1 Nov: Tomorrow is another month.
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| A Cold Arrival in Texas! Jon, Cynthia & Ron |
31 Oct: Ron discovered that there is a new BMW dealer in the Woodlands, and he now has an appointment to get a new tire from them tomorrow afternoon at 2 o'clock. His tire pressure dropped from 43 pounds to 23 pounds overnight. That was still sufficient to ride the bike up to Walmart for free air en route to the storage locker. Cynthia had her son Jon transport her to Enterprise to get a rental car for the month. Imagine that! She won't ride on the motorcycle with me. (She probably won't ride on the motorcycle again until we ride to Crystal Beach for December.) After all these days of travel, we finally enjoyed a good walk this afternoon and saw several of the ever-present Walden deer.
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| Swedish Dancer Plates from Angi- Fleurs From Smooch |
30 Oct: Lake Conroe in Texas. Yup, we made it despite forecasts of rain, showers, thunderstorms, a multitude of road blockages, and a slow leak in the rear tire. A rental car isn't available for Cynthia until morning, when the temperature is forecast to be a balmy 31 degrees. The first unsettling sign of trouble appeared as we rode away from the hotel: the tire pressure sensors warned that the rear tire was inflated to a very sub-par 17 pounds (instead of the normal 42 lbs.) Fortunately, there was a gas station right there, and for a $1.50 handful of quarters, we were up to 42 lbs and happy. Our route was straightforward, but soon after we began west on I-10 we ran into an immobile traffic blockage. Since we had come to a complete stop immediately adjacent to an entrance ramp, after waiting for any movement for half an hour, Ron decided to ride the wrong way up the little-used ramp to exit the interstate. By then the tire pressure had dropped to 36 lbs. We then rode north on Louisiana 109 until we found LA 12 (our originally intended route) and rode west on that back onto I-10 into Beaumont, Texas, then north on US 96 a few miles and west on Texas Highway 105 towards Conroe. By now we thought we were home free. Soon after we stopped at a Chevron station to fill up with gas and air, we were disgusted run into another immobile blockage on 105 only 22 miles from Cleveland. After wasting another half hour without moving, a trucker heading the opposite direction signaled to turn around and that the backup was 4 miles long. So we turned tail and headed north on TX 146 from Moss Hill, TX looking for an alternative route, which was Texas highway FM 787 into Cleveland, where we again picked up 105. Things then proceeded smoothly until we arrived at Walden, checked in with the property manager, and discovered yet another blockage on Walden Drive within a mile of the condo !! After watching a seemingly endless stream of cars going the opposite direction, we were finally allowed to proceed past a tractor-trailer rig blocking an entire lane. The cab had gone off the road towards the ditch, but the trailer wheels were still on the roadway. It astonished us to see construction crews working on the two new lanes being added to Walden Drive.
29 Oct: Ron hopes to arise about 6 AM, exercise, eat and get on the road to the motorcycle shop before 8 AM. Wish us luck !! Yay! Mission accomplished. Motorcycle maintenance was done by 10 AM, and Pat suggested that we might want to head westward today while the forecast was decent rather than wait for the rain to keep us penned up for two more days. So we were packed up and out of the hotel by noon, in time to meet Pat for lunch at IHOP. After lunch, significant rain started falling. Fooey !! We waited a few minutes and it stopped, so we quickly got on the bike and headed west on Harding Blvd (LA 408), turned south on Scenic Highway (old US 61) and west again to cross the Mississippi River bridge on old US 190. We were feeling good until we ran into the first heavy shower. I could see it coming for several miles, but hoped that it would be brief or less intense. It wasn't, nor was it the only one. We were riding in rain or drizzle most of the afternoon, and three more times it was impossible to see anything more than the road markings. Thank God there were no accidents or stopped traffic to happen onto or into.
