Eating Out

63,000 Train Cars

Choo-ChooWe were back in northeast South Carolina hunting Post Offices. Knocked off 16 more, bring our total captured to 184 out of the total of 460. I was stopped by a freight train twice over the weekend, once on Saturday with Donna’s cousin Susie and her daughter Katlin in a Jaguar XJ8 and on Sunday with Donna in the Miata.

The visit wasn’t all fun and games though, we were there to offer what moral support we could to Donna’s cousin Laurie because her husband Ted was in the hospital. Ted’s lifelong health issues had final caught up with him. Diabetes and a bad heart caused an early retirement. The diabetes led to weakened kidney’s which finally gave up after a his last heart attack necessitating dialysis. When we visited in March they were still struggling with getting the home dialysis to work right and Ted reminded us of how Donna’s mom had gotten towards the end. When we stopped in last week the both of us were shocked at how far he had deteriorated. He fell out of bed on Tuesday and was hospitalized in Florence at the McLeod Medical Center. Ted passed away early this morning.

While traveling west, somewhere east of North, South Carolina the Emperor moved past the 63,000 mile mark.

For dinner we both had a bowl of Won-ton Soup and an Egg Roll, while we split an order of Jade Chicken (don’t know if this is a regular Chinese restaurant dish or just got it’s name because we were eating a place called Jade of China.)

Meal Cost: $13.90
Tip: $2.10
Spent This Meal: $16.00
Year to Date: $1509.70
Meals out, 85 of a possible 585.

 

Started up, went down, back up, down again, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 278

Fête Nationale

QuinbyIt has been a long day, so I have too much to write and not enough time to write about it, not even what we ate for both meals we ate out today and I know how much you all look forward to that. I will tell you that in honor of Bastille Day there was French cuisine consumed at both meals eaten out today – that’s right, we had fries.

Lunch
Meal Cost: $8.64
Tip: None
Spent This Meal: $8.64

Dinner
Meal Cost: $19.96
Tip: $4.04
Spent This Meal: $24.00
Year to Date: $1493.70
Meals out, 84 of a possible 582.

 

Started down, went up, back down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 275

Spenser’s Crime Buster Tips

#31: If you have a name and no address, try looking in the phone book.

For some reason the first three of these I found, they were in the same book, were called Spenser’s Crime Buster Rules, but this one was called a Tip. I have decided to read all 35 (so far) Spenser books to chronicle all the tips/rules and collect them on a separate page here. I have now re-read two of the four books I own and tonight when we visited the used book store I picked up three more. They probably have another half dozen on the shelf still for later.

Today was a two-fer, breakfast and dinner out. Donna told me point blank this morning that we were going out for breakfast and because it was a weekday that meant Hardee’s. Biscuit & Gravy for her, Sausage & Egg Biscuit for him, O.J. and Hash Rounds to split.
Meal Cost: $5.71
Tip: None
Spent This Meal: $5.71

Dinner was out because it was the monthly Miata Club meeting, for July it was in Aiken at Olive Oils. Crab Bruschetta for appetizer, Seafood Ravioli for her, Hot & Sweet Sausages for him. We went whole hog and got desert, Chocolate Ice Cream for her and Key Lime Pie for him.
Meal Cost: $43.00
Tip: $6.45
Spent This Meal: $49.45
Year to Date: $1461.06
Meals out 82 of a possible 576.

 

Started down, went up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 270

All-Star Break

Horse's HeadThe top on the Miata is starting to wear out. There are several small spots on the inside where the cloth liner is gone exposing the rubber inner layer. And there are a few places on the outside, at places the top is folded, that are the same way. So far this year the top has made 266 transitions. In 2006 it made 525 and in 2005 there were 399 changes in state. I did not keep data for all of 2004, nor did I count any of the first month of ownership in December 2003. Using a complicated formula consisting of averages from prior years I estimate that for those 13 months it made 410 transitions, making a total lifetime of 1600 changes or 800 cycles.

