Sundays in My Neck of the Woods

The Red Barn Drive-In Restaurant has been on Riverside Drive in Augusta, Maine since the 1970s.

There are pick-up windows for those who are getting their meal and/or ice cream to go, 

and there's a large indoor dining area (which has been expanded more than once!) for those who choose to eat-in.

If you prefer, there are dozens of picnic tables with umbrellas providing shade for eating outside in the fresh air.

The dining room has a couple of dozen tables and booths, plus there's a counter with stools for those who prefer to eat inside.  Some of the tables are beautifully refinished old pedestal tables like my family had in our kitchen 60 years ago.

The menu has the usual "comfort foods" and a few extras.  There are boneless chicken baskets (my favorite!) haddock baskets, clam baskets, burgers, hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches, lobster rolls and seafood stew.  The also have an assortment of desserts, such as strawberry shortcake, whoopie pies, ice cream sundaes, and cookies.

I ordered my favorite, the boneless chicken basket.  As you can see, the servings are generous!  Somewhere, buried under all those tasty pieces of real fried chicken (no processed chicken here!) and french fries, is a dinner roll.  All that for $8.55. 

The fried foods do not taste or show any evidence of grease, and no transfats are used in preparing anything on the menu.  I was starving because it was past noon when we ate, yet I still couldn't finish that basket--not even the chicken, when I skipped most of the fries!

Mr. Eva chose the haddock basket for $8.95; that, too, had a dinner roll hiding under those succulent pieces of fish.  Sadly, we had to pass up the delicious-looking desserts because we just didn't have room!

I've been a customer of the Red Barn for at least 50 years...even though it's an hour away, I manage to find my way there once every summer.  The food is just too good to not make the effort to return each year!  If you'd like to visit their website, click here

Note:  I was not compensated for this review.  We paid for our lunches and the opinions expressed are mine alone.

Saturday Silliness

The Three Little Pigs

This is a true story, proving how fascinating the mind of a six year old is.They think so logically.

A teacher was reading the story of the Three Little Pigs to her class.
She came to the part of the story where first pig was trying to gather
the building materials for his home.
She read. 'And so the pig went up to the man with the wheelbarrow
full of straw and said: 'Pardon me sir, but may I have some of that
straw to build my house?'

The teacher paused then asked the class: 'And what do you think
the man said?'

One little boy raised his hand and said very matter-of-factly...
'I think the man would have said - 'I'll be a son of a bitch!! A talking pig!'

The teacher had to leave the room. 

**************************

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words!

A man moves into a nudist colony. He receives a letter from his grandmother asking him to send her a current photo of himself in his new location.  Too embarrassed to let her know that he lives in a nudist colony, he cuts a photo in half and mails it.

The next day he discovers that he had accidentally sent the bottom half of the photo. He's really worried but then remembers how bad his grandmother's eyesight is, and hopes she won't notice.

A few weeks later, he receives a letter from his grandmother, It says: "Thank you for the picture. Change your hairstyle... it makes your nose look too short."

Love,

Grandma


******************

Brevity is the Key

A woman from the most southern part of South Carolina goes into the local newspaper office to see that the obituary for her recently deceased husband is written.


The obit editor informs her that the fee for the obituary is a dollar per word. She pauses, reflects and then says, "Well, then, just let it read, 'Billy Bob died'."


Amused at the woman's thrift, the editor says, "Sorry ma'am there is a seven word minimum on all obituaries." A little flustered, she thinks things over and replies, "In that case, let it read,


'Billy Bob died - Red truck for sale'.

*********************

(This one is for all the blonde women for always being the one in the "blond joke")

A couple of blond men in a pickup truck drove into a lumberyard. One of the blond men walked in the office and said, "We need some four-by-twos."

The clerk said, "You mean two-by-fours, don't you?"

The man said, "I'll go check," and went back to the truck. He returned a minute later and said, "Yeah, I meant two-by-fours."

"All right. How long do you need them?"

The customer paused for a minute and said, "I'd better go check."
After a while, the customer returned to the office and said, "A long time. We're gonna build a house."

*********************

EVA

Musical Career Revived!

At last I've found my musical niche!  As much as I wanted to be a vocalist, it just wasn't meant to be, as you know, if you recall my  post, The End of a Musical Career , from June of 2009.  (If it's not familiar, you may want to click on the link and check it out.)

I just heard about the National Air Guitar Championship held in Chicago!  Justin Howard, aka Nordic Thunder, won the National Air Guitar Championship--pretending to play the guitar!  How cool is that?  I am SO excited!

