Chasing Mangos and other Sweetness Enroute to Michigan - Part I

It was time, once again, to load the SUV to the hilt, and skim the black-top 1200 miles or more on our semi-annual road-trip to Michigan. It took me three hours to pack the car so that the five boxes of empty jars wouldn't rattle or break and that the coolers and overnight bags were accessible. Not to mention, I had to make sure the pillows weren't in our line of vision and the clothing, suitcases and various boxes of goodies were ingeniously arranged to make the long-haul to Michigan without incident. With Jayne at the wheel and with just enough room left to tilt the passenger seat back a bit, we hit the road. I'm mostly the traveling window-shopper, while Jayne battles the big-rigs along I-75. I do my fair share of driving, much to Jayne's chagrin since I drive her SUV like I drive my little VW. My only request is that it's not my turn to drive when it comes to Spaghetti Junction in Atlanta. That's not my idea of a road-trip; Spaghetti Junction tangles my brain.

Window-shopping on these jaunts to Michigan usually entails a running commentary on interesting or not so interesting sights as we try to maintain the speed limit along the highway. We even have a little book called Along I-75 that highlights points of interest for almost every exit. It also alerts us to speed-traps and restaurants not to pass up. I'll narrate the drive with Outlet mall sightings and give a verbal run-down of all the stores that are lined-up cookie-cutter style. An occasional "moo" will escape my lips as we pass farms, or "ewww" when the road-kill is too much to bear (or should I say deer...we must have encountered 3-dozen dead dear, most of which were in Michigan). My focus this year was to find the cheapest gas. Just when we think we've found it, pull off, fill-up and take off again, the next gas sign boasts cheaper prices. This only happened a few times, however, but each time it does, we felt gypped.

Usually we stop at the Russell Stover candy outlet, but this time, we were "good". Instead, we stopped for Georgia peaches, Vidalia onions and watermelon at one roadside stand. When we first started along I-75, we noticed several tattered and torn pickups loaded to the nines with musk melon and mangoes. One truck we kept passing all through Florida and Georgia. I commented that we needed to follow that truck because when he gets off I wanted to buy some mangoes from him. Sure enough, we coincidentally found ourselves fueling up at the same gas station as one of these pickups and sure enough, I bought a delicious mango from him. Jayne dispises cantaloupes. Even the smell of them disgust her, so I spared her the agony of driving all the way to Michigan with the musky scent of a melon in the back seat. After we bought the Georgia peaches, every time we stopped, I would down one or two, allowing the sweet juices to liberally run down my chin and arms as I stood stooped over by the rear of the truck in absolute peach bliss.

One time, before we found the peach stand, I was looking for a snack and remembered I had a pear in the cooler. When it was my turn to drive, I thought I'd munch on it. Little did I realize how juicy this pear was going to be. The first few bits were just divine and then, I knew I was headed for trouble when the juices started to gush by just the fourth or fifth bite. Trying not to draw attention to myself by slurping too loudly; I didn't want to tick-off Jayne by dual-tasking - eating and driving along I-75 is not the brightest of ideas, let alone trying to navigate eating an outrageously juicy pear. By the time half of the pear was gone and the core was about to snap, so was Jayne, who was eyeing me from the passenger's seat, trying not to laugh. At that point, I started to giggle uncontrollably as the pear was getting messier and messier and the steering wheel was getting stickier and stickier. I mumbled, with a mouthful of pear, for a napkin while trying not to drip too much spittle from my giggle-filled face. Too late. I was in a tearful, giggle-fit, full throttle with a limp, dripping pear dangling from my sticky fingers on Jayne's recently detailed steering wheel. The white-lines on the highway were blurry from tears of laughter, and there was pear juice now dripping down my thighs; the giggles became uncontrollable, choking laughter. I'm thinking Jayne was amused..but just didn't show it. So much for a mid-day snack. I thought it was a better choice than Russell Stover, but apparently not. Our next stop was a real gem..but, I'll save that for another post. Stay-tuned.

Just In Passing: In Memory of Melissa Riggio

Have you ever met someone who's made a profound impression on you just by the way they embrace life, even in the midst of all adversity? If not, I'm sure you know of people whom, after you've read or heard about their lives, you were left thinking about how extra-ordinary they've created their existence. They are truly awe-some individuals.

I've met only a handful of extraordinary people, and know of only a few more. I'd like to know more because they inspire me.

