Free Cherry Entertainment Console/Hutch—Come & Get it!
March 21, 2012 19:29 – 19:29It’s 81″h x 42″w x 21″d, and would require a van or a truck, and two strong people. It doesn’t have to be brought up or down stairs, though.
Why Mac?
March 5, 2012 23:18 – 23:18Okay, Mac friends. My curiosity finally overcame me, and I’m trying out a MacBook Air (MBA)—the 13″ model with 256GB of flash memory. Having heard friends rave over their Macs, and the MBA in particular, I’m finding it hard to understand why.
For starters, everything is tiny. The only “universal” solution is to decrease the resolution, which makes the fonts look fuzzy, and still not large enough. And, if I try to go larger, I’m warned that screens will not format/fit correctly. Have Apple’s programmers never heard of “accessibility”? My Windows 7 11″ Acer screen was perfectly readable right out of the box. And the Acer weighs just about the same as the MBA, and has about the same battery life.
A deal killer for me is the fact that Outlook 2011 for Mac does not have Outlook’s Journal feature. I use this feature extensively for keeping track of my consulting time. I have thousands of Journal entries going back many years, and in Outlook 2011, they’re worthless. In fact, they didn’t show up at all when I imported my Outlook 2010 .pst file.
Another deal killer is that in order to get updates for certain software that came with the machine, I would have to sign up for an Apple ID and give them my credit card number. Ain’t gonna happen. All of the updates for Windows and other Microsoft products require only Windows Live registration, which I’ve had for years—without having to give Microsoft my credit card information.. I’m not giving my credit card number to the Apple Store on spec.
I have until the end of March to return this MBA. So far, the ONLY think I like about it is the nearly instant ON feature. I suspect that this is more a function of the flash HD, however. A number of flash-based Windows 7 computers also come on instantly.
So… tell me. Why do you prefer Mac to Windows 7? Anybody who’s used a Windows 7 computer and the MacBook Air: What does the MBA have or do that Windows 7 doesn’t do? Give me a reason to keep it… anything that might overcome my deal killers?
Hints from Herb—Make that pudding taste like chocolate
February 14, 2012 15:07 – 15:07Normally, I make everything from scratch, and buying mixes is painful. But, I have to strictly restrict my intake of carbohydrates, and haven’t yet delved into the dark arts of how to make pudding set without using high-carb ingredients like real sugar and corn starch. So, I’m trying to find an off-the-shelf way to make low-carb desserts that actually taste appealing. Modification is my middle name.
When making this stuff, add a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder when you add the pudding mix. It adds only 3 grams of carbs to the whole batch, and ensures that the resulting pudding actually tastes like chocolate, since it actually contains chocolate.
And, don’t buy Ozbo’s 24-pack of this stuff via Amazon. From my local grocery store (Shoppers Food Warehouse), it’s $1 per box. From Amazon/Ozbo, bought in batches of 24, it’s $27.28 + $6.28 for shipping for 24 boxes. That comes out to about $1.40 per box.
Madigan’s Waterfront Restaurant in Occoquan, VA
February 11, 2012 22:14 – 22:14Excellent seafood–fresh and well prepared–but the air is completely contaminated with smoke from the bar. During our 65 minute wait for a table tonight (we didn’t make a reservation), there was no comfortable and warm smoke-free place to wait. Even once seated in the restaurant, the smoke still found us.
We got there at 5:55 on a Saturday evening, and were told there’d be a 45 minute wait. Since we were at least 40 minutes south of our 2nd choice, we decided to wait, reasoning that restaurants usually over-estimate the wait time. We were finally seated a little after 7 pm.
I had a cup of the crab chowder–it was the perfect temperature, and delicious. For entrees, we both ordered the Admiral’s Platter–tilapia, shrimp (3), and scallops (3) in a wine/cream butter sauce. We both also ordered the mixed vegetables. The seafood was prepared perfectly and was exceedingly fresh. The vegetables, on the other hand, varied from cold to lukewarm.
