Momof3gurlz

We keep saying one of these trips down to FL we’ll take the inland I-81 route just for something different than I-95. Would love to do this as well. Thanks for the Sous Vide suggestion, unfortunately I don’t have time to get one and get a handle on the technique before tomorrow night. I think I’m going to go with Bobby Flay method which is sear in cast iron, remove and cut from the bone and slice (as pictured in my original post), then reassemble it in the pan and finish under the broiler. 🤞

We have friends coming for dinner Friday night. This is the same couple we visited NYC with back in December where we went to Gallagher’s Steakhouse for dinner. I’m going to try to recreate that meal (pictured below) using my cast iron skillets and oven/broiler. I have two 24 oz Porterhouse steaks. Anyone ever done this or have any input?

There are plenty of trucks on I-95 too but the mountainous terrain in I-81 makes it a little more ummm..interesting?!

You’ve got to wonder who decides which direction is open 😉🤨 !

It’s been quite a few years since we’ve been down that way. My oldest graduated from Roanoke in 2005, but our youngest attended Virginia Tech for one semester (she quickly realized being so far from home wasn’t for her). So we’ve spent some time in your neck of the woods which is, as others have said, beautiful country. We picked her up in Blacksburg December 2010. I don’t recall any issues with I-81 other than how many trucks there were. The day we brought her home there was an accident on 81 North that shut down the two northbound lanes near Salem. We just got off, had lunch at one of the old Roanoke haunts (Mac n Bobs) until it cleared . That’s really the big issue with interstates having only two lanes in each direction; even a minor accident has huge impacts.

Between yearly FL road trips since 1991, two of our girls going to college out of state (West Virginia and Roanoke VA) and now our oldest living near Philly, we’ve driven I95 North & South more times than I can ever count. IMO, South Carolina has the worst road conditions. The two lanes are bad enough but the road surface in many areas is awful. There are some nice stretches of 95 in northern Maryland and as someone else mentioned, the ‘new’ NJ Turnpike although even that is once again under construction. There’s been ongoing and never ending road work on I95 in CT as long as I can remember. As far as the DC Metro area & VA, I have three words - EZPass Express Lanes. We will never not pay whatever the fee is to use these (when they’re available).

Way to go Jack 👏👏👏!

I’ve fallen behind again which we all know is so easy to do. Been busy with a big closet clean out and I’m finally getting rid of all those clothes and shoes I hold onto ‘in case I need it’ someday. So far I have three of those big contractor bags full for the donation center and still need to go through the coat closet. Congratulations to them Maryann. Such a big decision and an exciting time for them. Does this mean there might be a trip to RI in your future 🙂? Your journey has been amazing. I can’t say “what a great ending” because it’s actually a new beginning.

@dani negreanu Dani I’m really at a loss for words for all you’re dealing with. Others have said it all, so I’ll just let you know that you and your family are often in my thoughts and always in my prayers.

Happy belated birthday to Eric. He sure knows how to celebrate!

We had this happen with pool wiring at our previous house. The pool guy told us to put steel wool inside the housing near the wires, which worked.

Oh, boy another one for me to get lost in. Y’all are making my head spin!

Great Jen, looking forward to it! I think I gave you my email? If not, let me know and I’ll post it here so you can send me details. Oh, by the way, we are loving Someone Feed Phil!

Thanks! I just downloaded the app and started playing around with it. I really like that you can add images. I’m famous for taking screenshots, then endlessly scrolling thru them to find what I’m looking for. I think this will let me add screenshots to my notes. Should be really useful for travel notes. I never cease to be amazed at things I’ve learned on this thread!

I’m so happy you got good news Bonnie!

Interesting. Did the app come with your phone or did you get it from the App Store? (I have an iPhone 12 ProMax). We have a Med cruise this September with additional days in Venice, Rome & Barcelona. I’ll have pages of notes for this (restaurant suggestions, etc) that I could easily misplace and they’d also be awkward to carry around and pull out for reference. An app like this could come in very handy.

Glad it’s nothing serious Greg and seems easily treatable. Thank goodness he didn’t tell you to avoid bourbon!

Spring is officially here. We visited the kitchen cabinet store yesterday and finally committed to a partial kitchen renovation. The weird angled island will be replaced with a large rectangular island that’ll be much more functional. I’m happy it’s getting done but it made us decide to not go ahead with the 11nt Panama Canal & ABC island cruise on Beyond next March ☹️. With what we’ve already done this year and what we have booked, it’s not in the budget. We might look at a shorter (and more budget friendly) ABC cruise in Feb or March, but we’re also thinking about a land trip to Hawaii next year so 🤷🏻‍♀️.

Congratulations to Erin on her upcoming graduation and kudos to her for her choice!

Same here Arzeena. Andy had a great idea which I try to do now: as soon as the list is complete I take a picture of it with my phone. So if I forget the list, it’s there on my phone-as long as I remember to take the picture LOL. Some (like my daughters) would say, why not just write the list in Notes on your phone. I like an old school paper grocery list.

Sorry you have to leave FL early but I love how you’ve found the silver lining! Wishing you and Jim a safe trip home.

You cannot be old enough to have 46 year old daughters!

Love the clay pots and I’m stealing this idea (along with the old t shirt idea) to use this coming weekend when our granddaughters sleep over. You and Susan are #grandparentgoals.

Safe travels and hope you have a great cruise.

I’ve been feeling a little under the weather today. No cold-like symptoms, just kind of achey. Took a test and was negative, so hopefully just picked up some kind of bug during our extended travels.