Petersburg to Richmond: Going to the Flay Slayer

On the last leg of our trip we headed to Richmond, Va.. On the way there we stopped in Petersburg, I think to
get a map of Richmond or something. The town had an old feel to it and was a pleasant place to relax. No wonder Jonathan decided he wanted to enjoy the atmosphere and have lunch there! Yet, Jim was in disagreement; it was still early and the plan was to eat lunch in a Richmond. So, Jonathan looked to me as the tie breaking vote. Unbeknownst to both of them though, I had my own plans to eat in Richmond. I told Jonathan we were going to Richmond to eat at a fabulously famous BBQ joint. I could tell he was already flustered, but was ready to go along.

"Alright, what's the name of the place?"

"I Don't know." I replied.

"What? What district is it located in?"

"I don't know."

"Aaron, it's a big city, you're not just going to be able to drive around and find the place."

Jonathan was visibly upset and frustrated with my planning at this point, however I was undetered, so he started the car.

The only thing I did know was that the BBQ place was named after two people, one with a slightly weird name, and the place had won a throw down against Bobby Flay. I let Jonathan in on these facts, as I searched the Tom Tom for any name that might strike a chord.

About half way there, Jonathan turned to me and said, "It's not called Buzz and Ned's, is it?"

"Yeah. that's it!"

Jonathan was giggly after that and called his wife to get directions. Apparently he and his family had eaten there on there last outing to Richmond. He had remembered the looped taping of the Bobby Flay Throw Down and the amazing BBQ.

We got to Buzz and Ned's and the place did not disappoint! The BBQ was amazing. I shared a full rack of ribs with Jim and had a pulled pork sandwich. The Ribs were spectacular and sufficed every rib craving I had. The pulled pork was tasty but not as mouth-wateringly fabulous as THE Whole Hogs.

The place was packed; luckily we got there before the line got too big. All the staff wore shirt's that said something like Buzz and Ned's The Flay Slayer! Which was pretty savvy marketing in my opinion. Of course, there is a tape playing continuously of the show where Buzz and Ned's beats Bobby Flay in the Throw Down.

Petersburg
Cool Black building! You don't find many of those in California.

Tasty!
BUZZ and NED'S!

Sea to Shining Sea- Charleston

We are close to the end of the road on my cross country road trip from early this summer! Charleston was, well... disappointing. We arrived later than expected, which was what we had come to expect on this trip. When we got there we decided first to fill our empty stomachs, leading us to Jestines. This down home cooking restaurant is featured in the book 1000 places to visit before you Die. The food was scrumptious! Especially, the corn bread; I thought it was the most amazing corn bread I had ever eaten, until my parents took me to Corona Del Mar to eat at Banderas, then Jestines became the second greatest Corn Bread in America.

Afterwards, we decided to take the tour of Fort Sumter.

We had decided prior to hitting the road, Fort Sumter was a must see sight and I was really excited about finally getting a chance to see where the Civil War broke out. Fort Sumter was a big reason we decided to go to Charleston rather than Savannah, Ga. (That and it saved us some miles). I suppose in my mind it was like seeing Gettysburg; it might be true that I'm not a Civil War aficionado, but by going I had a leg up on most people who have only looked at the civil war from a text book. So, you can imagine my surprise and frustration when about a 100 miles out from Charleston Jonathan stated that he was not interested in seeing the place. I think his reasoning was that he would rather see where the south had bombed the place than going to where the north was stationed. Anyhow, I was going! I had driven across the United States to see Eastern Shores and walk upon one of the most Historical places in the United States. Not going would be like going to Washington DC and not viewing The White House.

Anyhow, we made it to the launching site that took us to Fort Sumter. The only problem was that we had shown up for the last tour, but there were two places where the tour boats launched from and the last tour launched from the other destination, which was on the other side of the harbor. It would take us 20 minutes to drive there, but we only had 15 minutes to board. Suffice it to say we didn't make it! It probably wouldn't have been as disappointing if Jonathan would not have made the initial comments and then still kept up his reservations about going all the way up until the end. Knowing that Jonathan is very organized and is usually versed in times of Departures for trips, I felt like a Beastie Boy...Sabotage!

We walked around the city Jim and Jonathan loved the place; I took a lot of pictures, but wasn't really excited. To top it off for some reason I never even stuck my toe in the Atlantic Ocean. Stupid.

I did however try oyster shooters, not as bad as I imagined and they went well with Tapatio. The Local Brewed beer was exceptional. The townies with most the south drove me crazy! I reiterate why did no one warn me that Polo Shirts and Dockers were the casual attire of the South.

Now entering Narnia

Jestines Corn Bread!

Beautiful cobble stone

Oysters!

Apple Pickin' in Oak Glen

Last week we took a trip to Riley's Farm in Oak Glen and went apple picking. This is something we've always wanted to do but hadn't until now. Two years ago we decided to go but when we got there it was two months past the apple season!

Our daughter is in preschool this year and the month of September was all about apples and the color red. We thought we'd complete the month with apple picking. Faith loved it and we got some great pictures out of the trip.


The cost of apple picking is expensive for apples, but not for a family outing. Everyone in our party, except Verity, had to purchase a bag to put apples in. We opted for the small bag which cost $7. We spent an hour helping Faith pick apples and photographing her doing it. It was a beautiful day and well worth the $21 spent. I wish we had asked more questions before we went picking. Towards the end of the session we realized that some trees had a blue ribbon around the trunk and we overhear other families discussing what this meant, they seemed to know but we never figured it out. Going during the week is always a good idea, except for this day as there was a large homeschooling group and there was very little solace.







Down the road was a place called Snow-Line that is somewhat famous for their apple cider donuts, thanks to Huel Howser. The donuts were good, but plain. I believe the catch is that they are pretty much made to order and we are not accustomed to getting our donuts that fresh. Better than the donuts was the cider itself. They had a large counter with samples of many types of apples and cider. The apple cider was fresh and deliciously creamy, almost buttery in a really good way. After trying all the apple varieties we were assured that Gala really is the best. If you don't know then try them, they have a perfectly crisp texture and sweet taste.

Here's an apple!

Frogs like apples too!

Little girl and a big tree