Not really a guitar person, maybe I could compete in the National Air Piano Championship.  I just need to sit, move my feet up and down (like I'm pumping those pedals), and pound my pinkies on an imaginary keyboard!  Of course, I'd have to add facial expressions:

I need to look like I'm really concentrating....like Ferrante and Teicher...

And I definitely have to look like I'm enjoying myself, plus pounding the keyboard with flair and flamboyance....like Liberace!  (Note to self: shop for wild-ass tuxedo.)

Also, I have to look like I'm really into the music.....like Little Richard!  (I might want to consider having my hair done in corn rows...)

(I think the last one is especially convincing.)

  But wait, I don't think you're allowed to have actual instruments, so I wouldn't be able to sit on a piano bench!  I'd have to pretend to be sitting on a piano bench, while pretending to pedal, while pretending to pound the pinkies on the ivories'.  There'd be no pretending  about the back ache I would have after trying to maintain that posture for several minutes to the tune of Ferrante and Teicher's Autumn Leaves.!

Maybe I need to consider a different instrument?  Air Trombone might be too challenging for my arthritic shoulder;  actually any instrument that required me to hold both arms at shoulder level could be problematic.  That Glucosamine Chondroitin I take has it's limitations!

Then, too, it's probably difficult to simulate playing an instrument that you've never played before, so I should probably stick to an instrument with which I am familiar!  Let's see, I never took any music lessons, but I'm pretty good with the kazoo.  That's the ticket!  I'll play the air kazoo!  Now all I have to do is find an air kazoo competition!  In the meantime, I'd better watch Nordic Thunder and pick up all the performance tips I can!



What do you think?  Have I got a shot?
EVA

Child Prodigy? Pint-Sized Phenom?

I am a great fan of the Boston Red Sox baseball and the Boston Celtics basketball teams.  When I saw this video, it occurred to me that this little guy may have a great future as a baseball pitcher or a basketball player!  With a little encouragement from his Mom, he is uncannily accurate once he gets throwing!


What do you think?  Should Danny Ainge be watching this guy?  Or maybe Theo Epstein??  He just might be a future hall of famer!
EVA

New Word Wednesday #31

 Every time I comment on a website where I have to type a word verification to get my comment posted, I can't help but think, "What a waste! What could possibly be a very helpful word is now going to disappear and never be seen again." With all the attention being paid to "going green" in this country, I think it's time for bloggers to go green and recycle the letter combos used in word verification. (I personally did away with the process to eliminate the waste of words, but some people just aren't as conservation minded!)

I decided several weeks ago to start a meme called "New Word Wednesday", thus creating a dictionary of new words based on the letter combos that pop up in the word verification process. You may feel free to do the same, or to grab my words and use them. (You know, if you use a new word three times, it's in your vocabulary forever; at least that's what I've heard) Just think, we can learn new words and go green just by recycling/reusing the words that show up at comment time.

Here are this week's words:

apiwook:  (noun) an application for your cell phone that causes people in any photos you take to appear to be hair-covered like the Star Wars Wookie; as in, "George had fun posting hairy photos of his ex-girlfriend on Facebook using his apiwook."

benabil:   (verb) a term used to describe a person who has had male to female sex change surgery; as in,  "She has benabil, but now she's a Betty."

cuber:  (adjective)  slang word used to describe an artist whose style is cubism; as in, "Pablo Picasso was a cuber."

dingin:  (noun) a very strong alcoholic drink whose main ingredient is gin and is known to cause the imbiber to become obnoxiously loud; as in, "After downing three dingins, Harold was singing rap tunes at the top of his lungs."

gleve:  (noun) an item of attire which extends from the shoulder to the fingertips; as in, "Although Phyllis did not have a sweater, her gleves  kept her comfortably warm."

Don't forget...use a word three times in a sentence and it's in your vocabulary forever!

EVA

There's No Place Like Home!

Straight from the Forbes.com website, I bring you a few unique and unusual homes...in case you're thinking about relocating and you have a bottomless bank account to achieve your goal.

Just as my title says, there's no place like these homes!

First, if you firmly believe that your home should be your castle, this may be just what you're looking for:

This beauty, called the Stone Castle, located in the Bronx, New York, and can be acquired for a mere $2.99 milllion.  (I'll bet you could get it for an even $2.9!)

Maybe a castle on a hillside isn't your cup of tea?  How would you feel about a mushroom?

And the inside?  

This one is much more reasonably priced at $1.1 million in Pittsford, NY.

You don't have to economize?  Then maybe this is the one you're looking for:

These digs in Los Angeles, California can be yours for $13 million.  Very comfortable quarters, I'm sure!

No?  You want to be on the water you say?  

