I was 264.4 this morning, so that's up at least one from last Monday. It might be up more because last Monday I could not get a confirmed reading for some reason. I have been this weight pretty consistently all week since I do jump on the scale every morning. This was not a good week. I had several dinners and desserts that were extra calories and no exercise other than 20 minutes of water aerobics on Saturday.
Today we are driving about 285 miles from the hotel here in Batavia, OH to Saul and Phyllis' house in Boardman, OH. I am also stopping at the local CVS to pick up a refill on one of my prescriptions.
Tonight we are going out to dinner with Saul and Phyllis. I don't know where, but I'm sure it won't be Denny's!
Monday, September 12, 2016
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Kansas City through St. Louis, Louisville, and in to Cincinnati
When we get home on the evening of September 20, we will have been on the road 64 days and stayed overnight 63 times away from our house. Fifty of those nights have been in hotels or motels or a rental log cabin. We stayed 6 nights at Evey's house, and we are about to stay 2 nights in Boardman, Ohio with our friends Saul and Phyllis and then five nights in the Baltimore area with my sister Cindy. Fifty nights in hotels, and tonight is number 49. Only one to go!
All these hotels are starting to run together in my mind. Most were pretty good, but some had a few issues. I think tonight's Comfort Inn and Suites in Batavia, OH, a suburb of Cincinnati, seems to be very good so far. Then our last one is the Sleep Inn in Florence, SC, which we have stayed in many times before.
This fabulous trip is almost over! It's so hard to believe.
Yesterday in Illinois, on Shabbat, we spent four hours at the indoor pool. Since I had finished the book about Mark Twain at Lake Tahoe Friday evening, I started my mystery novel, Death Fall, about a murder at Lake Tahoe, at the pool. It was such a fast read that I finished it by the end of the day! I have rarely read a 250 page novel in one day. That was fun.
Tonight's dinner was Cincinnati Chili Five Ways. Mark first had Cincinnati Chili many years ago when he came here for work. In those days he still ate meat in restaurants, so he had meat chili and left off the cheese. Tonight we went to Gold Star Chili, a local chain of over 80 restaurants, because we saw they had vegetarian chili. It was spectacular and also CHEAP! I had the regular sized plate, which seemed huge, for only 4.99. The five ways are this: chili by itself in a bowl, or on top of spaghetti, with added onions, added beans, and covered in cheese. We had all five ways, and it was spectacular. Cincinnati chili is made with cinnamon and chocolate spices in it, very unlike a spicy chili from Texas or other southwestern states. It's definitely worth having when in the Cincinnati area.
All these hotels are starting to run together in my mind. Most were pretty good, but some had a few issues. I think tonight's Comfort Inn and Suites in Batavia, OH, a suburb of Cincinnati, seems to be very good so far. Then our last one is the Sleep Inn in Florence, SC, which we have stayed in many times before.
This fabulous trip is almost over! It's so hard to believe.
Yesterday in Illinois, on Shabbat, we spent four hours at the indoor pool. Since I had finished the book about Mark Twain at Lake Tahoe Friday evening, I started my mystery novel, Death Fall, about a murder at Lake Tahoe, at the pool. It was such a fast read that I finished it by the end of the day! I have rarely read a 250 page novel in one day. That was fun.
Tonight's dinner was Cincinnati Chili Five Ways. Mark first had Cincinnati Chili many years ago when he came here for work. In those days he still ate meat in restaurants, so he had meat chili and left off the cheese. Tonight we went to Gold Star Chili, a local chain of over 80 restaurants, because we saw they had vegetarian chili. It was spectacular and also CHEAP! I had the regular sized plate, which seemed huge, for only 4.99. The five ways are this: chili by itself in a bowl, or on top of spaghetti, with added onions, added beans, and covered in cheese. We had all five ways, and it was spectacular. Cincinnati chili is made with cinnamon and chocolate spices in it, very unlike a spicy chili from Texas or other southwestern states. It's definitely worth having when in the Cincinnati area.
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| We didn't take the time to go in to St. Louis proper, but we saw the arch. We went up the arch years ago when we stayed in St. Louis for a convention. |
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| Pretty bridge over the river into Illinois. |
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| Welcome to Ohio! |
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Denver to Dodge City to Kansas City
Before we left Denver, we went to the state capitol for a tour and the opportunity to stand on the mile-high step. We had a LONG drive to Dodge because of that and didn't arrive at our hotel until about 9:30 p.m. This morning we went to the Gunfighter Wax Museum and Kansas State Teachers' Hall of Fame, both in the same building, before driving to KC. We got in to this hotel about 8:30 p.m. These were two fairly long drives.
