How my last week went!

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Oh Oh! it has been a week since I wrote something! I better get in gear and do something about that! The week slipped by with some busyness but it seems like I did a lot of reading and lounging around too!

Last Monday Lynn and I went up to South Florida Community College (in Avon Park) to a concert by the Navy Band. It was wonderful. The college just built a new auditorium and the acoustics and views are excellent. I think the most impressive piece that was played was called Fantasie Brillante on Themes of Bizet's Carmen. It was a showcase for a brilliant performance by the piccolo soloist. She was superb! We figured she had to have at least 3 tongues to do what she did. (hehehe). The whole show was great and varied.

The Orange Blossoms are starting to bloom and they smell divine!

The next few days of the week went by with me getting a blood test and then going up for the results at Lake Placid Hospital. While I was there I saw a flyer for a chili competition to raise funds for the hospital so I asked some questions about it and am seriously thinking of entering the competition ($15 entry fee). It is on Wednesday and they said they just bring a crockpot full of their chili there. Only problem is Lynn doesn't have a crockpot! I guess I could go buy one but I doubt she would use it if I did get it. I have too many at home to get another one. The next problem is what chili recipe to make. My old standby chili or maybe Annie's white chili that I love! The lab tech mentioned people do make that too. I guess I'll cogitate on it a little longer! Maybe we'll just go up there to see and taste all the other chilis. It is $5 for the Bar
B Que and tasting. I told the ladies they weren't going to make much for their fund raising but it really is mostly a PR thing to get people up to tour the hospital, I guess.

 Breakfast at Main Street Diner is a must!

On Friday we took Lynn and Bill down to Ft. Lauderdale to get on their cruise ship. They are off and sailing to Lisbon as I write this. We left and went across Alligator Alley and up to Lehigh Acres to spend the night with Mike and Sandi Struble. We had a very enjoyable time. I especially liked the "Cocktail Hour". About 5:30 PM many of the people living in the Condo Complex drift out to the pool with their iced tea, wine, beer or whatever and sit around and visit. Actually there were so many out there the night we went that another group congregated in the courtyard. it was really fun to meet and visit with people from all over the US and Canada as well as some from Scotland and England.

The cousins and spouses.  Kathi fixed up this picture for me and I really like it!

We had dinner with some friends of Mike and Sandi's from Michigan and Maryanne. Then we sat up and visited until after midnight. A fun time. Their condo is very nice and compact but they have upgraded, remodeled and decorated it and it is lovely. The next day we went over to Maryanne and Bob Duracky's home and again it is very nice. They have done a lot of work upgrading and decorating and it looks great! They have a large corner lot that they are working on now! That afternoon we drove back to Lake Placid (only 53 miles away!).

The weather was warm and sunny with no wind when we got home but today it is cooler and overcast so although yesterday was the first day of Spring it still is unusually cool here!

Azaleas in full bloom in the yard

A Short Visit with Laura in Vero Beach

Yesterday I drove to Vero Beach (about 2 hour drive) to see my Owyhee friend, Laura. Originally Bob was going to go too but he was stricken down with stomach problems again so didn't sleep all night. He stayed home to rest up. It was a beautiful Sunday and the drive was great. Absolutely no truck traffic on State Road 70! (during the week this two lane highway is a nightmare loaded with truckers) and I-95 was not congested either!

Laura met me at a mall and did the driving in Vero Beach so I didn't have to deal with maps and tourist and downtown traffic. There was an Art in the Park kind of event going on in the civic park area near the shore. It truly was Art mostly (not a craft show-type thing). It also was the first beautiful weekend of the year (so everyone around was saying!). The fair was packed, but we did manage to see what we wanted to, along with everyone else. They had all kinds of art, hand-made jewelry, pottery, sculpture, (large and small), blown glass, wooden objects (bowls, figures, etc.) and more. Some quite exotic things, of course. It was fun and we visited as we wandered through the 100 plus booths. Prices were high but there were some prettys that were going for cut rates. However, we did not buy anything. Carla wanted me to take pictures of some of the jewelry to give her ideas but it was so crowded and I'm not sure the artists would want someone to copy their original work so I didn't . I did ask and get permission to take a picture of a Florida Highwayman painting a picture. I am not sure if he is a true Florida Highway man (I now wish I had taken his card so I would know for sure) but he did have a big sign saying Florida Highwayman Art so he may be one. Wikipedia says some of them are still painting and selling their art. Here is a short summary of who they are.

The Highwaymen, also referred to as the Florida Highwaymen, are a loose association of twenty-six African American artists from Fort Pierce, Florida, USA. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s they painted approximately 200,000 paintings and then sold them out their cars. At the end of the 1960s, the artists ceased painting and slipped into obscurity. They were re-discovered in the mid-1990s by Jim Fitch. Since then they have become renowned for their idyllic landscapes of rural Florida. The Highwaymen were inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 2004.

You can read more about them and who they are at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Highwaymen_%28artists%29

My Picture of the Florida Highwayman. He is painting a Poinciana Tree in full bloom (Not done yet) "to show tourists how they look when blooming in summer" . Lynn says there is a lovely pink one on Main Street in Lake Placid but all the ones he painted were red.