Then this floating home may be just the ticket.  It's permanently attached to its dock in Seattle, Washington, and you can come aboard with your belongings for the sum of $3.45 million.

You'd like an ethnic theme feeling, you say?  Well  how about:

This Moroccan Palace in Houston, Texas houses a tiled inner courtyard and a petting zoo. 

  All that and more can be yours for  $8.9 million.

Oh, you were looking for something more secluded and woodsy?

Would this do the trick?

This Sculpture Home in Glorietta, New Mexico is listed at $1.68 million.  Almost a bargain next to some of the rest of these.

Still too rich for your purse?  Well, let's downsize to something more affordable:

If the others were too ostentatious for your taste, then this little gem my fill the bill.

This Monolithic Dome Home in El Prado, New Mexico can be had for a  mere $225,000.

If you didn't see what you wanted, there are more to browse through at the Forbes site.  Click on the link to drool at your leisure and see how the "other half" lives!

Thanks to the Forbes Website for the great photos and info!
EVA

A Wii for Me?

If this is indicative of what you can do with a Wii, maybe it's time I considered getting one!   These two little guys are getting quite the workout, and they're not bad dancers, either!   This will get you going on a Monday morning!  Enlarge to full screen and enjoy!

How to work out and have fun!

EVA

Sundays in My Neck of the Woods

There's a little bakery and cafe on Main Street in Rangeley, Maine,  called Kelli's.  It's very small with just a half dozen tables.

I suspect they do a larger takeout business than actual dining in clientele.

There are showcases on the counter with an assortment of pies, cakes, and cookies, all made on the premises.  Several kinds of coffee are available as well as an assortment of fruit juices, milk, cocoa, and tea.

The homemade doughnuts caught hubby's eye... but they sold quickly to takeout customers.  Before the one waitress made it to our table, a lady came in and bought a dozen and a half, including all the delicious looking, plump glazed ones we both had been drooling over.   Hubby took this coconut doughnut before they were all gone!

He ordered scrambled eggs, home fries, and toast made from homemade wheat bread to go along with it.  The eggs were fluffy, the potatoes tasty, and the wheat bread was fresh and delicious.

My plan to have a glazed doughnut thwarted, I elected to have a warm strawberry muffin with a side of bacon.  The muffin was delicious, although I was hoping for more strawberries in it than there were.  The bacon was good, but I'd say my favorite was the muffin.

  How I longed for one of the glazed doughnuts we had spotted when we walked in!  But, alas, it just wasn't meant to be.

I was surprised to find that little bakery had a website, has a bigger menu than I realized, and has it's own website.  Click here to check it out.

Unfortunately the place is about 3 hours or so away from me, so I probably won't get back there anytime soon!n   Sp we said goodbye to Kelli's.

Note:  I was not compensated for this review, we paid for our food, and the opinions expressed are mine.

EVA

Saturday Silliness

50th Wedding Anniversary A couple were celebrating 50 years together.. Their three kids, all very successful, agreed to a Sunday dinner in their honor. "Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad," gushed son number one .... 'Sorry I'm running late. I had an emergency at the hospital with a patient, you know how it is, and I didn't have time to get you a gift." "Not to worry," said the father. "The important thing is that we're all together today." Son number two arrived and announced, "You and Mom look great, Dad. I just flew in from Los Angeles between depositions and didn't have time to shop for you." "It's nothing," said the father. "We're glad you were able to come." Just then the daughter arrived. "Hello and happy anniversary!  I'm sorry, but my boss is sending me out of town and I was really busy packing so I didn't have time to get you anything..." After they had finished dessert, the father said, "There's something your mother and I have wanted to tell you for a long time. You see, we were very poor. Despite this, we were able to send each of you to college.  Throughout the years your mother and I knew that we loved each other very much, but we just never found the time to get married." The three children gasped and all said, "You mean we're bastards?" "Yep," said the father. "And cheap ones too."  ******************** Save a trip? Just before the funeral services, the undertaker came up to the very elderly widow and asked,  'How old was your husband?'  '98,' she replied... 'Two years older than me'  'So you're 96,' the undertaker commented..  She responded, 'Hardly worth going home, is it? *************** Age Has It's Advantages!

Reporters interviewing a 104-year-old woman: 'And what do you think is the best thing about beiing 104?' the reporter asked.. She simply replied, 'No peer pressure.' ******************* Senility Isn't All Bad.

