More friends!

Max and I couldn't do this without all of our friends from DC to Texas. Thanks to everyone for making it possible and for such fun!


Robin, Jeb, Napolean and Phoebe Callan of Austin, TX


Max and Sammy at the Fort Worth home of Aunt Roberta and Uncle Bob...hosts to our family gatherings. (See future posts.)


Ruth and Corry Schiermeyer of Lubbock, TX with canine pals (aka "pack mates") Scout, Mia and Penny.

Thanks to Our Friends on the Road

As Max and I meander along the highways (and even gravel roads!) on our cross-country roadtrip, we are having fun with family and friends, new and old. Here are a few of them:


Kendyl Nitschke of Raleigh, NC


Gwen & Larry Brody of Freck, AR


Roger & Kay Branson of Edmond, OK


Katie, Chris & Lydia Stavinhoa of Houston, TX

We're off to Austin, now!

Eating Right on the Road?

Any tips to eating right while on the road? I've gained five pounds!!! Add that to the 10 I already need to lose and the picture ain't pretty!!! Note that all pics are of The Maxinator.

Here's some ideas:

1) Just buy small limeades during bathroom stops at Sonics.

2) Offer to cook for hosts when staying with family and friends.

3) Stop eating Mexican food for breakfast, lunch and dinner...though I have to say that my last lunch at Blue Goose Cantina in Plano (yummmy, though it was) did push me over my Mexican food limit...I think I finally sated that craving...well, maybe there's room for a Polvos b'fast while in Austin next week :)

My current B&B host, Carol Lanham, turned me on to the Flat Belly Diet which has some awesome recipes...but it requires grocery shopping, and having a kitchen...things hard to get on the road.

I've got to work something into my stops...I loved hiking all over the Biltmore Estates with my dog...and we had some good walks in Branson...Oh, and thanks also to Carol who got me to the gym twice this week where I did cardio AND weights...

Anyone know of good exercises for the hotel room or food that can be ordered or drive-thru choices? You know, a sort of practical driving "Eat This, Not That" sorta deal.

Going Country!

After binging on "the best chicken fried steak in the universe," Mexican food and burgers, I continued the journey back to my roots and bought some way cool cowgirl boots and shirts at Shepler's...Max, who is a native of Virginia, tried to relate.



I also bought some way cool shirts, two with western yokes and lovely enamel covered snaps (one gingham, the other sparkley party shirt), the other with lucky horseshoes...eat your heart out!



I can't wait to wear them under black suits :)

Lessons Learned on the Road (with a dog)

I've learned a couple of things traveling with Max that I felt the need to share:

1) Have a plan for pit stops that have bathrooms facing the outdoors v. having to go inside to the bathroom. This is because you can't leave the dog in the car on a hot day (or really cold one, I suppose, but I didn't have that problem)...and you can't bring a dog into a restaurant or convenience store that sells food (though I did BEG one man running a gas station that sold some food, and promised to clean up any messes, of course).

Answer: SONIC!

And you have the added bonus of having lots of people in their cars sitting around watching your stuff and they have shaded places to sit in your car to eat with your dog.

2) You will also need a way to FIND the Sonics!

Answer: iPhone...or more specifically the Around Me app for iPhone.

This locates your current coordinates and tells you what is closest to you in various categories from food to hospitals...or it will tell you where the nearest thing you ask for is (if it's within 100 miles), like Sonic.

3) When traveling on turnpikes or along long, windy country roads or unfamiliar territory with lots of tall trees AND your fuel gage is low, it's good to have a way to find out where the nearest gas station is. It's even better to know if cheaper gas is just around the corner, or a block or two off the highways.

Answer: iPhone...or Gas Bag app! Not only does it locate area gas stations, but it often has the prices listed (this is entered by users), so you know where cheaper gas is...it also has a function that helps you keep track of prices and mpg, etc.

4) Be careful of hot cars...did you know that cars with windows closed can get so hot that the air expands and the windows blow out? This from AAA books, and a Grand Canyon info site.

Answer: Crack the windows!

Tourist Branson and Writer's Camp

OK, so I didn't make it to a show, but Max and I walked up and down the Branson strip for a day or two, and spent the last day in historic downtown Branson, MO, as a bonafide tourist:



After Branson, MO, we headed to the roaring metropolis of Freck, AR, where Cloud Creek Institute for the Arts is located, home to TV Writer Larry Brody and his famous TV writing class...The town is soooo small that there are more residents here than in town:



Max had a great time chasing bunny rabbits, sniffing chickens and cowering from the world's largest dogs--called "horses."



We spent a night out in the deep, dark woods of Arkansas where there are NO GHOSTS, despite what everyone said and despite the fact that Max kept growling at something I couldn't see and followed it around the cabin we stayed in...

Thanks to the Brody's for their hospitality and large movie collection...I finally saw Doubt and Revolutionary Road, saving me about $10 at the video store...and for all of the encouragement and advice...Larry was smart enough to marry a woman from the big city of Ada, OK, so he can't be all bad - despite his long tenure in LA.

After a relaxing couple of days, it was off to OKC down the winding road of US Highway 412...

Yea, AAA!

AAA cost me $52 and I saved $16 on my ticket to the Biltmore in Asheville, NC, then about an average of $8/night on hotel rooms...so after 5 nights, I paid for the membership...not to mention the books and maps...though I did buy the Traveling with Your Pet book at B&N for about $18 only to see it was on sale there for $9...poo...well...now you know if you want to buy it.