That was fun!

Thank you everyone for voting yesterday!

What a fun and exciting day.

As Claudia has announced

on highlowaha we are going to

Pennsylvania!

Free For ALL Friday!!!

Today's the last day for Taste of USA!

Currently the score stands at:

Pennsylvania: 4 points

New York: 2 points

Arizona: 2 points

Indiana: 2 points

Illinois: 1 point

It's still anyone's game!!!

Some of you have gone back and left comments on previous posts. Come back today and tell us here what makes your state the Taste of USA!

It's the Final Three

All passengers from Georgia, Maryland or New Jersey please report to your appointed decks and tell us what makes your state the Taste of USA!

This week we travelled to Georgia.

We stopped in Maryland and Heather did the research on the Monopoly Railroads. The lucky person behind me will be the recipient of a Starbucks $5 gift card this weekend.

And Maureen takes her kids to the Six Flags in New Jersey. And I don't know why New Jersey owns the Ellis Island but they do.

It's been a fun week and a great month for me learning some very interesting facts and re-learning so much that I had forgotten. Today is for Georgia, Maryland and New Jersey but tomorrow is

Free for All Friday!

So everyone chime in

and tell us what makes your state

The Taste of USA!

Welcome to the Garden State!

What will we find in New Jersey? How about Atlantic City, Cape May or Ellis Island? You thought that was the property of New York didn't you? Nope. Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty are actually property of New Jersey.

Let's start in the town that is "always turned on." Atlantic City. We're going to be wild and crazy. We're going to play golf. We're going to win a pile of money at poker. We're going to hit every casino. We're going to drink rum and taste the Cuban cuisine at the Cuba Libre.

After all that excitement, we'll head to the beaches to relax. Maybe take a drive up the coast. We'll start at the Southern Shore in Cape May and make our way up to the classic beach town of Seaside Heights. After soaking up some Vitamin D and cruising the boardwalk, we we'll head north again to Sandy Hook and just relax or fish on the beach.

The north west area of New Jersey features rolling mountains for our summer festivals and winter skiing fun. At Dukes Farm, we'll discover gardens for every season. And, a little bit south to Trenton, we'll find even more gardens at Grounds for Sculpture. Where is your favorite garden in The Garden State? Or, what is your favorite thing or place in New Jersey?

Fun facts for New Jersey are: the state flower is the Common Violet, the state bird is the Gold Finch and the state tree is the Red Oak.

All New Jerseyites report to the Clam Deck on Thursday, July 24th to tell us what makes New Jersey the Taste of USA.

Tuesday's Bean Count

Today we had one visitor again from Georgia, but none from Maryland.

Check back tomorrow as it's our last state day!

Katie K (The Bean Counter)

Welcome to the Old Line State

Oh, here we go again. You say Maryland and I say Crab Cakes! That sounds delicious.

On September 13, 1814, Francis Scott Key was watching a battle that was part of the War of 1812 at Fort McHenry and it was this battle that inspired him to write the Star Spangled Banner. Just 6 short years until it's Bicentennial Celebration. Don't forget, Maryland is the state that provided the land for the nations capital. So, you can imagine the amount of history that must be tucked around every corner. The Capital Region will be a great place for you to explore.

Our first stop in Maryland is Baltimore. Do you remember the game of Monopoly and the B&O Railroad spot? I'm 38 years old. I've played Monopoly no less than 100 times in my life and I never knew B&O was real! Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is hosting Kids Fest 2008 on September 13 & 14th. I will send you a $5 Starbucks gift card if you can be the first to give me the history of the other three railroads. What were they? Reading, Pennsylvania and Short Line?

Some of the larger attractions in Baltimore include the Ravens football team, the Orioles Baseball team and numerous golf courses to enjoy a round of 19. Or, visit Inner Harbor where you can go to the National Aquarium or the Maryland Science Center.

If we travel over to the Eastern region of Maryland, I get the feeling we're going to be hitting quaint small town after cute small town that all have tons of history. I picked Ocean City to stop in. They have Sundae in the Park, right up Claudia's alley. We're going to slow down our pace and enjoy the Boardwalk, stroll the beach and forget our diets!

That's not all there is to Maryland but that's all I'm covering here today. I hope you will join in and tell us what you love about Maryland.

Fun Facts for Maryland are: the state flower is the Black-eyed Susan, the state dog is the Chesapeake Bay Retriever and the state bird is the Baltimore Oriole.