The nice thing about being senile is you can hide your own Easter egg  and have fun finding them. *********************

I've sure gotten old!  I've had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement, new knees, fought prostate cancer and diabetes. I'm half blind, can't hear anything quieter than a jet engine, take 40 different medications that make me dizzy, winded, and subject to blackouts. Have bouts with dementia. Have poor circulation; hardly feel my hands and feet anymore.. Can't remember if I'm 85 or 92.  Have lost all my friends. But, thank God, I still have my driver's license. **************************

I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape, so I got my doctor's permission to join a fitness club and start exercising. I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors. I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour. But, by the time I got my leotards on, the class was over. ****************************

An elderly woman decided to prepare her will and told her preacher she had two final requests. First, she wanted to be cremated, and second, she wanted her ashes scattered over Wal-Mart. ' Wal-Mart?' the preacher exclaimed. 'Why Wal-Mart?'  'Then I'll be sure my daughters visit me twice a week' **************************************

My memory's not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be. ***********************************

Know how to prevent sagging? Just eat till the wrinkles fill out. ********************************

It's scary when you start making the same noises as your coffee maker. **********************************

These days about half the stuff in my shopping cart says, 'For fast relief.' **************************

THE SENILITY PRAYER :  Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference ************************************ Today's Silliness was directed to those of us who are over 50 and close to the top of the hill....if that didn't include you, don't worry;  your day is coming! EVA

A Night at the Movies

It was so hot last night that our air conditioner was working overtime.  When we tried to watch TV, it would trip the circuit-breaker.  Rather than get up every 10 minutes to flip the circuit, we decided to go to Smitty's Cinema for dinner and a movie.  I checked the listings and the only show we were interested in was Friends With Benefits, so we decided to go for it.

We knew the theater would be cool, we could order food, and I wouldn't have to cook!  The only problem was that when I checked the listings on line, I checked Friday instead of Thursday.  (It felt like Friday to me!)  As a result, Friends With Benefits wasn't available.  It starts today, which was no help last night.  We didn't want to go home, so we settled on Zookeeper with Kevin James.

I wouldn't have picked this show, but the choices were limited--Cars 2, The Transformers, and I'm not a Harry Potter Fan--and remember, we're talking air conditioning and dinner prepared by someone else!

I have to say, the movie was really fun!  There was no sex, no nudity, no bad language, and no murders.  It was just a pleasant, humorous feel-good movie that you could enjoy with your kids without embarrassment.

Kevin James plays the Zookeeper  who has a real love of the animals in his care, and his affection is reciprocated; the animals love him so much they decide to 'break their code" and talk to him in order to help him win back his ex-girlfriend that he's been pining for the last 5 years.



With Sylvester Stallone as the voice of the Lion, Cher as the Lioness, Adam Sandler as the Monkey, and Nick Nolte as the Gorilla, the show is loaded with talent and laughs.  The crowd in the theater was about 50% kids and 50% adults, and everyone seemed to have a good time.  All left with grins on their faces!

If you'd like to see a clip showing the actors doing the voices for the film,"> click here.   Whether you're looking for a movie to take  your kids to see, or you just need a good laugh yourself, I think you'll enjoy this show!

EVA

Note:  I was not compensated in any way for this review; we paid for our tickets and our dinner.  I just wanted to share it with you!

Getting My Wings Back?

There's a remote possibility that I might fly again someday.  (Not on  my own, on an airline!)  You may recall my January 2010 post, I'm Grounded.  If you don't remember, go ahead and click on the link, read it, and then come back....I've got time. (I'm retired...I've got nothing but time!)

You're back?  Okay.  

Well, one of my major objections to flying was that full body scanner!  It was my concern for the security personnel who would be trying to eat lunch after a gander at Eva in the altogether!  I mean, I just didn't want the responsibility of some poor sap starving to death because after above mentioned exposure, he or she could never eat again!

According to Reuter's, new scanners have been developed which no longer expose the passenger's actual image.    The new machine "uses a generic body outline and highlights the area where any anomaly is detected, eliminating the actual image of the passenger." 

 So it will soon be possible to get through security without the TSA agents having been exposed to Eva in all her inglorious nakedness.  

Whoops!  I just looked up anomaly in the dictionary;  I still may be in trouble!  Webster's defines anomaly as "a deviation from the common type, rule, or form; irregularity; abnormality; . . . an unexpected, unusual or strange condition."  A glance at me naked in the mirror tells me I'm all of the above!

I guess I'm not ready to get back up into the skies yet.  But maybe I could just stop by the airport for a little pat down, you know, for practice!

Photo courtesy of the TSA Security System Software.

