Garlic And Hard Water

BOL, is that a title or what? 

The folks visited Gilroy, CA which is the Garlic Capitol of the World.  They stopped at a store called Garlic World.  They sell garlic, some sauces, seasoning mixes etc.  Mom bought garlic powder and a garlic cheese powder.  She really likes the garlic cheese powder, but hasn't tried the garlic powder yet.  She cooks with a lot of fresh garlic.

While they were out, they stopped at the Camping World that is near there.  It is not the one that they drove an hour and a half to on Friday only to find it was closed for the day. They didn't buy anything.

They ate lunch at Uncle Buck's FishBowl.  It is a restaurant located in Bass Pro Shop.  It is a restaurant/bowling alley.  They ate at an Uncle Buck's in Texas, but it was not a Fishbowl.  That one was more of a steak place.  This one is decorated so that it looks like you are under the sea.

This is the bowling alley.

Last year at this time, we were in Alabama.  Mom sure misses the food there.  So, she decided to have the alligator as an appetizer.  She said it was good. 

Alligator Bites

Dad ordered the fish platter.  He said it was good.

Mom ordered the burger and fries.  She said it was good.  I had some of the fries.  Yum!

You are probably wondering why our title had hard water in it.  Well, the water here is hard.  We do not have a water softener.  Mom noticed the shower doors were getting pretty nasty. She looked on the Internet to see how much vinegar and water she should mix together to clean.  She found a "recipe" for Dawn dish washing detergent and vinegar.  She tried it and she is very happy with the results. She left it on for about twenty minutes and then wiped it with a wash cloth and then rinsed really well.  The shower doors are sparkling now.  Here is the link, if you are interested.  Dawn Vinegar For Sparking Shower Doors

 Joey,
The Greyhound Who Didn't Know Water Could Be Hard

Yes, This Is California, But.....

 
It is freezing. That's right, it was 30 degrees last night.  I even wore my coat this morning.  I feel silly wearing a coat because only the little dogs wear coats here. Mom reminded me that the race horses next to us wear coats, so that made me feel a little better. The lady in the office said I looked cute and she invited me over for an early morning treat.  She told me to come back this afternoon for my regular one. 

I always leave my tongue out when it is cold outside.

The poor trees dropped their leaves last night.

Yesterday, the folks drove 1.5 hours to a Camping World. It is about an hour away but traffic was bad.  They got there and it was closed.  They have shopped at Camping Worlds on past Black Fridays, so they were surprised it was closed.  What retail store is closed on Black Friday?  They were not the only ones who expected it to be open.

Mom and I are hanging out together while Dad is at work.  It is too cold for her to ride Buddy today.  She said we need to clean the RV.  I think that is just silly.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Thinks Cleaning Is A Waste Of Time

Snyder's Of Hanover - Outlet Store

The folks love to tour factories and there are a lot in this area. Potato chip factories are big here.  The problem is that the tours are all during the week and Dad works.  Mom likes Snyder's Of Hanover.  They make pretzels.  She read that they have an outlet store, so that is where they went on Sunday.  I guess Mom found some good deals because she came home with two big bags of snacks.  Our cupboard is now full! Most of the items were $1.25 and under.  I think she bought 11 bags of pretzels, popcorn, and shoestring potatoes.  She also bought crackers.  She spent. $14 something.  She said that was good as the pretzels are normally $3.50 a bag.

They also stopped at Camping World.  They bought a table to hold our BBQ grill.  Dad also bought tire covers for the RV.  They were half off as they are discontinuing that brand.  He was pretty pleased with that.

Lunch was at a crab house.  Mom had broasted chicken and Dad had a crab cake and scallops.  Mom had never been to a crab house before and was surprised to see buckets of crabs just emptied onto tables.  One family ate at least two buckets full.

The waitress had raved about the broasted chicken.  Mom said it was good, but she has had better. Dad said he has had better crab cakes and scallops.  I think they are spoiled.

Broasted Chicken

Scallops, Baby Potatoes and Crab Cakes

The folks decided to order a pizza for dinner. Do you know what that means?  It means a RIDE!  Yep, I got to go.  Mom ordered a 20" pizza not thinking that a large is usually more like a 16".  It was quite large.  It barely fit in the front seat with Mom.

It may not look large, but it was.

Meat Lovers pizza from Bubba D's.

 

One slide takes up a whole plate.  It was greasy as you can see from the plate.

