All posts by champagne&backpacks

Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, Texas

BBQ

November 5, 2013 champagne&backpacks 6 Comments

BBQ

Now I know y’all didn’t think I’d venture through the South without trying a little BBQ?! While I did not indulge my gluttonous desires for smoked meat as fully as I expected, I did try a few “legit” spots and had something approximating the concept at least a couple other times. To get straight to the point, Franklin BBQ in Austin slaughtered the competition. It was like me fighting Mike Tyson, and I’m talking back in my prime and when he was already over the hill.

I am certainly not a BBQ expert, but it strikes me that more than most cuisine types BBQ is judged on factors beyond how good it tastes. This may seem odd to the casual observer, and it merits philosophical debate beyond the scope of this post. By way of example, Houston’s ribs might not earn high praise at a BBQ competition, despite that many find them delicious!

Let’s start with just a few words about the BBQ-resembling meals I had in the South. There was the pulled pork sandwich at Top of the Hill in Chapel Hill. It consists of slow roasted pork, house-made beer cheese sauce, garlic sauteed spinach and frizzled red onions. Hard to judge the quality of the meat with those accoutrements, but beer cheese sauce was interesting. I enjoyed it, despite that I felt my arteries hardening with each bite. Then there was the pulled pork po’boy at Parasol’s in New Orleans. Parasol’s is phenomenal, and this sandwich was delicious. But again, we are not talking pure BBQ. On to that…

The Brick Pit is in a small house-like structure in a fairly nice part of Mobile, Alabama. Like most places outside Texas, the emphasis is on hog. The walls inside are covered with writing from patrons. They had TV screens on CSS Encore showing an old college football game with Auburn dominating. One orders inside at a pass-through counter, I got the combo plate with ribs and pulled pork, and it comes with coleslaw, BBQ beans and a piece of Texas toast (basically extra thick white bread). The pit master uses 75% pecan (which is all over the Southeast) and 25% hickory for smoke. He goes 3.5 and below, meaning the rack should weigh less than 3.5 pounds.

The ribs were smoky and fairly good, as was the pulled pork. But this was perhaps the clearest illustration to me of the “good BBQ” vs. “tastes great” issue above. My meal did not taste great. It may be good, true BBQ, but it just was not supremely enjoyable. Perhaps my biggest beef (haha) is they do not season the meat, instead choosing to let the smoke impart all the flavor. The result is meat that is just not THAT tasty. I think I prefer the Memphis style with a nice dry rub, where sauce is pretty much optional. They also did not remove the silver skin from the back of the ribs. This is a controversial subject, but I think I prefer it removed. The beans here were smoky and excellent, definitely the best of the beans I had. The cole slaw was pretty heavy on the mayo and also quite good. Jenni went with the sourdough brick bites which is a $4 slider that was actually a decent-sized sandwich. Unsweetenened iced tea is available here, and pretty much everywhere in the South.

Next up was Iron Works BBQ in Austin, Texas. I think it is widely believed at this point that Franklin is superior, but Iron Works gets mad respect. There are framed pictures of George Bush and of Barack Obama eating there. Parking is ample and the inside is old-looking and charming. I got the combo plate with beef brisket, a beef rib and sausage. It also came with potato salad and beans. Here again, the distinction arose. This brisket was sliced thin, and while enjoyable to be sure, I have enjoyed more a brisket I cooked in my oven from a Jewish recipe book. The sausage was quite tasty, and the beef rib was delicious. I did not realize until I was in Austin in March 2013 for Josh’s bachelor party how much I like good BBQ beef ribs. That time I visited Salt Lick at its Round Rock location, and I would say that was the second best BBQ after Franklin.

The slicer at Iron Works

Mmm…beef rib

And now for the champion. Franklin BBQ is not merely a meal, it is an experience. It opens at 11 am and I am told it has sold out every day since it opened in 2009. Having been told by a local that we could safely arrive at 10:30 am, we showed up at 10:10 am for extra caution. We were met by a line halfway through the parking lot. I parked the car and returned to find Jenni standing directly BEHIND a group holding the “Last Man Standing” piece of cardboard. OH, THE HORROR! The woman working the line informed us there was no guarantee we would get any food, and the kicker was that we probably would not know until after 1 pm. The likelihood of getting ribs was almost non-existent. It seems there is a concept of pre-ordering, but I do not know how this works.

Franklin line

Franklin line the other direction

Franklin sign

We thus faced one of the hardest decisions of our lives. Cut our losses and move on, or tough it out and go for the glory? To my everlasting relief, while we debated she informed us that the owner had decided to push back the line and we were now safe. Hallelujah!!

We broke out the boat chairs for the first time in ages and read and made some phone calls. At 11 am the doors opened and the first large group entered the restaurant. But things move very slowly from there. So at several minute intervals the line would move up a handful of feet, meaning you have to pick up your chairs etc. and relocate. There was a guy across the street actually renting folding chairs for $5. Supply and demand at its finest. There was another Franklin employee walking the line and selling beer and soft drinks so Jenni got a blonde ale and I a lemonade. Some groups also brought their own beer for the wait.

Ah, getting better

Some motivation for the wait

We entered the structure at about 1:10 pm and got served at 1:30 pm. So here is the secret: show up early! Like 8 am. If you show up at that time, your overall commitment is actually equal if not less and you are guaranteed a selection of anything on the menu. Plus, you would never have to move your waiting position as long as you are far enough up in the line to enter with the first group. So show up at 8 am and order at 11 am from the full menu, or show up at 10:10 am and order at 1:30 pm with NO RIBS available. By the way, Franklin serves pork ribs even though this is Texas.

Upon reaching the counter, your order is taken and filled (i.e. sliced, cut, etc.) by the owner and legend himself, Aaron Franklin. Despite the immense popularity and praise (Bon Appetit declared it the best in the country), Aaron could not be nicer. He does not subscribe to the theory of “my food is amazing, therefore I can be a dick.” He asked whether we wanted fatty or lean brisket, and before we even answered he confirmed our suspicion by murmuring his own response of “fatty.” Obviously. He hooked us up with a couple large bites laid on the counter, which reminded me of Katz’s Deli in New York. It was at this very moment we knew the nearly 3.5 hour wait was worth every minute.

Inside at Franklin

Aaron Franklin (right)

There were three guys sequentially working the counter, and we had pleasant exchanges with each. First with Aaron himself who asked where we were from etc. The next guy on the line overheard us mention we had been to a Packers game and then said the prior night’s game was his favorite because he is a Bears fan. The third guy told us a story about how he ordered a salad at a Whataburger in Oklahoma and the woman asked if he was from Los Angeles.

