Belle Sole Grilled & Marinated Asparagus Review

Back in February, Living Social offered a great deal on a BJ's Warehouse Club membership. Because of that, I decided to take the deal and join BJ's. As I had no idea what they had, I walked around their Columbia, Maryland warehouse club and discovered Belle Sole Grilled & Marinated Asparagus. As I really like asparagus, I decided to buy a jar of it and see if it was any good.

I found the asparagus thanks to the marinade has a really nice flavor. Thanks to Belle Sole not overcooking the asparagus, the asparagus still has some crunch left in it. I don't care for limp asparagus. Belle Sole also earns points with me in that they tell you how much dry weight i.e. actual asparagus you get in each jar (1 pound .75 ounces) which weighs 2 pounds 2.2 ounces.

Price wise, BJ's offers this fine product at what I think is a very good price i.e. $6.99. I liked the price so much, I went back and bought 4 more jars of it.

Another interesting thing to me personally is the product is made in Peru. I have fond memories of Peru from my Globus Legacy of the Incas tour there. That the product in Peruvian made another point with me.

Overall, I was really pleased with Belle Sole's grilled & marinated asparagus. It has good flavor, the asparagus is crunchy and, BJ's offers it as a very good price. It can serve as a nice side dish to a meal or as a nutritious snack. This is one product I'd definitely recommend if you like asparagus. I give this product a big thumbs up. Bon Appetit!

Update: Yesterday (June 5, 2015), I visited the Columbia BJ's and to my great displeasure found out the BJ's there no longer has this product. I don't know where else you may find it as I've never seen it at Sam's Club or Costco. I would recommend this product if you can find it.

Update: June 7, 2015: I decided to drive out to the BJ's at Owings Mills, Maryland to see if they have this product. To my delight, they do however, if you want to buy some, you may want to move fast as they don't have many jars left. I don't know if they'll be putting out any more.  I discovered another nice thing about this product. It has a long shelf life. According to the use by date on the lid, this product stays good for something like 2 years!

Trader Joe's Rooibos & Honeybush Tea Review

I haven't written a review on a Trader Joe's product in a while so, I thought I'd do one.

Around March 13th of this year, Trader Joe's came out with a new product called Rooibos & Honeybush tea. The tea combines 2 traditional South African teas - Rooibos and Honeybush. Both are supposed to have a slightly sweet taste with the honeybush the sweeter of the two. Rooibos helps provide healthy antioxidants while having none of the caffeine of real tea.

Price wise, Trader Joe's is selling a 20 tea bag box of the tea for $2.49 in Maryland. According to the post they posted (http://www.traderjoes.com/digin/post/organic-fairtrade-rooibos-honeybush-tea), prices may be different in other parts of the United States.

Brewing time (per one of the tea bags in the box I bought) is 6 minutes for 1 tea bag, 8 minutes for a pot of the tea (put in 1 tea bag per person and 1 for the pot).

Taste wise, I didn't think the tea tasted much different from a straight up Rooibos tea. I found I like Trader Joe's Spiced Rooibos (also known as Ruby Red Chai) better though they may have stopped making their Spiced Rooibos (I haven't been able to find it in 2 different stores in Maryland).

Lastly, the tea is organic and Fair trade i.e. South African farmers are paid a fair wage for its production.

Overall, I thought this is a decent product though not a great one. There are other Rooibos teas out there that are just as good so, I wouldn't go out of your way to get this product. Happy sipping all!

Costco's Master Carve Ham Review

Recently, I bought my third Costco's Master Carve Ham. I confess I've been very pleased with these hams. The hams are very easy to carve as they're pretty much flat. Other pluses to them are they're fully cooked, boneless, applewood smoked and come with as 12 ounce packet of red currant ham glaze though I've never tasted or used the glaze.

Price wise, I think they're a good deal. Costco sells them for $2.69 a pound. Shelf life wise, they seem to last up to 5 or 6 weeks depending on when you buy it from Costco. One down side I've found is that they're not available at all Costco stores though you can order one on-line (I haven't tried this).

