Rest Stops: Finally a good hot dog and Jon Gosslin (?)

We made many rest stops on our journey last week. Some of them were just run of the mill rest stops. Others had sinks that seem like they were designed by George Jettson. You would just put your hands in (it was a hole in the wall kind of thing) and the water would run, the soap would automatically spit out and when the water shut off, the dryer would come on. I pulled my hands out and felt a little lazy. I didn't have to do a thing really. It felt very strange.

On our final journey from the Pittsburgh area to Springfield seemed so very long. We stopped to visit my uncle on the way, which was great. We also stopped on the Jersey Turnpike, where I got a real hot dog (Nathan's) with real mustard (spicy brown). All of the hot dogs at the stadiums we visited left something to be desired. They were all rather plain. For one thing, they all only offered plain yellow mustard. In most cases, it was also watered down. So by the time I got the dog back to my seat, the bun was yellow because the mustard had soaked through. In Pittsburgh, the bun was stale. Like rock hard. But I will let that slide, seeing as there is hardly anyone to sell a hot dog to there. I thought spicy mustard was standard in ballparks. I guess that is what I get for having my first ballparks be the ones in New York. And in New York, as with the Nathan's in Jersey, they don't call it spicy mustard. They just call it mustard. And it is your only choice. Because that is the only mustard for a hot dog. It was great to finally have a good hot dog. Even if it was eaten in Jersey while some guy put gas in our tank.

When we stopped at the CT welcome center (almost home!), we both went into the bathrooms. Justin came out and informed me that there was a guy in there that looked uncannily like Jon Gosslin, of Jon and Kate Plus 8 fame. I said, yeah, okay. Since Justin has never seen this show. But, since Jon and Kate were all over the supermarket tabloids, I figured there could be a chance. And there were a strange number of people dressed in black pants and white shirts lining the way from the men's room to the exit. Was it the father of 8? We will never know. The place was so crowded that we went out to the car to eat our McDonald's.

It was a great trip, I am glad and sad that it is over. Glad to not have to be in a car every morning. Sad there is not a ball game every day. But that does not mean this blog is going away. Oh no. This will still be updated. There are many more stories to tell you of our baseball journeys past. And I realize that I never explained what exactly a pink hatter is. And I would love to explain to you the difference between Brooklyn and Boston. It is obvious to me, but I have come to realize that the difference may not be as easy to spot as I think it is.

So you can look forward to more of my postings about baseball this summer. And hey, maybe we will even get to another game this year. Who knows. If all else fails, I can take Justin to Rock Cats Stadium. I don't think he has ever been there. :-)