Tag: Travel

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Groceries

Depending upon where you live in the U.S., the store where you buy groceries can be very different from the grocery stores in other parts of the country. In some states you can buy liquor in the grocery store. In Virginia, you can buy beer and wine, but not liquor. I hear that in Tennessee you can’t even buy wine in the grocery, but you can buy beer except on Sunday mornings.

Close to my house, the best grocery store is Food Lion. We are lucky that it is one of their larger stores. The produce section is especially nice – a huge variety and all the vegetables and fruits are fresh and bruise-free. We have a large selection of meats and several aisles of frozen foods. I try to limit my shopping to once a week, but it is so convenient that I can run by there any time.

When I was growing up, the two main grocery stores were Giant and Grand Union, and if you were willing to drive all the way into Rosslyn you could shop at a Safeway store. I don’t think there are any Grand Unions anymore – they disappeared, Food Lions sprang up and now we have Wal-Marts, too.

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RV Covers

My mom and dad have a great RV that is basically a Toyota truck cab and engine and a short stack camper in the back. The camper has a queen size bed, small table and bench seat (that folds out to another bed), tiny kitchen and a full bathroom with shower. This camper is about half the size of the Airstream camper that we used to take on the road when I was a kid, so we call it “The Mini.”

My folks don’t travel as much as they used, so “The Mini” has been parked in the back yard of their summer place for several months, next to the Airstream. I decided that buying RV Covers would be a good anniversary gift for them. The covers are easy to put on and will keep them clean. Their anniversary is next month, so I will check out the covers on Camping World’s web site and see if they have the right fit for the two campers.

I was thinking about doing this for Christmas, but came up with a different idea for that holiday, leaving it an option to fall back on for the other numerous gift giving occasions that come up through out the year.

 

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From Flip Flogs to Hiking Boots

Summer means camping and fishing to me, so my wardrobe is going to need just a little boost from some more rugged outdoor wear. I need things with pockets and ventilated shirts so I don’t get too hot while I stay covered up against mosquitoes and biting flies. My usual flip flops and sandals are certainly not going to get me very far on the trail, so I’m looking for a new pair of hiking boots. I want good construction so they are not only comfortable but they should last for several years. Not something that I want to just pick up cheaply at our local Walmart.

Also, I want waterproof boots this time. There’s not much that can ruin a hiking trip like wet feet. When I think about work boots or hiking boots, the brand that first comes to mind is always going to be Wolverine. This is a brand that I have known and trusted for over 20 years. My very first pair of work boots for an outside and very intense summer job while in high school were Wolverine Boots and I’ve been a diehard fan ever since.

I really like the tread design so that these boots will grab the rocks and gravel on a hiking trail to prevent slipping and the high tops will protect my ankles from twisting or turning on the rocks. When I’m ready to order them, I plan on using the web site, metboots.com. They have my size in stock and a reasonable price, with a reputation for great customer service. That’s all I need to get my new boots shipped right to my house.

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Executive Motel Miami Style!

If she wasn’t my BFF (Best Friend Forever) for well over 30 years, a friendship that first got it’s start somewhere literally decades ago back in the fourth grade, I’d been green with the type of jealously that the female population is so “well-known for” acting out on . Usually acted out in some type of negative way that is considered acting like a drama queen within a very wide spectrum of levels and angles that has the potential to mystify even the best Geometrist.

I’m speaking of the plans (that she sent me all the links and info to via email) that she and her “new guy” have come up with to celebrate their first Valentine’s Day together, as a couple. It is so cool to see her so happy and excited with a guy that so far has proved himself to be of good character, has a wonderful sense of humor and appears to be generally a good guy all the way around. All this and more for almost 10 months now. She hasn’t been and stayed in a relationship for this long in many, many moons. I’m so enjoying watching the whole relationship blossom, praying all through the way that there won’t be too many thorns on the rose that she is so totally enjoying right now.

Executive Fantasy Hotels
Executive Miami Hotel

I’m the first to admit that I know nothing (but am certainly open-minded to) about any of the “Fantasy Hotels” anywhere, much less the one that they have reservations for that is down in Florida – The jumps right out there at me and makes everything else around it a blur!

Generally I’d be sending her off with a “Good Luck” and make sure to take plenty of pictures. But I think I’ll be leaving off the photo request for this particular trip that will be a once in a life-time opportunity to have a blast!

 

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Waterproof Binoculars

With my Dad’s birthday coming up next month I am already starting to stress about what I can buy for him for his birthday present. Buying gifts for either of my parents is a tough assignment, as they are well off and have just about anything they need or want as well as it being right after Christmas. So finding a present they will like and appreciate becomes a bigger challenge on every gift giving occasion.

My Dad is healthy and active, and loves to be out on the water, so I think that getting something nautical would be nice. He keeps a small skiff at a marina near his condo in Cape Coral, Florida, and also has the sailboat up on the Chesapeake. I went back to some old bookmarks and ended up on the www.opticsplanet.net web site. That’s where I got the great idea to get my Dad some Bushnell binoculars for his birthday. The web site has a huge selection of binoculars, so you can find the right pair to meet your needs. After all, you don’t want the same pair of binoculars on a hunting trip that you want to take to a Titans game or out on your boat. Everything that goes on a boat has to be waterproof and corrosion resistant.

Bushnell has several models of waterproof binoculars, with varying zooms and other features that span several different price points. Reading the reviews and buying guides on the www.opticsplanet.net will help me make the right decision and get my Dad the perfect birthday present.

