Patti Picasso's Pages

ST. PATRICK AND PENNIES FROM HEAVEN

2011-03-17T09:13:00.000-07:00

Greetings to each of you on St. Patrick's Day!

The last time I blogged I forgot to mention that our local art gallery had it's annual Gala and we went.

This year's theme was "With Pennies from Heaven We'll Be Singing in the Rain". It was a fund raiser and they were raising money to repair the roof which was in dire need of repair. Some friends of ours from Dallas were our guests as well as an Arlington couple, so we all met over here so we could go together and take up fewer parking spaces.

It was a lovely event and Frank and I knew most of the people there. They had decorated with umbrellas to keep with the theme and had clouds suspended from the ceiling and also on the table cloths.

Here is a shot that I took from the mezzanine that shows the overall scene for the evening. Fortunately they have an elevator so I was able to go upstairs.

When we first arrived, we were greeted by these girls who were in all white body-stockings and they were twirling around a hoop which was built into their garments. It was as though they were moving in slow motion. They looked very surreal and almost spooky!

Here are some of our dear friends who were there. Betty and Ann were also at one of the Ben E. Keith tables and sat next to us. There were three of these tables thanks to Betty's husband., Dick.

There were also a number of my artist friends there and they had some of their work in the auction. I used to paint with Karen, Nancy and Barbara who were part of the group I belonged to called Canvas by Canvas.

There was dancing before dinner and also live entertainment. Both were exceptional. These dancers even sang and danced to "Singing in the Rain". It was great fun.

There was a silent auction that started when the event began and after dinner there was a live auction. Here is the painting that I had in the silent auction. I hope that they made enough off of both of the auctions to make the necessary repairs to the building with some left over. It was a lovely affair and I'm sure that they did.

Canvas by Canvas had one of their large pieces in the live auction. It was entitled "La Diosa Rosa" and one of our guests bid on it and got it. I worked on this piece with 8 other members of the group. Their's is a very unique way of painting. You can go to their website and see how it'd done. http://canvasbycanvas.com/

I really enjoyed painting with the group and was with them for several years.

The silent auction had the art work hanging at all times, but when the live auction started, they had volunteers who looked like The Village People walk around the museum with each painting so the patrons could get a better look. Here's our Longhorn.

It was a great evening and a good time was had by all.

I mentioned before that our son was in a wreck and totaled his car.

Well, he now has a new car and hopefully there will be no more mishaps! It looks much better than the old one did a couple of weeks ago!

And speaking of cars, our great-grandson celebrated his 16th birthday last month and has just gotten his learner's permit to drive. Please keep him in your prayers! There is so much traffic in our area that I'm concerned for him. As you can see by the look on his face, he's both excited and proud.

I had a minor setback from my treatment last week, so I spent a lot of time watching TV. It's a good thing to do when you can't walk. I happened upon a show that I had never heard of called Amazing Cakes and this is indeed the most amazing cake that I have ever seen.

You can check out these links and see how they made it.

http://happysugarbakingland.typepad.com/happy-sugar-baking-land/2010/11/amazing-wedding-cakes-through-the-looking-glass.html

http://happysugarbakingland.typepad.com/happy-sugar-baking-land/2010/11/amazing-wedding-cakes-through-the-looking-glass-part-2.html

I finally got around to painting again last week. I met with some old friends that I used to paint with and here is the result of my effort. I had a lot of fun and it was a productive day.

One of the girls who was there is doing torn paper collages and here is the one that she worked on that day.

I think it's wonderful and she is considering giving classes on how to do this. If she does, I'll be the first in line to sign up.
Guess I'd better go and get ready since I have another treatment in a few hours. Enjoy St. Patrick's Day and drink a green beer for me! This was my Father's birthday and he would have been 107 today. May God bless him!
XOXO, Pcasso

FREE AT LAST!

2011-03-09T03:40:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've posted here. There's been a lot going on in our lives and some of it was difficult to report at first.
For the first time in 53 years I did not host our Thanksgiving celebration, so we put on our feathers and headed south ... south Arlington, that is.

Franklin and Beth graciously offered to have our Thanksgiving feast at their house this year since I was having a lot of challenges with my back. We all gathered together to celebrate and be thankful for all the blessings in our lives.

They "brined" the bird overnight before they baked it and it was, without a doubt, one of the best turkeys I've ever eaten.

The rest of the family brought other food items and they were all delicious, especially the pumpkin and pecan pies that my Granddaughter made. Everyone brought something to add to the feast and it was all great.

We all had a great time and of course, the "boys" all went to the Cowboy game afterwards while we girls stayed behind and continued to celebrate as we watched the game on TV and enjoyed a toddy.

Little did I know what was in store for all of us when I declined preparing the Thanksgiving feast.

Three weeks later I developed an infection and after several tests and visits to the doctor I was diagnosed with bladder cancer. I have kept a lot of you informed of what happened along this difficult journey. I had my first surgery in early December.

We had a blessed Christmas in spite of what was going on with me. Beth and Franklin once again offered their home and everyone had a great time.

Harry and I enjoyed eggnog while everyone else was preparing the meal as well as getting ready for the gift exchange.

Nicholas, our eldest grandson, was Santa this year. We take turns with this job and we most always let one of the boys be Santa.

After Christmas, I went back to the Urologist and she performed a cystoscopy and discovered the extent of the cancer. In case you don't know what cancer looks like, it's the "fluffy clouds" in the photograph. You are actually looking inside my bladder here. I'm amazed how cancer can look so lovely and be so destructive.

My first surgery was December 9th, so I had a legitimate excuse to not cook at Christmas! Due to the extent of the cancer which was much worse than they thought it would be at first, my doctor inadvertently nicked the wall of the bladder so she could not complete the procedure. I was scheduled to have a 2nd surgical procedure on the 20th of January. I was told to take it very easy between surgeries and I certainly always want to follow doctor's orders! I might add that Frank is not only a wonderful nurse, he is also learning how to cook , so I was well taken care of!

My friends that I used to paint with in Canvas by Canvas brought me this lovely poinsettia when I was in the hospital the first time. It not only cheered up the hospital room, it looked wonderful at the house. In fact, it was our Christmas tree for most of the season! They are such dear girls and I really appreciate both their talent as well as their friendship. Everyone was exceedingly kind to us during this time. I was under girded with prayers, cards, food (which Frank really appreciated) and visits. Support like this makes things so much easier when you are going through a rough patch.

I had a much easier time after the 2nd surgery and was told that I am now Cancer Free, or at least as much so as can be expected at this point. Those are magical words to my ears!

I am now in the process of treatments which will hopefully prevent the cancer from coming back and I'm half way through ... YEAH! I'll certainly be glad when this is all behind me.

In the meantime, my family has been very busy. We had a family day here last month and I cooked (brought in pizza from a local place ;-)

We played games, celebrated 3 birthdays and had a great time in general as we always do when we get together.

Here I am with 3 handsome young loves of my life.

And these are the birthday people ... Nicholas' wife, Dayna, Rachel and her son, Ethan. He was born on Rachel's birthday and turned sweet 16 this year. I still can't believe that I have a great grandson that old. How is it possible since I'm still so young???

Two of my other loves!

Our youngest grandson, Connor, is competing in a Math/Science program in Dallas and he comes home most Saturdays with medals. He's a really smart and special young man.

While everyone was off to competitions, our son Franklin was going to work in Dallas. He makes this trip every day but this was a very different day. On his way home from work he was in a car crash which totaled his car. By God's grace, he was not hurt. Praise the Lord for air bags! We feel so blessed that this was no worse than it was since this is the second big wreck that he's been involved in. The first one also totaled his car by a driver that was going 80+ mph. It was literally a hit and run as they never found the person that hit him.

Our other young grandson, Ian is quite the musician as well as being a good student. He plays guitar and is very good even if I do say so.

If you go to this You Tube link you'll see why we're so proud of him. You can hear what a young rock band sounds like. This clip was shot at a talent show at their school and they won!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJkJlASc_qQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Tonight is Shrove Tuesday and we'll be on our way to church in a few minutes to eat pancakes and listen to a jazz band.

In New Orleans they call it Fat Tuesday and I'm sure that the pancakes have something to do with it. In the United Kingdom and many other countries, the day is often known as Pancake Day. Making and eating such foods was considered a last feast with ingredients such as sugar, fat and eggs, whose consumption was traditionally restricted during the ritual fasting associated with Lent.
Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. My wish for each of you is that this will be a time of prayer and reflection and that you will realize how blessed we all really are. Have a holy Lenten season. I'll get back to you soon.
XOXO, Pcasso

THE LAST HURRAH AS THE SUN SETS OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN

2010-10-27T10:14:00.000-07:00

We spent the next few days in the most glorious place, one of Marriott's Vacation Villas in Newport Beach. It was the last leg of our journey so this would be our final home away from home. We had not been there before and what a treat it was!

Since there are several days included in this post, there will be a lot of photographs, so please bear with me.

The drive from Los Angeles along the coast to Newport was not a very time consuming trip and we arrived in the late afternoon. As we came over the hill, this glorious sight was awaiting us. What a spectacular place this was! We were supposed to come here two years ago but Frank had the flu so we had to cancel. It was well worth the wait. It was the perfect place to end an already perfect two weeks.

All the grounds were landscaped to perfection.

After arriving, we checked into our condo and took a look around our place. It was wonderful and so spacious. Frank and I each had our own bedroom and bath.

Of course I took the one with the King size bed with the Jacuzzi tub in the room (I couldn't get in and out of it so I had to use the shower) My room also had the ocean view. At home we have twin beds on a King-sized headboard, so even though we are together, we're not. It makes for a much better night's sleep.

I can remember when we purchased our first twin beds. Frank's Dad thought we were most certainly on the road to divorce (he and Mama had always slept in a double bed). The fact of the matter was that 3 months after we bought the twin beds I became pregnant with Franklin. Guess that blew Grandpa's theory!
We had a beautifully equipped kitchen but we opted to eat out and not prepare any meals. It was a real treat to just relax and enjoy the cooler California mornings, sit out on one of our balconies and enjoy the view.

That evening we weren't really hungry but decided to venture out and find a place for a light meal. This is not a good move if you are new to the area. We had no idea where we were going or how to get there. Newport is a little like Hilton Head as they don't have well marked streets. Guess you're supposed to know where you're going in advance which we did NOT! We went into the main office and asked for suggestions. While Frank was doing that, I looked around some of the public rooms and at the pools. This place is really lovely.

The young woman at the desk at the resort was not very knowledgeable about local restaurants, so we ended up having dinner at a place that we found called The Five Crowns, which we assumed was a pub. The first thing they asked us when we got there was if we had made reservations. Of course, not knowing where we were going, we had not.

It was a charming place. Since we had not "booked" we were seated at a table that would have been more suitable for two small children. We told them that this would not work for us due to our ages and sizes, so they graciously moved us to a different table. When we looked at the menu, we realized that this was no ordinary pub. The prices were sky high and after looking around we discovered that we were very under dressed. I mentioned to our waitress that this was a very unusual menu for a pub and she said that we were in the fine dining portion of the establishment and we most probably would find what we had been looking for in an adjoining part of the building. It was called The Side Door. She walked us over there and when we got there it was perfect. A typical English pub with pints and chips!

We both decided on the fish and chips and a pint of ale. It was delicious and made us feel as though we were back in Jolly Old England again. After starting out on the wrong foot, we ended up having a great evening. It's nice to be surprised. Sometimes things turn out better than the ones that you have carefully planned.

The next morning we decided to have cereal at the condo. It was easier than going out and that way we could take our time getting ready for the day. The beauty of a trip like this one is that there is no agenda and you can take as little or as much time doing things as you want.

After breakfast we took a stroll around the grounds to get a better look at the place.

We especially liked all the statuary and the fountains. They were lavish but not gaudy.

They had this cute little green golf cart that would transport you from one part of the complex to another since the resort covers so much acreage.

We had made plans to meet some long time friends, Henry and Margaret Hulan, who live in Upland, CA which is about an hour away for lunch.

Having roamed the territory last night and were familiar with locations of some of the restaurants, we decided to go to Gulfstream which was in a nearby shopping center. We needed to get as much fresh seafood eaten as we possibly could before heading inland soon.

The place was extremely busy but it was an excellent choice. Reminded me a lot of Houston's in Dallas where we frequent for good food.

I had the shrimp, Frank had snapper and the Hulans had a fresh tuna burger which included a mountain of french fries. My baked potato with all the trimmings was on a separate plate. I wouldn't want you to think that I was eating light!

We had a wonderful visit with them, catching up on mutual friends whom we had not seen in years. There's nothing more special than long time friendships and we have been blessed with many of them over the years. We went to Guadalajara together many years ago and still remember the fun that we had together on that trip. Henry was with an Orthodontic supply company so we were able to find out all the news about Orthodontists that we had know when Frank was still in practice. It's still hard for me to realize that he's been retired 25 years. Time flies when you're having fun!
A couple of hours later we said our goodbye's, took a few more photographs and they headed home.

I'm not sure, but I think Henry might have had some left over french fries in his kitty bag (it couldn't have been a doggy bag since it came from a fish place ;-)
After lunch we decided to take the drive along the coast and get a closer look at the ocean.I honestly think I could spend the rest of my days at the seaside watching the waves and sipping good wine.

The homes along the way were magnificent. Every inch of space is built upon and most of the homes here have an ocean view. I have since found out that Newport Beach has more expensive homes and it is more costly to live there than any other city in the U.S. It's a good thing that we didn't decide to go house hunting.

There were lots of different styles of architecture but all were most attractive.

We stopped at Trader Joe's on the way home and got some sandwiches for dinner. It seemed easier than going out and we wanted to play cards and watch a little TV like all old folks do for entertainment.
The next morning after we got partially packed, we walked around for a bit while we waited for the time to come to go to lunch. You're right ... all we do is eat or we plan where we will eat next! We found this quaint little place called the Quiet Woman and decided to give it a try. You can probably figure out why it was called this by the logo on the menu!

It was a charming and cozy little place and the staff were friendly, the food was most appetizing and the ambiance was perfect.

We enjoyed a bottle of California wine from the Napa Valley and then I chose a Reuben Sandwich for my meal. Jason's Deli style it was not. Jason's is good but in the words of Tony the Tiger, this was great.

