Exploring the simple pleasures in life.
After many years of effort, I have found that the key to true happiness comes with learning to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. It’s in the awesome feeling that you have when the garden is full of beautiful banana peppers. It comes from spending time with the people you love and sharing fantastic adventures with them. This Uncomplicated Life is my way of sharing my journey into finding and enjoying the simple pleasures.
Best Laid Plans…
I am a planner. Before we set out on one of our adventures I research where to go, what to do and where we are going to eat. Everything is relatively timed out so we can do all the fun things we want to do. There is always some wiggle room so we can make adjustments as needed, but sometimes the best-laid plans go awry. Our latest trip to the mountains was one of those times. Our plan was to take the Blue Ridge Parkway (I had verified that it was open the day before our trip) to the parking area for Flat Top Mountain. From there we would hike to a waterfall and then hike the mountain. I found a nearby campground that was open in February where we would spend the night before hiking Sharp Top Mountain the next day. As part of our hike, we would look for the crash site for a B-25 bomber that hit the mountain during World War II. The trip started off just fine. It was a cold, wet day as we headed to the mountains, which were beautiful with the snow showing through the trees and the low-lying clouds hovering around [...]
Texas Inn (The T Room) Review
On our way home from our latest mountain adventure, we stopped at the Texas Inn Cornerstone, otherwise known as The T Room in Lynchburg, Virgina. It is a small spot with 15 counter seats. When we walked in, there were only a few customers. We were a little disappointed that no one greeted, or even acknowledged, us for about eight minutes. The restaurant offers cheap, tasty little burgers, hot dogs and sandwiches. The menu is not at all descriptive of what the different burger combinations are. When we asked our server for more information she seemed confused that we didn't already know the menu. We settled on the Bacon, Cheese Western, a burger with bacon, egg, cheese, onions, and relish. We did not get the bacon but feel that the server had misheard our order. When we checked the bill we had only been charged for the Cheesy Western. The burger itself was tasty but nothing spectacular. The hot dogs that the gentlemen next to us ordered looked really good with slaw and chili. The T Room offers desserts, but unfortunately, they were out of the Lemon Meringue Pie. We were also disappointed to see that Chris's coffee came in [...]
North Star Restaurant Review
While we were in the mountains we found a lovely little spot for breakfast at North Star Restaurant in Buchanan, Virginia. For a very small, rural restaurant on the side of the road, it was a great place for breakfast. When we first walked in I had the feeling that everyone was looking at us. A sign indicated that we should seat ourselves, so we picked a table in the corner. I loved the decor. The walls, covered with artwork with a country feel, as well as signs with a variety of fun slogans, was entertaining. My favorite was the sign indicating that food came in three combinations of good, fast and cheap....fast and cheap, but not good; good and fast, but not cheap; or good and cheap, but not fast. After a few minutes, our server arrived with menus and to wipe the table. As she approached our table she joked with some of the other customers that she was president of the restaurant and didn't understand why she was not off for President's Day. We ordered our breakfast and watched the goings-on as we waited. I noticed that everyone who entered got the same look that we did when [...]
Rodeo Chico Review
On our most recent adventure, we found ourselves in a major change-up of our original plans. Instead of eating by the campfire, we now needed a place to eat dinner. We saw Rodeo Chico in Daleville, VA and decided to give it a shot. When we arrived the place was empty. I attributed that to the fact that it was late on a Sunday evening in very nasty weather. The host was friendly, even joking about a lack of available tables. We opted to sit at the bar and ordered the 2-for-1 margarita. It was nothing special but did not have that sickening syrupiness that very often is found in chain store margaritas. Attempting to stick to my keto plan (I know the margarita was cheating) I ordered the Steak Fajita Taco Salad, while Chris ordered a taco and chili Rellenos. Interestingly, they offer the chili Rellenos with or without the pepper. Unfortunately, Chris did not realize what the server was asking and accidentally ordered the one without the pepper. The food was good, but nothing really special, as I would expect from a chain restaurant. Tory, the host/server was attentive and friendly. While it didn't blow us away, it [...]
Foot of the Mountain Cafe Review
On our way to Peaks of Otter, we stopped at Foot of the Mountain Cafe for some lunch. It is easily accessible from Interstate 81 and, quite literally, sits at the foot of the mountain. It is a small, low-key, friendly restaurant with great food. The view of the snow-covered mountain, with low-lying clouds blocking the very top, was amazing. We sat at the counter, where the staff interacted with customers while going about their daily routines of rolling silverware, scheduling and discussing the daily specials. Nina, who seemed to also be a manager, was friendly and helpful with my menu questions. There are a variety of bread choices for the sandwiches, including a gluten-free option. There is also an option for a sun-dried tomato wrap. I really enjoyed the Lesley Anne, a fried chicken breast with pimento cheese, fried green tomatoes, bacon and chipotle mayonnaise on a wrap. It was the perfect mixture of flavors and textures. Chris had the Fried Mozz Burger, a burger topped with fried mozzarella sticks, tomato, a parmesan-garlic aioli, and marinara. He was expecting sliced mozzarella and was a little surprised that the burger had two large mozzarella sticks on top. To make the [...]
Cleaning House
Cleaning house has never been something that I enjoyed or even wanted to do. Don't get me wrong, I love having a clean house. I just do not like doing the never-ending work of actually cleaning the house. I have struggled with this my entire life. As a child, I learned the basics of cleaning. What I was not taught was a strategy for cleaning, how to integrate it into my everyday life. My cleaning strategy was to take care of it when it needed it. Unfortunately, by the time "it needed it", the job was so big that it seemed impossible. That would lead to procrastination. After all, if I didn't have time to do the job right, what is the point of even starting it. Of course, this led to my house staying in a state of chaos. It became a vicious cycle. If I knew visitors were coming, there was always the mad dash to clean, which would take hours. Once the house was clean, I would vow to keep up with it, but that never worked out. Even worse, there was always a constant fear that someone might stop by unannounced. I was a busy mom [...]
A Cold and Blustery Night With a Beautiful View of the Moon
Our latest adventure started off with us packing up the car on a beautiful, warm, sunny day. So beautiful that, being overdressed for the temperature, I opted to change my clothes before we left. We headed to Virginia Beach with plans for a day of wilderness sightseeing. I had checked the weather forecast earlier in the week and expected a very cold night (our whale watch had already been canceled due to the expected wind) but for now, it was gorgeous. Our first stop was at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. We were there to board a tram that would take us into False Cape State Park. False Cape is a very primitive stretch of land between Back Bay and the Atlantic. Visitors are not permitted to drive into False Cape. It is accessible by foot, bike, boat, beach transport (the Terra-Gator) or tram from April 1 to October 31. Over the winter you can hike or bike along the beach or take the Terra-Gator on weekends at 9 am to return at 1 pm. There is also a Winter Tram Tour that runs a few times a month leaving at 1 pm and returning at 4:30 pm. The tram [...]
Waterman’s Surfside Grille Review
Our last stop on our recent Virginia Beach trip was at the Waterman's Surfside Grille. The restaurant is on the boardwalk with a lovely view of the ocean. Their signature drink is a crush. They have a large choice of different flavors of the fresh-squeezed citrus cocktails. I chose the black cherry-lime crush and it was delicious. We started dinner with Bacon Wrapped Sea Scallops served with a pineapple-tomato salsa and an orange chipotle sauce. They were nicely cooked and very flavorful. I also ordered the She-Crab Soup which was rich, creamy and very tasty. On Monday nights, they offer either a New York Strip or a lobster tail for $12, or both for $24. Chris ordered the surf & turf and added a crab cake. The steak, cooked to a beautiful medium-rare and topped with a spectacular garlic herb butter, was one of the tastiest steaks we have ever had in a restaurant. I went with the Ultimate Just Seafood, a plate with jumbo shrimp, sea scallops and lump crabmeat, all broiled in a lemon butter white wine sauce, as well as a lobster tail. The meal was very well prepared, delicious and enough to take some home for later. [...]
Mary’s Restaurant Review
On a recent trip to Virginia Beach, we found that our original breakfast plans were not going to work out. We looked up all-day breakfast and found Mary's Restaurant. Only a few blocks off the beach, Mary's has a nice vibe with surfboards suspended from the ceiling. We opted to sit at the bar, where Kimberly gave us excellent service despite the fact that she was quite busy. They had a wonderful selection of winter cocktails to choose from. I enjoyed a guava mimosa while Chris had an Irish coffee. Chris ordered the Chicken Fried Steak with Sausage Gravy and Eggs. The gravy was rich, creamy and delicious. The steak and the eggs were nicely cooked and there was enough to take some home. He also ordered a side of fried green tomatoes which were delicately breaded. Mary's offers four different styles of Eggs Benedict. I had a tough time deciding which to get and ended up going simple with the traditional version. The eggs were beautifully poached and the hollandaise was delicious. We finished up with a cup of coffee and a bloody mary, which was delicious without too much spice. As we enjoyed our drinks we chatted with Kimberly and [...]
