Jim Jarvis = Chad Powers?

 
Braves rookie shortstop Jim Jarvis has played well. I can't figure out if he is a Chad Powers situation.

I've been watching The Hawk on Netflix. Not the greatest show in TV history, but it's okay.

 Slow day. Went out for a walk. Ceil got her haircut. Lee stopped by to discuss some financial matters.

This afternoon the Halls returned from their Canada trip, and this evening the Chiles returned home from Europe. 

Watched the Braves game, an afternoon affair. 

Tuesday & Wednesday

Tuesday: Lee and Nancy brought Dawn & Myron by on their way to the airport. Later Brian stopped by. Finally got the grass cut. Busy day. Not the greatest.

Wednesday: Anna worked from our house, and brought Miller and Goose with her. Our friend Laura Ferguson stopped by - she and her husband Tommy are longtime friends of the Schaffers. 

Pretty sure that it's finally time to bring this blog to a close. I've always done this as a creative effort for me. Time to spend the time on other pursuits. Might stretch it to the end of the month. We'll see.

Pawley's Island

Swiped a couple of photos of Pawleys Island. 

MLB is running a Sweepstakes sending the winner to visit all 30 MLB ballparks. A sweet prize, but to make all those trips over the six month 2027 season would be a chore - like four or five trips every month. Try to combine the NYC, Chicago, and LA trips to make it like 26 trips, since Atlanta would be easy. Of the current stadiums, I've only been to seven of the 30.

Anahiem

Arizona

Atlanta: been there

Baltimore: been there

Boston: been there - top choice

Chicago Cubs: been there

Chicago White Sox: I haven't been to their "new" ballpark.

Cincinnati

Cleveland 

Colorado - top choice

Detroit

Houston: been there

Kansas City

LA Dodgers - top choice

Miami

Milwaukee - top choice

Minnesota

New York Mets: not yet to the new ballpark

New York Yankees: top choice

Philadelphia:

Pittsburgh - top choice

Sacramento

San Diego - top choice

San Francisco: been there - top choice

Seattle - top choice

St Louis - top choice

Tampa Bay: been to a game before the Trop was wrecked

Texas: not to the new ballpark - top choice

Toronto - top choice

Washington: not to the new ballpark - top choice

First Bite: NFA Burger

Ceil's brother Rusty was in town today for business, so we met him up at Avalon in Alpharetta for supper. I'd never been to the famous NFA Burger. It wasn't busy, so we gave it a try. The single burger was plenty for me, but I bet the double burger would be tastier. The tater tots were nice and crispy, not overdone and much better than had they been undercooked. Free refills on Cokes, Diet Cokes, and Sprites. Very good, and I was filled up.

Earlier Matthew stopped by the house to visit. He's working on a new dessert item for Kimball House. Nancy and Dawn drove over to spend time with Ceil.

I'm not a big fan of white spikes on MLB players, except for the Athletics. Would rather see my Braves players wearing black cleats. Tonight the Padres are rocking brown tops and tan pants. The white cleats on the Padres players don't look too bad. Depends on whether the player is wearing the long tan pants, or high brown socks.

Shivonne and Millie are enjoying riding in the new minivan. 

Sunday morning I woke up with a bad crick in my neck, a rare occurrence. Was in pain most of the day. Hasn't been quite as bad today, but I let Ceil drive so I wouldn't have to crane my neck around.

Whenever we stop somewhere, we can't get back on the road until Ceil has seen the latest videos from the kiddos.

Saturday and Sunday

The Broadwells visited this weekend. Nancy and Lee picked them up at the airport. Saturday night we went over to the Earharts to eat with them.

After Sunday lunch we drove the Broadwells over to visit with A&C.

Later both the Earharts and W&MC brought supper over to our house. Lee has become quite the selfie taker.

Big Boy

 
Matthew's roommate takes in foster dogs. This week they're hosting a big boy.

Ceil had been talking to Caleb's dad about what kind of blower to buy - then John showed up and blew off not just our driveway, but also the entire front yard. I used my metal bar to clean out the dirt and debris from the seams in the concrete. We had a nice chat. He bragged on Anna, and I bragged on Caleb.

Friday: stopped by Costco for their $1.50 hot dog & Coke deal. Tasty, after eating healthy all week.

We re-upped for Netflix. The new season of Quarterback is on, with Joe Flacco, Cam Ward, Baker Mayfield, and the Washington QB. Not sure what C thinks about it. Several other shows I want to watch, including the Will Ferrell as a golfer show. Might re-watch Man on the Inside. That octopus movie with Sally Field. Ceil started watching the new rendition of Little House on the Prarie, and it's not bad. Need to make a list.

Is There Such a Thing as Good Fast Food?

I wrote this several months ago. Saw a ranking of top fast food places. So many are bad due to the poor service. High prices. Slow service. Fake, frozen, ultra-processed food. Literally leaves a bad taste in my mouth. But I can't stay away. I'm always looking out for a deal.

Five Guys. Good burger. High prices. Milkshakes are just okay.

Dairy Queen. High prices. Not crazy about their brazier burgers. Shakes are good but overpriced. Like most, it's institutional processed frozen food.

Subway is okay if you have a coupon.

Firehouse Subs: better than Subway.

Jersey Mikes: better than Firehouse.

McDonalds: sometimes you can get a decent deal on the app, or using the BOGO on the receipt. But the food just isn't that good.

Wendys: best of the burger places. Some relatively cheap options, plus some deals in the app. The Frosty is the best milkshake value around.

Burger King will sometimes have deals. The Whopper is literally half the size it used to be.

Taco Bell: portions are small, whether from the value menu or the premium items. 

Moes: better than Chipotle or Willys, though they're all pretty close.

Chickfila: the sandwich has shrunk over the years while the price continues to rise. But the speed of service and quality are tops in the industry.

Popeyes: not sure when I last ate at Popeyes. Supposed to be good. Supposed to have large portions. Not cheap.

Hardees: some tasty menu options, and some deals in the app. But oftentimes the service is extra bad.

Whataburger: the burger is big but not as tasty as Wendys. Decent deals through the app, receipt, and coupons.

Freddys: tasty but expensive.

Culvers: see Freddys.

Steak & Shake: good food and milkshakes.

Checkers: few cheap options but there are deals in the app. But the quality of food is low low low.

Arbys: decent food, and sometimes you can get a deal in the app.

Cookout: lots of menu options. Not sure I trust the BBQ. Dozens of milkshake options, though they're all just vanilla with a chemically concocted syrup added in (like Burger King and others). Overall, the food just isn't that good.

CiCi's: a good deal for the price. 

RaceTrac: right out of the oven, the pizza tastes good. Nothing special about the hot dogs and other roller grill items.

Costco: can't beat the $1.50 hot dog and Coke - a loss leader. Like RaceTrac, the pizza is good when its hot. The other items look tasty, but look prepackaged, frozen, and unhealthy.

Truth to tell, it seems like my appetite is changing, and my fast food days may finally be coming to an end - for the most part. Good riddance.