A Jeanne in the Kitchen

I am taking a slight detour from my postings of our fabulous Southern travels to take part in the Heritage challenge for the word of the day challenge, thrown out by Carol Anne at Therapy Bits at http://therapybits.com/. It’s about my heritage, and what makes me … ME. 🙂

As you know, my dad was from Melbourne, Australia. My mother was from Port Arthur, Texas. I grew up in Southern California, and now I call Colorado home. But who am I really? My heritage has roots from all over Northern and Western Europe. I, like many Americans, am a hodge-podge of many different backgrounds, cultures and countries.

My dad was from Australia, but his people came from Scotland and Wales. I mean his last name was Jones, the MOST popular surname in Wales, at least back then.

My mother was primarily of English, Scottish, Irish and French heritage. The English, Irish and Scottish were from my grandfather, and the French and English were from my grandmother.

But I am even more complicated and diverse than that. I was actually adopted by my parents as a tiny baby. We never really knew anything about my birth parents, and I never had any desire to learn about them either. My parents were my parents. PERIOD. However, that being said, they wanted to adopt a baby that would blend in with them and their heritages, so they did ask for my DNA and background. It turns out, I am from all of their backgrounds and so much more as well. I am, Dutch, German, French, Scandinavian, English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh, but I AMERICAN through and through. I have the blood of poets, musicians, intellectuals, working people, sailors, warriors and Vikings running through my veins. No wonder I am such a jumbled mess. I am literally and figuratively all over the place. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Be proud of who you are, no matter what. Celebrate YOU everyday. ‘Til next time.

There is so much more to Nashville and Tennessee than the hustle and bustle and bright lights found on the downtown strip. There is a lot of history and natural beauty too.

Bruce, Julia, Larry and I all decided the bright lights and busy streets of the Broadway strip wasn’t really for us. We’ve been there done that. It was time to see and do something else. Julia suggested we go to The Hermitage. Visiting The Hermitage and learning the history of Andrew Jackson was much more our speed. All of us love history.

The Hermitage is the historic home of President Andrew Jackson, just out side of the Nashville city limits. Andrew Jackson was the 7th President of the United States, from 1829-1837. The Hermitage was a world apart from the busy streets of Downtown Nashville. Hermitage is a French word and roughly translates to mean “rural retreat”. It is 425 acres of rich, green, lush fields filled with a rich illustrious history as well.

Andrew Jackson made The Hermitage into a plantation with one goal in mind: To produce cotton as a money-making enterprise. Cotton plants occupied about 200 acres of the property. The rest of the plantation was filled with crops that included corn, oats, wheat, barley and other grains, as well as potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas and beans. There were also orchards with many different types of fruit trees, including diverse varieties of apples, pears, peaches, quince, cherries and other fruits. And there was also a wide variety of livestock found on the premises as well.

When we first arrived we were told there was going to be a duel starting soon, so seeing the duel was our first priority. We hurried past everything else to get to the location of the duel. Everything else could wait, and after the duel, we had no time limits, and could visit the rest of the grounds in a leisurely manner.

Before the duel took place, the actors gave a very good history lesson about the duels of the 19th century.

After the duel was over, we explored the mansion, the grounds and the museum. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the mansion, but we could, and did, take pictures everywhere else.

This was the “summer house” before the big house was constructed. It was situated above the running creek, which made it cooler.

These were typical slave shacks on the property.

These two shacks used to be one bigger, two-story house, where President Jackson and his wife lived for 17 years before building and moving into the big mansion. They removed the second story and converted it into more houses for the slaves.

These accommodations were reserved for the most revered and trusted slaves. Slavery was indeed a dark period in our history, but it was a dark period of history all over the world as well (and still is in some parts, even today). It is still part of history, and we cannot rewrite history just because we don’t like it or disagree with it. History is meant to teach us and to learn from. Fortunately, we have come a long way since these dark times.

Mrs. Jackson’s prized gardens. There were many types of flowers, but I am only highlighting a couple that really stood out to me.

Beautiful, fragrant magnolia trees decorated the grounds too.