Tapped Crafthouse Review
While in Virginia Beach recently we stopped at Tapped Crafthouse after looking at their menu online. Excited to see that they offered a number of unique and interesting burger options we headed there for a late lunch. Tapped Crafthouse has a very industrial feel. The main room has a large bar with a few high top tables and a few booths (there were other rooms as well that we did not venture into). There were a dozen large-screen TVs on the walls. I thought it was great that they had the playoff game on nine of them, so you could easily see the game no matter where you sat. We found a spot at the bar and were given an extensive beer list. Chris picked a local beer for me, the Young Veterans Brewery Company Private Plum. While I am not usually a beer drinker, I did really enjoy this one. Apparently, it is much more of a bar that serves food than a restaurant as we had to ask for menus. We started with Fried Gouda Bites. They were tasty. Chris ordered the Lamb Burger, served on pita bread with pickled vegetables and roasted red pepper hummus. He picked [...]
A Keto Life?
For most of my adult life, I have struggled with weight. I come from a family that has a tendency toward heaviness. I seem predisposed to gain weight easily. Over the years I have experimented with a number of diet options. In the past, I have successfully lost weight. I have lost weight using the Rotation Diet. It is a 21-day diet. On the first three days you eat 600 calories, then 900 for the next four days, followed by a week at 1200 calories, and then back to the 600/900 calorie week. It is effective, but very difficult to follow (I was hungry all the time). I have lost weight using Weight Watchers, but going to meetings was not my thing. I have lost weight with Atkins pretty easily. The problem was that after losing weight, I would eat bread just once and then it was over. I found that once I ate bread again, I didn't have the willpower to go back to the very low-carb style of eating. I have found as I get older, weight loss just does not come as easy as it did when I was younger. I decided that I would give up [...]
Survive and Thrive While Winter Camping
Just because the weather turns cold does not mean that our fun has to stop. With a bit of thought and planning, we are able to continue our monthly excursions throughout the winter. When planning a winter camping trip keep in mind that not all campgrounds are open year-round, so it is important to confirm that the campground you plan to stay at is actually operating. It would be pointless to plan a trip to a great place but have nowhere to spend the night. It's also a good idea to verify hours of the office and camp store and what the after-hours check-in policy is. You may need to make alternate arrangements for firewood if you can not get there before they close. In addition, you may want to double-check the hours of activities you would like to do and the restaurants you would like to go to. Especially in resort areas, a lot of businesses have shorter hours out of season, if they are open at all. We look for opportunities for activities that are unique to winter. While planning our next trip to Virginia Beach, I discovered that there is a whale watching tour. Apparently, there is [...]
A Simplification of Life
In the last few years, I have become more interested in doing things in a more natural way. This feeling started a few years ago when I purchased an indoor garden. I planted a variety of herbs. I had enough success with the herbs to buy another indoor garden, this time planting cherry tomatoes, which were very successful. This newfound gardening success prompted me to plant an outdoor container garden. I started off planting tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, herbs, and arugula. The herbs flourished and I had enough peppers to delve into the world of pickling. Unfortunately, while growing up I never actually learned to cook. Don't get me wrong, I had several scratch dishes that I could pull off fairly well, but for the most part, we ate a lot of boxed food. Chris, however, is an amazing cook. One of the side effects of growing our garden is that we have now gravitated towards eating mostly whole foods. It's funny to me that even though it takes more planning and preparation to eat this way, it feels so much simpler. Instead of a quick fix from a box with little nutritional value or flavor, we eat good food that [...]
First Watch Review
A co-worker recently told me about a new all-day breakfast spot near my house. We had a busy day planned for Christmas Eve and decided it would be nice to start with a good breakfast so we headed to First Watch. Not surprisingly, they were busy. We checked in with the hostess and told it was a 15-minute wait. She took our phone number and let us know that we would get a text when our table was ready. This was great as we prefer not to hang out in the lobby just waiting for someone to call our name. We went back out to our truck, listened to music and talked. It was a nice surprise that a text came in only 10 minutes. We went back inside and were promptly seated. The decor is a lovely "farmhouse" style. Our server was cheerful despite the fact that she was very busy. We ordered coffee and were happy that a pot was left on the table so we could refill at will. First Watch offers four styles of Eggs Benedict. Chris opted for the Smoked Salmon Benedict made with salmon, red onion and vine-ripened tomato. I ordered the Carbonara Benedict (yes [...]