Stellarossa: I'm in the Midwest
 

So I made it over here. What's the deal with the weather? It's not so much the heat it's the humidity!!! Mobile phone doesnt work either, man that sucks. <BR> <BR>More details to follow. <BR> <BR>Tony

Hey Tony! Yeah -- weather in the midwest can be awful -- but we're nice:) Check your email! Coming to Chicago?

Hey Tony, <BR> <BR>Welcome to the good ole (hot & humid) USA. We're so glad to have you! Have a wonderful visit! <BR> <BR>Cheers, <BR> <BR>Lani

As I recall, Tony, Wisconsin is not on your Midwest docket this trip. Too bad <BR> -- it's breezy and cool up here today. But yes, we do do 'humid' very well in many spots in the states. Enjoy your trip - Hope 'the Pig' doesn't disappoint!

Tony, <BR>You can escape the humidity by coming to the southwest, it's "only" 102 today in Arizona :-) - weather channel said 106 to 108 later this week!

Tony, regarding your cell phone, you may as well use it to hammer nails into wood while you're in the States. Europe and the U.S. are on two different and incompatible standards (the European standard is several years ahead of ours, by the way). If making cell calls is of high importance, you'll likely find a retail storefront offering rentals every eight or nine blocks in any city in the midwest. <BR> <BR>By the way, it was 71 degrees and 20 percent humidity yesterday in Boston.

Tony, where in the mid-west are you? If you think it gets humid there, wait until you come farther south.

Its beautiful in Colorado - 80s, sunny, 15-20% humidity - watching the rafters and kayakers out my office window! Beat the heat - head for the mountains!

85 degrees and 97% humidity in Indianapolis last week...more to come this week! Hello, Seattle!

Hallo Again <BR> <BR>Neal, I specifically purchased a cellphone in Britain months ago that worked on all 3 bands (UK/Europe/North America) unfortunately the area that it covers over here is patchy. No luck at all with Ohio or Kentucky and only moderate success with Tennessee. <BR> <BR>We've spent the last couple of days in Tennessee and I loved every minute of it: The t-shirt and crap stores in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, the beauty (and cold - I was only wearing a t-shirt) of Clingman's Dome, the magnificent houses on the Tennessee River etc. <BR> <BR>Although by far and away the most interesting place was Sneedville, TN. About as far away from anywhere as is possible, Sneedville is home to the Melungeons, a strange kind of people. I was slightly on edge whilst there - just the fact that everyone knew we were from out of town and were asking themselves and each other 'What are they doing here?' <BR> <BR>Also achieved my other goal of visiting a Piggly-Wiggly store (Danville, Kentucky), what a great place! Also the scenic drive through Kentucky visiting places like Harrodsburg etc is not to be missed. Reminded me so much of Scotland but with great weather. <BR> <BR>Tony

Well, it is 57 and raining hard in Seattle...has been all week. Now we say here "if winter comes, shall winter be far behind?" Don't come here for sun..we don't have much. But I love it,non the less.

Tony, whilst you were in the Piggly Wiggly, did you remember to get a Goo-Goo bar? And, have you discovered whether you are a sweetened iced tea drinker or prefer yours un-sweetened? <BR> <BR>Re the phone, I've been very leery of claims for these so-called "world phones" and you've cemented the case. Most area

For anyone wondering what a Melungeon is, and I only read this last week in the Washington Post, here is a bit of the article. Tried to do a link, but it wouldn't work for me. Sorry - <BR> <BR>For generations in Appalachia, the word has been an epithet and worse. Melungeons, who have a mixed European, African and Native American heritage, have been maligned and denied their basic rights. They have been pushed off fertile land. They have been barred from schools. They have been prohibited from voting. <BR> <BR>Now something extraordinary is happening here up on Stone Mountain and along Tennessee's Newman's Ridge, two bastions where Melungeon ancestors retreated from the land confiscations but could not escape the slurs. Descendants of men and women who desperately tried to hide their backgrounds so they and their children could pass as pure white are researching and proudly embracing their mixed Melungeon roots. <BR> <BR>"It's a betrayal of my ancestors," acknowledged Kennedy, a University of Virginia administrator whom many credit with sparking the interest in Melungeon studies. But, he added: "I'm also liberating them. We are finally getting to the point where we are justifying who they were." <BR> <BR>When about 1,000 people who are--or suspect they may be--Melungeon gathered in Wise recently for a conference exploring often arcane theories about their origins, many said they hope to set an example for Americans of all races. <BR> <BR>

