Food

Busy Saturday

Painting At The Horse ShowWe started the day with breakfast at our favorite place, no not Hardee’s, but the New Moon Cafe. We got there just after they opened and had to wait in a line 6 deep, but as always the food was worth it. We both had a Cranberry Pecan Muffin and we split a bottled water. We also bought two Everything Bagels for our Sunday breakfast.

Meal Cost: $5.53
Tip Jar: $1.00
Spent This Meal: $6.53
Year to Date: $771.49

After eating we went over to Hitchcock Woods and took a hike. Not only did we want to take a walk in the woods, but we wanted to go watch a bit of the 91st Annual Horse Show (even though our neighbor wasn’t participating.) After buying some note cards and becoming “Friends of the Woods” it was time to hike back to the car.

Once home, we ate lunch and did a couple loads of clothes, before semi-dressing up for dinner out with the Master’s Miata Club Dinner Out Auxiliary. It was member Patti’s birthday so we went to a little fancier place than usual, Calvert’s. We were there at 5:30 specifically so we could take advantage of the “Sunset Dinner for Two.” We both eat for $28.95 and that includes salad, entree and desert. I had salad with Blue Cheese dressing and the London Broil (mmmm) with steamed veggies and twice baked potato. Washed down with a glass of Pinot Noir. Donna had Creamy Vinaigrette on her salad and then the Seafood Crepe with Sprite to drink. The b-day girl got a special Chocolate Roulade desert with a candle in it, while the rest of us were served Chocolate Bread Pudding. Donna took one bite and didn’t like it, so I sacrificed for the cause and ate both deserts.

Meal Cost: $40.50
Tip: $6.50
Spent Meal: $47.00
Year to Date: $818.49

The other two couples live over in Augusta, so they had a shorter drive home, too bad for them. When we left for our 35 mile drive the temperature was 70, the sun was setting and the full moon was rising. We pulled into our driveway at almost full dark. This is why convertibles were invented.

Started down, went up, back down, up again, down again, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 104

Baby You Can Drive My Car

NoseI posted 24 pictures out of the 74 that Donna and I took at yesterday’s BMW Ultimate Drive. They are posted on page 2 of the 2007 gallery. To the left is one of the 50 that didn’t make the cut. So far I’ve got just titles on them, but I hope to add captions over the weekend to both yesterday’s event and from the Augusta event a fortnight ago.

We are already thinking about next year. The crew that was in Columbia had just come from Charleston and said it was a blast and the food was good, so we may head down there in 2008. We are also thinking of helping out by ferrying the cars to the next city. There are 19 numbered cars in the fleet, a crew X5 plus the support van and they have just 5 crew members, so they need at least 16 people to help get the cars to the next city. When you drive the cars depends on the distance to the next location. Short hops can be done right after the event or early the next morning. For these you drive to the next location, they feed you and put you on a bus back to where you started. Long hauls are started the morning after the event and you may get two meals out of it and a longer bus ride home. Might be fun to drive in a 21 vehicle caravan.

But why wait until next year, the Southern Fleet will be in Columbus, GA (about 250 miles away) in 3 weeks on Saturday April 21st…

Started up, went down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 100

Too Early

This is our early to work week, so we can get tomorrow afternoon off. The down side to these hours, besides having to get up an hour early, is we are up an hour early. This morning Donna didn’t want her usual breakfast, she wanted some Biscuit and Gravy from Hardee’s, but Hardee’s isn’t open until 6 o’clock and by that time we should be on our way to work not ordering breakfast at a “fast food” place.

To make up for not eating out for breakfast we ate out for dinner. Maria’s Mexican Restaurant again, but this time we didn’t bother with the tacos, we just split an order of Carrnitas. I had iced tead and she had water.

Meal Cost: $11.88
Tip: $2.12
Spent Today: $14.00
Year to Date: $692.83

Tonight and tomorrow will separate the men from the boys in the office Tourney Pool. Right now I’m leading the pack to win bragging rights, but the Sweet Sixteen is right about where I start to drop from the top levels to the mid-pack where I usually am.

Started down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 92

Boy, Is My Left Foot Bored

Big GrinWe drove a ton of BMWs today and not a single one had a manual transmission. One of the workers said they quit a couple years ago because they were burning up too many clutches…

It is probably easier to name the models I didn’t drive (6 series convertible, 5 series wagon & a 3 series 4-door), but let me list the ones I drove and the order we drove them before I forget.

  1. Z4 Coupe
  2. 335i Convertible (the new hardtop model)
  3. X3
  4. 550i Sedan
  5. X5
  6. 750 Li
  7. 335i Coupe
  8. 650i Coupe
  9. Z4 Roadster

Because the BMW dealer had moved a couple miles further out on Washington Rd we had a whole new loop this year. It was a mile shorter than the previous one at 14 miles and a little more suburban. It wasn’t too bad until school let out as it passed three different institutes of education. Maybe because it was a nicer day than last year, there seemed to be a lot more folks out driving today, so we didn’t do any double loops. We drove each car once for a total of 125 miles. For you math majors, I know that nine times fourteen would be 126, but a slight navigational error on the first loop brought us in a mile too soon.