Frank had fish tacos and we shared some French Fries. After tomorrow, no more wine at lunch and no more fried food, so we thought we'd better take advantage of this opportunity.

We decided that the lady sitting across from us had had way too many fries and that they just might have to get a shoe horn and some Vaseline to get her out of her chair. I honestly don't know now she got in it! Looking at her made me feel almost thin! She also had a "to go" bag. I certainly hope it was for her dog !!!

After lunch we walked around the grounds of the resort for a while before going back to the condo to finish packing. It was then that I discovered a Koi pond with not only fish, but also water lilies.

Once our bags were packed, we decided to sit out on the balcony and have a drink and watch the sunset.

The air was cool and calm and suddenly the sky over the Pacific Ocean turned the most glorious shades of red, purple and orange that you can imagine. It was the perfect way to end a perfect trip.

We left early the next morning for the airport. As I looked back and bid farewell to our latest home away from home, I was sad to leave but anxious to get back to Texas, friends and family.
We have had such a great time but all good things must come to an end sooner or later. We got on board our big silver bird, buckled our seatbelts and couldn't wait to get back to DFW where our son would meet us and take us back home again.

Thank you for traveling with us. We hope to you again soon.
XOXO, Pcasso

OIL, ALMONDS AND GOLDEN HILLS

2010-10-21T10:03:00.000-07:00

This was to be our last day in Pacific Grove, so we decided to drive to Carmel again and drink in the beauty of the coast. There are pelicans, cormorants, seals and seagulls everywhere you look.

We love to watch the pelicans as they fly along in formation and then spot fish in the ocean and dive for them.

We won't have this beautiful landscape once we return to Texas, so we needed to take advantage of it.
We drove along 17 Mile Drive for the last time on this trip and then on to Carmel for lunch.

I'm always amazed at the homes along this stretch of road. They are so big and so beautiful.

The architecture along the way varies tremendously but I think I love the old traditional style best (and who wouldn't).

This one was for sale but I seriously doubt that we could work it into our budget ... especially when a hamburger coats $16.00 and that was without the fries! Prices are off the charts all over California. It's almost as pricey as it was in Sweden.

After driving around for a while in Carmel, we finally found a place to park. Parking here is very limited just like it is in Santa Fe. We wanted to have lunch at this charming little Italian Bistro where we had eaten several years before.

I wasn't terribly hungry, so I had a combination pasta and salad dish and it was perfect.

I had forgotten how delicious anchovies are. They never put them on a Caesar Salad in Texas. The salty taste really enhanced the flavor of the dish.
When we had been to Carmel several years ago, we happened upon a place where there were hundreds of pelicans so we decided to return to this fascinating spot. We drove around what seemed to be forever trying to remember where it was to no avail. We finally stopped at the Monastery just outside of Carmel and asked for directions.

We didn't know if this place had a name and also couldn't remember where it was located. The lady in the gift shop at the Monastery was very helpful and told us that it was the called Carmel River Wetlands. She also gave us excellent directions.

The terrain had really changed over the past several years and there was not a pelican in sight. The waterline was much farther out than it had been before so the pelicans had left. We were very disappointed but at least we had a great meal in town.
It was time to head for home and get packed for an early departure and our next destination ... Los Angeles.
We decided not to take Highway 1 as we had done that before and as beautiful as the drive is, it's so very slow and has a lot of traffic.
I had forgotten that the hills are golden this time of year and very beautiful. They look like velvet.

Then suddenly there were trees everywhere! We kept looking at them until we finally figured out they were almond trees. I'd never thought about where almonds came from. Didn't even realize that they grew on trees!

Miles and miles of almond trees.

Then suddenly the trees stopped and the oil fields started.

There were as many oil wells pumping as there were almonds growing. What a surprise. I thought only West Texas and the Middle East had that many oil wells!

It was a pretty amazing and unexpected sight!
We arrived in LA around noon. I had forgotten how horrendous the traffic was there. Franklin lived there for a year and he said that it was dreadful then and I'm sure that it's even worse now. We have friends whom we met on our trip to China that live in LA and they graciously invited us to come and stay with them for a few days.

They have a home in Beverlywood which is a section of LA. Frank and Jack always have a great time visiting and so do Helen and I.

They have 2 dogs, Jimmy the Chihuahua and Jessica (I'm not sure what breed she is)

Jess was such a sweet dog but Jimmy was another story. He doesn't like strangers, so it took Frank 2 days to be able to pet him without him growling at him and he never did take to me. They do love their "Mommy", however.

Their home was lovely ... very Californian. It's an older home, was decorated beautifully and they have recently remodeled it.

Helen makes jewelry so she has turned one corner of the living area into a studio.

The whole family is very talented. Helen's sister and her husband are artists. They do beautiful work. Here is a table that her brother-in-law, Alisha, made. He is from Israel and is a glass artist.

Her sister, Rhonda, is a metal artist and works with bronze and copper. Below is one of the lamps that she designed and made. It's 6 feet tall.

Rhonda also makes beautiful and unusual jewelry as well as her larger works of art. Here is one of her pieces, a pin in the shape of a pomegranate. I love it!

The Volotzkt/Kap Studio, is located in Cornell, CA in the Santa Monica Mountains off Mullholland Highway. We had the privilege of visiting their studio while we were staying with Jack and Helen. The unfortunate thing about our visit there was that it was the hottest day in the history of LA ... they broke a record with a temperature of 116 degrees. That wouldn't have been so bad with the exception of the fact that the air-conditioning in their card wasn't working properly and it took us about an hour and a half with all the traffic to get to Rhonda's and Alisha's home. I thought I was sitting in an oven! We left Texas so we could get out of the heat and as soon as we left our state, a cool front moved in and we had a heat wave in California. Go figure!
Their work is truly amazing. Here are a few shots that were taken in their studio. This is the workplace where Alisha's glass work begins.

and here is where Rhonda gets her inspiration.

The studio and finished pieces of art are upstairs in the showroom. Here are some of their creations. If you double click on any of the photographs in this blog, they will open in another window and will be larger.

Jack and I took a break from the heat and nibbled on grapes and figs that they had grown and the Volotzky's recommended a winery down the road where we could sample the wine and look at the art.

It was a very quaint place and something that I had really not expected to find in California. It looked more like it should have been on the High Road to Taos in New Mexico to me.

It was very nice inside and also nice and cool which we all appreciated! It was a pleasant break from the heat and traffic on the freeways on a Sunday afternoon.

They had a wonderful tasting room that could be used for private parties and large groups. This would be a great place to have a dinner party.

The boys waited for us there while we used the facilities and shopped a little.

The traffic on the way back home wasn't as bad as it was going, and we went to a place like the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. The Lassley's like to eat early, so we stopped there for dinner on the way home. In fact, I think the place was owned by the same people who own Cheesecake Factory. I opted to have the crab cakes and they were excellent.

They were on the appetizer menu but it was just the right amount of food.
The night before we had eaten at this Korean restaurant and it was certainly different. When we left this restaurant we went by Helen's mother's home. She lived in Beverly Hills, not too terribly far from Jack and Helen.

I hadn't taken my camera and all I had was my iPhone, so I found this photograph of her on Facebook. I wish I had a better image to post as she is such a beautiful lady. She was a lovely woman and was not only a gracious hostess, but as sweet as she was pretty. And she is so proud of her family. It was our pleasure to get to meet her.

And now back to the Korean story!

We had no idea what to order or what to do when they brought us what we had ordered. You had to cook your own food on this grill that was built into the table. The young man who waited on us turned the fire on, put something that looked like a piece of raw fish on the grill and then put a couple of what looked like pancakes on it and left. I apologize for the quality of the photos but I was using my phone for these shots and it was a very low light situation.

We found out later that the "fish" was actually a piece of fat (ugh!) that we were supposed to use to grease the grill but no one told us that. They then brought us all these little dishes filled with things that we couldn't identify,

a bowl of some sort of white bubbling foaming stuff that I did NOT choose to taste,

and finally the raw meat that we had to cook! It looked like bowls of raw entrails and not very appetizing.

We then started to prepare our meal and needless to say, since we had not greased the grill, all of the meat and chicken stuck!

All in all and nearly $100 later, we finished the meal and I don't ever plan to eat that kind of food again! I've been referred to as a human garbage disposal when it comes to food, but this went way beyond the call of duty. The very least the waiter could have done was tell is what to do since he knew that we were first timers! As far as I was concerned it was the only bad food experience we had on this trip and we all survived it. Live and learn!
We left LA the next morning and were on our way to Newport Beach. We had a lovely time with our friends but house guests are like fish. After 3 days they start to smell, so it was time to move on.

We kissed the puppies goodbye (at least we kissed Jessica but not Jimmy) and waved goodbye to our dear friends.

A good time was had by all.

Stay tuned for more adventures in Newport Beach!

XOXO, Pcasso

ON THE ROAD TO MONTEREY WHERE THE BREACHING WHALES DO PLAY!

2010-10-15T15:40:00.000-07:00

We were up bright and early this morning as we drove to Monterey Bay for some whale watching. I think we were both feeling a little like characters out of Moby Dick!
Our tour was scheduled to start at 10:00 a.m. so we had a bite of breakfast at the condo and headed for pier and the boat.

The wharf was only about 20 minutes away from where we lived, so the drive was both short and pleasant. The early morning traffic of which there is virtually none was over.
We had to park a pretty good distance from where we were to embark, so we were able to take our time getting there since we left the house early.

We had made our reservations over the phone the day before, but Frank still had to get in line to sign in and verify the fact that we were there.

They said that they had seen a lot of whales the day before, so we were excited about taking this 3 hour trip around the bay area. You never really know if this was true or just a good way to fill the boat up!
The docks were filled with boats which were filled with people who were ready to get a closer look at some of nature's largest mammals. Originally, people thought that whales were very large fish because their bodies have a similar shape to that of fish. However, in 1778, a Swedish biologist by the name of Linneus, recognized that whales were not fish but mammals. They share some common characteristics of all mammals.

As we pulled away from the dock, the noise of the seals was almost deafening. They were everywhere and were letting it be known that this was their territory, not ours.

This little fellow thought he was the sentinel for the Monterey Fish Company.

As we cruised along, there was another boat pretty close to us. So far we had not spotted any whales, but there were lookouts on both of our vessels so if there were whales in the area, our "leaders" would most certainly spot them and let us know about the sightings.

Suddenly, off in the distance, we saw a couple of sprays of water and up popped two humpback whales, swimming along together.

They swam along with us getting closer and closer for nearly an hour. They would come to the surface for just a brief moment, swim along together, and then when you see their tails, you know they will be gone for another 5-7 minutes. I believe they told us that they come up for air and then down they go again.

We got very excited as they continued to get closer to our boat. I was actually a little afraid as they are so large and we seemed so insignificant. What if they decided to ram the boat (I've seen too many movies with Orcas in them) ! We were assured that they would not do this, but that really wasn't all that reassuring for me. I'm a real chicken at heart.

When the spray appears from their blowholes you know that they are about to resurface again. we all kept our eyes pealed on the horizon and our cameras at the ready.

The process of them emerging and then submerging went on for nearly an hour and we were starting to run out of time as they had to get us back to shore to pick up the next load of passengers. We hadn't seen the pair for over 18 minutes, so we decided that they were through performing for us when, lo and behold ... one of them breached right before our very eyes. Thank goodness I had a good telephoto lens on my camera. It scared me to death but it was truly a sight to behold!

One of the most breathtaking things to watch is a whale "breaching," or leaping into the air. This is also known as "surfacing behavior." Not all whales breach. One species noted for spectacular displays of breaching is the humpback whale which are the ones that we had been watching.
Breaching of the humpback occurs when whales use their strong flukes and pectoral fins to thrust themselves out of the sea and then slam back into the water. Whale flukes are the powerful muscles in the whale's tail; the pectorals are two 15-foot side fins. One reason we were told that whales breach, could be to shake loose or dislodge exterior parasitic crustaceans. These parasites, including the whale louse, sinus flukes and barnacles, can eat through a whale's skin over time if not removed.
Our whaling expedition had been a complete success and we told all of the people on shore who were waiting to go on their expedition what we had seen. I hope that they were not disappointed!
When we docked we were greeted by more noisy little seals who had been waiting for us. Even though they seem to be a nuisance, they are really cute.

It was now after 1:00 so we decided to have a bite to eat on the wharf. We found this charming place called Abolonetti Seafood. They had a patio where you could enjoy some great fish and a good glass of California wine, so that really fit the bill for us after our sail. It was located on the water in a perfect setting ... only steps away from where we had docked.

Our waiter seated us outside and the place was delightful, not to mention the excellent food. The weather couldn't have been more perfect, so we sat under our red umbrella and enjoyed the sea air.

Once again there was a dog who was thoroughly enjoying being with his masters as they enjoyed their lunch. The restaurant even furnished a water bowl for him!

We had seafood, wine and some of the most delicious bread that I have ever tasted. I'm normally not much of a bread eater, but this was unbelievable! Frank enjoyed fried Calamari and a beer

and I had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and fish and chips. We had both made excellent choices.

After lunch we took a leisurely stroll along the boardwalk on our way back to the car.

There were places to eat with a wide variety of food all along the way but I think we made the best choice. It was a perfect meal for us after watching sea creatures all day. Not that we are carnivores, it just seemed like the thing to do when you're by the ocean.

As we got to the end of the pier that was close to our car, I spotted this apron and it expressed my sentiments exactly. Frank wouldn't let me buy it however for fear that I might wear it and at some point in time try to perform!

Since we didn't finish lunch until nearly 3:00 we decided to make a quick trip to Trader Joe's on the way home and buy sandwiches for dinner. It had been a great day and we were ready to take it easy the rest of the evening.

I hope that some day there will be a Trader Joe's in the Metroplex area. We shop there all the time when we are in Santa Fe and I can't believe that they are not anywhere in Texas. Probably because of our silly liquor laws here in the Bible Belt!
I hope that you enjoyed the whale watching as much as we did. Hopefully there will soon be more adventures posted on our California outing. Thanks again for coming along with us so far! We still have a little more time in Pacific Grove and then on to LA and Newport Beach!

XOXO, Pcasso

TURTLES, SEAHORSES AND JELLIES WITHOUT PEANUT BUTTER

2010-10-12T09:17:00.000-07:00

One of the beauties of staying in Pacific Grove for us is that we take a day at a time with no planning ahead. However, it never hurts to take a map along, even though you think you know where you're going! So Papa got the map and we headed out on our next adventure.

