CALIFORNIA HERE WE COME! Sunday, January 29, 2017 - Day One - WNY to Fort Mill, SC

Well we're on the road again - California bound. We actually left Chaumont on Friday and went to my folks and we had dinner with them on Friday and then spent the night with Ron's parents. Saturday I went back to Clarence so Mom and I could go shopping. While I wouldn't recommend shopping at the Bon-Ton in Eastern Hills we had a good time together and a successful day as we did some real damage. As it was snowing I drove back to Ron's folks in the early afternoon. Megan and Alec came for dinner and it was nice to visit with them.  Up early today - for us at least - we made sure Ron's Dad was set for the day and were on the road by 7:30. We ran into heavy snow in northern PA and around Morgantown. We kept going through bands of snow and I was beginning to wonder when the snow and cold would end. We were within 3 hours of our destination - Lou and Judy's new home, in Sun City, Fort Mill, SC and it was still only 30 degrees and snowing! We knew though that it was supposed to be sunny and 48 tomorrow so it will feel like a heat wave! Two and a half hours away from our destination suddenly everything was green - no snow and temp was 35. Near Charlotte we ran into rain but it was 44 so all was good. We arrived in SC after 12 hours on the road. We only stopped twice, once for gas and once for food and gas. It was good to get out of the car. We're much older now than when we made the trip from Greenville home to Buffalo in 12 hours with one stop in the middle. Lou and Judy had tickets to a play and we told them not to change their plans so we let ourselves in and freshened up before they came home. They came home at 9 and we stayed up to midnight catching up with them. Time to catch some 💤💤💤💤!

Hopefully this will be the last we see of this at least until we head home!

CALIFORNIA HERE WE COME! Monday, January 30, 2017 - Day Two - Carolina Lakes, Sun City, Fort Mill, SC

Slept in a bit and had a nice breakfast with Lou and Judy. Sat and chatted while they had someone from Lowes come into their house to template the counter tops so that they can replace the granite. They want a lighter granite in the kitchen and in the bookcases in the living room. They've picked out a pretty granite that will look nice with all their colors and furniture.  After we went to lunch at the Clubhouse and then they gave us a tour of the compound It is a beautiful 55 plus community with 3100 residences. We saw the Lake House, the Lodge, the golf course, the swimming pools, pickle-ball courts etc. They have great exercise facilities and more activities than you could do in a lifetime - there are over 100 clubs to choose from! The nearest grocery store, cleaners, pharmacy, liquor store are all close and even have parking for golf carts if that is the mode of transport that you want to take. We went home and the guys worked on trying to figure out how they can remove the granite from the bookcases without ruining the wood. After finding the solution it was time for happy hour - a time honored family tradition - so the Manhattans were poured. Had a delicious dinner or brown rice and beans and then it was time for Pinochle. It's been a long time since Ron and I had played. Lou and I won the first game 100 - 99 but Ron and Judy got their revenge by winning the next two.

Views of Lou and Judy's New Home

Beautiful home at the end of a cul-de-sac

Open Concept

Fireplace with built-ins

Sun Room

Large inviting kitchen

Views of the backyard

 

Discussing gardening plans

This area will stay the same

This area will become a screened in porch soon!

                             Views of some of the facilities

 Thanks Lou and Judy for a great time! We'll see you in July if not before.

CALIFORNIA HERE WE COME! Tuesday, January 31, 2017 - Day Three - Fort Mill, SC to Asheville, NC to Chattanooga, TN

On the road again by 8:30. We decided to go visit the Biltmore Estates since it was somewhat close and we hadn't ever been there. It was a beautiful, bright, sunny day for a drive through the mountains. The temperature was 66 degrees so I was able to shed some of my winter gear. The Biltmore tour was impressive. The self guided tour gave us the facts and background on this elegant mansion. The 8000 acre estate, which took 6 years to build, was completed in 1895. I'm not sure my photos will do it justice. We walked the gardens but obviously there were only a few things blooming. The Conservatory had some beautiful plants on display though. After our tour of the home and grounds we went to Antler Hill - 4 miles away -   and did a complimentary wine tasting, sampling some whites and reds from the Biltmore winery. We stopped along the way for something to eat and then headed to Chattanooga, TN to spend the night.