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| Ron's BIG baked potato at Jason's Deli! |
We stopped in Reeves, Louisiana at a Goodyear Tire sales for an overdue restroom break. The pleasant guy working there (owner, I would guess) showed Ron on his smart phone color radar that we were heading directly towards the heavy storms descending upon Beaumont from the north. Shortly after that, when we ran into renewed sprinkles, Ron decided to flee southward on US 171 directly to Lake Charles for the evening, and there we found a Jason's Deli for dinner.
In memory of beloved uncle Lawrence Rambo, a poem by James Whitcomb Riley about the Rambo Apple that our ancestor, Peter Gunnarson Rambo, brought from Sweden in 1640. Seeds from the Rambo Apple were supposedly carried by Johnny Appleseed, according to Rambo history.
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| Rambo Apple |
THE RAMBO-TREE
When Autumn shakes the Rambo-tree—
It's a long, sweet way across the orchard!—
The bird sings low as the bumble-bee—
It's a long, sweet way across the orchard!—
The poor shote-pig he says, says he:
"When Autumn shakes the Rambo-tree
There's enough for you and enough for me."—
It's a long, sweet way across the orchard.
For just two truant lads like we,
When Autumn shakes the Rambo-tree
There's enough for you and enough for me—
It's a long, sweet way across the orchard.
When Autumn shakes the Rambo-tree—
It's a long, sweet way across the orchard!—
The mole digs out to peep and see—
It's a long, sweet way across the orchard!—
The dusk sags down, and the moon swings free,
There's a far, lorn call, "Pig-gee! 'Pig-gee!"
And two boys—glad enough for three.—
It's a long, sweet way across the orchard.
For just two truant lads like we,
When Autumn shakes the Rambo-tree
There's enough for you and enough for me—
It's a long, sweet way across the orchard.
Source: The Book of Joyous Children by James Whitcomb Riley, Illustration "Across the Orchard"
Picture: James Whitcomb Riley, John Singer Sargent, 1903, Wikipedia
Thus ends the tribute trivia. Long live the memory of Lawrence Rambo
28 Oct: Baton Rouge, LA, and DNA! Hi Cynthia. Notice the difference in font sizes. Hi Ron. Isn’t it nice to have variety in life?
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| Ron teaching Pat about her DNA! |
27 Oct: Johnnie Mae’s restaurant in Vidalia, LA fed us great egg-white veggie omelets and oatmeal before we made the chilly ride to Baton Rouge. Layers of clothing kept Cynthia warm, but, she deeply regrets shipping her heated gear home to Montgomery, TX. Chronic hypothermic Ron is usually warm. We arrived at the Hilton Garden Inn to find the hotel remodeled in such a contemporary style we need our millennial grandchildren to show us how to turn on the lights. Pat Bezet, our Bankston-Rambo cousin, and whiz historian joined us for the afternoon and dinner. This super Bankston sleuth is one of our favorite persons to visit every time we return home from the East Coast.
27 Oct: We headed out just about noon after eating breakfast at Johnnie Mae's about 10:30. (The Comfort Inn does not provide comforting food for us. No oatmeal and their grits were floating in butter.)
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| View from our hotel room window |
26 Oct: The rain is abating as we speak. Looks good for an early departure and arrival in Historical Natchez by early afternoon, followed by crossing the mighty Mississippi to Vidalia, LA, and our lodging with a lovely riverfront room. What a pleasant surprise. How fun to have dinner at iconic "Johnnie Mae's Seafood Grille! How tough to pass up shrimp etouffee and other Creole dishes. But the salmon, corn on the cob and baked sweet potato was yummy! We learned that the Mississippi was formed after the last ice age, about 11,000 years ago. It is a mile wide in some spots. So many times we have crossed that big river (including stepping across it in Minnesota) and not learned this fact.
