Waffle House

 When visiting a Waffle House, you will be greeted enthusiastically by every employee who is able and you will be served very good coffee (that is my opinion). 
If you order hashbrowns - and who wouldn't? - you can order them plain OR you can choose from the menu pictured on the left. 

I like my hashbrowns smothered, covered, diced, and capped.  Believe me when I say the first time you hear a server yell across the counter, "smothered, covered, diced and capped, " you will just laugh out loud.  How can you have a bad day when it starts of with coffee and smothered,covered, diced, and capped?

You may have guessed that Waffle House also serves waffles, I have not tried them - yet. Dave thinks they are wonderful with pecans. 
http://www.wafflehouse.com/welcome

Small World

Dave and I sang for an Advent service in Stockbridge, Georgia, this past week.  As I was greeting folks at the CD table, I met Marlen Baerenwald.  When he said his name, I automatically said the name of the only Baerenwald I know... "As in Darla Baerenwald?" He said, "Darla is my niece!"  Darla and I met in 1977 when we were college roommates at Concordia, St. Paul. Darla lives in Texas, Marlen lives in Georgia, and I live on the road.   Hey Darla, I met your uncle!
Additional note: Marlen grew up in Worthington, Minnesota, near Dave's boyhood home.  I love it when God gives us reminders of the connection we have to each other and to Him.

The Packer/Vikings game in Atlanta

On Sunday afternoon, we stopped on our way home at Hudson Grille in downtown Atlanta after checking online to find out who would even show Packers/Vikings in Georgia. As you know Dave and I have a mixed marriage - I am from Wisconsin, he is from Minnesota.  November 21, was the second meeting of these rivals - who won the first game this season? Oh, yeah, that would be the Packers!  Who won the second round? Oh, yeah, that would be the Packers, again.

I thought it was a great game.  Dave, not so much; and as our nephew said, "For argument's sake, let's just say Minnesota does not have a professional football team.." 
(In the photo below we see Dave covering his eyes in embarrassment at his team's performance.)

Fun Tak

In our house we use Fun Tak for nearly everything for which tape or glue will not do the trick.

It holds Dave's song sheets as he records; it holds my junk organizer on my desk; it holds the Wii sensor bar; it holds the TV speaker; and it also serves as a leg on our electric hot plate. It holds everything on Dave's desk - pencil holder, router, speakers, his desk junk box - except the computer screen.

This great stuff adheres to nearly everything and can withstand a haRVey move intact.
Fun Tak, not just for the classroom anymore.

Chief Ladiga Bike Trail

After consulting the map about 10 miles into our ride on the Chief Ladiga/Silver Comet Bike Trail, we decided to add the extra 5 miles so we could say we rode to Georgia and completed a 28 miles ride! Here we are with our feet in different states and by the end of the our ride the butts were in agreement, there is nothing more comfortable than anything that is not a bike seat. It was a fine day for state hopping.
We are in Talladega, Alabama until Tuesday.

Mammoth Cave National Park

Hi, my name is Sabra and I am claustrophobic. ("Hello, Sabra!")
Intentionally going into a cave required a stern talking to myself,
"If you do not try this, you will really, really, regret it." Ranger Joe was well-versed on all things cave related and assured all seventeen of us that we would probably not have a huge boulder fall on us.
Do you see me going down the VERY small staircase? Well, I did. Breathe, Sabra, breathe.

The "Historic" tour begins with a display of the apparatus used during the War of 1812 to extract Saltpeter from the dirt in the cave in order to supply the fledgling U.S. with gunpower, seeing that all of our foreign sources were cut off by the British blockade. There was some ingenious hydro-engineering involved, getting water into the cave by means of augered-out logs tapered at the ends like pencils and then stuck together to form a pipeline. Amazing. And all figured out by the slaves working on the project.

If ever you should find yourself in Western Kentucky, make time for Mammoth Cave National Park. And don't forget to breathe.

New Bike

Today we celebrated our first excursion with our NEW BIKES! (a gift from Dave's parents). We took the the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, which you can begin with a train ride up the valley! That means the return trip is all downhill. We rode the train for two bucks each from Brecksville Station to Botzum Station, where they unloaded our bikes for a 14 mile ride back to our point of origin. Along the way we visited historic Botzum Farm site and Szally's Farmers Market (pictured above). The apples were delicious - well, actually Granny Smith and Jonagold. It was a glorious day for a ride and I must have thanked God 100 times for such a day as this. How often do we get to wallow around in perfect contentment?

As a side note, I did see someone on the trail with my exact bike and I thought, "don't these brakes work well."