We had a great time at the CO state capitol and in Dodge. This was our second time in Dodge, and we had already done about everything back in 2009 on that first trip. Somehow we missed this little museum. Tomorrow it's on to St. Louis for two nights over Shabbat.
BTW, I forgot to mention that we failed in our license plate game this summer. We never found Hawaii. Last year, since we were IN Hawaii, we found LOTS of those! LOL!
We had a great time at the CO state capitol and in Dodge. This was our second time in Dodge, and we had already done about everything back in 2009 on that first trip. Somehow we missed this little museum. Tomorrow it's on to St. Louis for two nights over Shabbat.
BTW, I forgot to mention that we failed in our license plate game this summer. We never found Hawaii. Last year, since we were IN Hawaii, we found LOTS of those! LOL!
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| Beautiful rose onyx is used all over the interior. |
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| Looking up in to the dome |
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| Mark is on the mile-high step, no. 13. |
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| HaHa! We ARE in Kansas! |
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| Great buffalo chair in the Best Western in Dodge City, KS. |
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| In the lobby |
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| Calamity Jane and Bill Hickock |
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| Chief Sitting Bull |
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| Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson, and Wyatt Earp |
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| A fellow retired music teacher guided us through the Teachers' Hall of Fame. |
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| This is exactly the same as my first grade desk. |
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| They restored this old one room school house very well. |
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| Original wood floors! |
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| The guide let me play the old piano! I played "Santa Lucia" from a little songbook, a song I used to play as a kid. |
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| "Kansas City, Kansas City, here we come." |
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Cheyenne and Denver
We had a pretty drive from the Salt Lake City area to Cheyenne, WY on Monday. The internet in the Quality Inn in Cheyenne was very poor, so I was unable to write a blog or upload the few pictures I took on the way to Cheyenne. Tonight, in Denver, the internet is much better.
We had an outstanding day today. It's only about 100 miles, 90 minutes, from Cheyenne to Denver. By 11:30 we were in the History of Colorado museum. We also went to the Denver Art Museum, right across the street, checked into our Quality Inn for tonight, and then met Kevin Gaertner (Eric's brother) for a ball game at Coors Field, the Rockies against the Giants. Sadly, the Giants beat the Rockies, 3-2, but we had a wonderful time anyway.
We had an outstanding day today. It's only about 100 miles, 90 minutes, from Cheyenne to Denver. By 11:30 we were in the History of Colorado museum. We also went to the Denver Art Museum, right across the street, checked into our Quality Inn for tonight, and then met Kevin Gaertner (Eric's brother) for a ball game at Coors Field, the Rockies against the Giants. Sadly, the Giants beat the Rockies, 3-2, but we had a wonderful time anyway.
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| Welcome Center after crossing in to Wyoming. A grizzly bear. |
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| Mark signing another guest book. |
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| Even the rug has the logo on it. |
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| Some of the land we drove through in southern Wyoming reminded us of the badlands of South Dakota. |
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| And there are lots of windmill farms along the way. |
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| At the Welcome Center after crossing into Colorado |
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| Map and Time Machine! We pushed the big machine until it was over a golden circle on the map. Then you had a choice of two dates to listen to something that happened at that place on that date. It was very unique. |
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| I got to sit in an old car. |
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| Mark got to sit in an outhouse! |
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| Great exhibit on Fort Bent and the Sand Creek Massacre. |
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| Huge statues outside the Art Museum |
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| After in there only a few minutes, the fire alarm went off. Two trucks with eight firefighters showed up. After about 10 minutes, we got the all clear to go back in. |
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| Native American art of the Pacific Northwest. |
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| A blanket tower |
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| Traditional Western Art |
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| Looking at the state capitol out of the art museum window on the 7th floor |
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| Native American art |
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| Ute flutes |
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| Surprise! We got a two-room suite at the Quality Inn for free on our reward points. |
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| Then we went to the ballgame. |
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| We visited Kevin and Kim's dog Andre. |
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| View from row six, section 116. |
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| Kevin and Mark |
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| Beautiful sunset. |
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