25 Oct: Jackson, Mississippi Rain! We are confined to the hotel. For now, we ate oatmeal and fruit we purchased yesterday, and we are both full. We did walk the halls and stairs for exercise and visited the fitness center for more exercise. The forecast suggests the rain will stop tomorrow around noon in time for us to ride to Natchez, only 70 miles away down the Natchez Trace. We escaped our room in the early afternoon, via the hotel shuttle to the nearby Ruby Tuesday. Now we are doubly full. The song “Jackson” is on my mind, “We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout!” How do I change the lyrics ‘cause the fire didn’t go out?
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| Sunset over Jackson, MS |
24 Oct: Today we rode through rural Alabama and Mississippi, and Ron was privileged to amuse a county Sheriff who pulled him over. Ron had been following a pickup truck at 64 mph on a 55 mph road. At a light, two Harleys roared off followed by another car and two pickup trucks. The Harleys and first car slowly pulled away from the two pickup trucks, and the one I had been following followed the other one closely but did not pass. Eventually, the Harleys were a quarter mile ahead and Ron decided to pass both pickups. As Ron passed the first, he was shocked to see that the next pickup had Sheriff emblazoned on the side. There wasn't room between the two vehicles to safely pull in behind the sheriff, so I just turned on my blinker and eased ahead, whereupon the sheriff turned on his red & blue flashers. Oops. The sheriff asked why Ron passed a marked sheriff's vehicle, and Ron replied, "I sure wouldn't have passed if I had seen the markings in time, but there wasn't room to pull in behind you." Fortunately, it was a beautiful day, and Ron apparently amused the sheriff, so he just chuckled, checked my driver's license and let us go. The ride was very relaxed and the countryside very scenic. On the Natchez Trace, the road passed through seemingly endless forests with occasional croplands, and there was no paved shoulder, but traffic was minimal. That 70 mile was very relaxing. Lots more to tell tomorrow, but now Ron has eaten enough pretzels to promote a good night of sleep and sleepy time is here. Our route for the day was north through Tuscaloosa on AL 69 - amazingly quick for riding entirely through a major college town. Then we turned left onto US 82 and stayed on it to another college town, Starkville, MS, where we found a Ruby Tuesday for lunch. Next, we rode south on MS 12 (rough surface) to Kosciusko, MS, named after a Polish general who was instrumental in the US Revolutionary War. We stopped at the visitor center which was manned by a married couple. The 86-year-old quipped that he married a 22-year-old - - 62 years ago. Here we picked up the Natchez Trace for the remainder of our ride to Jackson, MS where Ron's memory disagreed with the roadways and we ended by riding south in rush hour traffic 15 miles on I-55 and I-20 to the Hilton Garden Inn in Pearl, MS, just south of Jackson.
23 Oct: Today we MUST arrive in Tuskaloosa by 5 PM for dinner with Dr. Jim Bankston at DePalma's Italian Restaurant in Tuscaloosa. And we did just that! Jim and his beautiful wife have four marvelous children. Each one is better than the next! They were really well behaved, very well-spoken, and interested in our adult conversation. We will gladly claim these cousins.
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From left front: Ellis, Reid, Ivie, Anders.
Back: Ron, Cynthia, Deidre and Jm |
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Bankston Cousins!
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| A very loved hug! |
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| Cousins! Anders and Cynthia |
How precious is this! Five-year-old Anders Bankston, about the 14th great-grandson of Anders Bengtsson gave Cynthia a very loving good-bye hug. After dinner the family watched us ride off on our motorcycle, and sixth-grader Reid announced, “They are the coolest people I know!” We love being Reid's coolest people!
We are ensconced at the Hilton Garden Inn until tomorrow trying to figure out travel plans for Friday and Saturday, with 100% rain forecast for both days. At least tomorrow the weather should be lovely for the ride to Jackson, MS. Jackson! Like the song. Our route today was less satisfactory since we needed to make time we rode mostly on I-20 although we did skirt Atlanta traffic by taking the East-West Connector to US 82. Unfortunately 82 was a slow road with lots of lights and a 45 MPH limit
22 Oct: We awoke late and enjoyed oatmeal with bananas for breakfast before settling into computer projects. This blog is Ron's #1 project for this morning (Angi's report takes precedence - and is proving hard to replicate - and I don't find notes to tell me what I did.) Here it is noon already and Angi's vegetables have arrived for her co-op distribution. Ron finally surmised (correctly) that the report Angi wants to be replicated was produced from Reunion on the Macintosh rather than from Family Tree Maker on Angi's PC.