Overall, I've been very pleased with this ham and would definitely recommend it if you like ham. It's easy to cut, ready to serve and lasts a while. Bon Appetit!

Virgil's Root Beer Party Keg Review

Last month, while shopping at the Columbia, Maryland BJ's Wholesale Club, I notice a pallet load of Virgil's Root Beer Party Kegs. I'd seen them before at the Columbia, Maryland Wegman's. This time, I decided to get one. The aluminum keg cost $10.99 and has 1.32 gallons/5 liters of their root beer. There are directions on the top of the keg that tells the 3 steps for operating it. First, you have to air the keg. You twist a red plastic switch on the top of the keg to do that. Second, you pull the red tap out of the keg all the way till it stops coming out. Lastly, you twist the tap till it starts pouring root beer. It's pretty simple.

Before you do those 3 steps, you should chill the root beer keg. The keg is small enough to fit inside a refrigerator.

Price wise, this keg could save you money. Wegman's is selling 4 pack 12 ounce bottles of Virgil's root beer for $1 a piece. As each keg has the equivalent of 14 bottles, you'll save $3 on of these kegs. Another plus of these kegs is you have less waste to throw out. Lastly, you can have the amount of root beer you want. Feel like just a smidgen of root beer, no problem with this keg. Like wise if you feel like having an extra large glass of this gourmet root beer.

The root beer itself is very good and prides itself on its fine ingredients that come from all over the world such as vanilla from Madagascar and cinnamon from Ceylon. Also, it uses pure cane sugar vice cheaper corn syrup.

Personally, I found I really enjoyed pulling myself a glass of root beer from the keg. I suspect kids would really enjoy this too. I'd definitely recommend this product. The only problem you may have with this product is finding it. I know Wegman's says it has limited availability i.e. not all their stores offer it (sadly). Happy drinking all!

Update June 7, 2015: the price has gone up on the keg at BJ's for some reason. Now, it costs $12.49. Also, you can buy a keg at their Owings Mills, Maryland store as well as their Columbia, Maryland store. However, you might want to move quickly if you plan to buy one at the Owings Mill store as they only have about 35 to 40 kegs left.

Update July 1, 2015: From July 2 to 15, 2015, BJ's has a coupon in what I consider it's 4th of July specials that will save you $2 on any Virgil's or Reed's soda. This obviously means you can save $2 on one of these root beer kegs till July 15th. Also, their Columbia, Maryland store has a decent supply of the kegs. While visiting that store, I walked by where they're located and, they have quite a few (I couldn't guess what the exact number is).

Cariloha Bamboo Throw Blanket Review

During my cruises on Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas with my fabulous Aunt Marge and cool Uncle Dave this past January/February, I made it a point to stop at the Nassau, Bahamas and Key West, Florida Cariloha stores. I really like their bamboo products even though they do tend to be more expensive then conventional ones. While visiting their Nassau store, I discovered that Cariloha had come out with a bamboo blanket. The blanket is made of 50% bamboo fiber and 50% polyester. Like all of their bamboo products, the blankets are incredibly soft. As I needed an extra blanket to keep me warm during the past winter months, I decided to get one.

The blankets come in 3 colors: harbor gray, sand and ocean blue. As blue tends to be my favorite color, I went with the ocean blue. Price wise, the blankets sold for $125 at the stores though I found out you can buy them $119 on their website www.cariloha.com/bed-bath/bedding.html. The blankets measure 50" by 70". Please note there is a difference between these blankets and their bamboo knit throw blankets. Their knit throw blankets aren't as plush though they are cheaper ($89 on their website).

After trying out my blanket, I can certify that it should keep you warm on cold nights. I do think they are a little more expensive then other blankets but, I they're worth it. They are incredibly soft and come in some very nice colors. Plus, bamboo is supposedly good for the environment. Lastly, I do like Cariloha. If you're in the market for a new blanket, this is one you might want to give a look at. They are really nice.

Maryland Lottery's Instant Millionaire Scratch Off Game

Here the entry for the 2nd game I tried today at Friendship Liquors (12800 State Route 144, West Friendship, Maryland).

