I Heart Pancakes

Hey folks,

Margo and I don’t eat out often but when we do we usually go out for breakfast.  Special occasions – like Valentines Day – or when we feel like a treat.  The time of day doesn’t matter.  Any pancake house worth its salt will serve all day.  Surprisingly though we’ve been in communities time and time again where you can’t get a decent pancake or waffle to save your life.  Okay yeah, Waffle House and IHOP.  They don’t count.  Cracker Barrel flips a mean pancake but they don’t have waffles. 

Enter Richmond Road in Williamsburg, VA.  Our current digs are right down the road from Colonial Williamsburg and Richmond Road is the main thoroughfare.  On Richmond Road you and your family can enrich yourselves with the finest in colonial history.  Or you can just spend all your vacation money at Ripley’s Believe it or Not, play mini golf at the Pirates Cove Mini Golf, or visit a candy store the size of a Best Buy.  Now that’s vacationing - but I digress.  This is after all a post about the all mighty flapjack.

As I said, we usually can’t find one anywhere, but along Richmond Road there are no less than six – in a three mile stretch.  You have your “Astronomical Pancake House”, “Mama Steve’s”, “Capital Pancake House”.  You get the idea.  We checked with the locals, the RV park owners, and they pointed us to the Astronomical Pancake House – ASTROOOO--NOMICAL!

The first thing you notice is it’s busy.  We were brought to our table and nestled between a family with teens – all with faces buried in their phones – and a family of four.  This included a 2-year-old boy in a booster seat and his 4-year-old big sister.  I’m not exaggerating here – Margo and I could not hear ourselves over the noise this family made.  We looked at each other and non-verbally discussed leaving but decided to stick it out.

After ordering and listening to the ABC song a dozen times our food came.  I do have to say that this made up for the ambiance.  Incredibly good food.  Then the shoe dropped – no really – the shoe actually dropped.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw an incoming size 1 Nike with untied laces.  It landed on our table with LED lights blazing. Thankfully not too close to the plate and we were finished eating anyway.

The mother was quick to apologize profusely and we were polite, pretending to smile and say “that’s okay.”  Those things happen.  I was brought back to the time when one of my girls – a few years old at the time – hurled an apple across a crowded Quincy’s Buffet.  I won’t mention which one but she knows who she is.  

In the end it’s the company across from you and the food that really matter.  Next time though we’re going to insist on a different table. 

Patent Pending

Hello everyone, Margo here. 

"The Great Train Robbery."  "Planes, Trains and Automobiles."  "Petticoat Junction." Great train-centric stories to be sure.  I have my own share of train tales. Remember nightmare... er.. night train at Kings Mountain?  Here at the Anvil Campground they have everything a good campground should have. It's family owned since 1954. The sites are spacious and well maintained. The aroma of fresh paint is in the air. Even a huge complimentary anniversary pig roast for residents is planned for March 1st.  It's perfect except... here comes the train - 13 times on average each day and 3 to 4 through the night.

Now in all fairness, (and the only reason we're still here at the campground), the Amtrak passenger trains pass by very quickly.  However, the majority of the trains are in fact freight trains. Very long, very heavy with coal and therefore rumble down the track shaking the very ground LuLu sits on. Another saving grace is that there's not a crossing close enough to require the whistle.  Even so, I'm adjusting.  Dare I say, I'm even getting used to the nuisance...I mean noise.

As Kevin said in the last post, "Chillin' At The Beach", we did have a "wee bit of snow" the day after our arrival. Kevin as usual had LuLu prepared to handle the freezing temperatures and snow but the dogs - like the two old men from the sunbelt that they are - were not so well prepared or impressed. Nature called, they jumped out the door and were promptly stopped in their little doggie tracks. It was a wet snow and I bet if you went out there in your bare feet you would have had the same reaction.

Something had to be done. I went online and did a search for dog boots. Let's see...Petsmart offered these functional Muttluks...nice...but at $45 for a double pair. No.  How about these stylish Duggz? More reasonably price but remember we have 8 paws to shod. It was not gunna happen - not for our little trips to the tree. Maybe if they were running the Iditarod.... The perfect scenario for necessity being the mother of invention.....

Muttluks

Duggz

 

I present...... "SNOCKS". 

Everything you need for 8 paws

These are one size fits all paws - front and back - complete with moisture barrier.  Simply place the moisture barrier (aka poop bags) on each paw, secure with an elastic hair tie, pull the Snock (toddler size crew socks) over the moisture barrier and you're ready to go! (No pun intended...) Brilliant!  I do not have a patent on these YET but hopefully in the future you will be able to purchase your own pair at the "Snocks Outlet Store" near you. For now you can pick up everything you need at Walmart for $2.95.

 

Snocks - hung out to dry - ready for the next foray.

Back to the snow - or should I say being snowbound.  At first it was the snow, then the black ice and now the swollen water table have all conspired to keep Kevin at home- that being 188 square feet shared by two people and 8 paws.  Gnashing of teeth, biting of tongues, prayer and I'm not gonna lie, alcohol has gotten us through it. Thankfully the weather is clearing and Kevin is getting back out there.  

While Kevin's' work assignment is technically Virginia Beach he will be working closer to Williamsburg.  The Anvil Campground is only 7 miles away from the center of Colonial Williamsburg.  Jamestown and Yorktown Battlefield are only 10 miles away.  We'll be visiting them all.

Until then I'll be checking out the Premier Outlet Mall (which is huge), the Yankee Candle Shop flagship store (which is huge and in fact is one of only two in the county).  There's a Fresh Market and Trader Joe's just down the road as well.  So I'll be a bit busy.  

In-Joy

Margo.

P.S. I'm conducting a small marketing survey.... 

       1. SNOCKS?

       2. SNOX?

       3. SNOKS?

       4. SNOXZ?

Please remark in the comments section of the blog and when I make my first million I'll send you a complimentary pair.