Restaurants Closing

What's going on? My favorite restaurants that are close to my house keep disappearing! It actually started over a year ago when Smokey Bones suddenly shut down (it was a recent discovery for us and we were looking forward to going back since it was just outside our neighborhood). Last week, I noticed that the nearby KFC is closed and boarded up. I love getting their Potato Bowl Combo from time to time. It is all my favorite stuff from there--mashed potatoes and gravy topped with corn topped with fried boneless chicken bites topped with shredded cheese! You can also get the version with a biscuit (another of my favorite items from there).

Tonight, I went out to rent a movie and then pick up some dinners from Boston Market on my way home. The Boston Market is just across the street from the north entrance to our neighborhood. Since I was coming from the Blockbuster in the south, I turned into the parking lot by Friday's and Steak 'N Shake to cut through to go to Boston Market. I was upset when I saw road blocks between the Steak 'N Shake and Boston Market but I figured I'd just park and walk over. Then, my mouth dropped open as I noticed that the Boston Market wasn't even there anymore! It was a pile of rubble! They totally knocked it down! A bulldozer was still parked there. WHAT?! I had no idea that was coming! What happened?! I love their food! I hate it when I'm craving something and looking forward to getting it but then I am denied in such a horribly shocking way!

Man, they better not take away the Taco Bell or Wendy's that are near my neighborhood! Those are my cheap-meal favorites. Speaking of Wendy's, the 2 that I've been to here play Christian music (not sure about the other locations here). I find that unusal since there aren't many restaurants that do that anywhere.

Oh, and while I'm on the subject of businesses closing that I like, Scrapbook Market is closing forever. Their closing sale began last week. I heard it was total madness the first few days as ladies waited in line for hours to check out and store employees worked until midnight (several hours past the normal closing time). When I went at 2 PM days later, it wasn't crowded and I didn't have to wait in line to check out. You just gotta avoid the lunch and after-work rush if you can. Now, I will have to buy scrapbooking supplies at places that don't have as big of a selection, like Target and Michael's.

Gas Update

Gas is now $3.58 and available at some stations (others have no gas). It could be a couple of weeks before all the stations in this town have gas all the time again. At least the price is back down!

Gas Shortage in Florida Caused by Consumers

What a week! Our friends Sheryl & Daniel visited us from Seattle. We went to the beach on Friday and as we arrived back to Tallahassee around 4 PM we noticed that every gas station we passed had a crazy long line of cars at every pump. We began to get nervous and wonder what we had missed while we were out of town. As we got closer to our home, we noticed several of the gas stations were completely out of gas. Their price signs were blank and they were deserted. It was creepy.

As soon as we got home we went online to see if we could figure out what was going on. I found and skimmed over an article from the local paper online that said gas prices were going to go up 20 to 30 cents a gallon but that one gas station in town advertised that is was going to raise prices to $5.50/gallon that weekend. It kept emphasizing that there is no gas shortage even though all those oil rigs in the gulf near Texas had shut down because of the hurricanes. So, apparently everyone raced to the pumps to get the last of the cheaper gas and actually caused the gas shortage in town. Thanks a lot, guys.

We were thinking about spending 2 nights in Destin (160 miles one way) so we needed to have a full tank of gas in order to make the trip. We didn't get any gas that evening and forgot to get some until the next night at 9 PM because we were just chilling at home all day. We waited in line behind 4 cars and a motorcycle at the only gas station in the area that had any gas left. We paid $4.11/gallon and they were letting each person buy only $40 worth. It was reported there was only one other station in town with gas and it was $5.49/gallon there. We were thankful to get enough gas to get us on the road to Destin because the attendant said they weren't getting any more gas until Monday.