Maryland Lottery's Instant Millionaire scratch off game is their latest million dollar prize scratch off game. The game offers players the chance to win prizes between $20 and $1,000,000. The ticket has two instant hit games - one for $50 and one for $100 which are located at the top of the game ticket.

What is particularly noteworthy about this game is that it has 5 main games on the single page ticket (their Lucky 7 Game Book game had multiple pages). The games are lined up in columns with the winning number at the top and 5 numbers you try to match below it. I don't know if you can win prizes in more than 1 of the games though I would GUESS so. Odds of winning OVERALL i.e. you can do better and you can do worse are 1 in 2.96 which isn't the best I've seen among the million dollar prize scratch offs (the Double Dollar Fortune game has 1 in 2.71 and Money Multiplier offered odds of 1 in 2.88). At the time of this post, all 3 one million dollar prizes were still available.

There aren't any prize doubler or instant win symbols in this game.

Overall, I thought this was an ok game. I did find it interesting that is has 5 main games. The way they did that makes this a very easy game to play. You only to look over 5 numbers for each game vice having to re-check all the numbers below the winning numbers (some games have a lot of numbers example: the Lucky Millionaire game has 30 numbers you have to check). Good luck.

Please remember to gamble responsibly. Remember, the odds aren't in your favor. The Maryland Lottery exists to make the state of Maryland money and, they do a very good job of it (I remember one year, they supposedly made/turned over $800 million to the state general fund!).

Maryland Lottery Harley Davidson Scratch Off Game

I haven't written any reviews on the Maryland Lottery's various scratch off games in a while so today, I bought tickets for 2 new games they have - their Harley Davidson game and their Instant Millionaire game (which I'll review in a separate blog entry).

The Harley Davidson game is simple enough. You get 4 numbers which you try to match among 15 numbers below. If you match 1 or more of the numbers, you win the prize(s) shown below the number(s). Also, if you see a Harley Davidson symbol, you win double the prize shown. Prizes range from $5 to $50,000 (3 of these). Odds of winning something are 1 in 3.69 (per the ticket I bought)

What is particularly special about this game in my opinion are the two second chance drawings they're having. When you enter your losing ticket, you're automatically entered in a second chance drawing for a chance to win a Harley Davidson breakout motorcycle with a gift pack that includes a $100 Harley Davidson gift card, duffle bag. neon clock and bucket with pint glasses. The first second chance drawing will be held on June 29th. The second second chance drawing will be held later (the date hasn't been announced at the time of this post). (Source: http://www.mdlottery.com/enter-to-win-a-harley-davidson-breakout-motorcycle/)

Lastly, Maryland Lottery Rewards is offering double reward points on this game until May 17th as another incentive to play.

For Harley Davidson fans, this might be their ticket to a sweet motorcycle. Game wise, it's an ok game with some sweet second chance prizes. Good luck to all.

Do remember to gamble responsibly. Odds of winning are odds overall. You can do better and you can do worse (I've seen that personally).

New Paradise Island Monastery Ruins Pictures

Here are the promised new photos I took of the French monastery ruins on Paradise Island, Bahamas. The place is really pretty. I was told it was very popular for weddings and, I can definitely understand why. The photos were taken with my Sony Cybershot RX 100 II pocket digital SLR. The camera was ideal in this case since it's so small and much easier to carry that my Canon Rebel XTi camera though I can't get as fancy with the Sony camera as I can with the Canon camera (I have a Canon.EFS 55-255mm lense which gives me great telephoto pictures).

Paradise Island Ferry

Here is a promised picture of one the ferry boats I took over to Paradise Island, Bahamas. The ferry was very reasonably priced. It cost $4 each way and took about 10 minutes. They had a booth in the shopping area by the cruise ship terminal exit where you would buy your ticket(s). The boat was located a little further on. They were supposed to run every 30 minutes but, I found they didn't. They ran when they got as many people as they thought they could get.

