fear of ridicule.  But there I was ... standing next to her bed, looking around at the lace and opulence.  It was so quite.  Only the gusting wind sneaking through a slight crack in one of the tall windows gently moved the sheer drapes.  My eyes darted around the empty room as my now peaked senses sought out another sign. Was it her?  Or was it my imagination?  I guess I'll never know ... but seeing her was not in the cards today.  You see this was the bedroom of Edith Vanderbilt.  Wife of George and we're on the 2nd floor of the Biltmore House in Asheville North Carolina.  One of the most grandiose family homes in America.  The mansion was completed in 1895 by then bachelor, George Vanderbilt with the help of an army of craftsmen from all over the world.  The Vanderbilt clan weren't strangers to big homes.  Between all the named relations over the years, the family constructed over 26 residences around the country.

George and Edith had separate sleeping quarters that were separated by a common 'sitting' room ... apparently designed for conjugal breakfasts.  The grandeur that old money could buy is beyond understanding.  The finest of everything is the standard.  Ornate woodwork, handcrafted wall coverings, hand-carved furniture, and granite and marble imported from all corners of the world.  I did notice one little obscure detail that our guide had an answer for; though probably more politically correct than accurate.
You see old George's bedroom doors were quite different from Ediths.  Whereas Edith's door had only one lock (but very substantial), George's doors not only had an identical lock but another massive brass lock with three deadbolts.  And since this lock was not keyed, the only way it could be locked or opened is from the inside.  Now I ask you ... What was old George trying to keep out?

Okay ... I need to stop.  I'm getting way ahead of myself.  Let's continue with the tour.

The Biltmore mansion sits on about 8,000 acres but is only a part of the 125,000 acres Vanderbilt eventually owned in the area.  The 8,000 acres were for the most part stripped of vegetation and completely replanted by the landscape architects Frederick Olmsted and Richard Hunt.  These guys also worked on another little project later on ... Central Park in New York.  Not exactly rookies I'd say.   In driving the 11 mile road through the estate, you get the sense of balance and continuity these architects created with the trees, streams, hills and ultimately the mansion.  With the passing of over 117 years, the vision of George Vanderbilt and his landscape architects is in full bloom.  It's beyond spectacular.  250 rooms and 43 bathrooms.  The tour we purchased allowed us see most of the available rooms (42), the gardens, farm and winery.  Certainly a full day but I can't help but wonder what in the world are they doing with the other 208 rooms.  The residence is still owned by a member of the Vanderbilt family.  William A. V. Cecil, about 85 years old ... the great grandson of George.

Within the European styled country estate are a number of unique technical advances for its time.  The entire mansion was fully electrified from the day it opened in 1895.  All the bathrooms and kitchens had running water.  There is a regulation two lane bowling alley, and an indoor swimming pool.  It  also has two of the first Otis Elevators ever installed in a home.  They are still running on their original electric motors and are still serviced twice a year by Otis.  I rode one and I bet it was just as smooth as when George and Edith used it.  The estate originally was designed to be a self-sufficient.  Having its own farms for raising crops  and live stock and today much of that still exists.  And to continue of practice of taking care of itself, Biltmore is in the process of creating a large array of solar panels to help generate electricity for the estate.  Currently providing 13% of the total needs, they are working to add even more.  They have placed the array on an obscure hillside but  you can just get a glimpse of it on I40 before entering the estate.

A modest little sun room just off the main entrance

As you can imagine we were really taken by this experience.  I could go on and on but you'd be better served by paying a visit yourself.  But here's a little tip in advance.  First it's not cheap ... $60/ticket for the base program.  Additional guided tours are also available that spend more time explaining the families use of various areas of the mansion.  You can also rent bicycles, ride horses and stay at the Biltmore Inn on the estate.  The second thing to remember, and much to my chagrin, is that no photographs are allowed.  So I lugged the cameras along for nothing ... well almost.  I just couldn't help myself ... with my stealthy Canon S95 I managed to grab a few shots when no one was looking.  Actually someone was most likely looking as there are more security cameras in the mansion than a Vegas casino.  The people there say the art work has more value than the mansion and they watch it all like a hawk.  No one said anything but maybe the security team was at lunch.

Grand staircase and chandler.  Four floors.  18 foot ceilings.  Whew! ... what a hike

Two-lane bowling alley

Basement swimming pool

Part of the 'workout' room for men.

Sleeping quarters for a female servant.
The women sleep in the main house and the
men sleep on the 2nd floor of the stables.
In the peak years as many as 35 workers help take care of the
the house and family.

One corner of a massive kitchen

Where the 'help' did the ironing.  The sinks on the left are copper.

Laundry room.  Note cast iron round washing machine at the right.  I wonder if it has a 'gentle cycle"?

Gentlemen's hide-a-way

Souvenirs galore at the gift shop... or is it 'shoppe'

Baubles and Bangles

Toys for the kiddies

Christmas gifts year around

After leaving the mansion we hopped a shuttle to our car and then drove a couple of miles to the greenhouses and formal gardens.  Didn't see many radishes or green peppers but what a layout!  Any weed even thinking about setting roots out would meet and immediate death.  I can only imagine the effort it takes to make and maintain these gardens.

This is no Victory garden

One of 6 greenhouses

Is that Tarzan behind that palm leaf?

Orchids in all flavors

After leaving the gardens, I stopped to photograph this little waterfall alongside the road.  The attention to detail throughout the estate extends to even this little corner.

Obscure little waterfall, maybe two foot tall,  makes this a very special place.

Our next stop was the winery.  Another short drive of some 3 miles provided us with the opportunity to sample the wines they produce on the estate and, you guessed it ... the opportunity to 'buy' some as well.
There were other little shops and a couple of restaurants and a nice gazebo in the center courtyard.  As luck would have it, even though it was a chilly, windy, 45 degree day, a piano player was working his magic on the keyboard in the gazebo.  Life is good.

Free samples with the price of admission

More winery attractions

A short trip up the hill behind the winery is the Biltmore Inn.  I'm guessing if you stay there you'll enjoy beautiful views of the countryside and a fair amount of pampering.

The Biltmore Inn.  Staring at about $269/night.  Staying on the estate has it privileges.

Entrance and Exit to the Estate.  No the building is not falling
over it's just that my camera was pointing up and the
perspective is changed and I should have fixed it in Photoshop but
didn't so it's getting late and .............  It's the same gate that George and Edith came through years ago and followed the winding three mile trip to the mansion.

So there you have it.  A day-trip to remember.  I might have gotten a carried away with this entry but it really is quite a place.  (www.biltmore.com)

Still livin' the dream ... this time with the rich and famous.

Phil

ps ... just in case you didn't notice ...  I changed the layout of the blog a bit.  I'll continue to fool with it as we go along so let me know what you think.  You can still reach me on the link to my email.