22 Years & 1 Week

Together 22+ years

Do you remember your first date with your now significant other and do you still celebrate it ?

We do and also celebrate it every year. 

Our 1st date was May 16, 1997 in our native NJ. We met online through a now defunct dating site corresponding online for several weeks and only speaking on the phone once before our first meet-up. This was the days years before cell phone texting and other current social media. Did I mention that was 22 years ago?

Our selfie was taken a week ago at the start of our current "southern" U.S. road trip. This trip celebrates that anniversary and our mutual milestone birthdays this year. (We really don't need a reason.) We're still deciding how and where to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary this fall. One thing is certain, it will be someplace(s) we've never been.

This trip started in OH and will end in FL and then back to NH. Thanks for all your travel well wishes and for coming along with us. Grenville is the driver and  despite using a GPS in our car, I still read the MAPs and also post about sights and eats along the route.

Eats & Treats in NY and OH

While on a (mostly) southern states road trip traveling from New Hampshire to Florida, we're sampling foods along the way. It's part of the road trip fun for us. Here's where we recently dined in NY and OH.

We are both diner fans from years of living in NJ, known as The Diner Capital of the World. Our home state was also home to the the largest diner maker in the world, the Jerry O’Mahony Diner Company, which produced over 2,000 diners from 1917 to the early 1950s.

So, when we spotted a highway billboard sign for the Eveready Diner which said "as featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives on the Food Network" we opted to give it try  The exit was coming up within a few minutes and we were ready for a lunch stop by early afternoon.

Stepping inside this eatery was like entering a 1950s time warp with its classic retro styling, large upholstered booth seat, and shiny chrome throughout. I didn't photograph the interiors as a lot of other folks were dining at the same time as ourselves.

The food menu (left above) had some fun menu titles like "Bring My Baby Back Ribs" and "Hound Dog" hot dog. It was a busy place when we visited, but service was good and the food came out quickly. Baked goods are done "in house" and the "New York style" cheesecake looked wonderful in the above dessert menu, but we restrained ourselves from having dessert (this time).

It was a busy place when we visited, but service was good and the food came out quickly. Grenville enjoyed one of his diner favorites, pastrami on rye with coleslaw on the side. I tried the eggplant panini which came with one of my favorite sides, sweet potato fries, and (yeah) no "up" charge. The first (original) Everyday Diner is in Hyde Park, NY. If we've ever in that area, we'll try that one as well.

Our first dining experience after arriving in OH was at Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, formerly known as Cheddar's Casual Cafe. It was also a first in that we had never dined in one and this first one in the Dayton area opened in 2016 at the Cornerstone of Centerville, a recently developed restaurant and lodgings complex, also where our hotel was located.

It's hard to see in this photo but within the restaurant's name is the date 1979 which is when it was founded by Aubrey Good and Doug Rogers in Arlington, TX. The chain is now headquartered in Irving, TX, and as of 2018 with over 170 locations in 28 states. There's none (yet) in New England.The interior of Cheddar's is unique with giant sweeping fans made of bamboo in a central area. There's also a very large aquarium separating the bar from the rest of the restaurant and it's a popular viewing spot for children. 

Few chain restaurants have much of a reputation for making menu from "scratch." Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen differs from competitors and promotes itself by its the claim that it uses “simple, honest, natural ingredients” and “scratch-made recipes, handcrafted with care and time.” 

Cheddar’s features traditional and modern American fare. One of the appetizers was Homemade Onion Rings, which are a personal favorite that I've been known to try at many places we've dined. Cheddar's did not disappoint and Yes I shared with Grenville.

Meat loaf is one of Grenville's favorite comfort foods and it's become his personal standard to judge eateries by when it's listed on their menu. He declared that the Cheddar's offering was "pretty good but a bit on the spicy side." The House Smoked Baby Back Ribs was my choice. They're advertised as being "slow-smoked for a minimum of four hours" and were "fall-off-the-bone" good. The side of mac and cheese while not the best (pasta was overdone) was thankfully a small portion and very cheesy.