There were many birds all around too. You know I love my birds. 🙂

Many wealthy people had their own family graveyards on site too. The Jacksons were no different. The mausoleum houses the gravesites of both Andrew and Rachel Jackson and the tombstones in the rest of the graveyard are for everyone else.

Horses definitely used to be a part of The Hermitage, but we didn’t see any this time. Maybe they are still there. Who knows? But I loved the sign. 🙂

After exploring the grounds we entered the Andrew Jackson museum before we left. Maybe I am more Jacksonian than I ever knew. I too must have been born for a storm, because the calm definitely doesn’t suit me either. I thrive on controlled chaos. 🙂

If you love history, I highly recommend going to The Hermitage when in Nashville. It is a history lesson surrounded by a lot of natural beauty. We all enjoyed our visit.

After visiting The Hermitage, we continued heading south, on to Muscle Shoals. Stay tuned. I have so much more to share. 🙂

Life is short. Make the most out of every minute while you can, and live life to the fullest. It’s much more fun to do that with good friends all along the way too. Have a great day and make everyday great. ‘Til next time.

One of Larry’s brothers used to go to Nashville a lot for work. He recommended we try Hattie B’s for dinner.

The place was rockin’ and was obviously the hot spot to go. It was hot in more ways than one too. Hattie B’s is known for it’s hot, spicy fried chicken. [Their] goal from day one has been to offer authentic Nashville hot chicken served with a little style and a lot of hospitality in a fun, high-energy environment. [They] know communities, families and friends thrive on love, hospitality and great food. That’s why [they’re] in this.

LONG BEFORE WE LIT HATTIE’S NAME UP IN NEON OVER A CHICKEN SHACK IN MIDTOWN NASHVILLE, WE WERE A FAMILY WITH DEEP ROOTS IN THE RESTAURANT BUSINESS.
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In 2006, after a decades-long career in food and hospitality, Nick Bishop Sr. tried to retire. It didn’t take. The next year he opened Bishop’s Meat & 3, an old-school, cafeteria-style restaurant in Franklin, Tenn. Folks started showing up. Around that same time, Nick Jr. wanted a break from the music business in Nashville and joined his Dad behind the counter.
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Soon after, father and son introduced hot chicken to the menu and began tinkering around with their own spice blend. More folks started showing up. By 2011, the Bishops were offering a variety of heat levels, and the idea for a hot chicken restaurant was born.
NOW ALL THEY NEEDED WAS A NAME…

A cool mascot is always a fun thing to add too. 🙂

The next summer on August 9, 2012, Hattie B’s Hot Chicken made its debut, just off Broadway.
‍More than a decade later, with a dozen restaurants and hundreds of employees across five states, [they] still feel like we’re at the beginning of [their] story.

Julia and I both ordered fried chicken salads. These salads were HUGE and filled with all kinds of southern goodness.

Bruce went for the fried chicken platter.

And Larry ordered chicken and waffles.

I think boys both finished theirs, but Julia and I barely made it half-way through our salads. It was definitely A LOT of food. But we enjoyed it and ate as much as we could; until our tummies couldn’t hold any more. Walking around after dinner was a a very good idea, plus we got to see other parts than just the strip. 🙂 Goin’ South – Part 4 – Nashville

There are Hattie B’s located in 5 different states other than Tennessee, including Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada and Texas, and they are found all throughout Nashville and it’s surrounding areas too. We went to the one located right on the Broadway strip. Hattie B’s is a VERY popular place to eat, and is always crowded. It’s a first come, first serve type of restaurant, so be prepared to stand in line and wait.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Life is short. Live life to the fullest and enjoy the ride, and good eats along the way. ‘Til next time.

Continuing our southern travels, we made it into Nashville to meet up with Bruce and Julia. We were all staying in the same hotel and Bruce and Julia arrived before we did. We met them in the hotel, got settled in, and then off we went to explore Nashville. Nashville is the country music capitol of the world. It’s nicknamed “Music City”.

Guitars of all shapes, sizes and kinds are found all over Nashville. I just love this picture. It really speaks volumes to me.

Exploring Nashville with Bruce and Julia.

