That Was Hard

I moved to Texas back in 1980, just a couple months before my 30th birthday. (Yes, I know how old that makes me!). When I went back to Ohio to visit family and friends (at least once or twice a year) I drove straight through. Back in those days, it was rare to have anyone accompany me on those trips other than my son, who wasn't old enough to drive. So I had to drive it all by myself. And I did, stopping only for gas and food. To stay awake and amused we played license plate poker. When my son fell asleep I played the radio or put in a tape I could sing along with. (You can't sleep and sing at the same time.) Sometimes I'd have some "stay awake" pills, but more often I'd be running on caffeinated Dr. Pepper.

I did it without a radar detector or a GPS system. I'm not even sure I had a CB radio. I might have, but I listened more than I talked. The first time I did it I had a trip-tik map from AAA. After that, I just knew the cities I had to go through - Texarkana, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland. The challenge was always to better the time from the previous trip. I think my best time was somewhere in the neighborhood of 17 or 18 hours. (The best time ever was the time I drove with Deb Stempowski. She took over the driving in Little Rock and when I woke up we were just outside of Columbus. Total time = 14 hours. I'm glad I was asleep otherwise I'd probably have been scared to death.)

I was still driving it this way when I got married. After the drive up there, that particular husband said we should stop and spend the night somewhere. It was just too hard to drive like that. That was probably 1983 or 1984. So I hadn't done any "hard driving" trips in about ten years.

And since Mark and I have been together, we've redefined the leisurely trip. When we drive to Ohio or to West Virginia, we don't just stop somewhere for the night. We stop for the night and the entire next day. It can take several days to reach our final destination. We've stopped in Memphis, Nashville, Lexington, St. Louis, and Cincinnati. We've come home by way of Williamsburg, Jamestown, Myrtle Beach, and Orlando (just to name a few).

But this week when we had to drive to West Virginia for my uncle's funeral, we didn't have the luxury of time. We stopped for the night in Little Rock because we'd both worked on Monday and didn't want to try to drive straight through. We stopped there at 11 PM and had our wheels rolling at 6 AM Tuesday morning. We were determined to get there on Tuesday because we didn't want to risk some kind of traffic delay on Wednesday. We stopped only to get gas and food we could eat in the car. We arrived around 8 PM on Tuesday evening, an hour before they stopped serving dinner. It was a hard drive.

Wednesday afternoon after the service was over and everyone was sitting around eating, someone asked when we were going back. It occurred to us that we might want to consider leaving that evening. We had to be back for Mark to start working at 11 AM Friday morning. The drive is supposed to be 17 hours, which is driving time. It doesn't include stopping for gas or food. Our driving time to get there had been 20 hours, again not allowing for the time stopped for gas or food. (We were actually "on the road" for about 25 hours, including stops.)

We plotted out several different scenarios, and in the end we decided to leave around 9 PM and drive through the night. At first I thought we'd made an epic mistake. There was a magnificent thunderstorm. The lightning in the mountains was stunning. But then the rain started and it was intense. Fortunately, we drove out of it quickly and then the driving was actually a bit easier because we didn't have truckers pulling in front of us every seven minutes, at least not until the sun came up. (I timed that on my way home. Once the sun came up, a truck would pull out in front of me about every seven minutes and it would take another seven minutes for him to get back in the right-hand lane and for me to resume my speed.) About 4:30 we were both too sleepy to drive so we pulled into an "open all night" restaurant, slept for an hour and then had breakfast.

We were back home around 5 PM. The driving time actually was 17 hours. We had a "go in and sit down" lunch because the pressure of getting home by a certain time was off. When we went to bed at 10 PM, Mark mentioned that if we'd stuck with our original plan of leaving at 6 AM on Thursday that we'd still have four or five hours of driving left. A dreadful thought!


I'm glad to be safely home and I don't really want to do any hard driving again. Ever.

Cruise Control and Old-Style Math

Let's see if anyone can solve these relatively simple old-style math problems. To make it a bit easier, let's make them multiple choice!