Since we were celebrating our 1st date anniversary (details in an upcoming post) and the start of our road trip, we ordered dessert — a decadent chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream which we shared. We were glad that we didn't order two separate desserts as this one was quite enough for two (or more).

Bagger Dave's Burger Tavern was also within waking distance of our Centerville, OH, hotel. This tavern restaurant chain was founded in 2008 by Michael Ansley in Berkley, MI.  Most locations were in Michigan and Indiana; two opened in OH over the past 3 years. 

On its website, the unusual company name is explained: Bagger was selected for no special reason, other than it sounded good with Dave which is in memory of Ansley’s late father-in-law. Tavern was added to celebrate a local place serving fresh food.

The restaurant features “build-your-own” and signature prime-rib burgers, hand-cut fries, soups, salads, and 10 craft-beer taps. Its slogan is “Different kinds of burgers, different kinds of beer.” 

As noted above, I'm an onion rings fanatic, so we gave tried them here, but I neglected to take a photo, probably because they didn't compare to ones we enjoyed two nights earlier. We ordered the "signature burgers" — Grilled Pastrami Burger (Grenville) and Crispy Cheese Bacon Burger for me, but skipped the buns and opted for a bed of lettuce. (We tried to "save" some calories after the lackluster onion rings.) We agreed there was nothing unique about this burger chain that would compel us to try it again. We’ve had better burgers at a favorite (non-chain) eatery back home in Nashua, NH.

Thanks, as always, for virtually traveling along with us. We've been reading and appreciating all your comments. Our days are spent on the road touring and eves are spent posting about our adventures. Blog reading may fall behind, but I'll catch up as time allows.

Traveling to OH

Our southern road trip officially launched on May 15 from NH to FL and will return to NH by the last week of June or first week in July. We plan to stop in as many states as possible within a limited timeframe. It's impossible to see everything in all of them, but we will try to visit interesting or unusual places in as many as possible.

Since leaving NH, we've been on interstates in MA, NY, PA, and OH as well as a couple of scenic back routes. Sometimes, the GPS will select an alternate route it has determined will save time and it does provide a break from the fast highway driving, much to Grenville's relief.

Traveling mid-week often means there are less congested roadways as well. Luckily, there were only a couple of intermittent rain showers. 

The Hamilton Fish Newburgh–Beacon Bridge is a cantilever toll bridge that spans the Hudson River in New York State. It reminded me of my brother's childhood Erector set.

Driving through PA there's some really impressive roadway hills. We stayed overnight in Williamsport, but there wasn't time for sight-seeing in this city known as the birthplace of little league, which was founded in 1939 as a three-team league. Nearby South Williamsport is the headquarters of Little League Baseball and annually hosts the title League World Series in late summer. In the late 19th century, Williamsport was known as "The Lumber Capital of the World" because of its thriving lumber industry. 

Currently, we're in Centerville, OH, near the site of the largest amateur ham radio gathering, Hamvention® at the Green County Fairgrounds and Exposition Center in Xenia. Thousands of ham radio operators from the U.S. and worldwide, including Grenville, are attending this annual event, sponsored by the Dayton Amateur Radio Association (DARA). Grenville, a first-time attendee, is already planning to return next year.  That's also means another road trip for us.

Internet source: United States Air Force Museum

Before leaving OH, we're visiting the National Museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton. 

It's the oldest and largest military aviation museum in the world, with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display. It's a bargain as well with free admission and free parking and photography is allowed too. A future post will have more details on our visit which is sure to be long based on the number of exhibits and aircraft on display.

Also in Dayton, we plan to visit America's Packard Museum. It was founded in 1992 and has  taken the name of the original dealership, The Citizens Motorcar Company. The museum is housed in an original 1917 Packard dealership building and has a large collection of Packard Motorcar Company automobiles and memorabilia with over 50 cars in the restored Art Deco showroom and service department. Car Collector magazine named it one of the "Top Ten" Auto Museums in the U.S.

