Category: Travel

Whataburger

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date December 8, 2021

I’m not much of a fast food consumer. In fact here at home I generally avoid all of the big fast food restaurants. (I don’t consider Starbucks or Panera as fast food; although, a case could be made that they are.)

They say “When in Texas – eat at Whataburger“. I don’t know who “they” are, but I understand it. There are hundreds (870+) Whataburger locations across the deep U.S. south – most of them (700+) in Texas. They were founded in Corpus Christi in 1950, and their corporate headquarters is in San Antonio.

There are actually 37 locations along the I-10 corridor of the Florida Panhandle eastward from Pensacola to Jacksonville and its beaches. My family used to live in Jacksonville and its suburbs. That’s when I discovered the Whataburger experience.

There’s nothing really special about the experience. They specialize in burgers and fries. They also serve chicken and fish sandwiches, sodas, shakes, and pies. It’s your typical fast food fare. The prices are comparable to all other fast food restaurants. I think the service is a little different in that you order and pay at the counter, and if you’re eating-in then they give you a numbered placard which you take to your seat. They then bring your order to you – no matter how small or large it is. They also bring you an entire tray of condiments, and then you select which ones you want.

I always try to remember to order the apple pie. They make it the way McDonald’s used to make it a long time ago – fried and piping-hot !

I didn’t get a chance to enjoy the Whataburger experience on my last few visits to North Texas, so I made it a point to do so on my recent visit. I ate once while there, and then I enjoyed an encore shortly after the start of my long drive home just after leaving Texas on the south side of Shreveport Louisiana. Both experiences were positive, and I was no longer hungry following my burger and fries meal.

You know I forgot to order the fried apple pie on my 2ND visit. I won’t make that mistake again next time.

Tags Whataburger

Bible Blogging Christian Church Driving God Ministry Scripture Travel

Sunday Scripture

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date December 5, 2021

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday December 05TH 2021, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Let us celebrate this great new day of believing, following, trusting, loving, and being more like our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.

I’ve returned home from yet another road-trip vacation, and this was a long one – one of the longest of my life. It started on Thursday November 11TH, and it ended on Sunday November 28TH – a total of 18 days. I’m blogging my road-trip adventures and experiences over the course of 7 Thursdays through December and into January. Part 1 of my 7-part series was posted this past #TravelThursday.

I missed 3 Sundays in a row with my church family here at home. I did not attend a church service during my road-trip even though it was in my plans to do so. I missed the pre-service fellowship. I missed singing about our God up on stage. I missed learning more about our God from our Pastor. I missed the post-service fellowship Lunch at a local restaurant. I missed it all – 3 times over. I’m excited about returning later this morning !

This past Wednesday December 01ST in the afternoon a bunch of us gathered at our church building to put up all of our Christmas decorations within our sanctuary. It all looks very festive now. We did a great job, but the important part of it all was the fellowship that got it done. God’s fellowship. God’s love among His children.

It’s the first Sunday of a brand new month, so we’ll observe and celebrate Communion this morning.

I may incorporate this Scripture into my Communion this morning:

Then Jesus said – “Come to Me – all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you – because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 NLT)

If you wish to learn more about the God I know then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. Tomorrow it’s #Top10Monday, as I present my personal Top 10 hits this week that honor our God Almighty on the radio.

Thank you for reading my blog for this day, and may:

The LORD bless you, and keep you.
The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.

Tags Bible, Blog, Christ, Christian, Church, Communion, God, Jesus, Minister, Ministry, Scripture, Sermon, Sunday

Blogging Driving Food Holidays Military Travel

My November Vacation 2021 Road-Trip

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date December 2, 2021

I have returned back home (where I belong) to Homestead Florida after 18 days on the road between here in South Florida (30 miles southwest of Miami) and my family’s home in North Texas (25 miles northeast of Dallas).

#TravelThursday continues now with a recap of my adventures and experiences along this extended multi-holiday road-trip. In fact I’ll be looking back on this road-trip for the next 7 Thursdays (starting today). I’ve got a lot to cover. I’ve got a lot to look back at with joy. If you’re interested in this trip then read on and stay tuned, for we’ll visit some fun places together (virtually).

Let’s get started – at the crack of dawn on Thursday November 11TH (Veterans Day here in the U.S.A.), as that’s when this road-trip commenced. I took Florida State Road 997 (known locally as Krome Avenue) onto U.S. 27 up the spine of the Florida peninsula. I refer to Krome and the southern portion of U.S. 27 as the #CMDRH. (That stands for the “Chris M. Day Retirement Highway” – for obvious reasons.)