Service was fast, courteous, apologetic, and efficient. There might’ve even been a cold-vegetable discount–I couldn’t be sure because of my other complaint–it’s too damn dark.
Bottom line: until/unless they become 100% smoke-free, we won’t be going back. The freshest and best prepared seafood isn’t worth a hoot if it tastes like 2nd hand smoke from the bar.
Canon T1i and EFS 18-135mm IS/Macro Lens for Sale: $500
February 6, 2012 21:53 – 21:53Anybody need a good camera? This very lightly used Canon T1i is just sitting here—in mint condition—waiting for a new owner. I’m asking $500 for the camera and upgraded lens. I’m throwing in an extra battery! Oh, and silly me. Because I used the camera for such a short time, I never sent in the warranty card! It’s included.
Why am I selling? Because I’m a camera-holic. Just a couple months after I bought the T1i, the 60D came out, and I couldn’t resist.
18-135mm Lens Image Stabilizer Macro Lens!
This camera usually comes with an 18-55mm IS lens. I’m upgrading the lens to a Canon 18-135mm IS lens that also does macro shooting! It can focus as close as .45 meters (1.5 feet).
Summary
Digital Rebel T1i. The upper-entry-level camera features a 15.1 MP APS-C CMOS sensor with 1080p HD video recording at 20fps. It also offers a 3.0 inch LCD with 920,000 dot resolution and an ISO sensitivity range expandable up to 12800 equivalent. It includes a faster Digic 4 processor offering better noise reduction at higher ISOs and continuous shooting speeds of up to 3.4 fps delivering 170 large JPEG images in a single burst.
Highlights
- 15.1-megapixel CMOS sensor with DIGIC 4 Image Processor
- Includes Canon EFS 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 Image Stabilizer lens, with UV filter
- Full HD video capture at 1920 x 1080 resolution; HDMI output (using optional Mini-HDMI to HDMI Cable, about $5 to $10 from Amazon)
- 3.0-inch Clear View LCD; Live View Function for stills (Quick, Live and Face Detection AF modes) and video
- Capture images and video to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)
(Full review and specs at http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/rebel-t1i.htm)
Mystery at the Market
February 5, 2012 17:08 – 17:08I usually avoid grocery shopping on weekends. I hadn’t been able to get to the grocery store since Tuesday, however, and had to go today since we were running out of staples.
The grocery store was like a zoo! The parking lot was full, and there were strange men roaming the aisles—men who apparently have never been in a grocery store, and aren’t aware of normal store etiquette—such as not blocking the aisles by parking their carts sideways, and not tossing bread over aisles to unseen shopping accomplices and yelling “Incoming wheat.”
In any case, I remained perplexed about why the store and parking lot were so crowded—even for a Sunday—until, as I was leaving the store, I heard someone say to someone else “Who you rootin’ for?” Apparently, there’s some kind of event happening today, and men were arming themselves with things to throw at their televisions. Clearly—they were stocking up for Downton Abbey. Mystery solved!
Seat us in the non-angry birds section, please!
January 29, 2012 16:10 – 16:10If you’re going to bring your electronic toys and games into a restaurant, then either use headphones, or mute the sound. Subjecting other diners to your noise–yes, noise–is nothing short of inconsiderate and rude. Your children might not know any better–but YOU should. And, it’s up to YOU to teach them manners and consideration–preferably by example.
On multiple occasions in recent weeks, we’ve been treated to a cacophony of irritating noises from electronic toys and games while attempting to enjoy dining out. Increasingly, parents are using these devices, because their spawn require entertainment every waking moment. But, it’s not just the kids—it’s others, as well.
We lunched at Thai Square today. About halfway through our meal, a young family came in, toting electronics. The father had a Kindle (quiet enough) and the 7 year old boy had an iPad, the latter which was blasting a number of different noises as the little darling ran through a long dist of disturbingly loud games, including one that just made a long series of farting noises—I kid you not. I can’t fathom how the parents could just tune out the noise. As a society, we DEPEND upon parents themselves being annoyed by their own kids’ public disturbances so that they can practice this thing we’ve come to call “parenting.”
