Tuesday, August 14, ’12
H-82 Cookeville RAIN L H 74 L 63 H H 72 L 54 M H 75 L 56
L-63 C H 96 L 75
Bear update: The Bear says Julius McCoy Wants My Sword Party. TR says, “He is in cohoots with the Pirate on Wallen Ridge Drive.” Moose say, “You’d better hide that sword, Bear!” Lou says we will have a Sword Fight Party. We will serve Foods That You Cut With A Sword.
We woke up to clouds. Will they last? They lasted most of the day. But then the clouds broke up enough to give us some sun. The temperature in Cookeville climbed to 82.
Tucson 103/79 Brooklyn 81/73 Gila Bend 115/90
We woke up at 7:30AM. We got dressed and went to CP in the lobby. We were here before. They have an annoying TV. We had cereal, rolls, and yogurt. They even had sausages for the dog. But it was raining. It delayed us loading the car. We were worried about fog. It looked like low-hanging clouds. We waited until it brightened up a little to leave. We checked out of room 126 at 10:38AM. Our first pit stop was at the McDonalds at exit 398, Strawberry Plains. In June we almost stayed at the La Quinta here. The second pit stop was at the Marathon at exit 373. We got gas and went to the ATM to get $80.00. The third pit stop was the McDonalds at Harriman at exit 347. This was a lunch stop just as it was in June. We called the Tucson zoning guy, the Tucson fire department, and the owner of 8735 E Wallen Ridge Drive. They say the roach guy is leaving within the month. We checked into the highway report about the weather to see if there was any fog on the road ahead. We crossed into Central Time when we entered Cumberland County 7 miles after lunch at exit 340. This was the first time change since the ship when we entered Eastern Time the night before we docked in Brooklyn. We gained one hour. Now it’s 12;30 instead of 1:30PM. The clouds started to break up. The sun seems to be trying to break through. The fourth pit stop was at exit 322 at a McDonalds next to the now defunct Bean Pot Restaurant that sold Ty Beanie toys. We got dipped cones. The fifth pit stop was at Hardees in Monterey at exit 300. We were calling attorneys when we pulled off the road at exit 287, Cookeville, and checked into room 123 at the Best Western Thunderbird Motel. We had an extra hour to do things in the room before dinner. Gary started the laundry. We went to dinner at Fazoli’s for the first time since June. We picked up the dog’s dinner at Chick Fil A. He gobbled it up. So did the cat. Would you believe Dan, the Schwans guy, called? By now I would think he would have given up.
Perkins Restaurant in Dandridge Tried To Seat Us With Strangers 8/14/12
Last night we stopped at the Perkins Restaurant in Dandridge, Tennessee on I-40, and were promptly seated at a long table with a party of people we didn’t know. Deja vu. The Britannia Dining Room on deck 3 second seating on the voyage back from Hamburg to New York when they introduced us to our table mates on my husband’s birthday . . . But no, this was the USA, and we were back to a road trip. We said we wanted to be seated at another table by ourselves. It wasn’t as if they were crowded, which adds to the oddity of the situation. We were finally seated in the next room and given menus. But I still wonder about it. I’ve never seen anything like it before on land except on Amtrak. But then I remember that back in June we had another problem with this very same restaurant when they didn’t have many of their menu items in stock. Who knows? Maybe the people in Dandridge are eccentric or all too friendly, but I hope Cunard isn’t giving tips to other restaurants around the world. It makes me think better of the German custom of seating yourself when you enter a dining room.
Postcard:
We drove from Dandridge to Cookeville, bypassing Knoxville. We’re still in the mountains, but we should be out of them by tomorrow after we get around Nashville. It rained but the fog stayed above the road level.
Dog/Cat Report:
Sabaka has a new routine. After the first pit stop of the day he wants a treat. He’s very aware that we stocked up on new treats. He probably can smell them. He ate Chick Fil A for dinner for the first time since June. He gobbled it up.
Someone at the Quality Inn confronted us on the sidewalk outside our room this morning and said, “You’re the ones with the doggie and kitty?” I kept walking on and didn’t answer. We never announce that we have a cat when arriving at a motel. But then the cat displays himself in the window non-stop. The cat had some of the dog’s Chick Fil A. He also sleep under the blanket last night. He hates A/C.
This was the cheapest day of the road trip in the USA so far either in June or in August. It beats the other two days, July 1 with $198.47 and June 26 with $198.54 by $3.00. And June 26 was the last time we checked into this motel.
At dinner we started to call pool services in Tucson. Supposedly somebody’s coming to our house on Friday to give us an estimate for cleaning up the pool. Kenny signed up for tennis lessons starting September 4. Despite the thank you note from Cunard that arrived by email today, the focus is starting to shift to being back in Tucson. We’re calling attorneys in the car each day. And Gary’s actually doing work.
Still no contract . . .
What next?
H-82 Cookeville RAIN L H 74 L 63 H H 72 L 54 M H 75 L 56
L-63 C H 96 L 75
Bear update: The Bear says Julius McCoy Wants My Sword Party. TR says, “He is in cohoots with the Pirate on Wallen Ridge Drive.” Moose say, “You’d better hide that sword, Bear!” Lou says we will have a Sword Fight Party. We will serve Foods That You Cut With A Sword.
