|
The Weekly Newsletter |
Menus and Stories for April 13 - 17, 2009
|
|
| Still in Texas |
|
I write to you today from our last night in Texas. It has been a humdinger of a state. Larger than imaginable. Stranger. Odder. Bigger than life itself, almost. Okay, not really. We've been in Texas for so long I hardly know what else there IS.
But tomorrow we cross that magic state line and start into Louisiana for a zip of a time. Then, just like that we'll scoot across Mississippi and Alabama and then Florida. And it will be time for me to come home.
Not quite, but almost. |
|
|
|
|
|
Eating is good |
The eating part of this journey is certainly an entertaining part. At this restaurant, the baker brought in huge trays of meringue pies, high as a mountain. And today, at Mama Jack's we were invited to sample the buffet, where every single thing (EVERY single thing) was fried. We opted for a sandwich, wishing not to look like all the other patrons.
The best dining is done in the parking lot of whatever motel we're stayng in. Our chef is a great cook and we snuggle into our plastic chairs and enjoy the fruits of her labors.
The other day, best of all, we all got to have Congo Bars and Brownies that were shipped out from the shop. BIG raves came from the riders and I got a taste of home. Ah home. |
|
|
|
|
| Bluebonnet Country |
|
I'd always HEARD about the roadside wildflowers here but I never would have imagined how spectacular they are. And this year there is a drought so I'm told they are usually much more prevalent. Still, the fields are filled with Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush and Evening Primrose. Today I rode past a stand of wild Amaryliss. Crazy!
I'm now in the eastern most part of the state, bayou country. But even here the roadsides have flowers. We could all take a lesson. And send a big thanks to Lady Bird Johnson. |
|
|
|
|
| |
Dinners to go for this week |
Dinners come with a freshly-made green salad, salad dressing of the day, and made-right here bread of the day. We take reservations until noon or so. Please order by phone (252-1500), by fax (252-0200) or stop in to speak to one of us in person.
Dinners are ready to pick up between 4:30 and 6:00.
Monday April 13 Citrus Herbed Chicken w/Asparagus 10.25
Tuesday April 14 Pub-style Fish & Chips 11.25
Wednesday April 15 Beef Tenderloin Tips w/Rosemary potatoes 13.25
Thursday April 16 Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken w/Monterey Jack 10.25
Friday April 17 Crabcakes w/Tri-Color Slaw 13.25
|
|
Our website |
|
|
| Special casserole of the week |
|
We make a special casserole each Wednesday.
Give us a call on Tuesday before we close and we'll fix you up.
Order a half if you have around 4 folks, or, if you have a bigger group,
Or just like leftovers, order a full sized one.
Then come pick up between 4:30 and 6:00 on Wednesday.
This week's special casserole is for April 15:
Hearty Beef & Butternut Squash Stew Full 38.25/Half 19.25
*And thank heavens your taxes are done!
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Dining Out for Life |
Well, out here in motel land I am not able to attach the picture of the logo for this wonderful event. But if you go to the shop, you will see tents on all our tables with the red AIDS ribbon on it. In case you don't know, April 30 is Dining Out for Life day in Asheville. A whole bunch of participating restaurants open their doors and give 20% of the day's sales to the Western North Carolina AIDS project (WNCAP).
We'll participate. Breakfast. Lunch. And Dinner to Go. Please make sure you go out somewhere on this day. You have 3 chances and a whole bunch of places to go (including us). It means a whole lot to WNCAP and the people it serves. |
|
|
|
|
| "Black Gold, Texas Tea" |
|
| These oil pumps churn up and down, up and down. The fields are filled with them and also with cows, chewing and grazing and ignoring the machinery. I rode past and couldn't resist singing the Beverly Hillbilly theme song at the top of my lungs. (Don't you wish you could have heard that?) |
|
|
|
|
|
When in doubt, clean |
Our bikes are everything. I've learned so much. I can now take things on my bike apart, clean them, and put them back together. And they still work!
The day after I did this cleaning I fell and banged myself up pretty thoroughly. My bike, too, got injured. The whole gang here stepped up and helped and before I knew what was going on I was back on the road, on someone else's bike, my bike was on its way to the shop, and my skinned knees were doctored.
Zoom. Zoom. Zoom.
My friend Jim said the moral of the story is, "Don't Clean Your Bike."
Um...maybe. |
|
|
|
|
| A Note from Laurey |
|
Hi there,
Whew - what a whirlwind this is. Riding, riding, riding through the Southern Tier of the United States. Tomorrow, as I said, we ride into Louisiana. We'll be there for less than a week before heading further East. Texas is huge. The other states, from now on, will be a mere zip.
It seems like I should have some conclusions about this ride. But I'm still very much in the middle of it, well, I'm past the exact middle, but, well, you know what I mean. Anyway, the point is, it is too soon to d anything. I'm still IN it.
One thing that IS a good learning, that will, I hope stay with me when I leave, is that the only thing that matters, really, is right now. I've spent a whole lot of time obsessing about things in the future. I mean, planning is one thing, but worrying and living in fear, and getting sick about what MIGHT be, is just not worth it.
Take this trip: of course it is essential to be prepared by having the right clothing and the right training and the right food and enough sleep. And it is helpful to have an idea of the weather so we can ride comfortably. But you can't know everything, you can't know EXACTLY where a hill is going to be (well, you CAN but what fun is that?) and you can't know EXACTLY how the wind will affect the ride, even if you KNOW there is going to be a wind. With the exception of missing about 9 miles when I fell and got hurt the other day, I have ridden all the miles on this ride. And I am gradually coming to accept that I CAN do this and that I WILL do it, no matter what the wind or the weather or the hills present.
This is a good lesson for me. Get up. Get dressed. Ride. Trust. Trust that I can. Trust that I will. Trust that I am trained. Trust that I am capable. Trust that I will be able to do this.
I haven't always trusted. And I probably won't ALWAYS trust that everything will be fine. But more and more, especially after the experience of this ride, I am believing, more and more, that I CAN trust and that it WILL all be alright. It continues to be, here, in this experience. And that is something I can surely take with me for the rest of my life. I intend to.
And there are probably other lessons. Still coming.
I'll be in touch next week.
Oh - please don't forget about our Argentine evening on the 25th. Wonderful food. Paired Wines. I'll give you a final reminder next week. And, we'll be closed on Easter, but do come see us for Sunday breakfast/brunch every other Sunday. 9 until 2. YUM!
Cheers to you all.
|
|
Laurey Bikes - the blog |
|
|
|
A simple turn is all it takes |
| I continue to be thrilled to be here, but seeing this sign reminds me of how good things are at home. I am lucky to be here, but lucky to be from there. And lucky, too, that that is where home is. I'll be back before you know it. |
|
|
|
|
|