The last time we were here, we drove to Carmel Valley and had a delightful time looking at the scenery and visiting wineries. This being the case, we decided to do this again.

The scenery along the coast is always breathtaking so we made several stops just to look at the waves and enjoy the cool, moist air. We arrived at Chateau Julien around 10:30.

They were getting ready for a large group to come for a tour, so they had the wine glasses set up to greet the visitors on their arrival.

This is a beautiful place and we always enjoy visiting here. Frank and I were greeted by one of the owners so we had her take our picture.

We were a few weeks early for the harvest unfortunately, so we just toured the grounds and tasted the wines.

This young woman explained the different wines we were to taste today and then poured us a small sample of each one.

The winery itself is very beautiful and the place where the tasting rooms are is a treat to visit. We didn't really care that much for the wines that they were serving that day, but we did enjoy revisiting the place.

After our tasting we went outside and rested in the sunshine for a while before we went into the village for a little lunch.

We had been to Cafe Rustica before, so we decided to make another visit and it was a good choice.

It's a quaint little restaurant tucked back in an alley, nestled among the art galleries and gift shops. Unlike here at home, people bring their dogs with them even when they go for lunch and nobody seems to mind. This couple brought their two standard size poodles who were very well behaved (the dogs, as well as their masters ;-)

While they enjoyed a leisurely lunch, the dogs waited patiently at their side hoping for a bite of something.

I decided to have Hungarian Goulash which was excellent and Frank had a sandwich. I make a pretty good goulash myself and this one was comparable. So far we haven't had a bad meal this trip and don't expect to have one.

After lunch we took another leisurely drive along the coast and made several stops along the way. There are always birds (especially seagulls) to see as well as a few fishermen.

People love to climb on these rocks to get a different perspective as they view the ocean. Wish we were still physically able to do this. However, we didn't do it when we could. We're really not the adventuresome types. We both like good solid ground under our feet!

We returned home in time for a nap. I don't usually drink alcohol at lunch because it makes me very sleepy. Today was no exception. After a lovely glass of wine with lunch, I was ready for a break and had my nap time that I have at home. I don't have to have wine at home to make me sleepy. All I really need is to pick up a book and in 30 seconds or less, I tend to doze off!

After our nap, we visited the Jacuzzi once again and then had an early dinner so we could watch the elimination process on Dancing with the Stars.
We were up early the next day and drove to Monterrey to the Aquarium. We ate at the Lighthouse Cafe again (more Eggs Benedict) and then went to see the fish.
The people at the aquarium were more than accommodating. We called ahead to see about parking and they told us where to park so I wouldn't have to walk very far. Once we got to this special place, we were greeted by a staff member and I was brought a wheelchair. It was like having our own private entrance.

I only had to walk a few steps and we were then taken through a back entrance and bypassed all the lines to get our admission tickets.

We love this aquarium. They have so many varieties of fish and the way that they are displayed is amazing and very well done.
As we waited for the diver to arrive, we were given some very interesting facts about this tank and also the varieties of fish that it contained.

We were there in time for a feeding in one of the tanks and that was very interesting. It was filled with ocean water and a kelp forest.

The fish and even the sharks were all swimming around this man with the food. I am always interested in the schools of sardines and anchovies. They glisten like threads of silver as they swim back and forth.

You can see the blur of silver as the school scurries around the tank looking for food.

Some of my favorites are the jellyfish. I can watch them for hours. It's hard to believe that these beautiful creatures can actually hurt you if you get in their way. They move along so gracefully as though they are in slow motion.

The one below is called and egg yolk Jellie for obvious reasons.

There are so may different varieties that I can't possibly begin to put them all in this post, but here are a few examples.

The way that they have the tanks lighted helps to display their beauty to the maximum.
I also love seahorses and they had a huge section with them in the tanks that wasn't there the last time we visited.

The above are Weedy Seadragons and they are also members of the seahorse family along with the Leafy Sea Dragons that I published in a previous post. Here are a few of the more traditional ones.

They are difficult to photograph due to a low light situation and they move so quickly, but I managed to get a few pretty good shots.
One of my favorite tanks is the fresh water one like you might have in your home. One of these days I'm going to have a large aquarium in our house where I can sit and watch my fish for hours.

I even found Nemo even though I wasn't really looking for him!

Years ago my father started the Fort Worth Aquarium Society so we had fish in our house, our backyard and everywhere else imaginable! He was instigative in the aquarium that is how housed at the Fort Worth Zoo. It was one of his many interests.
We covered almost every inch of the aquarium from the penguins to the turtles and the flamingos.

After attending a lecture on Jellyfish, we had some lunch and then finished our tour. We decided not to go the main dining room, but to have a light bite outside the sandwich shop.

Sometimes soup and a seafood sandwich really hits the spot!
We took a short drive along the coast once again and were home around 6:00. It's was a long but very rewarding day. Looking forward to tomorrow as we have booked a place on a boat where we can go whale watching. that should be fun! It doesn't take a lot to amuse us old folks :-)

XOXO, Pcasso

HOLLANDAISE, HUEVOS AND HOMES

2010-10-07T07:09:00.000-07:00

As I have said in my previous post, we just returned from nearly 2 weeks in sunny California. Our travel day was a long one as our flight was delayed nearly 2 hours. We landed in San Francisco and then had to drive to our first destination. We were looking forward to some great seafood, but opted for a good old greasy burger at Denny's for our first lunch on our trip.

It was not a very romantic spot but the burger tasted pretty darned good! They don't feed you anything on flights if you're in coach so we were really hungry.
We arrived once again in one of our favorite places on the West coast, Pacific Grove, mid-afternoon. It's called Butterfly Town USA since that is where the Monarch Butterflies migrate each year

The famed breeding habitat for the Monarch butterfly is situated in the southern part of town embedded in residential neighborhoods in mixed oak forests. These Monarchs migrate 2000 miles to reach Pacific Grove after their summer in Canada, often soaring as high as 3000 meters. The black-and-orange butterflies spend much of the fall and winter in the local Monterrey Pine trees, roughly from Halloween until Valentine's Day. It's wonderful to watch them come in. You can't see them at first and then when a new butterfly arrives, the whole tree starts to shimmer as the one that are already there are moving over to make room for the new arrivals. It's fascinating.

We always stay in a condo that is only blocks away from the butterfly sanctuary on a quiet little street only a few blocks from the ocean. One of Frank's favorite things about PC is that fact that there are only 15,000 people there and the speed limit is 25 mph and 15 on the main street. No traffic and no rush to get anywhere, It's a wonderful sleepy little town .

We went to a local restaurant for a bowl of soup and a salad and turned in early since it had been a long day and travel days are always lost time for us.
We got up early the next morning and went to a restaurant on the main street called Holly's Lighthouse Cafe.
Pacific Grove is known for its Victorian homes, Asilomar State Beach, its artistic legacy and the annual migration of the Monarch butterflies. The city is endowed with more Victorian houses per capita than anywhere else in America; some of them have been turned into bed and breakfast inns.

The city is also known as the location of the Point Pinos Lighthouse, the oldest continuously-operating lighthouse on the West Coast.

I'm sure that's why the named Holly's place the Lighthouse Cafe.

I consider myself to be an expert judge of Eggs Benedict. For years I have always said that the best Eggs Benedict in the world are at Katy's in Carmel, California, Well ... Katy's just lost the number one spot to Holly's Lighthouse in my humble opinion. These were without a doubt the very best that I have ever tasted, and I have eaten them all over the world ... literally!

They even brought me an extra bowl of the most delicious Hollandaise sauce that I have ever tasted. I was in heaven!
After breakfast we decided to take a drive along the coast to Pebble Beach for lunch.
Pebble Beach is best known for its luxury resorts, golf courses and stunning 17-Mile Drive tour which passes through the Del Monte forest. To access this haven, you must enter one of five guard gates in Carmel or Pacific Grove where you pay just less than $10 per car. As you pass through the shady entry gates, you are also given a brochure with extensive information and a map.

There are approximately 20 stops along the well marked route, each with a landmark of interest and paved parking for your vehicle. From the trademark Lone Cypress tree to the Restless Sea, Seal Rock to Spanish Bay and Spyglass Hill, you are guaranteed to get a thrill. We have visited the Lone Cypress and photographed it many times.

The well trodden road was once a trail in which covered wagons carried guests from a hotel to picnic grounds along Pebble Beach over 100 years ago. Though a century has passed, some things are timeless in this enchanted forest. Today, tourists continue to enjoy the crashing waves that hit rugged rocks below vistas where pine trees frame each photo perfectly. Picnics are still "in" as are strolls along the sand near Seal Rock lookout. And golf continues to be the number one sport here for over 80 years.

I'd love to be able to go inside one of these mansions and see what they look like.
We then went to the Market which is by the Lodge and bought sandwiches for a picnic.

We shared a sandwich and green tea (I was still full of Eggs Benedict) and then strolled over to the Lodge to look around.

It's a lovely place and they always make you feel so at home whether you're staying there or not.

We have stayed here several times in past years and Frank has played all of the golf courses along 17 mile Drive at one time or another. I decided to have a glass of wine while Frank had a beer as we enjoyed the view of the ocean.

We had so much fun watching this big fellow trying to steal food from people's tables. They're really beautiful birds but a real nuisance most of the time.

We got home in time to go for a dip in the Jacuzzi and then we dressed for dinner. We went to a little Asian restaurant that was near our condo and had some really delicious food. It was still early so there weren't many people there yet.

Before we ordered our meal, two ladies who were dining started visiting with us. They lived in Pacific Grove and frequented the place so they suggested what we should eat and their suggestions were a great choice.

Frank had the stir fried rice with seafood and I had the Kung Pao chicken. Both dishes were excellent.
We then hurried home after dinner so we could watch Dancing With the Stars.

It's just like home ... our lives are governed by some TV shows that we love even when we are on the road!
More soon, so stay tuned.

XOXO, Pcasso

LEAFY SEADRAGONS AND OTHER WONDERFUL CREATURES

2010-10-03T15:04:00.000-07:00

We have been in California and were at the Monterrey Aquarium two weeks ago when I fell in love with this wonderful little creature. They call them animals, but I think they look more like a creatures from another planet.

I had so much fun photographing the aquatic life there that I couldn't wait to post this photo as well as the following movie. The leafy sea dragon or Glauerts Seadragon, is a marine fish in the family Syngnathidae, which also includes the seahorses. It is the only member of the genus Phycodurus. It is found along the southern and western coasts of Australia. The name is derived from the appearance, with long leaf-like protrusions coming from all over the body. These protrusions are not used for propulsion; they serve only as camouflage. The leafy sea dragon propels itself by means of a pectoral fin on the ridge of its neck and a dorsal fin on its back closer to the tail end. These small fins are almost completely transparent and difficult to see as they undulate minutely to move the creature sedately through the water, completing the illusion of floating seaweed.
I will start my posts of this trip some time next week once we are unpacked and rested, but I wanted to say hello and show you a little of what we saw on our trip. If you click on the arrow in this video you will be able to see the magical qualities of these little creatures.

Have a great week. I'll be back soon!

XOXO, Pcasso

FINE FOOD FEST TO THE MAX!

2010-08-05T08:38:00.000-07:00

Our last week in Santa Fe was a glorious food-fest. We ate ourselves into oblivion. When you get to be our age, that's our primary form of entertainment and I must say that we were entertained very well!
We went back to La Choza for lunch and met our friends, the Ellises.

We had a very nice visit with them as well as a good meal. And speaking of meals, I'm going to post a slide show of some of the wonderful dishes that we had during the week as this will be the best way to look at them. Of you don't see this post after you have read this entry, click on older posts and it should come right up.
That evening we went back to Jinja with the Gratz's and had another great meal. They, along with the Ellises are full time residents in Santa Fe. Linda is a wonderful artist.

The next morning Frank and Jose played golf and I took the morning off.

He had bought me some pizza from Whole Foods the night before, so I had a great lunch while I watched TV. A nice little break for both of us.

That evening we went to the plaza for the entertainment. In the month of July, there is live entertainment every noontime as well as in the evening.

We found out that our friend, Patty's niece, Eliza Gilkyson was in town and would be performing. Her "warm up" as she wold be called in Las Vegas, was a singer named Busy McCarrol and she was also very good as well.

Eliza has built a reputation as one of the most original and influential folk artists of our time. She was born in Los Angeles, where her dad Terry was a successful songwriter with many hits like "Memories Are Made of This," which Dean Martin took to #1 on the charts, and "Bare Necessities" from Disney's The Jungle Book and The Cry of the Wild Goose. Eliza left California to define her own path. She spent time in New Mexico and Europe before moving to Austin, which she has called home for more than two decades. She lives there with her husband and children but travels world-wide entertaining.

Patty has many well known family members. Along with her niece Eliza and her brother, Terry, she is also the aunt of Anna Wintour who is the editor of Vogue magazine.

She is the person that Meryl Streep portrayed in the film The Devil Wears Prada.
It seems that at all events in Santa Fe, people want to dance .

This poor couple must have thought they were going to a square dance, but it didn't really matter. They danced and had a great time anyway, gingham skirt, cowboy boots and all.

These outdoor festivities always draw a big crowd. The weather is perfect and there is no charge, so why not get out and celebrate!

Even the dogs come to town for the entertainment. It always amazes me to see how well they all seem to get along.

We have seen this woman and her dog at many events on our trips to Santa Fe over the years. Do you suppose they both attend Weight Watcher's meetings together?

I have always heard that people begin to look like their dogs and now I believe it!
Since there was such a large crowd and you had to bring your own seating, we pulled out my wheelchair for the first time on this trip. It worked very well and I had a ring side seat. Papa pushed me to the restaurant after the performance. He's finally getting to be a much better driver. He's starting to call me Miss Daisy. All he needs is a chauffeur's cap.

We went back to The Shed and this time we ate. It's a wonderful place and the food is great. We never pass up a good New Mexico style enchilada and these are among some of the best in town.

We had a bit of a wait which was to be expected, and we took advantage of the extra time and had a drink on the patio.

Since I had my own chair with Papa's portable seat from the concert, I had a place to sit while we waited. He was able to sit on a bench while we waited.

The next day we met our long time friend, Young Woo at Tomasita's for lunch. He and I met when we were at a photographic workshop in Italy and Egypt 25 years ago and the three of us have been good friends ever since.

