I have been so busy that I have not had a chance to highlight my Mother's Day brunch.
I was going to have something more "normal", but when I saw lobster tail on a biscuit, I went for it.
The lobster tail was a bit dry, but all in all, it was good.
It was interesting in that they used a bisque, rather than country gravy on it.
Here is their online MENU, which does not include the special I had.
I was glad I recommended it.
We came home from our trip to a backyard just full of plants in full bloom.
This is my ketchup and mustard rose, and next to it is my small bottlebrush plants.
The hummingbirds love it, and that makes me so happy that I planted them.
We are in the midst of May gray/June gloom weather, so our plants are very happy right now.
It makes me happy to see them all thriving right now.
Summer will be here soon enough.
I finally updated the map of all 50 states. You can see it HERE.
My Water Post For Today.
My Son took us to Belle Island, in the river just north of Downtown Detroit.
It was very easy to get to, we just crossed a small bridge.
We parked, and over on the left was this beautiful fountain.
I took photos, and enjoyed it for a moment or two.
As you can see, the people around it did too.
When we were having our biscuit breakfast in Kentucky, I saw small bottles of maple syrup.
One of them was Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup.
My Husband is a big bourbon fan, and so I got it as my Kentucky souvenir.
I felt that it was appropriate for a dinner, and so we made pancakes and sausages.
It was excellent! I highly recommend it. Here is the webpage for the company that makes it...Bissell's Maple Syrup out of Ohio. I would buy it again.
On the final day of our trip, our Son drove us to downtown Detroit.
After we did what we had come there to do, he said that he would drive through downtown.
Downtown has, of course, his employer.
It was interesting to see the Ren Cen once again.
What we ended up on, was part of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Indycar race course.
It was pretty cool to see something that will be on tv in just a weeks time.
This was Cajon Pass on May 17, 2023 of this year.
We were coming back to LA after visiting our Son.
A normal commute day and time.
Every road was packed with commuters, even the on-ramps.
I was shocked it was that full, but traveling in Los Angeles, I should not have been.
Glad we were on the train.
Somewhere in the neighborhood that my Son lives, is a house with one of those Little Free Library boxes.
That is not unusual, I have one right down the street.
What is unusual is the fact that it has a Snoopy Dog House with it.
It also has a bench for the little ones to sit on, when they check out the books.
I am just so impressed with the neighborhood in general, and this Little Free Library, in particular.
You did well, my Son.
On the subject of things I have never seen on the Southwest Chief...
I knew that somewhere there was a bus that took people over to Williams, Arizona, to take the train to the Grand Canyon.
I have never seen it, in all the trips I had taken.
Well, check off another thing I now know. There, on the other side of the station, is the Williams bus!
I enjoyed the trip, driving from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon, but lots of people enjoy taking another train to get there.
I definitely feel they get a "Grand" experience.
This is our 7th journey on The Southwest Chief.
You would think that we have seen it all, by this time.
Well, you would be wrong.
Look what my Husband saw! The Wigwam Motel along Route 66 in Holbrook, Arizona.
There are 15 teepees there, for you to sleep in, according to the National Park Service webpage.
What's nice about the NPS site is that it gives you some history of the motel, and why it is still around today.
I would seriously like to stop there someday, but being it is between Gallup, NM, and Winslow, AZ, I think it is a hard pass.
Cute though.
My Water Post For Today.
Chicago never fails to entertain me.
Especially since the river is just a few feet from Chicago Union Station.
What were the chances that the river tour boat that passed under us would be the Lucia?
I am sure my great niece would have been happy to see it.
No matter what, I love a fast visit to Chicago.
I hope you enjoy.
Before the train trip ends up in too far into the rearview mirror, I wanted to post the two pictures I managed to screen capture, of our journey.
The first one is us at Barstow, standing by the camera and waving.
It was a little late, but not too late and so we could climb out of the train for a minute or so. If it had been much later, we would have gone to bed.
The second one was much harder to capture. Hesperia is in a dead zone, Internet-wise.
I did manage to screen capture the lead engine's number, and that was important to me. We did not have much luck getting to the front of the engine to take photos.
