Two years ago I accompanied Dr. Lyn Graves and his North Omaha Sudanese Boy Scout troop on an overnight camp out at Little Sioux, Iowa. Lyn had a dozen excited scouts, and needed help with the transportation of equipment, as well as some additional adult supervision.
At 57 years of age, I hadn’t camped out in many years. But, I remembered fondly my own scouting camp out experiences, and the care my leaders took to impart some knowledge and life skills at those outings. As I was collecting snacks to take to the camp-out, I decided to collect one variety of every nut in the grocery’s produce isle, do some research, and to tell a story about each kind of nut to the scouts. Of course, the scouts got to sample each variety. Surprisingly, several of the young men had never experienced the taste of a PEANUT!
My favorite nut story was the almond. Did you know that most of the almonds we eat are grown in Orange County, California? And, that every year during February and March the largest pollination event in the world occurs, as honey bees from 38 U.S. states are shipped to California to pollinate the almond groves?
Scientists estimate that nearly half of the U.S. honey bee population participates in the annual event! After the Nebraska winter of 2009 – 2010, I wish I was a honey bee!! In any event, we had an amazing camping weekend. I had fun and made several new friendships. Now I’m proud to say that I’m NUTS about scouting.
It costs approximately $137 per to provide financing for underprivileged scouts. This year, I’ll personally be providing my financial support. Won’t you join me in sponsoring one or two scouts? Send me a Direct Message or an email if you can help out this year. Happy Motoring!
Located at 7602 Main Street, at the top of the hill in old Ralston, is Scorz Sports Center, a bowling and entertainment facility. Scorz has a spacious bar area and Time Out Cafe’, which serves assorted sandwiches with your choice of fries or a side salad, as well as pizzas and appetizers. The Scorz facility has both open and league bowling. In addition, the facility can be rented for birthday celebrations, office parties and other events. Happy hour is held Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday nights Karaoke nights! Visit their website for their telephone number, for a complete list of their hours of operation, prices, and a list of the other services Scorz provides. Happy Motoring!
Eileen’s Colossal Cookies makes some of the best cookies in the area. Eileen started baking cookies in her Hastings, Nebraska home in 1982 and now has cookie franchises throughout the midwest, with two Omaha locations and one in Papillion. The Omaha locations are: 144th & Center, and 72nd & Pacific; the Papillion location is 8410 S. 73rd Plaza (73rd and Giles). Eileen’s cookies are delicious! Chocolate Chip, Snicker-doodle, M&M… need I say more. Eileen’s has several wonderful flavors from which to choose. Open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pick up a box for your family, for co-workers or for the Omaha Driver! Yum. Happy Motoring!
Located at 4931 S. 72nd Street, just South of “L” Street, is the Sanders ATA Black Belt Acadamy. If you, a friend, or family member are interested in learning more about self-defense, the Sanders ATA Academy may be well-suited to your educational needs. A member of the American Taekwondo Association (ATA), the academy teaches Karate as well as Taekwondo, a martial art that originated in Korea that focuses on positive behaviors such as non-aggression, respect and mental discipline. The Omaha Sanders ATA Acadamy is open for classes Monday through Thursday in the evenings, and on Saturday mornings. Both youth and adult classes are available. Just call (402)733-2359 or email SandersATA@aol.com. Happy Motoring!
Located at 2121 S. 73rd Street, one block north of Mercy Road on 73rd Street, is one our family’s favorite Omaha steak houses, the Drover. The Drover is well known for its famous “Whiskey Steaks”, that use the Drover’s original and secret whiskey marinade. The inside of the restaurant is dimly lit with rustic dark wood decor. The Drover has several small alcoves with tables and seating, providing privacy for small groups. The Drover has a small cocktail lounge, as well as a small buffet salad bar with traditional, but somewhat limited, salad selections. The salad plates are “chilled.” The Drover has several seafood menu items on their menu, and they are open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch, and nightly for dinner after 5 p.m. This Spring after the potholes are filled, have your mechanic check your vehicle’s front-end alignment and wheel balance, it’s been a hard Winter. Happy Motoring!
