Happy Birthday

I write this from a hotel in Conyers GA. I had an opportunity this week to travel to one of our retread facilities and decided to learn a little more about this side of the business. The plant is about 3 hours away from home and the drive took us through some lovely countryside. Tomorrow we hit the plant. I'll be here for two days before going back to the office on Friday. Then it's the long weekend.

First, I need to tell you about a problem we seem to have in our backyard. It seems we have what is known around here as a "varmit". In reality I think it's a mole. Now moles seem harmless enough but they sure do make a mess of the lawn-especially when a sixty pound german short haired pointer decides to dig to find one! Now we have multiple trenches in the backyard and lots of soft spots where the moles have dug tunnels.

Well, Jane and I don't care too much for chemicals and poisons so we went the green way (if you can call it that). We got a couple of sonic blasters that emit a pulse every fifteen seconds. They're supposed to drive the little guys away. Well I think they work because we haven't seen any in a while and Maggie hasn't been digging.

I need to add another item to my list of firsts here in South Carolina. Last week I played my first round of golf. It was after work in honor of the fellow I'm replacing. We played on Bonnie Brae golf course, and in my limited experience it certainly doesn't compare to equivalent courses in Nova Scotia. I think I understand why my father-in-law likes to play down here. In the end the course was good but the play was a little rough (pardon the pun). I still need to work on my game.

I think I'm going to go looking for a cheap set of left handed clubs (hopefully on sale) so I can at least be respectable when I play with company. I'll start on the driving range and work my way up from there. (I did get a list of good, inexpensive, and relatively close courses to play for when company does come.)

Last but not least is the birthday party. This year, because we were away from family and friends, we decided to treat Isabelle to a weekend away instead of a birthday party. So on Saturday morning, instead of heading off for the market like we usually do, we dropped Maggie off at the kennel and headed east to Columbia-the state capitol. It's just over an hour away and has some nice family attractions. The first order of business was to check into a hotel and get our complimentary tickets to the South Carolina Children's Museum, also known as EdVenture. Tante Rhea should be able to relate because it was much like the Science Center in Vancouver. Isabelle got to play, touch, ride, splash, bubble, and do all sorts of things. The place even has a giant kid named Ed that you can walk through to see his stomach, bones, and even his brain. Isabelle liked the air displays where you can play with tubes and fans to make things happen and learn about science. My favorite was the stainless steel water display where you can put in dams and gates to make the water flow differently. They also had a neat bubble exhibit that let the kids (and adults) make all sorts of neat bubbles. The hotel we had was very nice. We had a suit on the top floor overlooking the atrium on the inside, and the river (sort of) on the outside. The room included a pizza from the hotel which turned out to be very good, and of course there was a pool. We managed to talk Isabelle into a morning swim rather than the evening (the pool was too busy) and it turned out perfectly. We slept in until 8:00 and then went down for a swim (the pool was empty). A quick soak in the hot tub for the parents and then off to the biggest breakfast I've had in years. There was cereal, toast, bacon, sausage, omelets to order, eggs made the way you want them, grits, hash browned potatoes, biscuits and gravy, milk, juices, coffee, fruit, yogurt, and on, and on, and on. We ate like royalty! In fact we ate so much we didn't really stop for lunch until after 1:00. After breakfast we went off to Riverbanks Zoo. The zoo is nicely located on the banks of a river (hence the name!) and is very nice. They have an African Safari theme to it that isn't too tacky. The two neatest things we saw (I think) were the giraffes and the sea lion. The sea lion show was very cool and at the giraffe exhibit you could feed the animals. Isabelle even got very close to one. We did see lots of other things including lions, tigers, bears, monkeys, and penguins. The penguins feeding was also pretty cool as they have a glass wall where you can see underwater. Isabelle sat on my knees for almost fifteen minutes watching them fly through the water. In the end it was a lovely weekend. We finished it off with drive through some of lowland South Carolina while Isabelle had a much needed nap. For the rest of her birthday I'll wait for another post.

