International Talk Like a Pirate Day (Arrr!) and International Pie Ride Day

Ahoy, me hearties!  Happy International Talk Like a Pirate Day (ITLAPD)!  Arrr!  This be one o' my favorite holidays.  ITLAPD occurs every September 19th.  It's extra epic this year because today is also International Pie Ride Day (IPRD).  IPRD is on the third Saturday in September and involves riding yer bicycle at least 15 miles and stopping somewhere along the way to eat a piece o' pie.  Shiver me timbers, pirates and pie!  Or maybe today it's pie-rates.

Me parrot wanted to come along fer the ride.  This morning I retrieved him from the attic.  Arrr!  One o' his eyes was missing.  No worries - I have a treasure trove o' googly eyes.  Also, when I got me parrot out o' the attic, I found some Jolly Roger flags - perfect fer festooning me bicycle:

Me parrot enjoyed the ride:

As much as I was looking forward to the ride, it got even better when me matey said he would come along.  Aye, I'm glad he decided not to be a landlubber.

By the way, what did the pirate say on his 80th birthday?  Aye, matey!

Our first stop was the Monticello square.  I scored some booty (okra and popping corn) at the farmers market and then joined Cap'n Robert at The Vanilla Bean, our local coffee shop.  He got some coffee and quiche, which counts as pie, particularly on IPRD.  I got some Earl Grey tea and the only type o' pie I saw in today's display case - lemon meringue.  Arrr, that was some mighty fine eats!

Cap'n Robert and I set sail toward Eatonton.  We rode on beautiful, quiet rural roads in Jasper and Putnam Counties.  One thing I love about living in the country and riding my bicycle is noticing various plant cycles each year.  Cap'n Robert and I discussed how now is the time we should be eyein' spider lilies.  Sure enough, we spied several along our way.  This be from Google, but ye can see how distinctive spider lilies are:

Ye know what a great thing about riding yer bicycle on ITLAPD is?  You get to say, "Carrr back!" and "Carrr left!" and "Carrr right!" and "Clearrr!"

Shortly before our planned lunch stop, Cap'n Robert suggested an impromptu stop at a Mexican market.  What merriment!  The market had a small restaurant and a store with a bounty o' specialty Mexican items: chilies, prickly pear cacti (aye, to eat!), Mexican breads and pastries, and queso fresco, to name a few.  We just had to buy something.  Cap'n Robert got a Mexican grapefruit soft drink, and I got some dried mango with chilies and lemon:

The market owner was a very nice buccaneer who obviously takes a lot o' pride in his business.  When he saw me take a picture o' our purchase, he offered to take a picture o' Cap'n Robert and me.  He suggested going outside to the rock fountain, which he had built himself:

Although this port wasn't originally on the route, it was a highlight o' the journey.  I'll definitely be dropping anchor here again.

It was only a few blocks to our lunch stop, Smith's Coastal Grill.  It has a lot o' seafood dishes in a Key West-inspired atmosphere - perfect for ITLAPD.  Arrr!  While I waited fer me grub, I had some Pumpkick, a fine seasonal grog.

Then I had some fish tacos, a Smith's Coastal Grill specialty.   Aye!

Now adequately fueled fer more swashbucklin', we headed back to the 'Cello.  We reveled in the fine day with the bright sunshine and cloudless, blue sky.  We noticed a number o' butterflies flittering about.  I told Cap'n Robert that a recent column by Charles Seabrook, a wildlife writer with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, explained that several butterfly species are migrating south right now.  We saw an abundance o' butterflies.  I could identify the cloudless sulphur.  Because I didn't stop to try to photograph any o' them, this be a photo from the Internet:

We also saw lots o' a smaller type o' butterfly that was an orangish-yellow, but I couldn't positively identify it from Internet photos.

I had looked forward to today for quite a while, and it didn't disappoint.  It warms the cockles o' me heart that these bicycle forays always turn out at least as fun as I plan and usually are even more fun.  I think it's a matter of attitude.  Today, though, it's pirattitude.  Arrr!