Down South...Day Seventy-Seven...Sunday, February 13, 2010...Home at Last

Well...I'm moving kind of slow this morning. Off to bed after 4:00AM...five or six hours of sleep...and I'm finally up.
I'm not the only one that's moving slow this morning...it's almost noon before we can even get breakfast underway.
By 1:30PM or so, I'm finally on the road...the final stretch. It snowed last night, but the roads are clear and dry...still, it seems to take forever. I'm on Rt. 2, skipping the Toll Road (one must be frugal in retirement)...out of Strongsville, along the lake, into Toledo, up I-75, over to I-275...and then...I'm home.
As I open up the front door, Jonesie makes a break for the outside, and I'm barely able to catch him before he makes it. Inside, Cleo is standing by her food bowl...waiting.
Seventy-seven days on the road...and nothing has changed...I'm home!

Down South...Day Seventy-Six...Strongsville

This is a great day...and it's off to a good start.
I sleep in late this morning (9:00AM), and soon I'm enjoying a cup of coffee by myself...Roger's getting a haircut and Gretchen is still snoozing.
Soon, Roger's home and Gretchen is up...time for breakfast...one of many things at which Roger excels. We're having bacon, eggs, scrapple, toast...it's all good.
After breakfast, we head out for a look at Roger and Gretchen's new motor home...and it's a beauty...nine feet longer than the last one. This should be a great ride to Alaska!
After we're done looking at the new "wheels", it's time for lunch...sushi! We stop at a local place in Strongsville, and the sushi is pretty good...particularly with several Japanese beers and a bottle of premium sake...life is good!
Back home, we're drinking some great wine and waiting for Dan and Sheila to arrive so that we can all go out to dinner. Whenever we all get together, there is much laughing and good times...and this time is no exception. The Italian restaurant that we go to is excellent...I order a calzone that could feed four, let alone just me!
After dinner, we're back home for...what else...more wine! Soon, Dan and Sheila head home and Gretchen heads off to bed. Now, it's just Roger and I...and we are enjoying talking about anything and everything. Before we know it, we've consumed several more bottles of wine, and it's after 4:00AM...time for breakfast! We down platefuls of eggs, scrapple, toast...more wine.
And then...reluctantly...time for bed.

Down South...DaySeventy-Five...Friday, February 12, 2010...Heading Home

I', up early again...I want to get on the road early because I've got a long drive from here in Middletown to Roger and Gretchen's in Strongsville.
I packed most everything up yesterday, so I'm pretty much ready to go.
I share a few cups of coffee with Dave and Marschia before I head out the door. I'm sorry to leave...I wish that I could have spent another couple of days here. I'm comfortable staying with all of my friends, but there's something about Dave and Marschia's that makes it like staying at my own home...only better.
It's a little after 9:00AM, and I'm off for Ohio. I don't know what's up with my Garmin, but it's taking me on a very unfamiliar route. I actually have to stop a few times and look at a map. I'm traveling a lot more on surface streets than I should be...and, as a result, I'm noticing more than a few vehicles that almost buried in snow. By the time that I finally get on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, I figure that I've already lost an hour.
I've driven this route a number of times, and it's pretty boring...not to mention long because the speed limit is lower. I make a stop for gas, grab a sandwich for lunch, and keep on moving.
I'm at Roger and Gretchen's around 6:30PM. Roger is flying in to Cleveland, and his plane lands around the time of my arrival. A few delays at the gate later, he's home. Now we're drinking a couple of great bottles of wine while we wait on dinner. Gretchen is making a beef roast for dinner, and it is REALLY good...tender beef, plenty of red wine, and lots of vegetables.
We're enjoying our wine and great conversation, but we're all pretty beat tonight...so we make it an early one (early for us, that is).