Back to the food…Jenni and I each got a two meat plate which comes with two sides. One plate was brisket and turkey with cole slaw and potato salad. The other was brisket and pulled pork with beans and potato salad. The beans were good, the cole slaw was very good and the potato salad was OK. The turkey was sliced white meat and very good, considering the materials. The pulled pork was delicious, nice and moist and peppery. I found it far better than the Brick Pit, which is known more for pork vs. beef. The brisket, though, was fall out of your chair good. I mean just ridiculously scrumptious. It was cut very thick and was incredibly moist and flavorful. They have three BBQ sauce options: a Carolina style vinegary sauce, an espresso flavored sauce, and a Texas style sauce that was a little tangier and spicier. Sometimes with BBQ I want almost all my bites with sauce but make sure to try some naked bites to savor the pure dead animal. At Franklin, this was reversed. We also ate a banana bourbon pie that was yummy.

Happy camper

Meat plates at Franklin

Have you seen greater elation?

I would note that we did not order one, but the Tipsy Texan sandwich looked great. It is chopped brisket and sliced sausage on a white roll with cole slaw and pickles. There are several tables inside and a handful of picnic tables on a deck outside, which is where we sat. Folks, when you are next in Austin, do yourself a favor and get to Franklin early (and often).

Louisiana, USA

NOLA

November 3, 2013 champagne&backpacks Leave a comment

We arrived at Sam and Kaitlyn’s for a solid several days of eating, drinking, and cousin time. They live in a a super trendy area, less than a block off of Magazine Street, in a traditional shotgun style apartment, which means that there are no hallways, and all the rooms are connected straight through from the front to back (e.g. you walk through the living room to get to the bedroom, to get to the kitchen, to get to the bathroom). The idea is (at least back in the day) you could shoot a shotgun straight through the house with the front and back doors open and the bullet wouldn’t hit anything. This style is also supposed to help keep the place cool by helping with airflow, and the ceilings tend to be really high because heat rises and the hot air gets trapped in the upper parts of the rooms while the people stay cool down below.

Our first night in town they took us to one of their favorite po’ boy spots – Parasol’s. Though upon arriving in NOLA I had always thought a po’ boy was an oyster based sandwich, I quickly learned that all po’ boy really means is a sandwich on a crusty French bread type roll. The classic does have shrimp or oysters, but there are also roast beef po’ boys and other varieties. At Parasol’s we ordered a spicy shrimp and a pulled pork po’boy. The shrimp one was AMAZE. Probably my favorite eat while in New Orleans, and we ate a lot of good food down here. We also tried the gumbo and fried oysters which were tasty, but if you go, you simply must order the shrimp po’ boy. I’m telling you. We walked off a little bit of these calories after dinner wandering through the stunning homes in the Garden District, just across on the other side of Magazine.

Our initial observations on New Orleans: there are stray cats everywhere, so cute – I love this! The people at least in our neighborhood seemed to ignore the “one way” streets as we saw no fewer than five people drive the wrong way down their one way street in the few days we were there. People are really into decorating their homes for Halloween, especially in the Garden District. Flags for your door are very popular (not just state/country flags but decorative flags to celebrate holidays). You can smoke in bars here. And of course – the game changer: no open container laws. It’s really crazy how that impacts a party scene. Kaitlyn told me how after she finished her exams once she just stopped in a bar on the way home for a “pina colada to go.” I mean, is there any better way to order a pina colada? There’s no waiting at the bar for the last person to finish their drink (they can just stick it in a cup and walk with it!), and boy oh boy did it change the dynamic of Frenchman Street for Halloween (which I’ll get to later).

Our next day we got some work done in the morning, before heading out for a long walking tour of town. We stopped at District – a spot that sells only donuts, sliders and coffee – on Magazine for a Vietnamese coffee donut that had tapioca balls in the cream filling (woah). Donuts are so trending right now. Then we walked all the way down Magazine to Cochon Butcher, which was super crowded on a Thursday late lunchtime. Alan loved the pork belly sandwich with cucumbers, mint and chili aioli. I got the pizzetta with mortadella, mustard greens and parm, which was also divine. One thing I’m realizing on this trip, I keep ordering “snack” sized “bites” or appetizers to try to not gain 8,000 pounds, and it’s more than enough food. Not that its news to me how oversized portions are at American restaurants, but when not traveling full time and eating out on fewer occasions, I guess you feel justified in splurging more whereas now as a full time homeless eater outer I’m realizing the gluttony of it all. We kept walking after lunch down to Jackson Park, through the French Quarter (my first time seeing Bourbon Street – not recommended at day time – attracts a pretty trashy crowd and smells like stale booze and vomit), and over to Armstrong Park. We took the trolley back on St. Charles to Sam and Kaitlyn’s neighborhood.

A few hours before going out we began the process of fighting the last minute Halloween-ers in the search for a costume. Alan found a workman’s jumpsuit with the name Jerry on it. I found a Justin Bieber wig for $4 and thought I’d try to pull that off with jeans and a white tank top. No such luck, I looked like me with a bad haircut, so this quickly turned into my alter ego, Tammy Lynn, a trashy, heavily-Boston accented woman, her good-fer-nothin’ husband Jerry and our son Mario (Sam) who still lived at home. I got really into the role play here. Anyway, before heading out in costume we went out to a nice dinner at a restaurant called Coquette, as this was Sam and Kaitlyn’s anniversary and the day after the five year anniversary of when Alan and I met (who could forget that fated night that Alan met Sarah Palin at One Sunset in Hollywood? ;). Then we hopped in the car (with an open bottle of wine, because we can!) and headed over to Frenchman Street. (Thanks Sam for driving!). This is where the game changing effect of no open container laws takes effect. Frenchmen Street is lined with bars (including many great live music spots) , yet the party was largely in the street. The street was not technically closed off, but no cars could drive through (though some did try, futilely). The street was FILLED with people in costume, all carrying drinks in hand, and then there were even people pushing around drink carts made on wheels, selling cocktails on the street. There were also people with grills set up on the street selling food. Alan ordered a chicken and mushy ramen type concoction from a guy on the corner that I don’t imagine he would have eaten quite so voraciously had he been sober. It was definitely an experience. I’m so glad we changed out plans to be in NOLA on Halloween. The city knows how to party.