We were a bit late at that point, due to rail congestion in the Needles area. We got much later, before Riverside, due to a trespasser incident.
Such is life on the rails.
My sister and her husband sent word on Friday that their cat, Clarice, had to be put to sleep.
When I heard what the vet said about her, I was worried that this was going to be the outcome.
She had been hiding, not eating, and throwing up.
All bad signs and the vet kept her overnight, to see the results of the blood work.
I am so sorry this was the outcome.
She was such a silly cat. Not letting anyone hold her, or play with her, but she brought cat love to their home.
Clarice, you will be missed, and say Hi to your sister, Cat Levy.
You can both wait at the rainbow bridge, for your mama.
Last year, La Plata station had a major makeover, as I mentioned HERE.
I could not get photos of the station on the way up to Chicago, but I managed quite a few good ones on the way back.
That was because we came in on track 2, which is much trickier, and slower, than the normal track 1.
As you can see, the station shines now. It is Art Deco and so very beautiful.
Plus, you can get a glimpse of the inside of the station, through the door.
P.S. I just love the Coke machine. :-)
We made it home, just 2 hours later than we expected. It was a good trip, all in all.
We had many errands to run, and the final one was picking up Makenna from the vet.
We got a report card from them.
Overall Appetite was good.
Since she had just had her teeth removed, I was worried about that.
They say she drank water.
She didn't always hit the litter box (not surprising, since that is her way to telling us she is really mad).
She spent the majority of her time there "relaxing" and sleeping.
Her last report was the saddest. She was NOT HAPPY and showed it.
We expect her to misbehave tonight, but hope she gets more acclimated tomorrow.
With luck, our train should pull into the station today.
Back to our trip. We had a late lunch on Saturday, so after we did the laundry, I suggested Dairy Twist.
It was crowded, but the choices were excellent.
I ended up getting a vanilla custard in a small cup.
My guys both got a medium.
It was wonderful, and worth the pain caused by my lactose intolerance.
I will be back someday, and probably dream about it.
Probably the coolest spot to dine in Cincinnati, is the Incline Public House.
Sitting at the top of a hill, that used to have an incline on it, it has an outstanding view of the Ohio River, and city.
It also has a broadcast tower on it, which this former broadcaster found exciting.
What did I have to eat? Short ribs and grilled cheese sandwich. It was good.
My Son had this wonderful drink, though I am not positive I know what it is. My best guess is: Strawberry Mint Mule. It tasted great!
I highly recommend this restaurant.
We are heading home today on Amtrak.
My Water Post For Today.
Our trip to Kentucky took us over the Ohio River.
We did not get close to the water, but we did get a nice view from The Incline Public House on Price Hill.
The river has multiple bridges over it, and one of them is the blue one way in the back. It is the John A. Roebling Bridge that was designed by the builder of the Brooklyn Bridge in NYC.
The first bridge is the railroad bridge. Amtrak travels over it twice a day, three days a week.
A great view, and a wonderful experience.
Back in 2020 I had plans to finish up visiting the states that my Husband and I had missed. We are so close, and just want to end this journey.
As we have been counting the last ones down, they gain prominence. Kentucky was one of those states.
As my Brother said, he has no reason to ever visit this state. Well, basically, neither do I.
What came to me last year, is that we visited Dayton, Ohio and it was only about an hour from the Kentucky border.
So this year we reran our vacation from last year, and just went that hour further.
We had a wonderful time in Cincinnati. Visited the train station, and then had dinner at a real interesting location. We were surprised and enjoyed it. More on that, another day.
Then we drove to a town right outside the airport, and stayed the night in Kentucky.
The breakfast made up for the medium OK hotel we stayed at.
So good memories, and not so good ones.
It is done, for me.
My Husband still has Tennessee, and South Dakota to go.
Here is the MAP GENERATOR, if you want to generate one of your own.
We only spent the overnight hours in Kentucky. By morning, we were on our way.
We decided to eat out, rather than at the hotel, and we found a place right down the street.
I explained to my Son that the biscuits are higher, due to using White Lily Flour, that can only be purchased in the South.
It was worth the expense. Trust me.
We decided to travel to Cincinnati, and then cross the Ohio River into Kentucky.
