Some assorted things Kent and Marilyn have recently learned, and then smiled about

1 – The word of the week is ‘risibly’, meaning:  deserving to be laughed at, eliciting laughter, ludicrous.  

2 – The New York Times recently commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Beatles arrival in the United States, and their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan TV show.  The newspaper ran a full-page memorial, containing the newspapers very first article that introduced the Beatles to America.  The opening paragraph read:  ‘Question - Multiply Elvis Presley by four, subtract six years from his age, add British accents and a sharp sense of humor.  The Answer:  It’s the Beatles (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah)’.

3 - Comedian David Brenner, age 78, frequent guest host of the Tonight Show, with more than 150 appearances, recently passed away.  His family stated that, in his “final request”, he asked that one hundred dollars in small bills be placed in his left sock ‘just in case tipping is recommended where I’m going’.

4 – A recent column in the Sunday NY Times was cleverly titled, ‘Religion for $1,000 Alex’, a take-off on the TV show Jeopardy.  The article pointed out how largely ignorant Americans are about religion.  The closing paragraph read, “we do not want to emulate the long-ago Texas governor who, in one of those stories that may be too good to be true, opposed Spanish instruction in the state because, ‘If English was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for us.’

5 -  Donald Rumsfeld (Chief of Staff and Secretary of Defense under Gerald Ford, and Secretary of Defense under George W. Bush), both the youngest and oldest Secretary of Defense, sends a similar letter with his tax returns to the IRS every year.  It reads, “this note is to alert you folks that I know that I do not know whether or not my tax returns are accurate.” 

6 - The local Idaho Falls newspaper is the Post Register.  Recently it contained an article entitled, ‘Lunar Eclipse to Cover Western Hemisphere’.  The article, about a future event began, “North and South America, get ready for the first eclipse of the year…on Tuesday morning”.  The article was printed the next day, on Wednesday, the day following the eclipse.  We will call this a predictable, ‘risibly’ article from our small town local newspaper.

Our Travel Review

BY: Brinn & Ramona Granat

When traveling with our FOUR kids (just for you Kirse) we have come to the understanding that some adjustments will have to be made.

1. The size of our accommodations (it’s hard to cram 6 people in a tiny hotel room).

2. Ease of eating out with kids or the complexity of it depending where you go, which takes us to our next difficulty,  

3. Type of food that we want to eat vs the type of food the kids will eat (kid food wins out most of the time, unfortunately).

4. Price of food while out every meal for the duration of your vacation, even eating out cheap adds up.

5. Drive time, how long can you endure sitting in a car singing nursery rhymes, constant potty breaks, kid movies (it’s odd the number of movies that I have listened to numerous times in the car but have never actually seen), listening to whining or illogical arguments from kids, sore muscles from craning your neck back to interact with the kids, and car sickness.

We actually like traveling with our kids.  Some of our family adventures have included Mt. Rushmore, St. George, Boise, McCall, Coeur D’Alene, Kalispell, Alberta, Memphis, Nashville, Oregon Coast and most recently Vancouver Washington.  I do have to say that even though I did enjoy our low budget accommodations at America’s Best Inn (no really, it was adequate, quiet and it had a nice breakfast spread), our most recent trip to Vancouver Washington superseded our expectations.  Here is a copy of our review:

May’s Garden Inn: Bed and Breakfast

Guest Score:                                                              

                                                                         5 star Review

All of our expectations were exceeded at our most recent stay at the May’s Garden Inn in Vancouver Washington.  It started out with a very warm and personalized welcome. We were greeted by name and the staff even took the extra effort in making us a welcome poster.

Our two bedrooms and one private bath were more than enough space and exceptionally accommodating.  Beds were comfy and there was an abundance of extra blankets and pillows at our disposal.  Rooms were clean, water pressure was good, I cannot say enough about a shower with adequate water pressure.  Décor was a mix of homey and eclectic pieces; some of the original pieces were truly spectacular.  It made you feel comfortable, not overly staged or sterile like you get at some big name hotels. 

The food.  I am shocked I didn’t gain a few double digits from this trip.  Breakfast each morning with bagels and cream cheese one day, buttermilk pancakes the next, followed by French toast.  You will be planning your next meal while still eating your current meal- yes this is how this place rolls.  Thai take out from the food carts, gourmet pizza, fish tacos, the Gouda and Havarti…it will leave your taste buds tingling and your belly full.  They will even allow you to sample the Boston cream pie before it’s fully assembled!

Hands on Concierge service. Enough said.  No really, their Concierge will even drive the car for you- which is a huge plus for us because it eliminates the possibility of getting lost and it also allows you to look around and enjoy the epic beauty that surrounds you.  Plus their Concierge has her doctorate in History so not only are you getting all the facts but you are also getting an education.

We highly recommend upgrading to the Entertainment package.  It includes activities like band concerts, vocal performances, basketball games, a variety show, and many introductions to shows like the IT crowd and youtube hits like the FiveGuys “Oh My DAYHEM review… not to mention that there is an onsite basketball court and playground for the kiddies.

Can’t rave enough about how much we enjoyed our stay and we would highly recommend the May’s Garden Inn: Bed and Breakfast to all of our friends and family.