MILESTONES: BURGER'S MARKET

Once, a long time ago, I was a young woman with big dreams, two little boys and a yearning to do something incredible. Life, as it was for me, had other designs and it did not include luxury. Actually, as I look back, it barely included necessities. But, what did I know? My origins were from a very rural and humble background..... not bereft, just sparse. Each and every part of my learning curve was steep and slippery. I learned to feed the cow,milk the cow,strain the milk, separate the milk, churn the butter, make the buttermilk and slop the hogs with leftover milk. I learned to save the seeds, dry the seeds, sow the seeds,plant the seeds,weed the plants and harvest the results. That was only the beginning. I learned to hull the peas, break the beans, dry the onions, cut the corn and scrape the cob, blanch the tomatoes and shred the cabbage. I learned to cut the eyes from a potato and plant them with the eye facing the sky. Not to mention the endless washing of jars and canning all spring and summer. Still, I dreamed and yearned. I dreamed at the spring dipping water into the galvanized buckets. I dreamed at the pond breaking the ice for the cows to drink. I dreamed at the creek checking the box traps with my brothers, hoping for a young rabbit to be fried and served with biscuits and gravy. I dreamed at the spring house that cooled the buttermilk. I dreamed. The sway of my dreams and ambitions did not correlate with my reality. I am not easily daunted. I knew, somehow, I would find my dreams. I backed into it. I never would have thought the domestic arts would be my salvo. But, there they were...my hidden talent, awakened from a wall of mind sludge and drudgery I considered the very essence of droll. I had cooking skills and a huge number of people had none. Supply and demand. The Paul Sawyer Library afforded my sons and me a window to the world and a reading haven for the three of us. Betty Crocker's Cookbook and Kroger matched pretty well for my adventures in food...but at the Paul Sawyer Library I soon discovered The Joy of Cooking, Sunset Magazine and oh, my god, Gourmet. A star wasn't born but a beginning chef was. I dreamed. I dreamed food. I dreamed of adventures in locales I previously did not know existed. I envisioned the possibilities. Ambitions and dreams wed and they prospered and lived happily ever after. My sons were not the first to leave the nest, I was. I simply had to fly. I made nest after nest after nest. It might be my best asset. The most familiar asset and the one that I hold dear, is cooking. From the cutting, carving, chopping, dicing, baking and icing...I never tire of finding new and challenging avenues. To me, the biggest luxury of my life is going to the market and finding lovely ingredients and making something divine happen. My sons, my friends, my colleagues, employees and my spouse have all followed me to " find that secret ingredient". The closing of Burger's Market will certainly be a milestone in my culinary career. I have traveled there day after day, week after week, year after year for 25 years searching and finding not only secret ingredients but the best chicken and the best country ham and the best pork loin and the best ribeye steak and the very, very best burger. My friend Jeff said, I would have to seek my "secret ingredients in fence rows and special orders." Tis true, dear Jeff...I will miss the tiny market and it's friendly staff forever. Jeff and Tony always greeting me with a happy hello. Dennis knowing my meat or poultry order to the exact detail. Cream in large quart containers....sigh. Yes, I know, just like churning butter straight from the cow versus the store bought kind...the beat goes on...but, did it have to be Burger's?

THE MISADVENTURES OF SBD! WFS & MOMO

No one could argue that I have, for the most part, a sunny disposition. I like happy. I like things orderly. I dislike mishaps, which I consider blunders of the ill prepared. Unless, they happen like this: Day one: we drive into the remnants of Hurricane Isaac...rain whooshes across the front of the TinCan as we crawl along I65 @ a snail's pace. The rain is so torrential we consider stopping along the side of the interstate. We crept on. The rain would cease, for a few minutes, bringing a much needed respite....after a short pause, the rain would bear down on us again..full bore. In Nashvile, clear skies prevailed. Jaxon runs to hug me and says, "let's sit in the airstream"... We open the door and the front bed is soaked! This bed belongs to WFS! Not too great a tragedy, as my bed is bone dry! The next few hours are spent drying the comforter and sheets. Day two: we set off for Georgia, my sunny disposition matches the weather. This holds true until we hit the Georgia border. Then Isaac unleashes its fury again. Jason & WFS have repaired the seal around the window...I am confident we will have no more leaks...still, shouldn't I check at the rest stop? The seal is holding back the water but a small trickle for several hours means another wet corner. sigh. WFS says our ship took on water. It happens. We move on. Day three: we arrive in sunny Fort Desoto. The lead in for this mostly undiscovered place is... If you think paradise is lost, think again. It WAS paradise...complete with a gazillion no see ums to keep the riff raff away from the aforementioned paradise. I seem to be totally unattrative to midges but WFS is a magnet and I will say this, paradise yeilded more little red bites than I thought was humanly possible. Poor guy. We soldiered on~~ Day four: Momo was chosen for a Thundershirt commercial and we basked on a midge free beach extolling the virtues of paradise. Day five: we jump on our bikes eager to relive our perfect day on the beach. We are excited that Momo will have a morning romp on the beach. Just as we turn onto the beach, a young couple approached us... "There's a man on the beach and things don't look good." The beach is empty except for a body on the shore. At that same moment three police vehicles swing down the beach access road. Things don't look good. The young couple are totally unnerved. We sit on a picnic table with them, trying to help them through this terrible event....the sad news is the night before the man jumped from a bridge. 250 feet down to the Gulf of Mexico. Day six: camping neighbors from hell arrive. Three vehicles, two dogs, one boat and three tents. The park rangers thinned out the vehicles & one tent but the congregating was constant as was the wretched music they blared on a cheap radio. And the no see ums gnawed away ~~~ Day 7: paradise lost. We retreated to the north to Fernandina Beach where paradise is civilized and protected and midge free. Day 8,9: sunny disposition intact. Order restored. The moral of my story is: never trust a sunny disposition on the way to paradise

HOW DO YOU DO IT?

Camping preparations take a certain amount of planning. One should not causally approach camping. Even backpackers must think ahead and prepare for the unexpected. As our little rig headed north on I65 into a bank of slate colored skies, nary a shred of sun sliced through the clouds. One cannot prepare for the weather, that is a certainty. We drove most of the day in the rain. That works just fine for traveling but not so much for setting up camp. We registered our vehicle and proceeded to our site. In our many years of travel, we've rarely had a bad campsite. And I do mean rarely. We were perched on a high point overlooking Lake James. Nice for scenery, hell for parking an airstream in the rain. We jockeyed into a space meant for a tent and hunkered down as rain pelted the roof of the TinCan. Dinner? We had warm pita with tapenade and cold sliced pork. Dessert? Left-over grilled summer peaches. We washed up, read our books and slept like babies. The rain continued through-out the night and early morning. MOMO & I got a brisk morning walk around the lake. The morning mist hung over the edges of the lake as pale white swans weaved their way around the shoreline. We soaked up the luxury of that moment. We had little to do in preparation for leaving. We pulled north to South Higgins Lake State Park. A heavenly glacier lake with a superb campground. There were loads of families and dogs. Our anxiety melted away as warm blue skies broke through and our camp fire burned down to hot coals for roasting our little chicken with fresh herbs. After dinner we took a long long walk, stretching MOMO to his limits. I had a blissful hot shower and we sat by the fire until every child and dog was sleeping.

DUST IN THE REARVIEW

That little phrase "dust in the rear view mirror" has been a mantra of mine for many, many years. I have always wanted to ramble. To leave. To go. I truly didn't want a plan, just dust in my rearview mirror. Unencumbered. The past few years have changed my approach to travel. I plan(sigh), I make lists, I organize like mad. This approach to travel is a huge departure from the free falling, adrenal loaded, thrill seeking adventures in my days of yore. I KNOW where I am going, where I will be and pretty much what I will be doing during my current travels. I have learned the meaning of the word, yield. Significantly, yield: to give up and cease resistance or contention. This metamorphosis occurred as my travel plans included another human being(WFS)and dogs( Chloe and Momo)...maybe I could cut to the chase and give a more straight forward assessment: age, birthdays, many moons. In the past month, I have been humbled by a very terrifying infection and five day hospital stay. I numbed my brain during the entire ordeal. I think I am a very unusual person, I can face almost anything if I can still my brain and NOT think. My very overactive brain is engaged again and ready for a holiday in the TinCan. I want to reflect on the road ahead. Metaphorically and physically. I want to sit quietly with my human companion and romp with my puppy companion. I want to watch the rear view very, very carefully, without dust in my eyes.