Above: Melissa Riggio shares her thoughts about Down syndrome. Photograph by Annie Griffiths Belt

I've never "met" Melissa Riggio (pictured above). She is the daughter of Steve and Laura Riggio. Steve is the CEO of Barnes & Noble, the company for which I work. Last year, Steve asked all Community Relations Managers to do an event to raise awareness about Down Syndrome since Melissa has Down Syndrome. She had just recently published an article in National Geographic: Kids and he sent us copies of it to read (see below). After I read the article, I felt like I knew Melissa and I admired her outlook on life.

The event at my store was one of the best children's events I've ever held. I networked Karen Dearolff ,the founder of a local group called "Up with Downs". She has a son, David, with Down Syndrome. The day of the event, about 35 families showed up for the program. The children read their poetry, talked about their participation in the Special Olympics, danced, played instruments and shared with us their dreams. The youngest was just an infant and the oldest looked too young to be the oldest! I was left awestruck; inspired by their humor, their positive out look on life, and to this day, I still talk about how wonderful the event was.

Steve had also sent each one of us a CD of Melissa's music, which softly played in the background during the event. As participants listened to her poetry and her music and read her article, they, too, were touched by her way of being.

Melissa passed away yesterday morning from leukemia. She was 20 years old. I'm glad I got to know her, if only in passing.

Meet Melissa:

I Have Down Syndrome—Know Me Before You Judge Me
Text by Melissa Riggio as told to Rachel Buchholz

When I first started to work on this story, I thought maybe I shouldn’t do it. I thought you might see that I have Down syndrome, and that you wouldn’t like me.

My mom thinks that’s silly. “Have you ever met anyone who didn’t like you because you have Down syndrome?” she asks me. She’s right, of course. (She usually is!)

When people ask me what Down syndrome is, I tell them it’s an extra chromosome. A doctor would tell you the extra chromosome causes an intellectual disability that makes it harder for me to learn things. (For instance, some of my classes are in a “resource room,” where kids with many kinds of learning disabilities are taught at a different pace.)

When my mom first told me I had Down syndrome, I worried that people might think I wasn’t as smart as they were, or that I talked or looked different.

I just want to be like everyone else, so sometimes I wish I could give back the extra chromosome. But having Down syndrome is what makes me “me.” And I’m proud of who I am. I’m a hard worker, a good person, and I care about my friends.

A Lot Like You
Even though I have Down syndrome, my life is a lot like yours. I read books and watch TV. I listen to music with my friends. I’m on the swim team and in chorus at school. I think about the future, like who I’ll marry. And I get along with my sisters—except when they take my CDs without asking!

Some of my classes are with typical kids, and some are with kids with learning disabilities. I have an aide who goes with me to my harder classes, like math and biology. She helps me take notes and gives me tips on how I should study for tests. It really helps, but I also challenge myself to do well. For instance, my goal was to be in a typical English class by 12th grade. That’s exactly what happened this year!

But sometimes it’s hard being with typical kids. For instance, I don’t drive, but a lot of kids in my school do. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to, and that’s hard to accept.

Dream Job: Singer
I try not to let things like that upset me and just think of all the good things in my life. Like that I’ve published two songs. One of my favorite things to do is write poetry, and this singer my dad knows recorded some of my poems as singles.

Right now someone else is singing my songs, but someday, I want to be the one singing. I know it’s going to happen, because I’ve seen it. One day I looked in the mirror, and I saw someone in my head, a famous person or someone who was somebody, and I just knew: I will be a singer.

It’s true that I don’t learn some things as fast as other people. But that won’t stop me from trying. I just know that if I work really hard and be myself, I can do almost anything.

See Me
But I still have to remind myself all the time that it really is OK to just be myself. Sometimes all I see—all I think other people see—is the outside of me, not the inside. And I really want people to go in there and see what I’m all about.

Maybe that’s why I write poetry—so people can find out who I really am. My poems are all about my feelings: when I hope, when I hurt. I’m not sure where the ideas come from—I just look them up in my head. It’s like I have this gut feeling that comes out of me and onto the paper.

I can’t change that I have Down syndrome, but one thing I would change is how people think of me. I’d tell them: Judge me as a whole person, not just the person you see. Treat me with respect, and accept me for who I am. Most important, just be my friend.

After all, I would do the same for you.

