according to jeff

iPod Mechanic (now at imechanic.com) is an iPod repair service that I’ve previously used and written about (Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3).

Now, according to this article in MacWorld, iPod Mechanic is in legal trouble with Apple, who is unhappy not only about the use of the word “iPod” but also alleges fraudulent repair practices.

My experiences — some good, some not so good — with iPod Mechanic had led me to conclude that it was a small company that was simply unable to meet the demand for its services. Now I’m not so sure that that was all that was going on.

I have one of the original iPhones; it is the best mobile phone that I’ve ever had.

Now there’s a new iPhone from Apple: the iPhone 3G. The iPhone 3G uses a faster data network and sports a GPS, plus includes several software enhancements, including the ability to add non-Apple programs to the iPhone. The iPhone itself is less expensive, but the data plan is an additional $10 per month over the $20 per month paid for the EDGE network.

I’ve not yet opted to buy a new iPhone, but I did decide yesterday to upgrade my iPhone to the new 2.0 operating system and software.

Before beginning, I upgraded to the latest version of the iTunes software (version 7.7) and made sure that I wouldn’t need my phone for a few hours. My friend Jim had recently performed the upgrade, and said that it took several hours to complete.

Several hours was an understatement. After about three hours, with iTunes appearing stuck on “restoring iPhone software”, I googled and found this article, which suggests that the upgrade can take up to 6 hours. The article suggested to let it continue to run overnight and that aborting the upgrade could disable the phone. So, with some concern, I decided to let it continue to run overnight. Over the course of a few hours, I saw the progress meter inch forward, from perhaps 5% complete to 10% complete. “Maybe it will finish overnight,” I thought, with a glimmer of hope.

Nope.

This morning I searched the Apple support site and found this article. I followed those instructions (with a few additions of my own):

1. I disconnected the iPhone USB cable.
2. I held down the iPhone power button to make the iPhone turn off.
3. I “force quit” iTunes.
4. I rebooted my MacBook.
5. I started iTunes again, and it notified me of a new version (apparently released since yesterday afternoon). I let it install version 7.7.1.
6. I temporarily changed my power management settings to not sleep the computer or screen (I didn’t want to have to keep pressing a key turn the screen on so that I could see progress).
7. I plugged the iPhone USB cable back in, while holding down the “home” button as suggested in the Apple article.
8. iTunes informed me that the iPhone needed to be restored.
9. I started the restore.

Within 30 minutes, the restore, upgrade and activation completed. The phone is working and the new 2.0 software is installed. I’m not sure what caused the hang-up, nor which of the steps above actually fixed it. It may have been the iTunes 7.7.1 update, or putting the iPhone into recovery mode, or simply rebooting, or something else entirely. On the one hand, I’m disappointed that the upgrade process wasn’t flawless; on the other hand, I’m glad that I found an article at Apple that helped resolve the problem.

Regular readers may recall that I appreciate free wi-fi. Coffee shops, book stores, hotels and gas stations with free wi-fi are hip, cool, and the place to be. Places without free wi-fi are just places.

On our recent LTE (“longest trip ever”), we had mixed experiences with free wi-fi.

• Holiday Inn Express always promised free Wi-Fi, but with mixed results:
  • Shelbyville, KY — A+ — worked flawlessly
  • Dillard, GA — C — flawless access to the Web and incoming e-mail, but outgoing email was blocked
  • Metroplis, IL — D — though the signal strength was strong, access was sporadic. As in Dillard, outgoing email was blocked
• The Marshall House, Savannah, GA — A+ — provided wired access in the room and wireless access in public parts of the hotel
• Ansonborough Inn, Charleston, SC — B — provided instructions for logging in, but logging in was never needed. There was a problem with the router our first night, but it was resolved by the next day
• Wildberry Lodge, Asheville, NC — C — flawless access to the Web and incoming mail, but outgoing mail was blocked. Signal strength was weak. The lodge operators are planning to add another access point, so this may improve.
• Dillard House, Dillard, GA — D — provided wireless access and detailed instructions for Windows XP. However, my Mac would easily connect to the network, but never get access to the Internet
• Crowne Plaza, St. Louis, MO — F — free Internet access was not provided

While in the Dillard, Georgia, area, we enjoyed a local restaurant, Grapes and Beans, in Clayton, just a few miles down the road. It’s just the kind of place that oozes the “we’re hip and have free wi-fi” vibe. Unfortunately, that vibe was left-over from a time when free wi-fi was available. It was no longer available while we were there.