21 Oct: The ride up I-75 from Macon to Atlanta started with very little traffic in Macon and for the first 50 miles, but as we neared Atlanta, the truck traffic became heavier and once inside I-285, the trucks disappeared but cars seemed to be an endless stream in all five lanes through the city center. Ron was happy the GPS was able to locate the Ruby Tuesday's north of I-285 on Delk Road - after he mistakenly took an earlier exit. After lunch, it was simple and quick to backtrack two exits to I-285 east and exit from that immediately on Powers Ferry Road/ Northside Drive to find cousin Angi. She is delightful and energetic as always. Her Word questions were not too hard to figure out thanks to Google. On the other hand, the reports produced by Family Tree Maker do NOT seem to be the ones that she wants to be replicated. Michael arrived home just after we all finished our dinner of spaghetti with buffalo and Pritikin-perfect tomato sauce. Angi is such a dear, thank you.
20 Oct, Sunday: We arose early, and rode off towards Atlanta to see our cousin of a cousin! We rode east on a plethora of roads to avoid the interstate: US 278 W, to R on Burnt Church Road (appealing name, no?), to SC 46 W through Bluffton, SC, with its lovely old moss-laden trees above the roadway, to SC 170 W, to L on US 17 S, to R on SC 170 W into Georgia, which becomes GA 25 crossing a drawbridge instead of a high bridge, to a R on Bonny Ridge Road, to R on GA 21/ GA 30 W, to R on Midland Road, to R on GA 17, to L on Honey Ridge, to L on GA 119 S, to R on Spur 199 into SC 119C to R on US 80 W to Danville, to L on GA 358 W, to L on GA 96 W, to R on Old Hawkinsville Road (never found this) turned too early on US 23/ Alt US 129 which was lovely and the road less traveled until we crossed I-16 L into Macon, exit 2 onto US 80 W again, turned L on Elm Street through a couple of rough neighborhoods to Little Richard Pennington Parkway and the Hilton Garden Inn.
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| That is the ocean beyond the wet parking lot. |
19 Oct: Hilton Head Island, day II. The tropical storm isn't really storming. It is largely some wind and rain. While we are unimpressed with the "resort view" room, the balcony actually had a partial ocean view. The Omni is at least ethical is not advertising it as a "partial ocean view."
Sharon and Quint picked us up at the hotel to take us to lunch at a Vegan restaurant, where we talked for three solid hours! Tonight we gathered for dinner at our hotel for another gabfest for another three hours. Quint has resigned from his job in order to become Lori's office manager, and that is working out nicely for the entire family including 8-year-old Reese.
18 Oct: The Westin gave us a late checkout, and we needed the extra time to get all packed. We rode north on US 17 to again cross over that high bridge into Brunswick, GA and continued until it was easy to switch to I-95, but the traffic there was pretty heavy, so we exited onto US 17 to ride through Savannah. Imagine our surprise to miss Savannah and find ourselves soon entering into South Carolina. Before long we turned right onto GA 170 towards Hilton Head and again onto GA 46 through Bluffton, where the moss-laden trees form a canopy over the 2-lane roadway. Eventually, we came to US 278, the primary road through Hilton Head and continued thereon to the Palmetto Dunes development. Our arrival at Palmetto Dunes was chaotic to Cynthia. Motorcycles are NOT allowed anywhere in the Palmetto Dunes development, despite two hotels on the premises. After getting little information and NO help from the security office staff, we called the Omni hotel for a shuttle, and it took an hour for the Omni shuttle driver to secure permission for us to park the bike in the information center's parking lot. The weather forecast for tomorrow includes rain all day from tropical storm Nestor, so we are staying a second night. The beach walk was lovely. The photo shows the winds we faced initially.
