The Games We Play....

First full day in Indialantic and I was determined to do one thing...level up! It worked! I am now level 6 in Ingress and I'll have to do everything I've already done again to get a level 7! Ugh...I saw someone posted on the COMM that they were "over level 7" and I think I already am and I haven't even gotten there yet.

We had already been shopping yesterday, so there was truly nothing to do but work on our game. We went out about 12PM and stayed out until almost 3PM. Then we came back, had lunch and made a new plan to make several control fields in 3 areas. The plans didn't always work out, but we got good points and covered the city in blue!

It's crazy that while we were on one side of town making new fields, someone was back where we'd just been blowing the previous ones up.

Don't know why I think this is so much fun...but it is! I know that TheNewGirl probably thinks I'm crazy, lol...that's more than likely true.

The red dots show our fields! 

Puppies and Railroad Ties

Se we are off to FL again...now this is what I call vacation. Getting into full vacation mode by already being unable to complete sentences in conversation!

It took me a bit longer to get to Lexington than normal. Since I had to run through Versailles to hack and claim a few portals. I didn't leave home til almost 5 there was traffic after Frankfort and that led me to  turn around and go through Versailles. I got to the house about 8. 

The dogs were all happy to see me. Mabel was her calm "excited but I'm not going to lick you" self. Wiley was the young apprehensive puppy that he is but that Felix! He barked and talked to me and even managed to get tangled up in the folds of my sundress. He is a character for sure.

It is 3am and we just had a bit of a run in with what might have been a railroad tie. R is driving and we ran over something that was all the way across the road. Not sure what it was but he said it looked like it would do major damage - I was looking down at the phone and never even saw it! - so we pulled off the road and into a lit parking lot to check it out. We heard a strange noise as we slowed down but didn't see anything or hear anything in the parking lot. We got back on the road and we started to hear a small whirring sound but nothing about the car wasn't working. 

We press on.....

Never Forget....

I usually use my packing list when I travel and it helps me not forget things and not leave things behind.  I didn't even really have to use it for the Nashville trip since I'd barely unpacked from Florence/Cincinnati. However, I have some new things I think must be included in my bag from now on...mostly for car travel.

1) The MacBook Air - now obviously this is a new addition since the list was made quite a while ago. But since most hotels now have free wi-fi, why not bring it? Plus when taking pictures on a real camera you need somewhere to load them and see them on a bigger screen when you get back to your hotel room. Which brings me to the next item...

2) SD Card adapters - solely for the image transfer purpose.

3) The MacBook to HDMI cable - this one came in handy in November when we watched movies from my prime account for free on the big screen TV in the living area of the hotel suite. 

And last but not least...

4) An extra sock - now this one is a left over from Aruba. The first day we checked in, there were no wash cloths in the room, like they just forgot them, plenty of towels though. So at some point NativeNewYorker says... "Well, we could use a sock..." And a new tradition was born. Good heart was totally on board and we will all be packing extra socks just in case from now on!

Loveless!

The cafe has been around since 1951! Over 60 years of biscuits...wow, can you imagine how many they've made?  

I had originally found the cafe on a FoodNetwork app but forgot all about it until we saw the rack of flyers in the hotel lobby. Our hotel is on 1st Street right near downtown and it was only about a 20 minute ride out to the cafe so we went for it. There are little shops and things in the old hotel rooms and it's quaint. Worth a look see...

However, if you decide you want to eat there, my advice is put your name on the waiting list right away! The wait on Saturday afternoon was going to be 1 hour and 20 minutes and we had already seen everything on the grounds. The cheat is, you can order to go like we did, get your food in 20 minutes and pop a squat under a shade tree at a picnic table, they are all around! Awesome sauce!

Biscuits were very tasty! Not flaky but fluffy, not large, only about the size of a three year olds palm, but they don't mind giving you several so that's OK. They also provide several jams that are homemade and flavorful. 

I can't speak on the ham...I don't do it anymore. They do have several bacon laced treats in the gift shop. I bought some for the folks in the office, so I will have to let you know the verdict on that later!

This one's for ShinyLegs.....

Saturday morning and time for my shower...seems pretty normal right?  Well, it felt normal until I stepped in the shower and realized that the curtain was snapped wrong! It's one of those with the sheer upper third, then the bottom that snaps in so part is in the shower and the other is outside. A very smart design and it's eco-friendly because it's made from recycled materials, blah blah blah... But it's snapped wrong!

First one snap is undone, so I fix that but in doing so I realize that it's backwards. Now I must emphasize, I am IN the shower, the water is running, I am supposed to be getting clean...yeah, whatever. I proceed to undo all 12 snaps and resnap them correctly. So then I could shower....

Then I realize ... FormerUPSer took a shower the night before...she didn't notice? Rethinking our friendship... LOL! 

FYI... Shower curtains have 12 hooks, did you know this? If so, we probably would get along. Just so you know though the fancy hotel ones with big circles instead of hooks only have 10 circles. I knew this, but yes I did double check while I was in the shower. 

This should all be under the category of "how ShinyLegs and I think"!

Dash to the Nash

You would think I didn't need another weekend getaway but you'd be wrong. I am with my friend, FormerUpser, hanging out in Nashville, TN. 

We got in town about 4 and headed out to check out the city. Eventually we got hungry and found the Sicilian Pizza place. They have a beautiful Capitol building that you can't see from the highway. The batman building is a huge landmark no matter where you are in town. 

Why did I not know that Nashville had such a booming nightlife? It's weird because it's about two blocks of intense crowds, neon lights, loud music and more crowds...then nothing....like crickets.  

Funniest thing ever! 

Plans for tomorrow are sill up in the air. One thing we have already learned is Nashville is expensive! Cheese whiz! Tours run $50 to $140. We are considering the dinner theater and maybe a night tour or the Loveless cafe. We shall see. 

The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. -- Saint Augustine

Let me upgrade ya!

On my way home from Aruba, the last leg of my journey is from Charlotte to Louisville.  As I was sitting having my dinner,  they made an announcement. There are two first class seats available on the flight, passengers can upgrade for $55. So an opportunity presents itself. The last time I flew I said I was going to try first class but I didn't and on that last flight I was regretting it. I heard a woman behind me in the terminal say, well the plane is probably so small its not worth the expense. I wasn't sure but this might be the cheapest way for me to find out.

So, I bit the bullet!  I was hoping I could pay cash but that was not the case.  So the only expense on my credit card for this trip is this one.

So far I think it is worth it. We boarded first and were immediately offered water and our drink orders for flight were taken right after everyone else boarded. I also have a small pillow in my seat for my nap!