Spider Man

It was going to happen sometime and I'm glad I was there when it did. Yesterday we came across out first (at the first I've recognized) venomous spider. It was a black widow. They aren't as nasty as some people think but they are serious. I saw it on Isabelle's slide-of all places. I did have it torn apart because I was cleaning and fixing it, but it was there none the less! We took it as an opportunity to try and educate Isabelle about them but I'm not sure it took. We also managed to get a few pictures of it before I smashed it! Anyway, here they are. I suppose this might limit the number of visitors we get. I might add that there are other creatures here that do pose a problem for some. These include the brown recluse spider. It's bit is serious but not typically fatal either. In the reptile family (excuses to the biologists out there-I had previously said amphibians) there are rattle snakes, copper head snakes, and cottonmouth snakes, but these are really just a few of the snakes that are here. Check out his link for more snakes. Most are non-venomous but they all should be treated with care. Same are apparently very good to have around because they eat other, more harmful snakes. Hopefully we won't encounter too many of any. Then there are the alligators, but that will be for another post.

More of Where to Eat

This is repeat of what I posted in the Where to Eat section of my blog earlier. I decided I'd move it and revamp a few things. Have a look below for newer posts. Ratings: Food*, **, or *** Price$-not so good value, $$ OK for the price, $$$ excellent value Over-all rating:) OK, :) :) Let's go again, :) :) :) I loved it! Fatz-Spartanburg (and all over)-Food **, Price $$$, Overall :) :) Fatz is fast food with a little class. I went for lunch so the review should be taken as such. I had a Fatz classic-Calabash Chicken. It was good and the service was very quick. They have pagers on the table to call the servers if you need anything-and off course bottomless drinks (I love the south for that!) I think it's a good place to have sit down fast-ish food. Two happy faces for now-maybe I'll get there for dinner. Cracker Barrell-Woodruff Rd (or anywhere)-Food ***, Price $$$, Overall :) :) :) OK so the deal was that Taryn wanted grits. Well the best place to have a huge breakfast here in the South is at Cracker Barrel, gritts and all. As they say "Half restaurant, half store, all country!" I think Gisele would really like it. The food was good and just the way you like it. The grits were even good. Isabelle got lots of refills on her orange slices and we all ate too much. I had a country sampler and it had a little of everything, including hash brown casserole. The coffee was even reported as being excellent. It seems to be a tradition down here-and rightly so. The store was also neat with toys and stuff I haven't seen since I was a kid. Two Chefs-Pelham Rd-Food ***, Price $$, Overall :) :) Here's a spot I forgot about. When I was house hunting my Realtor took me here. It was like walking into the Italian Market in the Hydrostones in Halifax-salads and sandwiches to go, pretty desserts, and ready to cook pastas and stuffed whatevers in all sorts of shapes and sizes. I had a roasted potato salad and some Thai noodle, along with a sandwich. It was a little pricey but fresh and delicious. I keep meaning to try out their full service restaurant downtown. The take-out gets two strong happy faces. Fuddruckers-Woodruff Rd-Food **, Price $$, Overall :) Fuddruckers as my sisters can attest to was an interesting experience for us the first time. I think it was in Saskatoon with my Uncle Giles and family. The one here, although I've been twice, does not live up to it's reputation. I was surprised at the cost for one burger and a few fries. I also ended up waiting longer for my food than it took to eat it. On the other hand the burger was good and I did dress it the way I like it. In the end it gets 2 stars out of three because it was "OK" but also gets two $$ for the cost. Overall I'll give it on happy face. Flat Rock Grille-Woodruff Rd-Food **, Price $$, Overall :) :) Flat Rock gets two happy faces because it was fun to be at. I suspect the company helped (fellow Canadians). My only beef (I had the salmon) was that my fish was over cooked and dry, even when I asked for medium. Other than that the staff were great, the calamari was OK, and the barman recommended a great wine (although I can't remember what it was). If you go get the Blue Salad with grilled steak. It was huge and looked much better than what I got.