Internet source: Citizens Motorcar Company

The Packard Motor Car Company was a major U.S. automaker in the first half of the 20th century and has been credited with introducing the modern steering wheel and 12-cylinder engine. These luxurious vehicles attracted some of the wealthiest auto buyers worldwide. The first Packard automobiles were produced in 1899. The last Detroit-built Packard was the Packard Predictor in 1956 .

Auto museum visits are high on our list of must-see places and always offer a look-back in time. On last year's cross-country road trip, we toured the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, IN and the National Auto Museum (The Harrah Collection) in Reno, NV. 

After OH, we'll travel through KY and TN. We're not sure where we'll be stopping, but Dollywood, singer Dolly Parton’s Appalachian-themed park, won't be a stop because this type of attraction isn't our thing. We prefer museums, state capitols and roadside oddities. Sometimes, that includes touring a prison like last year in WY and IN.

Ready to Go

Thanks for all the safe travel comments in last week's post about our road trip. We're out on the road by the time of this post. First stop was an overnight in Williamsport, PA before arriving in OH for Hamvention®, an event for ham radio operators worldwide. 

Traveling light?

NO, we're not traveling with this much stuff, no RV, bikes or kayaks. We're using a larger version of the Jeep shown. Grenville's 2004 Jeep Cherokee was packed with ham radio gear and our suitcases. Lodging will be in hotels along the way (preferably Hampton Inn when available). We rotate our two Jeeps for travel. Last year's cross-country trip was completed in my 2007 Jeep Liberty. 

We're looking forward to meeting a couple of fellow bloggers who provided their contact information. We also expect to visit family in GA and FL. Anyone living in states along our route who would like to meet-up (if our plans and yours coincide) is also welcome to contact me by email which we will be checking daily. States we expect to see are listed in this post.

I'll be sharing our road adventures by posting from places along the way, but not daily. And, I will try to keep as current as possible in reading your posts, as often as possible.

We're glad to have you travel along with us, even if you're not sharing the driving with Grenville. (I'm not even doing that.)

Then & Now Mill Views

Regular readers and visitors to this blog may already know that we live in a building that was formerly part of the Nashua Manufacturing Company, a cotton textile manufacturer in Nashua, NH from 1823 to 1945. 

This vintage postcard shows the mill during its heyday with its large prominent company sign. The bell that summoned mill workers was housed in the center white tower.

The company operated as the largest mills along the Nashua River during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Like many New England textile mills, it struggled during the Depression and shut down in 1948, after much of the textile industry moved South. In the mid to late 1960s after various enterprises used, then vacated the premises, six mill buildings were converted into apartment living. 

This photo was taken one evening last week from the Main Street Bridge in downtown Nashua. While the building exteriors remain largely unchanged, the large company sign is long gone. These properties are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places as a historic district.

The view below doesn't capture the total size of the mill building complex. The white bell tower also can be seen here. The partially visible tower clock is one of two that are maintained and operational today. (A future post will show the inside of one tower.)

Here's another partial view that shows the front of the buildings. The green canopy is over stairs leading to an interior two-level parking garage. There's also an above ground parking area for apartment residents.

Both the exterior and interior parking areas formerly were the site of the water canal that provided power to mill buildings. This vintage postcard shows that original water canal.

However, my favorite views are those captured from our 5th floor apartment window which show the Nashua River and part of downtown Nashua. This was a recent early morning view.

Here's the same view taken as skies cleared after a recent rain storm. 

Friends have commented on how hard it must be for us to force ourselves to look at these views on a daily basis. We respond that we're managing and enjoy sharing them, like now.

The Places We’ll Go

YES, we're heading on the road again. We hope that, like last year, fellow bloggers will come along. This shorter trip will be from NH to Florida and back again by two different routes.

It's our second extended trip within a year. In mid July 2018, we went cross-country from NH to Oregon. That trip encompassed over 7,670 miles through 20 states and ended back in NH by early September. 

Along the way, I posted about places we went and foods sampled although not always in "real-time"  as there was so much to see. We learned that 6 weeks was hardly enough time to really see the U.S. and so on this trip we'll see more. The previous trip was sandwiched in between family weddings in June and October. Coincidentally, this upcoming trip precedes a family wedding in July, two July birthdays (granddaughter #1 and Grenville) plus our 20th wedding anniversary in August.

