Category Archives: Travel

Hospitality…Naturally!

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A spring time hike is like none other. The trees and bushes are starting to bud – enough to show new greens, pinks and yellows, yet you can still see through the trees to the meadow, the old road beds, and the river. Last Saturday we hiked along the Potomac Heritage Trail in Northern Virginia along the paths where George Washington traveled.

Nature welcomed us with open arms and spread a feast before us. The ground, softened from winter, was fresh with wildflower shoots and Virginia Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta). There was a buffet of bluebells all along our path—luscious, as-far-as-the-eye-can-see bluebells.

I was captivated. Nature set its table for us. Now, that’s hospitality.

“Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks”… and grouper?

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Take me out to the ball game, take me out to the park! Last week was the last week of the Grapefruit League’s spring training. Between February 22 and March 30, more than 1.6 million fans attended Major League Baseball’s annual off-seasons spring training in Florida at various locations throughout the Sunshine State.

We parked our seats in the seats at Space Coast Stadium in sunny Viera, Florida, where our Washington Nationals train. The training facility is intimate – so much so that you can hang out and chat with General Manager Mike Rizzo (yes, Bill did!) and ask players for autographs as they come out of the training facility (yes, Patrick did!).

While my husband and son were having their own fun I was studying the ballpark concession menus. There were the usual hot dogs, brats, hamburgers, pizza, etc. But, only in Florida would a grilled blackened grouper sandwich be on the menu. How could I resist? For only $9 I got a fresh piece of grilled grouper on a bun with hot fries.

Take me out to the ballgame…anytime and anywhere! Go Nats!

Bob’s Bunz

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bobs bunsIt’s a balmy 70 degrees this Saturday morning in Islamorada in the Florida Keys and what better way to start the day than with Bob’s Bunz? If you’re nearby, stop in for some real local flavor, not to mention hospitality from Chef Robert Spencer and Gloria Teague

You’ll be glad you did!BobsBuns

Bill’s Big Adventure (aka Hospitality on the Rails)

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Why would anyone ever travel by train? Because the destination is not the only goal, it’s how you get there and the adventure of riding the rails. Today’s guest blogger is my husband Bill. He’s a JAG in the U.S. Army Reserves and has been deployed for the past 10 months. Right now, he is in Fort Riley, Kansas, and almost done with his call of duty. Author Henry Kisor says those who love the railroads aren’t called railroad buffs, they are called railman. So my husband the railman set about on a weekend train trip on the Super Chief with great anticipation.

Without further delay, I give you Bill’s Big Adventure.

tunnel aheadAs Barbara attests, hospitality means making folks feel good — no matter where they (or you) are. So when her friend in New Mexico wrote wanting company, she sent me out to cheer her up. Since I have been homesick in Kansas, it didn’t take much coaxing to head west and visit friends. But I was not looking forward to the 14-hour drive — I would be beat and not very good company. I’m a bit of a history buff and have travelled extensively in my younger days so I was looking forward to visiting, but not the solo drive.

I’m entrapped with railroads and their contribution to America’s historical development. With a little research I Iearned that I could pick up the Southwest Chief out of Topeka (a mere 45-minute drive from Fort Riley) and take it into Albuquerque. When I checked the prices I was even more convinced. Railroading is the way to go!

The Route

The Southwest Chief, formerly called the Super Chief before Amtrak, runs along the original Santa Fe rail line. The Chief goes from Chicago to L.A. and I’m happy with my portion of the trip. Being one of the early western rails, the Chief follows much of the Santa Fe Trail.

Watching out the windows I’m fascinated with the ruts and the route it takes. Since the railroad was the second major westward conveyance, it was natural to take the route close to the old trail and before the highways came along and paved over the ruins. Today, this is still a beautiful country. A journey through the plains and mountains quickly remind you why we are so lucky to be Americans. 

Accommodations

Breakfast on the TrainBecause I was embarking around midnight I elected to upgrade to a sleeper. Amtrak does not disappoint. Accommodations include meals (my breakfast pictured here), climate-controlled quarters and a great staff of knowledgeable and hospitable professionals. They had my room all set up for me and made sure I got to where I was supposed to be at the right time.

The extensive network of rail lines, including these historic runs, are a great way to see the country in comfort, luxury, and at a great price. As long as you can afford the time, I strongly recommend considering rail travel for your next Great Adventure.

