Vacation!

Last month, we decided to get out of town for the long weekend. I got 5/3 off so I took 5/2 off to make it a 4 day weekend. After we talked about where to go, it turned into a whole week...2000 miles, give or take. It was fantastic!

Our first stop was Ashville, North Carolina and the Biltmore Estate. Completed in 1895. 250 rooms. 43 bathrooms, 35 bedrooms and 65 fireplaces. 8,000 acres. If you ever get the chance to go, take it. You won't be sorry, I promise. It's just mind blowing!! When we were standing smack in front of it, all I could think was, why? Honestly, why do you want a house like that? I just can't even think that big!! 172,000 square feet. If it were all on 1 level, it would cover 4 acres. The whole place is stunning. The detail in every little thing is just unbelievable. 

(remember, you can click on the pictures to see them larger) 

would you even think to do your ceilings like this?!

or this...

or like this?!

This library holds over 10,000 books!

how about tooled leather wall coverings?

your own gym

your own indoor pool

I loved it when you leave the house, there is this table to show you what's blooming in the gardens today. Pretty cool. 

Their own conservatory...

and vineyard

I bet I took over a 100 pictures! It was so astounding!

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Our next stop was Savannah, Georgia. I spent so much time looking around at everything, I hardly took any pictures! Savannah is a beautiful city. The history, the architecture of the homes - holy wow!!! The heat and humidity is awful though. I don't know how they did it! Ugh.

I love Spanish moss!!

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Then we went to Hilton Head, South Carolina. It was really pretty in a swanky, beach resort kind of way. We had lunch here and I ate calamari for the first time. Meh.

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Next stop, Charleston, SC. Again, the history is amazing. And the old part of Charleston is so different from Savannah. Colorful, charming, southern :-) We are convinced, southerners are a lot nicer than mid-westerners. 

And there I am...that's the Atlantic ocean! Now I've really been on both coasts!!

We also took the tour out to Fort Sumter. It was a beautiful day to be out on the water. After Fort Sumter, we went across the harbor and toured an aircraft carrier and a battleship.

Have you ever seen an airplane with it's wings folded up?!

You can't even see the other end!!

This was the battleship, parked next door.

Our last stop before heading north again, was Myrtle Beach. VERY touristy!! Maybe we would've done the boardwalk if I hadn't been so sunburned, but I'm not sure. We really had the best weather almost the whole time!

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On our way home, in Virginia, we ran into this traffic. Stopped, not moving, for almost 2 hours!!! That was a first for both of us. It sucked!

These tunnels were outrageously long! 5400 feet.

8 solid, busy days, 2,000 miles, 9 states! I LOVE our adventures and road trips!

does anything change?

Today, in the wake of death, what change is needed? 

I read the text of the President's speech yesterday. I listened briefly to the news this morning. It's the same old talk. Same old words. Common sense gun laws are needed. What are those? Because that's not going to matter. Restrictions are needed. What kind of restrictions? Do you want to ban assault weapons? What exactly are those? Be specific. Then, do it. Both sides, make compromises if you have to. Get it done. But don't be vague. Don't be lazy. Stand up to whoever you need to. Good grief. Stop saying the same old things. If you want to ban assault rifles, do it. It won't be the first time. If you can show people that it'll make a difference, then show them, prove it. But if you're lazy, and you're true concern is the power you yield as a legislator, then just shut up and sit there. Stop blaming. Stop pointing fingers. But if you believe it's for the good of the people, then just do it. Isn't that your job? Go ahead, give it a try!

But, when you've done that, then you better be ready to address the real problems. You better be ready to discuss and fix the problems in this country that have led us to where we are today. Because taking aspirin for a fever, only makes the fever disappear, not the flu itself. Same things apply to the people. Stop being lazy. Go ahead, give it a try! 

Do YOU think that will happen? Ever? Politicians...media...religion...

Whatever happened to just doing the right thing? Looking out for each other. Being kind and helpful. Thinking about others before yourself? 

time off

If you work, do you take all your time off? You know, like some people are "earn it and burn it" kind of folks. Every time they get a second to take off work, they do. I get a lot of time off during the year. Besides 12 to 14 paid holidays every year, I also get 4 weeks of vacation, 6 sick days and 3 personal days. That's a whopping 43 days a year! I could almost take a day off every week! I don't though. The only time I use my sick time is if I'm actually sick, which isn't very often. Oh, I also use it for any kind of medical/dental appointments. Again, not very often. Sooooo, right now I have 39 days of sick time and 24 days of vacation time on the books.

When I first started working in the corporate world, years and years and years ago, and people would quit or retire from their jobs with a TON of time off on the books, I use to think, what the hell is wrong with you people!?!? Take your time off!!! My fella use to work for a company that made you take your time off. Take you vacation time off or lose it. They were serious about their staff having breaks! Where I work, if you don't take your time off it just builds up. But when you leave they'll only pay out 225 hours. You lose anything after that. Anyway...it turns out that I am one of those people now, who doesn't take their time off! What is wrong with me?! Geesh.

