A Look Back At 2008

This picture was taken somewhere in Louisiana in April and I think it provides a good backdrop for what this post is all about, namely a look back at some of The Newtster's favorites from 2008. These generally fall into two categories: sights and foods. I am undertaking some effort to remain somewhat anonymous here so I had to make sure that my pictures do not blow my cover. Please also keep in mind that these were taken with a point and shoot camera so while the photo quality may not be spectacular, these captured the moment pretty well.Let's first start with all the places I have been this year, in chronological order by date of first visit. While I did not physically see each of these signs, you can tell below which ones I did personally visit.


In keeping with the chronology, I will attempt to keep my favorites in order by the date they were taken.

02/08/08 - Lincoln Memorial - Washington, D.C
Taken at dusk before catching a flight to Boston to celebrate the end of a friend's chemotherapy treatments. There was a great sliver of moon just above the building that I tried to capture.











03/30/08 - Sunset Over The Gulf of Mexico - Marco Island, FL
There were quite a few pictures from this trip that I had to choose from, but this was the most unique. The beach if huge and there is a little marshy area which you see in the foreground.









04/18/08 - Ray's Drive In - Lufkin, TX
Since this is ostensibly a food blog, here is the best burger of the year. This was taken during the road trip with Joe to Texas and Louisiana. The burger was spectacular, as was my vanilla milkshake, which unfortunately is not pictured here except for the top of the straw at the very bottom of the picture.







04/19/08 - New Zion Missionary Baptist Church Barbeque - Huntsville, TX
This fantastic plate of food included 3 different meats. The brisket was the best, followed by the sausage and then the ribs. They didn't have any chicken on the day we were there. All in all, a great stop.








04/20/08 - Oil Derrick - Outskirts of College Station, TX
After hoping to see one since entering Texas two days before, we finally saw one. Great photo-op.










04/21/08 - Bourbon Street - New Orleans, LA
This was the first trip to New Orleans for both Julia and Joe. A great time was had by all. Joe and I volunteered with Habitat For Humanity for two days and we managed to get in a Mavs vs. Hornets playoff game for good measure.









04/25/08 - Bristol Motor Speedway - Bristol, TN
It took a few steps for me to actually get up on the window because I'm not so limber. This was also taken from some sort of construction site.










05/14/08 - Sunrise at Pine Tree Overlook - Milepost 95 on the Blue Ridge Parkway
After road closures thwarted an attempt to get to this overlook in March, I managed to make it for a sunrise in May. You can just barely see the sun peeking over the mountain. The tree to the right was crazy looking. I only saw one other car while here. It was super serene.







05/25/08 - Pierce's Pitt Bar-B-Que - Williamsburg, VA
The world's greatest barbeque and barbeque sauce.











06/23/08 - Rainbow as seen from the window of our condo - Alexandria, VA
This followed a severe storm. There was actually a double rainbow but it did not show very well in the picture.














09/05/08 - Blockbuster Video - Alexandria, VA
Discovery that Planter's Cheez Balls are finally back, but only at Blockbuster.












11/02/08 - Sarah and Jonathan's House - Richmond, VA
Baxter, Sarah and Jonathan's miniature dachshund, demonstrates his unique ability to sit like a "tall boy". He will reportedly sit like this for very long periods of time. He is also showing off his new Wake football jersey in this picture, which clearly needed to be altered in order to fit his T-Rex legs.












11/20/08 - Tinker Mountain - Roanoke, VA
This is a view of Tinker Mountain, which if you have been by Roanoke on I-81 before you have no doubt noticed. When I was young and went to visit my grandparents in Roanoke, my Granddad always took me to the Roanoke Regional Airport to watch planes land. I loved it. If the planes were landing on one of the runways, they flew right over the upper right corner of the mountain. I spent countless hours watching this mountain and think about it every time I see it.

That's it for this year. Thanks for stopping by and making it a hugely successful debut this year. See you in 2009.