::tammy lynn and jerry::

::our son mario::

::he’s dressed up as a noodler!::

The next day it took us a little bit longer to wake up, but luckily we still got up in time to make a swamp tour. We grabbed coffee and sandwiches from Boulangerie (the brie sandwich is SO good, but how could it not be right? Brie and butter. Mmm). We drove over to Slidell (passing some interesting stores on the way, including one called Hit and Run Liquor, and a store simply called Chicken and Watermelon) to get on our boat and see some gators with Cajun Encounters. I was very disappointed we did not get to hold a baby alligator. We did see some gators though, big and small, and learned a thing or two about them. First of all, I had no idea they hibernate?? They fed one of them some marshmallows and he came over and ate them off a stick. We also saw some wild boar and a raccoon, which fought over the marshmallows our guide threw at them. Though this was nothing compared to what had happened on one of his tours previously. If you want to see some wildlife action, check out this youtube video (WARNING, not for the faint of heart, or for boar lovers… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2BmY_XYqas). I was most surprised to hear that bananas are bad luck on boats. There were several homes on the banks of the waters we boated by, though many spaces were empty and some still filled with remnants of old homes that were destroyed by Katrina. This area got hit very hard.

::see that cajun hot tub?::

Back in New Orleans, the four of us walked back to the District, this time to try their sliders. I had the fried chicken and it was fabulous. Alan got a pork belly and the “Croquenot,” which is ham, gruyere and béchamel on a griddled donut. He was disappointed by the latter. We split a brown butter and pistachio donut that was fantastic. We had planned on going out again later in the night, but made the rookie mistake of coming home and laying down for a minute first. To be fair, before I went lights out I reminded Alan that I don’t do naps… I go to bed. And that we did.

It’s a good thing we got our rest in, because the next day was a big one. We started with brunch at Atchafalaya, which boasted live jazz flute, an impressive build your own bloody mary bar, and a menu full of New Orleans classics. Alan and Sam split the duck hash and eggs treme with boudin cakes (a New Orleans classic which is kind of like a sausage patty). I had a savory bread pudding and we all split the cream cheese grits and jalapeño corn bread on the side. All delicious.

Sam, Alan and I then drove to Audubon park for a walk and a frisbee session for the boys. Later in the day we went down to the central business district and hit up Luke for happy hour – 50 cent oysters and half price drinks. I also tried the crab bisque. While not discounted for happy hour it was worth full price – definitely order that! We walked around the French Quarter while we waited for a table at Domenica, and got to see Sam’s friend, Tanya, playing violin with her musical partner, Dorice, on the guitar. They are phenomenally talented. Check their music out here: http://tanyandorise.com. And if you are ever in New Orleans, do go see them perform. It’s absolutely beautiful. One of the other men listening told us a story about how they’re so good, even the bums give them money. I bought a CD of theirs and we listened to a few songs before rushing back to Domenica for our table.

Domenica had some great pizzas, my favorite being the gorgonzola. And the happy hour deals there were fantastic as well. We went next to Tonique for a few cocktails. Alan correctly guessed that the bartender was from Sri Lanka and her reaction was hilarious. Alan got a free shot. Next we hit up Bachanal, which is a super chill venue where you sit outside at tables set up in a backyard, order food up at a window which is then brought out to you, and wine from a little wine shop inside. We had a bottle of Pinot, but sadly had missed much of the jazz. Still, it was fun hanging out there and we bumped into a handful of Sam and Kaitlyn’s friends. We also tried a dessert they offer when is basically just dark chocolate drizzled with olive oil and sea salt. So simple and so divine.

Next up (and yes, this is still the same day, so many bars, so many restaurants, an epic day of food and drink and it’s practicually just getting started), we went back to Frenchman Street and popped in a number of bars to listen to music. Spotted Cat sounded like the best music, though we just stood and listened from the street for a minute rather than pay cover. There was a little outdoor market by the Spotted Cat, which was kind of like a farmer’s market but all art and goods.

We checked out the legendary Pat O’s on Bourbon Street, and went into the Piano Bar for a hurricane and some piano dueling. The woman was awesome, the man not so much. The song choices ranged from Sweet Caroline (go Sox!) to Blurred Lines.

On our walk to Café du Monde, we were enticed by the smell of the burgers at Camellia Grill and so grabbed a cheeseburger and were treated to free fries. I thought it was hilarious they have maple syrup containers full of a melted butter concoction. Our waiter was even more entertaining.

FINALLY, we made it to Café du Monde where we tried our New Orleans beignets. They were a steal at $2.50 for 3 big ole hunks of what is very similar to fried dough, LOADED with powdered sugar. I’d always assumed they were more donut-y than fried dough-y, but they were definitely delicious. [Big thank you and propers to Kaitlyn for driving and hanging out in the midst of a seriously busy week working on her PhD]

The next morning Sam and Kaitlyn picked up bagels for us from Stein’s (where they apparently yell at you, and that’s part of the “charm”) while we packed up the car to get on the road again.

Whirlwind stay in New Orleans, thanks for being our fabulous hosts and tour guides Sam and Kaitlyn!

Alabama, Mississippi, North America, USA

Alabama & Ole Miss

October 30, 2013 champagne&backpacks Leave a comment

To break up the long drive from Georgia to New Orleans and check out some of Alabama and Mississippi, we did a little bit of research and decided on Fairhope, AL, which turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of the trip. It’s Beverly Hills, Alabama! I had no idea this upscale town in the Mobile bay even existed, let alone that we would be so impressed by its beauty and its sushi restaurant.

We spent a few minutes checking out the town of Magnolia Springs, having heard great things about Jesse’s restaurant. However, after pulling into the parking lot to check out the menu another car came flying into the parking lot, threw the car in reverse, started skidding and then started towards us at full speed and barely in control. It was one of those terrifying hopeless moments when you don’t know if you are going to get hurt (the car was coming towards the passenger side, where I was sitting), and the driver was clearly enraged, or else three sheets to the wind. They missed the car by a few inches thankfully, and it was then that we noticed a person kind of chasing the car from the parking lot. He turned around almost immediately and started using his phone, we assumed to call the cops. Weirdest situation, very confusing, very unnerving. We’ve no idea if this guy was pushed out of the car, or trying to meet the car. Was it a lover’s quarrel gone wrong? A drug deal? We’ll never know, but we got the hell out of there as soon as possible as we had no desire to wait and see if he/she came back. Aside from this freakish situation, Magnolia Springs was a charming town, filled with the eponymous trees, as well as more live oak. And again aside from this random scenario we found the people in Alabama to be super friendly, in fact several bars around Mobile boasted cold beer and free advice.