Destination Florida

I’m not stopping with this trip. I’m booking the Amtrak Auto Train from Washington, D.C., to Florida, with my family. Once we get there we’re going to follow MLB’s Washington Nationals around at spring training. Stay tuned….

Barbara Recommends

If you want a good read about a train ride, I recommend Zephyr:Tracking a Dream Across America by Henry Kisor.From Kisor’s website:

“Whether dashing through the Plains, creeping over the Rockies, hurtling across the Great Basin, or threading the Sierra Nevada, the California Zephyr is an earthbound cruise ship bearing as many as300 passengers, each with a story to tell. One hears tales of trysts in showers and sleepers, of charming serendipities in dining cars, of smuggling drugs and pets (including an elusive boa constrictor), and of a small child’s tragic death on the tracks. The California Zephyr remains America’s most exhilarating train, traversing breathtaking mountain scenery and retracing the route of countless westering pioneers.”

They Still Like Ike (and Mamie too)

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Mamie Eisenhower’s Sugar Cookies

President Dwight D. Eisenhower is Abilene, Kansas’ favorite son. Abilene is the boyhood home of “Ike,” who served two terms as president of the United States (1953-1961). I didn’t know much about Eisenhower until we visited Abilene this summer and realized the entire town is deeply in love with the famous WWII Army general who served as supreme allied commander and later became president. A visit to the museum and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum opened a treasure of vintage history for me. For the man who saw Alaska and Hawaii become states, signed the 1957 Civil Rights Act, signed the bill creating NASA, and authorized the Interstate Highway system, he still was a gentle man who loved children enough that he named a presidential retreat after his grandson, David. (Known as Camp David in Maryland.)

Then, I Met Mamie

Mamie Eisenhower was born Mamie Geneva Doud in Boone, Iowa. On July 1, 1916, Ike and Mamie were married at noon in the Doud family home in Denver — the same day Ike received his first Army promotion. Several of her wardrobe ensembles were on display in the museum and she had incredible taste in clothing and an eye for fashion. Her hourglass figure gave way to the “Mamie look,” which was typified by her one-piece dresses cinched tightly across the waist, just below the bust line. I would love to have worn everything I saw! Lovely colors, feminine lines, and so pretty and lively. I gather Mamie also had a bubbly personality and a heart for hospitality. Quoted from the presidential library’s website, “Although she lived and traveled all over the world, Mrs. Eisenhower always remained a person who was most happy at home surrounded by her family.”

The president died in 1969 and Mamie died in 1971. They were buried in the Place of Meditation at the Eisenhower Center in Abilene, Kansas beside their first son who died of scarlet fever at age four. If you ever get to Abilene, please don’t miss the chance to visit the museum and library. There are only 13 presidential libraries in the United States. Learn more about them here.

For anyone who lived through the Eisenhower years, I would love to know what you thought about First Lady Mamie Eisenhower. Please share your comments on this blog. I feel a kindred spirit or, as my friend Judy Martin would say, “sisters-under-the-skin.”

Theme of this summer’s parade, “We Still Like Ike”

Mamie Eisenhower’s Sugar Cookie Recipe

  • 1-1/2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 Tablespoon cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix and sift flour, baking, powder and salt. Cream butter, add sugar and cream slowly until fluffy. Stir in well-beaten egg yolks and vanilla extract. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with cream. Chill for one hour, roll and cut in any desired shape. Sprinkle with sugar before baking. Bake in moderate oven 350 degrees, 10 to 12 minutes

Recipe Courtesy of Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau and West’s Country Mart.

In Search of Sunflowers

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My Kansas sunflower.

Kansas is nicknamed the Sunflower State. All I had to say on our visit this summer was that I wanted to find a sunflower field and the local folks made sure we found one. We traveled from Abilene to a town called Minneapolis, KS and somewhere off of Highway 81, we found our field. Think of the goodness we enjoy from sunflowers beyond their stunning beauty — the seeds and sunflower oil.

Thank you for your hospitality, Kansas!

Man versus Joe Snuffy’s

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We had a rule about eating in Kansas. We would only eat in local or regional restaurants, no national restaurant chains. We never had a bad meal in Kansas. The cuts of meat and fresh vegetables in local dives rivaled fine restaurants in the east, but at lower prices. Not only did we find great food, we also found the most hospitable owners and staff.