As soon as we got into town we stopped in at Union Terminal.
An art deco masterpiece, and so worth a stop to visit it.
We only had about 30 minutes to look around, but it was well worth the $4 parking fee.
It is highly recommended, if you are in the area.
We haven't seen each other for 9 months.
It is good to see my Son again.
I am dragging my kid to Kentucky today, so we can get another state off our list.
We hope to go to the train station in Cincinatti, and maybe the zoo, and then cross over into Kentucky.
The roads in Michigan are all being worked on, but I am hopeful Ohio roads are better. At least they were last year.
Pictures to follow, of course.
With a bit of luck, and a made connection in Chicago, we should be with our Son in Michigan this morning.
We only have a 3 hour layover, but if we miss the connection, Amtrak will have to foot the bill for the hotel.
Better than me paying for it. :-)
Wish us luck, and see you on the flip side of the Michigan leg of the journey.
The potters had their spring sale on Saturday, and I managed to carve out about an hour to check their pottery out.
There were so many objects I would have liked, but I ended up getting two.
Pink Flamingos and Black Sheep.
The sheep are a yarn holder for me. It matches my black sheep from 2 pottery sales ago.
The flamingos were new to me and I thought the bowl was cute. Look close at the top and you can see legs, with no bird attached.
The artists are just so creative.
I saw on Saturday that the Mississippi River was overflowing up in Davenport, Iowa.
An area just upriver from where we intend to cross the river.
Keep your fingers crossed that we get to the other side of the bridge safe.
Looking forward to the journey.
Our final day together, before the trip.
She is going to board at the Vet and we will be traveling to see my Son.
We feel it would be better to have her looked at by someone, rather than just surviving in our house.
We will see how it goes for her.
I will miss you little girl.
The past 2 months have been horrid in regard to expenses.
Between the trip, the cat, and the gates, we have laid out quite a bit of money.
Well, add to that, we needed our air conditioner checked out before the hot season.
You can see it down by the trash cans on the right side, by the way.
It had actually gotten warm for a few days last week, but I held off turning the AC on, because I like to be sure it is in good condition before I do so.
As it ends up, it was indeed in good condition and no coolant was needed this year.
It still cost me money, but not a lot. Yea!
This year I remembered to buy pansies at the right time.
They are a winter flower, so they are at the end of their growing season in the spring, when I think to buy some.
This year I got several and it really filled the pot.
I especially love the orange ones, which are a color I never had before.
A small piece of beauty in my front yard.
My neighbors have "bought" a new toy.
I am guessing right now, since we have not had a conversation about it.
It actually lives on the side of their house, but for right now it is out front.
Which always makes backing out of my driveway a challenge.
I hope they enjoy it and make many memories with it...but yeah.
I have a few iris plants that grow in my front yard.
It is their time to shine, and they are doing just that.
They were a gift from an old neighbor of mine, and so I had no choice in color.
I would have loved some purple ones.
No matter, they are very cool.
Going on 38 years old.
In honor of him, here is my concert review from 2019.
"The man is 4 years older than my Husband...let that sink in for a moment.
Gordon Lightfoot decided to celebrate the fact that he turned 80 years old in November, with an 80 Years Strong Tour, which the LA Times wrote about in Saturday's paper.
I was not aware that he had serious medical problems in the early 2000's, but in a lot of ways, he looks it.
In good news for us, we had great seats, right in the center stage area and our view was great.
In regard to The Canyon Santa Clarita, it is a small venue and so everyone has a great view.
I did not know about half the songs, but those I knew were welcome by me and by the audience. His voice was not strong, but he stood the entire 90 minutes and played guitar at the same time and I give him props for doing that. His other guitarist (a much younger man) sat the entire set.
I did one video and of course that was Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. How could I resist. You can see it HERE.
Unfortunately I can't give you our setlist, because I did not know all the songs."
Back to me now.
Godspeed to you, sir. Your music influenced my life for the better.
My Water Post For Today.
This photo was taken from the walkway in Betchart Gardens, back in 2019.
Almost 4 years ago, to the day.
I love that the water is framed by all their glorious folliage.
Truly a beautiful place to visit.