We found another station with gas many miles outside of town and topped off the tank for $3.95/gallon. The gas stations in Destin were out of gas too. It was insane. If the gas shipment came in on Monday like that one attendant said, there must have been a rush to the pumps again because most stations were totally out when we arrive home Tuesday afternoon. I took Sheryl & Daniel to the airport at 6 AM this morning and then decided to fill up my gas tank again since we used a good portion of it for the Destin trip and since there was still a shortage. I bought gas for $3.93/gallon and the pumps were pumping sooooo slowly. It was annoying because I had to stand there and squeeze the nozzle handle the whole time because it didn't have that little piece that allows you to let go and have it still pumping. And then the stupid thing didn't shut off automatically when my tank was full so some of it spilled over and splattered on my feet. Thankfully, only a few drips landed on me so I didn't smell like gasoline.

I went home and decided to see how much gas was in Craig's Jeep (he was still sleeping as it was only about 7 AM). It only had 1/4 of a tank so I went back to that gas station and filled it up. It took even longer to fill than my car because it was emptier and the pumps were running even slower. I'm not exaggerating when I say this, but the pump was dispensing only one cent per second or just a tad faster for a lot of the time. It sped up for a little bit just when 2 cars left and no one else had moved in yet. It was sooooooo ridiculous. And it didn't shut off automatically again, but at least this time I suspected it. It took me literally 30 minutes to pump 13 gallons of gas!! I'm so glad the pump was available right when I pulled in or I would have had to wait about 30 minutes for someone else to pump their gas and 30 minutes for my own gas. I hate slow pumps! I hate that people panic and make things worse! At least now we are set for a couple of weeks if we limit our driving (which is easy since neither of us have a daily commute).

Flooded Lake Ella

Lake Ella majorly flooded from the few days of rain we had due to Tropical Storm Fay at the end of August. So many people walk around the lake daily (just over half a mile), but were then unable to because it was out of commission for a couple of weeks. The small lake has something different on each side--a park, residential homes, shops & cafes and the main road.

Here are before and after pics (click each one to see larger version):

The water almost completely covered the benches and picnic tables on the other side of this tree:

The road was completely flooded:

This picture was taken from the gazebo that is on the peninsula that meets up with the road pictured above...this whole area was completely under water (you couldn't see the rocks, grass or sidewalk!):

The flooded gazebo as seen from the residential side:

The far side of the lake is residential:

The flooded road:

Since the road around the lake flooded, some residents couldn't use their cars because the water was all the way up to their houses and their cars were trapped in the driveways:

None of the water in this picture was here before the flood--it went all the way up to the doors of some shops:

Flooded parking lot (you can just see the tops of the trash cans):

The water reached the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial helicopter at the American Legion Post 13--yikes!:

Gasoline

Gasoline here is down from $4.05 to $3.91 (at the cheapest regular stations--I think Sam's Club is a few cents less than that for members). Who knew that $3.91/gallon could ever sound so wonderful?! When we moved here in July 2006, it was around $2.19 and that was high compared to Tulsa.

Church

We finally started going to church again. We had visited several churches after we first moved here, but stopped going after Alisa was born because of her schedule (or lack thereof). We decided we'd be able to go now because she is on a pretty predictable schedule and can go many hours between feedings. I searched online for the next church to try...we are looking for a non-denominational church with people our age (preferably starting to have kids, like us). I found a couple of options that looked good and I chose the first one to try based on their website. It has their beliefs, info about the leadership team (including interests and musical taste, which are similar to ours) and other stuff.

The church meets at a YMCA on the south side of town. We went to the 10:30 AM service because Alisa usually sleeps in until 9:00 AM. The first thing we did was check in at the kids counter because it was right by the entrance. They asked Alisa's name, typed it in the computer and promptly printed 3 stickers--one large one with her name to stick on her back and 2 small ones with a number and letter that matched the ones on the large sticker. The smaller ones were for Craig and I--so that either of us could pick her up without them wondering if she was really our daughter or not...a bit of a security check. We passed by the table with bagels and coffee to go find the nursery. The pastor greeted us and led us back to the nursery. We were worried that Alisa would cry when we left her there because she has separation anxiety, but thankfully she did not. There were several girls working in the nursery and lots of toys for Alisa to play with so that helped.