We walked all around and took in as many of the sights as we could. There are plenty of things to see and do in Nashville too. It can be a bit overwhelming if you let it. Just take it all in stride and take in as much as you can. There is always next time to see and do the things you missed.

We saw our first WAGU car, or driverless car.

Lots of street art.

Larry even found a hockey statue to pose with.

Beautiful flowers

The Country Music Hall of Fame. We didn’t have time to go inside, so we just saw it from the outside. One day I would love to pay it a visit though.

And of course, there was the famous Broadway Strip, where all the action takes place and the music comes to life. Anybody is who is anyone has a place on the strip.

We went into the Jon Bon Jovi Restaurant & Grill to have a look around. Who doesn’t love Jon Bon Jovi?! 🙂

This guitar montage really spoke to me as well.

Elvis is still alive in Nashville.

I love the Man in Black, so going to the Johnny Cash Museum was a priority for me. The museum did a good job and had a very nice presentation. Julia and I were having fun swooning over a young “strappin'” Johnny Cash too.

Johnny through the ages.

Johnny Cash was a very prolific music man.

I love just about everything Johnny Cash did, but his “Ragged Old Flag” is one of my favorites.

“Ragged Old Flag”

I walked through a county courthouse square
On a park bench, an old man was sittin’ there.
I said, “Your old court house is kinda run down,
He said, “Naw, it’ll do for our little town”.
I said, “Your old flag pole is leaned a little bit,
And that’s a ragged old flag you got hangin’ on it”.
He said, “Have a seat”, and I sat down,
“Is this the first time you’ve been to our little town”
I said, “I think it is”
He said “I don’t like to brag, but we’re kinda proud of
That Ragged Old Flag

“You see, we got a little hole in that flag there,
When Washington took it across the Delaware.
and It got powder burned the night Francis Scott Key sat watching it,
writing “Say Can You See”
It got a rip in New Orleans, with Packingham & Jackson
tugging at its seams.
and It almost fell at the Alamo
beside the Texas flag,
But she waved on though.
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville,
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.
There was Robert E. Lee and Beauregard and Bragg,
And the south wind blew hard on
That Ragged Old Flag

“On Flanders Field in World War I,
She got a big hole from a Bertha Gun,
She turned blood red in World War II
She hung limp, and low, a time or two, She was in Korea, Vietnam, She went where she was sent
by her Uncle Sam.
She waved from our ships upon the briny foam
and now they’ve about quit wavin’ back here at home
in her own good land here She’s been abused,
She’s been burned, dishonored, denied an’ refused,
And the government for which she stands
Has been scandalized throughout out the land.
And she’s getting thread bare, and she’s wearin’ thin,
But she’s in good shape, for the shape she’s in.
Cause she’s been through the fire before
and I believe she can take a whole lot more.

“So we raise her up every morning
And we bring her down slow every night,
We don’t let her touch the ground,
And we fold her up right.
On second thought
I do like to brag
Cause I’m mighty proud of
That Ragged Old Flag”.

After visiting The Johnny Cash Museum, we had all worked up an appetite and decided to find a place for dinner, but I will go more into that later. After dinner, we strolled along the river banks of Nashville, taking in even more of the town they call Music City. We even popped into a couple of the “Honky Tonks” to listen to a few tunes.

After a long day and a lot of walking around, we decided it was time to head back to the hotel. We had another very full day ahead again the next day. We all gathered in our hotel room and visited over a lot of laughs for the rest of the evening. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Everyday will always be better when spent with good friends. Life is short. Live life to the fullest and enjoy the ride. ‘Til next time.

Before we left Nancy and Denny, Nancy cooked us a good hearty breakfast to fuel our travels. Then we said our good-byes and we were on the road once again. Nancy and Denny’s dog Luna and I bonded and I had to say good-bye to her too.

We had another travel day, going from St. Louis to Nashville, where we were meeting up with Bruce and Julia. It is 308 miles and a 4 hour 40 minute drive, if we drove straight through, but of course we stopped in each state, even if only for pictures proving we were there and to stretch our legs. We traveled from St. Louis, MO through Illinois and Kentucky straight to Nashville, TN.