Oddly, we were told that wi-fi was available at the local drug store’s soda fountain, and a McDonalds. Alas, however, while McDonald’s did have wi-fi, it wasn’t free wi-fi. I wanted to check Google Maps, though, so I forked over $2.95 for Internet access and then didn’t feel bad about not buying lunch there.

I certainly enjoyed traveling with a laptop. I was able to blog about experiences, transfer pictures from my camera to my PC, check Google Maps to compare to my GPS route, follow my fantasy baseball team, and e-mail my son at home. Free wi-fi (when available) was much appreciated.

One side-effect of staying at a bed and breakfast is that you tend to meet the other guests. We arrived at our bed and breakfast in Asheville, North Carolina, on Sunday evening, and shortly after that, a delightful Christian couple, Elvyn and Shirley, from Texas arrived. They stayed five days, just as we did, so we often saw each other at breakfast time and in the evenings.

It turns out that they attend a Southern Baptist Church in Texas. We attend a Southern Baptist Church in Iowa. What are the odds of that, I wonder?

It’s not too surprising that we would meet some one from Texas. And if we met some one from Texas, it isn’t that surprising that they would attend a Southern Baptist church.

But what Texan would expect to meet an Iowan? And then what are the chances of those Iowans attending a Southern Baptist church? Yes, it was probably a more unlikely encounter for Elvyn and Shirley than for us…

The Ridgecrest Conference Center is located in the Asheville area and was hosting a conference by Exodus International during the week that we were there. In response, a local Asheville group was promoting this phrase: “You’re fine just the way you are.”

While I appreciate the sentiment — after all, I do sport some fine habits, if i do say so myself — after just a moment’s reflection, I find that I must disagree with this assessment. You see, I’m not fine just the way I am.

Sometimes I get angry for no good reason.

Sometimes I think about what I want without really considering what you want. (In fact, that happens more often than just “sometimes”.)

Sometimes I even burp, excuse me, belch at inopportune moments.

And that’s just what I’ve come up with in a few short moments. No, I definitely am not fine just the way I am. I am thankful, however, that in each of these areas (except perhaps the last one), I am making improvements!

As faithful readers will have already surmised, after visiting Charleston, South Carolina, we travelled to Asheville, North Carolina.

On the way, however, we returned to Dillard, Georgia, for a night. We attended the mid-camp harp concert on Saturday night and church at the Head of Tennessee Baptist Church again on Sunday morning. Then we left for Asheville for our stay at the Wildberry Lodge.

Asheville has been described as a Southern version of San Francisco or Santa Fe. I think Santa Fe is a closer match, though Asheville doesn’t have the flexible prices that many of the stores in Sante Fe use. The downtown stores and art galleries also reminded me of Breckenridge, Colorado.

Asheville has also been described as welcoming and progressive. It wasn’t uncommon to see dogs (leashed, of course) in public, and there were several downtown stores that catered to dogs (and cats, too, I suppose). Gourmet dog biscuits, for instance, were readily available. Other “progressive” sights were less common, but still available.

We arrived on Sunday and were guided by our GPS directly to the Wildberry Lodge. Our Monday started with a trip to Asheville Mall for a quick visit with an eye doctor, and then we headed to the downtown shopping and arts district. Unlike most downtown areas, which are devoted to offices, the Asheville downtown area is devoted to shopping, art galleries and eating. It covers a several block area, which means that we walked quite a bit. There was more to cover than we could do in one afternoon, so we returned on Tuesday to finish the job.

