My father's good, Jack, had an April birthday, but Jack pretty much celebrated his birthday for weeks leading up to the big day--and for weeks after the big day.
Perhaps Jack's influence explains why I'm still celebrating the first anniversary (August 1) of Midwest Guest!
Besides, I had a lot of fun giving away my BlogHer kids' swag bags last month. Congrats again to Tracyn and Beth!
This month, the theme is food.
Pasties in Michigan's Upper Peninsula? Skyline Chili in Cincinnati? Fried whitefish livers in Wisconsin? Crawfish in Louisiana? Grits in Kentucky? Fried catfish in Arkansas? We love eating in the little local joints and eating local specialties when we travel.
When we're not on the road, we love watching shows and reading books about great regional road food finds.
Planning a road trip this year? Here's your chance to win a two-book package that should help you find the best eats from Maine to California--and everywhere in between.
I'm opening this giveaway up to U.S. residents who leave a comment on this post telling me about their favorite road food or roadside "joint" by 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Standard Daylight Savings Time) on Friday, October 16.
The winner receives two books: Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives by Guy Fieri and 500 Things to Eat Before it's Too Late and the Very Best Places to Eat Them by Jane & Michael Stern.
Fieri's book is the New York Times best-selling companion to his fun show of the same name on The Food Network. The Sterns' book includes tips on side trips as you're eating your way through the country, and mail order resources for some of their food finds.
Both books look like just the thing to whet your appetite for travel!
Only one entry per person. Midwest Guest reserves the right to eliminate entries that are rude or spam comments.
Meanwhile, check out some of these Midwest-related blog posts from other writers I've enjoyed reading this past month:
Minnesota Music Hall of Fame in New Ulm, MN-Linda starts us off on a musical note at Travels with Children as her family learns about Minnesota's musical history and an eclectic group of musicians with Minnesota ties that include Bob Dylan, Judy Garland and Whoopee John!
The Dequindre Cut: An Urban Gallery-Becks takes us on a tour of one of Detroit's newest greenways and recreational paths for walkers, runners and bicyclists and tells us about the cool graffiti art along the way. Check it out at Detroit Moxie!
South Dakota's Black Hills Buffalo Roundup-James takes a look at the world of cowboys with this Man Tripping story about the annual Buffalo Roundup in Custer State Park, where experienced wranglers help thin the park's herd to a level the park can support over the winter.
Oh Dakota! Update on My Tour of the West-Reading about Gary's travels around the globe at Everything Everywhere is always fascinating, but I especially loved seeing his take on the Dakotas. Make sure you click on the Theodore Roosevelt National Park link in this post to see Gary's gorgeous North Dakota wildlife photos.
The Apostle Islands-Visit the pristine wilderness of Lake Superior as photographer Ian Plant of Mountain Trail Photo Blog explores the Apostle Islands in northern Wisconsin via sea kayak. Ian shares some stunning images of sea caves and Superior shoreline.
Kayaking at the Pictured Rocks-Move east into Michigan along the Lake Superior shoreline to check out northern_latitudes at Michigan in Pictures and click through to Tim's beautiful Pictured Rocks kayaking 2009 Flickr photo set.
Wandering on a Water Taxi-Join Farsighted Fly Girl Rosalind and her family as they explore Chicago via water taxi.
The Tiltons-Canadian photographer Sandi Wheaton embarks on a trip traveling the length of Route 66. Follow her adventures on pictureRoute66, especially through the initial leg of her journey as it takes her through Illinois and she meets the hospitable Tiltons.
Kansas Underground Salt Museum: the tornadoes can't get you here-Sheila of the Family Travel Guide takes us on a tour of a working salt mine 650 feet below Hutchinson, Kansas.
Ernie Harwell and the moment-I'll leave you with a particularly poignant goodbye as Billfer of The Detroit Tigers Weblog shares the moment when beloved baseball broadcaster Ernie Harwell thanked Detroit Tigers' fans and bid them adieu--and the fans, in turn, thanked him for many years of joy and expressed loving support for Ernie as he faces a foul ball of a health challenge.
© Dominique King 2009 All rights reserved