Our final stop in Illinois was Metropolis, home of Superman, or in this case, Super Woman.

Little did we know when we stopped in Metropolis that we were right by the Kentucky Border, but we stopped again, and we were glad we did, because it was our only stop in Kentucky. But we have the pictures to prove we were there, even if just passing through. 🙂

Once again, we crossed a bridge over the Ohio River to enter Kentucky. The Ohio River is a tributary of the Mississippi River that flows along the shared border of Illinois and Kentucky. Its length along the border is 133 miles, and its major tributaries include the Wabash and Saline rivers. The Ohio River is famously known as the historical “Gateway to the West,” serving as the primary transportation route that fueled American westward expansion. Today, it remains a vital commercial waterway, a source of drinking water for over five million people, and an important cultural and ecological boundary. 

This was such a pretty visitor’s center. The gardens were spectacular.

Crossing into Tennessee from Kentucky, there was yet another river to cross. This time we crossed the Cumberland River, which is is the major river flowing between and through both Kentucky and Tennessee. Rather than serving as a strict dividing border, the 688-mile river snakes back and forth across the state line, originating in eastern Kentucky, dipping deep into northern Tennessee (through Nashville), and re-entering western Kentucky. While the Cumberland is the primary river connecting the two states, a few other notable water bodies and boundary lines are closely tied to the region, such as the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River, which is a major tributary that cuts through the rugged Cumberland Plateau directly across the Kentucky-Tennessee border, The Mississippi River. This major river serves as the official western border dividing western Kentucky (and Tennessee) from Missouri and The Mississippi River State Line Marker, which is the border between Kentucky and Tennessee has a famous historical quirk at the Madrid Bend (or Kentucky Bend). The Mississippi River cuts a loop, leaving a small exclave of Kentucky (Fulton County) completely surrounded by Tennessee on land.

We had both been to Illinois before, but we had never seen so much of it before now. Kentucky and Illinois were two new states for each of us. We have now seen almost all 50 states of the Unites States of America. We are down to just single digits of new states to see. This is a new goal; to see them all, especially since we are so close.

We kept going until we reached Nashville, but I took so many pictures in Nashville that this is a good place to stop for now. Nashville will be it’s own post or posts. 🙂

Live life to the fullest and enjoy the ride. See and do as much as you can while you can. Have a great day and make everyday great. ‘Til next time.

I forgot to mention Nancy went out of her way to get us some special treats and goodies, only found in St. Louis. We enjoyed them as our dessert after our feast from Guido’s. Goin’ South – Part 2 – St. Louis Bound; Eating Our Way Through The South – Part 1 – Guido’s. She had some St. Louis gooey cake, Ted Drewes frozen custard, and some Fitz Root beer for us to enjoy.

St. Louis Gooey Cake – St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake is a regional delicacy born in the 1930s. Legend says it was created by an accidental recipe mix-up, where a baker mistakenly reversed the ratio of butter and flour in a coffee cake batter. Today, it remains a beloved, ultra-sweet staple.

Ted Drewes frozen Custard – The story of Ted Drewes begins with Ted Drewes Sr., a tennis champion who dominated the Muny Tennis Championships from 1925 to 1936. He also won the National Public Parks Singles title four times during the 1920s. A native of St. Louis, Ted Sr. spent winters in Florida with his family to continue playing tennis. In the fall of 1929, he opened his first frozen custard stand in St. Petersburg, Florida. The St. Petersburg custard stand was such a success that Ted Sr. decided to bring the business back home to St. Louis. In the spring of 1930, he opened a brick-and-mortar store on Natural Bridge Road. The following year, he opened a second location on South Grand, which remains the oldest location still in operation today. Finally, in 1941, Ted Sr. opened the now-famous Chippewa location on Historic Route 66. For nearly a century, Ted Drewes Frozen Custard has been the perfect way to cap off a day in St. Louis. Now in its fourth generation, the Drewes family continues to uphold their commitment to quality and customer service, ensuring that every visit feels special. 

