Travel is Broadening

Usually, travel is broadening because you eat so much that you are, well, broadened.

We saw several signs for Trucker Spas with Asian massage and stuff like that. When I tried Googling to find out what it was all about all I got was porn sites, so that is somewhat edifying. The Bible Belt is pretty schizoid with Jesus billboards cheek by jowl with billboards advertising sex shops and these weird spas. I don't think the dusty, sweaty driver gets a bubble bath, unless it's a bubble bath and . . . Who knew?

On the way home, we bypassed Myrtle Beach and headed toward Lumberton with 1800 cheap motel rooms, except there was a rescue squad / paramedic conference in town, and ALL the rooms were booked. So we made it to Fayetteville, almost before dark which was when the car started to sound really sick. I've already mentioned the nice ladies at the motel who were so helpful. We slept cheap and ate cheap most of the trip, having a breakfast of a banana and a smoothie and that actually works pretty well. Our cooler replete with lunch and treats.

Interesting discovery. We were not the only ones eating on the cheap. When we pulled into an Interstate gas and eat stop, the folks in the pickup on one side and the Jeep Cherokee on the other were having lunch from the picnic hamper, so to speak. We like having fruit and veggies as well as protein and carbs, and the price is right. My favorite lunch is cold fried chicken, which we didn't have, but the roast beef sandwich from Roche Bros. was large enough to make two lunches. How else could you eat grapes and carrot sticks on the road? We did buy coffee, but the Starbucks frappucino came from home, too. On the way home, we had barbecue and hush puppies and goodbye diet!

The marble cake, and the stuffed cabbage for S.O.'s birthday were fantastic. The next night we had yet more company, and I made Chuck Williams pot roast (Chuck of Williams and Sonoma.) The recipe was in their catalog and it is The World's Best Pot Roast Recipe. It was so good that five of us ate a four pound roast. I made a huge platter of roast veggies (carrots, onions, tiny potatoes, parsnips and tomatoes, a little celery, too). Yum! I'll google around and see if I can find it. The secret is two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and a few cloves and some fresh thyme. I used the thyme in the veggies, too.

So far our only concession to the Chinese New Year is some almond cookies from an ancient Betty Crocker cook book.

Onward,

Grapeshot