As we wound our way through the booths we built up an appetite for lunch so, being down near the beach and me craving some good seafood, we headed for somewhere to eat! We found a seafood grill with eating on the terrace overlooking the water. We had a lovely small meal of 2 appetizer plates which we shared. They were(for all you foodies) Coconut Shrimp with an excellent mango chutney dip and Crab Cakes with a Remoulade Sauce. I couldn't resist their dessert special and ordered their Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie, very delicious! The weather was great although the breeze was still a touch chilly but a sweater was perfect to ward off the chill.

Then on to do some shopping at the outlet mall out on I-95. This is a huge mall and has some good stores in it. Unlike the Loveland outlet mall in which many of the stores are closed, all stores are open for business and look to be thriving. The huge parking lot was jammed with cars and RV vehicles. I even think it might be kind of like the Bellingham (WA) Mall used to be when Canadians used to come down and spend the weekend in their RVs while they shopped. (not so the way the dollar is now!) , but these would be "snow bunnies" from the North.

Because this was the first day of Daylight Savings I had an extra hour to shop with. How fun was that!!! Laura and I parted after a great day of visiting and I drove back, getting there long before dark.

Some Reading and Viewing suggestions for Foodies

Future Foodies!

OK-- Since I have been here at Lynn and Bill's we have been viewing some very foodie type movies and because Lynn is really into food and is a librarian by trade, she has recommended and I have read some great books relating to the business of food preparation. Here are some of the films and books I have seen or read and also some suggestions from Lynn.

Films:
Ratatouille--we particularly love the scenes where there is lots of kitchen action and kitchen management tips.

Dinner Rush--An older film made in 2000 about gangsters and a restaurant owned by one. The kitchen action (again) and the pure enjoyment of Italian food depicted in this film is great! The side story (in my opinion is pretty good too).

Tortilla Soup--a remake of "Eat Drink,Man, Woman" a film made in 1994 in Taiwan that Lynn loved mostly because it was filmed at the Grand Hotel in Taipei and they had visited it several times. I think it also showed some scenes of Taipei that they recognized. Both these films show cooking action at home and at the restaurant. The side story is good in both of them showing the struggle between the traditionalist and the new within the family.

Julie, Julia--What can I say, a great movie! I loved it and I bought it to watch again and again. Meryl Streep is superb as Julia Child!

An avid Foodie preparing the Christmas ham!

I'm sure there are more but these are the ones I have seen recently. Of course I have to recommend Food, Inc as well. I definitely would have shown this film to my students if it had been available back then. It is food for thought for everyone! I also should mention these books. The Omnivore's Dilemma (see my previous blog) and the book My Life in France by Julia Child and Julie Powell's blog. The movie Julie and Julia was based on these two along with Julia Child's Mastering French Cooking. I have seen these books at Barnes and Nobles but have not read them.

Now for some books I or Lynn have enjoyed! These are mostly mysteries that include recipes with them. I have tried many of the recipes from Joanne Fluke and they are excellent!

Last Bite a Novel of Culinary Romance--by Nancy Verde Barr. Nancy Barr was Julia Child's longtime executive chef for her TV food show. This is a "lighthearted romance with a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of TV cooking shows..." according to Nancy Thayer, a fellow author. I loved all the description of what has to be done to film a live and then a pre-filmed TV show. Very detailed and interesting!

The Proof is in the Pudding--Melinda Wells. There are 2 other mysteries by Melinda also--"Death takes the Cake" and "Killer Mousse" I have read a sample of the first one and it sounds very good. Mystery, humor and, of course, the recipes.
The Diva Runs Out of Thyme--Krista Davis. Another murder mystery writer with great recipes and great tips on entertaining. Kitchen Diva Sophie's renovated (circa 1850's) kitchen sounds great! Krista has written two other kitchen Diva books. I haven't read them yet but I intend to and to copy down some of the recipes too.
Dying for Chocolate--Diane Mott Davidson . Her second book in a series of 14 books about Caterer Goldie Bear and her detective skills around Aspen Meadows, Colorado. Lots of great recipes here too and lots of action, too!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder-- Joanne Fluke. Joanne has written at least 14 books about Hannah Swensen of Lake Eden, Minnesota. She owns the Cookie Jar and does lots of catering along with a lot of sleuthing. Many murders seem to take place in this small town but is is always good reading and lots of cookie and other sweets recipes. I have made some of these recipes and all have been very good! Other titles include: Carrot Cake Murder, Cream Puff Murder, Apple Turnover Murder....... you get the idea!

A Darn Good Chocolate Cake made by some Foodies Young and Old!

Budding young Foodies doing some cookie decorating

I'm on Kathi's Soapbox

Today it is overcast with rain showers, but warm. Bob is sick with the stomach flu. I'm pretty sure it is not food poisoning since Lynn had the same thing about 5-6 days ago and Micah had it when we were there. Also Bob didn't eat anything too out of the ordinary and neither did Lynn or Micah. I'm worried about getting it since it has very strong stomach cramps with it and I don't want to have my lapband slip from dry heaves! It also includes diarrhea so it is very miserable!