Fitz Root Beer – Fitz’s Root Beer was first concocted in St. Louis in 1947 and sold at a popular local drive-in in Richmond Heights. Fitz’s Bottling Company is a regional soda brand in the St. Louis area. The flagship brand is its root beer popularized by its microbrewery and restaurant.

Nancy gave us the gooey cake to take and enjoy on our travels. And that we did too. Thank you Nancy. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Live life to the fullest and enjoy the ride. Enjoying fun snacks along the way always make the trips of life better too. ‘Til next time.

Nancy took us to one her favorite Italian restaurants called Guido’s. Goin’ South – Part 2 – St. Louis Bound. It is located in the Italian district known as The Hill.

Guido’s is much more than just an Italian restaurant. It is a family owned and operated restaurant that has been around since 1988. It is owned and operated by the Carretero Family. It offers great Italian food, as well as tapas and other Mediterranean favorites as well; all family favorites made with the most important ingredient – LOVE. Guido’s delivers a “Taste of Spain in the Middle of Italy”. Segundo and Genevieve (Mama) can often be found greeting patrons to the restaurant throughout the week. Cooking in the kitchen and managing the front-house is Miguel. 

Guido’s is a big restaurant with a beautiful outside patio as well.

Our server was AJ. His older brother Eric, who greeted us when we came in, told us to give AJ a hard time, but he was so sweet and so nice, we just couldn’t do it. I mean how can you give someone a hard time when he has such a big smile, right?!

We ordered some fried ravioli as a starter for all of us. I had never tried fried ravioli before. It was DELICIOUS!

Then we ordered our meals, which were all excellent too. Nancy ordered baccalau.

Denny had spaghetti and meatballs.

Larry ordered the seafood ravioli, which also came with a salad that we split. Good thing we split it too. The salad was HUGE! It was topped with their own special kind of cheese, made in house. I gave ALL the cheese to Larry. 🙂

Of course I had to be the one that was different, and ordered from the Tapas menu. I ordered the garlic shrimp or Camerones al ajo and Patatas Bravas, that I shared with everyone as well.

We all left with very full, very happy tummies. Whenever you are in the area, visiting The Hill in St. Louis, definitely bring your appetite and go to Guido’s, where you will be in for a delicious treat. Guido’s is located at 5046 Shaw Blvd, St. Louis, MO. You can contact them at info@guidosstl.com, or just give them a call at (314) 771-4900. Reservations are not needed, but recommended, especially for holidays or weekends. !Buon Appetito!

Have a great day and make everyday great, and make it even better by spending them with friends. Life is short. Live life to the fullest. ‘Til next time.

After leaving Hays, we headed to St. Louis, Missouri. That was our next stopping point. We were popping in to visit our friend Nancy and her new husband Denny. The distance between Hays and St. Louis is 516 miles, and it was a 7 1/2 hour drive. We stopped a little in between to take in some of the sites, but for the most part, we were in the car driving until we got to Nancy and Denny’s house.

One of our stops was in Abilene, KS. We stopped at the Eisenhower house and Presidential Library. President Eisenhower was America’s 34th President and was from Abilene. We didn’t have time to go into the library itself, but the grounds were beautiful.

We did have time enough to watch a short film on President Eisenhower and took a few pictures inside too. We both practiced giving our Presidential speeches at the podium.

We explored the gardens and some of the nearby sights as well.

Abilene is a very clean, cute place, right in the heart of the country. It is typical small town America. It was a refreshing place to visit. But, we couldn’t stay long. We had to get back on the road again.

This is pretty much what we saw for the rest of our journey until we passed through Kansas City, both in Kansas and in Missouri.

We drove straight through Kansas City.

The Missouri River separates Kansas and Missouri and the bridge was the state line. Kansas City is split between two states, being partially in Kansas and partially in Missouri.  It sits on the border of Missouri and Kansas. Kansas City is primarily located in Missouri (specifically Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass counties). It is the largest city in Missouri. However, the metropolitan area spans the Missouri-Kansas border, with a separate Kansas City, Kansas, located immediately to the west, separate, adjacent cities named Kansas City—one in Kansas and one in Missouri. They sit right next to each other along the state line (divided by State Line Road) and make up a single, unified metropolitan area.