We woke up to clouds. Will they last? They lasted most of the day. But then the clouds broke up enough to give us some sun. The temperature in Cookeville climbed to 82.
Tucson 103/79 Brooklyn 81/73 Gila Bend 115/90
We woke up at 7:30AM. We got dressed and went to CP in the lobby. We were here before. They have an annoying TV. We had cereal, rolls, and yogurt. They even had sausages for the dog. But it was raining. It delayed us loading the car. We were worried about fog. It looked like low-hanging clouds. We waited until it brightened up a little to leave. We checked out of room 126 at 10:38AM. Our first pit stop was at the McDonalds at exit 398, Strawberry Plains. In June we almost stayed at the La Quinta here. The second pit stop was at the Marathon at exit 373. We got gas and went to the ATM to get $80.00. The third pit stop was the McDonalds at Harriman at exit 347. This was a lunch stop just as it was in June. We called the Tucson zoning guy, the Tucson fire department, and the owner of 8735 E Wallen Ridge Drive. They say the roach guy is leaving within the month. We checked into the highway report about the weather to see if there was any fog on the road ahead. We crossed into Central Time when we entered Cumberland County 7 miles after lunch at exit 340. This was the first time change since the ship when we entered Eastern Time the night before we docked in Brooklyn. We gained one hour. Now it’s 12;30 instead of 1:30PM. The clouds started to break up. The sun seems to be trying to break through. The fourth pit stop was at exit 322 at a McDonalds next to the now defunct Bean Pot Restaurant that sold Ty Beanie toys. We got dipped cones. The fifth pit stop was at Hardees in Monterey at exit 300. We were calling attorneys when we pulled off the road at exit 287, Cookeville, and checked into room 123 at the Best Western Thunderbird Motel. We had an extra hour to do things in the room before dinner. Gary started the laundry. We went to dinner at Fazoli’s for the first time since June. We picked up the dog’s dinner at Chick Fil A. He gobbled it up. So did the cat. Would you believe Dan, the Schwans guy, called? By now I would think he would have given up.
Perkins Restaurant in Dandridge Tried To Seat Us With Strangers 8/14/12
Last night we stopped at the Perkins Restaurant in Dandridge, Tennessee on I-40, and were promptly seated at a long table with a party of people we didn’t know. Deja vu. The Britannia Dining Room on deck 3 second seating on the voyage back from Hamburg to New York when they introduced us to our table mates on my husband’s birthday . . . But no, this was the USA, and we were back to a road trip. We said we wanted to be seated at another table by ourselves. It wasn’t as if they were crowded, which adds to the oddity of the situation. We were finally seated in the next room and given menus. But I still wonder about it. I’ve never seen anything like it before on land except on Amtrak. But then I remember that back in June we had another problem with this very same restaurant when they didn’t have many of their menu items in stock. Who knows? Maybe the people in Dandridge are eccentric or all too friendly, but I hope Cunard isn’t giving tips to other restaurants around the world. It makes me think better of the German custom of seating yourself when you enter a dining room.
Postcard:
We drove from Dandridge to Cookeville, bypassing Knoxville. We’re still in the mountains, but we should be out of them by tomorrow after we get around Nashville. It rained but the fog stayed above the road level.
Dog/Cat Report:
Sabaka has a new routine. After the first pit stop of the day he wants a treat. He’s very aware that we stocked up on new treats. He probably can smell them. He ate Chick Fil A for dinner for the first time since June. He gobbled it up.
Someone at the Quality Inn confronted us on the sidewalk outside our room this morning and said, “You’re the ones with the doggie and kitty?” I kept walking on and didn’t answer. We never announce that we have a cat when arriving at a motel. But then the cat displays himself in the window non-stop. The cat had some of the dog’s Chick Fil A. He also sleep under the blanket last night. He hates A/C.
This was the cheapest day of the road trip in the USA so far either in June or in August. It beats the other two days, July 1 with $198.47 and June 26 with $198.54 by $3.00. And June 26 was the last time we checked into this motel.
At dinner we started to call pool services in Tucson. Supposedly somebody’s coming to our house on Friday to give us an estimate for cleaning up the pool. Kenny signed up for tennis lessons starting September 4. Despite the thank you note from Cunard that arrived by email today, the focus is starting to shift to being back in Tucson. We’re calling attorneys in the car each day. And Gary’s actually doing work.
Still no contract . . .
What next?
Tuesday, August 14, ’12 June 26 was last time you were in Cookeville
1)Marathon Farragut gas cash $25.00
2)McDonalds Harriman lunch Bear Cash $24.33
3)McDonalds Crossville dipped cones Bear Cash $3.92
4)BW Thunderbird Motel Cookeville room 123 cash $99.49
5)Fazoli’s Cookeville dinner Bear Cash $37.25
6)Chick Fil A dog’s chicken Bear Cash $3.13
7)laundry $2.00
________________________________________
TOT: $195.12
tennis lessons Kenny $47.00