From there we headed to the Grand Hotel to check out the views, and we were treated to another stunning sunset (so many good ones on this trip). We checked out the pier, smartly passing up the Yardarm Restaurant there for Master Joe’s sushi downtown. The downtown area was like the downtown of a really high end suburban town, not at all what we had expected to see on our one night in Alabama, we expected deep south ish, not Range Rovers and Bimmers!

We passed a sign in Alabama promoting Mozart and keeping classical music in general alive. It was ironic given that I had played some Mozart while driving through the Florida Panhandle and Alan teased me for doing so in the Redneck Riviera. Turns out they keep it very classy down here in Roll Tide country.

On the way out of town we stopped for a tour of the Bragg-Mitchell mansion. It was a beautiful house, but the tour was made very special by the fact that we got a private tour (by virtue of being the only guests there our entire time on the property) as well as our guide with the hilarious stories. She had the most epic delivery, never stopping to take a breath until she had to sit down, winded. We learned a couple of things about Southern culture and architecture which we enjoyed: pineapples are used in decoration as a sign of hospitality because the men used to bring them home from war and stick them on the gate posts to let people know they were back and ready for visitors; the walls in corner spaces are rounded so that ladies can fit through with their big dresses; the first banister on the main staircase are called Newell posts and were hollowed out to hold important things like wedding rings and deeds, and they were typically the last piece made in the home so a penny would be inserted in the top to signify the last cent spent; the bed posts had stakes that would raise up to hold mosquito nets; most rooms did not have closets back in the day because they were counted as bedrooms for purposes of calculating taxes. Our guide also claimed that Mardi Gras began in Mobile, AL.

Our last stop in Alabama was the Brick Pit, so that Alan could try some proper southern BBQ. He started telling me about how this is “really good” BBQ even if it doesn’t taste that good, because BBQ is judged on lots of factors other than taste. Um, I’ll stick to the bad BBQ that tastes good, thanks. (Not that this was bad, just not that impressive, though I’m really the wrong person to go to for BBQ reviews. See Alan’s blog for the in depth BBQ post. What Alan doesn’t tell you in his post however, is that Justin Bieber’s name appears no less than four times on the walls of this place.)

We looked for something interesting enough to do in Southern Mississippi and I was ecstatic to see that the World’s Largest Rocking Chair was on our route. I’m big on roadside attractions, something we did far too few of on this trip. I’d like to use this opportunity to state for the record that I’m very disappointed we could do Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas (it would have been hours and hours out of the way, but I’m still very upset we didn’t plan around this).

Florida, North America, USA

Just a Touch of the Florida Panhandle

October 29, 2013 champagne&backpacks Leave a comment

Down in Florida we got on the 10 freeway – the same one that ends at the beach in Santa Monica and the one that took us through most of the Southern end of the country back to LA! This is when we began marveling at the impressiveness of the interstate highway system, something that we had really only taken for granted before.

We also enjoyed passing cars with Northern state license plates and looking in them to confirm that they were snowbirds heading south for winter.

I got irrationally excited as we crossed the Suwanee River. The sign for the river even had the musical notes on it! I had to youtube the song and play it. “Way down upon the Suwanee River, far far away. That’s where my heart is turning ever, that’s where the old folks stay…” I can’t put my finger on why I associate this song so strongly with my childhood. Did I learn to play this on my old keyboard?? Anyway, it stirred up some nostalgia, and that triggered us to start recounting what we’d done on the whole trip so far, both to pass the time as we drove but also to enjoy and enhance our memories of all the amazing things we’d already done on the journey.

We stopped in Tallahassee for lunch at Kool Beanz Cafe, and then drove around town quickly, seeing the state capitol and Florida State’s campus. Again, beautiful and tons of live oak and Spanish moss. I took great pleasure in doing so with the top down and blasting a couple great convertible songs: Dolly Parton’s “More Where That Came From” and Simon and Garfunkel’s “Cecilia.”

Also, Florida was a big state for us, because it marked the start of us heading back west!

Georgia, North America, USA

Tybee and Savannah, Georgia

October 28, 2013 champagne&backpacks Leave a comment

Next up: Georgia. The welcome sign read “Welcome – we’re glad Georgia’s on your mind!” Stop it. You’re too cute, Georgia. Before checking into our hotel we drove out to Tybee Island, arriving just in time to watch a beautiful sunset on the beach. They had swinging love seats at many of the beach entrances, which was again sickeningly adorable. The beaches here are beautiful, with long wooden decks that lead over the dunes to the sandy waterfronts home to nesting loggerhead turtles.

While we’d heard great things from my parents and their friends Gail and Frank about Sundae Café on Tybee, they are closed on Sundays, so we opted instead for the Crab Shack. While a little kitschy, it was a fun experience. It was here we saw our first alligators of the trip, and tried crawfish for the first time. (My take: taste OK but a lot of work for a tiny bit of meat). We ordered a mixed shellfish platter for two that had enough food for probably four or five (corn, potato sausage, shrimp, crawfish, snow and Jonah crab, clams, mussels). We sat at a table outside, along an inland salt marsh waterway. The tables are cheap and utilitarian, with holes in the middle that allow you to throw shells directly into the trashcan underneath. I also enjoyed the cats, including one very fat cat, that wander around hoping for scraps while you eat.

::poor little guy, didn’t stand a chance::

I felt weirdly sick the next morning (tempting to blame the shellfish though Alan was fine and it definitely wasn’t food poisoning), so I slept off my weird little illness and sent Alan out to discover what’s cool in Savannah. Luckily I was feeling well enough to meet him around lunchtime and we grabbed a bite at Gryphon, which is a beautifully decorated restaurant situated in an old pharmacy. We continued walking around the beautiful old town that is covered with squares on practically every block, each one with statutes and a stunning collection of live oaks and Spanish moss.

We walked by the Mercer Williams House, which is seen in the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. There are tons of touristy things to do centering around this book and movie. Then we headed down to River Street, a charming cobble stone road with shops and restaurants that I imagine very much cater to the tourist crowd. Praline is a big thing here and we walked into a most delicious smelling candy store that offered free samples.

We grabbed slices of pizza to go from Vinnie VanGoGo’s at city market for dinner. They were delicious and a good deal and we enjoyed them in our hotel room as we booked most of the rest of our road trip.