All Marylanders report to the Deck on THURSDAY, July 24th to tell us what makes Maryland the Taste of USA!

Monday's Bean Count

Welcome back for the last week of the Taste of USA!!!

Today we had one visitor from Georgia.

Don't forget that FRIDAY will be the free for all day when ALL states can come back (in case they missed their state's day) and give a TASTE of their state/town! TIME TO MAKE UP POINTS! The standings as of right now are:

• Pennsylvania: 4 points
• Indiana, Arizona, New York, Illinois: 2 points

I'll be back tomorrow with another bean count!

Katie K (The Bean Counter)

Welcome to the Peach State

Welcome to Georgia!



We'll start our cruise today in Atlanta where we can find a little or lot of everything to do. Ready to visit the animals? They're at the Atlanta Zoo and the Georgia Aquarium. Sports fans can tee up at over 85 public, semi-public or private course throughout Atlanta, soak in an Atlanta Braves game or catch a football game and cheer for the Atlanta Falcons! Adventure seekers can ride the roller coasters at Six Flags over Georgia or hike Stone Mountain Park. The shoppers can experience UNDERGROUND Atlanta or any other of the 6 local malls. Atlanta has it all.



Our next stop is down to the coast to visit Savannah. We have a lot to choose from in Savannah as well. Do you want to take a dolphin cruise or a carriage ride? Should we go ghost and grave hunting? They have so many tours for ghost hunting, there must be a lot of ghosts. We can send the men off golfing and the ladies can spend the day shopping. Our history buffs can visit any one or all five historic/forts to learn about the colonial days. Savannah has some secrets that you can learn about but one that I thought was interesting to our blogs is that the Girls Scouts of the USA was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in Savannah in 1912 and her childhood home is now the National Headquarters for the organization.



Our last stop on today's cruise is in Macon, Georgia, Cherry Blossom Capital of the World. What really caught my eye was The Georgia Music Hall of Fame where they celebrate many artists but one of favorites, Otis Redding. There's also the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and the Georgia's Children's Museum. Be sure to check out their full list of shopping, spas, arts and entertainment listings because there is so much more.

Now, if there was only one song that I could listen to for the rest of my life , Sittin' on the Dock of Bay by Otis Redding would be that song. It's my song. He left his home in Georgia, headed for the Frisco Bay. He had nothing to live for so he's just going to sit on the dock of the bay... wasting time.



Fun facts for Georgia are: The state floral emblem is the Cherokee Rose, the state bird is the Brown Thrasher and the state fruit is the peach.

All Georgians report to the Peach Deck on THURSDAY, July 24th to tell us what makes Georgia the Taste of USA!

Vote Here! Vote Often!

All passengers from Florida, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Wisconsin please report to your assigned decks immediately to tell us what makes your state the Taste of USA!

Seriously, if some of you folks from the New England Coast could vote, that would be great! I've been looking at pictures of lobsters all week and I've got a small craving now!

Our loyal reader, Maureen, has visited Maine where she witnessed her first and last, real, live, huge moose and we're asking the Universe to give Maureen a chance to take her kids to Maine. Thank you, Universe.

Another loyal reader, Heather (can we do lunch in August?), has a fond place in her heart for Wisconsin where she went on tour. Heather, what kind of tour was this? Are we talking marching? And, what is "non-date"? Inquiring minds want to know!

You know what else inquiring minds want to know? They want to know what makes your state the Taste of USA! Don't forget, if your state has passed, don't worry. We have a make up day coming up soon! Check in everyday so you are sure not to miss it.

Next week is our final week of this little cruise. On Monday, we will go to Georgia. Tuesday, we're in Maryland. And Wednesday, we're in New Jersey. Thursday will be contest day for those three states. Be sure to check in daily so you don't miss the make up day!

Have a great weekend!

Thursday's Bean Count

Finally, a state from this week checks in with one visit from Florida today!

Tomorrow is the big day where residents of these states need to give a TASTE of their hometown and shown state pride!

Happy Voting!

Katie K (The Bean Counter)

An Ocean, Palmetto, and Dairy State

Little Rhody is the smallest state in the USA measuring out to be approximately 40 by 30 miles which if I'm not mistaken is about the same size as the DFW metroplex. Can that be right? Well, they may be small but they still have plenty to do!

