Wednesday, 28 February 2018

I-77

one of the possibilities

Living where we do, going south means :
crossing the border at Detroit / Windsor
or one of three bridges in the Niagara Falls area

Returning from Savannah, likely meant taking I 77 or I 95.
Since our route home included Wadsworth, Ohio ( S of Cleveland )
we opted for I-77
The descriptors included scenic
winding bends
and HILLS - bigun's as they say

All true.
The start down in S. Carolina was ordinary.
As we moved N, the road got interesting.
Rising up into the hills, we encountered heavy fog but the signs for slower speeds were lit. Happens all the time up there, it seems.

We stopped in Beckley, WV after some 7 h or so.
The next day, we headed out and up and down and up and down.
Whew ! Curves         Drops    Climbs

Ohio brought almost flat roads, TG.
And then we were in Canton.
Our first drive through liquor outlet
We walked in and shopped
_____________________________________________________--
not the story

For SOUTHERN bound folks
Accuweather, Brett Anderson, the long range

Mr 5 - 11 Fla, to be colder and drier
Mr 12 - 18 Fla, is seasonable
Mr 19 - 25 Fla, warmer

Great Lakes Region
Mr 5 - 11 drier
Mr 12 - 18 drier / on the edge of chilly
Mr19 - 25  more seasonable




Tuesday, 27 February 2018

and On, We Go

Savannah

We did find a counter part to the ' Toasted Monkey ' in SPB.
On the river walk or river front, one of the bar / restaurants was ' Spankys' . Spankys is part of a group of restaurants found on the River.
Here, we tried house cocktails - Blue Runner, Not a Colada etc.
Some too sweet, most too sweet. In fact, the practice was to add soda to the cocktail to level out the taste.
On leaving the first trip, I asked about the Spanky and Group plastic cup on the shelf, cost $2. Natch, I bought one as a souvenir.
However, the bonus was - bring back the cup for a refill, and they take a dollar off your cocktail.
Of course, we returned the last day. I brought out the cup and the bartender said to ' put it away ' and ' we'll serve you in a cocktail glass '.
True to their word and more, both of us got cocktails for $1 off. Thus, a $2 cup got us $3 off.
yes, brought the cup home



The Group is ' Liveoaks '
incl: Tubb's
         Fiddler'sCrab
         LiveOak
         Dub's


Monday, 26 February 2018

a Continued Reveal

of sorts

Rumour had it that Savannah was walk able and desirably so. M has some back pain issues, thus I decided ' get out early and do your walking '.
As well, Chatham Area Transit ( CAT ) offers a free shuttle service for in and around the historic district. I caught the shuttle most mornings and in fact tried to catch both loops, designated " Downtown ' and ' Forsyth ". There was a bit of a walk to each stop but only five or six blocks through nice neighbourhoods. 
Savannah was originally laid out around public squares ( see previous entries ).
The main reson for visiting Savannah was the novel " Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil " ( see previous ).
Thus, Forsyth Park was a destination from the beginning.
History can be intriguing. Polish and West Indian lives were lost during the American Revolution and Savannah was besieged.
The names of squares and monuments are testament to the sacrifice and still honoured in the word.

We ate seafood ( Savannah, the port City ) and southern specialties.
Indeed, one of our stops was ' Lady and Sons ' or Paula Deens eatery and buffet. We did the buffet. 

Yes, I gained weight this trip but it wasn't entirely my fault.
We drank a bit, too !
I will up my game in the exercise and health area
A measured response but real

Sunday, 25 February 2018

a Review

of sorts

We drove to Fla via I 75. The beginning was frozen, as in the ice was inside the car on the back passenger windows. It was an early start but the day did not warm much.
We anticipated checking the tires as the weather warmed
Ha ! We awoke in Georgetown, KY to same temperatures that we departed T.O. in. The reprieve came in Georgia. A blessed 25 compared to the -1 F that we experienced.
In fact, in Georgetown, fellow guests were locals waiting for pipes to unfreeze.
So we are sailing along down from Macon, GA on 75. Suddenly, over a period of 5 minutes, we found ice on the road and snow piled on the shoulders. For 30 miles passing  Valdosta, we drove on ice covered or partly ice covered road.
To our chagrin, the Florida Welcome centre was closed ( no staff ).
Well, the day got better and the cold gave way to moderate heat somewhere in the 60 s.
The stay in Florida was originally marked by strong NE winds and relatively cool temperatures.
Our go to place in SPB is the ' Toasted Monkey '. Colin was the regular day bartender and exemplified good service and attention.