Some of our favorite stores:

• Alexander & Lehnert Fine Jewelry — most of the jewelry in this store was handcrafted by either Michelle Alexander or Bill Lehnert, a husband and wife team. Mr. Lehnert’s pieces often included large, spectacular stones. (One ring was marked at $44,000.) Many upscale jewelry stores are staffed by snooty people that don’t make browsers feel welcome. Not so here! The young lady in the store was very friendly and very happy to show us the fine jewelry on hand. She obviously appreciated it herself and wanted to share it with others. It was a refreshing experience.
• Mast General Store — featured some tourist stuff upstairs, but mostly clothing. The downstairs included hiking and camping gear, which I love to look at even though I rarely hike and am not fond of camping. (I tell myself that I would like camping if I had the opportunity to hike up into a secluded area and camp where no one had camped before.)
• Topps for Shoes — easily the largest shoe store that we’ve ever been in. There were so many shoes that if you were actually shopping for a pair of shoes, the number of choices available would be nearly overwhelming!

Outside of Mast General Store, a group of what appeared to be long-haired, unshaven men wearing camouflage pants and assorted T-shirts were hanging out. One asked me: “Surveys have shown that 90% of Canadian students cannot locate their state on the map. Do you think that’s the fault of schools?” I said “no” and kept walking. But a few minutes later, we walked by again, so I asked him, “Do you know what percentage of US students cannot identify the province they live in on a map?” It took him a moment to get it, but when he did, we had a nice (though fairly brief) conversation.

The downtown Asheville area offers many dining choices. We asked for a pizza recommendation, and were sent to Barley’s. On the way there, we passed a noodle shop (called The Noodle Shop) and decided to eat there the next day (which we did). Both were good, and I’d definitely eat at The Noodle Shop again. One delightful feature of The Noodle Shop, as well as many of the downtown eateries, is an outdoor, shaded eating area. On this trip, whenever we’ve had the opportunity to eat outside (in the shade), we’ve taken it. It’s turned out to be something that we truly enjoy.

While in Asheville, we also took a day trip to Black Mountain and Montreat, which I’ve previously written about. We also toured the Biltmore Estate, which I’ll write about in another article.

While in Black Mountain, North Carolina, we drove two miles north to Montreat.

It turns out that Montreat is home to one thing that I knew of, and one that I did not. Montreat is the home of both Billy Graham and Montreat College.

The college campus is beautiful, with stone buildings nestled into the hills. The college also includes the Chapel of the Prodigal, which features a mural by . Since school wasn’t in session, we were able to see the chapel and mural.

Black Mountain, North Carolina is a small, scenic town about 15 minutes from Asheville.

Three things stand out from our day trip to Black Mountain. The first is One Fly Outfitters, a fly fishing store. I’m not a fly fisherman, or even a non-fly fisherman, but I enjoy stores like this. What made this one especially interesting was the friendly lady that worked there. We talked about fly fishing, hiking, what to see on our trip back to Dillard, and even the flood back home in Cedar Rapids. One Fly Outfitters offers a floating fly fishing trip, where they teach you how to fly fish while you’re floating down a stream. It sounds like a lot of fun, and I’d like to try it if we are ever in this area again.

The second thing that stood out was a small music store that sold hammer dulcimers, ranging in price from about $500 to about $3500. We didn’t know much (OK, we didn’t know anything) about hammer dulcimers before going in, but now we know something about them.

And, finally, there’s Veranda’s, a small cafe on Cherry Street. When you go to Black Mountain, plan to eat at Veranda’s.

During our stay in Asheville, North Carolina, we’ve been staying at Wildberry Lodge, a bed and breakfast inn in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The Wildberry Lodge

This is our first experience staying at a bed and breakfast inn, and it’s been wonderful. Each morning begins with a three course breakfast prepared at the inn, and each day usually ends with quiet time in the lodge’s great room.

The Wildberry Lodge Great Room

The view out our window, and from nearly any vantage at Wildberry Lodge, is spectacular.

View from Wildberry Lodge

The sun sets over the mountain before it sets over the horizon. This can make some dramatic pictures, but clouds are necessary to help bring in the color.

Sunset at Wildberry Lodge

Sunset at Wildberry Lodge

If you’re looking for a quiet and peaceful place to stay, just a few minutes from Asheville, then this is it!

I’ve worn you every day, now,
Worn you on my feet.
Worn in rain and shine, now,
You just can’t be beat.
Nubuck, rubber, nubuck, rubber,
Worn you every day, now,
Eight days a week.