Every military veteran knows that on Veterans Day you can pretty much eat for free at selected restaurants for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Many restaurants offer free portions of meals (appetizers, desserts), and other restaurants offer assorted discounts. Denny’s and Bob Evans are two restaurant chains that offer free meals on Veterans Day. As I cruised up U.S. 27 into Central Florida I intended to stop at either restaurant – as long as the respective parking lot wasn’t jam-packed. I passed by about a half-dozen Denny’s and Bob Evans locations that were bustling with cars and people – even lines waiting to get in. An ideal situation would’ve been to eat at Denny’s for Breakfast (free) – and then Bob Evans for Lunch or Dinner (free). I finally found a Bob Evans with a few empty parking spaces at around 11 AM in Clermont, so that’s where Lunch was to be. After a short wait in line I enjoyed a nice, hearty, and delicious “Country-Fried Steak – Dinner Bell Plate”. #Yum

After my free meal at Bob Evans I continued up the road, over to the Nature Coast (“Big Bend”) of Florida, into the Panhandle, and just past Tallahassee for my first night’s pitstop. I drove 519 miles on Day 1 of my 18-day road-trip.

On Day 2 I took I-10 westward for another 180 miles to the Alabama state line. That’s right – it took me nearly 700 miles just to get out of Florida !

Incidentally driving through Pensacola along I-10 is never fun. It’s actually rather intimidating (for me). It’s a close call as to which stretch of I-10 in the Florida Panhandle is more challenging – Tallahassee or Pensacola. In both cases I-10 skirts the northern fringes of the cities (rather than traversing right through the middle of them). But due to the combination of local and Interstate traffic there’s a whole lot of merging going on, and merging traffic gives me anxiety attacks.

Rivaling both Tallahassee and Pensacola is I-10 through Mobile Alabama. I prefer to cruise the scenic route along Battleship Parkway (the concurrency of U.S. 90 / 98 which runs adjacent to and closer to the water than I-10).

I wrote about Mobile Alabama 4 weeks ago here on #TravelThursday. On this visit (on Friday November 12TH) I drove past a few more places that I’d like to spend some quality time at in the future – including the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park. I really need to return to Mobile and spend several days there exploring the attractions of the city on both land and sea. It would also be nice to spend more quality time with my friends there.

I did make a 90-minute stop in Semmes (a suburb northwest of Mobile). I think I know about a dozen people who live in or near Semmes who also lived in Homestead 10 years ago. I ate with one of those people. I enjoyed good Thai food and fellowship with one of my great friends. I’ve known her for nearly 15 years – since the first 3 minutes of my very first Sunday morning church service as a born-again Christian on January 21ST 2007.

And that’s where I’ll end Part 1 of this 7-part blog series. I’ll continue with my road-trip adventures and experiences next #TravelThursday. We’ll cruise-up U.S. 98 into Mississippi, and we’ll cross the state via old rural U.S. highways – over to the eastern bank of the mighty Mississippi River.

Tags Alabama, Florida

Animals Blogging Church Driving History Military Photography Scripture Sports Travel

Hattiesburg Mississippi

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date November 18, 2021

#TravelThursday continues, and in this edition we visit “The Hub City” of Hattiesburg Mississippi.

It got its nickname “The Hub City” because it was a hub – a central point – of several railroad lines at the time (1910s) with a thriving lumber industry. Nowadays it’s known as “The Hub City” because it’s where old U.S. Routes 49 and 98 meet at the south end of the city. U.S. Route 11 also passes through the core of the city. It extends southward to near the Gulf Of Mexico, and northward to the Canadian border with New York. I-59 bypasses much of the city to the west. It is definitely “The Hub City” in the southeastern part of Mississippi. It’s a little less than 100 miles northwestward from Mobile Alabama, and it’s a little more than 100 miles north-northeastward from New Orleans Louisiana.

I’ve driven through Hattiesburg several times en route to and from North Texas. I’ve even spent a couple of hotel nights in Hattiesburg. On one of those hotel nights I had driven 657 miles from Wichita Falls Texas. I checked-in to my hotel room, and I looked at my iPhone. I had a voice mail from my Pastor. He told me to call him. I did. He asked me if I wanted to preach on Sunday. (That was a Thursday night.) An exhausted me gladly accepted. On that Sunday (October 02ND 2016) I preached my very first sermon to my church family. I was ready for that day. I had plenty of time on the road to think about and to pray about that first sermon.

I really want to spend more than a hotel night in and around the Hattiesburg area. There are lots of places to see and things to do there. The Hattiesburg Zoo and the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum would be on that list. #VisitHattiesburg.

Hattiesburg is a young college and military town with about 45,000 residents within the city limits and about 170,000 residents within the metro area. It is the home of the University Of Southern Mississippi and the black and gold Golden Eagles.

Join me next #TravelThursday as we visit another location on the face of this earth.

They keep you safe on your way, and your feet will not stumble. You can go to bed without fear. You will lie down and sleep soundly. You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, for the LORD is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap. (Proverbs 3:23-26 NLT)