We were disappointed to miss eating at the Olde Pink House which came highly recommended and had a great looking menu, but the only resi available was super late and I was still feeling iffy. I was also bummed to eat zero peaches while in Georgia!

Georgia, North America, USA

Georgia: Savannah and Tybee Island

October 28, 2013 champagne&backpacks Leave a comment

October 27-29, 2013 (Sunday-Tuesday)

We drove right past our hotel in Savannah and continued to Tybee Island where we enjoyed sunset on the beach. This loggerhead turtle nesting haven was most mellow, though I assume the population swells in summer.

After, we had a fun dinner at the kitschy Crab Shack on an inland waterway. Our $40 shared platter was enormous. My crawfish skills are adequate at best.

The (Days) Inn at Ellis Square is in a nice location but I would probably prefer to stay some blocks south, say at or near the Ballastone Inn. Jenni was sick so I walked on my own through City Market, east to Johnson Square with City Hall in the background and then I headed south on Bull Street which bisects several impossibly charming squares.

By City Market

Johnson Square and City Hall

Each is filled with live oaks and a statue or memorial, and each time I think I have reached the prettiest I am soon proved wrong. I saw another dog stalking a squirrel in the park, but unlike in Chicago this one’s owner was a hero and not an accomplice.

There are many impressive old buildings, churches and homes with wrought iron work. On the south side of Madison Square is shopSCAD (as in Savannah College of Art & Design), well worth a visit for its creative art and home decor. Forsyth Park is much bigger than the various squares, and not nearly as quaint.

I sought out Angel’s BBQ and Wall’s BBQ but they were closed, and Wiley’s BBQ was not walking distance. No matter, I met Jenni for a very good lunch at Gryphon (across from SCAD) housed in an ornate old pharmacy. It was not quite as tasty as it sounds, so one of these days I will attempt a better version of the sandwich with peanut butter, honey, home-made granola and banana.

Gryphon

After lunch we meandered up Abercorn Street, which like Bull Street bisects a number of squares and also a cemetery. At the northern end we descended a steep staircase to cobblestone River Street lined with shops and bars plus a World War II Memorial. Savannah Candy Kitchen has a huge selection of fudge, caramel apples, etc., and my free sample of praline was scrumptious.

WWII Memorial

River Street

The Olde Pink House comes highly recommended but no reasonable dinner reservation was on offer, so instead we got a couple slices at Vinnie Van Go Go’s in City Market. This is a solid, hole in the wall type pizza joint with a counter, some outdoor seats and a little beer on tap. The area was buzzing on a Monday night. We laid low, did some work, watched a Red Sox victory and rested up for another long day on the road.

North America, South Carolina, USA

Charleston

October 27, 2013 champagne&backpacks Leave a comment

Having left the fair rather late we didn’t get into Charleston until after midnight. Feeling overconfident or overly lazy (slash completely unaware that Charleston is the “top destination in the world” per Condé Nast and hence impossible to get a decent priced hotel reservation in) we made zero reservations in advance. While at the fair we had called the Not So Hostel and booked a room for that night, though they were full over the weekend. No sweat, we figured we’d find another spot no problem.

Well, we’re getting into town around midnight and take a wrong turn, which got us a bit lost, and in an area that’s looking a little on the shady side, and not in the shade of the live oaks kinda way. One more turn and the blue lights start flashing in our rear view. The officer asked what we were doing, and Alan replied that we were looking for our hotel. His response, “well you lost son. You in the hood!” Welcome to Charleston! Ha. He gave us directions and told us not to come back. Pretty crazy that only a few blocks away from a really nice part of town cops pull over nicer looking cars just for being in the area. In fact, they came over to both windows and shone their flashlight in to see what we were doing. I wondered if they thought we were trying to buy drugs. So that was our first observation of Charleston – super nice areas are right next to the hood areas. It seems there is no in-between.

We had a private room at the Not So Hostel Annex that night, which was a steal in Charleston at $70 a night, but definitely not impressive. The bed squeaked every time you took a deep breath in, Alan had to fix the broken toilet while I made the bed, and the door to the (communal) bathroom basically didn’t shut. Oh, and I almost threw up from the smell when we opened the fridge in the kitchen that claimed to have free breakfast. No thanks. (That sounds really whiny when I type it. It was perfectly fine for a hostel, but definitely not one of those awesome, charming kind of hostels that make you glad you’re choosing to stay in a hostel).

Unfortunately this left us in Charleston on a Friday and Saturday night with nowhere to stay. Opting in light of our first night’s experience to choose location over a further away and moderately less expensive spot we picked the Days Inn in Downtown Charleston. The location was phenomenal. The hotel was gnarly. It was the worst hotel we stayed at on the entire trip. At $250 a night it was by far the most expensive place we stayed on the trip (except for weddings when we stayed at fancy places, and our anniversary splurge at the Statler). I’m no priss, we stayed at a lot of grungy hotels/motels/etc. on this trip and I can totally hang, but this place was gross. The carpet smelled like vomit, the shower was covered in dirt, and there was an open box of condoms in the bedside table, right next to the Bible. That said, we could walk to everything, which was great, and everything else we could find online was $450/night or more. So, here’s what you can learn based on our mistake: book in advance for Charleston.

Our first day in town we spent the entire day at a coffee shop and a Fedex copy store. Nine plus hours completing our visas for China and India. It’s kind of ridiculous the hoops they make you jump through. Not to mention all the weird issues we had in answering certain questions because we are homeless, unemployed, had basically no plans of which port of entry we’d be coming in, where we’d be staying, which cities we’d be visiting, which port of entry we’d be exiting through, when we’d even be there, so and so on. I’m trying to not bore y’all with the details, but I guess my point is to offer some advice for anyone who might do something like we are: plan way more in advance when you have the comforts and advantages of a home and access to a printer and so on.

We rewarded a hard day of work with dinner at Slightly North of Broad. Took me a while to realize it stood for SNOB. We were starving by the time we arrived, so shared a charcuterie plate that had some great rabbit pate (sorry to all the cute bunnies at the fair, but you are so delicious). I ordered the calamari salad and Alan the stuffed quail, and we also split a cup of butternut squash bisque. We were both surprised at how crowded the streets and restaurants were. The city is filled to the brim with college students, tourists, and of course lots of Citadel uniform clad young men. We were also a touch surprised by how dressy the people were there, lots of pearls and Vera Bradley. The city is beautiful, filled with bright colored old homes with the most incredible porches and palmettos and live oaks dotting the streets everywhere.