ALMOST SNOWBIRDS

I get it. I totally understand leaving cold, snowy weather, ending up in more hospitable climates for winter. Birds do it... Our travels have taken us on so many adventures, meeting new people and just spending time together with Momo. We took long bike rides with Momo riding in his basket. He loves flying along. We do too. We spent two days in Sarasota, our new favorite city. Nearby Seista Beach is one of the most stunning beaches. Long white expanses of beaches, filled with sun seeking folks. It isn't dog friendly but it does have a very nice spot(shady) where WFS & MOMO lounge while I take a dip in the gulf. It works for all of us. We had a grouper sandwich at a great hideaway. This was one of the few meals we ate away from our camp site. It was delicious and fueled us for a long day of adventures. The best being: Marie Selby Gardens. This absolutely incredible botanical garden is located in the center of the Sarasota. I could have spent an entire day strolling through the banyans, fig trees and hibiscus gardens. It isn't spring yet in Florida. I can imagine that event in Selby Gardens would be mind blowing. There is a extraordinary orchid and bromeliads green house. The bonsai gardens captured my fairy imagination, completely. We had a hot tea by the herb garden. How civilized is that? We have discovered the kind and generous spirit of fellow campers. Two women camper/kayakers brought us fresh grapefruit. An older couple(dear god older than us) shared banana bread and insider camping spots we have yet to discover. A couple from Ontario joined us for our nightly walk with Momo, pointing out the stars glistening over the prairie. We camped on the edge of the Suwannee River last night. I was building our fire, preparing our bison hot dog dinner and the sweetest couple from Texas appeared! We have a lovely Bordeaux and you have a fire, would you like to share? They had a gazillion dollar new airstream & the finest Ford diesel truck for hauling... Stories flew through the waning light... The wild lilies I found on my afternoon walk with Momo made a beautiful centerpiece for our table and the wine was delish, even for a non sipping girl like me! We are driving up Interstate 75 heading for our last night of camping. We will leave the TinCan for some updates and additions in Tennessee. I am hoping for a nice new frig that runs even while driving! That would be very, very awesome. We are also considering an Internet booster. I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but, WFS can work sitting under a live oak with me doing the dictation. Sorta like the 50's moves into the 21st century. Until the wheels roll again....

TINCAN TRAVEL

WFS, Momo and I are settled in Oscar Scherer State Park. Our lazy days and nights follow a rountine, sort of. We have our coffee & read day or two old newspapers. I prepare our breakfast, which we eat under a large live oak tree near a gentle rolling creek. Birds chitter overhead. After we clear and clean we decide our day... Our choices are bike ride, hike, dog beach... Yesterday we took Momo to the dog beach. He absolutely loves a romp on the beach with dozens of furry friends. We let him find his own rythmn...and he quickly locates some little furry guys to twirl round and round with... Dog owners, like campers, love to swap stories.. Today we rode our bikes about five miles on the Legacy Trail. Our park connects with this awesome trail that runs 12 miles. Momo needed a walk mid bike ride. We were near a large lake, so the two of us took a leisurely walk. Shore birds were wading in the marshes. Idyllic. Suddenly, I heard a large whpap on the water. The birds scattered as a fair sized alligator's eyes raised above the surface. Holy Moly.... Girl and dog moved rapidly down the shore toward the bike trail... We found WFS visiting with other bikers, totally unaware of the danger his faithful companions had encountered! We biked back to camp, had lunch and read our books. We drove out for ice and fresh shrimp. We got back just as the sun was fading. I built a huge fire and grilled shrimp, snow peas and peppers. We had orzo and salad. Yummmmmy. After walking Momo, we both had hot showers and a long sit by the fire. Tomorrow we are going to Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota. I have it on good authority, from fellow bike riders, that Sarasota has a fantastic Saturday Farmer's Market. I think we'll have a lovely day exploring a new southern city.