He and I usually cook together when we're in town but he had just returned from his home in California, (he has several here in the U.S, as well as in Europe) so we decided to eat out instead.
He is also an artist and a very good one. He works mainly in watercolor. Here is one of his paintings that I have hanging in our home. What could be more appropriate than an angel holding red chilies in front of the Santuario de Chimayo. I call her the Guardian Angel of Enchiladas ;-)

We had to make one last trip to our #1 favorite hole in the wall, Tia Sophia's before we headed back to Texas.

I've saved most of the food shots for the slide show, but I had to slip these of Tia's Christmas enchiladas and their wonderful soppillas in as a last tribute to excellent NM cuisine ;-)

On our next to last night on this trip, we went back to Max's with Chuck and Linda.

Their food is so remarkable that you can't possible go there only once when you're in town. We weren't about to miss out on an opportunity to taste this delicious cuisine at least one more time this visit.

It's a marvelous little restaurant that only seats about 20 people and it's tucked away in little walkway off of Guadalupe.

We went there one other time this trip with the Ofman's. We parked on a side street as parking is limited and then took a short cut where we had to duck under a wire fence to get to the restaurant. I'm sure that they wondered where on earth we were taking them. Having been there several times before, we knew that they were going to be in for a real treat. I can honestly say that they serve some of the best food that we've had anywhere in the world. Not only is it different and delicious, the presentation is awesome. The food shots will be in the slide show so you can see what I mean.

Here is a photograph of Max, the owner. She's a delightful young woman, a very hard worker and has a rare jewel in this excellent restaurant.

She now has a new young chef that is part owner of the place and he is a real treasure. I couldn't believe how young he looked. Such a cutie and he can cook as well. What a perfect combination!

He is the executive chef and partner and his name is Mark Connell and he is unbelievable. After high school, he completed an European styled apprenticeship in Vail, Colorado and then attended ICIF’s Masters Program in Costiglioli di Asti, Italy where he studied classical Italian cuisine and worked at renowned restaurant Costa Salici.
When he returned to the US, he worked in Laguna Beach, California at Montage Resort’s flagship restaurant, Studio, under James Boyce. He attend Culinary Institute of America’s Pastry Program at Greystone. At CIA, he was voted “Most Valuable Patissier” of his class by some of America’s most respected Pastry Chefs. Mark finished his time in California at The French Laundry.

Returning to Massachusetts, Mark was the Sous Chef and Pastry Chef at Salts Restaurant in Cambridge under Gabriel Bremmer, one of Food and Wine Magazine’s “10 Best New Chefs” 2006. He then helped open contemporary Italian Restaurant Bina Osteria as Chef di Cuisine before moving to Santa Fe. Max's is blessed to have him at the helm in the kitchen. A meal there is a real treat!
On our last day we decided to have lunch at Restaurant Martin. It is right down the street from our condo and is another fine new restaurant in Santa Fe. The chef renovated an old place and made it a very chic new gourmet restaurant.

The chef/owner, Martin Rios, a native of Guadalajara, Mexico, grew up in Santa Fe and started in the restaurant business as a 17-year-old dishwasher, eventually working his way to executive chef at several restaurants and hotels. Chef Rios received his formal training at the Culinary Institute of America and supplemented that with experience and training in some of the worlds most honored restaurants and with well-known culinary masters.He was featured in the 2008 season of Iron Chef America, and is the only New Mexico chef to have won the Robert Mondavi Culinary Award of Excellence. When Rios was chef at the Old House Restaurant at the Eldorado Hotel, Zagat's Restaurant Survey listed the restaurant as the best dining experience in New Mexico and one of the best restaurants in the United States and the restaurant was awarded both the AAA Four-Diamond Award and the Mobil Four-Star Award. Chef Rios has been name Chef of the Year by the City of Santa Fe and has been named Chef of the Year twice each by the State of New Mexico and the New Mexico Lodging Association. He has also been named a Celebrated Chef for the National Pork Council and was featured in the Bon Appetit Magazine cover story "The American Restaurant: Our Favorite Places." We ate outside and everything was perfect.

As we waited for our food, I watched the wind gently blow the trees and the shadows of the leaves danced on the umbrellas. What a perfect spot for an outdoor luncheon.

All the beautiful people were there for lunch. This young woman was fascinating to watch ... full of style and grace. Certainly a little eye candy for the men!

Frank ordered me what I thought was white wine but it turned out to be a French aperitif called Lillet. It was different but actually it was very good.

The meal was magnificent and the perfect way to end the trip. We now have two wonderful restaurants to add to our list of recommendations when people ask us where to eat in Santa Fe ... Max's and Restaurant Martin. They are superb.
I won't tell you what we had for dinner that night as we packed, but their mascot and logo was a little Chihuahua.
We left for Texas around 3:30 a.m and had an uneventful drive home. All in all, it was a wonderful visit and we're looking forward to going back to the Land of Enchantment soon.
One last thought ... after having eaten all this wonderful food and drinking delicious wines, I last 4 pounds while I was there. That proves that there are fewer calories is good food and good wine!

XOXO and Bon Appetite, Pcasso

FOOD FEST FOTOS

2010-08-05T05:57:00.001-07:00

This is a collage of wonderful food from our trip. If that "Adopt a Pet" bar appears, X it out so you can read the captions as you mouse over them. Bon Appetite!

GOLF, GOOD FOOD, GOOD FRIENDS AND GOODBYES

2010-08-02T07:47:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't figured it out yet, I most always blog after the fact ... especially when we're traveling. It can be very time consuming and I'm selfish with my vacation time, so I take extensive notes and photographs and then post the things that happened after we return home. This is most certainly true with today's post.
Frank played golf with Walter and another friend who now lives in Dallas and was visiting Walter in Santa Fe. They drove to Paa-ko Ridge golf course just outside of Albuquerque to play and I had the day off.

Borrowing its name from the nearby Anasazi Pueblo Indian ruins, this mountain course is sitting at 6,800 fee elevation on the eastern slope of the Sandia Mountains. It's a glorious setting.

Late that afternoon we received a phone call from our friends in Raton to find out that some very dear friends in Albuquerque had just been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. We made arrangements and went to Albuquerque early the next morning to visit with her in the hospital. We have been friends with the Burrows for over 50 years and it was very sad to see her under these circumstances.

We had a really nice visit with her, and then right before we left, her husband and daughter Valerie arrived so we visited with them for a while as well. She has a very difficult time ahead of her, so I ask for your prayers for her as well as her family.

Since we were already in Albuquerque, we decided to call and see if our nephew, Gary and his wife, Teresa were home. Luckily they were, so we went by their place for a minute.

Gary is Frank's brother's son. We have so little family left now that we try to make a point of seeing them as often as we can. It was nearly 2:00 and they had not eaten so we went to lunch at a place called Elephant Walk. The food was delicious. I had crab cakes and they were amazing.

This was the appetizer portion. I don't know how on earth anyone could have eaten more than this as they were very rich and so filling. Frank had a salad that was as tasty as it was attractive.

The bread sticks were served in a basket as were the sweet potato fries. We certainly didn't go away hungry!

Since it was named the Elephant Walk, I had to get a shot of the family with their "mascot".

On the way back to Santa Fe we received a phone call from some friends from Arlington and they had just arrived in town. They had spent the previous week or so in Colorado and decided to stop in Santa Fe for the 4th. We told them that we really weren't hungry since we had a late lunch, but we would meet them at The Shed for a drink.

This is a favorite place of ours and also a lot of tourists come here, so they had a pretty long wait. At least that gave us the opportunity to have a very nice visit.

When their buzzer finally went off, we said our good-byes and made plans to meet them on the Plaza in the morning for the Pancake Breakfast and all the 4th of July activities.

Fortunately both Theresa and I had our cell phones with us, so we were able to hook up. They sold 15,000 tickets to the breakfast, so it would have almost been impossible to find them without the help of Ma Bell!

There is always a lot of musical activity and dancers on the Plaza on the 4th and they are fun to watch. The whole crowd gets in the mood of the day and patriotism is abounds.

These precious children started dancing at 9:00 and I couldn't decided if it was more fun to watch them or to watch their parent's faces as they performed.

Will, Teresa and the children were able to get a front row seat and that was great. They were there at the right time!

There is a group called Manzanares that we really like and they performed earlier than usual so we were able to stay and listen to them. We love their music and have followed their careers for years. The fact that their lead singer looks a lot like Johnny Depp doesn't hurt anything either ;-)

Once this group starts to play, everyone wants to dance. It doesn't matter what your size, shape or age is, everyone is in the mood to party!

Having a dance partner is also optional. If you're in the mood .... get up and DANCE!
An easy way to get around the Plaza is by a Santa Fe Style Rickshaw. There are several of these around town all the time.

Every 4th of July our friends, the Williamson's, have a party and we're blessed to always be on their guest list. It starts around 11:00 a.m. so that affords us the time needed to visit the Plaza first. Cleo decorates everything with red, white and blue and then fixes a lovely brunch. She's definitely the Hostess with the Mostess.

We always look forward to this annual gathering as we get to see friends that we only seem to see when we're in Santa Fe.
That evening the Rosses came by our place for a cocktail and then we decided to go out for dinner together.

We went to Del Charro and I had a burger and the kids had nachos.

Of course Will had one of their special margaritas and said that it was great.

We plan on meeting our friends, the Ellises tomorrow and continue on this New Mexico style eat-a-thon. I'll fill you in on more in a day or two.
XOXO, Pcasso

I am so very sorry to have to report that I have just received word that my dear and probably one of our oldest friends, Eleanor Burrow, died yesterday. We have been friends for 52 years. I am so thankful that we were able to spend time with her on this visit. It is very hard to lose someone who has been very special in your life. This is one of my favorite photos of her at my 70th birthday party in Santa Fe.

My prayer is that His peace which passes all understanding will be with the family and that light perpetual will shine upon her always. May God bless her soul.

SCULPTURES, CHURCHES AND AND CHIMAYO

2010-07-24T06:15:00.000-07:00

After breakfast today we decided to go downtown for lunch. There’s a little restaurant called Louie’s Corner Café that is new to us. Whenever we drive downtown from the condo, we pass by there and the array of colored umbrellas always gets our attention.

This place has been many things in the past from Greek food to Italian but now it’s a place that serves sandwiches and brunch and they even cater meals.

Having eaten a late breakfast were not very hungry, but Heaven forbid that we miss a meal! We decided to share a Reuben sandwich. The funny thing was that when it arrived, they had also cut the pickle in half! I think that both of us could have eaten a whole pickle but rather than make a fuss, we ate the half and it was the perfect accompaniment for our corned beef and sliced cucumbers.

After lunch I decided to try and do a little shopping. Lucille’s was right down the street and I always go there to look for something new when we’re in town. Lucille's is a happy, colorful, floor to ceiling menagerie of clothing and accessories. They have a fabulous selection of beautiful broomstick skirts, dresses, pants, tops, jackets and ponchos and they carry sizes from small to X-large and many Plus styles, so I always feel at home there.

As it ended up, I didn’t find anything that I thought I couldn’t live without and Frank was very grateful. I usually come out of the store with so many shopping bags that I need help carrying them. He was sitting on a bench in a little garden nearby patiently waiting for me. Parked at the curb was the cutest little car. The license tag read “Escargot”. I have no idea what kind of a car it was, but it was adorable. Wouldn't that be fun to drive around town in!

We had not been to Canyon Road on this trip, so we decided to drive up there and see what was happening. Normally Santa Fe is buzzing with people this time of year but the town is very quiet. I supposed the economy crunch has hit here like it has all over our beloved country.

One of the galleries had some lovely purple Clematis in full bloom, so I felt that I had to photograph it. There was a small driveway in front, so Frank pulled in there so I could shoot and not have to walk. We do what he now calls “Car Photography”.

Since I have a great deal of difficulty walking, we drive along and when I something interesting to photograph, I ask him to stop so I can get out and shoot rather than having to walk very far. He’s so good to do this for me.

Once I had taken several photos he realized that he was going to have to back out of the place. Our new car does not have a sensor system like the old one did so you can’t tell when you’re getting very close to an object. Our last car would beep when you got within 3 feet of anything. Poor Frank was getting very frustrated since this was a very tight place to maneuver around in, so I said that I would get out and direct him. It was a good thing that I did because we were within inches of hitting what I’m sure was this very pricey sculpture that was in the middle of the pavement.

Thank goodness we didn’t hit it as it would have ruined the art work, not to mention what it would have done to our car. That ended the car photography for the day!
That evening we went to our friends home for a drink before dinner. Walter had bought this visor that had hair attached to it. It was so funny. Of course, Papa had to try it on as well. It really looked better on Walter since it matched his own hair color. Boys will be boys :-)

We then headed out to Gabriel’s for dinner which is a few miles outside of town. We decided to eat there as we loved the outside patio where you could watch the sunset and their guacamole is outstanding. They prepare it for you table-side.

As I’ve mentioned before, all the enchiladas are good in Santa Fe but no two are alike. These are the ones that they serve at Gabriel’s. The sopapillas were also wonderful, especially when they are warm and dripping with honey. YUM!!!

Ann and I almost had the same color on. Hopefully we didn't clash too much. We had a lovely visit. Even though we had seen them at Vanessi’s a few nights before, it’s difficult to visit there since there is music and you don’t want to be rude and chatter away while Doug Montgomery is performing.

Tomorrow will be the day for a history lesson about Northern New Mexico. I hope you're ready for it.

The next morning we met our dear friend Patty at Baglemania who treated us to a delicious breakfast.

She’s such a dear and longtime friend. I’m sorry that we don’t live closer, but at least we have Email. Thank goodness for cyberspace! Once again I had the Eggs Benedict. They are almost as good as the ones they serve at Katy’s in Carmel which are the best in the entire world.

After breakfast we said our goodbyes and went to Chimayo on the High Road to Taos. I wasn’t sure how I would handle the altitude but I was fine. The drive there is beautiful. It’s about 18 miles from SF to Chimayo and the desert is lovely.

You are driving along through the hills that are covered with pinon trees and suddenly you drop down into a lush valley and the village of Chimayo.

There is a church there that's called the Santuario de Chimayo and it is very famous.