Question 1
Barbara is traveling east through Texas on I-30 at a speed of 76 MPH. The posted limit is 75 MPH. There are two trucks ahead of her, both of which are traveling at a slower rate of speed than Barbara. Barbara pulls into the left-hand lane to pass the slower moving trucks. At what point will the faster of the two trucks pull into the left-hand lane?
A) After Barbara has safely passed them and moved back into the right-hand lane.
B) Just in time for Barbara to have to hit her brakes and reduce her speed by at least 10 MPH.
C) This doesn't happen, Truck drivers are professional and courteous.

Question 2
Barbara is traveling north through Arkansas on I-40 at a speed of 71 MPH. The posted limit is 70 MPH. There are several trucks ahead of her, all of which are traveling at a slower rate of speed than Barbara. Barbara pulls into the left-hand lane to pass the slower moving trucks. At the same time, the faster of the slower moving trucks pulls into the left-hand lane in front of Barbara causing her to hit her brakes and reduce her speed by 10 MPH.  How long will it take for the truck to go back into the right-hand lane so that Barbara can resume the speed of 71 MPH?
A) Two minutes.
B) Between three and 10 minutes, depending on the number and speed of the trucks in the right-hand lane.
C) This doesn't happen, Truck drivers are professional and courteous.

Question 3
How many times does a truck need to pull out in front of Barbara to add an additional two hours to a 17 hour trip? (Remember, that speed is reduced by at least 10 MPH every time it happens.)
A) Way too many.
B) 40 Times
C) It doesn't add anything to the trip time. The additional trip time was caused by the 55 MPH limit imposed by the construction zone otherwise known as Kentucky.

Let me know if you need the answer key.

Take a Tip

Take a tip. That's pretty much what they do these days. We had an 18% "gratuity" added to our tab last night. When we asked why it had been added we were told that there were eight of us at the table. Six adults and two children. We had the order split into two checks, not separate checks for everyone and not everyone on the same check. So it's their policy to automatically add an 18% gratuity.

I looked up the definition of gratuity on dictionary.com. It is defined as a "gift of money" or "something given without claim or demand". Consequently, adding the "gratuity" makes it anything but a gratuity. Although I'm sure this goes right over their pointy little heads. Because I understand it to be a gift, I really resent having it added on.

This is just becoming so common. We were faced with it in another restaurant because we had six people in the party. Again it was 18%. Another restaurant we used to enjoy started adding a 23% gratuity - and that was with two people at the table. We've made a decision not to go back there because of that 23% add-on. It sure adds to the price of the meal (which wasn't cheap to begin with.)

And why is it now 18% instead of 15%? As prices go up, the amount of the tip goes up. Why is the percentage going up? I recognize that tips based on percentage are customary, but let's take a serious look at this. Let's say that I ordered a $12 salad and Mark ordered a $25 entree. Based on the percentage method of determining the tip, my tip (assuming 15%) would come to $1.80 and Mark's tip would come to $3.75. Did it take more time and effort to serve the entree than the salad? It didn't look like it to me. Do waiters and waitresses who work in establishments where the average entree price is $10 not work as hard as waiters and waitresses who work in establishsments where the average entree price is $30? (I'm willing to bet they work harder.) If my water glass gets filled five or six times in an evening, it doesn't count because there's no charge for water. It's a messed up system. It's worse when it is added automatically. Plus, they don't tell you it's been added so if you're not paying attention, you might actually put 15% more on top of the 18% you've already been charged.

Mark and I have a tip scale with four levels: zero, 10%, 15%, and 20%. (You'll notice that neither 18% nor 23% appear on our scale.)

Zero - You really have to work hard to get no tip. (It's only happened once in the past ten years.) You have to virtually ignore us. Make us wait ten or more minutes before you bring us water or take our order. Make sure we can see you chatting up the table of young men or women nearby while we are balancing empty glasses on our heads in an attempt to get your attention. Don't check back to see if we'd like anything else - maybe a drink refill or a dessert, or even the check. Force us to get up and head for the parking lot in order to get the tab. That will get you a zero tip.