The ferry would tie up under one of the bridges that like Paradise Island to New Providence. You can see one of the bridge's concrete spans in the first picture. There were a few small shops at the pier.

Coming back, I took the second picture. Ironically, two of the ships in the picture decided to leave at the time my ferry was going back to the cruise ship area. One of the ships actually honked their horn at my ferry warning it off and causing it to turn around and wait for it to pass. This caused me problems with my Aunt Marge. My aunt, uncle, my some time travel friend Harvey and I were supposed to get together around 5:30 p.m. and go to one of our ship's bars for a pre-dinner drink. If my ferry had run on time, I would've made it in time. However, because they didn't stick to the 30 minute schedule and, the delay caused by the two departing cruise ships, I ended being serious late getting back to the ship. As I hadn't told any one of my decision to go to Paradise Island, my aunt was very concerned about my disappearance. I apologized and explained what had happened. I would still recommend these ferries if you want a cheap way to get to Paradise Island from the cruise ship area.

New Atlantis Pictures

Here are some photos I took during my 2nd cruise with my totally awesome Aunt Marge and very cool Uncle Dave (Mr. Spiffy). Sadly, the two of them didn't get to see this famous and impressive resort. This was my 2nd trip there and, it ended up being a bit of a misadventure as I took a cheap ferry over to Paradise Island and found out I had no idea where I was going and, I didn't have a map. Thankfully, after taking these pictures as well as new ones of the ruined French monastery which I'll post later, I was able to find my way back to the ferry landing and eventually made it back to our ship Majesty of the Seas.

The resort is impressive and, I think they did a great job of the Atlantis theme. I believe I posted pictures previously of my first visit if you want to see pictures of the aquarium part of Atlantis. The open aquarium is supposedly the largest in the Caribbean. Also, the resort has an impressive water park though I've never seen it. Water parks aren't my thing. Lastly, the resort has the 10th most expensive hotel room in the world - the Michael Jackson suite. I don't know if it's actually named after him but, people call it that after he stayed there 13 straight nights! Michael definitely had money as the suite costs $25,000 a night!

Saint John New Brunswick Cruise Ship Terminals

Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada has 3 places cruise ships can dock at. The one most used is the Marco Polo Cruise Ship Terminal in my top photo. This terminal has free Wi-Fi and shops. This was the one I used when I arrived in Saint John. The second most used terminal is the Diamond Jubilee (named after Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee) Cruise Ship Terminal pictured in the 2nd photo down. I can't tell you much about this one though my tour bus did drive by it. Lastly, cruise ships can use an area called the Long Wharf (bottom photo). According to the Beyond Ships webpage (http://www.beyondships3.com/st-john-guide-2.html), this is normally used for cargo but, when necessary, a tent city can be set up for security and for shops. Because of these 2 terminals and the wharf, Saint John can handle 4 cruise ships at one (according to the tour guide on my tour). The Beyond Ships website states that cruise ships alone have brought in $25 million into the city's economy. The Cruise Saint John website (www.cruisesaintjohn.com) states that in 2013, over 165,000 visited Saint John by cruise ship. It is a popular cruise ship port.

Facebook Twinings USA Tea Coupon

Facebook has a coupon (actually code) that will get you 25% off on an order with Twinings Tea USA (website: twiningsusa.com). The code is FB25. You enter that code on-line where it asks for any coupons during the order process. Normally, a box of 20 tea bags will cost you $2.99 but, this coupon knock the price down 75 cents roughly a box. However, you will have to pay shipping and tax. I ordered 24 boxes of Twinings teas from them last December and, the shipping came to $9.95 and tax was $3.23. This upped the cost of each box to $2.79 overall. That's still cheaper than what you would find it at most supermarkets. The Columbia, Maryland Wegmans store sells a 20 count box of Twinings tea for $3.29 so, you can probably save 50 cents a box with this code. If you're going to order a number of their products, it can be worth using. Another plus with the website is you can shop the full range of Twinings products. You're lucky if most stores have 7 or 8 Twinings products. Twinings teas are very good. I usually have at least 1 mug of their tea a day. They've been in the tea business a LONG time. The founder of the company Thomas Twining started it in 1706 in London, England. Happy tea drinking all!