Neal, I forgot about the goo goo bar but did manage a rather nasty gas station moonpie in Tennessee. Also, for the first time, tried Graeters Ice cream, Skyline Chili, BigBoy burgers (suggested slogan: fatboy eats bigboy), LaRosas pizza, SUBWAY sandwiches and Krispy Kreme doughnuts/donuts whatever you want to call them. Oh and goetta, a Cincinnati delicacy which I liken to my very own haggis.

And Stellarossa eats LaRosas? I'm intrigued by those Krispy Kreme donuts. What did you think of them?

Ah, Tony -- you have yet to say you've tried grits. Unless loaded with cheese, bacon, peppers, etc., grits is/are a pretty close challenge to haggis, too.

Tony, so glad you made it to our town, Cincinnati, and tried all of our hometown favorites. MMMMM! Hope you enjoyed the visit. Happy travels onward.

This is Emily reporting from Cincinnati... I was very sad to see him leave, but Tony left the midwest this afternoon bound for Paris. With any luck he'll make the connecting flight to Edinburgh and be home sometime tomorrow. <BR>The only thing we never managed was making it to a Reds game, although Tony did buy a Reds baseball cap if that counts. We had such a great week and I think he'd agree that the best day was driving the back roads of Tennessee and Kentucky. You don't realize how much you miss zipping from state to state on the highways. <BR> <BR>We also fit in a visit to Montgomery Inn for the ribs followed by a walk along the riverfront. Oh, and another first for Tony was the grill-out complete with corn on the cob (we even shucked it ourselves). BTW, goetta is far superior to haggis! <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

I'm home!!

:( wish you were still here!

You two are just so darn cute!

Ah, just the mention of Montgomery Inn rib's makes my mouth water, they are the BEST. Unfortunately I live in the South East so it's a little too far to drive for dinner. Any way, Emily glad you and Mr. Hughs had such a nice time, hope you see each other again soon!!

Tony, I just hafta ask --were you REALLY wearing 'only a t-shirt' on Clingman's Dome? If so, I imagine it got just a little cool . . .but I'm glad you found my home state as beautiful as I do!

Don't worry gang, he'll be back, he's had Krispy Kreme. He'll have to come back now. <BR> <BR>Glad you had a great trip. <BR> <BR>tweedy

Populist Hughes thinking: Tennessee will always be warm in June, irrespective of the location. Yes I know I know I know it's a stupid idea but it hadn't really sunk in that Clingmans Dome was over 6000 feet so I have to be honest, I only had a T-shirt on that day. No jersey, no waterproof jacket no coat.

Tony: how about a more complete report on your trip?

Charlotte, if you care to email me I will send you the ten thousand word report I did for this latest trip. <BR> <BR>Tony

Tony: Just wanted to let you know that I recently returned from a trip through Kentucky and Tennessee, and agree that the backroads were great. In fact, I could repeat the trip and visit places I didn't get to the first time. With regard to the moonpie discussions, there was actually an "RC and Moonpie" festival in Bell Buckle, TN, featuring Waylon Jennings as the grand marshall of the parade. Glad you enjoyed your latest trip and hope to hear soon about your next adventure. <BR>

referring to Ribking's message: <BR>Thanks! We did have a great time while he was here, it was sort of a trial-run for future travels. We'll keep you posted on any upcoming trips...