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The Wanderin' Mom: Stay Weird! Part 1

The Wanderin' Mom: Stay Weird! Part 1: Not exactly the Biltmore House I needed to get away....and so I did. Guilt?  Nah!   Based on past travels, I have learned that whe...

Stay Weird! Part 1

Not exactly the Biltmore House

I needed to get away....and so I did. Guilt?
 Nah!

  Based on past travels, I have learned that when you visit another city away from home, you may spot something there that will leave some kind of impression. For whatever reason, you didn't pursue a potential opportunity for adventure from this memory and maybe regretted that once you returned home.


 Through the rolling Blue Ridge hills at an altitude of about 2100 feet, a very humble but raging fire exists within a trendy urban neighborhood in Asheville North Carolina. I noticed it previously from my last visit on New Years Eve in 2016. Here I am again two years later and my mom and I had discussed and planned what we might want to do along the way during our 3-day stay. But now with  a second chance, I knew I just could not leave until I found out what this powerhouse was all about.

 It is known by most that the city of Asheville is home to the renowned Biltmore Estates which was the residence of business tycoon George Washington Vanderbilt II. People come from all over the world to this attraction for hospitality, wine tasting and architectural amazement.  As for me, anyone who has ever known me knows I'm a little quirky. My travels certainly reflect this. Now I'm sure the Biltmore House is all it's hyped up to be but even the times I visited London, the castles were not necessarily the first places I visited. In fact I really did nothing more than walk to Buckingham palace, shot a photo or two and then made my way to a museum for a David Bowie exhibit and never really though another thing more about the palace. My quirkiness was now about to reach a new level.


The Lab


   It was 10:00am when we walked in just in time to open up for business. A very friendly employee covered in ink greeted me and mom and asked us if we were there for the tour at 10:30 tour. Tour?! What was even better? I had 30 minutes to mess around!

  Now I haven't been overt about this but I come from the first generation of Sesame Street (pre-Elmo days) where the art of Jim Henson was often accompanied by unusual and, at the time, very sophisticated technology with regards to music and effects that were incorporated into his work. I confess, as an adult I am still entertained by this via youtube. However, this fascination followed
me through life as I was introduced to the music of Emerson Lake and Palmer, the Beatles and Yes.

 It was all in front of me in this laboratory waiting for me and looking very happy to see me. There were many different models of instruments all equip with headphones! It would be kind of like a form of wine tasting but rather with different analogue sounds on synthesizers. I wasted no time!

Sirin is not the keyboard but the modual from behind.

 The name is Moog (pronounced "Mogue" rhymes with "rogue"). I have highlighted four of my favorite instruments from this experience: The Grandmother, the Mellotron, the Etherwave (Moog's model of The Theremin) and Sirin Analogue Messenger of Joy. I know all this music lingo is a bit daunting but I promise I will keep everything very simple.

  I chose the Sirin Analogue Messenger of Joy as one of my favorites because it was the very first model I experienced that day. Having already been familiar with Moog models, what I heard was completely as expected. The setting of the instrument was a cross between adorable pitched electronic conga drums and popping bubbles. I started them out soft and mysterious and began to grow in intensity. It sounded like a scene in an action film where the assassin was in hiding and being hunted. I quietly giggled for a moment after that. However, the Sirin is actually a bass synthesizer that is programmed to produce many different effects and can exceed the lower range of the typical bass.  It can also be used effectively when connected to a pitch finder such as a keyboard as well.

  It was a sunny beautiful morning and while the birdies were singing outside, I had moved on to the next model and created my own monster music fit for my someday killer thriller! In fact, many sequences in the music of Michael Jackson was produced from the behavior of the Grandmother model. The nice thing about this place is that you are allowed mess around with any settings you want without anyone complaining. With this, I was able to diffuse the sound and create arppegiated effects to add diversity. However, the instruments are monophonic (meaning only one tone can be produced at a time) and that creepy tritone could be played holding down two fingers and releasing one while still sustaining the other and doing this repeatedly.

    It's nice if you don't  have any actual talent but still sound like you are creating legitimate music. The Mellotron originated in the 1960's and preceded the synthesizer. The initial model was a keyboard instrument connected to prerecorded tapeloops which would sound simultaneously when keys were played. I got to play around on an electronic version of this with no tapeloop. One key creates the entire band and hiring additional musicians for me was not necessary which was the initial purpose of the instrument.

  Since I only had 30 minutes, I wanted to be sure I spaced my time accordingly before my tour. Just before time was up, I made my way towards a structure that was not that of a keyboard. It was a free standing console with controls and sensory rods. It looked somewhat familiar like maybe something I may have seen on Mr. Rogers when I was a kid but not something I had seen too often and did not remember what it was known as. I knew it had to be a wave sensor of some sort. It was early in the day and it had not yet been powered up as I was the first to play it that day. Once I figured that out it did not take long to know what to do to produce sound. Then I realized this instrument had a name.