Portland Maine Cruise Ship Terminal

Here's a picture of the Portland, Maine cruise ship terminal. The terminal can handle 2 ships at one time. It has a small modern visitor's center where cruisers can book excursions and get information on what's available in Portland and other areas like Kennebunkport. The visitor's center doesn't offer Wi-Fi as I remember. According to cruisecritic.com, Portland gets close to 50,000 visitors a year via cruise ships. The ship on the left is the ship I cruised on i.e. Legend of the Seas. The ship on the right was a French named ship whose name sadly I don't remember.

Peggy's Cove Photos

During an excursion in Nova Scotia while on my Maine/Canada cruise this past September on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas, I got to visit Peggy's Cove. It's a touristy small scenic cove with a pretty lighthouse which can be seen in the first photo. For me, the real highlight of this visit is what you can get in the combination gift shop/restaurant you see in the second photo. On the second floor of the building, you can get a free special passport stamp that shows the lighthouse and the location Peggy's Cove. In my opinion, it's a neat souvenir of the trip that reminds me of the equally cool passport stamp I got at Machu Picchu, Peru.

Town Centre at Laurel (Maryland) Photos

I decided to try out my latest newest toy, a Sony DSC-RX100M2 point and shoot camera. The main advantage of the camera is that you can carry it in your pocket. This made it great for taking these photos as I was riding around on my TMAX motorbike.

My photos show the new Town Centre at Laurel shopping place. It has different parts scattered around, some of which aren't finished or haven't been let out yet. It is a huge improvement over the demolished Laurel Mall that used to occupy the site. The 2nd photo shows the new 12 screen Regal theater. I haven't seen a movie there but, that isn't any big surprise since I'm not a big movie goer. Most of the shops seem to be occupied by restaurants with others such at Sports Authority having moved from other locations in Laurel. The centre features other stores like Harris Teeter and Burlington Coat Factory (an original occupant). It's a nice development and may help bring more people into Laurel. Happy Holidays everyone!

Portland Horse Drawn Trolley Tour

During my Maine/Canada cruise back in September, I did a horse drawn trolley tour of Portland. The tour ended being really nice. The trolley took us around the historic parts of the city where the tour guide told us about the buildings as we passed them. I think the tour was 90 minutes long. I felt it was a very good tour and would recommend it to anyone visiting Portland.

New York City Skyline and Verrazano-Narrows Bridge Photos

One of the beginning highlights of my Maine/Canada cruise on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas was the view of New York City from Port Liberty, Bayonne, New Jersey. As you see in the photo, the views were awesome!

In the 2nd photo, you can see the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge that links Staten Island with Brooklyn. At one time, this bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world till the Humber bridge in the United Kingdom surpassed it in 1981. My ship would pass under this bridge on its way out to the Atlantic Ocean.

Personal Eulogy For My Friend May Jackson

Today, I got a nasty shock. I got a call from my friend May Jackson's son-in-law Mike (last name unknown) letting me know May had passed away last night. I had no idea she was doing that badly. I learned just maybe less than a month ago that she'd been put in a nursing home because she was having such a rough time with needless worry and other things. I hoped when I got word of that she would pull out of it and, we could resume our chats as well as continuing to exchange letters. It was not to be.

I first met May when I moved into an apartment complex in San Angelo, Texas. I was a Tech Sergeant in the Air Force at the time and had just been stationed at the air base close by. I forget how we first met but, I remember her and her apartment well. May would serve cheap champagne and was a delight to be around. We had similar interests. Both of us liked culture, travel and art. I remember well the artistic rug she had hanging on one of her apartment walls. It consisted of bright solid swathes of color one after another. May asked me how much I thought it cost. I guess I didn't know art prices that well because I didn't come close to guessing the actual price. The RUG cost over $4,500 to my total shock!

