Monday Madness

Welcome back loyal readers. Did you see that Survivor Finale last night? JT- you gotta love him! I still wish Brandon had won. Coach is still an idiot. I liked Sierra last night, too. Well now, let's get on with our little contest. Don't forget you're voting for where YOU want to go because you're coming to Taste of USA right? Right?

Freedom Bracket:
Ohio or Tennessee, oh, where will it be?

Independence Bracket:
Georgia or South Carolina, will it be here or there?

Liberty Bracket:
Kansas or Oklahoma, as long as you come to party with us, I don't care!

Vote Over There----->>>>

Write your own poem in the comment section and be entered into a drawing for something from Hobby Lobby... it's kind of like door #1 or door #2 but it's a whole store for me to choose from... I kind of know what I have in mind but I'm not sure if it's there so, you'll just have to wait and see!

Good Times

That's what I've been having and that's what we'll be having at Taste of USA 2009! Where do YOU want to go?

Today's contestants are:
Freedom Bracket:
Lousiana or Virginia

Independence Bracket:
Michigan or California

Liberty Bracket:
West Virginia or Tennessee

I'd write more but boy am I tired from having all these.... GOOD TIMES!

What Road Will We Take?

This week we will be continuing with Round 1. Thursday begins Round 2. Saturday's post updates you with our current winners.

Don't forget, you are voting for where YOU want to go! Please consider joining us for a fun-filled Saturday in September!

Freedom Bracket:
Missouri or Tennessee? What would the be? The St. Louis Arch against Nashville? Hmm...
VOTE ------------------->>>

Independence Bracket:
Montana (That's you MT Kelly) up against South Carolina. Uh oh. A bunch of us wanted to visit Charleston and Savannah... will this be our chance?
VOTE ------------------->>>

Liberty Bracket:
Wisconsin- oh the Cheese Heads! Football season will be in full swing... would Matt be willing to give up Struble Suds for a Saturday? And it's competitor is Oklahoma- the land of Margaret.
On your mark, get set, go vote!
VOTE ------------------->>> Polls will open when I get them posted in the morning... around 6:30am CST.

Week Two Contest Day!! (and purple cowboy boots!)

Wrapping up the week, let's start with Idaho.

Cassie let us know that her husbands family is from Idaho and still has a farm there where they go to escape the Texas summers. What's to escape? Texas Summers are the BEST!

My mom, aunts and uncles made it to their Idaho destination on Tuesday. The photo below is my mom and Aunt Kay in McCall, ID.



Treye did a report on Alaska in the 4th grade and thought the state sucked but has upgraded his thoughts since the age of 9 or 10 and now would like to visit the Alaska.

Heather and I are only visiting either Idaho or Alaska if we have appropriate living conditions... like a hotel or a nice cabin and preferably in the summer months.

We all have love for Claudia's home state of New York. Katie visited her grandparents in the Monsey area when she was a kid. Her mom does not like the Empire State Building do to a fear of heights and she has a tendency to get lost.

I was looking for my cousin Dianne to visit us from Kew Gardens and chime in on New York. Maybe she'll visit today.

And lastly, our regular highlowaha participant and Girl Scout, Maureen still lives in New York near Long Island South and is loving it.

I'm pretty sure Cassie is rounding up some purple cowgirl boots for Maureen.



Heather has helped us out with Michigan and Tennessee. She recommends the Charlevoix, East Jordan and Mackinac Island areas in Michigan. I love the way Mackinac Island sounds. And then, we need to rent a chalet in the Smokey Mountains for a vacation destination. Sounds relaxing.

Maureen, as a regular, you can push New York into the lead with this contest with just one posting of what you think makes New York the Taste of USA!

But wait- don't give up if your state's date has past... Make Up Days are going to be coming up.... Stay Tuned!

What do Michigan & Tennessee have in common?

Hmmm... they're both in the US and they're sharing today's post on Taste of USA. I'm sorry that's all I can come up with. Two more states that I have not been to.