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| Don & Doris treated us to a Ruby Tuesday meal in Brunswick |
17 Oct: We spent the morning walking the beach on Jekyll Island and met our longtime correspondent and genealogy cousin, Don B. and his lovely wife, Doris, at Ruby Tuesday in Brunswick for lunch. Don was stationed in Brunswick during WWII and met and married Doris there; they are still a delightful and loving couple. We all chatted up a storm for the entire afternoon! This meant that we again crossed over that high bridge on US 17 above the inter-coastal waterway. The view was awesome and windy.
In the evening we again walked the beach.
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| walking the beach on Jekyll Island |
16 Oct: Riding forth early we rode north on US 301 through Ocala, FL to Callahan, FL, turned R on FL 200 to L on US 17 N past Jekyll Island and over a very high bridge to Brunswick, GA, where we arrived at our favorite restaurant, Ruby Tuesday for an early dinner before returning south on US 17 over that high bridge to L on GA 520 E through the $8 toll to Jekyll Island, before checking into the Westin Marriott. The hotel and Marriott restaurant disappointed us for two reasons, first, because they could not or would not work with our dietary restrictions, and second, because their "ocean view" rooms do NOT have an ocean view - from the balcony a bit of the ocean can be seen beyond the side of the hotel - a very inferior view. Our dinner of sweet potato was a mash that tasted a bit creamy and after eating oatmeal for breakfast, we discovered the oatmeal was made with cream and butter and we were told that the sweet potatoes were nothing but sweet potatoes with maybe a little bit of cream and butter to improve the taste. We did thoroughly enjoy a great walk on the beach at sunset. Cynthia dictates, "Never again will we stay at a Westin by Marriott." Not likely that we will stay on Jekyll Island again since no restaurant there will feed us according to our diet.
15 Oct: We parted company with Jan & Dorothy at 11 AM and headed, north enjoying Florida warmth and sunshine, all 90 degrees of it. Our route: N on Honore to R on University E to L on Lorraine Road N to R on FL 64 E into US 17 N past Bartow, FL to L on Spirit Lake Road to L on Thornhill to L on FL 540 W (540 is a turnpike - surprise, and we had no quarters) to (exit on Pace Road & Berkley Road) to R on FL 570 E (north) to Polk City to R on County Road 33 (bypassing Orlando) to L on US 27 N to Lady Lake and The Villages. We met Beverly and Eddie for dinner at Ruby Tuesday’s in The Villages. Beverly is doing well, looking good, and being cared for so lovingly by Eddie! It was such fun to walk with them into the city square filled with nightly entertainment; many people were dancing to the rock & roll music. We spent the night at a Hampton Inn nearby.
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| Lookie Hudson, the little flag-waver!! |
14 Oct: Here is Grandson Hudson on Columbus Day, United We Stand!
Thank you, Charles, for your wonderful hospitality! By noon we were riding west to Sarasota to visit long-time friends, Jan and Dorothy. Our route was: N on N Flagler one block along the inter-coastal to L on Palm Beach Lakes Blvd W to R on Australian Ave N to L on 45th Ave W to R on Congress N to L on FL 710 (MLK Jr. Blvd) past Okeechobee, FL to L on FL 70 to Myakka City (which I missed and continued to I-75 S to University and eventually Honore). The route was peaceful and quick until I missed the turn for FL 780 after crossing the Myakka River. Missing the turn worked out well in that we stopped first at Ruby Tuesday and were able to invite Jan & Dorothy to join us for an early dinner. Then we stayed up at their place chatting until my 9 PM pill alarm rang (and it is ringing now, so adieu until tomorrow.)