We asked to have our remaining food boxed. As we departed, I suggested to the clueless parents that earphones would be a courteous investment. From their reaction, I’m pretty sure that I’m the villain, and the kid’s right to practice the art of public noise pollution has been reinforced.
For the longest time, we’ve been plagued by people who insist on yelling into their cell phones, turning what should be private conversations into annoying public displays. To this, we now must add angry birds and the like. Young, old, and in-between seem to have been absent those days when they were supposed to be learning about basic consideration.
I can understand that you or your children might need constant entertainment. But, please! They’re called “personal” electronic devices for a reason. Use headphones (and not the kind that leak noise) or mute the damn device. Don’t make the rest of us start having to carrying jammers or limited range EMP devices.
Sarasota to Savannah to Richmond
January 22, 2012 10:47 – 10:47This is a blog entry just for my own future memory… so I can later determine where I was, and when. For most of the past week, we were staying in a rental house on Man of War Circle in the East Paddocks area of Sarasota. It was spacious, but had 1MB DSL. So, internets were a lot slower than we typically find when renting a house. The house had an unheated pool and “hot tub,” and the 55 degree water was a bit too chilly for us to venture in for a dip.
We left for home on Friday morning… January 20th. We’d thought about stopping either at Solomon’s Castle or at Paynes Prairie State Preserve along the way, but decided to err on the side of getting on up the road. For lunch, we picked up stuff from the deli counter at a Publix, and then spent close to an hour trying to find a picnic table. We finally did find one, in Brandon–it was the 5th or 6th one that we tried. So much for saving time by stopping for a quick picnic on a nice day.
On the way to Sarasota, our only overnight stop was at the Comfort Suites in Brunswick, Georgia. For the record, they had the fastest Comfort Inn internet speed I’ve ever seen, topping 30M—even faster than the FiOS we currently have at home (25M). The room was also spacious and comfortable. Note to self—Brunswick is the place to stay when heading to Florida. Except for the water and breakfast, that is. Their water has a heavy sulfur taste. Note to self—always have a gallon of normal water standing by. You never know when you might need it. As for breakfast… their eggs tasted like Styrofoam, and I’m pretty sure have never seen the inside of a henhouse, let alone a hen. Note to self—next time, skip the “free” breakfast and hurry on down to Hardee’s.
Friday night on the way back north, we stayed at the Comfort Suites near the Savannah airport. Called a “contemporary” design, the room was extremely narrow and cramped, and their “high speed” internet was a highly variable 2 to 3MB. It was good enough for streaming Netflix, but stopped and stalled a lot.
Note to self: avoid any Comfort Suites that bill themselves as “contemporary.” And, if it was a suite, then I’m a Swede. At breakfast, the eggs looked real enough, but I think they were scrambled in warp engine oil. They were like eggs produced by an alien replicator. They looked correct, but their taste and molecular structure were all wrong, as if they’d been produced by someone who had seen eggs, but never tasted them. They were hard and grainy, and tasted of some odd cooking oil not yet discovered in this part of the galaxy.
For lunch on Saturday, we stopped at a small place in Manning, SC, called D & H Bar-B-Que, and both had the buffet offerings. The fried chicken was excellent–large juicy pieces of chicken, cooked to perfection, and extremely fresh. The BBQ itself was typical lackluster Carolina BBQ, with a ready supply of vinegar masquerading as BBQ sauce.
Yes, I know many love Carolina BBQ, but I grew up with the stuff, and never quite understood how anyone could eat it. My father loved it, and Parkers in Wilson was a required stop every time he went to NC. I’ve never yet been able to taste any hickory smoke in Carolina BBQ. I’ll take Tennessee and St. Louis BBQ, any day. The best BBQ I’ve ever had–bar none–came from a place called Three Pigs of Rockville, in MD. It closed decades ago, but the Three Pigs in McLean, VA comes very close. They called theirs Tennessee BBQ. They cooked it over hickory logs right there in the restaurant, and they had a sauce that’s to die for.
