Eli and Ashley's wedding

Williams Tree Farm - The venue for the wedding of Ashley Massier and Eli Litscher

What a beautiful wedding.  You know it is hard for me to go to a wedding because I will never be able to help my daughter plan her first wedding. 

Charlene, who was killed in a car accident 9 years ago, may have wanted a wedding with all of the pomp and circumstance that one expects at a wedding.  However I suspect she would have been a practical kinda of gal saying "sure dad, I will take that five thousand dollars and elope, but I want you and mom to be there."

Beckey got married in California and I found out on Facebook.  So therefore, unable to help plan her wedding. 

But to go to an event such as Eli and Ashley's wedding is an honor and a treat, despite my feelings.  Of course it would have been much nicer if Betsey, my wife, had been there.  But she is doing God's work in Guyana.

I got a chance to meet the bride of course, what a lovely lady she seems to be.  Eli appears to be a lucky guy, and likewise Ashley is a lucky gal.  Eli is an goal oriented and motivated guy. 

Weather was as perfect as could be and the venue was great.  Acoustics were not so great inside for the toasts and announcements. 

Colors were gray and salmon.  The reason that I know it was salmon is because my dear nephew Owen told me his socks were salmon.  Owen and Lainey we're others that I met for the first time, what precious kids.  These two would be my niece Alexandra's children. 

It was an outdoor setting for the ceremony, which is why the weather was so important.  God answered my prayers for that.  Waterfall and trees to block out the noise of the nearby country highway. 

Food was surprisingly delicious, prime rib and chicken were the choices.  I, of course, picked the cow as you can see by my ticket. 

The tickets fit into the decorations and the theme was great as the theme was travel.  They are and will be world travelers going to Scotland, Greece, and Turkey for their honeymoon. 

The cake/dessert table - you could make smores with marshmallows toasted over a sterno.  I didn't have one cause the sterno thing was kind of weird to me.

Eli and Alex (my nephew and niece)

My Favorite Ex Sis-In-Law

My brother Allen

Waterfall behind the minister during service

January 16,

January 13, North Carolina

Well I spent a good portion of my time at lunch today writing a blog for today and it is stuck somehow and won't publish.  Bummer. 

Well we have been at Havelock, NC for 4 breakfasts and 3 of those 4 we ate at a place called The Bayview on main street.  I guess you could say it was pretty good since we ate there 3 out of 4 days.  I am kind of at a loss for words as i did have this day all written up.  Anyhoos...  The bayview has, as I was saying a great breakfast.  I understand on great authority that the corned beef hash is exceptional.  I had the steak and eggs today and the pork tenderloins and eggs morning before.  Both of them were great as well.  Steak was very tender and cooked to a great medium rare.  Can't get that most places in a breakfast steak.

Betsey and I did some geocaching and came across this place called Fat Fellas and it was great.  I am not a big fan of North Carolina BBQ but this was great.  I specifically left sauce off and it was great stuff.  Betsey and I both ordered the small bbq plate and Betsey had beets (of which she is very thankful that she can get theses on the side here in the south) and BBQ coleslaw.  The BBQ coleslaw was just the vinegar NC BBQ sauce that they use put in the slaw instead of mayo.  It was great stuff - may have to try that the next church potluck.  

I had okra and fries and the okra was breaded just right and both the fries and the okra were hot out of the fryer.  Of course we did get there just at closing time at 2 in the afternoon.  Chrystal was very hospitable and when she found out it was our fist time there she brought us two samples of the bbq along with a to go menu to take with us.  Sampling the bbq sealed the deal with what we wanted to eat.  

Just as we were leaving the restaurant and heading towards Morehead City we came upon a kayak/canoe rental place.  Newport River Adventures looks like a place that we will be going to the next time that we are in the area.  We did end up going back after we picked Josh up and got a chance to meet the owner.  What a place and gives a 10 percent discount to military and a 5 percent winter discount.  BUT give him a days notice in the winter.  

Josh wanted us to drive to Jacksonville, NC to see a friend of his (great kid - we met him before and Josh traveled across country with him).  And they wanted to meet at Fuddruckers.  If you haven't experienced a Fuddruckers - it is good stuff.  They boast themselves as the best hamburgers but I would argue that point but I will say that they are great hamburgers.  Their hamburgers are limited only by your imagination. 

Chow and Chow Down

Blessings to Ya'll
Share with your friends.

Kevin

Crabby

Started again

During the stunningly cold temps we ventured east.  Got a chance to eat at Back Yard Burger in Kansas City.  Great burgers there.  

Drove thru St Louis and dr drove around Lacledes Landing.  Hmm.  Nothing was open.  I thought we might grab a geo cache but didn't have appropriate shoes for trudging snow banks.  Betsey talked me out of it as it was cold!!!  Stayed just east of St Louis in a town called Caseyville.  Days Inn was ok for 40 bucks.

Great breakfast for six bucks.  Bacon, ham, sausage, eggs, American fries (like my mama used to make), and a biscuit with gravy.

Happy cow in caseyville

Maryville, TN and onto Memphis, TN

With just the whir of the four wheels I ask my wife, "what town was that we stayed in?"  She replied "I don't know".  I had to rely on the history of the GPS to remind me that we stayed in Forest City, NC.  Nice Quality Inn on the tail end of a remodeling project.  I sure hope they fix the outlets behind the headboard issue.  The light on my side of the enormous bed (I kept looking for Betsey all night - not used to king bed) was useless and I kind of like to have my alarm on my phone close to me when I hear it so I can throw it across the room if I need to. 

Breakfast was your standard waffle in a cup and biscuits and gravy, toast, non exciting cereals...

North Carolina is a W I D E   S T A T E  - I thought we would never get out alive.  Found a nice organic coffee house in a city that is to remain nameless at this point.  And a beautiful off of the highway stretch of highway about 20 miles long (Betsey probably thought it was 100 miles long).  I don't understand she will ride roller coasters all day long but get me behind the wheel on a mountain road and ... well I better shut up.  Actually she was a very good passenger during this trip and especially in the mountains.  But I will go on record that if she wasn't with me I might have tried to get up to the speed limit.  I did tell her at one point that it would be nice if I could do the speed limit and I felt like a wimp.  Maybe I am just out of practice with mountain driving.

Headed to see Betey's aunt and uncle in Maryville, TN for the next stop.  Had lunch in a little berg nearby, again city will follow.  I had a hamburger, and it was a GREAT hamburger ground chuck (I had to ask) and it really was one of the best hamburgers that I have had in awhile.  Just enough fat to make it juicy but enough lean to give it great consistency.



Left Maryville headed to Memphis.  Kind of disappointed that the GPS said arrival 9pm, I was trying to get there for a bbq dinner.   BUT  as we are rolling down the highway I ask my navigator to find us a place to eat catfish and came across a couple in Jackson, TN.  So we decide to stop at the Catfish Galley and it was about that time that the check engine light came on.  So when we stopped in Jackson I found an O'Reilly's Auto Parts store to get that checked.  Exhaust Camshaft Positioner needs adjusting (I didn't know my exhaust had a camshaft).



But back to the food - the Catfish Galley was great.  Hometown Missouri atmosphere with great hush puppies and the Catfish had a bit more breading than I like but the catfish was flaky and perfectly done.

Betsey was doing a little online research on what to do in Memphis and we decided to do the zoo in the morning and a riverboat tour in the afternoon.  So we got to downtown Memphis and the hunt for a motel.  The place we picked (for only $56 bucks) only had one room left and it was a smoking room (welcome back to Missouri).  So I found us a Holiday Inn around the corner and just two blocks from Beale Street.  So after we got settled in the room we wandered down to Beale Street to take in the scenery.  This might have been the first hotel we have ever stayed in that provided ear plugs for the guests.

 WOW - what a party neighborhood.  Everybody walking around in the party spirit.  Some guy turning flips down the street.  Free concert (which we got there just as the band was packing up).

Memphis might just be someplace that we have to come back to - not that we lost anything but there were things that we didn't get to see...





Chow and Chow Down
Blessings to Ya'll
Share with your friends.

Kevin

New Bern, NC breakfast

Met at the door by a wonderful crew and a white headed lady with the spunk of a lady that I loved from church, deceased now.

I had the gran daddy which was not what I expected.  I was expecting white gravy but got brown.  It was one of the best breakfasts I have had in awhile.  Pork tenderloins over an open faced biscuit smothered in brown gravy. I was expecting white gravy but the brown was good.