2 Right Bites.......

An anxious, in-a-hurry to get there customer accidently runs

into the Country Kitchen. That person knows how good the food is!

Saia's Shrimp Po-Boy & Fries

Right here in Mandeville on the Lake………I am going to let the “cat out of the bag” on this…..here are two “great” bites:

Bite #1 - Start your day with Breakfast at Country Kitchen…just plain ole good comfort food…..don’t try to get all funky (this is not an Eggs Benedict place!)…….stay with the old time favorites……Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Hash Browns (OMG good), and of course a homemade Biscuit. Yum, Yum. Very Reasonably Priced, Very!

Bite #2 – Has become one of Cynthia and moi’s favorites. On the weekend we may have an early/light breakfast followed by this for lunch. This is picture above…..…a Shrimp Po-Boy from Saia’s......all of $4.99……yes, $4.99…….it has some tasty, nicely battered and fried shrimp amongst the mayo, lettuce, and tomato (aka Dressed) on French bread. They cut the bread top to bottom but not all the way through so that your po-boy seems like it is in a pocket.

Freaking Excellent. ‘nuff said!

Viva Country Kitchen
Viva Saia’s
Bon Appetite
Peace Upon You

Tranquility Base

Base Commander's Office

Ducky guards the Base, repels leaf attack

Serenity Central

Tranquility Base…..no, not on the Moon, Morons….……..just a place to relax and let the day’s happenings flow out of your body into thin air. Consider Ducky (the yellow character pictured) he is the harbinger of temperature (but, yet, so much more) and basically the Base Commander! He determines if anyone gets to be in Tranquility Base. He has kept the Base doors open this year until October 16, 2008. A cool front today will force him to shut down the Base until next year.

A weekly Base meeting called by Ducky usually includes me, The Professor, and the Naysayer (aka Cindy Jean). You see the Naysayer has a way of trying to exert pressure on Ducky and potential Base inhabitants based on some illogic thinking (she listens too much to the stupid weatherpersons on TV) coupled with her inherent Larmeuitis (aka hard headedness) where she tries to ward off potential swimmers from entry into the pool……..but, alas……she has been defied many times by Ducky, The Professor, and myself. While she has a thermal non-swimming point (below 83 degrees) that keeps her from any attempt at entrance into the pool (aka Tranquility Base), she is quick to dissuade anyone else to enter without her.

Ducky, however, is reliable……….he welcomes all………he encourages by his very nature for all to attend and join him in the “sea of tranquility”………..but, even Ducky knows that there will come a time when he too will ward off his friends for he too knows that anything below 78 degrees is the non-entrance point….those that see the red line below that mark should heed Ducky’s warning.

Now that you have a working knowledge of Tranquility Base…..consider why it has this moniker…..there is much discussion about the World that takes place at Tranquility Base…..much logic is used to correct or improve upon the World around us in our thoughts and our words…….too often though we find that the World is not ready for the directives that come from Tranquility Base.

TB (Tranquility Base) Philosophy transcends the very being and fiber of all of us. We only wish that more of you would espouse to these leanings and teachings. For your life would be a happier, safer, and more enjoyable one. For it is the camaraderie of the Base Crew, the libations, and the serene surroundings that enables the weight of the World, the stress of the day, and all your worries vacates freely from your thoughts, mind, and body.

I eagerly wait the reopening! April? May? 2009.
Viva The Professor

Viva The Naysayer
Peace Upon You.

Trippin'

St. Francisville/New Roads Ferry

Melville Ferry

When you are young you will do just about everything......right?


It's Friday evening and you drive through Hammond on the way to Melville, Louisiana.


Yep, Melville.......Don't ask! Ok, if you must, I talked my frat brother Anthony "Tony" Marino aka the "Hamden Flash" (born and raised in Hamden, Conn.) into making a little (yeah, right) scouting trip with me to Melville. Yes, I acted like I knew where it was and everything like that to make it sound like a good trip. Yep, Tony didn't really know that I didn't really know....that's cause he was from Connecticut. He was in for the ride (of his life).....ha ha ha!

We left Hammond in the "Marino Mobile" and headed to Melville. We were going to scout them for my good friend S. Donald Currier whose St. Francisville Saints were going to play them. So, how hard is it? Can't you just open the map and drive to Melville. So what if you are going to take a right at Krotz Springs and head north????

Sidestory: Interesting ballgame, I believe Melville lost the game 7-6 when they lined up for a field goal with seconds to go in the game and they were up 6-0, had the kick blocked and returned for a touchdown. Oh my.


Game concludes and we must now go to St. Francisville on our way to Hammond and drop off the scouting information. So, Tony and I, chugging along in the "Marino Mobile", with a six pack on ice and Elton John's "Don't Shoot Me I'm the Piano Player' 8 track tape cranking, set off to return....but....you know what.......as I look at the map......I think......it says that we can go straight across to St. Francisville if we only drive over to Melville and catch the ferry and then down the road to New Roads to catch that ferry......and it would be a lot closer and save us a bunch of time.....right? That would be if we caught both ferries at the right time (oops, didn't really think about that, did I?)


At Ferry #1 at Melville.....to get there you gotta travel down a gravel road........no lights........freaking pitch black.......Deliverance type of night..............looked like only one car would fit on that little ferry......made it on and slipped across the river in the dead of night and through the fog (I think we drank the six pack) singing Daniel My Brother, Teacher I need you, Elderberry Wine, and Crocodile Rock. God, please get us to the other side was our prayer. It worked, Thank God.


On to New Roads to Ferry #2.......much bigger......more cars.......had to travel through a bunch of gravel roads (each one look like it was taking us nowhere) ..........still pitch black and foggy.......and Tony is swearing people will come out of the woods and beat the living crap out of us and steal his car.......we are basically scared to death.........hang on.......we made it across the river...................only to land in St. Francisville . Whew, mission accomplished.

Now, in retrospect, it appears that we could have actually driven back around, avoided the ferries and arrived sooner than we did. But, let's face it, how much fun would that have been?

Next week's phone call. Tiger: Hey Tony what are you doing Tony: Anything but going anywhere with you. CLICK.

Viva Anthony "The Hamden Flash" Marino
Peace Upon You