Saturday morning we checked out the Farmer’s Market, which had a lot of Southern staples such as chow chow, grits, boiled peanuts, pickled okra, pimento cheese, and chicken n waffles. There were an unusually large number of puppies (literal baby dogs, I know I call most dogs puppies) out. Obviously I enjoyed this. There was also an awesome large lady singing “Don’t Think Twice” and “Lime in the Coconut” on the square. After that we did a bit of a walking tour around town, passing the Nathaniel Russell house on Meeting St., the White Point Garden, Waterfront park and Rainbow Row on Bay Street. We were unenthused by the City Market which was a tourist trap filled with junky knick-knacks. Horse drawn carriage tours pass by constantly, and you can practically get the info for free just by overhearing the tour guides as they pass.

We stopped at Bull Street Gourmet and Market for lunch and I had an incredible shrimp and oyster salad, Alan a smoked duck club sandwich. Afterwards we went back up to Marion Square where the Farmer’s Market was held to fit in some exercise.

Before dinner we grabbed a quick drink at Closed for Business and then headed over to dinner at Macintosh. We split the burrata and gnudi with BBQ rabbit. I ordered the scallops appetizer and Alan the duck leg. The food was great and Alan also enjoyed a martini with pimiento bacon olives.

We were off our game again in Charleston. By this time we were insanely behind on blog posts, and realizing how many things we had to do to get ready for our six month trip to Asia. These things impede your ability to focus on and enjoy the current places. But we slapped ourselves on our faces, and got back in the groove. We packed up the car with effort again so we could put the top down finally (Sven hadn’t gone topless in quite a few states).

Leaving Charleston we stopped on Shem Creek for a little brunch, sitting on the deck where we could watch the boats and kayaks. We took a quick walk on the boardwalk through the salt marshes where we learned that “cooter” is Gullah for turtle, and saw a woman catch a really cool puffer fish.

From there we headed over to the Boone Hall Plantation, which I chose among others for it’s stunning long driveway lined with 100 year old live oaks dripping in the most romantic Spanish moss. Especially with the top down you feel like a princess driving in there. If it looks familiar, it’s because you’ve probably seen the house in The Notebook, one of a handful of movies filmed on the property.

We took a tour of the mansion, which is still privately owned and inhabited, so you can only see the first floor. We also took a tour of the plantation where you’re driven around on a tractor type bus to see the areas where cotton was grown, bricks made, and pecan trees. It was all set up for Halloween haunted hay rides and a corn maze, and over by the main house for a wedding later that day. The slave quarters are filled with exhibits about various aspects of slave life. It was my first time on a plantation, and fascinating to learn all about it.

::love these trees::

::butterfly garden::

::where they hold weddings::

::slave street::

::cotton::

::looks like the end of the world, doesn't it?:: — ::looks like the end of the world, doesn’t it?::

North America, South Carolina, USA

South Carolina: Charleston

October 27, 2013 champagne&backpacks Leave a comment

The border on I-95 is rife with amusement rides and fireworks, clearing any confusion that you have switched states.

We arrived in Charleston after midnight and I missed the turn off Route 17. Just a few blocks from our intended destination, I stopped the car to re-orient. I said to Jenni that it felt like the ghetto, which surprised me because I had previously considered only the touristy images of this renowned destination and we were so near downtown. As we drove away, the lights flashed in the rear view and I got pulled over. Two cops approached with flashlights on our faces. The gentlemen on my side was a little scary himself with tats and a beanie, and he asked what we were doing. Oddly enough we were not attempting to procure narcotics but only to locate our hotel. He advised, “well you lost, son, you in the hood!” He gave us directions and warned us not to return. Things got much better from here.

October 24-27, 2013 (Thursday-Sunday)

Lacking a full appreciation of Charleston’s popularity and cost, we did not attempt to reserve accommodation until our arrival day. We booked a private room in the annex building of the Not So Hostel at 33 Cannon Street, which was mediocre (squeaky bed, doors hard to shut, breakfast non-existent, toilet requiring my plumbing skills) but priced right at under $80 including tax. Despite these flaws we might have stayed the next two nights but private rooms were sold out, and we preferred to keep alive our streak of sleeping in the same room as a married couple. If you are really budget conscious and don’t mind a shared room, the regular Not So Hostel on Spring Street seemed to have a good vibe and the Cannon annex was not so bad.

A great many places were sold out or even pricier, and we wanted a premier location for two weekend nights here. So we bit the bullet and paid $249/night for a fairly lousy Days Inn with a terrific location on Meeting Street. Fine lodging was available much cheaper across the river in Mount Pleasant and elsewhere.

Friday was a lousy and stressful day. City Lights Coffee shop on Market Street is a charming spot frequented by locals, but I would have preferred to spend fewer than seven hours here working on visa applications and logistics. A couple more hours at FedEx and $1029 plus $39 for copies and shipping later, our applications for multi-entry India and China visas were in the mail. Unfortunately, we had to miss the Friday parade at the Citadel.

It was unusually cold during our visit which meant perfect days and cool nights, similar to Los Angeles. My initial impression is that Charleston is a charming blend of the south and the Caribbean. There are palm trees and we passed a couple corners with guys playing steel drums. Unique to this city is the eternal presence of young men wearing perfectly pressed gray and white uniforms of the Citadel. I was struck by how many people are out cavorting day and night. The crowd tends to be attractive and apparently this is a popular spot for bachelorette parties. So pay attention all you single guys…

We walked to dinner at Slightly North of Broad (aka S.N.O.B.) and with no reservation on a Friday night were seated quickly at the chef’s table, which is a bar with six seats at the back of the room facing the open kitchen under a brick archway. The space is pleasant with high ceilings and exposed pipe, but the pipe is closer to black than stainless and there are dark brass chandeliers. The result is a nice blend of industrial and southern cozy.

The charcuterie plate arrived in an instant and was delicious. Jenni’s favorite was the rabbit pate and at yesterday’s fair her favorite attraction was the rabbit barn, so we concluded she likes observing and devouring. And since I said my favorite attraction of the fair was the pig races, a trend emerged. The highlight of the meal was the butternut squash bisque. I had a couple interesting beverages. Smoke on the Water consisted of Cathead Pecan Vodka, chipotle puree, Oloroso sherry, orgeat syrup and orange peel. In my martini I opted for pimiento cheese olives instead of my standard blue cheese order. Overall the meal was enjoyable but nothing special.