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| view from Charles' balcony |
13 Oct, Sunday: Ron makes people smile! Imagine that! The lady on the treadmill next to Cynthia said she has never met anyone with such a joyful personality. Smiling Ron rocks out on the arc trainer to rock and roll music. The woman across the room joins in, waving her arms enthusiastically in rhythm to Ron and the music, exclaiming, “You will really be missed.” Ron was able to exercise every single day and burn 400 calories each day on the arc trainer. Also, Ron and Cynthia will miss Pritikin friends, old and new. Thank God for the opportunity to be here from time to time! We were on the road soon after a final lunch with Pritikin friends. Our route was a bit unusual in that we went South and West in order to go North and East; we also avoided city traffic by skirting Miami to the west and detouring further west to South Day, FL. Here is that route: W on 36th to S on 107th to W on Tamiami Trail (US 41) to N on Krome Ave (FL 997) into US 27 N to South Day, FL, then R on FL 80 E to N on FL 15 to R on US 98 E into West Palm Beach and through to Palm Beach, then L on A1A N into S. Ocean Lane past lovely, clear blue breakers until a L on Royal Palm Way W back to A1A N crossing Flagler Memorial Bridge to Flagler Ave. We stopped in West Palm Beach to visit Charles S. in his magnificent condo overlooking the inter-coastal waters. The moon over Palm Beach was marvelous from his balcony, as seen above.
12 Oct: This Beatty family is preparing to leave Pritikin heaven tomorrow! The box of clothing is packed to be shipped to Texas, and the motorcycle bags are getting packed.
11 Oct: A full day of exercising and feeding our faces! We had an appointment with the Pritikin nutritionist, Kimberly.
10 Oct: And now it is yesterday. Another typical day at Pritikin leaving no time to update the blog. Cynthia does have photos to add, but they are not yet here. Dr. Fruge said that Ron is the Pritikin poster child. (At least she got the child part correct.)
9 Oct: A this moment, that is tomorrow. But this glorious sunset is tonight!
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| Miami Sunset |
8 Oct: Cynthia did her second vitals check and fasting blood draw for labs this morning. Her prayers were answered, she lost a pound! We both had DEXA scans for body composition and bone density. Yes, Ron's head is as dense as everyone assumes. He also has pushed the limits on his aerobics to the limits and discovered no problems with his heart or stamina, so this reassures him that everything internal is working perfectly.
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| pumpkin pancakes w/ "icing" |
7 Oct: The incoming class at Pritikin promises lots of interesting conversation. The cooking class included pumpkin pancakes!
6 Oct, Sunday: No yoga at 8:15 on Sunday, so Ron added a banana and a grapefruit to his usual breakfast of an egg-white veggie omelet and one bowl of oatmeal with berries and fruit. He found himself uncomfortably full during the 9:15 cardio intervals.
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| Omelet with beet sprouts |
5 Oct: We started saying our goodbyes to Pritikin friends who were leaving to return to the real world and all of its temptations and pitfalls. Ron decided to ramp up his exercise and burned the 400 calories in 36 minutes.
4 Oct: Pritikin morning routine goes like this: about 7 AM we are in the midst of stretches or walking to breakfast. 8:15 yoga (for Ron); 9:30 cardio; 10:30 snack followed by weights or core strengthening; 11:45 lecture; 12:30 lunch. YAY! 2:00 lecture, 4:30 lecture, and often 7:30 lecture. The exercise, lecture and eating schedule keeps us hopping.
3 October: We aced our incoming medical labs. And WooHoo! Ron’s CRP test shows no increased plaque buildup. YAY! This was his fourth consecutive day to burn 400 calories on the arc trainer.
2 October: We are weller! Lookee at the coconuts!
1 Oct: Pritikin new arrivals have an early Monday morning fasting blood draw that is followed by a wonderful breakfast buffet including egg white omelets cooked by James or Dortha or Martha! We skipped one "new arrivals" lecture in favor of Jackie's "Sitting is the New Smoking" for "stay overs." We are not fully well but better. Ron again rode his arc trainer for another 40 minutes and 400 calories.
