Month: August 2007

Over the Limit

Cameron, SC With this past weekend’s excursion we now have 204 Post Offices. Not yet half but getting there. I have them all up in my gallery, but I don’t have any captions for the last dozen or so (yet.) I have also been posting the photos on Flickr! to give them a little more exposure and they have that neat-o map thing. Plus there is a group dedicated to just U.S. Post Offices that I’ve been adding too.

When I uploaded the last of the photos to Flickr! today I went over the limit, seems that all you get is 200 photos with the free membership. When you add a new picture, one falls off the back. The photos are still there on the site, but you can’t see them unless you know the photo’s URL. They also don’t display on my map anymore (I really liked that feature), but remain visible in the U.S. Post Office group.

The cost to upgrade to the Pro level is $24.95 a year. If it was more like ten bucks I’d jump at it, but I’m not so sure I want to spend that much. I’ll probably just quit uploading the Post Office photos there. There is the option of adding another free account, but I’m going to have to end up with 3 of them to do all the 460 South Carolina Post Offices. Of course if some one were to give me a Gift Upgrade…

Started down, went up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 316

Weekend’s Postal Safari Outake

Is Donna saying, “Hey look at me.” or “Come on, take the picture already.” ?

Dalzell, SC

Started down, went up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 314

16 & 1

PaxvilleWe hunted loads of Post Offices today while coming back from Florence. Found all 17 locations we were looking for, but it turns out one place wasn’t a PO anymore. At the intersection of US15 and SC261, AKA Paxville, SC, there was a convenience store at the correct address with a really cool mural on the side, but the only remnants of postal activity was a faded Blue Mail Box out front squeezed between an empty newspaper box and an overflowing trash can. There was no outward signs proclaiming that is was a Post Office. I went inside and looked around, there were no internal signs either, not even a “Buy Stamps Here” sticker on the cash register. Other than that, we had quite the productive day. We traveled around 250 miles to go the 130 miles between Florence and Aiken because of all the zig-zagging around.

Even though it was only 11:30 we decided to eat lunch in Santee because it was probably the last civilization we would see until we got back to Aiken. We actually pulled into the Cracker Barrel parking lot before making a hasty retreat to a Maurice’s BBQ next door. Donna kind of wanted soup, but I didn’t really want to eat at the CB at all. I guess she took pity on me. I had a Little Joe Basket and she had a Garden Salad and a side of Chicken Tenders. She had water to drink while I sipped some southern nectar, Sweet Ice Tea.

Meal Cost: $17.36
Tip: $2.00
Spent Today: $19.36
Year to Date: $1732.78
Meals out, 101 of a possible 645.

We had breakfast out to, but it was free. Donna had Biscuits & Gravy with a couple of mini blueberry muffins and I had a bowl of Raisin Bran and a Cinnamon Bun for dessert. That’s right, we Stayed Smart©.

I’ve got Saturday’s four Post Offices up in the gallery, but it will probably take me a few days to get today’s online.

When I got home I gave the Emperor a well deserved bath.

Started up, went down, back up, down again, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 312

The $64,000 Question

Alien ConfusionWhat the heck is this?

Another Carolina Car Trek car. This is one of two in the thriving megalopolis of Society Hill, SC.

Somewhere north of Chesterfield, SC the Emperor drove through the 64,000 mile mark. We have eaten out twice today, but I can’t talk about it because I just got through watching Feasting on Asphalt II. They spent two days around New Orleans and what they got to eat made anything I had today look and taste like soggy Ritz crackers.

Spent Today: $49.70
Year to Date: $1713.42
Meals out, 99 of a possible 642.

At Cousin Laurie’s house we meet up with some of the same cast of characters as you can see in this photo, AKA the Midlothian McGraths, who were visiting as well. I found out that I had mislabeled the oldest and middle daughters in the photo. I’m pretty sure I’ve got them correct now.

We snagged 4 Post Offices this morning on the way up to Chesterfield; Hopkins, Gadsden, Eastover and Horatio. The first three have been at the top of our Most Wanted List for a couple months now, but because of where they are located (in the middle of, and on the way to, nowhere) it took a concerted effort to get them photographed. We are planning on an even dozen for on the way home tomorrow because if we get that many our captured total would be a nice round 200.

