Well, I have to say that yesterday went by as just like a single cloud drifting across a bright blue sky---well actually that did happen--man that was hot yesterday , around 90 degrees, spent a good bit around the pool in Oklahoma.
One thing I did do was go to the airport and change the hire car from the cheve equinox to a Ford Edge and is such a difference to drive.
Lynda did a couple of washes and spent a sweltering hour or more ironing.
We had a really nice dinner early in "Pearls Fish Restaurant" which was really a nice change as it is almost a self service--go in , chose your dinner and drinks--they have this huge round tub full of ice with loads of beer bottles in with a bottle opener fixed to the side. Really good chowder and fish cakes and shrimps.
Anyway , we slept for about 10 or 11 hours last night which is amazing--I guess that every couple of days of long driving we need to do a chill out and catch up, so I can see another lazy day coming up.
Just as an aside-- our mate Rod goes back to the doctor for a check-up on his broken wrist today so we hope you are ok mate.
So this is a little boring blog today with no new pictures, but a good time for reflection on an Englishman's views of America and the way things are done over here that don't quite work for us--
- Why do American restaurant's shut so early.
- How did bacon get chosen to be served so crispy and how can breakfast have syrup with your eggs.
- Who worked out how to make the intersection between the I-35, the I-44 and the I- 40 so complicated.
- In parts of the country where there are temperatures of 90+ regularly how can Hotels have no shade umbrella's around their pool and why do most hotel pools get designed to be at the front of the hotel by the main road--noise and fumes issues.
- why have 2 queen beds in a bedroom -- why not more king beds.
- Who set the rules on tipping--in hotels, restaurants, cafe's and the like--it is difficult for us brits to understand what the guidelines are. As an example, Rod Ann and Lynda and me got scathing comments from a maître D, for what we left in a Tuscon restaurant a few years ago---its confusing but also if the meal is say $100 and you leave $20 then that is a lot to add on as a percentage, should be on the bill.
- Why is it that most places in America do not know how to make a cup of tea--and if they do then the blend used is usually undrinkable.
- Air conditioning in restaurants for us brits means we have to pick and chose where we sit or get frozen to the core , where Americans think it is fine.
- We like the heavy scrutiny that the Homeland Security use when assessing newly arrived people into the USA -- but please, please put on more staff.
- More barriers needed on the mountain roads of Colorado , when looking down a 1000 feet of cliff face on narrow roads and especially if it rains.
- Make sure that the gas stations have lots of magazines that have the discount coupons in for Hotels--we need to have some help with the money.
-------- And finally---the portions of food are too much--every time we look at starters , main course and desert, you could feed an English family of 4 on one Americans meal, please America, help us out here, we don't need any more pounds piled on.
So that's a snap shot on some of the things that bug us but let me tell you that the good things list would be incredibly long---these are small issues that we except because we love the USA so much.
Just something I forgot to put on the blog the other day is the different types of critters we have seen on the trip so far --
- Buffalo herds
- Bear ( well I saw one anyway)
- A whole Bobcat family
- many Deer,
- hundreds of Chipmonks
- Obviously Cows, sheep and pigs
- trout--quite a few
- a number of hawks
- Goffers
I am sure that there are more but that's it for now.
Have a great day
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