Later, I got assigned to other air bases and kept in touch by phone and letter. One time while home for Christmas, I called her and reminded her that I was going to come down there and see her again (a promise I later kept). She asked me what I was doing in April. I said nothing. She told me about a special graduation trip that she, her daughter Jan and her grand-daughter Dallas (who was graduating from college - Georgetown possibly) were doing to Egypt. May particularly liked the country. I'd never visited it. She said lets meet there. Since I was stationed in Bahrain at the time, it wouldn't have been a huge hassle to fly over there. I told her I'd do my best to make it happen. I managed to get an Egyptian visa at the Egyptian embassy in Bahrain, made hotel reservations at the MENA House Oberoi Hotel (where her tour group was staying), arranged to have a driver pick me up at the airport and take me to the hotel (and later back to the airport) and in April I flew to Cairo.

I arrived first and waited for her to show up which she did I think an hour or 2 later. May some how talked the tour group leader into letting me join her tour for the next 2 days. It ended up being a lot of fun. Sadly, it was the only time we got to travel together. Because of May, I found out I liked Egypt and later, I did an Avalon Waterways tour where I saw the rest that I didn't get to do with her tour. I won't ever forget that trip with her, her daughter and grand-daughter.

I kept in touch with May and, I hoped to make it down to San Angelo again some time to see her. Sadly, it won't happen. I can't make it to her funeral with my future travel plans which are already set. Plus, I suspect it'll be a very sad family affair. I know they'll miss her dearly. May was a wonderful lady with a lot of character and a lot of spunk. May she know peace.

The Original IQ Tester Game Product Review

Recently, my friend Harvey and I had lunch at Aunt Sarah's Pancake House at 4205 Broad Street in Richmond, Virginia. While there, my friend Harvey reached over and started playing a game they had at our table (it was a demo model). The game is called The Original IQ Tester. It's made by Venture Manufacturing in Dalton, Georgia. The game is simple and yet challenging. It consists of 15 holes placed in a series of triangle patterns forming a greater triangle on a wooden board. You put 14 white plastic pegs in 14 of the 15 holes on the board. Then, you try to eliminate the pegs through jumping to where you have 1 peg left on the board. You can jump sideways or diagonally. You decide which hole to leave open at the beginning of the game. You earn points depending on how many pegs you have left at the end of the game (3 pegs left - 10 points, 2 pegs left - 25 points and 1 peg left - 50 points), or for advanced players if you can have the last peg end up in the hole you left open at the beginning (100 points) or more challenging still, you leave 8 pegs remaining on the board with no further jumps possible (200 points).

Venture Manufacturing sells the game for $7.99 at their website: venturemfgproducts.com. Should you lose too many of the white plastic pegs, you can order a replacement pack of 21 of them for $1.99. You may also be able to find the game as I did at Aunt Sarah's restaurants. They have 2 locations in Virginia.

Overall, I was really pleased with this game. I've found it challenging and, I like that there aren't any batteries. The game is small, light and easily packable. It's a game you can easily take with you on trips. Also, it is nice that it is made in the United States. I would definitely recommend it. Happy playing all!

Update December 14, 2014:  I placed an order for this game on the mentioned website. I got a shock when I found they'll charge you $10 for shipping. That's more than the cost of the game! So, I think Venture's shipping charges are high. You have been warned.

Yamaha TMAX Front Tire Life

Recently, I had to take my 2009 Yamaha TMAX into Heyser Cycle for a routine oil and filter change. Oil and filter changes have to be done every 3,125 miles or 5,000 kilometers. While there, it was discovered I needed to get a new front tire for my TMAX due to normal wear. I found out front tires apparently last approximately 8,000 miles on the bike. The bike uses either Dunlop GPR-100F or Bridgestone BT011F tires for the front tire. I ended up buying a Bridgestone tire as it was the cheaper of the two. It cost me $125 not including the labor to get it installed. I suspect the front tire on the bike is going to wear out faster than the back tire because that is where the majority of the braking is done on the bike. I'll post another post when I have to replace the back tire so TMAX users can have some idea how long the back tire will last. Happy safe riding all!