I'm going to try and do better. Take more time off. Even if we aren't going somewhere. It's good for your mental health :-) Plus, I don't want to feel dumb. Hey! I might even cheat and use some sick time for no good reason!!

Nomads

Have you ever been RV-ing? I don't just mean camping either. I mean an RV or 5th wheel or trailer. You know, something you can cook in and take a shower and flush a toilet. I haven't. It seems like a lot of work. I bet camping is easier. But normally, you can't just travel around the country, camping. You can't really live like that. Like snowbirds - They travel in their RV/trailer to warmer climates in the winter and back home in the summer. Could you do that? Live in an RV? When was the last time you were IN an RV?! They're spectacular! Seriously. If you're going to travel extensively, RV's seem to be pretty comfy. 

I couldn't to it though. For one, gas prices and mileage make it seem prohibitive to me. And it costs a lot more than you think to pull into some RV place and hook it up. Now, RV parks have amenities. Playgrounds for the kids, grassy areas with picnic benches, mini markets. I bet it's still less expensive to just drive somewhere and get a hotel! Beyond that though - could you live in an RV? I'm certain that I couldn't. Sure, maybe for a month. But that's it. I need more stuff than what I could put in an RV. Also, I have to have a home base. I need it. It's a form of stability. I need stability. I keep thinking about that movie, Nomad. Nope, not for me.

Maybe when I was a lot younger I could've done it. But now I have things. And I like it. Could you live with only what you need? Like people did 150+ years ago? It wasn't easy, that's why we don't live like that anymore :-)

Anyway, my younger brother and his wife are currently living in their RV. The goal is to travel around Nevada and Arizona and find a place they like and buy something, a small house or a condo. The original plan I think was for a year or so. It's only been a couple of weeks and he's really struggling with the plan. He hates not having a "home base."  I hope he can change his view and enjoy the next year instead. I want to try and be positive when I talk to him but I'll be lying. 

Memorabilia

Do you collect things? How much would you pay for something you wanted to have, that serves no purpose whatsoever, other than, you have it and no one else does. I have a smaller collection of beanie babies. I gave most them away. But I wouldn't pay hundreds of $$ just to have one that was rare. I also have a small collection of Funko Pop. I have all but a couple of Groot. But again, the few that I don't have are $40 and $90. I just like them. I didn't buy them for an investment. Some people have whole garages stuffed with toys and games, in boxes, brand new, that they buy and hold onto in hopes that they'll be worth a lot of $$ later on! I guess if I had a ton of expendable cash, I would probably spend more on art. I saw "a list" of the most expensive celebrity/movie memorabilia ever sold.

* The Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car sold for $805k in 2011.

* Julie Andrews 'Do-Re-Mi' dress fetched $1.3 million in 2013. 

* Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball sold for over $3 million.

* The Maltese Falcon statue sold for $4,085,000 mill in 2013

* Ripley's Believe It or Not bought the dress that Marilyn Monroe wore when she sang happy        birthday to JFK, for $4.8 million in 2016!

* Robby the Robot!!! I loved him! You know, from Forbidden Planet? $5.3 million at a 2017              auction. I'd rather watch the movie - he was alive in that!

* The most expensive guitar ever sold at auction was Kurt Cobain's MTV Unplugged guitar. A         whopping $6,010,000!!! Seriously?!

* Elizabeth Taylor's tiara went for $4.2 million at auction. 

Sorry, I just don't think anything a celebrity has, is worth that kind of money. 

Scary shi*t!

Do you like horror movies? I love a good scary/suspense movie but I'm not a fan of slasher movies. A whole lot of people are though! I think there's a difference between horror, just scary, slasher and thriller. We have a son-in-law that is a huge fan of the horror genre. He's extremely well versed in it. It isn't just about the blood and guts for him. He appreciates all the little nuances and he likes that feeling of being frightened; like that moment at the top of the roller coaster, right before you plunge to your death! Hey, some people only like high school humor comedies. Some people only like documentaries. Anyway, you know I love lists. So here is the top ten list of the scariest movies of all time;

10. King Kong 1933

9. The Birds 1963

8. Repulsion 1965

7. Son of Saul 2015

6. Frankenstein 1931

5. Werckmeister Harmonies 2001

4. Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1956

3. The Bride of Frankenstein 1935

2. Rosemary's Baby 1968

1. Psycho 1960

I haven't even heard of a couple of them! The list is actually the top 100, and if you're interested, here's the link;

https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/this-is-the-best-horror-movie-of-all-time-according-to-critics/ss-AAVDWOk?li=BBnb7Kz#image=2

The Oscars

Did you watch the Academy Awards?

I didn't. Not because I haven't seen any of the movies. I saw 1/2 of them. But because I got tired of being held captive while people who think they're better than me tried to force me to listen to their opinions - about politics/social injustice/war, etc. Meh. I go to or watch movies for entertainment. That's not to say that occasionally I don't watch those "based on a true story" movies. But even then, unless it's a real documentary, it's still acted out.