Down South...Day Seventy-Four...Thursday, February 11, 2010

Well...I'm not up too early this particular morning...I'm suffering from a mild case of "nog grog"...thank you Maker's Mark! Even the cats sense my pain (see photo).
During the night, the plows have been out, and the roads are fairly clear. So...I head off to Border's to do a little blog posting. I have to say that, having used the free Wi-Fi at both Border's and Barnes & Noble, the Barnes & Noble system is far superior to Border's. Today, I can't upload any photos to the blog (I'll add later).
Back at Dave and Marscia's, it's time for those mini burgers...good. Plus, I've stopped to get everything that we need for another batch of egg nog...what am I thinking! Along with the egg nog stuff, I also pick up a load of "Tasty Cakes"...a Philadelphia tradition...cup cakes, butterscotch "crimpets, and peanut butter "candy cakes"...they're all good.
Time for dinner...mini burgers, along with a bottle of Spanish Rioja that has somehow survived the freeze sitting in the Escape outside...an excellent meal with great company.
Then...more ice cream and more of that great egg nog...good night again!

Down South...Day Seventy-Three...Wednesday, February 10, 2010..."Snowpocalypse"

I'm up really early this morning...long before anyone else save a cat or two. I quietly brew a pot of coffee and look outside. It's still snowing...hard. And it snows through most of the day...more than a foot.
Soon, Dave and Marschia are up, and Marschia is making another great breakfast...fried potatoes, eggs, sausage, homemade bread...it's all good. Nobody's going anywhere today, so it's a slow relaxing day at home. We talk, listen to a little "Frank", watch TV (mostly news, but a few episodes of the Yogi Bear Show too).
Before we know it, the day is gone...time for dinner. Marschia is planning to make "mini burgers" for dinner, but first, there's some awesome nachos. Well...by the time that we finish the nachos, there's really no room left for the mini burgers, so those get deferred until tomorrow. In the meantime, we're making some inroads into the several pints of premium ice cream that I bought yesterday. And oh yes, there's the egg nog...good night!

Down South...Day Seventy-Two...Tuesday, February 9, 2010..."Snowpocalypse"

Everything looks fine outside this morning...but looks can definitely be deceiving. "It" is coming, and there is no avoiding "it". Before the first flake even falls, they already have a name for it..."Snowpocalypse". It's going to start sometime tonight and continue well into tomorrow...18"-24".
Dave, Marschia and I had talked about going into Philadelphia for dinner at a place called Tintos...one of my favorite places. But, even though it's only fifty miles or so, we decide that it's best to stay closer to home as we await the arrival of Snowpacolypse.
Marschia's school is open today, but it's a short day with teachers only...and...she's off the rest of the week in anticipation of the snow. Dave and I are going grocery shopping, but first, we have a little breakfast stop. We're at Helen's Sausage House...a Delaware legend. Dave orders two pork chop sandwiches, and they are huge! I opt for the scrapple and egg sandwich with aside of sausage. It's all good...really good...particularly the homemade scrapple. Scrapple is one of many things that Philadelphia is famous for...it's scraps of pork finely ground with spices (including black pepper) and cornmeal...and shaped into a "brick". You slice it about a 1/4" to a 1/2" and fry it in a frying pan until the outside is brown and crispy. I like mine with ketchup, but some people prefer maple syrup.
After breakfast, we head over to the grocery store to stock up before the big blizzard...Dave's carrying out most of his second pork chop. I buy ten pounds of scrapple (Habbersett's...it's the best). I also have a craving for egg, but it's now out of season...hmm...maybe "homemade" is in order.
Marschia is home around 5:00PM, and we all decide to go out for dinner locally...Italian. The snow has started to fall and, by the time that we leave for dinner, there's already more than an inch on the ground. Dinner is good...I have "Greek-style" pasta with shrimp, tomato, feta cheese and olives. As we head home after dinner, the driving is "tricky"...there's now around four inches on the ground.
When we get home, Marschia and I make some homemade egg nog...I'm printing the recipe below...

Rob Kasper’s Eggnog For Folks Going Nowhere
Makes 8 to 10 cups
• 2 cups bourbon
• 1-1/8 cups sugar
• 6 egg yolks, beaten
• 4 cups whipping cream
Blend bourbon and sugar in a mixing bowl. Let sit overnight if you can wait. If not, don’t worry. Beat egg yolks until they approach viscous yellow bliss. Add to bourbon mixture. Mix well. Cover and let sit in refrigerator at least 2 hours. Whip cream and add to bourbon mixture. Nog starts off very creamy and becomes soupy the longer it survives.

It turns out great...even if we were unable to "wait" for the recommended periods. A couple of glasses of that, and I'm ready for bed. The snow is falling heavier now.

Photos From Day Seventy-One