Keep my toes from stubbin’,
You dry overnight.
Keep my feet from slippin’,
Save me from that plight.
Nubuck, rubber, nubuck, rubber,
Worn you every day, now,
Eight days a week.

Eight days a week,
I’ve worn you.
Eight days a week,
My vacation is not complete!

I’ve worn you every day, now,
Worn you on my feet.
To church, concerts and stores, now,
Even in the heat.
Nubuck, rubber, nubuck, rubber,
I’ve worn you every day, now,
Eight days a week.

Eight days a week,
I’ve worn you.
Eight days a week,
My vacation is not complete!

Eight days a week…

Eight days a week…

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
— John 14:1-3 (NKJV)
 
 
 

We’ve nearly completed our three days and four nights in Charleston, South Carolina. While here, we have enjoyed many tours.

On our first morning here, we took a carriage tour ($20) through the historic district. The carriage tour was highly recommended by a local artist, Lee Johnson, in Clayton, Georgia. The carriage was covered and pulled by a 2000 pound, 20-year old horse, who is expected to live a natural life of 10-15 more years. Since we toured in the morning, our carriage wasn’t jam packed, making it a comfortable ride. We learned that each carriage is assigned a route when it leaves the staging area, so until you actually leave on a carriage, you’re not sure where it will take you. Our tour took us down King Street, Market Street, and Church Street plus into some residential areas. While the tour wasn’t as good as the trolley tour we took in Savannah, it did introduce us to some of the history and the geography of the historical district. However, the tour lasted only an hour and was one of the more expensive tours. While it was good to take the tour once, I don’t think we’d repeat it.

Edmondston-Alston House ($10) — the lot for this home was purchased in the 1810s for $4500, when it was still swampland. (According to one inflation calculator, that’s about $55,000 of today’s dollars.) After the sea wall was built, the home was built in 1825 for the Edmondston family. Within a few years, it was sold to the Alston family, and has been in the Alston family ever since. The furnishings in the home are actual family pieces, which made this a very historically accurate tour. Though the home is less than 200 years old (!), it was pretty amazing. The home was built in the federal style, which means that there were four rooms per floor, with a hall running through the center of the house in both directions. So, the rooms are in the four corners, and cross shaped halls runs through the middle. It was a beautiful home on a beautiful location.

Calhoun Mansion ($15) — the Calhoun Mansion has an interesting history. As soon as the 1990s, it was empty and in a state of disrepair. It was purchased from the city for $220,000 (more or less) and about $5,000,000 later it was restored into an impressive structure again. Around 2003, it was sold for (we heard) about 4.5 million dollars. The 24,000 square feet in this home is filled with marvelous woodwork and the current owners many collections. It is not furnished in a historical fashion, so while the house may be historical, the interior is not. Don’t visit this house expecting to see it furnished as it might have been years ago, but do expect to see some awesome woodwork. (One local commented that the current owner “ruined the home”, though this local was also thankful that it had been saved from condo developers.)

Nathaniel Russell House ($10) — this tour had the best guide, Miss Jane, a former school teacher, who encouraged us all to be lodestars. If you ever take this tour, be sure to ask for Miss Jane. But back to the home. Completed in 1808, this home features an open staircase (which makes it similar to my parents’ home in Missouri). This makes the Nathaniel Russell home a little older than the Edmondston-Alston home. It is also different in that Mr. Russell used means to make the home look more expensive than it was. For instance, instead of mahogany doors (expensive), he used pine doors painted to look like mahogany. Instead of a plaster medallion above the stairwell, he had a medallion painted onto the ceiling. From the first floor, you can’t tell the difference!

Aiken-Rhett House ($10) This tour differs from the others in four significant ways. First, unlike the other homes, the Aiken-Rhett House is being preserved, rather than restored. This means that no effort has been made to restore the house to its original condition. Instead, it is being preserved in its current state. So, for instance, some rooms have many layers of paint, showing the evolution of the wall cover. Also unlike the other tours, this tour is self-guided with an iPod shuffle-like audio player. The narrator walks you from room to room and explains what is being seen. The third difference is that this home was located not in historic Charleston, but in suburban Charleston. (Or, what was at that time suburban!) And finally, this home included tour segments of the separate kitchen and wash rooms and the slave quarters.