Anyway..... While I was playing nurse this morning I was reading a book on my Kindle explaining "The Good Mood Diet" and she had long footnotes and resource lists to back up her research for this diet. One of the things she is a proponent of is eating natural and organic foods for good mood even if it is just because you are helping our Earth (makes you feel good about yourself I guess). One of the books she relied on was called "the Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael P0llan. He is also the journalist in Food, Inc. that followed the food chain back to the beginning to answer the question, "Where does our food come from?"

I downloaded a sample from the book and read it this morning and it was so interesting I now have to buy the book! It is good reading for anyone interested in following up on the movie Food, Inc. He discusses in detail 4 different types of meals. 1. The industrial food chain 2. The "industrial organic" food chain 3. The organic food chain 4. The hunter-gatherer food chain. He goes from the plate back to the earth that produced the meal. Should be interesting. The introduction was very interesting to me and the beginning of the first chapter discusses how corn has become so much of what we eat. There is one part in the chapter that discusses the sex life of corn that was really interesting to me because I guess I never had a botany class so didn't know why corn has become such a big thing in the food industry.

A cornfield near Huatulco Mexico

I looked up Michael Pollan' the author, on the internet and discovered he was one of the people who made the film Food, Inc. (which, by the way, was nominated for an Oscar in the documentary division but didn't win). There was an interesting interview on CBS with him and the director so I am including a link to it here.

http://www.imdb.com/video/cbs/vi2935947801/

I thought I wrote about Food, Inc. earlier but maybe not. We watched it at Danny's a while back and I have been recommending it to every one I see! We watched it again here at Lynn's and I still am very impressed. Raising beef and chickens the natural way is what Danny is doing and I agree with him that we have to go back to that way of producing our meat! it may not do a whole lot of good but maybe it will help to improve our food supply if each person tries to do their part in this movement. If you haven't seen it you can get it on Netflix. There are lots of trailers on Youtube too.

The name of the diet book is: The Good Mood Diet: Feel Great While You Lose Weight by Susan M Kiener and Bob Condor.

Susan is a leading nutrition authority on eating for strength. She is from Seattle and this diet was tested by a group called the Good Mood Diet weight loss group. The diet was featured in the Seattle Post Intelligencer. It is interesting and quite doable in my opinion.

Well, so much for the soap box for today. Check out Kathi's blog: countrychickengirl.blogspot.com for her 3 part series on food safety and eating natural and organic foods.

A Cousins Reunion

Sunday was the day of our much looked forward to reunion with the Edison Struble family cousins! Mike and Sandy, Bob and Kathy and Mary Anne came over from Lehigh Acres to spend the afternoon with us. Mary Anne's husband was sick so he stayed home. We missed him along with Patty who was the the 4th Struble child. She did call while they were here, though.

We had not seen each other since about 21 years ago and more for some of us! It was so much fun getting caught up and realizing how much the same we were even after all these years! We also had a nice warm day--finally-- to sit out on the porch! They even brought shorts to change into! I still haven't gotten mine out of the big suitcase!

Here are the pictures for family and friends to see how we all have changed--or not!

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Mary Anne and Lynn

Bob Struble, Mike, Mary Anne and Lynn

Bob Struble and Mike and the puzzle!

Bill, Mike and Sandi

Bob M., Bob S., Mike and Mary Anne

Bob Manville and Mike on the fainting couch

Bob and Mary Anne

Kathy and Bob

Mike and Sandi

The whole group
Back row: Bob Struble, Bill Fell, Bob Manville and Mike Struble
Front: Kathy Struble, Mary Anne Duracky, Lynn Fell, Penny Manville and Sandi Struble

Linger Lodge and Various Other Pictures

Awhile ago Sue, one of the Backwoods bunch, requested a picture of Lynn and I now that we have aged (can't think of a better euphanism ) to see how we've changed. You could go to yesterday's blog to see how we look while line dancing but I just happen to have another picture to post of us.
I will also post a couple of other ones from our drive over to Bradenton to pick up Lois and some other shots of some of our sun(or lack of it) and fun at Lake Placid.

On our way home from Bradenton we stopped for lunch at Linger Lodge. It is kind of off the beaten path located on the Braden river. It is billed as one of "THE TOP 5 WEIRDEST RESTAURANTS IN THE US" according to Al Roker. They serve frog legs and alligator and have all kind of stuffed wild animals all over the restaurant.

Lynn and I at Linger Lodge under the Alligator

Lynn and I down by Grassy Lake

Me, Lois and Lynn behind the Linger Lodge

Riding the bike on Daisy Lane

Lynn looks at it raining from their Florida room

The sign at the beach of "Lake June in Winter"

Two amazing dogs we watched on the beach. They are perfectly synchronized as they retrieve a frisbee. It's like they are joined at the hip!

Learning to Line Dance

Yesterday a friend of Lynn's from her library days in Milwaukee came to visit. Her name is Lois and among other things she is very involved in a dance group in Milwaukee called The Roselettes. They dance out of the Clinton Rose Senior Center in Milwaukee. She came prepared to teach Lynn and I two simple dances. Lynn wanted to use disco music and this is how it all turned out.