Southern Byways

The last time we were in Florida, the lady next door came over carrying a few slices of Red Velvet Cake. I of course had to ask her for the recipe and before we left, she brought it over, handwritten on a file card.

2 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 C. sugar
1 T. cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 C. oil
1 C. buttermilk
2 oz. (1/4 C.) red food coloring
1 tsp. vanilla

1. All the dry ingredients into a bowl.
2. Break eggs and whip with a fork.
3. Add oil and keep whipping.
4. Add to dry ingredients and continue whipping until batter …read more

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Okay, I have stayed in hotels that offered amazing views, but this is something that I have never tried… and probably never will. I have this thing called claustrophobia and I don’t think that I would last long. But, it is still awfully cool and I’m sure that there are lot of you out there who would love to try this out. So, here goes.
This “lodge” is located 30 feet underwater in the Emerald Lagoon in Key Largo, Fla., and can be reached only by scuba divers. That means that you have to learn how to scuba dive. …read more

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I know that there are lots of Footballers out there, the American version as well as the European version. Actually, it’s the European football  aka soccer that is popular in our house thanks to a husband who use to play, but this month’s theme for me was digging up what I could find on football in the south. Lets just say that I did my best and leave it at that. Ask me about restaurants, beaches or shopping and I’m right up there, but suddenly I was out of my element this month. But if you are a fan, …read more

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I’m warning you now… you just might see one of these critters. It’s a water moccasin, but there’s lots to check out… alligator, black bear, white tailed deer, sandhill crane, osprey, anhinga, egret, heron, otter, water moccasin (or cottonmouth), raccoon, gopher tortoise, snapping turtle, diamondback rattlesnake, copperhead, coral snake, bobcat, wild turkey, red tailed hawk. Source The plant life sound a lot safer lol… The Black Gum tree sounds interesting!!
The park also features an interesting gadget that you will want to check before heading to the swamp… it has a heat …read more

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When I think of the south, I definitely don’t think about football. To be quite honest, when I heard that we were using football as this month’s theme, I wasn’t even sure if I would find anything. I’m big on beaches, restaurants and shopping, but football?? I just didn’t know what I would find. I was in for a bit of a surprise. It’s a lot more popular, than I would ever have guessed. Seeing that I don’t know anything about college football, I thought that I would just send you to all the official sites that would fill …read more

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The summer is almost over, but not quite…
I’m just not quite ready to let it go and tomorrow I head out for a week in Chicago and I’m going to make the most of it. But, if I can save a few pennies here and there, I will have more to spend somewhere else! So, it’s time for a little link love and the topic today is saving money while on holiday. Here’s what I found.
Belt Black Shopper I counted 15 different ways to save money while on holiday. And if you use even most of them, you are going …read more

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Colonel Sanders put Kentucky on the map with his fried chicken, but it doesn’t stop there. If you are in the London, Kentucky area from September 27 to the 30th, they are holding the 2007 Chicken Festival! You just can’t pass that up!! But, if you can’t make it, you can still watch. They have web cams set up! Now how cool would that be?? Here and here…
There is so much going on, but I must tell you one more thing. For you car enthusiast… there is a car show scheduled for the Chicken Festival.
“Again, the festival has been voted …read more

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1. Moonshine did not originate in the South, but in 18th century England! Source
2. It is thought that the name Moonshine originated from the fact that it was “brewed” beneath the moon. Apparently, there was a lot of smoke and steam involved and making Moonshine at night helped to hide the fact. Source
3. The perfect Christmas gift: your own copper moonshine still… Even if you never intend to fire up one of his products, they are works of art. Prices? The 20-gallon model pictured is $1,200. There is a 16-week waiting list, which means if you …read more

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Not only do you get to buy the town, you get to be the mayor, own a barber shop, and a gas station! Now how cool is that?? And all you have to do is offer the right price!
Otis Cooksey is apparently ready to retire and hand it all over to someone new! Are you interested??
“Cooksey said he’s willing to help whoever buys it to learn the ropes, both of being the owner of a business, and the mayor of the town. However, he says he will have some regrets about giving up his title. “
I think that …read more

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It’s a bit… do what I say and not what I do… kind of tip. So, here goes…
Make sure that you write down all of the names and addresses of people you want to send postcards to. I intended to send a half dozen or so while in Florida a couple of months ago and guess what. I didn’t have the addresses with me. And even worse… I told everybody that I would send them each a card.
It just occurred to me this morning that it might be a good idea to write out all of the addresses and put …read more

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