Located at 616 S. 72nd Street is Penzys Spices. If you know someone who likes to cook, this is the place to visit. Penzy’s has a an astonishingly broad choice of spices, herbs and seasonings. Although Penzy’s has stores in 24 states, this is the only location in Nebraska. The aroma inside the store is delightful as would expect. There are several sections, rows upon rows of spices, and recipe suggestions that employ the flavorful ingredients. I was most impressed by the gift box section and the gift box selections. They have wedding gift boxes, various salt free gift boxes, and my personal favorite: the grill & broil gift box. Take your time and survey all of the choices, it is a wonderful place to loiter. Happy Motoring!
The Winter of 2009-2010 has been one for the Omaha record books, with 28.3 inches of snow accumulation October through December 2009, and an additional 7.9 inches during the first 10 days of January 2010. The snow, combined with wind and bitterly cold temperatures, has challenged the fortitude of both young and old. Despite the blizzard conditions, many Omaha youth have made the best of a bad situation. Skiing at Mt. Crescent has been a popular Winter activity, as has sledding at Memorial Park. Others have simply derived pleasure by building a snowman or a snow fort as shown in the photo above. This particular structure was photographed on January 10th in the Turtle Creek subdivision near 90th and Harrison Streets. It is over 6 foot tall! Oh the stories Omahan’s will have to tell about this Winter! Happy Motoring!!
Located at 1017 Howard Street, in the Old Market, is the French Cafe’. The French Cafe’ is well known in the Omaha metropolitan area for elegant, fine dining and was voted by Omaha Magazine as Omaha’s best formal dining restaurant in 2009. Start your traditional French meal with a bowl of Classic French Onion Soup. It is excellent. Here is a link to the full dinner menu. The French Cafe’ is open on Sundays for Brunch, served for 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. And, it is open 7 nights per week for Bistro or Dinner service. The French Cafe’ can also host your special events or meetings, with private (for fee) rooms available. Reservations may be submitted online using their convenient web reservation form. Happy Motoring!
Author Laura Ingalls Wilder’s book “Little House on the Prairie“ comes alive in musical form, with performances at the Orpheum Theater next week. Popularized by the television series with the same name, the musical’s cast of performers includes Melissa Gilbert who was a member of the original TV series cast. Melissa will also be signing copies of her book, “Prairie Tale”, between and after show performances. The Orpheum Theater, located at 409 S. 16th street, will host the performances January 12 through January 17. Ticket prices range from $28 to $58, and may be purchased from the Omaha Performing Arts website or by phone 345-0606 , toll free at 866-434-8587, or at the Holland Center box office, located at 13th and Douglas Streets. Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books are marvelous and, coupled with a strong cast, should provide a great show. Happy Motoring!
HuHot Mongolian Grill is a restaurant chain with franchises in 12 states, including 4 Nebraska locations. HuHot’s has a restaurant in Lincoln, and 3 in Omaha. One is located at 990 S. 72nd Street, another at 710 N. 114th Street, and another at 17660 Wright Street (177th & Center). HuHot is a fun eating experience for the entire family. Guests get to choose their own meats, noodles, vegetables and sauces for grilling by HuHot’s professional cooks. The sauces include mild traditional Mongolian flavors such as Teriyaki, garlic oil, sesame oil, and sweet and sour. Bold Asian and hot flavors are also available, including Thai peanut, ginger, curry, chili oil, kung pao and Szechuan. HuHot is open for lunch and dinner, and their hours of operation may be found on HuHot’s website. My wife and I love this place. Give it a try and Happy Motoring!
The headquarters for the Boy Scouts’ Mid-America Council is located at 12401 West Maple Road. Of course, it is a great organization. 
