When did this happen?

When did this happen, While The Better Half & I were cruising last month, one of our lunches came with French Fries, The waiter approaches & asks, "Care for American Sauce?".....

Whaaaaaaaaaaa...??? When did we change the name of Ketchup to American Sauce, it even says Ketchup on the label....

I'm all about "American" trust me,,, We were even married on the 4th of July!!!

This really threw me for a loop, I looked at the BH, giggled and said, Oh here is my next blog!!

I ate my French Fries with my American sauce, Remember when we tried to change the name to American Fries, (That didn't work)... Are other countries upset that Ketchup is not called Kiwi Sauce? Down Under Sauce? Thai Sauce? UAE Sauce? You get the idea!

I forgot to Blog about this till I got this email from my Mother today..Ahhhhh

Thanks, Momma....

***************A*Short*Funny*********************************

"A LITTLE THREE YEAR OLD BOY IS SITTING ON THE TOILET.

HIS MOTHER THINKS HE HAS BEEN IN THERE TOO LONG, SO
SHE GOES IN TO SEE WHAT'S UP.

THE LITTLE BOY IS GRIPPING ON TO THE TOILET SEAT WITH HIS LEFT HAND
AND HITTING HIMSELF ON TOP OF THE HEAD WITH HIS RIGHT HAND.

HIS MOTHER SAYS: 'BILLY, ARE YOU ALRIGHT? YOU'VE BEEN IN HERE FOR A
WHILE, BILLY SAYS: 'I'M FINE, MOMMY. I JUST HAVEN'T GONE 'DOODY' YET.'

MOTHER SAYS: 'OK, YOU CAN STAY HERE A FEW MORE MINUTES. BUT, BILLY, WHY ARE YOU HITTING YOURSELF ON THE HEAD?'

BILLY SAYS: 'WORKS FOR KETCHUP.'"

The Dragon

Memorial Day Weekend: We finally did it...

Tail of the Dragon!

What a wonderful way to spend a long weekend, For those of you reading this

who have never heard of Tail of the Dragon, It is an 11 Mile stretch of road with 318 Curves located on U.S. 129 in North Carolina. Motorcycles come to the "The Dragon" by the thousands yearly. It took us about 2 years to plan our trip there, & what a trip it was.

If you are up in that area Cherohola Skyway is a MUST, It is actually a prettier

drive than "The Dragon" & not nearly as curvy.. Ha Ha, Just look at the GPS

above that's not to curvy now is it? We thought we'd be bombarded by Memorial Day traffic, it was pretty much ..Non Existent.

The Better Half & The CouchRocket!!

Yes, American still has some fantastic "Off the beaten path" drives ...

This area is an A++ in our book, We can't wait to do it again...

What's the Difference?

I overheard a young girl today asking "What is Memorial Day" As, I strained to hear her Father reply...He said: "It's a day we thank Veterans".. "So, it's like Veterans Day" she said..

He giggled, & said "It's a 3 day Weekend"

Well, he's partially right...

It is more than a 3 day weekend Mr.Daddy. But... . . . . .

What is the Difference between Memorial & Veterans Day?

Many people confuse Memorial Day & Veterans Day. Memorial Day is a day for remembering & honoring military personnel who died in the service of their country, particularly those who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained in battle. While those who died are also remembered on Veterans Day, Veterans Day is the day set aside to thank and honor ALL those who served honorably in the military - in wartime or peacetime. In fact, Veterans Day is largely intended to thank LIVING veterans for their service, to acknowledge that their contributions to our national security are appreciated, and to underscore the fact that all those who served - not only those who died - have sacrificed and done their duty. A complete history of Veterans Day, and why it is observed on November 11, can be found on the Veterans Day History Web page.

(Thank you, US Department of Veterans Affairs for this answer)

We passed a small country Cemetery today, from the road we could see 3 rows of White Crosses, We stopped, paid our respects with a prayer & a big Thank You.

In the past three years of my Military duty, I've had to participate in 4 Military funerals, I cried at everyone, Not because I knew them, or I would miss them. Because we shared a common bond & I saying goodbye to a Fellow Soldier. The only time I will not shed a tear when I hear TAPS, Is when I'm in the box!

ReeeeeeeeeeeCalculating... ARGH

This was my view for 212 Miles from Columbia, SC to Dillard, GA
It was a fantastic trip, Not to hot, Not to sunny,, Just Right...
Only problem was... My Better Half.. Mr. US Army, Halo, Pathfinder,
Airborne Ranger, feels his GPS on his Motorcycle is LYING TO HIM!