  The Etherwave is Moog's version of the an instrument known as the Theremin which is the only instrument played without being touched. The pitch is determined by the distances of hand placement towards the antenna. Volume is controlled by an additional rod on the left side of the instrument. If you are familiar with the song "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys, the sound of the Theremin can be heard at the end of the song (the whistle-like effect).

   Since music is one of the easier topics for me to write about, and on this particular subject, I have way more to say, I have decided to divide my story into two separate posts. Please enjoy this funny video of Paul McCartney while he performs a demonstration of the Mellotron.

To Be Continued :).......

Keto Along the Way-Take Me There!-Part2

 

Some people hate car rides. Especially very long car rides. For me, they make my sensory come to life. Everything from cows off in distant pastures, skyscraper as we pass through larger cities, old houses, churches, landmarks, and deer (the ones that dodged the headlights!)
For many years, I have made countless road trips from Atlanta going north via I-75 to I-24 through the rolling hills of Tennessee. With a one hour time change and rest stops included, our annual drive to St. Louis is around 10 hours. Stopping along the way is often discouraged in order to keep good time. This time, we made an exception.
  

The Old General Store

    There is something about a road trip  that boost my appetite. I can't seem to ever get enough to eat while in the car. Before starting Keto, I usually would like the starchy things like BBQ potato chips, Goldfish crackers and sandwiches. Since my diet now is virtually no carb, this situation is more of a challenge and I will need a little help. I am hopeful that this first stop will make it happen for me.
  
    It was one of those places I would always notice every time we would pass though this mountaintop whistle-stop. The signage alone left me protein hopeful.
   
    The November air felt brisk and we were glad to stretch our legs. As weary travelers, we were welcomed with down home country panorama. This place had everything! Smoked ham, fresh bacon, handcrafted barbecue sauces and homemade fudge.
   

  This is what you bring to the office picnic and ask "Where do I put the Jello?"

     The walls were lined with antiques from local dealers, a working player piano and a display to commemorate one very bad day for a rattle snake.

     There was also an area in the store which housed a museum dedicated to the legendary country duo the Louvin Brothers. Though they were a little before my time, I was impressed with the large collections of photos, CD's and  memorabilia.

      There was way more to see and do but we were on a tight schedule.


What did I come away with?  
Tah-dah!

    Now don't judge me. When we were kids, we didn't know sardines were little fishes and there was actually a reason dad was sent outside by mom to the back patio table to eat them. The same is true with pork skins. After all, are any of us really bothered by the fact that bacon is pork belly? The pork rinds came in a variety of flavors and are 100% carb-free (so is bacon for that matter).


The Icon


I guess maybe another reason I like road trips is because of all the time I spent on the road growing up. We were military and would often travel cross country to relocate and my mom never wanted to fly anywhere. My awareness of surroundings back then were every bit as much vivid as it is now. I took everything all in. Everything from the fanning rows of corn in the farms as we passed through the Midwest while Steppenwolf played on the radio.

   It was back in the day when there were no Quick Trips or mega-truck stops and the only place for lodging, really, was the Holiday Inn.

    The concept of a roadside convenience store had not really yet transpired but wasn't completely nonexistent. Yes, there was a place in the middle of nowhere where we could stop in, stretch and buy a rabbits foot as a souvenir. I remember this place and how very remote the locations were. As a kid I also wondered where the people who worked there actually lived as it seemed like we were miles from the nearest civilization.
  
    As we revisited this place today, we arrived to find that this store location was immaculate. It appeared as though it were family owned and the owners seemed quite glad to see us. Maybe it was because everyone else went to Quick Trip or Love's that day as it was very quiet. The dining room looked as though it had not yet been dined in that day. The shelves were neat and fully stocked. Since we were in the Bible Belt, the writing on the wall of the ladies room had mostly scripture verses and "Jesus Saves" next to their names as opposed to the typical countess phone numbers and indecent proposals.



   Though the pecans are keto friendly the caramel and the confection are not. A serving of this pecan log (1/8 of a piece) has 27 grams of carbs. A small sliver of this daily should be fine. If keep it in my refrigerator, I will be able to enjoy this for a long while.



The Brewery

  

  Some of the most successful businesses started out of peoples basements. Steve Jobs started Microsoft in his basement and Walt Disney and Amazon actually started in garages. We hear these stories and are amazed. However, when it happens to someone in your family and you are able to watch it unfold as its happening, that's a whole different story.

     Four years ago I wrote a blog about my brother in-law, Matt who had a home brewery in his basement. The name of the blog was titled "Bang Bang" because he took us all out to the shooting range while we were in St. Louis that year  to visit that year and I fired a rifle for the first time. Here is the link....

https://gettinglostismygoal.blogspot.com/2014/11/bang-bang.html

     A lot has happened in four years and he no longer operates his brewery from his basement. Out of this genius invention came a successful craft brewery with the offspring of a coffee house, events venue and phase two of the brewery itself.

     A year ago during Thanksgiving, we celebrated as a family just before the soft launch of the new brewery with pizza and craft beer. Fast forward one year later the brewery is now standing room only and once again we have reason to celebrate. There is only one problem. I'm not supposed to eat the pizza.  

     Since we are all family and we already have bragging rights because Matt uses our pizza sauce recipe, I had an idea. I looked at the menu and saw where they serve a house salad. I looked at the many varieties of pizza. There was BBQ chicken with red onion as well as buffalo chicken with red onion and ranch and a grilled fajita. I suggested to Matt that the two should be combined for trouble makers like me. I had a grilled fajita salad and I really liked it. Maybe my idea will stick and end up on the menu!

Places visited: Jim Olivers Smoke House
                Monteagle, Tennesee               

Stuckey's
  Pelham, Tennesee
               
                         Good News Brewing Company,                         

    O'Fallon, Missouri

                           Date visited: Between 
                                November 20th                                            and
                                     24th, 2018
















  Making the decision to be on the Keto diet was by far one of the best lifestyle decision for me. I feel great most of the time. I'm not grouchy as easily, the quality of my work has improved, and the edema and inflammation are gone. Now that I am at my ideal weight, I am able to fuel up a little more with some carbs on the weekends and work on building muscle tone. Not go "cray cray"with the carbs but just fuel up a little more. It's a learning process that I'm working on finding my place a lot of the time but it has proved that it works. It can definitely become a frustrating game of do's and don't but everyone is different. I am still learning of who to listen to and what I should just ignore.

I don't like rattlesnakes!

    
     

   

   

Keto Along the Way! - Rockin' The Paradise! - Part 1

There it is- the "K" word! In case you're wondering, yes that word now applies to me! I have been

fortunate enough to be at a healthy weight most of my life but over the past few years, I have developed some health interferences that have left me just not feeling like myself.

        I'm just going to come out and be real about this. As I have become "of age" (in reference to entering middle age) I have struggled with inflammation problems, edema, anxiety probably from the result of fluctuating hormones, and yes, weight gain! I don't go to the doctor and I don't to take medication so I researched and googled natural supplements to ease these aging symptoms. I also started a workout routine last Summer but saw little change. I felt that the only thing I could do was just accept these things as a part of growing older but quite truthfully, they really suck!

         I had heard about this keto lifestyle and have had many friends share their success stories so I did tons of research. When I learned that I would get to eat nuts, boiled eggs, any and all berries, gourmet cheeses, dark chocolate, and chicken tenders, I became intrigued as my diet consists mostly of all of these things. I could totally do this! It's just that there were many other things I would have unplug from my diet should I follow this plan. I would need to do without most of my endless consumption of chips and salsa at the Mexican restaurant, sandwiches on Hogie rolls, pizza crust and sadly my Jarritos (it's this Mexican soda that comes in many flavors and goes good with chips and salsa).

       So the story begins. I started with a 24-hour fast and little by little eliminated carbs from my diet over a period of about a week. I am constantly on the hot pursuit of information and have probably done over 100 different searches on Google most of which start with "How many carbs in..." I  had no idea that there were so many hiding places for carbs and how careful I actually needed to be to reach my goal and staying under 50 grams of carbs per day!
   
      I have replaced chips and salsa with celery and peanut butter. I now enjoy salami and provolone rolls, and eat lots of cashews. If there is pizza in my house, I peel off and eat the cheese and take the crust outside for the birds. I even was able to replace my soda with a drink called Zevia. It is made from the the natural sweetener Stevia plant, it comes in many flavors and tastes like regular soda. It's a bit more expensive so I try to get it when it's on sale.

     Among the information from my endless research, I have also read that if you eat a ketogenic diet one of the disadvantages is not being able to enjoy going out to dinner as often. Since I like to write about traveling and eating, I have also wondered how my new lifestyle would effect my experiences. Regardless, I made the decision to prove this information to be wrong!

      My experiences would not be limited. Maybe just a little different. I have learned that going keto involves a little more creativity with eating.

     And the journey continues as we had approached my favorite week of the year which is always Thanksgiving. Each year we drive 10  hours from Atlanta to St. Louis to visit family. When we get there, we go to our favorite brewery and then we drink craft beer at the brewery, eat pizza and cook meat all day the next day. Besides that, we don't really do much else. That's kind of the point of the trip. It is also why

4 types of meat for TG : Sausage, turkey, tri-tips and ribs.

I have not written much about my St. Louis trips because there's not really a who lot to say about them. However, this year it will be my first Thanksgiving with the challenge of staying in Ketosis. I begged and begged my husband to please not be about point a to point b on this trip and to please adapt the Clark Griswald mentality of "Getting there is half the fun!" I even offered to get up an hour earlier that morning. I got lucky and he agreed. So with that,  I will  write of  an adventure which I have never written about - the keto-eating journey with as much creativity as I  can          muster at the many unique stops along
 the the 10-hour drive! .





 Here we go!!!   


                                          For your enjoyment: Rockin' The Paradise-STYX