Views of the Biltmore

Biltmore Estate

Ceiling of the indoor garden

Indoor Garden

Breakfast Room

Cornelia Vanderbilt's room

George Vanderbilt's Library

Vanderbilt personally selected the 10,000 books in his library

Main Staircase

Heading to the Gardens

Views from the Conservatory

Enjoying tasting the fine Biltmore wines

CALIFORNIA HERE WE COME! - Wednesday, February 1, 2017 - Day Four - Chattanooga, TN to Oxford, M

The day started off bright and sunny but clouds set in as we headed toward Oxford, MS. We weren't up too early but we gained an extra hour as we changed time zones. So far this trip we've  gone through NY, PA, WV, VA, NC, SC, TN, GA,  AL and MS - about 1600 miles since we left Chaumont. Hmmm I notice that all but two of those States are "RED" ones and us with our yankee NY plates.  Good thing we took off our Hillary bumper sticker.  While on the road we most often listen to Sirius Radio that Ron has tuned to the 60s channel. As we were listening to DJ Phlash Phelps Ron said I should call him and see what places he would suggest for us to visit. If you've ever listened to Phlash you know he  is always talking about his travels and the interesting places in different parts of the country. In fact he just completed his second tour of each of the 50 states and this time he did all 50 in 9 months, four days.  Well we got through and he knew Chaumont was north of Syracuse and he had visited the Thousand Islands and Boldt Castle. He talked to us for quite a while and gave us all sort of places to stop and a short segment of our conversation was even on his national  broadcast. Oh the things you do to liven up long car rides. We passed through Tupelo, the birthplace of Elvis, but didn't stop as we were heading to Oxford to channel Faulkner rather than "the king - Elvis."  We drove the back roads this part of the trip and there is a lot of open spaces in Alabama and Mississippi. It hearkened the image of the old south.  Driving through Scotsboro conjured up a darker period.  The temp was 71 degrees and sunny. It felt like summer! Arrived in Oxford and we visited the home of William Faulkner. As with many writers he was to say the least an "interesting" character.  I have to admit he wasn't my favorite in grad school. I remember writing a paper on Light in August and wanting to scratch my eyes out but I feel I need to give him another chance since he is so acclaimed.(Nobel prize in Literature) The house seemed very modest but maybe it was because we were at the Biltmore yesterday. From there we went to Courthouse Square, which is their quaint and historic downtown with nice shops, restaurants and book stores. In fact MSN had a list of the quaintest towns in each of the 50 States and Oxford made the list.  Ron bought a couple of Ole Miss shirts. In a blog I'd read that Ajax Diner in that area was good so we went their for our fix of southern cooking. I had red beans and rice, fried okra, coleslaw and corn bread. Ron ate a "doctored" meatloaf with red beans and rice and cheese grits topped off with some pecan pie. YUM!!! The area around the university reminded us of our days in Greenville, NC. We didn't stop at the university but did head for Greenville - Mississippi that is - to spend the night. Another nice day!

Views of Rowan Oak 

Rowan Oak - Home of William Faulkner

Faulkner's home from 1930 - 1962

Typical Southern Home

Faulkner's Study

He did his writing here until he added on to the house to add a study in the back

Faulkner's Parlor

His Wife Estelle's bedroom where she painted

Oxford Mississippi Courthouse

Oxford City Hall

Ron in conversation with Faulkner

Some of the many shops in Courthouse Square

Great southern food at Ajax Diner

 

CALIFORNIA HERE WE COME! - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - Day Five - Greenville, MS to Waco, TX

Awoke to rain but that did not dampen my enthusiasm for our next destination. I know I never thought I'd be headed to Waco which conjures thoughts of the Branch Davidian cult but HGTV changed that. As a huge fan of the tv show Fixer Upper with Chip and Joanna Gaines I told Ron that if we ever went through Texas again I wanted to visit Magnolia Market and the Silos. So we headed to Waco. We have already been to San Antonio and we're not interested in going to Dallas. Being this close to the Super Bowl, we know we want to stay far away from the craziness going on in Houston also. We traveled some back roads again and added AK, LA, and TX to our states. That makes 13 states so far if you're keeping track. We have driven 2,200 miles, 35 hours of driving time, since we left home. On the way we passed beautiful homes on the banks of the Mississippi, which we crossed today, along with towns that looked as though they had been left behind by time and prosperity. The weather was cooler today with the temperature 44 degrees at 9 am. The speed limit in Texas is 75 so we made good time today, although Ron rarely goes anywhere near that speed.  Stopped for lunch in Chandler, Texas at Los Dos Potrillos, and had a good meal - Ron had tamales, beans and rice and I had the chicken fajitas, beans and rice. Que Rico! Arrived in Waco around 5 pm and found a hotel. After a 7 1/2 hour drive it was time for happy hour and we broke out the traveling Manhattans.