The next morning we strolled to the Saturday farmer’s market in Marion Square, where I fell in love with Charleston. Two sides of the square were lined with booths selling photographs, varied flavors of pecans, fruit, vegetables, shrimp, pottery, honey, flowers, pickled everything, various prepared meals, etc.

Marion Square farmer’s market

Holocaust memorial

A woman with a raspy voice headlined the singer/songwriter duo well-versed in Bob Dylan. Puppies were omnipresent. Not just puppies as Jenni uses the word to signify any dog, but actual, adorable puppies. We were surprised to see a Holocaust memorial on the southeast corner of the square.

It was not yet time for lunch but we were tempted by Ted’s Butcher Block which is a deli with great looking artisanal bacon and sausage and all kinds of meats and cheeses plus freshly made paninis. The City Market was less exciting and very touristy with cheap jewelry and apparel plus knick knacks and a couple food spots. Charleston Cooks is a nice little kitchen store that offers cooking classes, and it was here I first heard Everlast’s acoustic version of Jump Around.

Waterfront Park

Re-energized from this auditory gem, we walked through Waterfront Park with its fountain water pink for breast cancer month. Whoever came up with that public awareness and fundraising campaign is a genius. Rainbow Row on East Bay Street is worth a visit, and the homes become grander as one walks south towards the beautiful, live oak filled White Point Garden. Many of the homes south of Broad are spectacular and some function as museums. We were enamored of the huge porches which scream (whisper?) relaxation and good living. Horse carriage tours are everywhere, and we preferred to walk but the informative nature might make these a good bet for orientation.

Rainbow Row

Mansion on East Bay

Our disappointment that Husk (a restaurant by James Beard award-winning chef Sean Brock) had already stopped seating for lunch dissipated quickly inside Bull Street Gourmet and Market. One orders at the counter, there is a robust collection of beers and wines, and my smoked duck club was delicious. Alright y’all, now I’m REALLY far behind as I’m sitting in Hong Kong at the moment, so I’m gonna blow through the rest of this!

White Point Garden

Love the live oaks

We grabbed a nice exercise sesh in Marion Square and saw lots of folks in their tuxedos going to weddings on a Saturday night. Pre-dinner cocktails at Closed for Business were pleasant, dinner at The Macintosh was near excellent. The dessert menu was so impressive that I must share it with you.

Yet another waiter who mistook us for bumpkins ignorant in the ways of burrata…After dinner we poked our heads in at Halls Chophouse which was vibrant and reminiscent of Mastro’s. I think traditionally Calhoun Street was something of a dividing line, but at least now much of the hip restaurant and bar scene is on King Street north of Calhoun.

On Sunday, Sven at last went topless again and there were many folks out jogging as we crossed the bridge to Mount Pleasant. Brunch at Water’s Edge on Shem Creek was OK, after which we walked around the boardwalk through the salt marshes. I like this part of town. And I learned that in the Gullah dialect, cooter means turtle. How fun.

Shem Creek

Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge in distance

Periwinkles (snails)

Puffer fish!

Boone Hall Plantation is about 15 minutes away and touring this still-working property was wonderful.

I think there are other plantations on the other side of Charleston and don’t know which are the best, but I definitely recommend visiting at least one. It is hard to imagine others have a more picturesque driveway entrance lined with live oaks.

Boone Hall began growing indigo and rice before focusing on cotton. Apparently a plantation is a large farm focusing on one crop. Pecan trees were their big thing at one time. Now they grow blueberries, peaches, squash, grapes, strawberries and more, plus a little cotton and pecans and wedding venue business. They filled some of The Notebook here, and Jenni was elated. Oh, there is also a huge Halloween spectacle and corn maze, and a butterfly garden.

Charleston is a terrific city, just try to avoid making any wrong turns.

North America, North Carolina, USA

North Carolina

October 24, 2013 champagne&backpacks Leave a comment

On our way to the North Carolina State Fair (touted by my southern Virginian family as the best in the country) we stopped to drive through Duke so Alan could see the campus. I had come down to look at it when I was in high school, but had forgotten just how impressive a campus it is. After Duke, we popped over to UNC Chapel Hill and drove around the campus there for a few minutes before stopping for lunch at the Top of the Hill. I tried a mushroom grit cake with shrimp and Alan got a barbecue pulled pork sandwich with beer cheese sauce. Both were tasty but not mind blowing.

Next was the state fair! It was $10 to park and $9 a person for entry which we thought was pretty reasonable for such a huge fair. Of course, they get you with all the alluring purchases (read: so many carnival games) inside. We checked out the Village of Yesteryear before popping into a Bread Making Show, which was more of a comedy show for the brief time we were there. I won a free cupcake by guessing correctly that 200,000 people are born a day (woohoo! I never win things!).

::ice cream machines made out of some heavy duty machinery::

After that we headed over to see a pig race! Oh my god, so adorable. These little piglets, goats, ducks, and Vietnamese potbelly piggies took turns racing around a little track while a very packed crowd cheered them on.

We played a ton of games ourselves. Like, we totally blew the budget and frustrated ourselves trying to win a giant teddy bear, then a medium sized teddy bear and eventually anything, dear god just give us a stupid toy! (See, the cupcake was a fluke). We were surprised by how aggressive the game operators were. And maybe that’s part of what kept us going… all the “don’t you want to win something for the pretty lady?”’s took their toll on Alan’s confidence I guess.

::look at that concentration::

They had just about anything you could ever desire deep fried – the usual twinkies, oreos etc, but for the more aggressive, you could opt for a deep fried uncrustable PB&J sandwich, a deep fried cinnamon roll, or even a deep fried slice of pecan pie or cheesecake. Not your style? How about a deep fried PICKLE? A burger served on a Krispy Kreme Donut? No? Anyone? We opted for a classic, and shared a fried dough. We struggled to finish it, and I was amused that Alan got yelled at by a random woman for throwing away some fried dough.

Later on, I was very excited to learn how to milk a cow for the first time, though a bit embarrassed that my hands were too cold and her poor nipple – err udder – shriveled up upon touch. Sorry girl. I also learned that the black and white cows, like the ones in the Chick-Fil-A ads are dairy cows, not beef cows.

::a big, and expensive, pig::

::milking::

::milk it baby::

There was an impressive agricultural display, including a 5 lb potato, 241 lb watermelon, and the cutest display of vegetables decorated like animals by the North Carolinan children. In addition, there was a vegetable petting zoo. While these things are probably designed to appeal to the under ten crowd, I was like a kid at, well, this place.

