You have heard the phrase “The Sandie Way”. Where did it come from and what does this have to with Sausages and Corn ?
Well pay close attention and I will explain. Many years ago there was a comic Western singing group, The Riders in the Sky. They were a western style cowboy music group and whenever they came to a teachable moment in a song they would stop a say “It’s the Cowboy Way “. Many years ago we went to a poker run and decided to run it backwards, yes Jeffie we did things like that. Well someone asked why in the dickens, people used to talk like that also, did we do it ? Someone replied why that’s the “Sandie Way”. The phrase has been used to describe any number of many strange things we do. Make long u-turns, get lost and still arrive at our destination. Go to strange places , like the time we tried to get a tour of the world’s largest Prophylactic factory. True story the gate guards failed to see the humor.
The time we were escorted out of town by the local constabulary. Flashing lights, blocked intersections all the way through town, again true. So over the years there have been many “The Sandie Way “. Well on our 247 miles of Sausages this came up a couple of times. 9 Sandies ate sausages, visited a Ghost town, picked Strawberries, well maybe not picked, we had shortcake anyway.
It started at 8 am in the morning, a rather chilly morning, by the way. Since it was chilly that’s all the reason needed to stock the belly with doughnuts, huh Mark S, Sandy S and Bobby B ? After the sugar rush was on 8 Sandie Rides headed north. I had asked Burnt Corn or the Conecuh Sausages Store during the doughnut debacle ? No answer, then Sandy remarks, Conecuh, so it’s more food first ?
We arrive in Greenville, AL home to Conecuh Sausages. The company has built a big company store, full of you guessed, it all kinds of Conecuh Sausages. People with sunburns, from Spring break on our coast, buying pounds of Sausage to take home. There was any numbers of those Tom Thumb style hot dog roller cookers. Filled with all the catalog of Sausages Conecuh makes, some I had no idea they made. You went up and got a bun, picked out your sausage or in JoeJoe’s case a couple or three. Took it over to a huge condiment selection and went nuts building a Chili Sauerkraut Relish mustard sausage.
Now getting to this point was again The Sandie Way. I somehow came in through the industrial part of town noticed the old factory store was padlocked, now what ? Went half a block and I could hear an angelic choir singing, The New Store was before us. Saved by Divine intervention, again. Oh the store has all kinds of Conecuh Sausages Merch, almost as much a Harley Davidson store, not quite, but close.
On to Burnt Corn, will tell the tale of Burnt Corn and Sandies a bit later. Well Sandy says it’s just over there and I say it’s a bit longer . Sandy disagrees, I say nay nay its further. Well 18 miles later we pull into the parking by the old General Store. I point out the corner to the north and tell Sandy that’s the short cut, but our route was “The Sandie Way”.
We head for Baker and Brooks Farms, why ? cause its strawberry pick’n time of course. Not that we were going to pick strawberries, oh heck no. BUT we were there to throw ourselves on the homemade shortcake. Now Lorna S gave a bit of thought to pick’n strawberries Mark S quickly talked Lorna out of it. Bobby B said you would have to weigh him before and after to figure out how much he picked. The shortcake is fantastic and they don’t scrimp on the strawberries either .
I would be remiss not to thank Tommy N for doing a terrific job as Sheepdog. Tommy as Sheepdog makes my job a lot more fun, thanks Tommy