Year 2, Day 276 (The Anniversary Weekend Getaway, Part 1)

The weekend that Tikvah and I spent in Eureka Springs, AR was absolutely fabulous! We arrived at our motel Friday night, staying at Lookout Lodge. The lodging was quaint and the hospitality we received from the owners was superb. In fact, this is what our room looked like:

and of course we had an excellent view the next morning, right outside our door:

Of course, that Friday evening, we celebrated 20 years in style, with a bottle of Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon that Tikvah had picked up just for the occasion.

What was fantastic about Lookout Lodge was that any issues or problems that may have arose were quickly addressed and rectified. As part of the Always And Forever package I had gotten with the room, we had a voucher for one of the local restaurants, and the best word I can use for our dinner at Ermilio's (we had opted for Italian) was orgasmic. They are only open from 1700-2100 - and there will, more than likely, be a wait - but it is so worth it! The next pictures are of what Tikvah and I ordered, Fettuccini Alfredo and Fettuccini with Garlic & Olive Oil Sauce, respectively.

The thing I had noticed about Eureka Springs is that it maintains a small-town appeal, while still having enough commerce to attract the tourists, with a little San Francisco feel to it. A very artsy atmosphere is also added to the mix. It was like no other place in Arkansas we had ever been to. It had such an allure to it that Tikvah and I are seriously considering moving there instead of California.

There was also a vast array of different food without getting too outrageous. The local restaurant where we ate breakfast Sunday morning, aptly named Local Flavor Café. I had ordered an Eggs Benedict, was is an english muffin with Canadian bacon, poached egg, and hollandaise sauce. The difference with the Local Flavor is they offer different options. Instead of Canadian bacon (or ham), you can choose sausage, bacon, filet migńon, or smoked salmon (I chose the salmon). Tikvah is not a big fan of fish, be she took a bite of it and liked it... really liked it; Tikvah had chosen the Quiche for her selection. So, needless to say, we were very pleased with our trip. We plan on spending a week there next year to get a feel for it off season. This was a fantastic weekend. Tomorrow's post will be about the Crescent Hotel (which is haunted) in Eureka Springs.

Year 2, Day 272 (Our Anniversary Dinner)

Yesterday Tikvah and I celebrated our 20th anniversary, but tonight was when I made our special dinner... and I must say it turned out very delicious. The first thing that happened was when I was getting the preparations lined out, a really rare (and cool) photo opportunity presented itself. Preparing the frying pan to saute the vegetables, I poured olive oil into the pan, and this is what came out about 15 minutes later:

Here's what I made for our dinner: yellow, red, and orange bell peppers, onions, and almonds sauteed in olive oil; lemon-pepper noodles; and seasoned tilapia covered with roasted tomatoes, olives, and garlic:

I - as was Tikvah - was very pleased with the end result. Now it's time to brew up some coffee to go with the cheesecake for dessert.

Year 2, Day 236 (Road Food For The Road Scholar)

Many years ago I had discovered a nice little gem of an eatery. I was making a delivery in southeastern Minnesota, when I happened upon a little restaurant right off the interstate, which was owned and operated by Amish. What was very memorable about this little place was it was quaint... and they served home churned butter. As I was making my way back through Minnesota today, I found that same little diner... now what was the name of it...

After placing my order - which was French Toast (made from their Apple Crunch bread) - they had served not the home churned butter, as I had remembered from before, but individually wrapped butter pats. Something was amiss... so I did a little investigating. Sadly, the Amish folks whom had previously owned it sold the restaurant, but the current owner (a dentist from Lewiston, MN) still does a lot of business with the Amish... to the point that the store upstairs (and some in the restaurant, as well) is packed to the gills with Amish made merchandise. Items such as noodles and breads:

There are also a variety of home bakes pies, as well as Amish handmade quilts (such as this Mariner's Compass pattern, which goes for about $1,300)

I almost forgot, I went there to grab a bite to eat. Unfortunately, the food looked so good, I had forgotten to take a picture, until it was almost too late.

The servers, Blanca & Leslie, were top notch. Despite still trying to catch up from the recent lunch rush, they still maintained a more than pleasant attitude, as well as a cheery ambiance in the restaurant. If you're ever in St. Charles, MN, the restaurant and gas station are off of I-90, at exit 233, then turn south... you'll see them on the right. The restaurant is usually open from 0600-2000 each day. You can also view their menu from the website, and free WiFi while you're there. Pop in for a meal... you'll be glad you did.

Year 2, Day 233 (Food, Glorious Food!)