::mighty pumpkins::

::now that’s a big watermelon::

My favorite part might have been the bunny room. Granted they’re all in cages and you’re not allowed to touch, but they had a massive room of rabbits of every breed imaginable on display. Oh the cuteness overload. I hadn’t the faintest idea there were so many kinds of bunnies. Especially the English Angouras (?). they looked like something out of a horror movie, like a Frankenbunny that’s part-bunny, part-IT, with eyes like burning embers.

All in all – really fun. So glad we stopped to check it out. who doesn’t feel like a kid again at a fair?

North America, USA, Virginia

Family Time in Southern Virginia

October 23, 2013 champagne&backpacks Leave a comment

We left D.C. with a quick stop at Georgetown bagels (just realizing after writing all these posts how many bagels we’ve eaten on the road, yikes). I was really excited and nostalgic for the tollbooths where you have to throw change in. I think Virginia was the only place we saw these.

::this little guy joined for the ride down to VA, I thought it was good luck::

We stayed with my aunt Susan and Darrell, who live in South Boston, VA and were very generous hosts. I loved the chocolates she left out on the bed! Our first night in town a whole bunch of my extended family came over to Susan and Darrell’s for dinner and a lot of catching up (including four of my five uncles on my mom’s side). This was so fun – I was even telling Susan the next day how my cheeks hurt from smiling so much. Darrell showed us his kids’ impressive website that covers their hunting and noodling adventures. I had never heard of noodling before – it’s where you stick your arms into these deep mud holes in the river to catch catfish. Sounds scary as you could accidentally find a snapper turtle in there, not to mention the “flathead rash” one gets from the catfish themselves. They had some impressive catches – catfish, turkey, deer, you name it. Most of the men in the family are big into hunting, and we heard some great stories about their adventures hunting.

We ate some great Southern home cooking – including chili beans with venison, biscuits, cornbread and ham my aunt Susan made, jalapeño poppers Darrell made, fried chicken and livers my uncle Billy (aka Billy Crocker) made. Hot dog, I love biscuits (note also the very Southern use of “hot dog” as an exclamatory phrase). Lynn told me how grandma made biscuits with clobber, which is pure milk fat. I guess that’s the secret.

It was so interesting getting everyone’s perspective on who in my family I looked most like. Normally people say I look more like my dad and my brother looks more like my mom, but everyone down there said the opposite. I was also told I have the “Scheier nose.” I’m hoping this is a compliment… ?

There was a distinct difference in dialect as my family all have the Southern drawl. A few phrases we noticed used differently: they say “fix” rather than “cook,” “reckon” (which reminds me of Australia), and they opt for “right” in lieu of “very” (as in, “he did a right good job fixing that chicken). Wendy even made fun of Alan’s accent, for the way he said “June.” This is not to say Alan was not accepted with open arms, everybody loved him. In fact, my cousin Will was so excited he told my uncles, “I think we could turn Alan into a redneck in a week!”

My uncle John shared a story about going up into a tree as a kid to retrieve a dog or cat that was stuck up there, and he credits my mom for saving his life when she broke his fall. This is one of many stories about family injuries I heard.

Susan and Darrell’s place sits on a big piece of land, and just across the street is the land where my mom and her siblings grew up. Some of my uncles have been working on building new structures over there. Sometime during dinner a handful of the boys snuck off and called Susan to tell her to bring everyone outside. From the porch we got to watch a fireworks show they put on from the property across the street. It was quite the welcome!

I forgot how funny my family is. When leaving, Billy’s goodbye was, “well, I’m glad y’all got to see me!”

I played with Susan’s dogs for a bit the next morning. They are Norwegian Elk Hounds and they’re super cute. They’ve trained them to roll over and play dead when asked, “would you rather be a democrat or die?” They also drop to the floor if you point at them like you’re aiming a gun and go, “Bang! Bang!”

Susan fixed us a hearty breakfast of biscuits, bacon and cheesy eggs and after that we headed out for more family time. We visited my grandma in the nursing home. Susan is so incredibly great with her, and with older folks in general. She stopped to say hello and remembered everyone we passed in the halls. I was touched to hear that my grandma affectionately calls Susan a “hummingbird.” We also enjoyed the story about how when my grandmother would drive to the North Carolina state fair with my aunts and uncles as kids, when she got lost she’d just start following the other cars because “everyone must be going to the fair!”

::from Grandma’s nursing school yearbook::

Next up was Grandpa and Lucy. Alan was impressed with the furniture he’d built, and possibly more impressed by his gun collection. Then it was time to start shooting. Grandpa taught me how to shoot and I fired my first shot with his rifle. Alan wowed everyone with his impressive aim as a beginner and proudly took the paper plate with bullet holes home as a souvenir. I told him he could now officially be accepted by the Scheier side of the family.

I loved the story about how everyone called my brother Rainbow when they took him hunting as a young boy. He didn’t have any orange to wear so he just wore a really bright jacket that had lots of colors on it. Instead of Rambo, he became immortalized as Rainbow.

We checked out Grandpa’s garage and workshop, stopping to admire his and Lucy’s Native American spears, headdresses and jewelry, as well as coyote, wolverine and raccoon skins.

Our last stop of the day took us to uncle James and June’s house. They gave us a beautiful Brazilian cherry wood cutting board as a wedding gift that James had made himself. We were very impressed with his carpentry work, as well as the beautiful paintings he’s done. I must get my creative side from the Scheiers! We also discovered upon leaving that there is a superstition that warns against leaving through a different door than the one you entered.

::one of James' paintings:: — ::one of James’ paintings::

We got back late and had some steak and potatoes with Susan and Darrell, which were delicious.

Our last morning Darrell tried to teach Alan how to shoot the bow, but Alan couldn’t get the bow back. Hadn’t realized how difficult those things are! After that we went over to the land across the street from Billy’s to shoot some of Darrell’s guns. We saw the platforms up in the trees that Billy built for deer hunting. Then we fired the big guns. I shot Darrell’s AR-15, which was stunningly loud, and a little terrifying for me. Once was enough, and I left the heavy weapons to the men after that. Alan continued on, practicing his aim with the AR-15 and then a revolver called “The Judge” and another handgun.

Just before heading out we stopped by the property across the street and checked out the work my uncles did. It’s really impressive how skilled they are!

I’m sure I’m leaving out lots of wonderful stories we heard while visiting with the family, but it was really an incredible experience getting to spend this time with my family that I hardly get to see.