For dinner Saturday night, we went to a Chinese restaurant called Yummy House, which did not live up to its name. The soups and spring rolls were good, but the entrees were awful. The disappointing thing is that the reviews we read were all glowing. So, either the folks around Savannah don’t share our tastes in Chinese food, or a lot of the Yummy House family have been busy writing reviews.
Saturday night, we were at the Springhill Suites in the Short Pump area of Richmond—technically, it’s in Henrico. Note to self—look up and find out WTF “Short Pump” means. Edit: According to WikiPedia, it’s named for a short-handled pump that was at the front of a tavern that was here.
The room at Springhill Suites was also fairly narrow, but is in fact a “studio” suite. This means that the area with the sofa, desk, microwave, and mini-fridge are separated by a semi-partition, but not by a door that closes. It’s fine, but not huge. The internet again has been governed down to 1M. Good enough for streaming Arrested Development at reduced rez, but not much else.
After our Yummy House experience, and because it was late, we decided to entrust our dinner to Five Guys. They never let us down. Did you know that you can order your burgers without buns?
For breakfast… the Springhill Suites featured egg patties, I guess thinking that if you slap one of those and a sausage (which was good and real) onto a biscuit, they will provide a sufficient illusion that you’re eating actual eggs. I don’t eat biscuits, so the illusion doesn’t work for me. Again, I’m not sure where these eggs come from, but I’m sure that they’ve never seen the inside of a hen. I’m pretty confident they were equal to the task of serving as a high protein breakfast, much as eating a tree limb would provide one’s daily allowance of fiber.
The reason for this post, which contains little of interest for anyone other than me (unless you want to know about hotel internet speeds and breakfasts, and where Karen & I eat lunch), is that I spent a fruitless hour trying to figure out where we stayed the last time we were in Richmond. Alas, I didn’t blog our activities, and trying to find anything I might’ve said on Facebook back then is hopeless (at least until/unless I switch to “timeline” view, something I’m resisting because it’ll probably mean a couple days of work to render it safe). So… next time, I’ll have this as a reference.
Wednesday, January 18th—New College, Cortez, and Venice
January 20, 2012 23:06 – 23:06We began Wednesday by touring New College and the surrounding area. Our first stop—the Music and Arts Pavilion—was closed, the hours and days posted on the front notwithstanding.
From there, we headed down to Cortez for lunch at Star Fish Market… another excellent seafood meal.
Upon leaving Cortez, we set a course for Venice. Venice has a lot of beautiful homes… as well as an unsightly water tower.
The historic railway station in Venice is now used as a bus depot.
I didn’t catch this guy’s name.
Afterwards, we went to an art gallery, and then drove around looking at architecture in Venice.
Yes. It’s called SCAT—Sarasota County Area Transit. And—med students probably love this one—the system form Manatee County is called MCAT. “Where are you going?” “Going to take the MCAT!” “You’re going to medical school???”
Unfortunately, it was raining—the only rain we’d seen on the trip so far—and I’m not fond of wet cameras. So I didn’t take many pictures. This beauty in Venice was too hard to resist, however.
At about six, we picked a restaurant from a list of a half dozen or so that Karen had researched, and we headed for the Sicilian-flavored Cafe Mangiafico in Venice. It double duty as the Upper Crust Cafe and Bakery in the daytime. In fact, we weren’t positive we’d arrived until we had parked and studied the sign out front.
I think we have a knack for hitting restaurants on the first day of waiters’ working there. In any case, we successfully negotiated ordering dinner and wine, and Cameron brought us two huge glasses of wine. The wine was a hearty Italian red—I don’t remember the name. But, neither of us finished it. It was good wine, it was just too much for someone who still had to drive back to Sarasota.