El Santuario has been called the "Lourdes of America". No one seems to know exactly how this came about. However, there are testimonies that the extraordinary has occurred. Fr. Sebastian Alvarez in his letter to the Episcopal See of Durango, dated November l6, 1813, expressed his feelings of the people coming from afar to seek cures for their ailments and the spreading of the fame of their cures, induced many more faithful to come in pilgrimage. He did not mention any specific facts, but something was there. El Santuario has been a place of worship from the beginning - a place to pray, to thank, to ask, to meditate and to experience peace of mind as well as of body.
People come from all over the world for healing. The nave is beautiful and behind the nave is a small room which is filled with canes, walkers and crutches which have been left behind by people who have been healed.

The parking lot to visit the sanctuario is at the foot of a long sidewalk which is uphill and I wasn’t sure if I could make it. Frank brought along a stool for me to use if I needed a break. Believe it or not … I didn’t have to use it! We've turned our car into a traveling hospital just in case. This time I had my wheelchair in the trunk along with an oxygen tank and this folding stool. It's a wonder we had any room left for our clothes!

We have been coming here for years and it’s a lovely setting. Outside of the church itself is a little store where you can buy candles and religious artifacts as well as a lot of local art.

There is a grotto on the way up the hill where people have put candles and rosaries and said prayers for themselves and their loved ones.

There is a poem inside the church itself which reads,
"If you are a stranger, if you are weary from the struggles in life, whether you have a handicap, whether you have a broken heart, follow the long mountain road, find a home in Chimayó."

There is a small room at the back of the chapel which is is called El Pocito. It is also known as the "Room of Miracles." There is a round hole in the floor, through which people scoop out some of the sand. Some kneel and kiss the earth; some rub it on their bodies or onto photographs of family members too ill to travel. Most people carry home a small bagful. Some even eat a little of the sand. It is said that the hole mysteriously fills up each night no matter how much of the dirt is removed by the pilgrims and no one knows how this happens.
The Church takes no position on whether miracles have occurred at the Santuario. However, each year some 30,000 people from all over the world make pilgrimages to the Santuario de Chimayó during Holy Week, especially on Holy Thursday and Good Friday, some seeking blessings and some in fulfillment of a vow. Walking is traditional; some pilgrims walk from as far away as Albuquerque, about 90 miles. On the walls of the medicinal sand room are hundreds of letters and photographs from visitors thankful for the healing they say they received here.
There is also a statue of Santo Niño in this small room. The story of the Santo Niño begins in Spain during the time of the Moors, Spain's Muslim conquerors. In Atocha, outside Madrid, many Christian men had been imprisoned. The jail did not feed the prisoners, and the caliph ordered that only children could visit and bring food to them. The women prayed to Our Lady for help. Soon word spread that a small boy was visiting and feeding the prisoners. His basket was never empty of bread, and his water gourd was always full. He was considered a manifestation of Jesus as the Holy Child, the Santo Niño. In 1492 Catholics drove the Muslims out of Spain. In the succeeding years, Spanish colonists brought worship of Our Lady of Atocha and her Holy Child to the village of Plateros, Mexico. As in Spain, there was a statue of the Virgin with the Holy Child in her arms. The child was often removed and brought to help with difficult births. Over time, the Santo Niño's reputation for miracles grew. It was said that he wandered the countryside at night spreading miracles, especially among the imprisoned, the poor, and the ill.
In images of the Santo Niño de Atocha, he wears the garb of a pilgrim and carries a bread basket and a pilgrim's staff to which is tied a water gourd. It is said that the Santo Niño roams the valleys of Chimayó at night, wearing out his little shoes. They have to be frequently replaced. How this happens is also a mystery.

Pilgrims bring him baby shoes, which line his niche and a shelf along the wall, along with photos of children and prayers for his intervention on their behalf. There is even a a special chapel that they have built on the property called the Santo Nino Chapel.

I have included a photograph that I took of the Santuario a long time ago. Below it is a watercolor that I painted. It's my version of the church taking a lot of so called artistic license ;-) Probably everyone who paints and has visited here has done the same as I have since it’s such a wonderful subject.

As we were resting in the shade after our climb up the hill we noticed this woman and her husband who must have been on a pilgrimage of their own. It’s a perfect example of how NOT to dress when visiting a church!

The grounds around the church are lovely and there are many religious artifacts. Here is a shrine of St. Francis with the familiar pose with his birds

and then inside a shaded area under a portal he is showing the stigmata with the Death Cart.

Death carts, with their terrifying figures of La Muerte, are a peculiarly New Mexican art form, appearing in the Holy Week processions of the Brotherhood. In their secret rites, Penitentes dragged the heavy, cumbersome death carts to calvarios, where they commemorated the Crucifixion. The carts represent the power of Death during the period between the Crucifixion and the Resurrection, and the ritual foretells the miracle of Christ’s ultimate triumph over death. Such carts had their origin in Spanish religious drama.
As we came slowly down the hill, we stopped and bought some chili from a local vendor. The chili that's grown in the Chimayo Valley is the best in all of New Mexico so I had to get more to stock my freezer. I couldn't possibly go any length of time without a NM red chili enchilada fix! I loved the car that he was driving ... it was so New Mexican.

After our visit, we went to Rancho de Chimayo for a wonderful lunch. It’s a lovely place in a beautiful setting and we have been coming here here for over 40 years.

We ate outside and it was a little warm, but we were under a big umbrella and we were more than comfortable in the shade. What I wouldn't give to have this kind of weather in Texas!

We had yet another enchilada (we can’t seem to ever get enough of these) and it, too was very different from the one last night. All the goodies were hidden under the cheese. I might add that it was delicious.

Our drive home was uneventful. Not much traffic and I was able to get a good shot of Camel Rock, one of the landmarks along the way.

We arrived home in the late afternoon, full of good thoughts, good food and very tired. There was a wonderful calico kitty who must live nearby who came to visit us. He performed for us for about 10 minutes but when he realized that there was no reward in store for him, he went on his merry way.

Frank has a golf date early tomorrow so we decided to stay home tonight and take it easy.
XOXO, Pcasso

BUBBLE BUBBLE, WI-FI TROUBLE!

2010-07-21T05:19:00.000-07:00

As soon as we got up this morning Frank went to the Sage Bakery to get some breakfast for us. They have such a huge selection that it is hard to make a decision.

Fortunately I had sent him there with my order already figured out, so I had the pleasure of once again enjoying an almond croissant. In fact, I even heated it and put butter on it! It was absolute heaven!

Today was a fairly slow day, so we watched a little TV in the morning (we both love game shows) and then decided to go to our favorite spot for lunch, Tia Sophia's. In years past we ate there at least 4 times a week, but there are so many good restaurants in Santa Fe that we haven't visited Tia's as often as we used to. In my humble opinion they have the very best enchilada in town.

It never changes. The chili is always exceptional and the atmosphere is very friendly. Not too many tourists eat there as it is literally a little hole in the wall so tourists are a little leery about going inside, but the food by far surpasses the ambiance of the place.
We were unaware that while we were gone to lunch there had been a power outage at the condo and when we got home I had no Internet service! Horror of all horrors ... how can one live without the Internet!

There was my BFF sitting all alone with no way to connect to the world and all my friends. I immediately called the office and after much haggling with Comcast, I found that they could be there in 3 days to fix it. I felt that this was totally unacceptable. At least we still had TV! They did tell us that if we would come by the Comcast office they would give me a new modem to replace the one that had fried. So, early the next morning Frank headed for Comcast which is on the other side of town. He's such a dear to fight that Cerrillos Road traffic just so I could be up and running again. When he got back home, the new modem wouldn't work either so I called Comcast again. It seems that it had to be activated and since I was not the one who opened the account they would not activate it for me. I was HOT! I spent over an hour on hold and finally got hold of someone who said that they would send a technician out the next day to see what we could work out. This is the very reason the we no longer use Comcast. I found that they are not accommodating either at home or in New Mexico! Thank goodness for U-verse!
But wait ... I'm getting way ahead of myself!
After spending a great deal of the afternoon on the phone, we decided that we needed an Asian food fix so we went to Jinja. We had to pass through town on the way to the restaurant, so we took our regular detour and drove around the Plaza and by the Cathedral to see what was going on. There's always lots of activity in downtown Santa Fe ... especially in the summer.

This is a wonderful little Pan Asian bistro is partially owned by Gene Hackman (he's a part time resident in SF)

They seated us in a corner booth and we had a wonderful waitress who took very good care of us. We found out later that this was her first day and she was delightful.

Hackman is also an artist and below is one of his paintings that hangs in the restaurant. The light was very low and all I had with me was my iPhone, so forgive the quality of the shot. I know now that I should NEVER leave the house without my camera!

The food was delicious and we decided to have an assortment of appetizers rather than an entree. We have eaten here several times before so we knew that the portions were more than ample.

We had the Yin Yang Shrimp which was crispy black tiger shrimp dusted in salt and pepper and served with the perfect yin and yang of a sweet, plum ginger sauce and a spicy Vietnamese sauce.

We then chose the tempura which is a classic from Japan, lightly-battered shrimp, broccoli, red pepper, carrot, sweet potato and onion.

Pot Stickers are always a favorite. They are Asian comfort food. They were four pan-seared pork and vegetable dumplings with a tangy Shanghai dipping sauce, and of course, Fried Rice. She brought us 6 at no extra charge since we were sharing. I make these at home when I feel very energetic.

Our good friend, Young Woo, taught me how to make these. He most always cooks for us when we are in Santa Fe. I met him when I was in Egypt 25 years ago and was have been good friends and "chef mates" ever since.

On the way home, we were blessed to be able to witness the most beautiful sunset. The skies in New Mexico are so clean and clear. That's due to the fact that there is no large industry there so there's very little pollution. Also, the residents are very "green" conscious, so that helps as well.

I will hopefully have Internet service in a day or two, so all will be well again :-)
XOXO, Pcasso

BAGLES, BRUSCHETTA AND MUSHROOM SOUP

2010-07-19T07:36:00.000-07:00

We had an early breakfast today at one of our favorite breakfast spots in Santa Fe, Baglemania.

The weather was so lovely that we decided to eat out on the patio. This is something that we can't do at home as it's way too hot and humid this time of year.

Then after church, we decided to make Potage Parmentier and have it on hand just in case we didn't want to go out for a meal. All this really is is Potato Leek soup and it's very easy to make and it's absolutely delicious. Frank changed his clothes, put on his handy dandy paper towel apron and started chopping up the leeks.

I asked him before we left Texas if I should bring one of my good knives along and he said no need. Well, let me tell you, he'll listen to me next time. It took him twice as long to chop these little suckers with one of the not very sharp knives in the condo than it would have at home. I won't ask next time and he'll be forever indebted to me for bringing a good knife along! If I played pool, I would never be without my cue stick, so why on earth as a cook would I ever be without a good knife???
Sunday night at Vanessi's is a tradition for us when we are in Santa Fe. We arrive there about 6:00 and have a light supper in the piano bar and listen to some great music. We know a lot of people there since we've been coming to Santa Fe for many years, so it's always like old home week. Rather like a scene from "Cheers" where everyone knows your name ;-) Shortly after we arrived our friends from Dallas, the Waldie's, arrived and joined us.

We listened to the music of Doug Montgomery at the piano as we sipped a glass of wine.

About an hour into the evening Doug asked a gentleman named Charlie Baca to come to the microphone and sing. He has a very pleasant voice and we always enjoy his singing.

Then out of the blue, Charlie invited Frank to join him in a song. I watched the color drain from Frank's face and he very quickly declined. Several years ago when we were at Vanessi's our cousin, P.C., was invited to sing.

A friend and I decided that he needed some help, so we went up to the microphone with him. The rest is history. We were dreadful! Once we started there was no way to stop, but fortunately the trumpet player got up and joined us and helped to drown out our voices.

Frank's cousin has a nice voice but I won't speak for mine and Sue's. I have never done this before and certainly won't ever make that mistake again! Funny how a little wine makes you think that you can sing like Barbara Streisand!
We had breakfast at home the next day and met some new friends for lunch. We are mutual friends with Darden McFarlin and he introduced us to each other via Email.

Darden, Jose and his wife Kay have homes in Austin. They are a delightful couple and we really enjoyed their company. This photograph doesn't do either of them justice as he is very handsome and she is a beautiful woman.
They introduced us to a new place for lunch (at least it was new to us). It's a salad bistro called Vinaigrette. It's sometimes very difficult to park in SF, so they picked us up.
We had a lovely table outside, but it was so chilly that we decided to move inside where it was warm. Not as much atmosphere as on the patio but much more comfortable.

I started with a wonderful mushroom soup which was filled with many varieties of fresh mushrooms and topped with a crusty piece of bread.

I then had the Cobb Salad with tomato, avocado, hard boiled egg, bacon, roast chicken and blue cheese chopped and tossed with fresh romaine and classic Cobb vinaigrette.

We topped the meal off with a lovely bottle of red wine.
After lunch we came home and took a nap. We're not used to having wine at lunch anymore. As good as it was, it made us quite sleepy.
We had reservations at The Old House in the El Dorado Hotel for dinner, but we decided to cancel and stay home, watch TV and eat our Potato/Leek soup and some bruschetta instead. It was a wise choice.

As Frank was interested in watching season one of The Tudors, it seemed like the perfect thing to do on a Monday night. I found this photograph to be very appropriate since Henry's wives heads are missing!

I have seen the entire series, but Frank has not, so I brought the DVD's of season one with us. I have purchased the first three seasons and am on the waiting list for the last season that has just aired. This series is an excellent addition to my DVD library. We hope to complete watching season one on this trip.
XOXO, Pcasso

BYE BYE BEARADISE, HELLO CITY DIFFERENT!

2010-07-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

We said goodbye this morning to all of the Bearapharnalia at Bearadise and were in our way to Santa Fe. This little sculpture reminds me of Larry and Frank when they go fishing. Wonder who the baby bear is???

There are several well know landmarks that we pass on the road when we're on our way to our home away from home. One is called Starvation Peak.

As you wind your way on your journey along the Santa Fe Trail, to the south of the freeway you will see the tall but relatively small mesa called Starvation Peak. Legend has it that settlers were chased up the mountain and held there, surrounded by Indian warriors, until they succumbed to starvation. It was a prominent landmark and made for interesting stories around the campfire for Santa Fe Trail traders.
The drive from Raton to Santa Fe only takes a few hours and the scenery exceptionally beautiful. The closer you get to SF, you start to notice that the earth is beginning to turn red.