Charleston Church Tours ($20) — by far the best tour that we took, this 2-1/2 hour walking tour was led by C. Preston Cooley. We visited six different historic churches in historic Charleston and went inside four of them. Preston discussed the architecture and history of each church building, and the history of some of its members. Given the duration and qualify of this tour, it should cost more than it does. The church tour Web site lists the churches and includes pictures of each. (Preston — in the unlikely event that you read this, then here’s my advice: your tour is worth more than the $20 you charge, especially compared to the other tours.)

Updated on Friday, July 11

While in Charleston, South Carolina, I’ve been enjoying the fresh seafood. Meanwhile, Lu has been enjoying salads.

On our first night here (Tuesday), we went to Fleet Landing, a casual restaurant on Charleston’s waterfront. We arrived about six, and asked to sit outside. At that time of night, all of the outdoor seating was in the shade, and a brisk wind was blowing off of the water. So, even though the temperature was in the upper 80′s, it was very pleasant.

Eating in the Wind

I was disappointed to learn that the shrimp cakes — something I’ve never had but which sound interesting — were only available once a week — at lunch on Tuesday. So, while I didn’t have the opportunity to enjoy shrimp cakes, I opted for fried shrimp and scallops.

Shrimp and Scallops

Whenever I eat shrimp, I am reminded that Jesus declared all food clean. That often leads me to remember that I am declared clean by Jesus as well!

The shrimp and scallops were excellent. The scallops were especially good. They were large and had a pleasing texture — firm, but not rubbery.

Wednesday night, we tried Bubba Gump, another casual restaurant that offers outdoor seating. Again, I opted for the crustacean family, and selected the Sweat Chili Shrimp. The shrimp were grilled, and served with a pineapple salsa. It was delicious.

Sweet Chili Shrimp

After dinner, Lu and I walked from the market area to the battery and some lots of beautiful homes. (I’ll write more on that later.) Following our walk, we returned to Bubba Gump for dessert. I selected the Key Lime Pie, and Lu selected the Strawberry Shortcake. The Key Lime Pie was fine, but I should have taken a picture of the shortcake. It covered an entire dinner plate. Lots of shortcake, two large scoops of vanilla ice cream, strawberries and strawberry sauce, plus whipped cream. You can imagine what Lu said when it arrived!

Thursday we visited Joe Pasta for lunch. Oddly, though we arrived at 11:45, the restaurant was empty. One other family came in during our meal, but that was it. The day before we’d eaten lunch at Moe’s, which was jam-packed. (At Moe’s, you are welcomed with a yell when you come in. It took quite a while for me to decipher that the phrase was “Welcome to Moe’s.” I thought it was “Close the door!”) So, we were surprised to find that Joe Pasta wasn’t similarly swamped. Lu enjoyed a baked chicken penne dish, and I enjoyed the lasagna. It was a nice break from seafood, but only for a day. From where we sat, we could see the chef preparing the fresh food.

On Friday after the immensely enjoyable church tour, we had low country food at Poogan’s Porch. I returned to the seafood theme, and tried something new — Shrimp and Grits. It included shrimp and grits, of course, but also onions, peppers, sausage, and a ham and crab gravy. It offered lots of flavors and textures. I’m not sure I would eat it every day, but I was glad to try something new.

These are just four of the many restaurants in historic Charleston. There are certainly many more left to try!

Paradise Tours of Charleston (“we are not a timeshare”) wants to give me:

• $100 cash
• A 2 for 1 coupon book ($20 value)
• A three-day, two-night vacation in a lovely location

In exchange, all I have to do is watch a 60-minute slide show presentation. What would you do?

1. Give them 30 minutes, take the goods, and say “see you later”?
2. Plan to give them 30 minutes, take the goods and say “see you later”, but probably break down and buy whatever they’re selling?
3. Say the hassle of watching a slide show and then saying “no” isn’t worth it?
4. Not even have listened long enough to know the offer?
5. Something else?