What is Down Syndrome?
Down syndrome is an intellectual disability that about 5,000 babies in the United States are born with each year. A person with Down syndrome has 47 chromosomes, microscopic structures that carry genetic information to determine almost everything about a person. Most people have only 46 chromosomes. It’s the extra chromosome that can cause certain physical characteristics (such as short stature and an upward slant to the eyes) and speech and developmental delays. Still, people with Down syndrome are a lot like you: They are unique people with strengths and talents.

Click here to listen to "The Ring," the song that Melissa wrote.

Biggest Loser Trainer Bob Harper

Big News! Bob Harper, one of the trainers on NBC's Biggest Loser, came to Tampa on Friday night to celebrate the release of his book called Are You Ready? He drew a huge crowd and sold stacks of copies of his new book. People from all over Florida and even Georgia attended the event. Bob is super nice and crazy fanatical about getting people feeling good about themselves. His passion is palpable, his enthusiasm is contagious and his smile will set the room aglow. Looks like everyone who attended were big winners.

Above left: Bob Harper signing books.

Above right: Bob adresses the crowd which was so big, he had to stand on a table so everyone could see. I was interpreting the event for a Deaf couple who attended.

Left: Me and my new friend Bob.

I'd Like to Buy Another Vowel, Please

Traveling to Hawai'i [hah wai' ee] or [hah vai' ee], isn't as simple as it sounds ("sound" being the operative word here). It should be as simple as A, B, C, but in fact, it was as difficult as A, E, I, O, and U.
In Hawai'i, simple local pronunciation is an art which challenges the unfamiliar user with breaking up each word by its vowel -stops. If you think that's a mouthful, try getting around Kona without tripping over your tongue. Here are some of the words I learned:



aloha (ah-LO-ha). Hello and goodbye, as well as love. Can be used to express sympathy, if more stress given to the first syllable.


'aina (EYE-nah). Food. Of which I ate plenty!

ahi (AH-hee). Tuna. Best eaten sashimi style (raw) with shoyu, which I had for lunch twice. Very yummy.

hale (HAH-lay). House.

haole (HOW-leh). Originally, all foreigners. Now usually refers specifically to white people. Generally NOT a compliment. I learned this from Kavika, a homeless man who slept on the steps of a snorkel establishment with his seven dogs.

kahakai (kah-hah-KIE). The beach.

kahuna (kah-HOO-nah). Hawaiian priest. Christian priests or ministers are usually called kahu (KAH-hoo) or kahuna pule (kah-HOO-nah POO-leh). Pule is Hawaiian for prayer. I learned this when I went to a sunrise Easter service.

kalua (kah-LOO-ah). Hawaiian style of cooking where meat is placed in an imu (EE-moo), a fire pit, and buried until done.

keiki (KAY-kee). Child.

luau (loo-OW). Hawaiian feast, party. We went to one on Wednesday night.

lani (LAH-nee). Heaven or heavenly. Seen in many combination words and names.

mahimahi (mah-hee-MAH-hee). Dolphin, the fish, not a porpoise. Delicious.

mauka (MOW-kah, MOW rhymes with pow). Literally, toward the mountain. Used constantly when giving directions. Example: "My house is on the mauka side of Ali'i Drive."

makai (mah-KIE). Literally, toward the sea. Opposite of mauka.

mahalo (MAH-ha-lo). Thank you. Seen and heard everywhere.

nani (NAH-nee). Beautiful. Another word seen in combinations and names.

ono (OH-noh). Delicious. Also the name of a local food fish which is also delicious.

ohana (oh-HAH-nah). Family, relation, kin.

pau (pow, with a bit more oo sound on the end). Finished. Done. Over with. Which is similar to the use of PAH in the Deaf Community which I found interesting.

Now that you have an idea of how tongue-twisting travel to Hawai'i can be, I'll attempt to give you a tour of all the stops Ardith, (Jayne's mom), Lois (a cousin), Lisa (Jayne's niece, who lives on a mouka, and I made on our whiriling-dervish trip to Kona.

Ardith, Lois and I met in Phoenix to travel the last 6 hours to Kona. Ardith had flown in from Detroit, Lois from Arkansas and I came in from Tampa. Travel tid-bit: Don't wear an under wire bra going through security at the airports. I was detained about 10 minutes in Tampa until they finally figured out that both my metal eye-glasses and my Bali 18-hour boulder-holder caused the scanner to go haywire.

