Our trip up the Eastern seaboard---part deaux

So after picking up the new SUV, we leave lovely metropolitan White Plains and hit the road. Since Kim & I are both fans of the Foot Network show "Diners, Drive-In's & Dives", we decided to let Mr. GPS take us to an authentic New Jersey diner before heading home. So we swung by the greater Clifton, New Jersey area to see how the food was at the Tic-Toc Diner. Here's America's favorite traveling couple with the actual visual proof that we had lunch at the afore-mentioned diner:Yep, its true. One of us is pretty damned good looking---the other one wears a hat. So lunch was pretty good, although it was here that we had our first glance at what a truly fussy dining experience that eating with my sister could be."Shouldn't there be mozzarella cheese on my salad?"She is one of those people who, ya know...actually makes the waitress EARN their tip. Since I was in the greater New Jersey area, I decided to have a Philly cheese-steak, which...truth be told...was pretty amazing.Andy gave his fried chicken (remember that order in regards to Andy) a thumbs up....and Kim had the traditional diner burger, which she enjoyed. Rene & Kim did, however, split on the fried mushrooms they ordered. One thumbs up from Kim, one thumbs down from lil Ms. Fussy. We then headed out back on the road and made yet another visit to the New Jersey Turnpike....this time the traffic down the coast was a lot heavier and we had not only to deal with that getting through the nation's capital, but also some absolutely horrendous weather. We ended up stopping for the evening just south of Richmond.....and hoped to stop at a Holiday Inn Express. I say "hoped" because the gum chewing girl working the front counter informed us that they didn't have any rooms left, although the hotel next door might have some rooms available. We decided to skip that offer and made our way over to get some Chicago style pizza---available right there in northern Virginia! Rene once again put the waitress through the ringer in her search for an absolutely perfect cocktail ("Um, excuse me....I asked for a SMALL glass. Thank you, you're an angel.")My sister had to win the award for Most Difficult Customer of the Evening....hands down. I had some pizza, while carelessly ignoring that it was getting a little late to be eating that much food that late in the evening.Especially when you're (OUCH) 47 years old. Getting old is hell folks. Which is why I spent half of the middle of the night....um....worshipping at the porcelain altar. I do love a nice vacation. The next morning we were up and back on the road (I, uh...skipped breakfast needless to say). We drove all the way through to Varnville, South Carolina (population shrinking by the day apparently) to see our cousins Mike & Lydia Cook. They both inherited the home that my Aunt Ruby lived in for the better part of 50 years. Kim had never seen the house, which a truly amazing 2 story structure with twin gables in the front. The house itself is over 100 years old, and needless to say....full of stories all by itself. We visited for awhile, and then we all drove over to nearby Waltersboro (the "big" town nearby) for some BBQ---South Carolina style. And we discovered something we hadn't known. South Carolina BBQ? BETTER than North Carolina BBQ.That's right....I said it. And it had all those great side items that the North Carolina BBQ had. And the sauce was better to boot. Bring on the controversy folks...bring it on. Later that night, we returned to Mike & Lydia's to catch up on the latest going's on---and to play with their Boxer puppy..."Bo". I have the scratches on my arms to prove it. Then we all took turns trying to creep each other out with eerie stories about strange things that have happened in our past....Mike & Lydia won the award, with stories about the "friendly ghosts" (no lie) that occasionally come out in their "new" house. Mike almost had us running for the exit door with his account of a mysterious knocking on his mother's window one night that no one has ever been able to explain. YIKES!They also filled us in with the latest details of our cousins Larry & Chris, who are Mike's two older brothers who live in an assisted living facility in Varnville. Chris has cerebral palsy and Larry has a developmental disability and both have lived in this small town their entire lives. Its literally all they know. And yet, since their mother passed away....their younger brother and his wife are trying to do everything they can to keep them in the town that is all they know....and somehow, some of the good folks of the community have decided that its a really good idea to "run Larry out of town" since he's prone to act up in public. Its like Kim said: "Its 2009. How can you run someone out of town?" We all tried to give Mike & Lydia some advice on a direction they can turn to for help. The next morning we got up and said our good-bye's to everyone and made our way about an hour south to Savannah, Georgia. We made our reservations for lunch at Paula Deen's restaurant in downtown called "The Lady & Sons". We then headed down to the riverfront area to walk around and do some shopping (and have perhaps an adult beverage or two). Finally it was time for lunch. We were really looking forward to this as being the capper for our trip. We were not disappointed.Paula Deen's speciality is southern food. The food that I remembered having every summer when my mom would take me to see my grandparents in Beaufort, S.C. We were taken to our table on the 3rd floor of the restaurant and I ordered an iced tea. A sweet iced tea. Like grandma Bunton used to make. None of that namby pamby stuff with raspberry or peach flavored. I want iced tea with SUGAR...and that's what I got.My sister wanted a mint julep and she got one as if it had been made in Kentucky on Derby Saturday.Then it was over to the buffet. And what a buffet. Fried chicken, baked chicken, black-eyed peas, rice, mashed potatoes rolling with butter (not margarine--BUTTER), collard greens, macaroni and cheese (again--real mac & cheese), green beans with ham.....it was heaven for fans of southern food---a complete nightmare if you were watching your caloric intake. Oh, and did I mention the cheese biscuits & hoes (sort of like a small pancake) that they give you before you go to the buffet? And the dessert? Yeah, it comes with dessert also. Your choice of: banana pudding (not even a sign of anything "instant"), peach cobbler and various cakes. Good lord, I thought I was going to explode. So naturally, I only took the nana pudding. Which was awesome in its overall awesomeness. And it may have been....and I say this at my own personal peril....as good as my Mom's. The cobbler, after a spoonful, might have been a tad heavy on the breading...but who was going to complain? Not me. What an experience and definitely...and I mean...DEFINITELY...not to be missed if you visit Savannah.Later in the evening we made our way back to Jacksonville to drop off my sister and spend a last night on the road. The next day, we got up and before leaving, my sister took me to a local Jacksonville institution called Chamblin Bookmine....which just might be the biggest and most impressive used book store that I've ever been too. Let's just say, after an hour, I got out of there somehow only spending $20....and with a plan to come up one weekend with the idea of spending one entire Saturday there. After I save my money.We finally made our way home, unloaded our rental...and awfully glad that we had not one...but TWO days to recover from our trip up the East Coast.

Jeff