10% - You made us wait to refill our drinks. Once again, we probably had to balance empty glasses on our heads. You brought out our entrees but didn't bring us any flatware to eat them with. I asked for Worcestershire sauce, or butter, or extra dressing and my food was cold before you brought it. You got the order wrong and then you argued with me about what I ordered. You left the dirty plates on the table too long. You don't have to swoop in to get them the moment we set our forks down, but the first time you walk by and your hands aren't full, I expect you to take them away. In other words the service was a bit less than satisfactory.

15% - You did a good job. It was satisfactory. It was what I expected. It was not outstanding, but I have no complaints.

20% - You did an outstanding job. Drinks were refilled before they were empty. The food delivery was perfectly timed. You were present and attentive without being intrusive. You went the extra mile to make our evening pleasant. You made us want to come back. Well done!

As you can see from my scale, people are still tipped for providing sub-standard service. It really is no longer a "gift". It has become an obligation, and people expect 15% to be the minimum rather than the norm. It would really be nice if restaurant owners would just pay the waitstaff a living wage and we could do away with "gratuities" all together.

No Fish??

We collect fish plates. We don't have thousands or even hundreds of them. (In fact, we still don't even have ten - but we're working on it.) Here is one we bought in Arkansas, made by a local artisan.

Here is the one we found in Amsterdam - hand-painted Delft.

We also have some fish-shaped plates from Mexico and one from France. We were hoping to add to our collection on this trip to New England but although I looked in gift and pottery shops all up and down the coast of Maine and all over Quincy Market in Boston there were NONE to be found.

Very disappointing. While we were there I ate seafood every day. Seafood is plentiful - not just lobsters - there's plenty of fish about. So why no fish plates? I find it amazing that I found one in Arkansas (which was a land-locked state the last time I looked) and I couldn't find one in Maine or Massachusetts. I hope I have better luck on our next trip. But even if I don't find one, it's always fun to look.

The Freedom Trail

The Freedom Trail was the other "Must See/Do" on the list. The bus tour didn't quite drive by all of the 17 stops. Some of the sites are in areas that are designated as "pedestrian only" so you had to get off the bus and walk, which was okay when the sun was shining, but not so appealing in the rain. I really wanted to get to all 17 stops. We had the map that was provided by the trolley company but it didn't show that much street detail so I had great difficulty following it. (That means anything I found was by dumb luck.)

Faneuil Hall

Our first stop was Faneuil Hall (which is something like stop 12 on the map). Okay, it still looks new and there is a shiny brass grasshopper weather vane on top that I thought was a cricket. Full of shops and eateries, as is the adjacent Quincy Market which apparently has more visitors every year than Disney. I wasn't overcome with a deep sense of history. (Well maybe some TV history when we went to the replica of the Cheers set which is a pub/eatery in Quincy Market.)

Quincy Market

The Old State House

So we set off in search of history. We were able to find the Old State House and the site of the Boston Massacre, which are stops 10 and 11. It's not important to visit the sites in order. But then I had no idea where stop 9, the Old South Meeting House, was. There were a few "walking" tour guides, dressed up in colonial attire, leading small groups of tourists. I was tempted to follow them, or maybe ask to join the group - but they were going the wrong way. I'm much better at following a map in the car. Trying to follow the map on foot (especially when most of the streets shown on the map were unidentified) just proved too much for this old git and tart.  In most European cities, you'll find directional pointers on most street corners for major points of interest. You would think that something as important as "The Freedom Trail" would be clearly marked.

(A quick digression - the architect of the Old State House was Charles Bulfinch, who also designed a number of buildings around Boston. But the original pub that inspired the TV series "Cheers" is really named the Bull and Finch. Coincidence? I think not - just one of those useless trivial facts that I find so interesting.) 