Highlights: The 335i Coupe with enough horsepower to achieve earth orbit if you could get a ramp of the right angle. The 5 series sedan and the X5 had a HUD speed display that hovered just above and in front of the hood on the driver’s side.

Lowlights: I-Drive and the abrupt throttle response from the drive by wire system. (I’m sure both of these would turn into highlights or at least invisible if I had more than 14 miles to figure them out.)

My navigator missed a turn call out on the first loop, but I had my own oops moment when we got in the X5. The rep got us in the car, I got it started and he reset the odometer and marked down the mileage. He then asked if I had any questions and being as this was our fifth loop and I’d driven aN X5 last year, I said, “Nope.” I hit the window up button, bzzzzzzzit. He walked away and I grabbed the shifter and pulled back to put it in drive, it didn’t move and nothing happened. Pushed it forward with the same result. Pushed a button on the side and then tried to move the shifter, still nothing. Bzzzzzzzit, I hit the down button for the window. “Excuse me,” I say, “Just how do I put this thing in drive?” The nice rep leans in the window and points at the button I pushed earlier and said, “Hold that in while pulling back.” “Ahhh,” I said, “I tried each separately, but didn’t try the combination.”

Even though we knew there would be food at the BMW dealer, we weren’t sure what and Donna wanted a fish sandwich, so we stopped at McDonald’s before heading over to drive cars. Fillet-O-Fish for her and a Southern Chicken Sandwich for me. We split a small drink and fries.

Meal Cost: $6.61
Tip: None
Spent Today: $6.61
Year to Date: $628.25

Turns out he food that was available was good, so we had half sandwiches and wraps with some pasta salad at the end of the day that we called dinner. The brownies were so awesome I ate two.

Started down, went up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 84

55,000 Calories

Although she wanted it yesterday, she got it today. Breakfast at Hardee’s. Biscuit and Gravy for Donna and I had a Sausage and Egg Biscuit. We split a small Hashrounds while I had OJ and she drank a water.

Meal Cost: $5.28
Tip: None
This Meal: $5.28
Year to Date: $563.99

To Dibble RoadThis week was our LDSW, so we were off this afternoon. Since we had breakfast out and knew we were eating dinner out, we opted to eat lunch at home. We were then going to go for a hike in Hitchcock Woods because we were unsure of this weekend’s weather and wanted to get in a little exercise to counter our huge caloric intake for this week. The immense gravitational force of our couch almost prevented the hike, she had a book, I had a book… In the end we did manage to reach escape velocity and get outside for our hike. Glad we did, as it was near perfect weather for it. A lot of other people thought it was a nice day to enjoy the woods too, we saw five folks on horseback, about twice that on foot and one red-tailed hawk gliding on thermals looking for an afternoon snack.

This evening we dined with a couple other couples at Rae’s Coastal Cafe in Augusta. Donna had the Coconut Shrimp and I had the Jerk Chicken. The food was great (as always) and may explain this place’s popularity. We got there a little after it opened and 5:30 and before we even got our salads the place was nearly full. By the time we were done eating the waiting patrons were packed two deep at the bar with spill over clogging the exit aisle.

Meal Cost: $32.28
Tip: $5.72
This Meal: $38.00
Year to Date: $601.99

On the way home from the “big city” the Emperor past through the 55k mile mark and not a single one was traveled through a food court at a mall. When they ask for a login, user billydwilliams with a password of thatsright.

Started down, went up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 74

With the Tress and the Horses and the Rocks and the Sheep

Lunch at the Stoplight Deli. We split a California Pita and a bowl of chili with two waters to wash it down.

Meal Cost: $10.87
Tip Jar: 13¢
Spent on Lunch: 11.00
Year to Date: $385.17

 
Ate diner out with friends at the Patagonia Grill, a new South American restaurant in Evans, GA. I had an Americanized version of Anticuchos, marinated pork on a skewer. Donna had Anticuchos de Camaron, grilled shrimp on skewers and covered with a white wine sauce. Again, waters to drink. Good food that definitely warrants a return visit..

Meal Cost: $33.87
Forced Tip: $6.00
Spent on Dinner: $39.87
Year to Date: $425.04

 
The Emperor got a sponge bath (Meguiar’s Quik Detailer and a towel) this afternoon in preparation for tomorrow’s nine city Post Office Road Trip. Prosperity, Little Mountain, Chapin, White Rock, Ballentine, Lexington, Gilbert, Leesville & Wagener.

Started down, went up, back down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 53

54,000 Pieces of Hardware

54,000 Pieces of HardwareForgot to mention this yesterday – Somewhere not too long after we left the Food Lion parking lot yesterday on the way to Newberry, the Emperor turned over 54,000 miles. This works out to an average of over 45 miles a day since we brought it home back in November of 2003, or about 1,380 miles a month.

Started up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 45