The FL temperatures did improve gradually and the winds died.

Our stay was over and we had booked a Springhill Suites room in Savannah. the drive North was easy and w/ only a small navigation error, we reached the southern charm of Savannah.
Our first night was in a gastropub. Expensive, but had you told me what I was going to get for the money, I still would have stayed.
Quality was the byword here.
Night 2 Savannah, tuned out to be a jazz club / restaurant w/ Earl Williams and his group. cover charge and good food.
I got to sing ' I love you ' to M. as part of audience participation moment.

Saturday, 24 February 2018

Doing What Comes Naturally

song lyrics

human tendency
human failure
quite often

Netflix offerings :
' 6 Days ', the story of the occupation of the Iranian Embassy London, UK.  Well done, half documentary style and half movie




Friday, 23 February 2018

Monumental

I'm re-watching ' Monuments Men '

and a stellar movie is always a stellar movie

Netflix 

BTW , I can find no ' comments ' listed
try again ?

A day that dragged
did lots but tasks kept popping up


Thursday, 22 February 2018

the Sweet Seduction of

home

I couldn't find the salt
but love being home

Its total wimp-oid, I know
but its so comfortable




Tuesday, 20 February 2018

Brite Sun

record highs

expected

record floods expected throughout the mid continent


Monday, 19 February 2018

4 States

in a row

GA, SC , NC & WV

When you're on a roll
go with it

Ocean to the mountains kind of travel

Not E Z PZ but OK

" You'll find a god in every golden cloiter
I can feel an angel sliding up to me "

from ' One Night in Bangkok '


Sunday, 18 February 2018

All in the Squares

America's first planned city

Savannah

The city was layed out for function and aesthetics.
24 squares and parks making the core of the city ( now, the Historic District, mostly ).
I've been to 10 of the squares.
In Johnson Square, mostly paved, a bronze of Johnny Mercer sits at one end.

To-day, I walked through 6 Squares and finished back home

I have pictures to prove it.


Saturday, 17 February 2018

Post # 1949 but not the Skippy-ington version

and the beat goes on
b/c Cher is in the movies again

Black Panther hits the pictures this week end

Sunny and a touch humid

Friday, 16 February 2018

Wednesday, 14 February 2018

on the Skippy-ington Post website

not much

The story from here. 
In a Rohingan refugee camp, a boy flies a kite. the daily ritual of kiting makes his day. When asked he replies another fellow made the kite. Turns out the ' other guy ' is 10 y.o.
Using supplies from the dump e.g. plastic sheeting and bamboo, the other guy builds the kites.
Talk about ' life hacks ' - a little joy in a world that will be his for the foreseeable future b/c there are no willing takers for the displaced.

For Valentine's Day we stepped way  outside our comfort zone
Circa 1875 Gastropub in Savannah, Ga. Duck breast in cherry liquer
and Coquilles St Jacques
or the biggest scallops that you've ever seen

How enjoyable
tres joli, mes amis


Tuesday, 13 February 2018

the Skippy-ington Post Issue 6

no, Skippy
nothing to report

Gray, foggy and dampish warm
OK, we'll take it


Monday, 12 February 2018

V5 , the Skippy-ington Post

follows #4

Ah, yes serendipity or a good movie w/ John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale w/out black spandex and sword.
Premise, chance meeting of two potential star crossed entities ends when the girl writes her phone # on a 5 book fly leaf. ' titled Diseases of the Middle Ages ' or somesuch.
Guy has to find the book

True love wins - damn right Skippy !

Go read a book or fly leaf

The computer and me. A love-hate affair. 

