Tag: lifestyle

Exploring Covington, GA: A Family Dinner and Scenic Trails


May 10, 2026

We drove to Covington, GA, to have dinner with our granddaughter, who works in Atlanta. Covington is within the Atlanta metro area. And it has the Cricket Frog Trail, which we wanted to ride and compare to the Spanish Moss Trail, which we rode in Beaufort, SC, a day earlier.

The hotel we stayed at was unique for having a four-story-high atrium with a skylight in the middle. The rooms were accessible via an open corridor running around each floor facing the atrium. We have never stayed in a hotel with such singular architecture, although the concept is similar to that of havelis in Rajasthan, except that havelis have uncovered courtyards.

The hotel in Covington with atrium

Arriving early afternoon gave us time to go downtown and walk around before meeting our granddaughter for dinner. Covington Square in the middle of town reminded me of the zócalos in Mexican towns, but without pre-teens approaching to offer to shine your shoes, even your running shoes that do not need a shine.

In the middle of the square was a statue honoring the Confederate soldiers who had perished during the Civil War. Paved walkways crisscrossed the square, with people resting on benches along the walkways, enjoying the mild weather. And there were people walking around the square, sitting at a café, and shopping in funky stores that populated the street fronts around the square.

The Confederate monument

The Clocktower, which is part of the courthouse, dominates the square. It reminded me of the dominating churches at the Mexican zócalos. While researching the history of the Clocktower, I came across an AI summary that described it as a “classic design with detailed architecture” built in the early 1900s. That is pure nonsense. What is classic design? And what is detailed architecture? Then I found another history on Wikipedia stating that it was designed in 1884 in the Second Empire style by Bruce&Morgan, after the original courthouse burnt down in 1883. I believe the second description rings truer because of its specificity.

The Clocktower, the Mystic Grill and the Shrimp and Grits

We had dinner at the Mystic Grill, located next to the Clocktower. The shrimp and grits were one of the best I have ever had; they were made with stone-ground grits, bacon, garlic, shallots, cilantro, and lime juice. The next best shrimp and grits I had was a week ago at Jekyll Island, GA, where the dish contained mushrooms, cheese, and andouille sauce.

The restaurant was noisy, making conversation difficult for me, especially with the larger tables to talk across and the conversations ricocheting in the dining room. But the atmosphere was very inviting, with a 2-story-high coffered ceiling and local historical pictures and memorabilia on the walls.

But Covington has some antebellum homes, the most famous of which is Twelve Oaks, which served as the model for the 1939 film Gone with the Wind. The 1939 movie was based on Margaret Mitchell’s book of the same name, published in 1936. A pricey B&B today with themed rooms and a manicured, landscaped yard, it still features the 12 oak trees around the home, from which the name was derived.

The Twelve Oaks B&B

We rode the Cricket Frog Trail the next day, a 14-mile-long rail-to-trail, once traveled by the Central of Georgia Railroad. The paved trail is a bit hilly with some curves; I wondered about how fast the trains moved along it. We started riding at the rural trailhead and cycled towards Covington. Once we reached the outskirts of the town and encountered traffic, we turned back. It was a pleasant ride, and I saw many estates along the trail.

Coming back to the two rail-to-trails we rode, one in Beaufort, SC, the Spanish Moss Trail, and the other in Covington, GA, the Cricket Frog Trail, I prefer the Cricket Frog for having mostly cyclists and a shaded pathway along the way. The Spanish Moss Trail runs through more urbanized areas, with walkers and people walking dogs, contributing to slower cycling and frequent shouts of “on the left”. And it was also mostly a straight path, which felt boring at times. However, there are a couple of nice coffee shops in Port Royal at the end of the trail and a rookery that boasted innumerable birds, a very cool experience. And I like to end my rides at a coffee shop with quality coffee and some sweets. For riding, the Cricket Frog Trail is better, but for interest, the Spanish Moss Trail is preferable.

Unboxing My New iRobot: A Weekend Adventure


January 12 2024

The new iRobot arrived from Amazon, but I delayed opening the box. Things were about to get difficult.

That old iRobot developed some bad habits. Like older people, it got cranky; sometimes it worked, sometimes it did not. The situation was far more frustrating than the word suggests when the machine spun around in a circle and went home like a dog refusing a walk. So, it was time to get a new one.

There I was, examining the sizable box holding my new iRobot. When I receive a new product, I usually empty the box to see all the items sent and then look for the one-page instructions.

Assuming that the new one needed powering up, I plugged it in. I then consulted the instructions, but the print was too small to decipher. With a magnifying glass, I discovered that of the dozens of pages, only two were in English. The other pages had identical text in dozens of languages, each two pages long.

Besides the instruction manual, I found two cards with QR codes. I have an iPhone, so I had no trouble taking a picture of the codes and reading the instructions. But what if I had no iPhone?

No other instructions were provided beyond the miniature English text and QR codes. From the two pages of text, I learned to charge the machine until the swirling white circle around the start button stopped. The other and more critical instruction was to “pair” my iPhone with the iRobot. Once I paired my phone with the cleaning genius, instructions arrived.

The first command received was to give my machine a name. We discussed the name. We didn’t intend to imply cleaning is women’s work, but finding a gender-neutral name souncing good to both of us proved difficult. The current recognition of multiple sexes makes using “(he/she)” after names too lengthy. Our old iRobot, Matilda, has a namesake: our new iRobot.