Eating Out

It's been a while since I've updated the food section of my Blog so I thought I'd make a post of the places I've been in the last few weeks. The first of note is 33 Liberty (it's at 33 Liberty Lane) . It's a nice little spot (only 9 tables-so get a reservation) and somewhat hidden. It's near a major street but certainly not easy to find. Jane found it through another blog and decided we should take Elizabeth there. The thing about this place is that it uses locally produced foods and they change their menu every week! I have to admit I was a little sceptical at first but it was a good choice in the end. For a somewhat upscale place they were very good with kids. Isabelle ate well and really enjoyed the mashed potatoes and fish cakes. To begin with we had black bean fritters. I ended up with a pork shank and mashed potatoes that was incredibly tender. Jane had the fried chicken and Elizabeth the hanger steak. Desert was good too with local peaches, blueberry cheesecake, and a cheese plate. All and all with a bottle of wine it was very nice. I'd say three stars (***) for food, $$ for the value, and :) :) :) for the overall experience. Our second outing earlier in the week was to one of the local barbecue joints. Sticky Fingers (at 1 S Main in Greenville) has restaurants all over the South Eastern US. They were very friendly in a traditional southern way. In the end we all shared a very large plate of a variety of ribs. The Rib Sampler included Memphis Style Wet, Memphis Style Dry, Habañero Hot and Carolina Sweet ribs. Each were good but I think I liked the Carolina ones the best. The restaurant we went to was downtown (we were going to the ballgame) but they have locations everywhere. In the end it gets :) :) overall, ** for the food, and $$ for the price. My last review is for a nice little place just across from the ballpark. I went to the Brick Street Cafe (315 Augusta Street in Greenville) with a group from work this week to wish the fellow I'm replacing well in his new job. I didn't get to see the main dining area upstairs but the little special function room in basement was very nice (despite the drapery covering up the hole in the ceiling). We were next to the bakery and the smell of cakes and bread was very tempting. I ate a very good grilled salmon on salad with corn salsa. It was the best salmon I've had in a very long time. The outside was crispy and sweet and the inside was perfectly cooked. The house dressing for the salad was also very good-it was a honey mustard meets poppy seed mix, two of my favorites. Others had fruit plates, grilled chicken Caesar salads, crab cakes, and other light fare. Dessert was also very good. The Chocolate cake was impressive and the cheesecake looked lovely. I give it :) :) along with *** for the food and $$ for the price (although I didn't pick up the tab this time!). Oh, did I mention the bottomless home made lemonade? Other than that things are going well. I'm settling in to a routine at work. I have one more week with the fellow I'm replacing before he goes back to Ireland. I still will be doing some training but we're pretty much done with the handover. I'm starting to line up trips for work as well as planning trips to Atlanta and Columbia with the family. Isabelle's birthday is coming up and we're taking her to the zoo and the SC children's museum in Columbia. It should be fun. This week also brought us some new furniture-finally. Before we left for Nova Scotia in July we ordered a new bed and a table and chair set for the kitchen. Six weeks later they finally delivered. We are very pleased with it and now our guests will have a real bed to sleep on (sorry Taryn and Elizabeth-you'll just have to come back!) As for the rest of you, we are ready when you are, just give us a few weeks notice.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Isabelle, Sammy, and Jane (and Maggie too) got in a week ago Saturday. Since then we've had a busy week. Jane and Elizabeth have done a good bit of shopping and we've had some good weather. We've also had some interesting weather with the usual thunder, lightning, and rain. The first order of business this week was getting the air-conditioning fixed in the Jeep. It seems Jane had a run in with some pebbles or something on the highway near Boston and put some holes in the condenser. They had it looked at in Connecticut but had to wait until they got home to fix it. It made for a long drive with the windows open but they managed. In the end it made them stay in the mountains so they had a very picturesque drive. Tuesday night we went out to see a ball game. Greenville has a very nice ballpark-Fluor Feild-that was voted one of the best in the country a few years ago. Anyway the park may be good but the home team, the Greenville Drive, seems to be a little less than great. They certainly didn't have a good day and ended losing badly to Charleston. The game itself was fun. It was Greenville's birthday so everyone got a T-shirt and there were lots of other activities. Isabelle also got a ball when one of the Charleston players tossed her one of the warm-up balls just before the game started. Once the game did start Isabelle really got into it and even danced with the music between innings. We only stayed until the seventh inning but just before we did go we did get our pictures up on the jumbo-tron. I suppose it was a good way to finish the night.

The Drive plays at home this week and next so we may get out to the game again. We also ate at a few new places downtown. If I get a chance I'll post the reviews in the next few days.

This weekend things were pretty good. We went out to eat downtown on Friday and out to the markets on Saturday. Elizabeth left for Halifax on Saturday afternoon and we went to check on some furniture we ordered a few weeks ago. It looks like it will be delivered this week so the guests who come to visit won't need to sleep on the mattress on the floor anymore. Today we took it easy and went out to another flea market. This time it was the Barnyard Flea Market in Greer. It was cleaner and much better organized than the Jockey Lot. They also have a few more locations we may try to get to. I liked that it was all indoors (out of the sun) and had lots of good parking. Maggie wasn't allowed in so we left her at home. Tonight is a slow night of catching up on the Olympics. The American network NBC has some great coverage but the focus is clearly on the Americans-understandable. It's been hard to watch any Canadians but at least we have the Internet.