For entrees, Karen chose the Sicilian spaghetti with meatballs and Sicilian sausage, and I had the veal Florentine. Both were excellent. To top it off, because we paid in cash, they subtracted 10% from the bill… their way of encouraging repeat business.
Sarasota, Days 1, 2, and 3
January 17, 2012 22:37 – 22:37We’re renting a house in Sarasota, about six miles from the coast. We’ve been taking things easy, and not trying to cram too many things in—something we usually do far too often. It’s not unusual for us to return from a vacation… needing a vacation.
We arrived on Sunday. The house is clean, modern, and spacious. Our only complaint would be that the pool and “hot tub” are not heated, and the owner wants $40/day to heat them. That’s exorbitant, and suggests that the owner really doesn’t want us using them. So, we’ve declined paying for heat. I’m tempted to use the pool unheated, just to say “So, there!”
Our first night—Sunday—we had dinner in Sarasota at the Waterfront Restaurant. Their specialty is supposed to be shrimp, so that’s what we both had. The shrimp were huge and plentiful. If I were to offer any criticism at all, it’s that the shrimp were cooked a little too long. Other than that, however, everything was perfect.
On Monday morning, I decided to explore the neighborhood on foot, taking in a six mile loop. Along the way, I encountered a sandhill crane, a flock of ibis(es?), and a beautiful canopy of trees draped with Spanish moss (I’ve been to Spain five times, and I’ve never seen any Spanish moss there, which makes me wonder why it’s called that.
I sure wish they’d try to leave more trees in place in Virginia when they build new houses. It would definitely help keep walks cooler in the summertime. Here’s that sandhill crane I told you about.
And here are those ibises.
When I got back from my walk, we headed for Myakka River State Park, stopping to pick up some picnic food at Publix along the way. The fried chicken from the Publix deli counter is excellent, by the way. Juicy and seasoned just right.
After a quick picnic, we headed for the Canopy Walk. The Canopy Walk is a wooden structure that takes you just above the tree canopy where you can see a variety of birds (see note below). Here it is from the ground and from above.
Well… where somebody can see some birds. We didn’t see any. Being MLK weekend, families were out in droves, and I guess they scared the birds away. About the only birds we saw were high in the air just about everywhere else… Florida’s state bird: the turkey vulture. Well, probably not. But, based on sheer numbers and visibility, perhaps they should be.
The Canopy Walk is only about a hundred feet or so, and they limit it to three adults at a time. It tends to sway a bit. At one end of it, there’s a tower. From the top of the tower, it looked like a South American or African jungle.
No elephants or giraffes in the clearing below, alas. No lions, tigers, or bears, either. Not that we saw, anyway. So, Dorothy need not worry.
By the time we were done at Myakka, it was getting towards late afternoon, so we decided to head back to the house. Back here, we rested up for a while, and then headed out to dinner at a wonderful Thai restaurant called Siam Orchid. The food there was probably the best Thai food I’ve ever had—maybe even better than Tarntip Thai back in Virginia, an unexpected little gem of a restaurant in Fredericksburg, Virginia. At Siam Orchid, Karen had the beef and I had shrimp—both in the house special sauce. Karen had mild, and I had medium. Medium was absolutely perfect!
This morning, we again got a later-than-we-really-planned start, and headed over to Simon’s Coffee House, recommended by Pat Bossman. The food was good, and there was unexpected art on the wall!
After lunch, we headed up the coast to the De Soto National Historical Site—one of those off-the-beaten-path locations that tourists usually miss. The monument itself wasn’t all that impressive—but that’s usually the case.
The grounds, however, abounded with interesting scenery. Most impressive, to me anyway, were these humongous trees that look like they were designed with climbing in mind. If I were about 100 years younger…
They’re called gumbo limbo trees.
Above the water, there were numerous pelicans, diving for fish.
And clear water, so they could see the fish for which they were swooping.
And, back on land, a dog was ready for his weekly poker game.
Also, some re-enactors were scaring the heck out of tourists by shooting very loud 16th century guns (at least they claimed that’s what they were).