But back to the Freedom Trail. Bottom line - we found some places just wandering around. (What is it they say about a blind hog and an acorn?) But then on Friday (our last day in Boston) the trolley driver mentioned that the Freedom Trail is marked in red and brick. Good heavens! This is like the yellow brick road! Why didn't someone tell us sooner? I'd been looking everywhere except down.  I'd read that it was about a two and a half to three hour walk. It probably is unless you're wandering around aimlessly. But it was easy to follow the red bricks in the sidewalk.

But on Friday the weather was a bit unreliable. We were able to get to many of the remaining stops before the rain defeated us. We managed to see Boston Common from the trolley. It's not unlike the commons that many villages in England have. Except now instead of grazing their livestock, people play with dogs or sit on benches enjoying the park-like atmosphere. We went to two of the three burying grounds. (Really, unless you're looking for a particular headstone, they do look much the same.) But I found the engraving on them to be quite unique. I've never seen anything like it anywhere else.

One if by land, two if by sea...

We went inside several of the churches. The Old North Church is the most historically significant because it's where the lanterns were hung to let people know that the regulars were headed to Lexington and Concord by boat. It was striking how different these old churches are from old churches in Europe.  But then these were built by Puritans, and they were an odd (and mean) bunch.  Imagine sitting in one of those boxes! You had to buy the pew (although some were reserved in the back and in the balcony for people who couldn't afford to buy one. And the prime real estate was up front. I suppose it was more about "seeing and being seen".

It was interesting to learn that the "hill" part of Bunker Hill (and yes, everyone knows that the real battle took place nearby on Breed's Hill) had been removed to fill in areas within the city that had once been under water. 

I think our favorite stop along the Freedom Trail was the USS Constitution. Since it is still a commissioned US Navy ship, the Navy offers tours that are free to the public. High security - but understandable.  It would be fabulous to be in Boston on July 4th when they take her out and sail her. I suspect that is a truly magnificent site.

The guns from outside

Highly polished brass

The guns from inside

Whale Watching

Whale watching was at the top of my "Must Do/See" list for this trip. I thought I saw a whale once in Mexico but to be truthful, the time of year wasn't quite right and it was so far away, I just couldn't be sure. So I wanted to be sure we went on a whale watch.

It was a bit disappointing to be on the wrong side of the boat for the first two whales. We were able to see them, but we couldn't get many good photos. But we stayed in place and were finally rewarded when the humpback whale surfaced on our side of the boat. 

We learned that this whale is called Nile. They are given "unisex" names because they don't actually know whether the animal is a male or a female until the females distinguish themselves by turning up with a calf. Apparently Nile does not currently have one, but in her 26 years, she has had two. They know she is 26 because they have been tracking individual whales for a long time and they know it was 26 years ago that she first appeared on the scene as a calf with her mother.

The markings on the underside of the fluke (tail) are unique to each individual, much like a human fingerprint, which is how they are able to keep track of individual whales.

They are so big! It is truly amazing. Now I KNOW I've seen a whale!

A Day at the Aquarium

If you've seen one aquarium, you've seen them all. Maybe. But it's always interesting to go watch fish swimming around. (I'd say it's peaceful except on my last two aquarium visits I have encountered far too many noisy children to say it was peaceful.) But it's pleasant to watch the fish and imagine what it would be like without all the noise. Even the sharks are cool when there's a layer of glass between you and them.

But on this visit, I looked a bit closer than I usually do. Not necessarily because I was tuned in to fish that day, but because of something I read in a Bible study guide by Adam Hamilton about being in awe of the seemingly infinite variety of fish. Yes, the variety was there. And while some looked quite utilitarian (I think those must be the ones we eat), others were objects of exquisite beauty with intricate designs and stunning colors. Just look at some of the pictures we took.