The reviews said that you must love garlic to eat it.  They said that garlic butter was put on the crust after it was baked.  They must have forgot it on ours because there was no garlic.  Since the garlic was missing, I was allowed to eat the pizza bones.  We had leftovers, so Mom had it for lunch yesterday.  She just put it in the Ninja and baked it for a few minutes to heat it up. She said it was even better than the night before.  I must have slept through lunch because I don't remember any pizza bones yesterday.

The ride and pizza wore me out.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Enjoys A Good Pizza Bone

Harpers Ferry, WV

Sunday, the folks set out to shop at Camping World.  The nearest one according to the website said it was 63 miles away.  WRONG!  It turned out to be 120 miles.  BOL!   They realized the mistake when they put the address into the GPS.  They decided to continue on their journey because Dad wanted to visit Harpers Ferry and it was on the way.  They also really wanted to buy a device that we can hook up to our motor home that allows us to use an external propane tank.  We have an internal one, but if we run out when Dad is not with us, we can't get it filled.  The place we are going to stay in Alabama doesn't have propane and Mom will have to go to town to get it.  She wanted to get this device last year because it will give her peace of mind.  So, their first stop was Camping World.  Mom said they probably spent an hour there shopping. Dad loves Camping World.  He is going to be jealous that we will be near one in Alabama. 

They had planned on eating lunch at one of the restaurants in Harpers Ferry, but since it took them about 3.5 hours to get there, they didn't have time.  They ate at McDonalds instead.

The admission to Harpers Ferry National Park was $10.  There is a shuttle bus that takes visitors to the town because there is limited parking. 

Harpers Ferry is a town full of history.  The following is taken from the History of the Town of Harpers Ferry: (http://historicharpersferry.com/more/history.php) 
- visited by George Washington on his very first surveying expedition at the age of 17.  
- was cited by Thomas Jefferson, after a visit, as such a beautiful spot that it was worth a trip across the Atlantic.
- was the starting place of the Lewis and Clarke expedition.
 - was the site of the first crossing of the Potomac by a railroad, on the first structural steel bridge in the world.   
- was the industrial town where using interchangeable parts in a manufacturing process was first invented and proven practical. - was the site of the John Brown raid which precipitated the Civil War.
- was the first command of Stonewall Jackson, who raised and trained his famed Brigade here.
- was the site of three Civil War battles, the major one involving over 30,000 troops on both sides which resulted in the largest surrender of US troops until Bataan in WWII.  
- was a bastion of elevating African Americans, with the first real academic college (Storer College) to educate freed slaves in all aspects of higher learning, rather than sewing and other trades.  
- was the site of the Founding in the US of the Niagara movement, which later evolved into the NAACP. - was a town which, despite unfortunate racism by some, way before its time encouraged African-American entrepreneurs, one of whom built and managed the fabled Hilltop House Hotel.
 - was a major retreat center in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century for many notables, including seven presidents, Mark Twain, and many others.  
- was cited by art history experts as the most "painted town" in America, because of its spectacular scenery.


The Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers meet in Harpers Ferry.  This has resulted in several major floods which has caused the city to rebuild numerous times. 

Buildings are set up so that visitors can tour them on their own.  Rangers are also located throughout the town and are happy to answer questions. The folks toured a boarding house, general store and several museums.  They only covered part of the town since they only had about two hours.  There are several restaurants and small shops also in the town.  Mom said it is really a nice town. She wishes they had more time to tour it.

Mom left her camera at home, so these are from her cell phone. 

A little to the left is where the rivers meet.

Hikers hop on the Appalachian Trail here.

Church is at the top of the hill.  Mom liked the rocks.

This area is so full of history.  The folks wish we had more time here, but it is time for us to move on. We will be here for a few more days and then we will head south where we hope we will have a warm winter.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Looking Forward To Sniffing More Of America

Weekend Eating

It has been kind of a boring week here since Mama has been sick.  Since she was feeling bad on Monday, she ordered Pizza Hut for dinner.  Yum!  Well, we just had a few of the pizza bones, but still yum!  Tuesday night she fixed one of her favorite meals that is so easy.  It is from one of her favorite cookbooks which is by Campbell's.  It is a short cut lasagna.  Mama changes it a bit though and uses meat lasagna and she uses a five Italian cheese.

Short Cut Lasagna

Speaking of food, do you want to see what the folks ate on Saturday night?  You know you do!  BOL!  They went to their favorite Mexican restaurant.  Actually, they didn't know there was one here.  They have eaten at the chain in Houston many times.  It is called Pappasito's Cantina.  Dad says the food is excellent, but more expensive than most Mexican restaurants.  Mama was disappointed that they do not serve the avocado salsa here like they do in Houston.  The Houston locations serve a regular salsa and the avocado salsa.  Another difference they found is that the location here serves green and red peppers and they do not do that in Houston.

Dad's meal had shrimp, steak and an enchilada.

Mama had the burrito with steak, refried beans and rice.

Do you want to know what they did on Sunday? The folks went to Camping World and bought a surge protector for the motor home.  Dad has been wanting to get one ever since we were camping with Grandpa several years ago (BJ - before Joey) and when Grandpa plugged in, it burned up the electrical.  Mama said she saw smoking coming out of their RV.  Mama doesn't remember all the details, but there was something wrong with the outlet that they plugged in, like maybe it was wired and marked as a 30 amp and they had a 50 amp.  It was not good and caused a lot of damage.  Dad finally broke down and bought us a surge protector.  It was $350 and that was on sale.  He didn't want to spend that much, but decided we had pushed our luck long enough by not having one.

A dog shirt that Camping World sells.  I NEED THIS!  BOL!

On the way home from Camping World, the folks stopped for dinner at BJ's Restaurant.  They ate at this chain when we stayed in Houston the very first time.  Can you believe that we have been on the road for almost two years?

Corn Fritters with Bacon Aioli - this is basically a hush puppy with jalapenos, a spicy sauce and bacon.

Dad's Calamari

Mama's salad

Dad's Jambalaya

Mama's steak with horseradish mashed potatoes

Inside the restaurant

The steak was good.  I know because I got a couple of bites!

I think I have caught you up on the weekend happenings.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Loves A Good Steak Or Even A Bad One ~ BOL!

Waiting For The Snow

It is a beautiful day so far, but it is supposed to change by afternoon.  We are getting more snow later today.  Dad says we will have to bring the slides in.  We are not happy about that.  The snow will probably be gone by tomorrow afternoon though and we hope that is the last of the snow for us. 

How can it snow when it looks this nice?

We took an hour long walk this morning.  We walked over 6,000 steps according to Mama's pedometer. We have four legs though, so doesn't that mean we walked 12,000 steps?

The folks planned on visiting Unsinkable Molly Brown's House on Saturday.  They couldn't find a parking spot though.  They didn't realize that the 420 Rally was being held nearby, but they soon figured it out.  The 420 Rally is a marijuana celebration, or something like that.  There ended up being shootings there late in the day.

Yesterday, the folks went grocery shopping. They normally go on Friday nights, but Dad didn't get home until late.  Dad said they will never again go on a Sunday because the store was crowded  They also went to Camping World for the fourth time since we have been here.  They returned that $140 hose that they can't use here since we can't hook up to water if it below freezing even with a heated hose.  We will be out of cold weather soon and if we need one next year, we will buy one then. 

After all the shopping was done, we got to go for a ride.  We wanted to visit another state park that is nearby, but they said NO DOGS ALLOWED.  There is wildlife in the park, so we can't go in.  The folk took us back to this park and we took a walk along the river.  It was nice to ride in the Jeep and to see another area of this park. 

Mama is going to take us to see the prairie dogs later this week. They have a "town" just down the street from us.  Dad thinks we will like them better than the bunnies.  Scout and I don't try to get at the bunnies.  We just stare at them.  I think we will just stare at the prairie dogs, too.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Dreading The Snow

A Disappointing Meal :-O

Sunday, the folks went shopping. Mama needed a new pair of tennis shoes. Her old pair is falling apart because of walking on wet grass so much. She has used cement glue on them twice. She found a pair at Kohl's that feel good, but she doesn't like the color. They are dark gray. She prefers white. However, while she was trying on the new shoes, she realized her old shoes really smelled. They smell because they have been wet so much. She thinks it's probably mildew. She decided she better get a new pair regardless of the color. Yesterday, she soaked the old pair in laundry detergent and she hopes once they dry out, they will be okay to wear to walk us. If we were not in the shade, things might dry out faster. After shopping at Kohl's, they searched for a place to eat lunch. They came across an Arthur Treachers, so they pulled in. They had searched for one on Saturday and it was no longer there. Mama ordered chicken and chips. The chips are larger fries than normal and she liked them. The chicken was nice and crisp. The hush puppies were good. She had a side order of coleslaw, but did not like it. Dad ordered a Seafood platter. He said it was good.