I always become very excited when we see this change because I know that our destination is very near.
When we arrived in town, we went straight to La Choza for lunch where we met Teresa and Gary, our niece and nephew. They had driven up from Albuquerque to see us.

We needed a chili fix, so we had our standard Enchilada Christmas style. For those of you unfamiliar with NM native cuisine, that's with both red and green chili. YUM! We started off with chips and salsa and a cerveza, the perfect way to begin a meal!

I've always admired this painting that has adorned the walls there for years and one of these days I may attempt to paint my very own rendition of it. It's so very Santa Fe.

After lunch, the kids were on their way and we went to our condo to get unpacked for the next couple of weeks.

We decided that we needed to make a quick grocery run and of all things, we ran into our friends, the Ellis' at Albertson's!

This seems to be a regular event since the town is not that big, but we run into this particular couple at the grocery store a lot. What makes it really odd is that she doesn't even cook! I suppose they were window shopping ;-)
As we had eaten a late lunch, we decided to go to a small local place for a light supper. Soup and a sandwich sounded divine. It's called Del Charro. It's located in the Inn of the Governors.

It's a cozy little place with good food, fast service and it's very inexpensive. It reminds me a little of the Hog's Breath Inn in Carmel since it's basically outside but it's covered and you can eat there year round. The only thing that was missing was Clint Eastwood. It would have been very nice if he had shown up!
I had asked Frank when we left the house if he thought we needed to take the cell phone and we both decided there was no need as the restaurant was only a few blocks away and we would not be gone long. Well ..... BIG mistake!
When we returned Frank realized that the key to the condo was missing. I had left my key just inside the locked door sitting beside my phone! There was no way to get to either of them.

He went back to the restaurant thinking that the key must have slipped out to his pocket when he paid the bill. No luck. He even looked all along the street where we had parked but found nothing, not even a few lost coins.

He then came back to the condo where I was waiting patiently on the porch and noticed that the people in the next condo had just arrived from their dinner. He asked if he could use their phone to call the manager since he had lost our key and they said they had found it. However ... they had dropped it into the night slot on the office door and the office was closed for the weekend. UGH! We kept calling and calling and finally, we got in touch with the office manager and were able to get in as she came and unlocked our door.
There was a lesson well learned there. Always hide an extra key somewhere in case of an emergency. Thank goodness for good neighbors!
Who knows what adventures are around the next corner!
XOXO, Pcasso

WHERE THE DEER BUT NO ANTELOPE PLAY!

2010-07-17T09:15:00.000-07:00

Today was an uneventful day for us. We met Bev and Larry for lunch at The Sweet Shop in Raton. When we lived there in the 50's, it was located downtown and was primarily a candy shop that served a few sandwiches at the counter as well as making all their own candy if I remember correctly. Well ... they should have stuck to making candy. I had a chicken salad sandwich which seemed like a safe bet, and when it arrived, it was toasted which was certainly not expected.The most that I can say is that it was very different.

The Stolarczyk's left for Santa Fe right after lunch and then they would be on their way in the morning to Las Cruces for Lisa's graduation. I'm sorry that we could not have been there for this special event since we have know Lisa since she was about 2 years old. She's a terrific young woman and has done quite well for herself. I'm sure that her folks are very proud of her. We certainly are!

After lunch we went back home and just took it easy the rest of the day. Frank had to run to the Super Save in the afternoon and he decided that we would not try our luck at any more local places and have fried chicken at home tonight. Seemed like a good plan to me!

We brought our take-outie food in and watched the elimination program of So You Think You Can Dance. We love that show and it was a very good episode. Those young kids are SOO talented!

We had one more day in Raton, so the next morning we decided to drive to Angel Fire, NM for lunch. If you haven't already figured this out, this entire trip will be focused on food. We love to eat and Santa Fe has some delicious restaurants, so we keep going back on a regular basis with many interesting stops along the way.
To get to Angel Fire, you have to go through Cimarron Canyon and then on to Eagle Nest. The drive through the canyon is beautiful and you pass by an area which is called the Palisades.
The rock cliffs are spectacular.

Once you've left the canyon, you descend into a little town called Eagle Nest which is situated on a small lake.

When Frank and I were engaged, I went to New Mexico to meet his folks, and we ended up having to spend the night in Eagle Nest with the entire family which was huge. As it happened, there was no bed for me to sleep in, so I ended up sleeping in a sleeping bag on the kitchen floor in front of the refrigerator. What one will do when she's in love. Today I think the Holiday Inn is roughing it!
Once we left Eagle Nest, we left the main highway and headed for Angel Fire. There is a mountain on the way to Angel Fire named "Old Baldy" (all of the mountains seem to have names in New Mexico) If you look closely, you can probably figure out why it got that name.

Frank's family owns a gold mine near there at the foot of the mountain. The only problem is that no one has been able to find it! We have the deed, but back when his family staked their claim there many years ago, all the description said was that is was so many feet past a certain marker and then turn either east or west until you come to a pile of rocks. No one has ever been able to find it, but we can still say that we own a gold mine!
We arrived at Angel Fire just in time for lunch.

They have torn down the old clubhouse and built a new one that is wonderful. It has a restaurant, gym, spa and there is a great golf course. We used to own acerage there but we gave it to the church.

We were both a little weary from driving and soaking in all the beautiful scenery, so we decided to have a beer and a burger on hte terrace outside of the pro shop as the main dining room was not open for lunch.

The weather was perfect, but as we finished our lunch, the skies clouded over and we decided that we had better head for cover and start for home. As threatening as they look, stormy New Mexico skies are beautiful.

The storm didn't last long, so on the way back through the canyon we stopped at the Old Log for a drink of crystal clear mountain water. When we lived there, we would take Sunday drives and bring some of that great tasting pure water home. It was always a treat for our children to stop at the old log. It made us feel like pioneers.

As we came back through the town of Cimarron, we decided to stop at the St. James Hotel. It's a pretty famous local hangout.
Many well-known people stayed there over the years. Wyatt Earp, his brother Morgan, and their wives spent three nights at the St. James on their way to Tombstone, Arizona. Jesse James stayed there several times, always in room 14, signing the registry with his alias, R.H. Howard. Jesse James’ nemesis and would be killer, Bob Ford, also stayed at the St. James.
Buffalo Bill Cody, who was a goat ranch manager for Lucien Maxwell for a short time, met Annie Oakley at the hotel and began to plan and rehearse their Wild West Show. When Henry’s son Fred was born, Buffalo Bill nicknamed him "Cyclone Dick” because he was born during a blustery snow storm, and he was soon asked to be Fred’s godfather.
When Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley left Cimarron to take their show on the road, they took an entire village of Indians from the Cimarron area with them.
Other notables who have stayed at the historic inn include Bat Masterson, train robber Black Jack Tom Ketchum, General Sheridan, Kit Carson, Doc Holliday, Billy the Kid, Clay Allison, Pat Garret, artist Fredrick Remington, Governor Lew Wallace, and writer Zane Grey. The Hotel was later renamed the St. James and continues to cater to travelers today.
They have recently renovated the place and have restored it to it's original beauty. I forgot to mention that it's also supposed to be haunted, so that adds to the attraction of the place.

We stopped to look around and ran across these bikers in the bar. They looked as if they had just stepped off of the set of "The Milagro Beanfield War", so we decided that we should join them in a little libation ourselves, so I had a Vodka Tonic and Papa had a Margarita.

We watched them drive out into the almost sunset and then we took a quick tour of the place.

We used to drive to Cimarron to eat in the restaurant in the St. James on Sundays after church and sometimes on Saturday night when we could find a sitter. It was a nice drive and the food was really good. The place needed a "face lift" and the new owners did a super job restoring it. I'd like to have MY face lifted, but I couldn't stand the pain!

When we left Cimarron we drove through Philmont Scout Ranch which is the National Headquarters for the Boy Scouts of America. It was there that we saw this herd of buffalo.

Little did we know that when we saw the buffalo, we would soon see the deer playing (but no antelope today!)

They were in the velvet and were beautiful. In the wink of an eye, they were over the fence running past the buffalo and then they disappeared. I'm certainly glad that I was ready for that Kodak moment.

We then drove past headquarters. It's a lovely old home. We went to a dinner party there in the early 60's and had buffalo steaks. That was before it was the fashionable food of the month and I felt like a woman in a Wild West movie !

The scouts don't stay in such comfortable quarters, but they seem to always have a great time.

When my honey was a young man, he used to go to Philmont in the summer. I later found out that he was really a girl scout rather than a boy scout since he and his buddies would sneak out at night and visit the girls at Cimarroncita which was an exclusive girls camp right down the road. Most of the girls that attended this camp were from Texas. I suppose he was scouting for me at the time but didn't know it ;-) With those kind of antics it's a miracle that he ever made Eagle Scout!
We arrived at Bearadise just before dinner and were ready to call it a night (or day)!

We wanted to get an early start tomorrow as we would be on our way to Santa Fe, so we had a light supper, watched a little TV and went to bed. In the words of Miss Scarlet, "Tomorrow is another day!"
XOXO, Pcasso

IT'S TIME TO BLOG AGAIN!

2010-07-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

We have spent the past several weeks in The Land of Enchantment, enjoying the high desert, mountains and crisp, cool air!

Our first stop was in Raton, NM, where we lived when we were first married. This flag is at the top of Goat Hill and the sign is lighted at night so travelers might find their way there.

Raton Pass which is located just north of the town center had been used by Spanish explorers and Indians for centuries to cut through the rugged Rocky Mountains, but the trail was too rough for wagons on the Santa Fe Trail.
Raton was founded at the site of Willow Springs, a stop on the Santa Fe Trail. The original 320 acres for the Raton townsite were purchased from the Maxwell Land Grant in 1880. In 1879, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway bought a local toll road and established a busy rail line. Raton quickly developed as a railroad, mining and ranching center for the northeast part of the New Mexico territory, as well as the county seat and principal trading center of the area. This is where Frank and I lived when he got out of dental school and set up his first practice. Here you see our first apartment.

It was very cold in the winter, so in order to save money, we would turn the heat off at 6:00 p.m. right after dinner, go to bed and snuggle under an electric blanket to keep warm. Those are the kind of things that make good memories!
We arrived at our favorite Raton "hangout", Bearadise, and started on our vacation.

We spent a great deal of the time doing absolutely nothing but sitting on the couch, watching movies on TV and relaxing. A great way to start a vacation.

Our good friends who own this guest house, Beverly and Larry, were in town only one day and then they left for Las Cruces as their daughter, Lisa, was graduating from medical school.
Bev and I have been friends for nearly 1/2 century and it's always good to get together with her even if it's only for a short time. After all, it's not every day that your daughter becomes a physician!

Her husband, Larry, is not only Frank's fishing buddy, but he also runs in very lofty circles. He's a scientist and spends a lot of time in D.C. as well as Europe and Russia. It's nice to have friends who have friends in high places ;-)

That first evening we went to Trinidad, Colorado which is just over the pass to Cougar Canyon Resort for dinner.

We had crab legs and made a complete mess of ourselves and the table, but they were delicious. There's nothing better than to be bathed in butter!

We reminisced about all the times we had driven over Raton Pass to go to different restaurants and clubs when we were young. We had so much fun back then and we still do.
That night after we had gone to bed, we heard a noise and discovered that there was a bear outside (they didn't name our place Bearadise for nothing!) The bears love to visit the "big house" at the top of the hill where Bev and Larry live but now they have decided to come and visit us.
A couple of years ago when we were there I photographed one of the uninvited "visitors". When Frank found out that I had done this he was furious. He said, "And just exactly what would you have done if the bear decided to run after you?", and I told him that I had a plan. I was going to go into the garage with my trusty Nikon and pull down the door. I had no idea that bears could run so fast. They're big, so I assumed that they would be slow. He said that the bear would have probably been inside the garage waiting for me and we would have been closed in there together! So much for my plan. At any rate, here are a couple of the shots that I took. I guess that it was worth the risk.

You can see where Frank had been cooking outside the night before! I've never been very comfortable in their wonderful yard since that experience.

Several days later, a bear tried to get into the big house. Here are some photos that they took right after we had left for Santa Fe of the bear at the window and back door of their home. Their dog, McKenzie, is having a fit and I would have been having one as well if I'd been there. Talk about the Wild West!

Stay tuned ... many more adventures and much more excitement to come!
XOXO, Pcasso

GRADS, HARRY AND THE DUCKS

2010-06-07T19:27:00.000-07:00

We have had a very busy week. We attended a school function for Ian who just graduated from Key Elementary School.

Like his younger brother, he finished the year with many honors and some of the top awards in his class. We're so very proud of him.

This beautiful little girl is one of his classmates. She also took many awards (I think she should have won most beautiful, but that award wasn't on the itinerary)

One of Ian's good friends, Grayson, was awarded the top honor of the 6th grade. I am so proud of him. He's such a polite and well mannered young man along with being very bright. He's a pleasure to be around.

Grayson's Dad and Franklin, our son, were roommates in college and have remained good friends throughout the years. Ian participated in a math/science project and was also rewarded for this. They received medals as well as certificates.

They're all a group of smart young people and they did their school proud.
After the awards ceremony we were treated to a brunch. The food was good and it was great to see the young people having such a good time. It wasn't Brennan's, but it was very tasty.

We all posed for photos when the brunch was over and then everyone scattered and tried to figure out what they would do in their spare time this summer.

The proud grandparents had to get in on the act as well :-)

Here he is with two of his best buddies.

I have to interject here that our daughter in law, Beth, received a commendation from the school as the person who is most most active and involved at Key Elementary. This was certainly well deserved recognition. She's at the school every day and gives a lot of her time and energy there. She does an excellent job. I don't know what they'll do when Connor graduates as no one will be as committed as she has been over the years!

We kept Harry, our Granddog this weekend and we had a great time. That's the way to have a pet ... a few days and then he goes back home.
As much as we travel, we really can't have an animal as it wouldn't be fair to any of us. They need full time care and we aren't ready for that just yet.

Harry is such a good boy and such a delight to have around, that we keep him every chance we get.
The Scottish Festival was going on this weekend and Franklin and Beth were working there, so that's why we got to keep Harry. When we were about to leave for church yesterday morning, Frank came running down the hall shouting "get the camera", so of course I did. I had no idea what was going on but I never pass up a Kodak moment. He led me into the kitchen and lo and behold, there was a mallard and his lady friend swimming around in our pool!