In Newport, there are several mansion that we can tour. One of them is the Astors' Beechwood Mansion. Here, we will step back in time to the Victorian period and apply of a job as a maid or footman as another maid or the butler takes us on the Victorian Servants Tour. Experience is required. There are any number of tours we can take, so check out the list and let's go. I'm leaning towards the Train Tour.

If we had up to Providence, we'll visit the Roger Williams Park Zoo or the Museum of Natural History and Planetarium. We should definitely visit WaterFire Providence to see the award-winning by Barnaby Evans. It's spectacular!

There is still much to explore in Rhode Island but we still have two more states to discover so let's pull up the anchor and sail to South Carolina.

Welcome to the Palmetto State. South Carolina's beaches look like they are to die for! Hilton Head Island is a very popular tourist destination and from the pictures I can certainly see why. The rolling and most perfectly green golf courses and the white sandy beaches our picturesque. We can relax in a spa or take a cruise to watch for dolphins.

I love architecture so our next stop is infamous Charleston. You have to say it with a southern draw! Most of Charleston has preserved the historical architecture of it's city and there's a story to go along with every building it seems. Of course, they have been renovated and changed to fit the time of the renovation but the core is still there. Let's check in to The Battery Carriage House Inn. The house has had many owners since 1843 and lots of stories to tell with each owner. The home was wrecked by hurricane Hugo in the 1990's but restored by it's current owner. Rooms 3, 8 and 10 have some ghost stories surrounding them and while we're there we'll find lots of activities to occupy our time. Golf, boating, tours, museums, plantation tours and so much more. Harleston Green was the first golf course in America, established in 1786 in Charleston. It's no longer there but South Carolina has built many more beautiful courses. Fore!

There are five pages of festivals! Surely we can find one or ten that we want to jump in and have some fun. Have we been to a watermelon festival yet? It's this weekend in Pageland, SC. Or what about an Okra Strut? I love fried okra but only fried. It's coming up in September.

There's a lot of South Carolina undiscovered here. Chime in and tell us what you love about South Carolina! But now, we're off to Wisconsin.

We are now visiting our last state to touch the Great Lakes area. When I think about Wisconsin I think about two cities. The first being Green Bay with the cheese heads cheering for the packers. The second being Milwaukee because I grew up watching these ladies:

AAAAAAA!!!!! I was in love with that Henry Winkler fellow! Milwaukee loved the Fonz to because they're putting up a bronze statue of him in August. Okay, so what else can we discover about Milwaukee. The Wisconsin State Fair starts on July 31st. That might be fun. Or, we can catch a Brewers baseball game. Or a brewery tour. You must be 21. But before we get our brew on, we have to check out Harley-Davidson. The Harley-Davidson company was founded in Milwaukee over a 100 years ago. Let's discover our wild side!

Next, we must put a piece of plastic cheese on our head and go to Packer Country. We only wear the cheese at the game, right? The games in Green Bay look like they're tons of fun and many of them look like they're freezing cold. You guys are die hard fans! I love that about you.

But after all this traveling today, I really want to slow down and relax. A beautiful spot to do that is the Green Bay Botanical Gardens. They're open year round so you can capture each season and there will be plenty to explore in the 47 acres. They offer gardening classes which I could really use.

Well, our time is up today and I know Wisconsin has a lot more to offer than just Milwaukee and Wisconsin. So, join us and tell us what you love about Wisconsin! Shoot, I was supposed to include some dairy information... know of any dairy farms?

Fun facts for the three states are:

Rhode Island: state flower is the Violet, state tree is the Red Maple and the state bird is the Rhode Island Red.

South Carolina: state flower is the Yellow Jessamine, the state dog is the Boykin Spaniel and the state bird is the Carolina Wren.

Wisconsin: state flower is the Wood Violet, the state dog is the American Water Spaniel and the state bird is the Robin.

All Rhode Islanders report to the Oceanside Deck, all South Carolinians report to the Golf Deck, and all Wisconsinites report to the Cheese Deck on Friday, July 18th to tell us what makes your state the Taste of USA!

Wednesday's Bean Count

No visits from any of this week's states again today!

Hopefully it will pick up tomorrow- back then for another bean count

Katie K (The Bean Counter)

Welcome to the Granite State

Live Free or Die! That's New Hampshire's motto. It's kind of rebellious don't you think. I like it. New Hampshire is one of our smallest states at 190 miles in length by 70 miles wide and home of Robert Frost's road less taken.