Started down, went up, back down, up again, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 309

Rode the Bus to Work Today

No, not the 30 foot long diesel powered belching black smoke kind, but the tandem bicycle. The morning wasn’t half bad, but the fog had us riding through a cloud on a couple of occasions. The ride home was very warm, but not unbearable. We made a stop downtown for lunch at the Stoplight Deli. On our Friday afternoons off we like to hit the Deli first thing to beat the crowds, but today because of the time required to change into cycling attire and pedal there instead of drive, we hit it at peak lunch crowd. The line was at least 8 deep at the counter, but the food was fairly quick in arriving and, as always, tasty enough to make us forget the wait.

Meal Cost: $13.38
Tip: None
Spent Today: $13.38
Year to Date: $1664.72
Meals out, 97 of a possible 639.

The four shocks did only take four days to get here from California. I thought I was so smart to have them delivered to work, but the joke was on me as they showed up on the day I didn’t have a car. So when we got home I jumped in the Miata and drove right back where we came from to pick up my two boxes that weighed 30lbs and were too heavy and to large to fit in our panniers.

Started down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 306

Superlative Shrimp

Ultimate ShrimpTonight was the August MMC meeting and we met at a Chinese place in Augusta. The Club has met there before, but Donna and I must have missed that meeting because we have never eaten there before. It was a sit down place, not a buffet, but they had a separate room we could be in so as to not disturb the other patrons or vice versa. They/we needn’t have worried, there were like two other people in the whole restaurant, 4 when we left.

We each had a bowl of Won Ton Soup and split the Ultimate Shrimp which turned out to be just like sweet & sour shrimp, but with a bite.

Meal Cost: $17.65
Tip: $3.35
Desert: $4.90 (ice cream in Aiken)
Spent Today: $25.90
Year to Date: $1651.34
Meals out, 96 of a possible 636.

Donna ordered 2 egg rolls, but we never got them. Probably paid for them too, but realized it once we were in the car out in the parking lot. I talked her out of going back in and getting our four bucks back, because I didn’t feel like waiting around.

Started up, went down, back up, down again, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 306

Memorable Camcorder

JVC GR-D770Every year the company holds a service awards banquet and the employees who are celebrating any 5 year increment anniversary get a gift, plus a nice steak dinner for them and their spouse, followed by a DJ with dancing.

Donna and I went for our 5 year anniversary and have not gone back for the past three. The main reason is the building where they hold it allows smoking in the bar area where you have to go to get your alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages. The bar is a separate room, but with all the traffic in and out for drinks, you might as well leave the door open. Another reason is the food, it is the usual fare for 150 people, fatty rib-eye steaks, baked potatoes in aluminum foil and a green over cooked vegetable. The HR department does a nice job with all the work that goes into something like this and a lot of people really enjoy the event, but it is just not our cup of tea.

The gifts are chosen from a catalog from a company that specializes in just that thing and is approved by the corporate office, everybody in Emerson chooses from the same catalog. The gifts increase in value as you advance through the 5-year increments. At five years I selected a wooden pen & pencil set, at 10 years I got a nice looking gold plated plastic wall clock (that is keeping perfect time in the garage) and for the life of me I don’t remember what I got at fifteen years. This year I was probably going to end up with anther forgettable gift as well, there were probably 2 dozen items to choose from, but like the event itself, there was nothing in there that was my cup of tea. Then I had an idea. Why not get the camcorder and give it to Donna’s brother and his wife. They have a new baby and it would be perfect for them to capture those precious moments.

When we visited them in May I asked them if they had a camcorder. To which I got the unexpected reply of, “Yes.” It was too late to change my gift choice, I was getting a camcorder. This year’s award banquet was last Saturday night, so Monday morning I got a letter of congratulations and a small box containing a JVC GR-D770. Great, now what am I going to do with this thing, I certainly have no need (or desire) for a camcorder. Giving it as a gift to a relative seemed OK, but somehow selling it on eBay seems ungrateful.

Whatever happens, I will remember my 20-year award unlike the forgotten fifteenth.

Started up, went down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 303