I probably have a couple more months before an actual holes develops, but I’d rather not get that far, so I’ve started to research new tops. An OEM Mazda cloth top lists at a buck under a $900. An after market top starts around $630. Both these are cloth with defroster glass back window like the current top, but I could always “downgrade” to a vinyl top, they start around $450. The trouble with after market tops is matching the parchment color of the 2003+ Miatas. Most of the tans out there are darker and more compatible with the earlier year cars. So I’m contemplating going with a black vinyl top. But for now I’ve got samples on the way of the two canvas tans available from the place I bought my last top from. One is a stock color and the other is custom adding $50 to the cost.

They also have a custom color called dark ruby that is a wild card in the color selection. Donna hates the idea without even seeing it, but I’ve got a sample of that coming too. We will have to see, the Garnet Red has mica in it so it changes its color, from a sparkly red to maroon, depending on the light. This makes it awfully hard for that dark red canvas to look good at all times, but I can hope. If I really like it, I may try and persuade her.

Forgot to blog about eating out last night. Went to Maria’s for carnitas, we both had water to drink so we got out for cheap.

Meal Cost: $9.58
Tip: $1.42
Spent Today: $11.00
Year to Date: $1405.90
Meals out 80 of a possible 573.

 

Started up, went down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 266

R.I.P. Mrs. Feeney

A $1,000,000 We Didn't WinAfter a bad month and a half, that started innocently enough with a fall that a broke a vertebra, my mother passed away in the Hospital of Central Connecticut this morning. We knew her health was failing with the reports I was getting from my siblings, so even though we had visited a couple months ago in April, Donna and I put in for vacation for the week of the 4th of July for another visit. Turns out it was a little less than a week too late. Oh, well, Donna and I spent a few very nice days with her back in April, including a wonderful day trip to see covered bridges in western CT.

She was a great mom (even if she did saddle me with this very painful Red Sox Fan illness thing) and I’ll miss her. My mom and dad split up when I was around 11 years old, so not only did she have to be a mother, but she also had to be the father to me and my sister and brother. Sometimes for the heck of it I would call her and wish her a happy Father’s Day. That’s Mom 3rd from the left in the bottom row from about a dozen years ago when we went to Las Vegas for Donna’s Mom’s 65th birthday. We are still heading up north starting tomorrow, just now for a different reason.

Lunch at the Evergreen Buffet. Various Chinese foodstuffs consumed by each with water to wash it down with.

Meal Cost: $12.30
Tip: $2.00
Spent Today: $14.30
Year to Date: $1394.90
Meals out 79 of a possible 528.

I was planning on washing the car before our trip up north anyway, so when I got home I pulled the car under the awning instead of into the garage. Washed the inside of the windows and gave it a quick waxing as well.

Started down, went up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 226

Dam It Man

Strom Thurmond DamGot a break from deck finishing tonight as we met some friends in Augusta for dinner. Five of the 6 usual suspects dined at the Patagonia Grill in Evans, GA. Number 6 did check in during dinner by cell phone from the left coast.Donna had Anticucho Pork Skewers with water to drink. I had some Chilean Empanadas with sweet tea. We split a panqueque con dulce de leche for dessert.

Meal Cost: $30.43
Tip: $5.57
Spent Today: $36.00
Year to Date: $1370.35
Meals out 77 of a possible 516.

We took the long way home by heading northwest on Washington Road before hanging a right and crossing J. Strom Thurmond Dam at Clarks Hill Lake.

Started down, went up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 220

TUO IN

or I May *Write* A Post Again Someday…

This office will be closed for any Star Wars that may break out.

TUO IN

Maria’s Mexican for dinner. Chicken Fajitas for one split two ways. Extra tortillas. Two waters to drink.

Meal Cost: $11.29
Tip: $1.71
Spent Today: $12.00
Year to Date: $1334.35
Meals out, 76 of a possible 510.

Started up, went down, up, down, up, down, up, down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 216