Different shapes, different sizes, different colors - and they can all swim - (well maybe not the anemones)! Truly awe-inspiring. And there are people who want me to believe that this magnificent variety of fish all came into being by accident as the result of a cosmic explosion. I don't have a great deal of experience with explosions. I've had some food that exploded in the microwave. I can assure you, it was not a thing of beauty. I've heard about explosions in chemistry labs, and while they seem to be a source of some amusement, they are not beautiful. I've seen media coverage of explosions. Recently there was the fertilizer plant that exploded in West, Texas, and the terrorist bomb that exploded at the Boston Marathon. Devastation and disaster - nothing of beauty. I suppose fireworks are a type of explosion, but they are beautiful for a few seconds and then nothing remains but a bit of smoke.

I've heard that life evolved from the sea. I never realized until I saw this whale skeleton that the bones in their flippers are much the same as the bones in a human hand.

But before I get sidetracked, let me say that in my experience, things of beauty are created by artists and designers. People take a great deal of pride and delight in the things they design and create. I know I do - even more so when someone else recognizes the effort I put into it. Most of the artistic and creative people I know are rarely satisfied with creating one thing. They go back and change it, improve on it, or toss it and create something different - sometimes better and sometimes just different. And sometimes they just keep creating more. (I met a woman on Saturday who is working on her 40th needlepoint project. - I stopped after four.) And so life evolves  - but not without a Design and a Designer. I just can't believe that beauty is an accident.

A Spot of Rain

When it rains in Dallas people go a bit crazy. They drive too fast, the cars hydroplane, accidents happen. Fortunately it doesn't rain too often in Dallas. My expectations for Boston were a bit higher. It rains there far more frequently and people should be used to it. But they're not.

We were on one of those bus tours - you sit up high and the driver tells you what you're looking at and you can hop on and off if you want to take a closer look at something and then you just take the next bus because they come by every 15 minutes. Sounds great in theory. In practice, it reminded me of the hop-on hop-off boat in Amsterdam. But this place actually did have more than two buses, or trolleys as they called them.

It started out fine the first day. We just wanted to ride around and get the lay of the land, listen to the commentary and decide what we'd do the next day. Our first driver was great. Heavy Boston accent - you know, pahk the cah instead of park the car, but easy to understand. But when we got back on the bus after lunch, we had a different driver. He had an eastern European accent and sometimes he constructed his sentences oddly. And he kept saying the word "here", even when it made no sense to do so. (At least that's what I thought he was saying.)

So on our second day, while taking the Charles River Cruise it started to rain. We decided to eat lunch before getting back on the bus in the hopes that the rain would stop. Well, it didn't stop so we thought we'd ride the bus over to the aquarium to get out of the rain. When we came out of the restaurant to the bus stop, we could see that it was the driver who didn't speak English. "No! I can't bear it! Let's wait for the next bus." Agreed. A 15 minute wait was no big deal. We had plenty of time to get to the aquarium. But the bus didn't come in 15 minutes. It didn't come in 30 minutes. The young lady in the booth informed us that it would be here any minute and that things were slow because of the bridge repairs and the rain. (I understand those bridge repairs are going to go on for several years - Bostonians need to brace themselves.) Then she ordered us to go to the back of the line, even though we'd been waiting the longest. Maybe it was because I'd already been waiting for over 30 minutes, maybe it was because I don't like being told to go to the end of the line by an 18-year old, or maybe it was because she truly had no idea when a bus might actually turn up, but that did it for us. We got a cab and set off for the aquarium.

But then the cab got stuck in the traffic. After running up a fare of nearly $20, we decided we could make better time on foot. We paid the driver, left him sitting in the traffic and headed for the bridge on foot. We actually made it to the aquarium in time to have a couple of hours before it closed, something we couldn't have done if we'd waited for the bus or stayed in the cab. They have no HOV lanes, no bus lanes, nothing to help move traffic along. I had to laugh because at the spot where the bridge was being repaired there was a sign that said "Seek Alternate Route". No detour. You're on your own. Anyone who's ever used a GPS knows that the silly thing will keep you going in circles until you are back on the designated route. So, if you don't know your way around, you are stuffed. Bottom line? - You could not pay me to live in that city.