Yum! Wooden BBQ! Low in fat, but very high in fiber.
And 16th century scarecrows?
From De Soto, we decided to head back to the house and change… and head for the beach in Siesta Key. It’s supposed to be the best beach in the U.S. It might be. Although, I guess it depends on what you’re looking for. If you were looking for warm water, you wouldn’t find it today. The surf temperature was about 60. Mind you, it didn’t stop me. I swam. Karen decided it was too cold. And, I’ve been in colder water—58 degrees in the St. Lawrence, 54 degrees in Fundy National Park, and maybe a little colder in the Mediterranean off Spain once (looking for Spanish moss, but not finding any—see above).
After the beach, we headed home to shower & change, and then to Mi Pueblo for dinner. We happened upon Mariachi night. There was a six-piece band playing and singing, and they were really good! And so was the food! I had the steak fajitas and Karen had tacos al pastor. Both were excellent. My only criticism would be the beans. They have only refried beans, which I find mostly disgusting. Actual black beans or red beans would be good.
Huntley
October 23, 2011 10:04 – 10:04Here are the lyrics to one of the songs I sang yesterday at Frog Pond Early Learning Center‘s fall festival. It’s my tribute to one of my favorite places on earth—Huntley Meadows.
Huntley ©2002 by Herb Tyson
As I walk through the trees,
A distant lark sings,
Keeping time to the rhythm
The woodpecker brings.
And there up above,
Colors flash by,
Yellow and red
Against a blue sky.
An a old fallen tree
Here joins the earth,
Melts into the ground,
And is given rebirth.
A rustle of leaves,
A crunch in the brush.
I feel my breath stop,
And I hear myself hush.
They call it a meadow,
But it’s really a forest,
But it’s really a wetland
But it’s really a haven for life.
It’s a real-life recording,
Of nature in sound,
Of nature in smell,
And colors abounding,
And it’s really a heaven on earth.
On hot days in summer,
When sidewalk eggs fry.
My mind glances upwards
And I think that I
Would be cooler in Huntley
By many degrees,
Under an umbrella,
Of cool green leaves.
The buzzing of bumblebees,
Ants marching by.
Swallows catching mosquitoes
A fawn that says “Hi!”
Back in the swamp,
There’s whistling spree,
A million tiny frogs,
Sing in symphony.
They call it a meadow,
But it’s really a forest,
But it’s really a wetland
But it’s really a haven for life.
It’s a real-life recording,
Of nature in sound,
Of nature in smell,
And colors abounding,
And it’s really a heaven on earth.
Leaves turned to yellow,
Orange, red and brown.
Frantically swirling,
Make their way to the ground.
A fawn’s spots now fading,
The underbrush dies,
A chorus of crows,
Against the blue sky.
The water is bulging
As beaver flow by,
Hauling their harvest
And I think that I
Sense a change in the air,
As autumn turns to go,
Deer coats turn to gray,
There’s a fresh fallen snow.
They call it a meadow,
But it’s really a forest,
But it’s really a wetland
But it’s really a haven for life.
It’s a real-life recording,
Of nature in sound,
Of nature in smell,
And colors abounding,
And it’s really a heaven on earth.
Footprints in the snow,
Tracks on the ice,
Reveal even in the cold,
There’s still so much life.
Footpaths once too wet,
Now hardened by cold,
Invite you in further,
If you are bold.
Tiny buds at the tips
Of every tree.
Ache to unfold
And yearn to be.
And the Canada goose,
Now takes to the air,
Pollywogs in the water say,
Spring will soon be there.
They call it a meadow,
But it’s really a forest,
But it’s really a wetland
But it’s really a haven for life.
It’s a real-life recording,
Of nature in sound,
Of nature in smell,
And colors abounding,
And it’s really a heaven on earth.
Huntley Meadows is heaven on earth.