Chicken, Chips and Hush Puppies

Seafood Platter

 
The folks then drove to Camping World. Mama is still looking for a cart to carry her laundry in. She found one online that Walmart carries, but she has to have it shipped there. She would like to see one in person. They didn't have one, but she did buy a hummingbird feeder. She has one, but it doesn't have the spot for the hummingbirds to rest on. We have a hummingbird that is visiting here. He is a Ruby Red Throat. It's a little disappointing because that is the same species that we have at home. We would like to see something new.

On to the somewhat disappointing meal. Mama has been wanting to eat at the Brown Derby. It is a steak and seafood place. 100% of the people who visited, have liked it. She ordered a ribeye and a loaded baked potato. The salad comes in a big bowl and is shared. It has eggs,cucumbers, onions and lettuce. The salad was delicious. The homemade bread was delicious. The loaded baked potato was huge and delicious but it was $1.99 additional to have it loaded. That seems a little much for cheese and bacon bits. The ribeye, it was not good. It was dry and unseasoned. It seemed like it was a bad cut of meat. It was very disappointing. Mama's total bill was $31 with a tip and she felt it just wasn't worth it because of the steak. Dad's bill was separate.

Ribeye with loaded baked potato

 Dad ordered the strip steak and a sweet potato. He felt the same way about his steak. It was dry and unseasoned. Maybe it was just a bad night for steaks. 

Strip Steak with Sweet Potato

Mama said she might give them another try, but she would order the baby back ribs next time.



 Dad told our neighbors about their bad steak experience and they recommended a place to them. They may try it this weekend. It is located in an old mill. It sounds like it could be interesting.  Mama didn't place a vote on Urbanspoon because the choices are like or dislike.  She liked it, but disliked the steak.  If she totally disliked it, she wouldn't be willing to give them another try.

It is supposed to be a rainy day today.  We were headed to the playground and it started to rain, so we came back.  It's not raining now, so I got ripped off.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Loves The Enclosed K-9 Playground

It's Another Rainy Day In Houston

We have had a nice week of temps in the 80's and rain off and on each day. This morning, it is really raining.  We just came back from a walk and we were drenched.  However, it's a good thing we went out when we did because now it is a heavy downpour.

I didn't see my Daisy yesterday.  Well, I did see her from afar.  She was riding in her Mom's golf cart. The park manager has a golf cart and Daisy's parents just bought one. I would love to ride in one, but I would take up the whole thing. Daisy's folks have a toy hauler which is a trailer that has a place in the back for things like golf carts, ATVs, etc.

Last night, Mama fixed spaghetti, garlic bread and salad. Yes, that is what was on our Emeals menu.  The salad had strawberries, blueberries and Italian dressing. Mama liked it.

Salad with strawberries, blueberries and Italian dressing

Saturday night, we were watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and they showed two Houston restaurants.  The folks were very excited.  One restaurant was a place that they almost went to when they toured the space center, but Mama chose a different place.  She regretted not going after seeing it on TV. They debated on which one to visit on Sunday.  They chose the one that was about a half hour away.  However, when they arrived, it was closed for the day.  Mama said it was a rookie mistake. She should have checked their hours. It was pouring down rain and they had to find another place to eat.  She kept checking the GPS to see what was nearby.  Finally, they decided on a Mexican place.  It is called Los Cucos Mexican Cafe.  There is a location that is near us and they almost went there last weekend.  Mama really liked it and decided it was the best Mexican place she has visited here.  Dad said it was good, but he thinks Pappasito's Cantina is the best.  Mama said maybe they needed to go back to Pappasito's Catina and she would order something different this time.  She did really like their salsa.   Mama is loving all the salsas here. They are all different. She really likes the green chili salsas.  She never had them until we came here.  There is a grocery store that advertises their green salsa on TV and she is determined to go there before we leave and buy a jar. 

The salsa at Los Cucos - a green chili and a red salsa that is served warm. Both were really good.

Dad's dinner - fajitas with shrimp, chicken, beef and pork

El Burrito Grande - Large flour tortilla filled with tender beef  fajita, refried beans and cheese, topped with chile con carne and cheddar cheese.

Mama really liked the beef in this one.

After they ate, they went to Dad's favorite store, Camping World.

 They didn't buy anything fun, just wax for the RV.

Houston traffic on a Sunday afternoon.  Yes, this is on a Sunday.  Saturdays are really bad.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Hearing Rumors That We Are Leaving Houston Soon