Rolling Thunder at The Cove in Inverness

Recently I met with Don and Joanne Westwood at "The Cove" in Inverness. Don and Joanne were in town from Alabama for a Rolling Thunder Conference and wanted to meet me to spread some awareness about Rolling Thunder. Since I love food and I love our servicemen, it seemed like the perfect match for me!

I suggested that we meet at The Cove, since they were only going to be in town for one night and that is one of the best places around! The Cove is located at 1242 S Cove Camp Pt. We had a wonderful time looking at all of the things on the wall. The place was packed with people.

I excused myself to go check out the restrooms. It was kinda funny as I could not find the sink in the ladies room. When I came out of one of the stalls, there was a hand-dryer, but the sink was not underneath it. It was across from it nestled between the stalls. I stood there cracking up at myself for not bring able to find it. It would have made a great "clip" on "You're on Candid Camera." Thankfully, no one walked in and saw me looking goofy!

When I returned to the table, Don and Joanne had already decided they were having burgers. I wanted to order something different so there would be more pictures of food, but a burger sounded so good, I had to get one too! You could get your burger with chips or fries. I love crinkle cut fries! Everyone's burgers looked the same, so I only took one photo! We should have at least ordered different cheese. I was going to go over to another table to ask to take pictures of their food, but I didn't want to embarass Don and Joanne! We started eating and talking about Rolling Thunder.

Incorporated in 1995, Rolling Thunder, Inc. is a class 501(c)(4) non-profit organization with over 88 chartered chapters throughout the United States and members abroad. While many members of Rolling Thunder are veterans, and many ride motorcycles, neither qualification is a prerequisite. Rolling Thunder members are old and young, men and women, veterans and non-veterans. All are united in the cause to bring full accountability for POWs and MIAs of all wars, reminding the government, the media and the public by our watchwords: “We Will Not Forget.”

I wanted to familiarize myself with the organization so I checked out the website. I was extremely moved by the pictures on the site and what an awesome group of people this is. This is one of the pictures taken from the website. You must check out the website, though, to see more outstanding photos.

Don and Joanne recently started the Alabama Chapter. There are currently 11 chapters in Florida. Scrolling through the states, Ohio is the only other state with 11 chapters. Yay Florida!

If you have any questions, you can contact the National Office

ROLLING THUNDER®, INC., NATIONAL
PO BOX 216
NESHANIC STATION, NJ 08853

TEL (908) 369-5439
FAX (908) 369-2072

EMAIL rtnj1@att.net

If you have questions about The Cove or where it is located, call them at (352) 344-5894.

Poblanos Mexican Grill and Bar with Kay Tenney

Kay Tenney is one of the most fantastic, zealous women you will ever meet! She had me laughing the entire lunch with her stories and antics. Kay has been a licensed realtor since 1995. Having been on the Centaurian Team with Century 21 until 2 years ago, she is currently working with Bullet Realty.

We met for lunch at Poblanos Mexican Grill and Bar located at 2451 McMullen Booth Road. I was a little concerned when I went in, because it was fairly dark for it being 1 o'clock in the afternoon. There were several tables that were filled with people. It was fairly busy. There are also tables outside for your dining pleasure.

Poblanos has a fairly large menu with salads, combination platters, "especialidades," enchilads, burritos, tacos and quesadillas. The lunch specials range in price from $5.99 to $7.50 I had no idea what I wanted and needed some time to decide. In the mean time, I was going to take a trip to the restroom and check it out.

I went into the bathroom and I was overwhelmed with beauty! I could not believe that the bathrooms were part of the restaurant. The sink was gorgeous! I absolutely love the sink bowls and the tile! Absolutely beautiful! I went back to the table still in disbelief, but ready to order my lunch!

I decided to have the lunch fajitas ($7.50) which were grilled with sliced tomatoes, onions, bell

peppers and served with Mexican rice and refried beans along with two flour tortillas.

I always say that I am going to try something different and I always end up ordering the fajitas! Kay and her daughter chose the "Make your own combo" of a tamal and a burrito served with rice and beans. ($6.99) You can pick one item for $5.99 if you have a smaller appetitite. I think for the extra $1 you should pick another item for your platter!

We continued our conversation about everything under the sun! Kay continues on from one story to the next and keeps you entertained for hours! Kay has lived in Pinellas County since she was 12 years old so she is extremely familiar with the beaches and the nuances of the county. She has a delightful sense of humor and a vast wealth of knowledge!