EVA

New Word Wednesday #30

Every time I comment on a website where I have to type a word verification to get my comment posted, I can't help but think, "What a waste! What could possibly be a very helpful word is now going to disappear and never be seen again." With all the attention being paid to "going green" in this country, I think it's time for bloggers to go green and recycle the letter combos used in word verification. (I personally did away with the process to eliminate the waste of words, but some people just aren't as conservation minded!)

I decided several weeks ago to start a meme called "New Word Wednesday", thus creating a dictionary of new words based on the letter combos that pop up in the word verification process. You may feel free to do the same, or to grab my words and use them. (You know, if you use a new word three times, it's in your vocabulary forever; at least that's what I've heard) Just think, we can learn new words and go green just by recycling/reusing the words that show up at comment time.

Here are this week's words:

blesstie:  (noun)  a necktie reserved for wearing to church services only; as in, "Michael carefully knotted his blesstie before leaving for mass."

clanit:  (verb)  the act of banding together as a family against an outside threat ; as in,  "When the neighbor kids began to pick on Sally Dunne, the Dunnes decided to clanit, and started walking 5 year-old Sally to and from school.."

flapl:  (noun) a disturbance that spreads in a crowd, much like a ripple on a lake; as in, the news that Congress may cut Medicare benefits has created a real flapl among senior citizens."

gramagg:  (adjective)  items or behavior that are annoying to a grandmother; as in, "Julie's tendency to wear skirts so short they barely covered her undies was a real gramagg."

persp:  (noun)  the stains left in clothes as a result of excessive perspiration; as in, "The current heat wave has left many of us with the job of removing persp from our clothing."



Remember, use a word three times in a sentence, and it's in your vocabulary forever!

EVA

If You're Inclined to Sleep Around--

If you like to stay in unique hotels, inns, or B & Bs, here are some special ones:

If tenting is your thing, the Wigwam Village in Holbrook, AZ may be just what you are looking for!  Don't worry about the rain...this wigwam is made of cement and will set you back a mere $54 per night for a double.

The Shady Dell Vintage Trailer Court in Bisbee, AZ, is a one-of-a-kind experience....unless, like me, you already live in a trailer.  The Shady Dell boasts mid-century trailers filled with vintage artifacts like 1950's issues of Life magazine starting at $50 per night!

Talk about being in the dog house--The Dog Bark Inn (no, it's not a typo) is a massive beagle Bed and Breakfast.  There's even a porta-potty housed inside what looks like a large fire hydrant!  Sleeping in the Dog Bark will cost you $92 per night--but it does include breakfast.  (Not sure if that consists of Alpo or Milkbones.)

The Aurora Express Bed & Breakfast in Fairbanks, AK,  perched on a ridge overlooking Fairbanks, is made of of retired railroad cars.  The one above was formerly the dining car and has been converted to a luxurious double room and rents for $145 per night.

The Liberty Hotel in Boston, MA, was  a prison with a view for 100 years before being converted to a hotel.  The cell doors and catwalks have been retained for atmosphere, and you can experience that 'solitary' feeling in a double starting at $295.

Beckham Creek Cave Lodge in Parthenon, AR was carved into the Ozark Mountains.  Dehumidifiers keep you dry and large windows let in sunlight.  Get the caveman experience for $450 per night.

If you're really in the mood to splurge and you don't get claustrophobic at the thought of being underwater, Jules' Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, FL may be more to your taste.  Scuba training, offered on site, is a requirement for staying in one of these suites!  And would you believe, they offer room service.  Carefully wrapped pizzas from a local restaurant will be delivered to your room.  All this  and more for a mere $500 per night per guest.

Which would be your choice?

(All photos and info are courtesy of Yahoo Travel .  Click the link for more information.)

 

EVA

The Circle of the Seasons

I’m feeling really beat and battered by the heat.

A dip in a pool that could make me feel real cool

Would bring me such relief, from my head to my feet!

I hate to complain about the frying of my brain,

‘Cause soon summer will be old, and I’ll be sitting in the cold.

That’s just what I get for living here in Maine.

There is a price to pay for living where they say,

“The way life should be;” away from the insanity—

Far from “Carmageddan” and removed from the fray.

Though the wind may huff and blow, there’s seldom a tornado.

We may suffer spring muds, but there’s no devastating floods.

And we can expect that in autumn, the forests turn calico.

Yes every September, the leaves change color, you remember.

Who could not recall the glory that is fall?

That prettiest time of year that is with us ‘til November. 

Then all the colors go, to be followed by the snow.

We put away the bicycles and contend with the icicles.

As we shovel, slip and slide, we know that, too, will go.

Winter's end will bring the month of April and our spring.

And each new bud in bloom will chase away our gloom, 

For we will know once again, warm days are in the offing!

An original poem by Eva Gallant

EVA