ST GEORGE ISLAND/APALACHICOLA

Driving through the innards of Georgia and Florida at 65-70 miles per hour is arduous at best. Zipping past live oaks and palmetto does,however, hold some charms. The views and vistas got a quick ooh and ahh as we hurled past.,,we have logged many miles and hours in a short amount of time on this roadtrip. This is not my preferred mode of travel, as you well know. We are not ambling this trip, we are barreling! We ate our pre-made sandwiches(very good) in the car as the miles ticked away. We stopped in Tallahassee to reprovision with the essentials, ice and wood .....and, those forgotten items, olive oil, rice, yogurt and a nice bottle of red wine. We skirted along the Apalachicola National Forest to our final destination, St.George Island. The 3 mile causeway leading to the island was a welcome sight. The road ends at one of the finest campgrounds in this neck of the woods. St George Island is spotless clean, has great bike trails, migrating birds and views to die for. We quickly set up camp, built a fire as the sky filled with stars. We relished our dinner under a panoply of stars. WFS was anxious to walk the beach and stargaze. The sky was completely illuminated with stars. The Milky Way was like a gauzy veil draped across far flung diamonds. We bundled Momo in our arms, stood in the surf and let the moment carry us away. After our beach walk,we fell into a deep sleep, awakening to a lovely warm and sunny morning. We were lounging about, drinking our coffee when Bob stopped by. We have lots of folk stop to "talk" airstream. Not unusual, you might say, but Bob was young and had his whole family in tow. Their 1975 airstream was taking them across country, each day bringing a new adventure. Bob and Susan are home schooling their daughters for a year and reveling in life. We invited them down the evening. We drove to APALACHICOLA for lunch at the Grille. The oysters(some of the best in the world) were so fresh it made me swoon. Our server insisted we try the key lime pie. I am sure I have eaten as much key lime pie as anyone. I love key lime pie and it is the only time I will ingest fake whipped cream. I cannot help it....I loved every morsel of this gooey sweet treat. We took Momo on a long walk around APALACHICOLA, ending up on the boardwalk down to bay. We met Rufus, a great guy, casting his nets for mullet. Rufus threw the large net high over his head. As the net hit the water, a perfect circle formed... I love to watch an artist work. He slowly swirled his nets pulling in several medium sized fish.Rufus offered us his catch but we declined and moved on... I did stop at the boats and purchased a fresh grouper. WFS and I decided to ride our bikes to the far edge of the island, skirting between the sea and the bay. It was an exhilarating five miles to the end and a grueling five miles back as the sun dipped down over the bay. Truly a glorious sight. We pedaled back to our campsite, built a campfire and plopped down in our chairs to rest our weary bones. Our new friends, Bob, Susan, Maggie(11) and Carly (10) arrived. We exchanged tales from the road. Bob and Susan are taking a year(maybe more) to explore the country, soak up family time and cherish their time together. Awesome. Maggie and Carly are amazing young ladies. They are beautiful, talented, poised and engaging. The coals in our fire were perfect for grilling and we decided to cook. The girls were excited about an over-the-fire cooking lesson. We grilled the grouper, a very simple production... I threw together a salad. We loaded two plates, passed around six forks and had a wonderful shared dinner. The girls were inquisitive, soaking up food stories like a sponge. We have camped for 25 years and last evening ranks very near the top of camping experiences. Such a fantastic family, living their dream and building a very, very good foundation for their daughters. It was hard to leave these amazing folks.... As we well know, on the highway of life there are many, many intersections. We might cross paths again on a star filled night....free as the breezes wafting through the trees.

ST GEORGE ISLAND/ APALACHICOLA

LET THE SUNSHINE

Day Two: slept until 8:30. Coffee in bed. Momo demands to see the outside world. Stretch and yawn. Momo and I walk while WFS prepares for the second day of hauling the TinCan toward our first destination in a southernly direction. St. George Island is a mere 40 minutes away. Sandy beaches, sunsets, oyster shacks, migrating birds.... Did I mention WARM? my bones are thawing, my disposition vastly improved... Sometimes I cannot help but wonder, why do I still live where the tempatures drop below freezing? Kentucky holds a dear spot in my soul. That is my final answer.

MAN--MOMO---ME

Each time we back the TinCan from our driveway,(especially @ 6:30 am) I am running a zillion things through my head. Did I get the coffee? the computer cords? paper towels? Momo's leash? I make lists. Lots and lots of lists. Invariably, something gets left behind. Thus, we keep a constant look-out for a convenient Target to fill in the missing stuff. How many dishpans can one foget and replace? Answer: 7. On our previous camping trip I forgot Momo's kibbles. Seriously. He eats a very special formula. I searched the Internet until I found a pet store carrying his brand. This trip I packed a separate bag for him, rather like packing for an infant. We pushed the limits of my abilities in hours & distance today. I tried to keep my whinning to a minimum. I had lots of time to sort through my mental list of forgotten items. . It seems I might have made my first voyage with all the necessary stuff for a two week excursion. Tomorrow morning I might find the missing something I-must-go-to-Target-and-buy but so far, so good. The air is brisk, our tiny home cozy and the Man & Momo are snoozing. Me, I sm sorting the last items on the list,bookmarking my mental files with things I might have left. This will pass after a night of sleep. And, if I remember the things I have forgotten, I will always have Target.