August 15, 2008
Next time you’re on Route 66 in my hometown of San Bernardino, California, check out the Mattel Toy Store. It’s located on the old site of Norton Air Force Base, in one corner of a huge building. Check the hours before you go; it was closed on Sundays and Mondays when we stopped in.
At first I wasn’t interested in the store since I thought Mattel just made Barbies and my one year old son isn’t quite ready for those, but a look at their website showed Mattel owns Fisher Price, Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Tyco, Power Wheels and more.
The store was pretty big and arranged in aisles by age/brand. They had a LOT of Barbie stuff, but they also had a lot of Dora the Explorer toys, Hot Wheels, an aisle of board games, and many toys from the movie Cars. And Fisher Price makes high chairs and swings, so they had an assortment of those too. The prices list both the regular MSRP and their price. Sometimes they were the same, but usually you saved at least a little bit.
The real gold mine was the scratch and dent room. It was in the back in the actual warehouse and the the toys were fine but the packaging was damaged. We asked a worker about it and she said if one box is damaged they’ll often write off the whole palette so many of the packages had no damage at all. The prices in that room were awesome. I picked up the board game Apples to Apples for $6; it would be $24.99 in a regular store. We ended up buying Adam two bags of toys and spent only $30.
There are 4 Mattel Toy Stores in California, 2 in Texas, and 1 and Wisconsin.
Official website: http://www.mattel.com/matteltoystore/
July 31, 2008
We stumbled across Potter’s Mark studio while driving around Asheville, North Carolina. Eileen and Marty Black are the owners/potters and are also a delight to be around. They let us tour their shop, see items fresh out of the kiln, and even shared some fresh home-grown strawberries with us.
Red pottery is hard to find because red is a hard color to work with, but Potter’s Mark has some gorgeous red pieces. I bought a vase and a baking dish in a deep, rich red.
I also bought a wine holder in the glaze “Pisgah Night” that is an amazing complement to my granite countertops. I smile every time I look at it.
You can order pieces via their website; allow an 8 week lead time since they make everything to order. I bought four of their pieces while in the studio and can’t wait to order some more.
Official web site: http://www.pottersmark.com/
July 30, 2008
Chuy’s is a Tex-Mex restaurant that we love for one reason: Creamy Jalapeno. The food? Eh. Some of it’s good, some of it is not so good, but it’s the Creamy Jalapeno chip dip that keeps us coming back for more.
You used to have to ask for it, but now they (at least Chuy’s River Oaks) brings it to you with the chips. It’s a little tangy, a little spicy, and very creamy. It’s so good I’ve bought it by the tub for parties.
Must Try
The Creamy Jalapeno, of course. I like the Chuychangas with tomatillo sauce, while Chris usually gets beef fajitas or taco salad. Avoid the Chuy’s Special Enchiladas; the one time I ordered that it was totally flavorless. It tasted like plain cooked chicken. I can make plain blah chicken at home!
Official web site: http://www.chuys.com/
July 28, 2008
Pappadeaux is hands-down one of my favorite restaurants. When someday we move away from Houston, we’ll first check to make sure our new home has Pappadeaux.
Mostly found in Texas, there are some in other states including Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, New Mexico and Ohio.
It’s part of the Pappas restaurant family, including the other eateries Pappasitos, Pappas Seafood House and Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, Yia Yia Mary’s and a few others. I’ve only tried a few of the other restaurants, but none of them excite me the way Pappadeaux does.
Must Try
The stuffed shrimp is to die for. The bacon-wrapped shrimp is also excellent, as is the shrimp etoufee. And if you like asparagus, it’s worth the upgrade fee to get it as a side dish. I used to recommend the fresh-squeezed lemonade, but an experience with an overly acidic one left me with a stomachache and a sour taste in my mouth.
Official web site: http://www.pappadeaux.com/
July 26, 2008
Chimney Rock is a near-1000 acre park just outside Asheville, North Carolina. The park takes its name from a large rock towering over a river gorge. Visitors can hike 470 steps to the rock or take an elevator up a 258-foot shaft to the top.
We chose to take the elevator to the top since we had our 9-month-old with us. The elevator exits into a gift shop and from there it’s a short walk to the rock itself.
The views are simply spectacular. There’s a river down in a valley and miles and miles of green. We visited in May; I imagine it’s even more beautiful during the fall color change.
Hickory Nut Falls are billed as one of the highest waterfalls east of the Mississippi. We were expecting something grand, but truth be told they aren’t exactly spectacular. Or maybe they are if you’ve never been west of the Mississippi. The falls are long but the water flow is pretty small. The neat thing, though, is that they land in a rock pool that you can play in. Not something I would do with a baby on my back, but many people were frolicking about in the water.
Time Needed
Allow several hours. The park is about 25 miles southeast of Asheville, but it’s on small winding roads so the drive takes a bit of time. If you beat the rush and get a parking spot in the upper parking lot, you can do the rock in about an hour. I’d recommend more time, though, because there are many hiking trails and a waterfall to see.
Must See
Definitely get to the top of Chimney Rock to see the views. Also take the short trail to The Opera Box to get a different view of the Chimney Rock and the valley beyond. If you haven’t seen many waterfalls and don’t mind an easy hike, check out Hickory Nut Falls (just don’t expect Niagara-sized falls).
Official web site: http://www.chimneyrockpark.com/
June 28, 2008
Chris and I are watching a show on the Pierce Fire Truck Factory in Wisconsin and it’s got me thinking about how they’re such a symbol of the US. There are 33,000 fire departments in the US and they’ve all got trucks. And the best are red, of course. My hometown uses a weird green that’s much more visible, but also just wrong. College Station has white trucks with blue stripes. Very pretty, but still just not the same as a nice red. “Fire Engine White” just doesn’t have the right ring to it.
But anyway, looking at these massive, square trucks, I just think that they look distinctly American. I can’t really explain it, but it’s got me wondering what they look like in Europe. I’m thinking skinny and dorky, like the Mercedes van Dodge imports to the US. Chris thinks this is more likely. Or this, of course.
All joking aside, here are a few modern European fire trucks:
- Hungary (Volvo)
- Denmark (Scania)
- Ireland
They actually look pretty much like our trucks, just a little more aerodynamic.
June 10, 2008
We just got back from a roadtrip from Houston, TX to Asheville, NC and back. A total of 68 hours in the car and I’ve got to say that the MDX was awesome. It was comfortable, easy to drive, handled the hills well, and got pretty good gas mileage despite my tendency to speed. It was also a good size, having plenty of room for us and our stuff, although I had so much fun shopping that I had to ship some stuff back and couldn’t buy some other things I wanted. But considering it was furniture I had to ship, it wasn’t really the MDX’s fault.
Adam rode in the back behind the driver’s seat and one of us would sit back there with him on occasion to keep him company. The view from the back seat sucked - consisting mostly of the front passenger side headrest - but the headrest was removeable which remedied that problem. The back seat was pretty comfortable and the rear air conditioning controls helped stave off carsickness on all but the most curvy roads.
Trip-o-meter
Average gas price: $4.10/gallon
Average MPG: 28 on highway
Hours in car: 68:05
Mileage: About 2400 (forgot to write down starting mileage)