While FL is the final destination, the trip starts with a May 17-19 stop near Dayton, Ohio for Hamvention® at the Green County Fairgrounds and Exposition Center, Xenia, OH. The event, sponsored by the Dayton Amateur Radio Association (DARA), is considered the largest amateur radio gathering. Its expected to attract ham radio operators (hams) worldwide.

We'll going because in the past 2 years, Grenville has a renewed interest in ham radio. He's attained technician, general and amateur extra licenses, along with various radio equipment. This year, the Nashua Area Radio Society (NARS) of which he's a member is being recognized as Club of the Year at Hamvention®. The NARS group has over 200 members and while not all are attending, there will be a good showing. 

In the photo below, Grenville is in the second row from the left, behind club member, Anita, who's wearing a white sweater and partially obscuring him.

Members of Nashua Area Radio Society (not all)

Once the event is ended, we're out on the road. Here's our tentative travel route, to and from FL. It's subject to change depending on weather and/or other factors.

Leaving NH, we expect to pass through the states of: MA, NY, PA, OH, KY, TN, GA, AL before arriving in FL.

Leaving FL, we expect to pass through the states of: GA, SC, NC, VA, MA, PA, NJ, NY, CT, RI, MA before returning to NH.

Along the route we'll try to connect with family members and friends depending on their availability when we're in their area. There's no set itinerary after OH. That said, we do have a request of fellow bloggers. (No, it's not a funding request for the trip.) 

While we're not sure where or when our route will take us, we would enjoy meeting fellow bloggers living in the above states who would also be interested in meeting.

So, if you're interested in the possibility too, please send me an email. Click on my alias name (Beatrice) and it will be go to my alter ego, Dorothy. Please provide your name, address, and email/phone number. Any info will be private (for our eyes only). 

If we know, ahead of time, that we'll be close by, I'll contact you beforehand. Maybe we could meet for a chat or coffee. If anyone is a "ham" Grenville will have his equipment.

Not having a set travel schedule allows us more freedom. Grenville sets a 6-hour/day driving limit and we make reservations a day or so ahead of a destination. It worked on the cross-country excursion with no problems in booking hotels this way.

We're looking forward to possibly meeting some of you. Regardless, please join us and leave the driving 🚘 to Grenville. (I always do.)

Yes, we plan to stop at White Castle for burgers and Culver's for frozen custard (There's none of these eateries in New England and thank goodness for that!)

We Ate at a Castle

Not just any castle, mind you, but one that's generally recognized as the first U.S. fast-food burger chain. Maybe some folks reading this post already know the answer.
If not, the answer may surprise you, unless you knew the answer — White Castle.

If you knew that, did you also know that this regional hamburger chain differs from other burger chains because, unlike its burger competitors, White Castle is not a franchise operation. Since it started in 1921, this burger joint has always been a privately-owned company and remains so to this day. 

First NJ White Castle, July 1930

White Castle is beloved by burger aficionados for its menu staple of small square burgers referred to as “Sliders®.” This signature burger is made with 100% beef, steam grilled on a bed of onions, and served with a slice of pickle on a signature bun. The burgers are not cooked directly over heat.

There are over 420 White Castle outlets in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin. The most are in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois; fewest are in Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

As NJ natives, we've previously enjoyed these burgers. Sadly, we now live in New England where there are no White Castles. 

Grenville needed a "fix." 

Luckily, there are some White Castles in the metro NY-NJ area, even luckier, we were in NJ visiting family for the Easter holiday. There was one within 5 minutes of our South Plainfield, NJ hotel. Another was 20 minutes away in Greenbrook, NJ. We didn't visit both locations. The design has changed from the 1930s one above to this one (left). So have prices and a slider that was 5 cents in the 1920s was 72 cents plus tax.  