And we just kept driving on until we reached St. Louis. Nancy said she and Denny couldn’t go to the Gateway Arch, and that was something we wanted to see, so we went to take pictures before we went to their house.

Nancy said their house wasn’t too far from the Arch, so after seeing it, we went straight there. We told Nancy and Denny we would take them out to dinner, they just had to choose the restaurant. So after a short visit, we had worked up an appetite and we all went to dinner and had a great time catching up over dinner. After dinner, Nancy gave us a tour of the area and the local hot spots. My favorite was the Budweiser farm for their beautiful Clydesdale horses. Aren’t they gorgeous?

After a delicious dinner and a short tour of the area, we all went back to spend the rest of the evening with Nancy and Denny. We spent the night with them before heading out again in the morning.

I will stop here for now, and post another post on the restaurant. This is a good place for an intermission. 🙂

Stay tuned. There is plenty more to come. 🙂

We’re back home now. We returned home yesterday afternoon. Now, as it is whenever we return home from our travels, I have the daunting tasks of editing all the pictures, going through all my bazillion emails, doing the laundry, going shopping and putting the house back in order once again. We drove just shy of 3000 miles, going from Colorado to Kansas to Missouri, where we stopped our first night on the road to visit with our friend nNncy and her new husband Denny, then through Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, where we stopped for a couple of nights, then to Alabama, again for a couple of nights visiting with Bruce and Julia, and back through Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, back to Kansas again before arriving at home sweet home.

The main reason for the trip was to celebrate Larry’s mom Ollie’s 97th birthday. But we turned it into a road trip and visited with friends along the way, including Julia and Bruce.

Ollie loves her BINGO, so as soon as we pulled into Hays, KS, we went to the Bingo hall to join most of Larry’s family. There were 14 of us Billingers at the Bingo Hall. Ollie is a regular and goes to BINGO all the time, so the hall set up a special table for all of us and gave her the birthday sash and tiara. Everyone sang Happy Birthday to Ollie too.

The Birthday Girl/BINGO Queen

BINGO Billingers

Our niece Paige and her husband Jake

Larry’s brother Ron

Ron’s wife Sue

Larry’s sister Linda

Larry and I

Larry’s brother Randy and his husband Roger with Sue on the side.

Our sister-in-law Sheri

Quite a few of us won and we all put our earnings in the pot to share with everyone. That’s Ollie’s rule. Everyone shares the pot equally. Our total earnings were about $300, meaning we each got about $21. I was one of the lucky winners too.

After BINGO, we all called it a day, especially since we had Ollie’s big party the next day.

We all brought and/or made things to share. Larry is the youngest of 9. His oldest brother passed away a few years ago, but the rest of his siblings and their partners were all in attendance at Ollie’s party, with some of the grandkids and great kids too.

Ollie in the center and all of Larry’s siblings. Larry is in the darker blue in the back row.

This is everyone who was there.

Ollie loved all her celebrations and having as many of the family together as were able to come. Happy 97th Birthday Ollie. We love you lots.

Larry and I left early the next morning to start our southern journey. Trust me, there is plenty more to come your way. So sit back and enjoy the adventures. 🙂

Life is short. Make the most out of everyday and enjoy the ride. Live life to the fullest. Have a great day and make everyday great. ‘Til next time.

You have seen many posts featuring my beautiful Snowy Egrets, but did you know we actually have two kinds of Egrets that call our lakes home? We do. We have both the Snowy Egrets and the Great Egrets. I’ve known this for a long time, but I had never really seen any Great Egrets until recently.

Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets are both beautiful, all-white wading birds, but they are easy to tell apart by looking at their size, bill color, and feet color. The Great Egret is much larger (up to 3 feet tall) with a yellow bill and black feet. The Snowy Egret is smaller (about 2 feet tall) with a black bill and bright yellow feet. Both types, when gathered in a group, are called a congregation.

(not my photo)

This my photo of the two Egrets.

Great Egret

Snowy Egret

I love meeting new friends. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. ‘Til next time.