Food, Friend and Fido

TRAVELER'S WOODS of New England

Bernardston, MA 01337

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RV LIFE:

As my post title states, we've been enjoying eating with & the company of our friend from NJ, now relocated in MA. Have enjoyed the jubilance of her two yellow labs also.  Devin has found a playmate for the week and a fenced yard to run around in!

Having to plan around a working schedule brings us back to the realization, of how lucky we are to be retired at a fairly young age and have all our time free.

Our friend still owns a beautiful home in NJ, custom renovated to her taste. It was quite a surprise to see the house she bought in MA. Definitely not a home, just a house. But this will not be her final house, so the best is yet to be.

We've gone out to dinner twice together and she will be dining at our home/RV this week. Scott plans to make his delicious scallop dinner in a white wine sauce.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate and it will be nice enough to eat outside instead of cramped in the RV.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ELECTRONIC WOES RESOLVED & PRODUCT REVIEW:

Computer: I had mentioned in an earlier post that my computer died and could not be revived even by Computer Dr. Scott. So I purchased an HP LAPTOP. 

Decided to downsize since we are living in an RV. Maybe I'll got back to a regular computer if we ever settle in a house again. But to be honest, I am VERY HAPPY with this laptop.  I love the option of being able to take it to to bed or in the easy chair or outside. The battery life is between 6-8 hours which is plenty!  I like that I can close the lid when not using it to protect the keyboard from Lyla's paws. She tends to put her paws on the dining room table, where my computer is, when I go outside, so she can watch me out the window.

I love having the extra space under the table. Where my CPU used to be, I now have my sewing machine stored. I also don't have to keep unhooking my monitor and placing on the bed for travel. 

So besides the convenience of a laptop, I actually like the workings of the laptop.  

The keyboard is comfortable and I can type quite fast on it. 

The screen is large enough for me to be able to have multiple windows open and switch easily between them.

The computer itself is way fast enough for me.

Has plenty of data storage space.

I think the only negative is that the USB ports are all on the sides and towards the FRONT of the laptop. I use a track wheel/mouse instead of the touch pad. So to use the USB ports on the right side, I have to be very careful not to bump them while using my mouse.  It would have been smarter to put the USB ports near the side back or in the back.

But overall, this is a great computer and I'm not sure I'll go back to a big, clunky model again.

Direct TV/Tivo: We are technically on our fifth satellite dish since our full time life began 1 year ago.  3 blew over and broke. The 4th was the WINEGARD CARRYOUT from Camping World. This little satellite was convenient, easy to store and worked adequate. So we thought we were finally all set...and then...our Tivo receiver died. Scott had already replaced the power supply once. But this time we decided to get a new unit, since our non-working Tivo was purchased in 2003 and was really obsolete now. 

We ended up switching from Tivo to Direct TV DVR. We really love Tivo, and it was a difficult decision to switch over. This meant having to learn the DVR programming and would it be as user friendly as Tivo? Even though our 2nd Tivo, in the bedroom still worked, we had to have compatible units, which meant purchasing a 2nd DVR and of course, since we were upgrading, we now have high definition also, which means we needed the high def satellite unit, so our Winegard Carryout, although in great working condition, is of no use to us. Anyone want to purchase our Winegard for $60.00? 

Why did we switch to Direct TV DVR? Mainly because they offer MORE recording options. Tivo allows recording 2 shows at once and able to watch a recorded show at the same time. Our DTV/DVR allows FIVE shows to be recorded while watching a pre-recorded show. I still like Tivo's programming for the most part but the DTV/DVR is fairly easy to navigate and learn. I like the screen on screen that allows you to look at the menu/list and what you are currently watching is still heard and seen in the top corner. There are pluses to both and would recommend either.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

RESTAURANT REVIEW:
Our rating 4.5 out 5.  Really deserves a 5 out of 5, but I'm too cheap sometimes.


Although pricey and not our usual type of restaurant. I would have worn a nicer shirt instead of an Irish Setter T-shirt if I had known. It was a great experience (especially since our friend treated us). We do not avoid pricey restaurants, but tend to like a more relaxed down home atmosphere.
Lovely historic New England brick building. Didn't expect such a quality upscale establishment.
Wait staff very attentive, knowledgeable and pleasant.
BLOODY MARY: Average
POMEGRANATE MARTINI: Excellent!!!! I want to go back just for that!!!!!
CHEESE ASSORTMENT APPETIZER: Pricey for the amount of cheese provided, but very nice assortment of 4 cheeses. A brie type, aged cheddar, blue cheese, and another hard cheese. Crostini supplied in mini bucket. Glazed almonds and dried cherries garnished the cheeses. The aged cheddar was the standout for me.
DIM SUM APPETIZER: Impressive display of 4 bamboo steam containers stacked. Most of the 4 items were plentiful and delicious. A little disappointed in the shrimp over pasta. But the other 3 were tasty.
SCALLOPS WITH LENTILS: Absolutely delicious!!!!! Scallops were sweet and cooked perfectly. Roasted corn nibblets as a side and the sauce over the lentils was amazing! A LIGHT Mascarpone cream based sauce with a touch of tart sweetness (Apple Cider reduction). Amazing combo. It was actually an appetizer, but we ordered as a meal.
RIB EYE: Average+. Cooked medium rare as requested. Roasted corn nibblets on the side very nice. Mashed potatoes, excellent. Arugula salad on the plate also, but lacked any dressing, so was more for show.
SPRING CRISP: Blood orange and blueberry served warm in a crock with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Very tasty.
For the price of the meals, I think it would have been nice to have a salad included.
Would definitely return even if we had to pay for it instead of being "treated".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

STORE REVIEW: 

Bernardston Farmers Supply:  Stopped here mainly for dog food. I ended up with grain free dog treats on sale, parrot food, and a great price on Taste of the Wild grain free dry dog food. Price was about $4.00 less for a 30# bag than where we purchased all over the country.

Great assortment of dog training devices, thunder shirts (which are difficult to find, except on line), variety of health products, shampoos, etc. 

Great store for dog supplies.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MEDICAL ALERT:

Remember  this the next time you have major surgery  and need a blood transfusion.

This is good  to know...

Australian  Medical Association researchers have found  that patients needing blood transfusions may benefit from  receiving chicken  blood  rather  than human blood.

It  tends to make the men cocky and the women lay  better.

So sorry. I'm on my second glass of wine and am feeling quite silly.