I promised my husband a Motorcycle if he came home alive from Iraq...
Two years ago, We purchased a Mack Daddy Honda Goldwing, We
lovingly call our "Couch Rocket".. This Couch Rocket has a GPS....
Nice lovely thing.. That says "Huffff...Reeee-Calculating"
every time my Better Half doesn't believe her!


Only reason I bring this up, It took us 7 hours to drive 212 miles from Columbia to
Dillard, SEVEN HOURS!,,, Longest trip we have taken on the Couch Rocket
to date as been about 2 hours... On a nice Sunday Drive!

Better Half's way is ---> "WE GO DUE WEST"

Good thing there was a sign for that (See Above) or we'd still be driving!

On his behalf, I programed the GPS (BH doesn't know how to) to stay off the Highways,
I am aware this adds time to your journey, we had calculated this ...
Had hubby believed Ms GPS we wouldn't of done the 100 U Turns we did,
We ended up in some Kuunn-Treeeee!!

Tomorrow we will attempt Tail of the Dragon , 11 Miles // 318 Turns
Wonder how long that will take us!

Wish us luck!

I Love Wine!

I Love Wine, Anyone who knows me...Knows I love wine..
I'm not shy about it... I don't claim to be any sort of expert in the matter,
My saying is:

I'm not a Wine Connoisseur,

I'm a Wino!!

I don't act pretentious, with the swilling & swirling & spitting...
and speaking of it's eloquent bouquet of wildflowers & French Oak...
That is all good & fine, "Whatever floats your boat"...

I crack that bottle open ... Pour some in my glass, let it breath a second
and down the first sip goes, I like it or I don't like it..... I always use a rule
my Momma gave me long long ago, she said .. "Give it three sips"

Sometimes that 1st sip of wine can be quite an eye opener...

I love hardy Red's you can cut with a knife & fork....
I love whites on a hot summer day, that smell like a great basket of fruit..

In all of my travels, I've enjoyed some of the greatest wines
from the wonderful Malbec's of the Mendoza region of Argentina...
to the great mountains of Casablanca Valley of Chile..
to the small and wonderful wineries of San Luis Obisbo...
To the Home Sweet Home Wineries of The Great State of Texas!
(Yes, Texas makes Wine, & They're Grrrrrrrrrrreat)

I started drinking Wine very, very young as a matter of fact,
I was in the womb....Thanks MOM! This is your fault!
My Mother was ordered to drink Red Wine while pregnant with me!
For medical reasons of course..... It was very official...

I have had wine from expensive bottles, plastic bottles, a can & a box!!!
but today's find at Sam's Club was a unique treat! A Mini-Barrel from Red Truck!

CHEERS!

Martha Stewart says "With left over wine, I freeze it & use it later in recipes"

I say "What left over Wine???""

Packing 101

As, a Flight Attendant people always assume I know how to pack.... NOT!!! I'd like to think I do okay, Yet, I overpack just like a good percentage of you all... As seen in this past blog called Tick Tock.
So I thought I'd share the best advise I could find on the internet!

"When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money." ~Susan Heller

Besides, You can always buy more clothes!!
Good Luck

U'swaia

What is U'swaia? That is Spanish for Ushuaia, Argentina!!

One of the best things about cruising is you get to wake up every morning to a new and exciting city. This cruise included: Buenos Aires, Argentina; Montevideo, Uruguay; Punta Del Este, Uruguay; Puerto Madryn, Argentina; Punta Arenas, Chile; (Cruising Chilean Fjords & Glacier)
Puerto Montt, Chile and ended in Valparaiso, Chile.

Ushuaia, "Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia" Argentina was day 9 of our latest Royal Caribbean cruise, & while we have seen some of the greatest cities on our planet, Ushuaia is one city we can't wait to get back too. While it is considered to be "Fin Del Muendo" (End of the World) Ushuaia is one of those hidden gems that you can't believe you've never heard of...Well, I'd never heard of it...Nor, could I pronounce it for a few days, had it not been for this cruise I doubt I would of ever heard about this city at all. It's rich with history, but I'm not going to bore you with those details, You can go to Wikipedia and look that info up...

If you are an "adrenalin enthusiast" & enjoy practising Nature-related sports, you have reached the right place. Trekking? Fishing? While watching? Rafting to a Glacier? (Don't even get me started on the Food & Wine..I'm just sayin)

Skiing... Yes!! The reason for our return.. Marisol, our tour guide & aka: Ski Instructor invited us to return to the wonderful slopes of Ushuaia... SURE, we said,,, When?

I'm glad we've been blessed with the opportunity to travel & see this great world we live in..

Ushuaia, We'll be back....Soon!