Soon enough, my iPhone indicated Matilda was ready to clean. I punched the starter button, and Matilda came off her base. Then she took off towards the bedroom, changed her mind, and returned to crank around her base. After that, she seemed to meander aimlessly in different rooms until it ran out of juice, returned, and mounted her base for a refill.

I was disappointed by the short amount of time Matilda spent cleaning. At this rate, she will need three or four charges to clean the main floor. The old and faithful Matilda did the entire floor with only two charges.

By now, not knowing what to do next and in a frustrated mood, it was time to call customer service. Connecting with a very courteous gentleman with a foreign accent did not take long. A nagging question about his location tugged at my mind, though I felt no desire for interaction in my current mood. He told me to charge Matilda three hours before starting. I had charged it for less than an hour because my iPhone informed me Matilda was ready to dance. The swirling was slow, and my iPhone said Matilda was ready.

Another key information I learned from the representative was to press the “map” button first so Matilda could survey our house, measure the rooms, and map them in her memory. The first time around, she will not clean, he said. I asked where the map button was. I saw the word map next to the Google symbol for maps, but when I touched the symbol, Matilda jumped off the base and started cleaning. No, the customer service gentleman said. Just touch the words “map,” not the symbol. And so, we made friends with Matilda, and once charged for the third time, she cranked around the entire main floor, mapping our house without cleaning.

She mapped our house into her memory and even called the rooms by their names. For example, there was a living room, bedrooms numbers one and two, and so forth. She correctly identified our Christmas tree, calling it ” the Holiday Tree,” the accepted word for it by today’s standards. How the hell could she recognize it? The star-shaped footing for the tree may have given her the information around which she had to circumnavigate. Very smart. And if I did not find the floor plan realistic, I could correct it on my iPhone.

Now that Matilda had our floor plan in her plastic body, I could enter a ‘new project,’ check the rooms to be cleaned, and then punch the start button.

Opening the box, figuring out the instructions, calling for customer help, and waiting for Matilda to charge and recharge took most of the weekend. Now, with the floor plan in Matilda’s mind, I can still change. I understand how to use the new iRoboy and could retire old Matilda to the basement should she return to life.  

Phew! I relaxed and poured myself a glass of wine, celebrating success. Then the realization hit me: did we not get this model because it is not only self-cleaning but also “mops.” (Self-cleaning means we do not have to empty the dustbin. She does it herself by having a massive blow into the base when she finishes the assigned project and returns to the base). Yes, she does mop with water! Aha, that is why there was another gadget for mopping in the box, into which we put some water. Boy, I’ll need another weekend to figure out how to mop with Matilda! I’ll sit on it for a week before initiating another adventure with Matilda.

Reflections on Christmas Brunch Conversations


December 31, 2024

While others watched football on Christmas Day, we relaxed with friends over brunch. Years ago, we used to start these special days with mimosas, but that’s become a thing of the past as we’ve gotten older. Instead, this year, I started the fireplace, brewed coffee, turned on the Christmas tree lights, and scanned the news on my iPhone. A headline claiming Assad’s responsibility for 150,000 deaths caught my attention—an expert called it the worst massacre since the Nazis. That news was a real downer, and I looked forward to socializing with friends to uplift my mood.

Perhaps because of Christmas, my friends and I casually discussed religion during brunch. I inquired if anyone attended church. No one did, and neither did their families. We are not church-going people, although one of our guests volunteers vacuuming in one.

Remembering the headline news I read this morning, I could not help but ask: “If God created this world, how could he tolerate Assad’s killing spree?” God gave us “free will,” someone responded. I did not find this comment enlightening, but I continued to delve into our religious background. Surprising was the realization that some of our children had not been baptized, or we could not remember whether they were.

During our conversation on religion, one claimed that religion had triggered most wars, while others believed religion’s relevance had diminished. The spread of science has contributed to religion’s lessening role in today’s world, as it is based on facts rather than beliefs. All I have to do to confirm this is talk to my daughter and son-in-law, both scientists. Contrasting this latter view, some recounted friends whose marriages followed religious conversion by one spouse.

While serving coffee, I overheard someone mention that she missed the King’s Christmas address last night. That comment stopped me cold. Who were we talking about? A King? But a few seconds later, my brain switched gears, and I realized it was the British King. Since Canada is in the Commonwealth, we often discuss the Royal Family.

Thinking about heads of government addressing the public, I asked if anyone had listened to our Prime Minister addressing Canadians on Christmas Eve. We saw him on TV, but no one else did. That surprised me because, to some of our guests, a Christmas speech by the King of England apparently took priority over the one our Prime Minister gave. Where is our loyalty? But I remember our Prime Minister said our country is beyond a multicultural state and we live in some international order. What he meant wasn’t clear to me, and it still is not.  

Most families watch a movie on Christmas Eve, and I brought up the movie we watched, “Hot Frosty.” One friend mentioned it as a “cute” one, while another thought it was horrible. The film, about a snowman’s transformation into a human, was unrealistic but enjoyable and heartwarming. I thought this was a children’s film, but others saw it as simple entertainment for adults. It was relaxing, although I prefer movies with some messaging and reality.

However, the tasty brunch included cinnamon muffins, quiche, coffee, tea, and cider. The fact that we were all friends enabled open communication, calmly sharing our views on potentially divisive issues.