On irons, starch, and ironing boards
October 4, 2011 08:07 – 08:07I wonder how many people under the age of 30 have ever used an iron, let alone used starch. Back in the dark ages—before permanent press—my mother insisted that I use starch when ironing my shirts. Yes, I was doing my own ironing by the time I was 6. All starch did was make shirts uncomfortable, and manage to turn any wear-induced wrinkles into even deeper and more noticeable crevices. If not used properly, starch also can really gunk up an iron and make a really unpleasant smell.
And, whoever thought up using starch on handkerchiefs??? Do this only for display hankies. Do not use starch on your “I have a cold” supply of handkerchiefs.
Somewhere along the way, something called “wash-and-wear” came along. While it never really worked, it gave me an excuse not to iron certain pieces of clothing. Then came permanent press—which was neither permanent nor pressed. Nonetheless, I rejoiced at the invention, and used the nomenclature as an excuse to stop using starch, and ultimately as an excuse to live with wrinkles. Living with wrinkles, as it turns out, is a very handy acceptance skill to have as one makes his way through his second half-century of life.
These days, we still have an iron, but I tend to use it only on extremely rare occasions—maybe once every few years. So, what else are irons good for?
Irons are essential for iron-on patches and this stuff called Stitch Witchery. The latter is a webbed fabric glue and is a good substitute for actual stitches when you need to hem a pair of trousers and don’t feel like dealing with needle and thread. You can also make Halloween costumes using the stuff, as well as for affixing achievement patches onto uniforms. Ultimately, patches should be sewn on, but the iron-on stuff is a great stop-gap. An iron also can be good for accelerating the drying of a “must-wear-this one” shirt.
Through the 1960s and even into the 1970s, irons were great for making grilled cheese (and ham and cheese) sandwiches. You assemble the sandwich, adding a little butter to the outsides of the bread, and then wrap it in aluminum foil. Then, you use a heated iron to press the sandwich. I found that the Cotton setting (no steam) worked best—about 60 seconds on each side. There’s nothing quite as appetizing as leaking butter sizzling on a hot iron, or hot cheese leaking and leaching into an ironing board cover. Yum. I cannot recommend cooking omelets this way. However, if you can find a way to hold the iron in place upside down (a large shoe works), an iron can be used to heat a cast iron skillet. And once you have a hot cast iron skillet, nothing is impossible.
Just about every hotel room seems to come with an iron and ironing board. Do not be fooled—these are not provided for making thrice-worn clothing look fresh (nothing says “professional” like ironed-in sweat stains). Irons are there as a cooking device for rooms that do not have microwave ovens. And ironing boards are there because they can make handy makeshift luggage stands and laptop tables.
Art by Nora DeBolt
September 30, 2011 21:17 – 21:17Normally, I’m pretty oblivious to hotel room art. In our room last night, however, were a couple of beautiful prints. The paintings were done by a little-known late 19th and early 20th century American impressionist, named Nora DeBolt. I took pictures of the prints, and cropped out bits of wall and frames.
No climbing on cow.
September 29, 2011 07:21 – 07:21Before lunch yesterday, I took a short 10k walk through the neighborhood. Almost immediately, I happened upon a fox—two doors down from our cottage. It didn’t seem rabid, but it didn’t seem skittish, either. Apparently, people feed the foxes, and they’ve become less fearful of humans. Not good, since that’s my usual way to tell if a fox is rabid. In any case, I had my cell phone and took a picture, but it’s not large enough to make out the fox.
When I got back, we headed off for lunch. We decided to have a “local” lunch, and ate at By the Bay, a little restaurant just up the street. Karen had the “Philly steak” sandwich, and I had the chicken Caesar salad. Both were up to the task of lunch. Although, there was nothing Philly-ish about the sandwich. Mind you, it was very good, but nothing like what you get in Philly.
After lunch, we headed down to the Cows ice cream factory for a tour. To our dismay, the tour was fully booked by, of all things, tour busses. So much for coming here in the off-season. So, we drowned our sorrows with a little ice cream. Outside, there are some interesting lawn decorations.