I couldn't believe my eyes, so I zoomed in for a closer look and there they were, as big as life. What a delightful surprise on a Sunday morning.

I hated to leave, but church called. We brought Harry into the house so he wouldn't disturb them but alas, they were gone when we returned.
On Thursday afternoon we hosted a swim party for Ian's friends. They all had a great time and were here for over 5 hours. It was the perfect end for a great school year. The slide show is in the following post, so be sure and scroll down.
I don't have much more to tell. Still studying Dante's Purgatory and it's a real witch with a capital "B". Papa's at the baseball game tonight and I'm ready to curl up with a good book which is the quickest way for me to fall asleep. Have a great week and we'll "chat" again soon.

XOXO, Pcasso

Graduation Day

2010-06-07T18:46:00.001-07:00

FRIENDS, FOOD, FILMS FOOD AND FALLEN HEROES

2010-05-30T12:43:00.000-07:00

It's Memorial Day weekend and all is well on the Western front.

I guess I've put off writing long enough. Frank is at the Colonial Golf Tournament in Fort Worth, so I have several hours with nothing to do but blog.

Our days have been crammed full of activities now that summer is approaching and I've enjoyed every second of it. However, it seems as though the faster I go, the behinder I get!
I told you about the Bruschetta that I've been making lately in a recent blog. Well ... I've become addicted to it (so has Papa)! Any time that I can't think of what to fix for a light meal, we end up having Bruschetta. It's made with a course bread such as Pugliese and it's so delicious. How can you possibly go wrong with butter, garlic and fresh tomatoes with basil?

I had the strangest feeling when I saw a photograph of our newest Supreme Court member. I kept thinking that I had seen her before. Well, it finally dawned on me that she looked so much like the actor, Harvey Fierstein that they could be twins. That's why I was confused. What do YOU think?

I'm back on kitchen duty again but then that's one of my favorite things to do. After all, I get to eat what I have managed to create.

I decided to make enchiladas again and had promised two of our "bachelor" friends that I would make them a real New Mexican meal. It was the first time that Darden had eaten my enchiladas and I think he's hooked.

We had a combination of lemon and raspberry sorbet for a closure to the meal and to cleanse our palates. It was perfect after all the spicy food.

We then ended the evening with a glass or two of Tuaca. It was the perfect way to spend an evening.

Our other friend, Jim, was unable to make it and he was certainly missed. Guess he and his puppy were too busy riding around in vintage cars and doing other things ;-)

A dear friend from church asked us over to her new residence to watch the Preakness with her. When she was in her old home, we would always go over to her place and watch the Kentucky Derby and drink Mint Juleps. It was our "tradition".

We somehow missed getting together for the Derby this year, so she decided to have a few people in to watch the Preakness. Lookin At Lucky won but didn't pay nearly as well as the horse that won the Derby. It was fun anyway as it always is when you're with long time friends.

I believe that I have mentioned before that we have a group that goes to breakfast together every Sunday after church. We occasionally go somewhere to brunch for a change of pace, so we had everyone over to our house for Bloody Mary's and Mimosa's and then we were off to Fort Worth and Cabo Grande for a delicious meal.

As you can see, some of the boys opted for martinis, shaken, not stirred!

The Higham's had altar duty at the church, so they were running a little late but they didn't get too far behind on the drinks :-) What a fun way to start a Sunday afternoon.

The weather was delightful, so we were able to sit by the pool and enjoy the gentle breeze as we waited until it was time to go.

The buffet at Cabo is very good and also reasonably priced. PLUS .. the Bloody Mary's, Mimosa's and the Sangria are gratis. How can you possible beat that! Here's my meal and it was delicious. I passed on the eggs as we have them all the time at home and substituted bread pudding for dessert. It was a good choice for me!!

One of our favorite movies is "Nine", so we watched it again during the week. I also purchased the soundtrack. Thank goodness for Netflix. We can see the current movies as soon as they hit the shelves and we don't even have to leave the house.

The movie is based on Federico Felinni's film, "8 1/2" , and they have not only made it into a film, it is also running on Broadway. Dame Judith Dench, one of our favorites, is in the movie as well as Daniel Day Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman and a host of other excellent actors. If you like musicals with a very interesting plot, I recommend it.
We have really been trying to watch what we eat, so I found a recipe for Chicken Picatta and decided to give it a try. It was great, very light and tasty and the perfect meal for a light spring dinner.

I accompanied it with a spinach and beet salad and we felt as though we'd gone out for dinner at a fancy restaurant.

We generally eat our lunch out and I cook the evening meal most of the time. I love to cook, so that's not a problem. We have an unwritten rule around here. The one that doesn't cook does the dishes. That way we all come out winners.
We also went to see Robin Hood when it opened with Russell Crowe and it was quite good. The film industry hasn't produced many good films since the Academy Awards, so it's nice to have something enjoyable for a change. Movies are another one of our pastimes.

The story was based on Robin of Locksley's early life, so they have left the door open for a sequel. Smart move!
One of my new pastimes is playing the game "Words With Friends" on my iPhone.

It's a lot like Scrabble and helps keep "mature" minds young. It's absolutely addictive! When we were having lunch at Pappadeaux the other day, I pulled out my iPhone while I was waiting for my food and the waiter said, "Words With Friends"? When I said yes, we were instant friends and he visited with us for what seemed like forever. He was a delight. We even exchanged names of our favorite TV shows and movies that each of us liked. WWF's is like an International language and SO much fun. I have 6 games going right now. Here are my "playmates".

I usually lose more than I win, but I don't mind. It's the game that's important.
Guess I'll never win the Pulitzer Price for Intelligence, because I like this game, American Idol and Dancing With the Stars. In other words I love to be entertained. We never miss an episode of the aforementioned programs and haven't for years (at least I don't vote anymore!)
Our hometown boy, Casey James, was in the top 3 on Idol.

I really hated to see him go. And then, when we got to the top two, it had to be the hardest decisions that the judges had made in all the seasons the show has been on the air.

There was talent galore here, but the winner after all the competition was Lee DeWyze. It was a toss up between him and Crystal Bowersox and they both deserved to win. In fact, all three did!!! Pity they can't have multiple winners.

The season was a job well done by all of the contestants. The judges really know how to select talent, especially Simon Cowell. I'm so sad to see that he's leaving the show. I'll really miss him.
The following week was the finale of Dancing With the Stars and the treasured "Mirror Ball Trophy" went to Nicole Scherzinger who is the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls.

She is not only an excellent singer but ... WOW... can she dance. What a talent!

We went to Arlington Highlands last week to have lunch with the Gittibans. The Orvis store there is closing, so of course, we had to go and see how much money we could save.

After we had saved a great deal of money purchasing bargains, (our husbands joined in on the buying spree) we went to Hoffbrau's for lunch.

I had this small steak (which I never have at noon) thinking that I wouldn't have to cook much that night and I was right. We were still full from lunch, so we had Bruschetta (again!) I seem to always have tomatoes and garlic on hand.

Frank and two of his buddies went to the Ranger game the next night and had a great time. I couldn't decide whether to call them The Three Musketeers or The Three Stooges! At any rate, they had a good time and that's what matters. You can tell who the die hard fans are by the way they're dressed. Frank and Nasser are die hard Cowboy fans so their uniforms are different in the fall.

Early last week Ian had a concert at the Levitt Pavillon here in downtown Arlington. He plays saxophone and is doing a great job.

The next shot shows him practicing a few days before the concert. I've also included a photo of Jim, our eldest. He was quite a bit older than Ian when this photo was taken. They both started playing the sax when they were in the 5th grade.

That particular instrument holds a very special place in my heart since Jim played professionally for many years and the saxaphone was his main instrument along with all the woodwinds and the piano. He was a very talented young man, just like his nephews.

Can you see the family resemblance? Ian's concert was very good and we are so proud of him. It was the first time we had been to the Pavilion and have scheduled several trips back in the month of June.

Connor is more into electronic games than school concerts, so he found a way to occupy himself during the evening.

The rest of us waited patiently for the music to begin and it was well worth the wait. We always go to outdoor events when we travel, but somehow never manage to go when they are local. Thanks to Ian and his school performance, we will now be going to the Levitt frequently.

The Middle School choirs also sang so it was a very well rounded venue. We're so blessed to have this new facility in our own home town so everyone can enjoy the arts.

On Thursday we went to see the movie, "Kites". It was a very different independent "Bollywood" film but we really enjoyed it. I had read about it in the NY Times so we decided to take a chance and see what it was about since it got excellent reviews.

In 1985 there was a photograph on the cover of National Geographic of a girl from Afghanistan with the most incredible green eyes. They weren't "Bette Davis Eyes", in fact, they were even more so! If you ever saw this image you would never forget it as it was so haunting. The man who played the lead in Kites, Hrithik Roshan, had eyes that reminded me of the girl in the photograph. I have combined a photograph for you to see the comparison. His eyes aren't quite as intense as hers but they, too, were certainly haunting (and he's such a hunk!) I think I need to plan a trip to India!

On Friday our youngest grandson, Connor, was honored along with his other classmates at the 4th grade Awards Day ceremony at his school. We are so proud of him. He's such a sweet, smart young man. He must have taken at least 15 different awards where he excelled in academics, plus he was on the "A" honor roll all year. He has certainly made these two grandparents proud!

I promised you food in the title of this blog so here's some more. And speaking of food, I found a website called The Hungry Novelist. It's all about food and it's great! Right up my alley!

We have been combining Weight Watchers and the South Beach Diets (Frank needs to stick to the eating plan of the SBD since he is a diabetic and needs to avoid most carbs), so I made this tuna salad from their cookbook. It was excellent and very tasty.

I always seem to have a camera or my iPhone handy when there's food around.

We went to lunch another day at Olenjack's Grill and had the tortilla soup and a chopped chicken salad and I can't wait to go back.

As the old saying goes, "Try it ... you'll like it". We sat out on their patio and enjoyed the nice weather. It was a pleasant way to spend an early afternoon. It was also the prerequisite for our nap!
Then on Thursday night after the Awards Ceremony for Connor, Darden came over and I fixed lamb chops and artichokes, two of all of our favorite things. I'm not sure where the stores are getting them now, but the artichokes are exceptional and exceptionally large this time of year. These were almost as big as a head of lettuce. Both the lemon and the tomatoes were extra large, so you can see the size comparison.

The lamb was from New Zealand and was cooked to perfection, thanks to Frank. The chokes turned out well too. Darden said that he would have liked to have eaten the remaining butter with a spoon. I said go ahead, but since he was on his best behavior he wouldn't do it. I probably would have. The beauty of this is that it was Butter Buds with lemon juice and salt, not butter, and it's calorie free but NOT flavor free!

Frank always reads the Raton Range on line, which is the local paper from our old home town in New Mexico. We moved there when we married and he started his practice there, so we still have friends that live there. We lived there for 7 years before moving to Arlington. His eldest brother, George, was killed in France during WWII and there is now a memorial in front of the Colfax County Court House in Raton with George's name on it. Frank found this photograph on the Internet in the Raton newspaper. I thought it only appropriate to mention this since tomorrow is Memorial Day and we should remember all the fallen heroes in our prayers who have helped to make this land that we love so safe. May God bless their souls and may light perpetual shine upon them.

I went to breakfast with the group after church and tonight we will be going to the Levitt Pavilion to hear Mingo Fishtrap.
The concert starts at 8:00 but we plan to get there early so we can get a good parking place. I can't walk too far, so Papa drops me off, parks and then he carries the chairs and ice chest while I hobble along.

There's really not a bad seat in the house and the sound system is great, so we will enjoy our sandwiches and wine and listen to the music of this great group.

If you're not familiar with them, they sound a lot like "Chicago" from the 70's and 80's and their music is great. Check out their sites to listen to them.
.:: Mingo Fishtrap ::.
YouTube - Mingo Fishtrap Born Without Her Heart.m2t

There are several of their performances on You Tube.

Having had 3 generations of our family involved with the music industry we have been groupies for nearly 50 years and we have loved every minute of it. Music soothes the soul like nothing else, at least it does for me.
Have a relaxed and safe Memorial Day. The kids are coming over tomorrow to swim and visit. Ian will graduate from elementary school next week. He's going to have a swim party here on Thursday with about 20-25 young people. It will seem like old times. We can't wait!
Take care.

XOXO, Pcasso

P.S. It's 10:30 p.m. and we just got back from the concert. What a treat! Perfect weather and a great crowd. The music was unbelieveable. We had a wonderful evening and wish that all of you could have been there with us to enjoy it. Maybe next time.

XOXO again, Pcasso

BASEBALL, BOOKS AND MOTHER'S DAY

2010-05-10T10:25:00.000-07:00

To celebrate this special day, I have posted this photograph of my Mother in her graduation dress when she graduated from Columbia University. She was so lovely. She would be 103 years old if she were still alive. I tend to miss her more as the years go by.

We have been pretty busy lately but I'm not too sure just exactly what we've been doing! Time seems to fly by at a pretty rapid rate of speed. I've been reading a lot and also listening to books on my iPod Shuffle when I exercise. This really makes the time pass more quickly. The book that I'm listening to now is by Ken Fowlett and it's called World Without End.

We work out 3 times a week and I must admit that even though it's not my favorite thing to do, I feel so much better .... plus, once I get to the hospital where the health center is, I really like doing it! One of the machines that I use is called a NuStep. Here is Frank on one of them. It's my favorite thing to exercise on.

Because of my bad back and tread mills are out for me, it's ideal as there is no stress on my lower back but it exercises my legs and arms without my having to walk. I stay on this for 40 minutes and then go to the stationary bike for 15 minutes and then the UBE for 5 minutes which strengthens my arms and upper body.
I just finished listening to Fowlett's Pillars of the Earth which is the first of his two books about building cathedrals in England. I'm really pleased that the new book picks up where the firsrt one left off. It givese me something to look forward to.

Both books are set in the middle of the twelfth century, primarily during the time sometimes called The Anarchy, between the time of the sinking of the White Ship and the murder of Thomas Becket.The book traces the development of Gothic Architecture out of the preceding Romanesque Architecture and the fortunes of the Kingsbridge priory against the backdrop of actual historical events of the time.
Week before last we went to the Ranger game with the Gittibans. We had 8 tickets for that particular game, so we gave the other 4 tickets to the kids and they went with the boys. The weather was perfect and the Rangers won, so what more could you ask for!