The worship was our style--the leader sang and played guitar and there was another singer and the band, complete with a violinist. The message was good and short (we don't like really long services). The pastor came up to us afterwards and mentioned that he checked on the kids during the announcement break and saw that Alisa was doing fine. Nice of him to do that, to tell us and to remember her name.

The service was arranged slightly different than what we are used to. They sang one song then gave you a minute to fill out an information card (which we did since we were first time guests). They played a Radiohead song during that time, which we enjoyed because we like Radiohead and had never heard it played in church before. Next was a video clip they created that related to the message and yet was humorous. Then the pastor spoke and they ended with worship and the offering. They had free Bibles at end of each row that they encouraged anyone to use and to take home if desired. I'd never seen that before and was impressed.

The 2nd week that we went we stayed afterwards for the newcomers lunch to find out more about their community groups. The pastor sat at our table for quite awhile learning more about us and answering our questions. So far so good. Our next step is to choose a community group to go to on a weeknight. This just may be the church we settle into...with no further looking necessary (that would be nice).

Winter Festival

Yesterday, we went downtown for the Winter Festival. They lit the Christmas lights in the trees on Park Avenue and then had a 3K Jingle Bell Run, entertainment, food vendors and a parade. We arrived an hour before the parade, parked the car a few blocks away and walked with Alisa in the stroller towards the main attractions. We saw parade floats and groups of dancers lining the backstreet, getting ready for the parade. We felt like we were backstage and not supposed to be there but no one said anything (and there were cops everywhere). We turned down the main road and realized we were then stuck walking on it because the sides had been fenced to keep people from getting in the way of the parade. So, we felt like WE were the parade right then...there were a few other people walking in the middle of the road like us and crowds of people on the other side of the fence were watching us. Suddenly, some of the runners appeared from a side street and ran past us. We walked a good ways before we found an opening, which was right when a cop told us we needed to get off that street.

By the time the parade started, Alisa was ready for a nap but couldn't sleep because of all the cheering and sirens. Craig and I took turns holding her up so she could see the lights, horses, people and cars going by. She looked tired but didn't cry until near the end (45 minutes later) so we decided to leave early to beat the crowd. We walked a few blocks up and then needed to cross to the other side of the parade in order to get to the street our car was parked on. We asked a cop at the intersection and he let us race across the street between floats. It was nice of him to do that, especially since the parade was almost over (we wouldn't have had to wait long to cross after the parade). Alisa started to fall asleep once we got moving and she was totally asleep during the car ride home.





Very tired girl:

North Florida Fair

The North Florida Fair was open from November 8th - 18th. Craig wasn't interested in going so I went without him on opening night because admission was free during the first hour. It wasn't crowded at all so I didn't have to wait in any lines--so nice! I saw all the shows (swine racing--hilarious, American western show--educational, wild animals show--bears, wolves, mountain lion--and rattlesnake show), rode a few rides, drank some fresh squeezed lemonade & hot chocolate, ate some chili fries & deep fried Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (oh my, so delicious!) and did lots of walking and people watching. I brought a coat and hat but not gloves--I didn't realize just how cold it was going to be since it was warm during the day. The hat didn't cover my ears all the way and my fingers were freezing during the rides. As I drove home at 9:30pm, I saw on a bank sign that the temperature was 45 degrees.

(All the photos in this post can be clicked on for a larger view)






2 days later my friend Nevada asked if Craig and I wanted to go to the fair with her and her husband Al. I said I'd have to convince Craig (since he's not very interested in fairs) and we'd have to get a babysitter so I'd let her know. We ended up booking a sitter (our good friend Karen) and they booked a sitter for their 5-month-old boy but then an hour before we were supposed to meet, Nevada called and said their sitter had to cancel because he missed his flight back to town. I was sooo disappointed because I was all geared up to go on a double date. Craig and I ended up going on a date by ourselves since we already had a sitter coming and we took a raincheck on the double date at the fair. It was very cold that evening so it was probably best that we didn't go to the fair afterall.