Once in Hawai'i, our pending jet-lag was over-shadowed by our excitement. When we arrived at the airport in Keahole, Ardith rented our car, meaning she could be the only driver unless we wanted to go back and pay an additional $10 a day for an extra driver. Thus, poor Ardith did all the driving in a huge Dodge Durango with 4-wheel drive. Parking proved to be hysterical, 3-point turns became 8-point turns and the 4-wheel drive really got a work-out traveling up the mountain to Lisa's place (if we could go over 15 mph that is). Travel tid-bit: Don't buy Ardith a GPS for Christmas; she doesn't believe them. That's all I'm saying.

When we arrived at the hotel, Lisa was there with her friend Josh where they gave us leis.

Since jet-lag finally did catch up with us, we were in bed by 9p (which was really 3a, our time).

Friday - Day 1 - Every morning, I awoke with the birds before the sun rose over the mountain and walked 3-miles along the water-side. This ritual was one I began to look forward to everyday. On my walks, I'd learn the language, meet the locals, make friends and enjoy the culture. Visiting Kavika and his seven dogs would be my first stop. Each dog would "spoon" each other across the small stoop of a local snorkel shop. To reach Kavika, you'd have to step over 7 various breeds of Labs, the last of which would be snuggled close to Kavika. He'd get up around 6:30a, hose off the mats and pillows they used to sleep on, hose off the dogs and the sidewalk, then sit and drink coffee and chat with everyone who walked by. He taught me about Hawaiian culture and etiquette and I admired his knowledge. They say you can judge a person by the way they treat their dogs; each dog was collared, leashed and licensed, by the way, and all were well-fed. He said he really didn't consider himself homeless at all, and that the owner of the store paid him to protect his property. At left is Kavika.

After my morning walks, I'd stop everyday and get coffee at Hula Bean coffee, where, after the first day, the owner Gwen, started giving me a discount since I had become a "regular" customer. She'd watch me walk up the hill, and by the time I came back, she'd have my "skinny latte" ready. On the way back to the hotel, I'd stop and watch the Ironman athletes practice swimming their 2.4 miles while the hotel cook made me egg-white omelets every morning, and every morning he'd say "lucky customer after you get extra yolks in their breakfast."

The first day, we drove Highway 11 about 11 times. Finding Linda Bong's (where Lisa cooks fantastic, healthy food), proved to be our first challenge. Once we did find it however, we enjoyed a delicious lunch including a tomato-based soup, a wheat-wrap with quinoa, fruits such as dried mango and apple bananas. Then we were off to see The Painted Church, a black sand beach and Pu'u Honua O Honaunau - The City of Refuge (now called A Place of Refuge) where we saw wild dolphins dancing backwards on their tails. Travel tid-bit: Road signs can be deceiving. Always stop and ask a local directions. The weather was fantastic, gas was $3.80 a gallon and we were in bed by 9p once again.

Left-to-right: Linda Bong's where Lisa cooks, The Painted Church and one of its cemetaries.

Saturday - Day 2 - Travel tid-bit: Wal-Marts are everywhere, even in Hawai'i, as are Salvation Army stores. They tend to have cheaper souvenirs! We visited a local Wal-Mart for coffee and macadamia nuts and various other necessities. We also went to the Salvation Army. More on that, later. Today, we packed a health-food lunch, picked up Lisa at the foot of her mountain and drove to South Point which was utterly breath-taking as it sits at the southern-most point possible. We spent the morning there and tail-gated our lunch. We then went to another black sand beach, Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park where we walked through a rain forest (and it was raining!) and the Lava Tube. Lisa entertained us in a hotel lobby by playing the piano and belting-it out Bob Marley-style. As we were leaving the volcano park, Lisa noticed a fantastic rainbow behind us, so we pulled the Durango over and all jumped out to take pictures of the most beautiful rainbow I've ever seen. Later, we stopped for some great fish for dinner at Shaka's (named after the famous "Y"-looking handshape used in Hawai'i as a greeting or an acknowledgement).

Left-to-right: Windmills at South Point, the Rain Forest and the rainbow at Volcano Park.

Sunday - Day 3 -Easter - This morning's ritual went a different route as I decided to walk to a Sunrise Easter Service - Hawaiian style. Having never been to one, this was a real treat. By 6a, the Old Airport Field was filled with over 2000 people. Most people brought beach chairs and werewearing cut-offs and flip-flops. The service was an inter-faith ceremony which included a live band/chorus, hula dancers, a drama and a phenomenal sunrise over the mountain. Truly choreographed by God. I was moved to tears. After the ceremony, I went my regular route for coffee, breakfast and then I sunned by the pool with a huge family from Hilo for a good part of the day. Later, Lois, Lisa, Ardith and I took a drive north to see King Kamehameha's statue. We took Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway for what seemed like forever but saw some beautiful resorts along the way. Our goal was to catch the sunset at North Point. Travel tid-bit: Always fill up your tank when you're 3/4 full just in case you can't find a gas station anywhere along the way. We did eventually find a gas station, the statue, a beautiful sunset and a great restaurant for dinner. The bartender flirted with Lisa, gas was $3.95 a gallon and our bellies were full as the gas tank.

Monday - Day 4 - Oahu - My friend Casey from Barnes & Noble recently moved to Oahu to be with his girlfriend, Brianne. A great way to see all of Hawai'i is by air, so we all flew from the Big Island to Oahu so I could visit Casey and Brianne. Lisa had never been there and Lois and Ardith wanted to sight-see. Travel tid-bit: Don't wear a rasta crown to stuff your dreadlocks in while attempting air travel. Security will search your hair for drugs and swiffer your hands for some drug dust. Lisa was delayed because of her hair but it didn't seem to stop her from turning cartwheels and standing on her head in the airport once they released her.

Oahu was a busy city bordered by a beautiful beach. We learned quickly how The Bus (the city's public transportation system) worked, and traveled easily around the city. Travel tid-bit: If you're waiting at a bus stop and looking for something to do, find a plastic bag in the garbage can and clean up the bus stop around you. That's what Lisa did while we were waiting for a bus and it was a much cleaner, litter-free bus stop when we pulled away.
Mostly everything was bi-lingual in Oahu; signs and receipts were in both English and Japanese. It was an interesting change from Tampa where everything is in Spanish and English. We met Casey and Brianne at a B&N in a huge mall and had lunch. Lois, Lisa and Ardith went sight-seeing (and apparently Lisa went almost-skinny-dipping) while I caught up with Casey. We walked the beach, saw some odd birds, and talked all afternoon. He's a very happy poet these days and I'm happy for him. We were lucky enough to catch a sunset-flight back to Kona. For dinner, we went to a French-Vietnamese restaurant where I had purple sweet potato tapioca. I know that sounds odd, but it was so good, I went back three times to have some more!

Left-to-right: Casey & Brianne, all three of us, and ann odd bird. If you click on the pictures, they will enlarge.

Tuesday - Day 5 - Today was a day of rest. After my morning walk, a chat with Kavika, a chat with Gwen at the coffee shop and my egg-whites, I spent most of the morning by the pool with the huge family from Hilo. I say huge because they were an extended family of about 14 and every one of them was the stereotypical Hawaiian-huge. Each child, ranging from 3 months to 17 years old, was obese - morbidly obese. I was fascinated by the size of their breakfasts and lunches and how ritualized their eating was. I was also fascinated by their sense of family; they were joyful, supportive of each other and happy all the way around. Also, on this day, I met a Deaf woman! She was just passing though the pool area and I caught her signing out of the corner of my eye to her companion who was not deaf. Turns out she lives in Kona and the woman she was traveling with lives in Washington state. I signed with both of them for about a half-hour and learned that there are not many deaf people in Kona. Lunch was a real treat. I ordered Ahi Poke and it was so good, I ordered it again the next day. Served with green onions, a lot of garlic and an entire zuchinni diced up, this pan-seared tuna was just gently browned on the outside and a little red on the inside. So, so good!! For dinner, we walked back to the French-Vietnamese place where I of course had some more purple sweet potato tapioca, but I did have dinner which was buttered shrimp with rice noodles. Again, excellent food.

