New Orleans...worth the visit

We visited New Orleans two days...once traveling through in our huge truck and never parking, and the other renting a car and enjoying the city for a day.  We WILL be back.  And you should plan to visit.

If you do, book the VIP tours.  http://www.vipcitytours.com/


We had Henry, who was wonderful.  The tour takes you through the French Quarter, the 9th Ward, a Louisiana cemetery, and areas surrounding.  It's a two-hour tour, and worth it.

So far, we know Henry and Dino are superb, but I guess all the tour guides are great.

In the short time we spent in the city, Café du Monde is a must.  Well, when we went it was obviously in the process of getting ready for Mardi Gras-Superbowl-Mardi Gras...the, I believe, Vietnamese waitstaff was less than sociable...but you go there for the tradition and the coffee and the beignets.  Don't sneeze or breathe in suddenly.  LOTS of powdered (or Powdahed if you are from RI) sugar.

While you are there you need to have a Po' Boy, and a Muffaletta.  Johnny's is supposed to be a good place.  And then there's plenty of places to grab a drink to-go, as there is an open container law in N.O. and you can walk around with whatever drink you choose.  

Beyond the food and the drink there is the art and the architecture.  

Plenty to see and do, to buy and eat, to drink and inhale.  Best to stay more than a day...

We'll be back for sure.

Making the News

Our little legacy in Livingston, LA

                     

http://theadvocate.com/news/livingston/

My Plate: Eating Right

Choose My Plate

We attended a nice presentation Friday at the local library.  It was a presentation for kids (although we stayed and learned a thing or two) about healthy eating.  Remember what we all grew up knowing as The Food Pyramid?  Well, things have changed (thank Goodness).  The FDA has now presented to the eating public: My Plate.

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

The presentation was informative and, since it was at the local library, (a beautiful new building in Livingston, LA), free!  My kids were the only ones to attend and were lucky enough to be the sole subjects of the local Advocate Newspaper article due out next Thursday!  But, I digress...

The idea behind My Plate is simple...fill your plate with the right amounts of the different food groups.  Half of the plate should be fruits and vegetables.   The other half grains and protein.  Be honest.  How many of YOU fill your plates this way?  (I sure don't!)  Dairy is a side "circle" and thus not as large a quantity.

Vegetables and Fruits

Canned (with reduced salt) and frozen veggies, as well as, of course, fresh veggies are great.  Farmers' markets will assure you the freshest...probably more so than any supermarket.  Canned fruit, as long as it is packed in juice and not syrup, can be a great component to your meals.  But fresh fruit, with the skin on (for fiber) is best.  Raw is best for both.

Of course, my brain started to spin for the possibilities this, somewhat new, program can provide...but someone out there already had my idea.

Take The Time and Get Involved

If you think your kids will balk at this...well, you may be right, especially if you have not been following this rule on your own.  We try to get veggies and fruits into almost every meal, but, I have to say it is usually raw carrots, celery, and broccoli for dipping.  Fruits are easier.  But to fill half a plate??  I'd need much smaller plates.

It's not easy so take time to get into a routine.  Plan meals ahead.  Allow yourself to try new foods and learn to like them.  Maybe even use it as an excuse to go to a restaurant to try some new vegetable dishes.  Research how to cook new foods.  Enlist your kids to help look up recipes, shop, prepare, and cook.

Hey, you can even include some Math in with your dinner.

If you are searching for a goal this year, set a goal to eat healthier.

We hope to begin and continue a new food regimen...

Meatless Mondays

Wok Wednesdays

Fish Fridays

We are starting there.  Any ideas for Tuesdays and Thursdays?

Stay tuned for recipes and reviews.

Filling in the Gaps

We have had this space behind our couch between that and the window.  A good space for items to fall down into.  So after talking about it for several months, Steve finally created a little table/shelf for the space.  The whole project cost about $4.20.  He used scrap wood from Home Depot and 2 dowels to create a very narrow table which slides in behind the couch and sort of wedges into the space  between the window valances.  He may paint it.  It is just short of touching the couch so we'll keep our eyes open for a slightly wider piece.  The quick, cheap project is working out quite nicely.

space

construction

  

very simple

fits nicely

add a plant and weather system, and done

Liquor, Liquor Everywhere

Growing up in Rhode Island, one grows accustomed to driving to the local liquor store for all our libation needs.  You are not allowed to drink them until you get home, of course.  You cannot even buy a single beer; only a six-pack or larger.  And, when you get to the store, you have to get out of your car to go inside to make the purchase.