Anyway. I read last week that viewership of the Oscars last year was down almost 75%. WOW! Well...there was a pandemic. Not a lot of movies were made. Not a lot of theaters showed those movies, so, duh. I guess they were hoping to bring people back in. Now, all that being said, what do you think about the slap seen 'round the world?! Was that real or staged? I mean, that seems pretty out of character for Will Smith. And Chris Rock handled it remarkably well. Hmmmm. 

If it wasn't staged and it was a real moment, (brought to you by actors) why is it so hard to believe? Because they're actors? Because you think Will Smith is a nice guy? Or is it because of our fake culture? Shouldn't we be more concerned that if it was real, we aren't appalled at the violent outburst?

I personally think almost everything in reality tv, is scripted. And I don't bat an eye anymore when an entertainer lip syncs a live performance. Marketing execs used to at least try and make you believe in the illusion. Now, everyone knows that pictures are photo shopped and air brushed. Everyone knows that a Whopper will NEVER look like that one in the commercial!! And still, we accept that. There have been tv programs that show you how it's done. No secrets. People will call out obvious photo shopped mistakes on social media. It's so crazy!

It all seems pretty coincidental, doesn't it?

What has YOUR state done?

One of the channels I subscribe to on YouTube is The World According to Briggs. Briggs is a funny guy. All he does is lists. Lists about states. Top ten states with the best weather. Top ten states that no one wants to move to. Top ten states with affordable housing. Top 10 reasons not to move to Wisconsin. He does city and small town stuff too. Some of it statistical and some of it based on opinion/surveys. But they're fun. Last week he did one called, Coolest Inventions From Each State. Ready?

Alabama - the electric hearing aid 
Alaska - ranch dressing

Arkansas - movies with sound in 1923

Arizona - the taser

California - the iPhone in 2007

Colorado - the cheeseburger

Connecticut - vulcanized rubber (and nylon)

Delaware - Kevlar

Florida - air conditioning (and Gatorade)

Georgia - the cotton gin

Hawaii - surfing

Idaho - the television

Illinois - the transistor

Indiana - the washing machine in 1874

Iowa - the 1st gas powered tractor

Kansas - helicopter

Kentucky - bourbon (and the song, happy birthday)

Louisiana - Jazz

Maine - the diving suit

Maryland - bottle caps

Massachusetts - Facebook

Michigan - the automobile assembly line

Minnesota - rollerblades

Mississippi - Pine sol cleaner

Missouri - the ice cream cone

Montana - the portable heart monitor

Nebraska - the ski lift

Nevada - blue jeans

New Hampshire - the Segway

New Jersey - the lightbulb

New Mexico - the atomic bomb

New York - toilet paper

North Carolina - the airplane

North Dakota - the Kodak camera

Ohio - the traffic light

Oklahoma - the parking meter

Oregon - Wiki pages

Pennsylvania - bubble gum

Rhode Island - automatic sprinkler system

South Carolina - the military submarine

South Dakota - the cyclotron

Tennessee - cotton candy

Texas - the electric typewriter 

Utah - airbags

Vermont - sandpaper

Virginia - chap stick

Washington - Windows operating system

West Virginia - steam boats

Wisconsin - the blender

Wyoming - the first National Park

..."be nice to each other"

I'm SO excited!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's Time!!!

Senate passes bill to make daylight saving time permanent!

It's time again!

You know...it happened again...changed my clocks. Ok, well I didn't actually change any of them. They all changed magically, by themselves :-) Except for the one in my car, which I don't ever change anyway because it's so complicated! I did see this year though that there is more talk about ditching the change! You know I'm all for that!!!

https://indyscootergirl.blogspot.com/2021/11/tell-me-again-what-time-is-it.html

what's next?!?!?!

-Inflation, that's what! And I'm not just talking about the price of a used car or a new home or an extra buck at the gas pump either.

You know, for the last 6 weeks or so, our grocery bill has been about $40 to $50 more. We do a full shopping every couple of weeks and fill in where necessary. As the bill has gotten higher, I've thought to myself, we're so fortunate that we can afford this increase. But last week, it really slammed  into me!! We went to the store for "some" things. We did buy a couple things we don't usually but we didn't buy any meat, and very little produce. Anyway....$151.00. OMG! It literally made me feel nauseous. $151!!!!!! Holy smokes. Then, this morning, my fella put 3/4 of a tank a gas in my car and it was $60.00. Thank heavens for teleworking. It's only 2 days a week but it's going to make a big difference. When he told me that, how much it cost, my first thought was, lots of people won't be able to afford to go to work! How freaking absurd is that?!?!?! 

I don't know how this can go much further. Some prognosticators are pretty confident that we'll see $6 + a gallon for gas. It's pretty close to that in some states already. 

I suspect Aldi and Walmart will become a lot busier. There will be less vacation travel for sure. The world we live in right now seems so precarious, in so many ways. It makes me sad.

Quilled cakes!

There's actually a category for cake quilling!

Look at these beautifully delightful cakes!!!

Wow!!!  Wasn't that fun to see?