One place that never seemed to close except for Tuesdays is Joe Snuffy’s in Abilene. You can read the writing on the wall (literally). The food is fresh, served piping hot, and the peanut butter pie is to die for.

My husband Bill suggested that our son and I eat lunch there one day. (He was at work and had been there many times before.) Owners Marty and his wife, Anja, gave us a big welcome. We studied the menu as we noticed orders coming out of the kitchen looking delicious.

Live Lunchtime Entertainment

To our great surprise there was a contestant in Joe Snuffy’s Triple Hammer Challenge.  Patrick had seen Adam Richman on “Man versus Food” on the Travel Channel‘s reality show many times. Now, here, live, was a real food challenge! Our lunch was getting exciting.

Marty told me the food challenge thing began because of his T-shirt. The image of the  burger was so big that his buddy said it was false advertising. So, Marty created a huge burger just like the one on the shirt. Then came the dares for people to eat it. His customers kept bugging Marty to start a food challenge. He caved and now there is “Joe Snuffy’s Triple Hammer Challenge.”

The Tripple Hammer Challenge

Rules

  1. $15.99 Triple Hammer and Fries…No subs no omissions!
  2. No sharing…This is a food challenge and not a cheap way to feed four people. (No doggy boxes.)
  3. 30 minutes to consume all food on platter. Joe Snuffy’s manager will keep the time.
  4. Drinks are not included in the price or any other sides….
  5. Contestants relieve Joe Snuffy’s of any liability resulting in challenge to include death.
  6. Contestants must sign bottom of rules form as waiver of liability.
  7. Eat it all in 30 minutes, it’s free and we give you a T-shirt.
Ken waits for the starting bell.

Ken from Arkansas

Ken came with two friends to take the challenge. The Triple Hammer and Fries came —a little more than a pound of meat, bacon, ham, hash browns, eggs equaling their triple omelet, and more, all on a huge bun, plus at least a pound of fries.

The timer began and the clock ticked. Ken ate, paused, sipped water, ate, paused, took a deep breath, and on and on. We had to leave, but told Marty we would be back to find out what happened. We came back the next night with Bill. Marty told us Ken from Arkansas didn’t finish— almost, though. There have only been seven people make it and their photos are on the wall. I wonder if Adam Richman could handle it?

Who needs a reality show when we found real-life, small-town excitement?

Owner Marty and the T-shirt.

Joe Snuffy’s is located at 209 West 1st Street, Abilene, KS 67410.Joe Snuffy's on Urbanspoon

Field of Dreams

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My summer in Kansas.

This summer took us to Kansas where they’re very kind to strangers from the east. Despite the drought, the record-high temps, and suffering corn fields, their Kansas hospitality was paramount to any discomforts. They say hospitality is a quality attributed to residents of the southern region of the United States that is somewhat based on the principle of sharing resources, even when resources are limited. Kansas showed plenty of “southern hospitality” — Midwestern style. Years ago immigrants turned prairie into farmland. Today, Kansas is one of the most productive agricultural states, producing high yields of wheat, sorghum and sunflowers. (More on my sunflower field search later.)

We arrived in Abilene, the boyhood home of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and checked into the Abilene Bed and Breakfast Inn, the historic home of C.L. Brown, a telephony entrepreneur who left a lasting legacy on Abilene. Brown must have been a character because in addition to the mansion, he built three Spanish-style homes around his property for his mistresses (yes, plural). The homes today are privately owned.

What’s that aroma?

Doc’s cookies

For those of you who read this blog regularly, you know my mantra about feeding the travelers. We walked into the mansion and our host, “Doc,” anticipating our arrival, perfectly timed the cookies to be baked, waiting, and warm. What a welcome! I asked Doc if he would share the recipe for this blog. He replied with a laugh, “Ma’am, there is not any recipe, I just throw everything in.” The cookies were a scrumptious conglomeration of what I guess to be dough, nuts, butterscotch, cinnamon, oatmeal, coconut? Whatever, they screamed “Welcome.”

It’s so nice to go to an unfamiliar place and find that familiar hospitality.

Workin’ Nine to Five

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Ronnie, Teri and Hollace (Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, and Jane Fonda)

Click here to cue music: “Workin’ Nine to Five” by Dolly Parton

All work and no play makes dull gals. You know my mantra — hospitality is portable. You don’t need fancy to make fun. Here the girls are closing the books and organizing the files after a 10-hour day of staffing the registration booth at the Hearing Loss Association of America Convention 2012. We were out of town and living out of suitcases.

Entré moi with some scrounged items: packs of Crystal Light, water bottles, soda, ice, plastic cups, small snack bags of pretzels, and vodka for those who wanted a splash. VOILA! We have hospitality.

Have some fun…show up with some hospitality where no one expects it. They’ll be glad you did.

Add some munchies, nothing fancy needed for the workin’ girls.

Feeding the Traveler, Or, What Do Eloping and Chili Have in Common?

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Once again, I couldn’t decide on the better title so I put them both.

Mom always said you should have something ready to eat for when the travelers arrive. It didn’t matter what time of day or night they arrive or how long it took them to get there, they would be hungry, she said.

Eloping

In 1998, I took my new husband home to Florida to meet mom and dad. (Key words “new” and “meet.”) I met Bill, and six months to the day from when we met, we were married. We started planning a wedding but mom was ill with cancer and the thought of putting her through travel and a wedding was too much for me to think of. So, Bill and I eloped at 5 p.m. the night before Thanksgiving. It was an elopement complete with a wedding Mass, two priests on the altar, and some surprise guests who showed up at the historic Old Post Chapel at Fort Meade, Maryland. (Word apparently leaked out about something special happening at Mass.) A few weeks later, I took my new husband home to meet the parents. It was a done deal, mom and dad, so you better like him!

We traveled from Maryland to Florida. Mom was not doing well but you can guess the rest. We arrived and she had a meal ready for us. Bill remembers the menu to this day: her homemade chili, corn bread, tortilla chips and all the toppings. Dessert was a store-bought cake but that’s okay mom, you were not the healthy mom who baked all those wonderful goodies for so many years.

They loved Bill and Bill loved them. She lived long enough to hold our newborn baby boy, Patrick, now 12, born in October 1999. Some say she died happy because of that.

Mom was my teacher in the how and why you fed others. Food for the traveler just makes so much sense. It’s more than just the nourishment. It’s sitting together over food to get acquainted or re-acquainted. It breaks the ice. It says, “You are welcome here.”

Good Foods for the Traveler

Sometimes you don’t know when people will arrive, so food that keeps in the oven or on the stove, or even a well-prepared cold-cut plate, are good options. Chili or homemade soup paired with a salad and bread works well. Grilled cheese is great for late-night arrivals. (Assemble the sandwiches ahead of time and put them on the griddle when people arrive.) Other options are crockpot recipes. These will keep warm as long as you need them to without the meat getting tough. Plus, all you do when people arrive is serve the food, no need to fuss with the prep so you can focus on the ones who traveled to see you.

Pot Roast – A Great Choice

Chipotle Pot Roast in Slow Cooker

A pot roast is typically a chuck roast which is cooked slow and long to make it tender. Its nature makes it a good food to have holding for the arrivals. It’s not a cut of meat you would put on the grill and enjoy like a steak. For more on Beef 101, here is an informative blog by the Frugal Dad.

And, below is a succulent crockpot/pot roast recipe from my sister, Susie. She says it’s a “McKinney family favorite.” I cooked it and I can see why. Maybe it will become a favorite of yours too.

What do you like to make to welcome your travelers?

Chipotle-Seasoned-Slow-Cooked Pot Roast

  • 2 packets (1.25 oz each) Ortega Chipotle Taco Seasoning Mix (use one packet at a time)
  • 1 boneless chuck roast (about 3lbs)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 jars (16 oz, each) Ortega Garden Vegetable Salsa
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 pound small red potatoes
  • 4 carrots, peeled and cut into two-inch lengths
  • 1 large onion, quartered

Rub one packet seasoning mix over both sides of roast.

Heat olive oil in Dutch oven or large skillet over medium heat. Add roast and sear both sides until browned. Transfer roast to slow cooker (crockpot).

Combine salsa, water and remaining seasoning mix; pour into slow cooker to cover roast.

Cover and cook on high for three to four hours. Turn roast over. Add potatoes, carrots, and onion. Cover and cook on high for one hour longer.

Remove roast and vegetables to serving platter. Let cooking liquid stand five minutes to allow fat to rise. Skim off fat and discard.

Make the sauce: Pour two cups cooking liquid into saucepan; cook and stir over medium heat 10 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Serve with roast.