APK's building's social committee through a posh wine and cheese reception last night for the residents. Nice, right? We went to Alero afterwards for faijitas. Why do hostesses always feel the need to be rude? Honestly! I mean we know they're making minimum wage without even a tip.

But anyways...

We're planning the trip down to Mobile now. I swear, I gain a minimum of 5 pounds everytime the plane lands in Mobile. The food is just so damn good in the South! Especially where I'm from. It's Cajun and Southern. We're located right near New Orleans and Biloxi, so our cuisine is less fried and more sumptuous. You do know Mobile originated Mardi Gras? Yes. We're the original Mardi Gras, New Orleans is just the tourist trap that gets all the press.

So my Mom made reservations for us at Felix's Fish Camp. My favorite thing about the menu is the Moon Pie a la Mode dessert. Mmmmm. Bubba wanna a moonpie?

There's also the Dew Drop Inn. It's the oldest restaurant in Mobile. It's rumored that Jimmy Buffet wrote "Cheeseburger in Paradise" about the food there. They still dye their hot dogs pink. They still serve corndogs. The waitresses still call you "Sweetie". If I were going to die of high cholesterol, I'd want it to be because I ate too many meals at the Dew Drop.

I was talking to a girl last night from the Florida panhandle about the quirkiness of growing up where we did. I 've learned to fully appreciate the State Farm and the Mustard Festival and pink hot dogs. I love road side flea markets and Medieval Themed Markets. There's nothing more entertaining than the water tower in Gaffney, SC that's shaped like a giant peach (the Peachoid) or the Spam Factory. The quirkier, the better. She told me of a parade and festival in Columbia, SC dedicated entirely to Okra. There's a good one in Bama too. I told her about the NPC Eleanor Herman book reading on May 15th where the author will be dressed in 16th-century attire to discuss, with slides, the sex lives of Royal families throughout history. Seriously? Can you beat anything so fabulous!

My favorite hotel is the Malaga Inn in Mobile. It was 2 house built exactly identical right next to each other by twin sisters who couldn't bare to live apart once they were married.

There's a huge iron statue in the center of Asheville, NC that rocks! Have you ventured on the fastest speedboat in Ocean City, MD?

I wanted to take APK to Williamsburg, VA for his birthday in June. At the Colonial Williamsburg houses, you get to stay in the village in one of the old houses, taverns, shops, etc. that's been converted into a hotel room. I was going to request the oddest conversion they had. I'm told there's a room created in an old utility room. He didn't find this as highly entertaining as I did. The girl last night had a cousin who worked in Colonial Williamsburg, in 18th century garb, as a silver smith until last year.

Nothing says Arizona like the sourdough bread loaves sold at the Arivaca, AZ bakery... off the side of a highway about 10 miles from the Mexican border.

You do know my father and I went to a dude ranch in Arizona to ride horses, right? No TV or cable to internet. An actual wrangler. Brad. He lost his leg while hunting and had a wooden one. He had a crush on me. We stayed in the suite that the second John Wayne used to frequent.

El Rancho de la Osa. Now that's Americana at it's best.

Perhaps after a couple of pink hotdogs, APK will feel the southern love of all things odd and unusual.

Here are 2 of my favorite road trip shots:

That's me in front of the Gaffney Peachoid in South Carolina. It looks a bit like a large tooshie in person.

This is me in Bowie, MD for the 4th of July Bowie Baysox game. Complete with fireworks and a Whoopie Cushion world record contest. Everyone in the stadium had to sit on a cushion at the same time to try and win the number of simultaneous cushions that went off at once. We lost by 2 or 3 I think.