Well, Rhode Island being adjacent to Connecticut, we knew that you could also purchase wine and beer at grocery stores in that state.  But, once we hit Ohio, we got our first taste of Drive-Thru Liquor stores.  Yes, drive-thru.  You don't even need to get out of your car.  Now, of course, that doesn't mean that the person driving will start to drink in the car.  Just as it doesn't mean the person walking in to buy liquor will drink when he gets back to his car.  However, it was still a bit of a shock to see.

While we stayed in Florida, I was amazed, if not pleased, to see that even CVS and Walgreens sold beer and wine in their stores.  Not a huge selection or high quality choices, but, nice in a pinch.

Then, we hit Louisiana.  Just across from our campground is Crazy Dave's Daiquiri Bar and Grill...with a drive-up daiquiri window.  Here's the window below, and the row of daiquiri selections.  Of course, Louisiana has an open-container law, meaning, you aren't allowed to have an open container in your vehicle.  And, of course, the bartender just hands the driver the closed cup with the straw, and of course, you, the driver would never puncture said cover with the straw in order to sip whilst driving.  

Or would you?  The temptation is certainly there.  It is hard to believe that, in this day and age, the opportunity to drink and drive is so readily available and legal.  I don't quite get the reasoning behind it.  I had one of the daiquiris and they taste more like a Dunkin' Donuts Fruit Coolatta than a daiquiri.  Too sweet.  

But, if you decide to venture into Crazy Dave's, and you've had a bit too much to drink, and want to camouflage that fact, just drop into the restroom for some complimentary 

mouthwash.

Pancake Designs

My son bought me a great Christmas gift!  The Good Cook Pancake Creator.

I used it this morning. 

 You fill the creator with your favorite pancake mix.  There are two tips to use; one is smaller to draw an outline and detail and the other larger to fill in the gaps.

Draw your outline.  The longer the mix is left on between pours, the more detail will show.  (As the pancake will be cooked a bit longer .)

Deranged Santa and Stocking

Obviously, I need to practice.  Check out the website.  You can upload your creations.

 http://www.goodcook.com/pancakecreator/

Legos, Legos, Everywhere

Well, I haven't actually counted them all, but I'd say we are pretty close to about 50K.  We started with a lot, then this summer's birthdays brought more, then Legoland and Lego Store at Disney, and now Christmas.  We must have at least a 50,000 Legos.  Fifty-thousand Legos in a camper.

And, of course, when you buy Legos they come in sets.  And when you have to put away your Legos, you want to keep the sets together.  And if you want the sets to stay together, you need to have separate containers for each set.  That is a bit impossible.

Right now we have standard Sterilite containers (Sterilite products are made in the US.)  Each holds, I'd estimate, 10, 000 Legos.  And we have about 5.  And the kids know every piece they have.

I have seen the Lego containers sold that sort the sizes, but they seem too small for what we need.  They also sell Lego Brick boxes, the boxes themselves look like bricks, Lego Head storage boxes, and of course, plastic drawers.  We need transportable, stackable, not-too-large-not-too-small-not-too-expensive solutions.

Around $40

Around $40

Around $50

Around $50

Around $65

So, what do people out there use, in homes and RVs, to store the thousands of Legos your kids have?  anyone have any creative Lego Storage Secrets?

Max, I've a Feeling We're Not in Rhode Island Anymore

This Christmas Day started sunny and mid-70's, quite nice.  We had a great time watching the kids open their gifts.  We were expecting a dicey sort of day with the strong storm/wind/hail/tornado watches of the past couple of days, so we were pleasantly surprised the day was starting so nicely.  Didn't last long.

By 11:30 am we were starting to prep for some pretty scary stuff.  Between the TV, Weather Bug, the Weather Channel app, the WAFB Titan 9 app, and Google Maps, we are tracking the storm as it travels through the counties and towns of Louisiana.  None of  which we are familiar with.

The local news has been on for about 30 minutes, and plans to be on indefinitely as tornado warnings continue to be set.  I am watching the clouds moving from the west, looking for greenish color, or circling...or a witch riding by on her broom.

You can see Livingston and how we are right now (2:30pm) sandwiched between the two major cells.

Constantly referring to Google Maps to see our vicinity to the counties with tornado warnings.

WeatherBug's interactive radar.

LA county map.  Warnings are given by county...we don't know them.

Great app when you are in LA.  

Our "take shelter in the campground bathroom" bag is packed and ready to go.  I was able to bake a pumpkin pie, so at least it smells nice.  I have no appetite to eat it though.

So far, so good, but, I think we will be in a direct path before this is all over.