Since we're in the middle of summer, I thought we would start New Hampshire at the beach. There site does a great job at describing what you can and will discover on the coast of New Hampshire, I thought I'd pass along the link. Hampton Beach still has plenty of festivals and events throughout the summer- one of them being a Seafood Festival! You know I love seafood!

And though I do really love the summer, I'm a fan of fall, too. School starts back and you get new notebooks, pencils and clothes. (Hmm... no wonder I like it) A new football season starts and fans are excited about the games. The air starts to turn cooler and the leaves change to their fall outfits as well. Both of my boys were born in the Fall. Drew on Halloween and JB's birthday is near Thanksgiving. (As a kid this was my favorite holiday. Even over Christmas.) And what does fall bring you in New Hampshire? The Keene Pumpkin Festival! There are carved pumpkins everywhere! They light around 25,000 pumpkins each year at the festival. There are hayrides, a parade, lots of entertainment, and a seed spitting contest! 2008's festival is scheduled for October 25th. Mark your calendars!

So, since we're talking seasons today let's not stop at fall. Skiing straight into winter in Jefferson, New Hampshire, they have an amusement park called Santa's Village! Not all the rides are operational during the snowy winters but some are and Santa is there to greet you and listen to your list. Fun! Even though I don't really like the snow, it is very beautiful around Christmas time. I'm sure you can find even more to do in New Hampshire for the holidays.

There is still so much to do. Like planning a History Lovers Tour, go to Lake Winnipesaukee (say that three times really fast), or have an outdoor adventure camping, hiking and fishing.

So, this boat is sailing but we still have time for you to tell us what you love about New Hampshire. Go ahead, I dare you.

Fun facts for New Hampshire are:

the state butterfly is the Karner Blue,

the state flower is the lilac,

and the state birds is the Purple Finch.

All New Hampshirites please report to the Granite Deck on Friday, July 18th to tell us what makes New Hampshire the Taste of USA!

Tuesday's Bean Count

Happy Tuesday!

No visits from Florida or Maine this week. Hopefully tomorrow will bring more visitors.

Back tomorrow for another bean count.

Katie K (The Bean Counter)

Welcome to the Pine State

When visiting Maine we can choose from several tours. Boat tours, bridges, lighthouses or scenic byways. I have never been to Maine and I totally romanticize it. It's a place that I would like to visit late spring, summer or early fall. Not winter. Maine is known as the Pine State due to the large amount of forests that cover the state- about 90%.

Maine was the 23rd state to join the US and became the leader in shipbuilding. They began with the wooden boats moving to steel. The first atomic submarine was built in Maine. Today, Maine produces more canoes than any other state. They also supply the materials for cardboard boxes, wood pulp, paper and our beloved paper bags.

It's been a while since I featured a festival. Maine produces large amounts of blueberries. The Blueberry Festival is held in Union, Maine. They have the usual fair and festival activities including blueberry pie eating contest and Ms. Wild Blueberry pageant.

While looking at their site, I suddenly noticed I was drooling. They flash pictures of cooked lobster on the screen. Yummy! I hoped to be able to find a Lobster Festival and boy did I! The Main Lobster Festival is held in Rockland, Maine. It's coming up July 30th and runs through August 3rd. How many lobsters do you think I would have to eat to be sick of them? They look so delicious. I was checking out a menu and I love seafood so the sounds of clam chowder, crab cakes, shrimp salad, crab salad, lobster bisque... oh! to die for!

Okay, enough about food. Maine has approximately 30 lighthouses that allow public visitors in every shape and size. There are many popular lighthouses but the one that caught my eye was the West Quoddy Head Lighthouse with it's red and white candy stripes. They're all beautiful and this one is, too. But this one has something whimsical about it that I like. Isn't it beautiful?

I had a tough time choosing one beach to feature today but I picked Old Orchard Beach. The seven mile stretch of sandy beaches also features amusement parks, miniature golf, canoe and kayak tours and rentals, lighthouses, shopping and so, so much more. There are more beaches and a lot more outdoor adventures for us to explore. One of those being whale watching.

Our time is up here in Maine and I haven't featured one city. Where and what is your favorite thing and/or place in Maine?

Fun facts for Maine are:

the state bird is the chickadee,

the state floral emblem is the pine cone and tassels,

and the state animal is the moose.

All Mainers report to the Lobster Deck on Friday, July 18th to tell us what makes Maine the Taste of USA!