 The
We happily downed several sliders each — Did I mention these are small burgers? Our "combos" came with a drink and fries. The fries were not as good as the burgers, so we'll skip them next time. Grenville ordered the bacon burger and my choice was the original cheeseburger. We'll also skip the bacon burger, based on Grenville's taste test. If you go to a White Castle, try the tried and true burgers or cheeseburger sliders. You won't go wrong.

Originally, burgers were sold in a paper bag after being individually put in a cardboard box (see below). Buying them this way, you got "a sack of sliders." Purchase options now include Castle Packs of 7, 8 or 9, buy'em® by the sack® of 10, Crave Case® of 30, or a Crave Crate® of 100 burgers for seriously addicted aficionados. 

Walter Anderson and Edgar Waldo “Billy” Ingram started White Castle with $700 in 1921. It was incorporated in 1924 as the White Castle System of Eating Houses Corporation. The original White Castle was on the corner of First and Main Street in Wichita, KS and is long gone.

Walter Anderson & Billy Ingram and early White Castles

A 1904 novel, The Jungle, an expose by American novelist Upton Sinclair had publicized unsanitary conditions of the U.S meat-packing industry in Chicago and other cities. Some considered the book mostly a work of fiction, but it sparked food safety legislation. The U.S. Food and Drug Act was passed in 1906 largely due to public response.

Because of Upton's novel, Anderson and Ingram wanted to change the public's perception of their new industry which had beef as the main ingredient. The two men wanted the restaurants they opened, small white buildings with stainless steel interiors, to present a sense of cleanliness. Employees dressed in uniforms with no facial or long hair, most were male back then. The same type of building existed from 1924 to 1929.

In 1933, Anderson sold his half of the business to Ingram who then closed restaurants in the smallest profit markets, including those in Wichita and Omaha, NE. He also relocated the corporate headquarters to Columbus, OH. Not surprisingly that state now has the largest number of White Castles. Yet, since 1938 there hasn't a single WC in the entire state of Kansas, where it all began. But KS folks can satisfy their burger fix in neighboring Missouri which has over 50 of them.

Since McDonald's and Burger King started up much later, there was no fast burger food when White Castle began. The company established centrally-located bakeries, meat supply plants and warehouses to self-supply the business. In 1932, Ingram set up a subsidiary to produce the iconic paper hats that employees wore, as well as other paper products used in the restaurant from packaging to serving.

White Castle initiated chain-wide standardized methods of operation to ensure that customers would receive the same product and service in every location.  The White Castle Pledge is: Serving the finest products, for the least cost, in the cleanest surroundings, with the most courteous personnel. 

Anderson is credited with inventing the hamburger bun, kitchen assembly line and the cook as a replaceable technician. In 1934, he formed a White Castle subsidiary, Porcelain Steel Buildings (PSB) Co. to manufacture portable restaurant buildings that could be moved for standardization.

In the beginning, burgers were prepared using the White Castle System, so that cooks at any location could produce nearly-identical small square burgers. Burgers were cooked according to a specific recipe: ground beef balls were placed on a hot grill and topped with tiny shredded onions, then burgers were flipped and squashed into a patty. The bottom bun was placed on top, and a pickle and the top bun were added.

That formula existed until 1949, when the five-hole hamburger patty debuted. The recipe was changed to reduce long lines of waiting customers. These five-hole burgers were steamed on a bed of shredded onions. They not only cooked faster, but this process eliminated flipping and the burgers were more flavorful. 

When the first White Castle in the far western U.S. opened in Nevada on the Las Vegas strip in 2015, it marked the company's first expansion into a new state in 56 years. Demand was so great that the restaurant closed for 2 hours to restock and sold 4,000 sliders per hour in its first 12 hours, reportedly the largest demand in its 94-year history.

Supermarket purchase to our freezer

Since 1977, a subsidiary company, White Castle Distributing, Inc., has been marketing products in supermarkets nationwide including hamburgers, cheeseburgers, breakfast burgers, veggie burgers, and black bean burgers. Availability varies by supermarket chain and, once again, Grenville luckily found them in the frozen food section of a local supermarket, so can have his "fix" at home. 