Kay has always specialized in working with the elderly. (85-95 year olds) She does not take advantage of them and she makes sure that no one else does either. She is very active in the community and has served on various committees from the City of Dunedin Parks and Recreation to the Gulfcoast Youth Soccer Association. She is also a big advocate of Clothes to Kids on Hercules in Clearwater, which provides new and quality used clothing to low-income chool aged children in Pinellas County, free of charge.

In addition to being well versed in the area and the community, Kay's husband was a professional painting contractor and she worked with him until 2006. She knows if something is a cosmetic or superficial problem or is there is a serious problem with your home.

If you have any questions you can contact Kay - Kay@BullardRealty.net

Telly Me You Love Me!

UPDATE ******* NAME HAS CHANGED *****************************

As I was leaving Dr. Theresa Hartley's Chiropractic office, I realized that I had not eaten and was getting hungry. Could there be any place on Ulmerton that I have not already tried? I had my eyes peeled for something new - and by George, I found it! Getting into Telly's Diner was not the easiest thing in the world, but I finally figured it out and ended up in the parking lot. Telly's is located at 3920 Ulmerton Road and you have to enter through the Day's Inn Hotel parking lot.

I am not sure if this used to be a Waffle House and I forgot to ask, but the interior is very reminiscent of one. You can sit and watch the cook prepare your food. It makes it nice to see that nothing is being dropped on the floor and put back on your plate. (Does that really happen?)

The bathroom was clean. There wasn't a place to hang your purse, though and you know how I hate that!

I read over the menu and a lot of it was Greek. I was surprised to find a Greek menu. Can't explain why, it just wasn't what I was expecting. I decided to go with the Steak and Spinach Melt ($7.00) which was [supposed to be] served with macaroni salad. I think my server was fairly new as he did not know the menu and told me that the melts were served on Texas Toast. (But, in all fairness, the restaurant itself is less than a couple months old.) Mine was not and it was not served with macaroni salad. When I asked him about the macaroni salad, he had no idea to what I was referring, so I just said, "nevermind." Or, you can substitute french fries for $1.00. I also ordered a cup of the Avgolemono soup ($2.00).

I have never had the avgolemono soup with carrots, but it was tasty and a nice portion. The melt was not served on Texas toast, but on a bun. Not sure if the server messed up or the cook did. Either way, it didn't matter, I didn't eat it anyway.

The menu consists of wraps, Greek platters, burgers, melts and hotdogs. The kids menu includes breakfast items as well as hot dogs, cheeseburger and grilled cheese. Nothing is more than $4.00 on the kids menu.

It's Greek to Me!

As I was headed north on Clearwater Largo Road in Largo, I was feeling a little hungry. I wanted something different, I was not in the mood for pizza or a burger. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Greek Islands Restaurant. I know I have passed it at least 1,000 times, but I have never noticed it. I decided to stop in and check it out. (just for you!)

I walked in and the place was a little quiet, but more people started coming in as I ate my lunch. The restaurant is fairly large as it is one big open room that can easily accomodate big parties.

It took me a while to figure out what I wanted as there were so many yummy sounding things on the menu. They also have daily specials such as meatloaf on Monday, stuffed peppers on Tuesday, stuffed cabbage on Wednesday, Baked chicken on Thursday, Spinach Pie on Friday, and Fried Flounder platter on Saturday and Sunday. All of these specials are $6.50 and served with Greek Salad.

I went to check out the restrooms and was very impressed with the cleanliness of the bathrooms. As I always say, if the bathrooms are dirty, it's a pretty good guess the kitchen is too!

I finally decided to start with a cup of the chicken augelemeno soup ($2.00) and the chicken souvlaki platter ($6.50) which was served with Greek salad, pita bread and tzatziki sauce.

The Greek salad can be ordered for parties and they can make any size. You can order a Greek Salad for 6 for $24.00 if you are dining in the restaurant. That sounds like something fun to do; go out to lunch with 5 friends and share one huge Greek salad! Who wants to join me?

As I was leaving, I noticed the table full of fresh baked goodies that had been put out while I was eating. I was very tempted, but I was too full to even think about getting more food.

They looked lovely, though.

Greek Islands Restaurant is located at 1501 Clearwater Largo Road. They are open 7 days a week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. They are family owned and operated since 1984.