The Edge of Empty

As I was studying for my Civil Procedure final, I was munching on Nabisco Premium Soup & Oyster crackers . It made me think back to my childhood. I was one of those crazy kids who couldn't stand for food to touch on the plate. I also was a bit of a picky eater so meal times were fun for my mom. The worst thing was biting into a casserole and coming across a chunk of hidden onion. Actually, that wasn't the worst. The worst was my dad's hamburgers--you never knew what might be lurking in them. Eddie Murphy knows what I mean: Most summers, I stayed at my grandparent's house. I am guessing that my grandmother was a picky eater also because she always bought fun foods for me to eat. One of those foods was oyster crackers. Anyway, I grew up to have a picky eater of my own. Using what I knew from my childhood, I often served the boys what we called Bits & Pieces for lunch. Basically, it was a variety of finger foods such as cheese cubes, ham cubes, fruit slices, ...

Drivers on this naval facility must get awful tired. First, they can't stop on the pavement... so some must have tried parking on the grass. If that weren't bad enough, pedestrians can't stop either.  At least I didn't see any don't walk on grass signs.

I am glad to report that tastes in Norfolk, Virginia, aren't all  unusual  as evidenced by the mecca of goodness pictured below. I know that many of you will dispute my favorite caramel colored beverage as the elixir of life. And for you and your life, that may be true. But for me, the day doesn't begin until an icy cold Coca-Cola has been opened and I have heard that beautiful  sound  that only carbonated beverages can make. (BTW, the sound even has its own  Facebook page . And just to keep the blog educational go  here  for the science behind the sound). I have always said that it is a good thing that I wasn't around back when it still had  cocaine  in the formula. There is no need to lecture me on the dangers of soda--this is my one bad habit and I have no desire to break it.

I grew up in the Deep South so I am very familiar with the strange concoctions that Southern cooks make from tomatoes. However, I have never heard of the item advertised on this sign by the restaurant Taste in Norfolk, VA. I must say that it doesn't sound like a good thing, but this recipe from Simply Recipes may change my mind. Anyone out there ever tried Tomato Pie or have a recipe to share?

A friend shared this photo with me of a trash can in a government building in Florida, and I thought you might enjoy it as well.

The other day we were in the car to retrieve Eldest from college for spring break.  I  noticed that the Hubster brought along his lunch bag.  I was feeling a bit peckish, so I decided to see what snack I could  nab from his stash.  Imagine my surprise when this is what I found: IMG_1967 , a photo by Michelle on the Edge on Flickr. When I pulled out my camera, he exclaimed "you will not blog about this." Silly Hubby, a good blogger can't pass up opportunities like this one. Which brings us to the question, what do you call a lunch box with no food in it? If I was carrying the bag,  it would be a purse.  Since it was the Hubsters, it could only be a murse .  The  Urban Dictionary  defines murse as "a male handbag, or man-purse." Who knew that the Hubster was a trendsetter?  Even better, I found a clip of one of Youngest's favorite movie quotes from the time when he used to sport a messenger bag instead of a traditional backp...

It has been quite a while since I had time to post more than once or twice a week.  I certainly haven't had a chance to share amusing sites from my travels. This past weekend, I found myself on the road taking Eldest back to school after spring break.  aAfter 15 hours in the car, I must say that I was not finding much amusing. However, the situation changed when I saw the sign below: If you don't understand why I found this amusing, maybe seeing where it was posted will help. IMG_1991 , a photo by Michelle on the Edge on Flickr. With gas prices hovering around $4 per gallon, I certainly didn't expect to find amusement at a service station.  At least the proprietor seems to have a sense of humor.

On this holiday weekend, I thought I would mention some travel tips. I have referred for years to a great site called Factory Tours USA that lists many of the factory tours available across the county.  The listing is divided by state, and that is my favorite way to use it.  However, it is possible to search by category of manufactured item or by zip code.  I prefer the state option because I am never opposed to changing my course and trying a new route if it nets a cool field trip.  These detours generally have occurred when Hubster is not along for the ride because he prefers the quickest route method of traveling. As he ages, he is becoming more willing to take a side trip here and there as evidenced by our recent mine tour . The addition of A E Ferret to our family presented some new travel challenges for us that Pets Welcome  has helped us solve.  Of course, we could take him to his veterinarian who offers boarding service, but the thought of him be...

Within a few minutes of seeing the phone booth mentioned here , I saw this sign.  I want to make it clear that I have nothing against trailer parks.  I think they have a place in society.  I am from Florida after all and southern Florida is filled with trailer homes.  Looking at the sign shaded by the large tree, you might even believe that choice lots were really available. But let your gaze slide to the right of the sign where the landscape is treeless.  Not really what I call prime landscaping.

During our recent trip to Kentucky, I came across an object that I thought no longer existed.  But there it was, so here it is. It is missing some vital elements such as windows and the bi-fold door, but it has some unique features such as bullet holes.

Take a look at the yellow signs on the bumper of this bus.  I know budgets are tight, but I am not sure this is a good cost cutting measure:

Today, we are starting a new feature here on The Edge of Empty called "Things that make you say Hmm!"  We will be discussing things that we encounter and don't know what they are or cause us to do a double take. Our subject today is another by-product of our trip to Philadelphia.  At one of our rest stops, we saw these strange looking contraptions in the truck parking area.  I am pretty sure that we were in Delaware at the time but the rest stop description on the I-95 Exit Guide website doesn't list anything particularly helpful for figuring out what the contraptions might have been.  (Did you know that there was a website devoted to rest stops on I-95?  Well there is, and there are sites for other highways as well.  Even better, they have apps in the App store and the Android Market.  Actually, there is a lot of helpful information on the website so check it out--after reading this post of course.  I will definitely be using the gas price link...