Okay, so without consulting the Internet, I think Michigan. Great Lakes, Detroit, Brrrr.... cold. Now, think Tennessee. Nashville, Titans, Memphis, Grand Ole Opry. Opry not O'Pry... see the difference people. Personal pet peeve of mine. Moving on.

Let's discover Michigan first. Michigan is unique in that it is divided into two sections. The Upper Peninsula and the Lower Peninsula. The two peninsulas are connected with the Mackinac Bridge... or Big Mac. Other than Alaska, Michigan has the most shoreline with 3,177 miles of it touching the four Great Lakes. Can you name the Great Lakes? I cannot without looking. They are Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron and Lake Erie. I love the Internet. Okay, it says that Michigan boasts a thriving recreational industry and I would not have guess that. They lead the nation with approximately one million registered pleasure boats. Huh, now I know.

If you want to go to Michigan you can plan your trip here. But I am only going in the summer months. Why? Because it's darn cold in the winter and summer is when they have all their festivals! You know how I love a festival, right? Well, they have Strawberry Festivals, Blueberry Festivals, Sugar Festival, Cherryfest, Cityfest, Pig Roasts, UP Hog Wild Cook offs, Bologna festival and my favorite... a Cheeseburger Festival! Say it with me, "Yum."

The only large city that I can come up with is Detroit which makes me think cars. Low and behold, the Model T was created right there in Detroit way back in 1908. You can read more about Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Company here. They even have a museum.

So, you can go to lots of beaches in Michigan and they have plenty of other cultural and historical places you can visit. Check out this photo of the farmers market. Are those flower beautiful or what?

Other historical or botanical places you can go are the Gerald Ford Presidential Library and Museum in Ann Arbor, the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, or go cheer for the Michigan Wolverines also in Ann Arbor. And the funniest city name ever goes to Kalamazoo, Michigan. HA! I love it.

The last place I want to share with you is about Urban Fairies. Am I the last one to hear about this phenomenon. I guess Ann Arbor is blessed with a bunch of fairies running around because doors are popping up everywhere. It's the cutest thing ever and I want my own fairy door! The thing that really caught my eye was this.

Claudia, do you have fairies living in your house?

Fun facts for Michigan are the official reptile is the painted turtle, the flower is the apple blossom and the official bird is the Red Robin.

Come one, come all Wolverines! Meet on the Cheeseburger Festival Deck on Friday, May 30th to tell us what makes Michigan the Taste of USA!

Welcome to Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains. Something I was drawn to right from the start about Tennessee was it's love for music. Memphis is the birthplace of the blues. Nashville is the capital of country music. They claim about eleven songs as official state songs. That's my kind of state. I love there quarter. Very cool.

The official dance is the square dance. Fun! And the homeland of no one else but the King of Rock and Roll... Elvis Presley and Graceland! My friend, Cassie Nowell, and I would put our sleeping bags in her living room floor and watch Elvis movies. I always fell asleep before the end but I love those memories. So, if you're going to Tennessee, you have to go to Graceland. Which Elvis was your favorite?

There's just so much music in this state, I can't stand it. Beale Street is the historic district where legendary greats like B.B. King and Isaac Hayes and W.C. Handy have played. Then there's the Grand Ole Opry that started as a radio broadcast in 1925 where people began coming to the station to see the performances and it just grew and grew from there into the tradition of country music it is today. And, what about Loretta Lynn? The coal miner's daughter was born in Tennessee as was Dolly Parton and Hank Williams. And so many more!

I'm just going on and on about the musical history of the state and there's got to be a ton more to cover. I know there has to be lots of hiking and camping areas with the Smoky Mountains and the Appalachian Trails. They're nicknamed the Volunteer State for the thousands of Tennesseans that enlisted in the War of 1812. And Davey Crockett was from Tennessee.

The best place to go to plan a vacation to Tennessee is here. You're bound to have a grand ole time!

Fun facts for Tennessee are the official reptile is the Eastern Box Turtle, the butterfly is the Zebra Swallowtail and the flower is the Iris.

All Tennesseans meet on the Blues deck on Friday, May 30th to let us know what makes Tennessee the Taste of USA!

Take us out Elvis!