Craig and I ended up going to the fair on the last day because admission price was only $2. We took Alisa because we couldn't find a sitter (we don't know many yet) so we didn't buy unlimited rides passes. We ate kabobs, deep fried cauliflower & deep fried Oreos and walked around looking at the animals and then I rode one ride. Alisa slept in the stroller for about an hour and then I put her in the baby carrier so she could see everything as we walked. She loved it! We took her to the petting zoo and she looked at the camels, llamas, kangaroos, various birds, bunnies, goats, pigs, sheep and more. The weather was perfect and Craig had a decent time afterall.


We thought the hand written "Fat Balls $4" sign at this stand was funny. I had never heard of fat balls before (they sound disgusting). I only got a glance of one and it looked like a large fried ball of dough filled with cherry pie filling.

Recycling

In the past we always knew it was good to recyle but we were too lazy to actually do it. Well, we recycle now because Tallahassee makes it easy to recycle. They provide us with a recycling garbage can in addition to the regular garbage can (both are large, plastic and have big handles and wheels). The recycling can is divided into 2 sections with a flip-up lid on each side. Paper products go on one side and plastic/aluminum/glass products go on the other side. This division makes it easy for the trash collectors because the products are automatically separated as they are dumped into the divided recycling truck.

Our trash and recycling cans are now emptied every Friday (they used to empty the regular can twice a week--one day at your house and the other day at the curb--and the recycling just every other week, I think). Instead of running outside to the recycling can every time we have something for it, we throw the trash into one of the 3 cans that are in our kitchen. Then, once a week we empty the cans into the corresponding large cans outside and then take the cans to the curb. Since we started this, we realized that we fill all 3 inside cans to the top every week (we used to empty just the undivided trash like 3 times a week). That means we have twice as much recyclable waste as regular waste so it's a good thing we are recycling now.

Local Pics

Crape myrtles blooming in mid-July:



This used to be a nice lake (Lake Jackson) but a sinkhole opened up many years ago and sucked out nearly all the water. Now, people who used to have nice lakefront property, have just a dry lakebed to look at.



This was a boat ramp at Lake Jackson:



We call this the "scary tree" because the Spanish moss makes it look spooky, especially at night. It is on the grounds of one of the local nurseries.



This is a Mexican Fan palm tree:



I love the palm leaves:



Nice "boots" on this trunk:



This palm tree at the Jacksonville airport is quite different from the Mexican Fan palm tree:



I took this picture of myself by some pine trees in our yard:



Neat swing at the neighbors' house up the road from us:



Another neighbor has this bird in their yard (reminded me of the horse above because they are both made of metal):



Azaleas blooming in March in our neighborhood:



Flowers in our yard in August:





Minga running in the shallow creek behind our house:



We've had lots of big storms lately and now the creek has a very nice, flat, sandy bottom (before, it was rocky and uneven):



View of our house from the creek:



Our neighbors that live in this lovely house are the ones who gave us many banana trees:



There are other barrel-style homes like ours are in the neighborhood (but ours is the only 3-story one and the only one that was recently remodeled, which gave it vinyl siding and windows on the main floor unlike the other homes):







City workers showed up one day without notice and within a few hours had replaced the light pole that is by our driveway with a new one:



They parked this truck on the edge of our property while they went to lunch in another truck:



New light pole, wired and ready to go:

Tallahassee Nursery

We love spending time browsing at the nurseries in town because they are peaceful and beautiful places. These pics are from the oldest and largest nursery in town....

Deserted pathway:



Craig carrying Alisa in sling:



Indoor houseplant area:





Funky, wooden chair:







This one looks like it has a pineapple sprouting from it:



Various orchids:









Craig tried on some hats and liked this one: