Where Do I Begin?

I'm just trying to get my head around the entire Frankenmuth experience. I've come up with a three pronged approach: 1. lists, 2. photos and 3. leave the rest for Lynne to explain.

How we did with our assigned tasks:

Lynne---Driving A+

Pat---Snacks A++ (oh...the bag of chocolates...)

Sue---Crafting C (plenty of supplies, minimal execution)

Brad---Car games C (this grade might have been higher if prizes had been involved)

But, don't worry, despite the poor grade in car games, we had plenty of laughs in the car.

Best lines/stories from the car:

Brad's childhood nickname. We've been sworn to secrecy on the details.

The re-telling of Pat and the Cowboy Boots. I know it's a painful tale for her to recount, but it cracks me up every time.

Best photo that involved a cut-out:

Best Catch Phrase:

Gettin' Our 'Muth On (Major kudos to Lynne for this one).

Oh geeeez---I can't believe that I totally forgot about our stop(s) at Tony's I-75.

Yes, we went twice. On Monday we stopped for lunch before entering The 'Muth proper. Had to get our strength up for all that Bavarian Fun. The sandwiches were gigantic and the BLT did not disappoint. However, I'd have to say that the Reuben (which I ordered) was the best of the four (burger for Lynne, BLT for Brad and cheesesteak thing for Pat). Onion rings and fries were ordinary.

We went again for breakfast the next day...the only other option was Bob Evans and though we are all fans, we can get that here. For me, the best part of breakfast was the giant Italian Bread toast with homemade strawberry preserves. Lynne was happy with her egg white omelette---which isn't something you'd expect to find on the menu of a place that deep fries their bacon and serves sausage in a basket.

Other food awards:

Best Condiment: The Cherry Rhubarb preserves from The Bavarian Inn.

Best Cookie: Pat's Molasses Cookies from Zehnders.

Best Chocolate: Lynne says it was the giant peanut butter cup she got at Zehnders. The rest of us will just have to take her word for it because it was clear that this was one time when there would be no sharing. However, the euphoric look on her face pretty much said it all.

Best Side Dish: The Dried Cherry Salad at Zehnders.

Celebrity Sighting, Best Photo and Best Cooking Experience---all "rolled" into one. We made our own pretzels at The Bavarian Inn and while we were there Betty Zehnder came through. I just thought she was an older lady who worked there, but Pat knew her right away. Check out the look in Pat's eyes. Betty Zehnder is the Queen/Owner of the Bavarian Inn. I still don't understand all the family intrigue between Zehnders (which has the same name as our new pal, Betty) and The Bavarian Inn. However, I didn't think that it was wise to ask while I was wearing a hair net.

I have no idea why my hair is sticking straight up. I'm blaming the hair net.

Best Line (Lynne was on a roll with the one liners): It's 3:30, I've got $2 left and my pants won't button. It's time to go home.

Stay tuned for---plarn sightings, sock monkeys, Lynne at Bronners and much more.

Found Objects, Country Style

Living in the country can be an unusual experience. Sue has already had a number of "challenges" to her new abode, not the least of which was the puppy who slept next to her with an unknown bladder issue. The problem with the dog has been fixed, but she's also not back on Sue's bed, wisely.

Outside of the house is a whole different world. Like the other day while we were out walking the dogs, we discovered this bowling ball. On the side of the road? No. It was embedded in a planted farmer's field, with baby soy bean plants sprouting around it. We plucked it out and brought it home. It was a dilemma of whether we should carry it or roll it. However, after I rolled a gutter ball (it went in the ditch-ewww), it was carried.

How did it get there? Angry wife, jealous of how much time her husband spends with said bowling ball, chucks it out the window? It was pretty heavy for any chucking? The man bowled a bag game? A moving van dropped it? Space Aliens? Your theories welcome.

Then, this morning, I walked by this pint of pickled peppers. I'm pretty sure Peter picked them.

Countdown to Frankenmuth

If the flurry of emails are any indication...this is gonna be one big laugh fest. I might need to get some of the astronaut diapers just to make sure I'm not offensive (at least in a smelly way) to my fellow travelers (I'm not sure if that's the right phrase to use).

So far, plans include the following:

A stop at Tony's I-75 restaurant for giant servings of food. Tony's was on The Travel Channel which featured their BLT that contains 20 slices of deep fried bacon. 'nuff said.

Pat has purchased a variety of new, hermetically sealed, golf shirts for the trip. She says a variety of colors...I don't know how many shirts she thinks she'll need in 36 hours, but maybe she knows something that I don't.

We are working on rules (perhaps we should call them behavior suggestions). Here's what we have so far:

1. No changing shirts in the car.

2. No lederhosen.

Suggested activities:

1. Changing shirts in the car (Brad is the only one who is really pushing for this one)

2. Hitchhiking (again, Brad)

3. Karaoke (ditto)

4. Fun car games with prizes (you guessed it)

And, that's all before we even get to Frankenmuth. We might be worn out before we even get to Toledo.

The one thing that would really make this special (and the shirt changing more comfortable) would b a conversion van.

All About Me

Please---enough with the emails, phone calls, and text messages demanding an update on my life. I've been busy, but here are the highlights of the last couple weeks.

I'm all moved in here at Lynne's. If I didn't have books or all my crafting supplies (yarn, plastic bags and plarn take up a lot of space and can't be stored far away...I need constant access) moving and unpacking would be quite easy. On the other hand, if I didn't read or craft, who'd want to live with me? I'd be totally dull.

Interesting things about moving in with Lynne: When I run into people around town who ask me "what's new?" and I tell them I've moved in with Lynne, their responses are nearly identical. "Oh, you guys will have fun," they say with a smile. Then they get a concerned look on their face and ask "Do you have any pets?" They seem relieved when I say "no".

Email has lost a tiny bit of its lustre since most of my email correspondence was with Lynne. However, I did just email her from upstairs to downstairs because I'm too lazy (and focused) to get up and ask a question.

Why living with Lynne is better than being married (at least to the two buttheads I married): She has no expectation that I'll cook or clean for her and is excited and appreciative of any minor effort on my part.

In addition to plarn and other recycled crafts, I have a new obsession: field rocks.

This picture is sideways, but it shows the rocks I collected all by myself, just for Brad. I also learned that there's a difference between rocks (smooth) and stones (not smooth).

And this is the big monster rock that I want to get, but it will require special tools beyond my work gloves.

So, all in all, life is very exciting. More later.

And, next....Countdown to Frankenmuth....