Year: 2007

14th Annivesary Dinner

Tonight was the MMC‘s 14th Anniversary Dinner. It was held at the Partridge Inn in Augusta and we ate from a set menu out on the Veranda. We both had the SPINACH SALAD with Candied Pecans, Oranges, Bleu Cheese and Orange-Basil Vinaigrette. Donna had the BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN with Bourbon-Tomato Sauce with the Spiced Apple Crumble for desert. I had the GRILLED 8oz FILLET and the Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee for afters.

Meal Cost: $72.89
Tip: $13.11
MMC Rebate $30.00
Spent For This Meal: $56.00
Year to Date: $212.84

4 PO Day

29921 - FurmanI had three maps to Post Offices I wanted to try and get pictures of on the way home from HHI. Ended up with only two of them, Ridgeland and Furman (pictured), missing Scotia as I had the map labeled wrong and didn’t realize we were by it, until we were by it. We did pass right by two more, Tillman and Estill, and so we took advantage of the opportunity and snapped their portraits. Drove right by Pineland’s Post Office, but didn’t stop as it was a little trailer with a small dirt parking lot that was full of folks checking their mail. Going to put Pineland at the top of the list for our next trip that way. May re-shoot Furman when I do that run too. It is such a cute little Post Office and I’d like to get a picture of it without the blue minivan in it.

Started up, went down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 31

Bagels Baby

Yesterday we had the foresight to buy our breakfast for today from Stuffy’s Stubby’s Gruby’s New York Deli. Sesame bagel for her, everything bagel for him and a side of cream cheese.

This is also a favored lunch place on Hilton Head Island for us. Quintessential northeast Deli experience in the heart of the SC Lowcountry. They serve over stuffed sandwiches named after NYC landmarks that are worth twice what they charge. Plus you can get sliced deli meats and cheeses to take home too if you want. Don’t miss this place if you find yourself on HHI.

Meal Cost: $3.26
Tip Jar: 74¢
Spent So Far Today: $4.00
Year to Date: $156.84

Crazy Crab

In spite of last night’s midnight bedtime my wife decided that 6:30AM was enough time in bed. I on the other hand wanted just a bit more sack time. She got up and showered and started cooking breakfast while I dozed. She was finished with the sausage and the English muffins, but somewhere part way through the eggs, the smoke detector started wailing. I jumped out of bed and reached for the detector on the ceiling. When this happens at home I pull down on one side of the cover causing it to open, giving me access to the battery which I then slide off the contacts. Here in the condo when you pull down on the side of the smoke detector it comes unplugged from the ceiling mount and bounces off your nose. It didn’t break the skin, but did leave a nice diagonal red mark on the bridge…

We dined out tonight, but the money spent will not appear in the yearly tally because Jerry the Condo King and his wife Donna treated me and my wife Donna to dinner out at the Crazy Crab. I was wearing little of my wife’s make-up foundation on my nose so as to not freak out the other restaurant patrons. We were going to eat at Catch 22 where we all had such a great meal about a year ago, but changed our minds.

After we finished our lunch at the Japanese restaurant Donna and I walked down to Catch 22, they are in the same strip shopping center, to see if they had menu out front. They did have menus, but the also had a pink flier attached to the door handle from the local electric company. I could read the words “Important Information About Your Electric Service.” Curiosity made me open it up. After all we might need to change our dinner plans if they were going to be without power because of some maintenance issue. What I found inside was that they were $2,000 behind on their power bill. Maybe we should eat there, they could sure use the money. On the other hand, if they were behind in the power bill, where else were they cutting corners? Staff? Food quality? The four of us did change our dinner plans and opted to try one of the hundreds of other dining choices on Hilton Head Island.

Started up, went down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 29

Noumitsu Mizugiwa

When Donna and I went for our 2 mile walk on the beach this afternoon we must have passed about 20 people! Man, that is one noumitsu mizugiwa! (which I hope means crowded beach in Japanese) đŸ˜‰

Lunch was at Donna’s favorite Japanese place, Hinoki of Kurama. Katsudon and a Coke for him and a Bento Box with Sprite for her.

Meal Cost: $25.42
Tip: $3.58
Spent Today: $29.00
Year to Date: $152.84

53,0000 Nuetrons

Who knew that the Godfather of Soul was into Geocaching? Not me, but according to his “widow” Tomi Rae Hynie*, he buried large amounts of cash in the backyard of his Beech Island, SC home. If you feel like you want to take a chance that you’ll get by the gates, the security and quite possibly the guard dogs here are coordinates of the stash/cache. +33? 25′ 30.90″, -81? 49′ 58.08″ (If you enter those coordinates into Google Earth you can get a nice view of the next Graceland.)

We are in Hilton Head for the next couple of days for some off-season beach fun. On the way down tonight, the Emperor passed through the 53,000 mile mark some where on Road #1 on the US Government’s Top Secret Bomb Plant less than 20 miles from James Brown’s house.

Started up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 27

* I could have sworn I heard this a couple times on CNN Headline News last night, but searching for any reference of this “story” on the CNN web site today returned no hits.

Eat Mor Chikin

Cup of chicken soup for her, small lemonade & small waffle fries to split. His Chick-Fil-A sandwich was free because of the coupon on the cow calendar. Desert was several hours later at Mickey D’s, two hot fudge sundaes with nuts.

Meal Cost: $4.38
Tip: None
Dessert: $2.18
Spent Today: $6.56
Year to Date: $123.84