Nasser was prepared just in case a ball came our way! That net comes in handy for more things than fly fishing!

Speaking of sports, our grandson in law, Matt, is a big sports fan .... especially where the Cowboys are concerned. Here is a photo of him as a young boy with Tom Landry who was then the coach of "America's Team". What a great thing to have in your book of memories!

We have been to court since I last posted on this blog. Our Diocese is involved in a court case and Frank is one of the named parties. We, the Diocese of Fort Worth, have left the National Church for theological reasons and now they are attempting to try to claim our property. It's a very complicated case so I won't try to explain it. Here is a photograph of our Bishop, the Rt. Reverend Jack Iker with some of the youth in our Diocese.

I love this picture and as you can see, the young people all love him as well. He's a very holy and dedicated man, and as a conservative Diocese we felt that we could no longer be affiliated with The Episcopal Church since it has changed it's theology and has become so liberal. Please keep us in your prayers. This is going to be a long, drawn out case and it is very hard on everyone involved. We are praying for God's will to be done.
Yesterday was Mother's Day and it was a very special day indeed! When I woke up and went to my computer (which I always do every morning) I found this darling card waiting for me from my precious husband.

He's such a thoughtful and considerate man and I am truly blessed to have him to share my life with. God could not have picked a better person for me to spend all these years with and I am so grateful.
After the early service yesterday, each Mother in attendance was presented with a flower as we left the church. It's become a tradition at our parish. I love mine and have it properly displayed in our guest bathroom along with the card from my honey.

We went to breakfast with the "gang" as we do each Sunday and then came home and waited for the family to come over. They arrived at noon and brought me this lovely vase of flowers. I love flowers, so I really appreciated them!

After we enjoyed a Bloody Mary, we headed for Fort Worth and a wonderful restaurant called Taverna. It is located in Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth. Frank took this shot of me and my "baby" to help remember the moment.

Taverna is a very attractive place and it's always a delight to enjoy a meal there.

It's owned by the people who own Lombardi's and the food is delicious. We were seated at this long table in the front part of the restaurant while they were getting our table ready.

There was a piece of illuminated glass at the bar where they seated us and the boys never let an opportunity like this pass them by, so they started playing "hand games".

When Ian got tired of that, he pulled out his phone and was playing other games on it.

We could also see the pizza ovens from there, so that gave the boys an idea about what they wanted to eat for lunch.

Once we were seated, we had Mimosas all around and ordered our food.

We started with Calamari and Foccacia bread along with Bruschetta. It was very good but I have to admit, mine (and Julia's) is much better!

The boys had Pizza while Franklin and Beth had a traditional brunch item ... Eggs Benedict. She had the Hollandaise on the side but I think she ate most of it anyway. After all .. it WAS Mother's Day so you must take advantage!

Frank and I opted for two of their pasta dishes and they were exceptional.

Connor had been a little out of sorts since he had to wait for the food to be prepared, but we finally got a smile out of him when the pizza arrived.

We stayed there for a couple of hours and then as we waited for Valet to bring our car, we took a couple of shots of the rest of the family.

Beth and I both want to thank Frank and Franklin for being such good Husbands and Fathers, After all, if it weren't for them, we wouldn't be Mothers!!!

When they left us, they went over to Beth's Mom's house to wish her a Happy Day. When we arrived back at the house, I had a phone call waiting from Nicholas and a posting on Facebook from Rachel wishing me a Happy Mother's Day from my "big" grand babies. All in all, it was a perfect day, beginning with church, then breakfast with friends, lunch with family and ending the day with one of our favorite TV shows, "As Time Goes By".
I hope that each of you had as pleasant a day as I did. It won't be long until Father's Day will be here and we can all celebrate again!!!
XOXO, Pcasso

THE ROAD TO HEAVEN MUST BE PAVED WITH OLIVE OIL

2010-04-25T11:13:00.000-07:00

Where to begin! After we returned from our wildflower jaunt to the Hill Country, I had appointments the rest of the week with what seemed to be every physician I have ever met as well as my dentist! Fortunately I'm in pretty good shape for the shape I'm in!

Then last week we were invited out for dinner with our friend, Darden, and we had a delightful meal at Piccolo Mondo, one of our favorite restaurants.

Spring was in the air and I was ready to get into the swing of things. Speaking of shapes, I was feeling so good about myself that I rushed out and bought new swimsuit without trying it on first. Big mistake!!! I had gone to my Weight Watcher's meeting the day before and found that I had lost 5% of my body fat which is the first goal you set for yourself with the program, so in my mind I looked terrific. Let me tell you, Esther Williams I was not.

In fact, when I looked in the mirror, I looked a lot like this beached whale!

Back to the drawing board and away from full length mirrors for me for a while!

We've had lots of good times with friends the past couple of weeks, all involving food. Let's face it, at this stage of life, that's most of if not all of our entertainment. Last Sunday after church the Ferbends had our breakfast group over for brunch.

There are several of us who always go to breakfast after the early service and occasionally we change our routine and meet in one of our homes to eat. It was a lovely affair with good food and great conversation.
Then mid-week we went for dinner with long time friends, the Sawyers and Walkers. The Walkers had us over for drinks before dinner and we had a nice visit before heading out to the restaurant.

When we returned home that evening we watched "Idol Gives Back" which we had recorded. Thank goodness for DVR's. You can watch your favorite shows and also eliminate all the commercials. What a blessing! We lost one of the two contestants from Texas, but after all, there will always be one person eliminated each week until the finale. It's sad but the show must go on!
Last Monday I started attending the book club at St. Alban's again and I think it's going to be an extremely exciting study. We started with Dante's Inferno which is the first book in his trilogy, The Divine Comedy, and we are now beginning the path upward to Purgatory. Thank goodness we're finally out of Hell!

It's absolutely fascinating and I'm really looking forward to this study as Father Duncan brings the pages to life for those of us in his class. I am even ahead of the game with my homework for a change and ready for some interesting discussion tomorrow.
We sold our old car and got a new one. It was a bittersweet time as it was really a good car but we were ready for a change. If anyone is interested, I can promise you that the old one in great shape and should last for a long time. It has a little under 30,000 miles on it and has been handled with TLC. She still looks brand new. Here's Papa backing it out of the driveway for the last time.

We took a photograph of it before we took it to the dealership. I read somewhere that you should take a photo of each of your cars that you own so when you take that trip down Memory Lane you will remember what they looked like. Plus, your children would never believe what some of the old cars you owned looked like. Sometimes I forget to do that so I'm trying to be more accountable now. When Frank and I married I had a '55 red Thunderbird with both a hard and soft top and I did not take a single photo of it. I'm really sorry now! At least they're still on the Internet. I sometimes wonder if he married me for love or for that car! It was a real cutie (but I was back then too!)

Friday afternoon we didn't have anything to do, so we watched "Julie and Julia" again. It is without a doubt one of my very favorite movies. I adore food and absolutely LOVE to cook. There is a scene in that movie that has continued to haunt me since the first time I saw it.

In fact, I have even bought Julie Powell's book and am starting to read it now since the story interests me so. It was on the best seller list for a long time and is a delightful read.

Julia Child used to come to Longview, Texas and give cooking workshops and I had the privilege of attending one of those many years ago. I've always been interested in food and I get extremely excited when I either am served or prepare something that I consider to be exceptional. I took two week long workshops with Jacques Pepin at the Broadmoor at their School of Cooking in Colorado Springs in the '80's and loved every minute of it. When I was younger I was a very serious cook. I used to work in a gourmet cookware store and even taught some cooking classes. Some friends owned the store and I offered to help them out a couple of days a week. I'd never worked before but I had certainly cooked, so it was like playing all day, doing the thing you love the most and getting paid for it! It was certainly a win/win situation!

Jacques and Julia had a cooking show on PBS for a long time and they were wonderful together. In fact, they collaborated on a cook book and I not only have a copy of that book, I have all of his cookbooks and also Julia's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

They also made a DVD of their show and I plan on getting it soon. It's such fun to watch them working together.

The two of them are absolutely delightful together. Two entirely different styles of cooking but they compliment one another completely in the kitchen.
And now, to the main point of this entry! While watching the film, I decided that I could not live another minute without trying the delicious Bruschetta that Julie (not Julia) prepared in the movie. Since I still have a little trouble getting around physically, so I sent Frank to the store ... he was MORE than anxious to go knowing what would be in store when he returned ... and he came home with all the necessary ingredients for our very special lunch. Here is the recipe and following this are the photographs that I took of what I call my masterpiece.

BRUSHETTA - al la Julie and Julia – Recipe

4 slices rough textured bread, such as focaccia, or from a crusty baguette, cut lengthwise

16 oz. assorted heirloom type tomatoes (I used President’s Choice Rainbow heirloom cherry tomatoes) chopped and seeded if the seeds look sketchy

Extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, peeled and halved

sea salt

chopped fresh basil

1. Toss tomatoes with 1 T. olive oil and about 1 tsp. sea salt.2. Fry bread in 2-3 T. olive oil in skillet, browning on each side, and adding 1 more T. oil if necessary (I added a tad of butter to the oil)3. Rub cut half of garlic clove over 1 side of fried bread.4. Spoon tomatoes (with oil and accumulated juices) over bread. Top with chopped basil and more sea salt to taste.5. Eat with plenty of napkins on hand. It's messy but wonderful!
Serves 2.

I used some of the Extra Virgin Olive Oil in this recipe that I had purchased on our last trip to Tuscany and it tasted like velvet. Nothing on earth compares with really good olive oil from Tuscany. The bottle is small and the contents are very precious, like liquid gold. An absolute delight on the tongue.

We proceeded to open a bottle of white wine and put on our bibs as we bit into this glorious taste of a little bit of Heaven. Surely the road on the way to Heaven is paved with extra virgin olive oil!
This was very easy to make, not very time consuming and one of the best things that I have put in my mouth in a very long time. The sounds that we both made as we were eating it could only be described as complete ecstasy. I'm glad no one was listening because they would have wondered what on earth was going on with these two old people!
After taking a long afternoon nap (we don't generally drink wine during the day), we went out on the deck and finished the bottle of wine we had opened for our lunch.

As we watched the sun set on our little garden, we listened to some of our favorite golden oldies sung by Bette Midler and Michael Bublé .

It was the perfect end to an absolutely perfect day.
Since I am writing this blog, my precious husband told me that he was going to read the paper, but he was actually taking a nap. He thinks I can't see him when he's in his disguise
:-) I don't know why he doesn't just turn the lights out. that way he wouldn't look like a corpse in an ugly body bag!

After all the great food and wine, I need to get to the gym on Monday and start working on the body that I can only dream of. If I live long enough and keep going to Weight Watchers, maybe someday .....

or would I rather just continue to cook and have delicious food and enjoy this part of my life? You tell me!
Bon Appetite,
Pcasso

SPRINGTIME, GLIDERS AND POSOLE

2010-04-17T15:18:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year and this weekend has been perfect so far. Spring is in the air and we have gotten busy getting our back patio ready so we can sit outside and enjoy the wonderful weather. This is where we will be spending a lot of our time as long as the temperature allows it.

Frank has been busy putting flowers in all the planters and the yard men have the yard in perfect condition. Yesterday morning he went to Home Depot and purchased a glider for the back deck. I always hated to see my babies grow up because I couldn't rock them any more. He remembered how much I love to rock, so he surprised me with it. (My Grandmother loved to rock as well, so that's probably where this originated)

The biggest surprise was what a chore it was to assemble. He thought he could have it done in about an hour but guess what .... WRONG! After nearly 5 hours of both of us working diligently on it, it was finally assembled and ready for action. This is one of Martha Stewart's products and I was about ready to wipe that smile off of her face before we finally got it put together!

Well, all went well, and after a very busy afternoon, the deck looked wonderful and we were ready for action.

We fixed ourselves a little libation and decided to play cards outside. We have had an on-going gin game for the past several years, so there's always some healthy competition going on.

We have an outdoor speaker for the CD player, but we hadn't hooked it up yet, so I brought out my new toys ... my iPhone and my portable speakers called "Tweakers". I ordered them a couple of weeks ago and they are perfect for listening to Pandora on my iPhone. Pandora is an Internet station that plays wonderful music. Check it out!

They are not only as cute as a bug, they have wonderful sound! I just love electronic gadgets! My Dad and eldest son, Jim did as well. They would have loved to still be living in this era and be able to enjoy all the "gadgets"!
We sat there and looked out over the back yard as the sun went down and it really felt wonderful. A true sence of peace.

I told Frank that I hope that when we move somewhere that is more convenient for us in our "Golden Years", my hope is that the new owners will love this place the way we have during the years that we have been here.
When we finished our card game (I won this time), we went inside, had a bite to eat and then watched TV for a while.
We got up bright and early this morning and had coffee out on the deck. The world was just waking up and the birds were all chattering. We have a family of Cardinals that live in one of our hedges and we love to watch them.
The Papa is the sentinel while Mama and her babies are eating the birdseed that we have provided. The neighbor's roof looks like snow in this photograph.

I have just discovered that the mottled looking Cardinals are the babies and their full color will come as they mature.

Mama does her own thing as the baby is being watched by Papa and a sparrow.

The squirrels are also up to their usual antics. It must be mating season because they are running all over the place, chasing each other and jumping from tree to tree. This one had taken a break and was posing so I could photograph him. They're such hams!

Once we finished our breakfast of pork chops and eggs, I started tonight's dinner (have to keep ahead of the game!)

It had started to drizzle this morning, so it seemed like a perfect day for Posole. For those of you who are not familiar with Posole, it's made with dried hominy, pork, red chili and garlic and it's delicious! I had extra pork chops, so that's why we had them for breakfast. Seemed like a good thing to me!
The Posole is ready now, so here's what it looks like in both the pot and the bowl.

This with either tortillas or sopapillas makes a wonderful meal any time ... especially on a spring evening.
Tomorrow we will go to church where we will have the privilege of serving at God's altar at the early service and then we are going to our friend's house for brunch. I have to do my homework in the afternoon for my Monday book club where we're studying Dante's Purgatory and then I will watch the Tudors tomorrow night. Sounds like the perfect weekend to me. How about you???
XOXO, Pcasso