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Elton John in Vegas

My folks are leaving next Wednesday for Las Vegas to attend the big annual convention for my dad’s company. They always have the convention in Las Vegas and wives are encouraged to go, as they host events that couples can attend and they also leave large blocks of time for networking or spending time on the Strip. Dad wants to surprise my mom with tickets to a show that she thinks he does not want to see. He told me that the truth is he would like to see the Elton John show, but he wants her to think otherwise so he can surprise her. They are going to be in Vegas for the convention until Sunday, but my dad decided to stay an extra night and have some fun. So they have several nights there to fill with entertainment.

Since they go to this convention every year, they have already seen a lot of the big shows. The Elton John show is new and only there for a short time, so he wasn’t sure he could even get tickets. I told him about the web site that I used last time I was in Vegas, www.BestofVegas.com and that if he wants tickets, this is the best site for buying them. All the top shows in Vegas are listed on the site and you can read show reviews, see clips of the different performances, and buy your tickets online. Elton John is one of the biggest Las Vegas Shows booked this year, and my folks are lucky that the convention coincides with Elton John’s appearances. My mom has been a huge fan of Elton John since she was a kid. Her favorite song is “Candle in the Wind.” When she hears that on the radio it makes her think of Princess Diana’s accidental death and it makes her cry. I think any song that can make you cry is a great testament to the strength of the song.

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Fundraising Is A Fact Of Life

Gone are the days in most cities and towns across America when kids were sent knocking on people’s doors trying to sell folks items for a fundraiser.  Let’s face it, schools, churches, sports and all the other non-profit groups, they all desperately need money and fundraising can be a lucrative way to get it.

Unfortunately in today’s world it isn’t necessarily safe for our children to go around the neighborhoods anymore.  Most fundraisers specifically request that the kids do not go door to door anymore, they tell you to have family, co-workers and close family friends help in supporting the organization.

With having two kids I have done my fair share of fundraising and I certainly will still participate when I can.  It was a lot easier when members of my immediate family were all living pretty close to each other, now a days everyone is spread out all over the darn country so that puts a damper on using them as a resource, for the most part.

I ran across a really cool fundraising program on the Web called Schoolpop.com and I am going to contact our elementary school and see if they would be interested in participating in this non-traditional school fundraiser opportunity.

By using Schoolpop, you can pay down your tuition and any extracurricular activity costs, it can assist in paying back student loans for college and help your school earn monies, all year round by shopping at the several hundred listed of name -brand merchants and service providers whether it be online, in stores, catalogs purchases, even with gift cards or with the Schoolpop Visa credit card.

You can apply for the Schoolpop Visa credit card right on line!  Every purchase that you make for your groceries, gas, clothing, movies, restaurants  – it contributes 1% to the student’s school.

It sounds like Schoolpop may be a way to raise money that would/should be embraced by our school and the families, we shall see when I call them this week.  I’ll also call my sister who has a son in a very nice private school and see if she would be interested in learning a cool and easy way to raise money for private schools along with us in the public school system.

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Nationwide Better Be On My Side

After experiencing a fender bender in the bank parking lot, we now get to deal with insurance adjusters and body shops right before the holiday season. Since this happened in a parking lot the police couldn’t do anything but write a report for us both to submit to each person’s insurance company. She backed into me, there is no way of getting around this one. I took pictures with my cell phone and made sure she did the same thing.

After waiting around all day for the insurance rep to arrive, we finally got a call telling us that the adjuster was running behind schedule and won’t be able to get to us until tomorrow.  Of course that ran Hubby into a tissy, he still isn’t feeling well and is mighty grumpy.

Hubby has been sick in the bed for a few days now and his back is hurting, wish we could afford a new bed that would be gentle on his back, the older he gets the worse it seems to bother him.

We will see what tomorrow brings us.

 moonie

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Safe and Secure Mailboxes For Everyone

The apartment complex that is located behind our street is such a mess. The landlord is what we call a typical “slum lord” and doesn’t give a hoot about his tenants, their safety or the neighborhood in general. I feel sorry for the majority of low income people that have to live there. The place is littered with trash, old cars, drug dealers and loud music played all hours of the day and night time. Their Mailboxes are in such sad shape and most of the stair banisters and light bulbs are missing. Such a waste of valuable space.

A good quality source of Commercial Mailboxes is needed for that place. As you walk by you can see all the junk mail, newspapers and the such strewn about the stairs and entrance ways. I’m sure that identity theft must be an issue with a lot of those folks who’s mail boxes are not functioning and locking properly. I hate to see people taken advantage like that, there isn’t any excuse for conditions to be this bad for so many people.  My mailbox needs to be safe and secure. I’ve got one of the nicer of the Residential Mailboxes that I’ve seen in the neighborhood. It has my street numbers on it, but not my last name, which I was told was a smart move. It should last in the outside elements for years to come.

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Free Moving Quotes

When my parents moved to the next county over, I was sixteen, they used a Penske moving truck from the moving truck company down the street by my dad’s office. There was no other choice, you used that company, always.  Now a days we get on the Internet at type in “moving company” and the whole world opens up it’s doors for you.

Seems Ms. Jinx is using a company MovingOrbit.com, it is so cool, it lets you compare multiple estimates for local and/or interstate moving companies.  Done completely on-line, not even a phone call is necessary.

Of course the companies listed are all licensed and insured, none of the fly-by-nights companies that you hear all the horror stories about.  Ms. Jinx needs to find one with great customer service and movers that will treat her lifelong’s belongings with kid gloves.