When it s going well, heaven
Not so, 1/2 of hell

I'm still having some video problems b/c some vids won't display even  on YouTube.
I'll live. Besides the audio come through.

Johns Hopkins played on Saturday, I forgot to watch the game stats
( a cartoon thingy w/ the play by play ). The boys of spring won 14 - 6 over in town rivals Towson. The two teams were ranked 13 and 14 in the pre-season polls. Thus, 13 beat 14 which is supposed to happen.
Towson was a semi-finalist in 2017. Hop found a defence.
The next test is in town rivals Loyola who lost in double overtime to Virginia.
These early games are important b/c its along season and you need wins early for morale and a cushion when ( not if ) the boat starts to rock.














Sunday, 11 February 2018

4 th time lucky: the Skippy-ington Post

not closed down yet
come get me Arianna

Glorious day
dead battery for starters
thats why we pay the big bucks to AAA

On their way

We shall see said the Zen Master

Saturday, 10 February 2018

Ch 3 : the 'Skippy-ington Post '

a skippy fog out there


" Woke up, got out of bed 
ran a comb across my head "  the Beatles 

way past the comb stage of the morning
and the day is coming into focus

oops ! nothing there

And in the tech world vs me, a window pooped up suggesting that I download Windows Media player 10. I was on a sports website and couldn't access a video. Thus, the pop up suggestion.

Research indicates that : Microsoft introduced an Update to Windows 10 operating system. Apparently, some people running W10 lost their media player. 
Me ???  Dunno
maybe
I guess

The comment section of the article contained useful tips :
such as download something else called VLC player

Also, a slanging match w/ commentators calling each other not nice names - a whole lot of asterisks and such got used in the responses

Where does that leave me 
??????????????   

more later, after I digest and figure what they were talking about



Friday, 9 February 2018

Vol 2 of the ' Skippy-ington Post '

betcha I'll get sued by you know who

Fog returned

The wind is cool and of course its damp out there


Thursday, 8 February 2018

the Skippy-ington Post

thinking of re - naming the blog

All in an attempt to boost readership, attempting to crack the 10 barrier

Fog is in the air


Wednesday, 7 February 2018

Skip to the 'Loo

I think its supposed to be ' Lou '

Damn lucky if you can skip
Right ! Skippy


Tuesday, 6 February 2018

Damn Skippy

a new expression

Sort of swearing but not swearing

In the Stephanie Plum movie  ( based on the books ), Katherine Heigl, as Stephanie uses that expression to say ' damn right ' or something like that.

Or as in ' Damn Skippy, you're not ' from Juno ( 2007 )  starring Ellen Page and the guy that does Farmers Insurance commercials

Meaning : excitement or gladness
                 or agreement , assertion

Movie Review : the Post w/ Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep
in reclining seats 
$6 hotdogs

A worthwhile watch even in the theatre
Damn Skippy, it was


Monday, 5 February 2018

Where Eagles Soar

Minnesota

Natch !

Sun is out and wind is cool
good day for sailing
if you sail

The dichotomy of spell checker
Beautiful
frustrating as all get out

However, on our crappy $19 phone w/ the minuscule keypad - a necessary evil

Ah, such is life


Sunday, 4 February 2018

The sun on Sunday

or a real good try

W/ a cool to cold wind, the sky was mottled and sometimes dark and forbidding. A mixed bag of conditions

life goes on

as it is want to do

So, will I 

Saturday, 3 February 2018

Hey ! Whats Going On

the world keeps spinning

The U.S. stock market had a correction
which means ' yech !' 
what a day

If I had a correction like that - I'd be in a wheelchair
or on oxygen




Friday, 2 February 2018

7:32 AM

2018-02-02

Real original, I know !

I was looking at the screen in the bottom corner and there it was

Sun blasting through the windows
Pretending that its nice out there

We shall see said the Zen Master


Thursday, 1 February 2018

# 1933

yeah, you poor soul ( s )

A thousand and nine hundred of these thingees

W/ great thnx b/c as a chance to write something
its been great
Cartharsis or 
Carbuncle
Carnation

In lieu of TV, I've decided to try a simple jig saw puzzle
Keep your mind alive kind of activity