Yesterday, while I was getting a re-start on my logbook (and enjoying the Sabbath), I had put a wild idea into action. The other day I had done some shopping, and on my list I had written vegetables... so I started brainstorming. I had already picked up a pre-cooked smoked beef brisket, when this wild concoction began to form. So I wandered through the produce section to see what I could come up with. A week ago I was given several Roma tomatoes (most of which I had planned on using in a Pica De Gallo), I just had to figure out what else to use with them.

My mind suddenly went into "creative" mode (and, no, I wasn't shopping on an empty stomach). I found several ingredients to use. I chose not to use the potatoes for this meal, as that would have produced too much food. While the brisket was heating up in the crock pot, I went to work an my idea. My "Vegetable Medley" (as I have come to call it) consists of a couple slices of Roma tomato, red, yellow, and orange Bell Peppers (sliced), a couple slices of white onion (which I had already purchased for the Pico de Gallo), some Greek Kalamata Olives & green Olives (stuffed with garlic), almonds, then I drizzled it with olive oil, splashed it with red wine vinegar, then gave it all a little bit of salt, pepper, and some Mediterranean seasoning.

I also took some aluminum foil and fashioned it into a little pan, then placed it on top of the brisket, closed the lid, and let the crock pot do its work. When I went to put away & organize the last few select items from shopping, I realized I had purchased some sun-dried julienne cut tomatoes just for this idea... so I added a little to the already simmering concoction, which at this point was half done (better late than never). I let it all simmer for a couple more hours. Once I removed the lid this time, the aroma was very enticing.

Now that I've seen what my gastronomic mind created, I was more than ready to eat.

The pictures make it look delicious, but the end product surpassed what could be captured on the camera of an iPhone 3GS.

I really enjoy cooking!!

Year 2, Day 227 (Another Week I Won't Be Heading West)

Yesterday proved to be more of a productive - and less exhausting - day. After arriving to the customer in Owingsville, KY (about 30-45 minutes east of Lexington) at around 1430 (ET), and thus being quickly unloaded, I made my way to Mt. Sterling, KY, which was only 8 miles away. Before leaving Owingsville, I called the customer in Mt. Sterling to get some accurate directions (just by looking at the directions that were put in the system, I could tell they were wrong: I-65 does NOT go anywhere near Mt. Sterling), only to find out that the CSR had another driver pick the load up for me (since it was unsure if I would get there before the customer closed for the day), yet I found out initially from the customer, not from the CSR. I met with the other driver, swapped trailers, and I am now on my way to Mason City, IA for tomorrow. I'm bummed because I'm anxious to take my bike on the trail in Woodinville, WA, but in order to do that, I need to get to Woodinville... and those loads only come out of Tulsa, OK on Fridays.

As of yesterday, my wife, Tikvah, and I have caused each to be jealous of the other, in a good way: she is spending a couple weeks in California, and I had some lamb for dinner the other night (and I still have plenty of leftovers). Today, I started the day from the rest area of which I parked last night, somewhere between Champaign and Bloomington, IL. The day is already starting out wet.

I need coffee!

Year 2, Day 226 (What A Taxing Day)

After just a few hours of sleep, I was up at around 0900 (CT) to try and sort out the whole fiasco of the 72 rejected cases. Once I had things started concerning that, I tried to get a little more sleep until the claims department had done what was needed on their end, after which I took the product to a facility not far from where I delivered to "pass it off" to them. That in itself threw the day off track. While I waited for that facility to work their end, I put the butterflied Leg of Lamb in the marinade to sit for a while, then put the lamb and the baby potatoes in the crock pot, where it simmered on low all day.

Finding the customer where I was loading was not a problem, getting the load put on efficiently, however, was a little arduous. By the time I was loaded, with bills in hand, my remaining drive-time had already begun ticking down. Racing against the clock is not fun, especially if your sleep had been broken throughout the day. I almost made it to Charleston, WV before shutting down, plus made a stop at a Starbucks earlier in the day.

Oh... and the lamb (in the words of my friend Lauri Rottmayer) was "Fabu"!

Year 2, Day 211 (Homeward Bound Very Soon)

Though it may have taken a while to get loaded yesterday, Nathan and I did get out of there with a little time left to drive. I stopped in South Beloit, WI to scale out, then I shut down for the night in Rochelle, IL. Even though there was still nearly 1 1/2 hours left of available driving time, I chose Rochelle because there was a Pilot nearby where we could get a shower. There was also a Petro (which is where we parked where we could get a good meal while I washed what was left of our laundry.

The food at The Iron Skillet (Petro's in-house restaurant) has always had good food, and last night was no exception. Nathan had the Sirloin Steak Sandwich, while I went with the 7 Pepper Whitefish.

Today gives me a little over 500 miles to cover on this load. It's due tomorrow morning, but we do have a drop trailer there, so I can do a drop & hook and be out of there. No telling if I will load up something else and have it re-powered to another driver, or if I will just get sent home from there. One thing is certain, I'm ready to go home and relax!

Now to get some coffee.

Year 2, Day 197 (On Own Way To Canada)

We arrived in Dayton, NJ at just before 0100 (ET) and, surprisingly enough, were put in a door to begin loading rather promptly, though the loading appointment wasn't until 0800 this morning. Once I finished my 10 hour break, Nathan and I headed out to make our way to Brampton, ON. On the way, I treated him to the all American breakfast of Dunkin' Donuts. The traffic wasn't too terribly bad, compared to what I have experienced in the past. As of this writing, I have pulled off just east of Buffalo, NY to top off the fuel, and to pick up a pizza for dinner (Nathan did make me promise him that, at some point, he wanted some pizza from Flying J). As we finish the last 100+ miles on this trip, I had to make this stop stretch out a little longer in order to get this post put to bed, as I will not have any access to the data network once I cross the border.

See you later, eh?

Year 2, Day 195 (Heading To Pennsylvania)

I made it to Auburn, IN at around 0100 this morning, where I unloaded at the Walmart Distribution Center there. Once I finished with my required 10 hour break, I made my way to Newport, MI where I met up with one of our other drivers to swap trailers. His trailer was loaded with Coca Cola product heading to Pottsville, PA for tomorrow evening. Nathan and I made a few stops along the way: Meijer (to pick up a few groceries), Pilot (to get fuel), and, finally, to the Commodore Perry Service Plaza (to get a dose of Starbucks, as well as Lox & Bagels from Einstein Brothers Bagels).

This was Nathan's first experience with Lox & Bagels (there's not a lot in the way of kosher food establishments and/or deli's in north central Arkansas), and, from what I gather, he seems to like it. I figure I'll try to get us into Pennsylvania, probably about 100 miles, before we shut down for the day. All in all, this turned out to be a pretty productive day.

Did I mention we got some Starbucks?

Year 2, Day 193 (Short Day, Unproductive)

I unloaded this morning in Lebanon, TN, and while I was unloading, I received a pre-plan. However, the next load wasn't too fruitful, as it doesn't pick up until tomorrow evening, and only 40 miles away from where I unloaded. On the way to the customer (to drop the trailer, in the hopes of getting it loaded early; since it's Tyson, I won't hold my breath), I made a stop at K.O.'s Pizza for Nathan and I to get a Gyro for a late lunch. That's one of my favorite things to get from there, as well as the Nammora, which is absolutely out-of-this-world delicious.

After eating, I finished heading up to Goodlettsville, TN to drop the trailer, then shut down for the remainder of the night. I hope they do load it much earlier than 2100, even a little earlier than 1700, because I don't want to run an all-nighter to deliver in Auburn, IN by 0900 Sunday morning. I will, however, brew up some coffee tonight.

May your Sabbath be blessed with peace and joy abundant!

Year 2, Day 191 (A Change Of Course)

Yesterday, after I was unloaded, I headed up to Milwaukee to pick up the load I was pre-planned on. Once I arrived (after making a stop to pick up some bulkheads) everything seemed to go fairly smoothly... until I checked in to the guard post where I would be getting the bills. It was then I found out that my load had been "double booked" (that is, one load assigned to two different trucking companies). Since the other truck had arrived before I did, the load went on that truck. I had to wait until this morning to get another load, so Nathan and I went to the Pilot just south of Milwaukee and shut down for the night. Our dinner was some spaghetti that I made in the crock pot.

This morning I was sent to Delavan, WI (about 50 miles southwest of Milwaukee) to pick up the load I am now on. While we were waiting, Nathan pulled out his guitar and played a few songs.

This load will take us to Covington, TN for tomorrow, where I am also pre-planned to pick up my next load, which goes to Lebanon, TN for Friday morning. Still, all is quiet on the mid-western front.

Year 2, Day 187 (Much Cooler Today, And More Relaxing To Be Had)

The temperatures have come down quite a bit today, making it a little cooler, but still some level of humidity. Today I've been occupied not only with this week's Torah portion, but also transferring my audiobook library onto my iTunes. I'm doing this because I have over 50 audiobooks (many of them having multiple parts), and with only a 16 GB iPhone 3GS, there's only so much room in memory. Therefore I'm putting the library on my iPod... at least until I upgrade the phone. This evening, Tikvah and I went over to her mother's house for dinner. Since my birthday is coming up in a couple weeks, Patricia (my Mother-in-law) made a roast as a birthday dinner for me, with a Strawberry Pie for dessert.

Our youngest son, Nathan, is spending the night at a friend's house tonight, so Tikvah and I have the house to ourselves.

Yes, there is wine that will be consumed... and Jazz music... I think you see where this is heading.

Year 2, Day 185 (Just Trying To Stay Cool)

I slept in a little this morning, but my wife, Tikvah, had to work. I really felt bad for her, because today she was working in the greenhouse at the farm of her employer. It was hot as it was today, but I can't imagine having to work in a greenhouse all day. I did pull the bike out, not for a standard ride, but to run a few errands, though I made sure to pace myself. I went to the bank to make a payment on my credit card, and as I was leaving (as this really impressed me), the manager walked up to me and offered some water, "because it is pretty hot outside" she said (she also knew I had rode my bike there). Now that's good customer service.

This evening, at Tikvah's request, I began making Matzoh Ball Soup. However, probably due to the humidity, they didn't turn out as usual. they were runnier than normal, so I added some extra Matzoh meal, but that didn't help. I ended up scrapping the entire soup, and we ordered pizza for dinner.

Year 2, Day 180 (Kansas City, Here We Come... Again)

Once we had finished unloading in Petoskey, MI yesterday, John and I waited for a couple hours until we were given our next run. This one had us deadheading to Chicago (about 350 miles) to load today. Our loading time was between 1200- 2200, but we arrived there last night. Along the way, John had called his sister and had her meet us in Covert, MI to bring a pizza. The pizza was from DiMaggio's Pizza in Coloma, MI, and was delicious. I had never had their pizza until last night. We stopped off in Burns Harbor, IN and topped off the fuel, then off to Chicago.

We were blessed that Tyson had us loaded and leaving just after noon. We left from there and I had John take us to the Target on the south end of Chicago, on Cicero. I stopped to pick up a few things (milk being one of them), and I also treated John to a Starbucks: a Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappaccino, which, upon tasting it (delightfully, I might add), he gave it the moniker "diabetes in a cup". We are making our way to Olathe, KS which is just south of Kansas City, KS.

The weather has been humid so far, but it looks as though we may be hitting some rain before we hit St. Louis. Either way, this is a beautiful Sabbath, because The L-rd has granted me another day.

One more thing... I saw Mario in the Chicago area:

Year 2, Day 154 (Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2)

Today was the day both Tikvah nor I were looking forward to: our oldest sons leaving to go back home to California. Our son Sean-Patrick left yesterday to head back up to Missouri, where he is currently living. Today was harder, though. It was very nice to have Erik and Paul around for a few days, but hard to see them off.

 Tikvah and our oldest, Paul

Tikvah and Erik


Although, after this parting, Tikvah and I have decided that our goal will be to move out to California by next July. We have missed living out there, and, frankly, I was ready to go about 2 years ago. We have been holding out so that our youngest son, Nathan, can finish high school. Since he will be graduating next Summer, our time here is done. Two of our sons already live out there, and Nathan plans on moving back out there, so we want to be where our boys are. Mind you, that is not to smother them, or to intrude on their lives, since the older ones have wanted us to move out there for some time. So that will be the plan.

We know that HaShem will work it all out.

Year 2, Day 153 (Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow)

This morning, Tikvah and I met up with her two sisters, Theresa (with her husband, Scott), and Chris (with her husband, Bob, and youngest daughter, Nikki) for breakfast. We did this because Theresa & Scott were leaving out today to head back to California. We all had a good time, and good conversation. It was nice for them to get together again, though we all wish it were under better circumstances.

                Theresa, Tikvah, and Chris


Afterwards, Chris, Bob, Nikki, Tikvah, and myself went to a couple antique stores in town, as well as a flea market, before we all went to my Mother-in-law's house for a while. So that Pat (my Mother-in-law) wouldn't have to cook (and so that Chris, Bob, and Nikki wouldn't have to leave earlier to go out to eat) I decided to make my famous (at least in my household it is) Matzah Ball Soup... which turned out to be a hit. Tomorrow we will be taking our two oldest sons back to the airport for them to head back to California as well.

I really miss California... I'll be back home soon!

Year 2, Day 143 (Heading Back To Tulsa)

After some "down time" and relaxation (as well as quite a bit of walking yesterday), Dillard and I made our way up to British Columbia to finish delivering this load. Before we crossed the border, I had Dillard pull into the truck stop in Blaine, WA (right there by the border) to brief him on what to expect at the crossing and how to handle it. 30 minutes later we made our way across... no muss, no fuss. I navigated him to the customer and back into the U.S. Along the way I was finally able to get some decent pictures of some of the scenery (the previous time the weather was just to bleary).
















Once we returned, we parked back at the truck stop where I bought the ingredients to make some Pico de Gallo, and to grab a bite to eat at the Hot Spot. Dillard had a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich, while I opted for some Chipotle/Garlic Wings:




We made it here to Ellensburg, WA where I topped off the fuel and we are shutting down for the night. Tomorrow Dillard will have full reign... he will be doing it all for his final week... but I may coach him from time to time.

- Posted by me

Year 2, Day 142 (Scott Schultz, In Real Life)

Today turned out quite well, despite the drizzling rain... not that there's anything wrong with the rain... this is the Seattle area, after all. The customer that Dillard and I are delivering to (scheduled for tomorrow) unloaded us this morning. This customer I've always enjoyed dealing with... always. The fact that we were unloaded first thing this morning was a plus, because that leaves the rest of the day free.
As I mentioned yesterday, I made plans to meet up with Scott Schultz. Scott and I first interacted with each other via Twitter, then later on became friends on Facebook. As of today, we finally met face-to-face.




We met up for lunch at a nice little place called Pallino Pastaria. I ordered the Pesto Genovese with Penne, which was very delicious.




We spoke about a variety of things, mainly getting to know each other; family, children, careers, etc. It was a very enjoyable time, I'm glad we finally were able to put real personalities behind the various tweets and random Facebook postings. We'll keep in touch, Scott... may you and your family be blessed!
- Posted by me

Year 2, Day 141 (Another Trip Done)

As of right now, Dillard and I are sitting in Woodinville, WA, where we will be unloading on Wednesday morning before heading up to Burnaby, BC to finish this trip out. When we arrived we headed out to venture around Woodinville for a little bit. I was hoping I would have been able to shoot into Seattle for an hour or two and drink a coffee with Terri Nakamura, but that, unfortunately, didn't happen. Since Dillard and I were running low on our hours, I wanted to make sure we made it here before we ran out. Terri is someone I initially met through Twitter, then we "friended" on Facebook. We met in person last year, and I hope I can meet up with her again sometime in the near future.

Tomorrow, however, I will be able to meet another person I've become acquainted with, via Twitter; Scott Schultz... but more on that tomorrow.

Dillard and I, as I mentioned earlier, went venturing around. He popped into a Taco Bell to get something to eat. As for myself, I went in search of something different. In the plaza behind Taco Bell, there were several restaurants of varying cultural cuisines. At first I was going to try the Thai restaurant, until I saw Pho Hao... a Vietnamese restaurant. I have had food from many different cultures, and many different cuisines... but not Vietnamese. I had to give it a shot. So I ordered one of the soups (don't ask what the name of it is, I don't remember) and was absolutely delighted!




It was light, yet filling. I will absolutely make another visit in the future.

- Posted by me

Year 2, Day 141 (I'm Always At Peace In The West)

Dillard and I made it to Ft. Bridger, WY where we shut down. Fantastic weather: 45°; even when we left, it was 15° cooler than where I live. Dillard pulled out of the truck stop at around 1245 and we continued our way westward. I've always found a certain solace when driving through the mountain regions. There is such beauty in those areas. Take a look at these pictures I took while traveling through eastern Utah:







(both of which were taken with my Hipstamatic app).

Before we left, I made some preparations and started the crock pot up to make the roast we are having for dinner. We did, however, have to make a stop at the SuperTarget in Riverdale, UT to get another onion, as the one I had went bad (plus I made a stop in Starbucks). for those who may be curious about my recipe, here it goes:

a 3-4 lb cut of beef (use your own personal preference)

1 bottle Mesquite flavored Liquid Smoke (I use Colgin brand)

1 small or medium red onion

3 garlic cloves

2 pkg powdered brown gravy

1lb baby potatos

fresh green beans

fresh mushrooms (whole or sliced, depending on your preference)

Cut the beef into 4 pieces, marinate overnight in the Liquid Smoke. The next morning transfer the beef and Liquid Smoke into the crock pot, slice onion and chop garlic, add to crock pot (add whichever seasonings you wish) Cook on high about 2-3 hours, then turn to low and add potatoes and gravy mix. Allow to cook for another 4-5 hours, then add green beans & mushrooms for the last 30-60 minutes (this way the green beans will still be crisp when you bite into them).

This will serve 4-6 people, depending on their appetite.

Bon a petit!

- Posted by me