PS - So excited that Sharon Thornber who was on her way to Myrtle Beach actually heard Ron on the radio yesterday! Small World! And on that same note, when I posted on FB that I was going to be in Waco, Gail Filas Watson, who
like Sharon a former teacher at Sackets contacted me saying she lives in Waco. I knew she was in Texas but I didn't know where! Small World!!!!! I wish I had know ahead of time and we could have gotten together.

Sorry no pix today! It is hard to take decent pictures out of the car. I'll have my camera when we go to Magnolia Market and the Silos tomorrow.  Afterwards we head towards Albuquerque with who knows what stops between here and there. 

CALIFORNIA HERE WE COME! - Friday, February 3, 2017 - Day Five - Waco, TX to Van Horn, TX

Up and out early. We wanted to be at Magnolia Market when they opened. We made a quick stop at the Silos bakery first and had a goodie but were surprised that they didn't have any tea. (I think you could get some at one of the food trucks on the compound.) We were in line as the store opened and were greeted as we entered. There were many clerks and everyone was extremely helpful. As you looked around you could see Joanna's design aesthetic throughout the store. You were surrounded by wire and metal containers for flowers and many of the accent pieces that are featured on Fixer Upper. The kitchen area had concrete counters and white subway tile and resembled the Gaines' kitchen. The only thing missing was the ship lap. Even though it was early there were quite a few people there and they predicted more people later as they made their way to Houston for the Super Bowl. We made a few purchases - I could have bought more and may regret not buying that clock we were looking at- and then moved out to see the grounds. They had all types of seating on the grounds and as I mentioned about a dozen food trucks which opened for lunch. They have added shaded seating since they opened as people requested it to combat the summer heat and sun in Waco. We stopped at the seed and garden store before exiting the property. It was pretty impressive to see what the Gaines have done in the last four years to preserve a Waco landmark and to energize the old downtown businesses. They must not sleep between their TV show, realty business, new line of furniture, rugs, paints etc. There is a shuttle which takes you around Downtown Waco and has stops at some of the businesses that Chip and Joanna patronize i.e. Antique stores and the wood shop of Clint Harper, who often makes special order tables etc for Joanna. We asked a clerk if the Gaines were ever in the store and they said not often but that Chip had babysat for her when she was little. They also said that Magnolia Market employs 400+ people. I have to say that even though I've wanted to go here since it opened for me it lived up to the hype and I wasn't disappointed in the least. Ron was standing around like a typical male shopper when a similarly disinterested man of the same demographic group started up a conversation only to find out his "lady friend" was from Lockport NY.  

From there we followed one of Phlash Phelps suggestions and went to the Dr. Pepper Museum which was in walking distance of the Silos. It was interesting learning about the origin of the nation's oldest major soft drink which had its origins in Waco. We finished our tour with a sundae before we got back on the road. We had a long drive today -  Although with the crazy speed limit of 75 mph we should make good time - correction the speed limit just went up to 80😳 Yikes!!!!- because we are trying to cover enough ground so we get into Las Vegas in time to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday.  Remember the Super Bowl starts at 6:30 ET but that will be 3:30 PT.  We stopped in Pecos so we could have some good Texas BBQ before we get out of the state. It was scrumptious! Arrived in Van Horn, TX at about 9:15 pm.

We crossed an almost dry Colorado River today and have traveled 2500 miles passing through San Angelo, Abilene, Midland, Odessa and Pecos today.  This part of Texas is not very scenic. It's dusty, brown and very oil industry based.... although you would see an oil rig, cotton and windmills - 1,000's of them - all in the same field.  You see oil rigs, refineries, lots of rundown mobile homes and RVs, trash and metal waste all over. Makes you appreciate home! 

We're coming CJ!!!! Getting closer everyday.

Views of Magnolia Market and the Silos

We started with a sweet roll from the bakery

We were in line when the store opened up.

Hard to believe that 35,000 people a week visit here

One of the displays

Looked at the clock on the right side - should have gotten it

Chip's favorite - Demo Day

Shades of Joanna's own kitchen

There is lots of outdoor space for the children

And the adult - they hold concerts here sometimes

The Silos

Saved by Magnolia

We checked out the garden shop

Views from the Dr. Pepper Museum

A bit of background on Dr. Pepper

The original bar where Dr. Pepper was served

The Doctor

Dr Pepper Truck

Enjoying just one of our stops along our journey West.

Good-bye Silos - Good-bye Waco