Takeout White Castle being enjoyed at family dining table in 1940s

The Ingram family’s decision not to franchise or take on debt has kept the chain relatively small compared to other fast food companies. For example, there’s nearly 40,000 McDonald’s locations worldwide; 14,000 in the U.S. alone. 

More White Castle facts . . .

• Pioneered first use of restaurant newspaper coupons which ran in a St Louis, MO, paper in June 1932. A carryout order of 5 burgers for 10 cents was a great deal during the depression as burgers were normally 5 cents each. 
• First fast-food restaurant to sell over 1 billion burgers, reaching that milestone in 1961 ahead of competitors, but WC started earlier.
• Credited with starting National Hamburger Month in 1992. Annually every May, burger promotions now tempt burger fans.

Photo Credits: Vintage b&w photos in this post were displayed inside a White Castle in South Plainfield, NJ. Very few photos had detailed captions. Seeing them was a step-back-in-time.

Seeing Clearly Now

My second cataract surgery was completed this past Tuesday. Thanks for all the comments posted after my first cataract surgery this month. All well wishes were truly appreciated. 

Everything went well with both surgeries. People have asked me about the surgery and recovery. Some have admitted they were squeamish about an eye procedure. This post contains my own reactions, which may differ for others.

First, there was absolutely no pain and no sedation required (it's can be needed). I was awake during both very short procedures done at a same-day surgical center. Several rounds of eyedrops were administered for 30 minutes prior to surgery, including ones to numb the eye and dilate it. I opted out of anxiety-reducing medication or I would have had to forgo a celebratory glass of wine after surgery. I'll take wine over valium any day. 

Once in the operating room, I was on a stretcher and given more drops, then a breathable face cover was put over my face with an opening for the eye being treated. I saw a series of bright lights and heard the nurses and ophthalmologist. Surgery was over in under 15 minutes. I was escorted to a recovery area, an eye shield was put over the eye and i was given a schedule for eye drop use. Two post-op visits. a day and week apart follow each surgery. 

Internet source

The implanted artificial intraocular lens (IOL) isn't seen or felt and is now a permanent part of my eyes. IOLs have different features; cost is a factor. Medicare and some insurance plans don't cover all types. My ophthalmologist recommended a fixed-focus monofocal lens with a single focus strength for distance vision; reading glasses would be needed afterwards. 

Here's very good news — the reading glasses don't require a prescription and are widely available in popular $ or on-line. My ophthalmologist said these would work. I'm buying several pairs. But, what to do with frames that formerly held prescription lenses?

Restrictions? A few the first week after surgery to ensure that soap or water doesn't splash in the eye. No heavy lifting, high impact exercise, contact sports and swimming. By week 2, only swimming is restricted 1 more week.

Personally, the worst part wasn't the surgery, the restrictions, putting eye drops in 4X daily, or post-op visits, but the required eye dilation. Yes, it's absolutely needed for a complete eye exam or procedure; after-effects, specifically light sensitivity, last from 4 to 6 hours. It averages closer to 5 hours for me, hence my dislike. 

The good great news is that I now have distance vision and don't need glasses for driving and seeing things far off, like road and traffic signs. Another great benefit is that colors are much brighter. I didn't realize how much I was missing. Reading glasses are definitely needed as reading small print is challenging without them. 

If anyone is considering his surgery is needed, my suggestion is to discuss thoroughly with your eye doctor. If you're declared "ready" you also might want to go for it.

If you're Medicare-eligible, like me, this procedure is covered; there may be certain exclusions. If you do need a prescription for glasses after the surgery, that first one may be covered as well.

Speaking for myself, the end result was well worth any non-covered expenses that won't be covered by insurance. 

Seeing clearly and without glasses is really good.

Friday Funnies

This (a bit fuzzy) photo of a gull was taken inside our apartment building — not from inside our apartment. If you can't figure out where it was perched, the answer is below.

The photo was taken inside a mill building as I stood below this 5th floor skylight.

Sometimes, you can "see" the strangest things when least expected.

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone.