A "Warning" Sign...if you're on a diet.
It was a bright red, glowing beacon.
A warm spot with delicious aromas.
My eyes almost glazed.
I had read the light had been turned off for about four days for remodeling and I am sure the recognized symbol was sorely missed.
But, tonight it was alight again and tranquility along Savannah Highway
was restored.
Yes, the symbol of hot stuff at
Krispy Kreme was shining again.
I had read that the place had closed for less than a week to do a major facelift, brightening and new tables and chairs.
Passing by, I was curious to see how it looked now.
As some know, I have been successfully dieting for several months and have dropped my weight from 206 down to 182-183.
Needless to say I have
NOT been hanging out at a doughnut shop.
But this was
"research" so I grabbed my camera and pushed through the glass doors to see what had changed.
First I noticed a Starbucks look with comfy chairs and a couch forming a small conversation area.
Lots of new tile work was evident and the close-up viewing area near the assembly line of tasty treats now had a solid wall keeping curious kids' fingers and hands away from moving parts. Good idea!
It sure looked bright and clean.
The new tables - some short, some high - had an inviting look.
"Get some doughnuts, a cup of coffee and settle back for a nice break," the room seemed to say.
Admittedly, I came in during a lull.
Three people arrived just before I did and they were talking about the changes.
We all seemed to agree it was bright and cheerful.
The difference was they were ordering several dozens of the glazed and some chocolates ones.
If you are going to get doughnuts at the
"factory" where they are made, you ask that they be plucked right off the line, still delightfully warm.
Otherwise, you could pick up a box or so at a nearby grocery store.
Years and years ago, before Krispy Kreme was available on the West Coast, I had sent a wrapped dozen to my daughter as a present for her graduation.
From the California Police Academy.
She passed them around to fellow new officers and everyone enjoyed being part of a law enforcement cliche.
(Click on the photos for more details.)
No, I did NOT eat a doughnut.
Really.
Just took some pictures, jotted down some notes, climbed back in my car and drove home.
This morning my scale read 181 pounds.
Yesss!
Labels: across from Green Goat, Hot Doughnuts Now sign, Krispy Kreme, Mayo Clinic Diet, Police Academy, red and green beacon, Savannah Highway, Starbucks
Blogging about bloggers...
A few months ago I wrote about a
Charleston Bloggers meetup I tried to attend at the West Ashley Barnes & Noble.
No problem finding the large bookstore.
The manager walked me over to a corner of the store - by the DVDs and CDs - and I saw folded chairs stacked.
I sat and waited for the others to arrive. One other person showed up a few minutes later.
We chatted as we waited and even sent some emails asking where were the rest of the group.
Well, after an hour she and I left.
We later discovered the group had been in session at the store - but in the coffee area with wall plugs for laptops. Duh.
The manager had lead us astray.
The next month I found 5-6 others gathered and we had some nice conversations about Web Logs.
(We
b Logs...get it?)
Last night I went again and saw some familiar faces and a few new ones.
J. Mark Diaz, the moderator, and I had missed meeting before and he explained that the original founder - a very busy lawyer - had asked him to take over the leadership as the Coordinator.
I mentioned there had been a large group of Bloggers organized locally years ago when this part of the web was still very new. The Post and Courier had semi-recognized us as a group and we were featured in a column that ran for about a year.
One of those early bloggers,
Geoff Marshall, was from England and he had taken an extensive cross-country drive before he returned to London.
Geoff had already been to Hawaii and Alaska, so his blog postings included his good and bad adventures in the "lower 48."
One stop was at Mt. Rushmore and he posed - as thousands do each year - with his face on the far right.
I converted it to black & white and embellished his features to have a more granite look.
Unlike the Queen Victoria saying, he "WAS amused."
Glad to be part of this newer incarnation of bloggers and wannabes.
Hope they all achieve what they attempt on the internet.
I sure have!
(Click on the photos for more detail.)
Thanks for stopping by. Stay and have a coffee.
Labels: B&N, blurred background, bookstore manager, Charleston Bloggers, Geoff Marshall, Mark Diaz, Starbucks, The Post and Courier, Topaz plug-ins
How about a Cup of Fair Trade Organic Coffee?
So I was shopping at the Tanger Stores and wandered into a Kitchen shop.
It dawned on me it was Tuesday and Seniors get a discount on that day at this store. (When you're retired, days of the week sort of blend together.)
Saw this
KEURIG single-cup coffee maker and thought
"Hmm, that would provide some variety in the morning."Living alone, a 3 pound can of ground coffee makes a LOT of cups of coffee and seems to last forever.
But it's the same taste day after day.
I could see a
French Vanilla flavored cup.
Or when my daughter - newly appointed as a detective - came by, we could sip cups of
Donut Shop brew. Ouch.
Some days it would help to start with EXTRA BOLD
Sumatran Reserve.Like when you need to really be at the top of your game.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day (Is that the slogan at Denny's?) and the right combination of coffee can't hurt.
Sorry Starbucks.
(Click twice on the pictures for more detail. This really does provide variety in the morning. Drop by for a cup.)
Labels: Denny's, French Vanilla, Grand Slam me, Keurig Coffee System, Starbucks, Sumatran Reserve Organic coffee, Tanger Outlet Stores
A Travel Movie ....
My last visit to
England was back in the 1980s and the exchange rate was one pound for $2.64. Actually, right now is a little bit better.
I think it's time to go back to the United Kingdom for a visit .... and even pop over to Europe.
Well, it
IS very, very close and the dollar is slightly stronger against the Euro.
Individual countries still had their own money like Francs and Deutsch marks my last time there.
I was aware that
BENELUX stood for Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg - and I have never been there - so
Amsterdam was added to the list as was
Belgium.
They say the coffee is so good there, it's more popular than Starbucks. I plan to check out that claim. I enjoy a good brew that whets the appetite.
After seeing the movie
"In Bruges" a few months ago, Belgium was an obvious choice. In the film two London hit men hide out in this beautiful 16-17th century city for several weeks.
The movie is a Chamber of Commerce visual treat of art museums, canals and historic buildings.
There were a lot of guns and shootings and bodies falling from church towers but that was just movie magic amidst a tranquil setting.
So that's my travel plan.
Guess it's a good thing that I didn't just see
"Around The World In 80 Days."Labels: Belgium, BENELUX, Brugge (Flemish), deutschmark, England, In Bruges, London, Luxemburg, Starbucks, The Netherlands