From http://www.erh.noaa.gov/box/watchvswarn.html

A tornado watch, like a severe thunderstorm watch, means that conditions are favorable for severe thunderstorms to form, but it also means that a few storms may be capable of producing a tornado. 

A tornado warning is the ultimate in severe warnings, it means that a tornado is either occurring or imminent based on radar. You should take cover immediately.

Tornado Safety

What do you do if a tornado warning is issued and you have slight minutes to find shelter that will keep you safe, hopefully?


The Storm Prediction Center of Oklahoma
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/safety.html
suggest these things:

Know the signs of a tornado: Weather forecasting science is not perfect and some tornadoes do occur without a tornado warning. There is no substitute for staying alert to the sky. Besides an obviously visible tornado, here are some things to look and listen for:

Strong, persistent rotation in the cloud base.

Whirling dust or debris on the ground under a cloud base -- tornadoes sometimes have no funnel!

Hail or heavy rain followed by either dead calm or a fast, intense wind shift. Many tornadoes are wrapped in heavy precipitation and can't be seen.

Day or night - Loud, continuous roar or rumble, which doesn't fade in a few seconds like thunder.

Night - Small, bright, blue-green to white flashes at ground level near a thunderstorm (as opposed to silvery lightning up in the clouds). These mean power lines are being snapped by very strong wind, maybe a tornado.

Night - Persistent lowering from the cloud base, illuminated or silhouetted by lightning -- especially if it is on the ground or there is a blue-green-white power flash underneath.

WHAT TO DO...

 In a house with a basement: Avoid windows. Get in the basement and under some kind of sturdy protection (heavy table or work bench), or cover yourself with a mattress or sleeping bag. Know where very heavy objects rest on the floor above (pianos, refrigerators, waterbeds, etc.) and do not go under them. They may fall down through a weakened floor and crush you. Head protection, such as a helmet, can offer some protection also.

 In a house with no basement, a dorm, or an apartment: Avoid windows. Go to the lowest floor, small center room (like a bathroom or closet), under a stairwell, or in an interior hallway with no windows. Crouch as low as possible to the floor, facing down; and cover your head with your hands. A bath tub may offer a shell of partial protection. Even in an interior room, you should cover yourself with some sort of thick padding (mattress, blankets, etc.), to protect against falling debris in case the roof and ceiling fail. A helmet can offer some protection against head injury.

 In an office building, hospital, nursing home or skyscraper:Go directly to an enclosed, windowless area in the center of the building -- away from glass and on the lowest floor possible. Then, crouch down and cover your head. Interior stairwells are usually good places to take shelter, and if not crowded, allow you to get to a lower level quickly. Stay off the elevators; you could be trapped in them if the power is lost.

 In a mobile home:Get out! Even if your home is tied down, it is not as safe as an underground shelter or permanent, sturdy building. Go to one of those shelters, or to a nearby permanent structure, using your tornado evacuation plan. Most tornadoes can destroy even tied-down mobile homes; and it is best not to play the low odds that yours will make it. This mobile-home safety video from the State of Missouri may be useful in developing your plan.

 At school:Follow the drill! Go to the interior hall or room in an orderly way as you are told. Crouch low, head down, and protect the back of your head with your arms. Stay away from windows and large open rooms like gyms and auditoriums.

 In a car or truck: Vehicles are extremely risky in a tornado. There is no safe option when caught in a tornado in a car, just slightly less-dangerous ones. If the tornado is visible, far away, and the traffic is light, you may be able to drive out of its path by moving at right angles to the tornado. Seek shelter in a sturdy building, or runderground if possible. If you are caught by extreme winds or flying debris, park the car as quickly and safely as possible -- out of the traffic lanes. Stay in the car with the seat belt on. Put your head down below the windows; cover your head with your hands and a blanket, coat, or other cushion if possible. If you can safely get noticeably lower than the level of the roadway,leave your car and lie in that area, covering your head with your hands. Avoid seeking shelter under bridges, which can create deadly traffic hazards while offering little protection against flying debris.

 In the open outdoors: If possible, seek shelter in a sturdy building. If not, lie flat and face-down on low ground, protecting the back of your head with your arms. Get as far away from trees and cars as you can; they may be blown onto you in a tornado.

 In a shopping mall or large store: Do not panic. Watch for others. Move as quickly as possible to an interior bathroom, storage room or other small enclosed area, away from windows.

 In a church or theater: Do not panic. If possible, move quickly but orderly to an interior bathroom or hallway, away from windows. Crouch face-down and protect your head with your arms. If there is no time to do that, get under the seats or pews, protecting your head with your arms or hands.

We will be practicing our escape plan at each new campground.