Wednesday - Day 6 - Today we decided to walk into town for a little shopping adventure. We needed to burn off some extra calories before the Lu'au. Besides, Ardith needed to consult with the Verizon tech about her cell phone and it was as good a time as any to find the Salvation Army Thrift shop. Travel tid-bit: Don't charge your cell phone with it turned on and don't fast-charge or car-charge for more than an hour. Another Travel tid-bit: if the GPS says .5 miles to your destination and as you start walking it becomes .9 miles to your destination, you're going the wrong way. Needless to say, we never found the Salvation Army, but we did have a very nice long walk before our dinner.
The lu'au was just wonderful! From the entertainment to the food ,to the cultural and historical content, we enjoyed it immensely. The sunset was perfect and the people at our table were interesting and fun. Travel tid-bit: Get to know the people you stand in line with and as well as all the people at your table. You begin to realize how nice people can be and learn that as different as we all are, we're a lot alike as well. We met people from Canada and Alaska and found out about all the places they had been thanks to Ardith's great people skills!

Left-to-right: The lu'au greeter, dancers and our dinner selection. See the purple sweet potato?

Thursday - Day 7 - Today I broke tradition and ate breakfast at a little Hawaiian-owned restaurant called U-Top-It. One of the families at the lu'au suggested it and it was a great place to sit outside and take in the local scenery. They serve mostly everything on a thin flat-bread which was really delicious. After breakfast, I took a longer walk than usual and went through a local outdoor market on the way back. The fresh fruits and veggies are outstanding. I also found a place to get Lisa a new rasta crown for her dreads which we gave to her later that day and she really liked it. Turned out the shop owner knew her and knew her hair would fit into that particular hat! Since it was the day before our last day in Hawaii, we wanted to go see Lisa's mountain and her farm. We stopped at Wal-Mart first, then we went to The Epicurian and Ardith splurged on a pillow cover and some sweet treats. I splurged on more coffee! We lunched on fish tacos which were to die for at an outdoor cafe. We also tried some abiu, a fruit that's creamy like vanilla pudding. After a full lunch, we drove the hill to Lisa's place. I have a video of us driving up the hill, but it's so bumpy you can't really see the road, and neither could we. Lisa lives in a lush paradise. She gave us a fantastic tour of the land from avocado trees and banana trees to all the native plants and flowers. We saw rainbow eucaliptis trees 100-years old that were humbling and ate from an "ice cream" tree. The land was beautiful and you could live off of it entirely. No wonder Lisa loves living here. Her garden was lush, her tent was comfortable and homey and her view was peaceful and just lovely. It was the best day there having Lisa give nature's grand tour. We watched the sunset from a radio station high up in the mountains and went back to the hotel awed at what we'd just seen.

Top left-to-right: a sign Lisa painted to welcome people to the land, the abiu fruit, the rainbow eucaliptis. Bottom left-to-right: a mountain sunset, me standing next to a flowering tree and a red pineapple-looking flower.

Friday - Last Day - I went for my last walk and said "aloha" to Kavika and Gwen. It was time to print our boarding passes and fly home. Travel tid-bit: Check-in time is 24 hours before your departure and not one second before. We took a drive to the Salvation Army, and this time found it. Finding gas, however was not as easy. We had to leave the rental car's tank full before turning it in, and in doing so, we found ourselves taking a lovely ride around the coast of Kona before leaving. We met Lisa for dinner at Quinn's, a local favorite restaurant, and feasted on ono. We took one last parting shot of Lisa and made our way to the airport for the long flight home. Since we were several hours early for our flight, we found ourselves sitting in the same location we were when we went to Oahu a few days before. There, we three weary travelers sat waiting for our boarding call when all of the sudden, a group of young teens walked by and started turning cartwheels in the same place Lisa had!!! I imagine it's a magical spot in the universe and leave it to Lisa to find it. Karma is a funny thing.

In Phoenix, my sister who lives in Anthem, AZ, met me at the airport for a quick cup of coffee and a bagel. It was great to see her and believe it or not, I forgot to snap a picture of her!

Now that I'm home and homesick no longer here's my last travel tid-bit: travel, turn cartwheels, clean up the earth, learn the alphabet in a different language, talk to a homeless person, make friends with strangers, rise with the birds and sleep with the moon shining down on your pillow. Aloha!

Pug Love

My sister, Lynn, is a dog-person. It started with Beagles when she first got married, then Doberman Pinschers, and now, it's Pugs. Not one, not two...but six adorable, distinctly different clone-like Pugs. Here, she is pictured with her husband Ronnie (seated) and a friend at the opening of the Anthem Pet Park in Arizona. My sister crochets and made those cute little outfits each dog is wearing, for which she won First Prize for "Best Dressed" dog(s).

Got Pugs? Yep...six of them.

February Remembers

Not one
February,
but two Februaries.
First one, then another passes;

parents.

Some months
go unnoticed

until February's
heavy heart sinks soft behind mine;

pounding.

Who's There?

It was a fine day in Venice, Florida today for a baby owl to survey its new surroundings from far atop a pine tree. Its sibling was too shy to say hello and its parents were in neighboring trees echoing "who, who"!

Thoughts on a Dime

We recently vacationed in Gulf Shores, Alabama. This Katrina-devastated tourist community is seemingly rebounding amidst skinny skeletons of salt-water-drowned and downed trees. Beaches, whose snow-white sandy doorsteps were once laced with gracefully tall, wispy sea-oats, now boast tall condominium communities standing like sentries ready to battle the next hurricane. As luck would have it, we picked the coldest weekend of the year to visit; temperatures hovered between 20-50 degrees with winds strong enough to blow your hat off. Still and all, it was an interesting place to visit as we ate our way along the seaside with Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Bob.

The main route to the beach, Highway-59, tempts shore-bound travelers with eateries of all kinds from the home style mom & pop variety to common, and even not so common, franchises. We passed Lambert's Cafe, where "throwed rolls" has given this restaurant a place on the map (http://www.throwedrolls.com/). Along with car dealerships by the dozens, fisheries selling royal reds, outlet malls, souvenir shops, flea markets, and places where you can buy fabric by the pound, the road to post-Katrinaville was like most roads once traveled.

Our first night, when the temperature was still bearable, we went to Tacky Jacks, where we dined on large, steamed, red shrimp called royal reds; robust, plump, sweet and very messy, we smelled like shrimp for the rest of the night (http://www.tackyjacks.com/). Jayne was smart and ordered gator bites (which tasted more like battered-bites). The next day was rainy, gray and cold, but it was the best time to visit perhaps the most interesting of places - Stacey's Rexall Drugs and Old Tyme Soda Fountain. It's the town's oldest drugstore with an old-time soda fountain serving ice cream sodas, shakes, malts, and 10-cent coffee. That's right, you can still get a cup of coffee, and good coffee at that, for a dime! For under twelve bucks, three of us lunched on malts, tea, coffee, hot dogs and scoops of tuna, egg and chicken salad served in banana split boat. We relaxed and took in the bizarre scenery of high school kids operating a real old-time pharmacy. Aside from oddities like Anti-Monkey Butt Powder (which I just had to buy) and fantastic thick, hand-dyed T-shirts (I had to buy the one that says "Women Who Behave, Rarely Make History" see the photo above), there's 40s music on a free-to-play jukebox and a 1920s player piano.

With the mercury dropping fast, we kept warm by shopping at the outlets and going up Highway 59 through Loxley to a farmer's market called Burris, where the vegetables ranged from fresh-picked to imported from Chile. (http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Overview.aspx?RefID=262). Maybe it was the frigid air that lured us to their bakery but somehow, two dangerous desserts, perfectly warmed, ended up on our trays. The apple dumplings and bread pudding smelled so good, no one could turn them down, including Aunt Kathleen! That night with the temperatures dipping into the low 30's, and the wind howling, we went to the next local attraction, Lulu's, a restaurant owned by Jimmy Buffet's sister, where the food was fun, the customers were jolly, and the atmosphere and music was done in classic Jimmy Buffet style (http://www.lulusathomeport.com/).

The third day there, the temperatures were bone-chilling cold, but that couldn't stop us from visiting the one place we really wanted to see which was the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, or affectionately known as the "Little Zoo That Could" (http://www.alabamagulfcoastzoo.org/). To give you an idea of how cold it was, even the bear wouldn't come out of his heat-lamp-warmed cave. The lions moved with the sunshine and sprawled in splotches of weak sunlight, the camels sat like Purdue oven-stuffer roasters, and the monkeys clumped together like stuffed animals in a F.A.O. Schwartz display. This was probably the saddest zoo I have ever seen. Having gone through three hurricanes, though, it certainly deserves its subtitle.

By mid-afternoon, Aunt Kathleen and I decided to brave the cold and ventured on a two-mile walk down the beach in search of sand dollars. We looked like Eskimos. I had on a long-sleeved shirt, a sweat shirt on top of that, a hooded sweat shirt on top of that, ear muffs, a hat and a vest and gloves. I could have used a scarf and long underware! We found one sand dollar and later took off for our last meal on the shore at DeSoto's.

We left Gulf Shores early enough to make it back to Tampa before sunset. Before we crossed from Central time to Eastern time, we decided to stop for breakfast. We turned off I-10 at Ponce de Leon and noticed a sign for Sally's Restaurant. We traveled about 2 miles before we found it and we both thought twice before entering the dirt-road parking lot. But, what the heck, we were on vacation and thought we'd be adventurous.

The inside was Pepto-Bismal-pink with mis-matched tables, chairs and silverware. Antique hutches held floral plates next to a refrigerated display case with ten-layer chocolate cakes. It should have smelled like stale cigarette smoke, but it smelled like biscuits and gravy instead. The gal who waited on us was apparently the server, cook, bottle-washer and busser. She informed us we were just between breakfast and lunch, and to order what we wanted. Jayne ordered the breakfast special and a cup of coffee, I ordered an iced-tea and a BLT as it seemed like the safest bet. Aside from us, there was a cowboy and his father at one table, and another table of interstate-weary travelers. While the father was nursing coffee, the cowboy was taking little bites out of a grilled cheese sandwich which his large, leathery hands engulfed before it reached his mouth. The server was solicitous, making sure he was happy with his mini-meal. When they left, a wilted dollar bill lay limp as her tip. I was beginning to feel sorry for the server who was cracking eggs, frying bacon, taking orders, ringing, and cleaning up after breakfast. See seemed stressed, worked hard for every tip and apologized often for being frazzled. By the time we finished our meal, which was home-good tasty, two other women surfaced to ease our server's burden, one being Sally, the owner. All along, I was figuring the owner was our server.

When it was time to go, I went to the register and waited for our over-worked waitress to ring me up. She initially put in $15.00 instead of $1.50 for my tea, but corrected it while apologizing. She then tried to remember what we ate and plugged each item into the register. While she was doing this, I thought to myself that I'd leave her a healthy tip to make up for the paltry dollar still left on the unbussed table. Our bill came to $20.08 and I gave her $25, thinking over 20% for breakfast in a small-town greasy spoon was generous enough. She was apologetic once again for my wait and with Southern hospitality, graciously thanked me for the tip.

With the taste of bacon still fresh on our tongues, we turned back on to I-10. Jayne asked me how much my sandwich cost. I said "$3.75...the bill came to $20.08......" Then, I did the math. Breakfast special: $5, coffee: $1.50, BLT: $3.75, tea: $1.50; tipping the server, priceless. The bill should have only been $11.75 plus tax! My poor pitiful waitress must have added eight bucks somewhere along the line and I never noticed, which means she got a $12.00 tip! About 20 miles down the pike, I asked Jayne to make a U-turn, but we just laughed it off. After all, I did get a 10-cent cup of coffee at Stacey's.

Welcome to the World Jillian Mae!

JILLIAN MAE ROWLEY

J is for Jillian with the beautiful dark hair.
I is for Imagination with boldness to dare.
L is for all of the Love that you'll bring.
L is for all of the Lullabies we'll sing.
I is for Inspriring everyone that you'll meet.
A is for all the Adventures you'll seek.
N is for No one else is the same.

M is for Mae, Aunt B's middle name.
A is for Always a smile on your face.
E is for Everything good in God's grace.

R is for all of the Rainbows you'll see.
O is for Oceans of endless opportunities.
W is for all the Wishing you'll do.
L is for Life made especially for you.
E is for Eternal happiness and good fate.
Y is for all the Yesterdays of memories you'll make.

Counting Down

The Many Faces of Halloween

Don't ask me why, but Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. The weather is breaking, it's a fun holiday, and I look forward to the little trick-or-treaters who come toting an assortment of make-shift candy-collecting bags in their equally creative costumes. The day started with a visit from what I'll call the Halloween Moth. It was snoozing on our screen door and stayed most of the day. Mid-morning, I held a Halloween parade for about 100 toddlers at B&N. They were simply adorable as they ambled around the store as super heroes, angels, tater-tots (yup, complete with catsup and mustard), ballerinas and pumpkins.

The afternoon was spent in the garden with Bebe.

We generally don't put out a lot of decorations, but, there's usually a pumpkin or two. By far, however, the most outstanding pumpkin of all was this one:

This is Jayne's sister, Gen, who is due on Jayne's birthday, Nov 30th. Wonder if the baby will be born a red-head!