The Roaming Stevens

The majority of the posts in this blog are about fun, silliness, travel and various aspects of living.  Life is not always about great adventure nor is it always upbeat and positive.  Social media makes it appear that everyone is having a terrific time and any world may be better or more vibrant than yours.  Tons of teenagers think that; as adults we need to bring them back into the real world...time and time again.  Today, I am posting about a serious matter.  So...IF you are not interested in anything, but fun and light heartedness...this is not the post for you. On the Today Show this morning...I heard Maria Shriver talking about transitioning; how all of us seem to be in some sort of new/different space and attempting to adjust. The adjustment phase is the TOUGH period.  PERIOD. Most of us have read or been told the MAJOR stressful changes in life can be:  moving house, getting married, getting divorced, beginning a new job, the death of a lov...

  MEL's PLACE, Est. 1952... read all about it! Aha!  Finally, I've found it!  You know those little dives...those 'hole in the wall' places you've heard about throughout your lifetime?  Well, my daughter and I got to EXPERIENCE one last night - up close and personal.  And, NO, they are not seedy little joints that you may have conjured in your head already. Mel's Place - established 1952 - and such a gathering spot. It's located on the Atlanta Highway (every time I type or say that name I HAVE to sing the song by The B-52's - seriously, cannot help myself; it's happening right now - Gheeez!)  Mel's seemed to be a place of refuge where people in the area have been meeting for decades after a long week at work. Mel's is probably a 10 minute drive from the house and as we passed last night I announced we were heading there before going home. My daughter replied, 'No, you're kidding!  I have always wanted to check ...

So, when is the last time you have been to the Waffle House?  This, my dear mates, is a true Southern tradition.  Many people refer to it as the 'Awful Waffle'.  That is not really nice, is it?  After all, they do stay open 24 hours for your convenience! Honestly, I cannot remember seeing them in Australia, but...it is not a place I frequent a lot.  I am now wondering if they are located all over the world. ???  GOOGLE...here I come.  I bet you anything that the Waffle House is in the northern part of the United States, but probably named something else!  Anybody? I had received a phone call from my daughter telling me to dash to the high school explaining I needed to pick up one 16 year old teenager and I needed to do so a.s.a.p.  The time was a little after noon.  I complied; someone was still battling the last bits of the flu. She was hungry, and pale with low, low energy.  I did not want to stray far from the house.  ...

What a TREAT!   Last Thursday I went to work with my daughter.  The drive from Bogart to Madison was about an hour and was delightful. We drove into a quaint, lovely old town and once we got settled on the inside...I decided to go for a walk-about through the town center.  The historic district was placed on the National Register of Historic places in 1974.  Entire town has an 'old time' feel to it which is simply fabulous.   You will find lots of places to dine, most are casual, and the place is literally filled with antique shops and clothing stores that entice you with truly unique items.  But, the most impressive (to me) was the fact that Madison is so small, yet supports the arts in a big way.  Nice galleries that are supported by local and surrounding area artists. The Madison Courthouse is a sight to behold.  The Chamber of Commerce has to be proud of its surroundings.    Many of the businesses (including the one where my ...

My fabulous Mom left me a very distinctive 'To Do' list upon her death.  It was difficult for me to abide by everything...but, for the most part I did.   The single MOST important item was a request to spread her ashes in Tom Lee Park in her place of birth, Memphis, Tennessee, by the mighty Mississippi.  Mom did not want to go INTO the muddy Mississippi, but be placed in the sunshine on the bluffs.  A very dear mate of mine pointed out to me, 'Well, Judy may NOT want to go into the Mississippi River, but the very first time we have a hard rain that is where she will land.'  Hard to even conceive; don't want to think about it. Judy, also, did not receive a sunny day.  I like to think that God was crying with us.  Hmmmmm... The sweetest people, the friends who assisted Judy in every way in her very last years and days made the trek to Riverside Drive and brought their umbrellas.  We probably looked like a very strange group.  No one ...

Three (3) generations of females walked through some pretty powerful history in Memphis last Friday night. The nice aspect, the pure factor was that I was able to see Beale Street through the eyes of my lovely 16 year old grand-daughter.  Since I live in Australia (most of the time!) it never occurred to me that she had never seen it with her own eyes.  What a sweet treat it was. When we left Athens, Georgia it was super sunny, sunglasses were a big necessity; but, as we flew over good ole' Memphis, Tennessee it looked as if a huge downpour was on the horizon.  That was okay.  My, oh my...has the Memphis Airport grown up.  It was impressive to see the changes - walkway to the rental car area instead of taking a shuttle to Democrat Road, plus a few artistic steel water features to view as you made your way to the car rental agency of your choice.  Good for YOU, Memphis.  Mem is getting all 'glammed' up. The Comfort Inn on Front Street was located...

In only a few short hours we will be 'Walking in Memphis' - truly still a very groovy place. My Memphis memories are among some of the best.  As a child I remember many awards given to the city...America's Most Beautiful, America's Cleanest (IF my memory serves me correctly!).  The citizens were proud and boastful because the landscape by the Mississippi was exquisite, especially at sunset, the Memphis Blues are internationally known, Memphis in May is an entire month of Memphis pride and fun with festivities on the river and I suppose nothing beats the Memphis International Barbecue contest!  People visit from all over the world and the atmosphere is electric!  IF you haven't visited Memphis in May OR the Barbecue contest - get your butt to Memphis.  You will have a blast! Yes, Memphis has issues.  It is not the safe haven it used to be, but most major cities are struggling with crime.  We are devastated by the gun violence and the amount of innoc...

What does a person DO who is down with the FLU?  Read...old books, new books, blogs, MSN news from Great Britain, MSN news in the States, and MSN news from Australia.  No one wants to hear about another persons' illness.  My mouth is SHUT.  However, I have great sympathy and compassion for anyone going through this dreaded stuff.   Whatever I am taking keeps my butt awake all night, so...I read EVEN MORE and that keeps me awake, too, because the news is shocking all over the world. I had a chance to look at my notes from our last whirl-wind adventure and my head is still spinning from the fun.  It IS nice to have photos from such very special spots.  Now, IF I CAN only find someone to retrieve the goodies left on THE most important phone I have ever owned that I killed in the States.  That will be a main concern once we land in South Australia!  HELP. TO ALL TRAVELERS IN EUROPE:   Remember to keep to the 'right' when going thr...

Makes no difference where you are in the world; people are consistently looking for a connection.  It may be subconscious, but...still it is there. Since the flu is taking over the house I had to go to get a prescription filled and there was a huge queue.  Customers were frustrated and not being very nice to the already over-work pharmacy attendants.  The place was packed and people, young and old, looked very tired and ill.  I was informed it would be a 30 minute or longer wait.  So...I found a seat and opened my book. This woman asked permission to sit next to me.  I thought that was super nice and, of course, I said 'Yes'.  Turns out my 16 year old grand-daughter was diagnosed that morning with the dreaded flu and her 17 year old son was told he had the flu that day, too.  She looked incredibly sad, BUT MORE THAN THAT...her face, her hair, her nose, her eyes looked exactly like Constance, my only sister, who died in 2000.   I could n...