No climbing on WHAT cow? Oh. That cow. It’s about 15 feet tall, and very unclimbable, in my estimation.
After lunch, we headed to Charlottetown to the Confederation Centre for the Arts. The gallery has a number of temporary works. And, by temporary, I might really mean temporary. Apparently, there was a honeybee exhibition… with live bees. Only, most of the bees are now gone, except for a few that seem to have expired. The art museum is free, the price being an entrance that’s hard to find, since the most visible entrance has a sign that says “use other entrance near the amphitheatre”, without any instructions about where to find that other entrance OR the amphitheathre. 180 degrees from the “use other…” sign was another door. This one had no sign at all—not even “ART MUSEUM”. Yet, it was indeed the door to the museum.
After leaving the museum, we decided to drive through some additional areas of PEI National Park. Here’s some of what we saw.
After leaving the park, we headed back to the cottage to change into longwear for dinner, since the temperature was now down to about 50.
For dinner, we ate at Sirenella’s, in Charlottetown. I was skeptical about Italian food here, but my skepticism quickly dissolved. Karen had scallops in a white sauce with a wide fettuccini. I had lobster in a red sauce with the same homemade pasta. Both dishes were delicious!
After dinner, we came back to the cottage, and began plotting our trajectory back to the U.S. Our first night will be in Bangor. There’s an open mic on Thursdays at the Union Street Brick Church. If we get there and settled in time, we might go to that. More, later. Time to shower & pack the car.
Cheese, llamas, and windmills—oh, my!
September 28, 2011 07:23 – 07:23Yesterday, we decided to pay a visit to the Cheese Lady, in Winsloe. She makes nothing but Gouda, and she makes it as well as the Dutch. The Cheese Lady had llamas on our previous visit a few years ago. The llamas were there to chase away coyotes that prey on sheep. This year, the llamas had been relocated for the season.
The llamas aren’t at the Cheese Lady’s farm now—but we found them on Monday.
The Cheese Lady also has a cute little windmill.
After leaving Winsloe, we decided to hit Peter Pan for lunch. It’s a tiny drive-in that has fast alternatives that include fish & chips, burgers, lobster burgers, and fried scallops and clams. We split orders of fish & chips and scallops & chips. Everything was fresh and excellent—with just-caught potatoes!
After lunch, we pointed the Jetta towards the Greenwich PEI National Park. It’s about 30K east of our cottage, but a much longer drive (about 60K).
It has a beautiful trail that leads to some dunes (we didn’t get that far—it was getting on towards sunset, and we didn’t want to be coyote food).
The trail has lost of magnificent views and wildflowers.
When we finished at the park, we decided to head back to the cottage. I was wearing shorts, and it was already down to 50, and I decided I needed long pants for the evening’s activities. Before going back to the cottage, however, we decided to drive around the point at North Rustico, since we hadn’t yet done that. There are some very nice views within two minutes of the cottage.
And… a few FOR SALE signs. Hmmm…
After getting changed, we headed back to Charlottetown for dinner. We’d decided to go to a Lebanese restaurant, called Shaddy’s. It’s recommended in Where to Eat in Canada. The food was good, but the spicing isn’t really something we liked a lot. We both had shawarma (thin-sliced beef cooked on a vertical broiler/spit), over rice, with a salad. But, it was an experience.
After dinner, we headed back to the cottage. On the way, we stopped at Tim Horton’s and picked up some muffins to have for breakfast. If you haven’t been to Canada, you might not know that Tim Horton’s is Canada’s premier place for donuts and coffee. It is as pervasive as Starbucks is in the U.S., although their coffee isn’t nearly as pretentious and expensive. Slowly but surely, Timmy (as he is known by many up here) is making his way into the U.S. I don’t know if he’ll ever edge Dunkin’ Donuts out, but he’s certainly making a dent, at least in the border states.
From Nova Scotia to Prince Edward Island
September 26, 2011 08:07 – 08:07On Saturday—on our way from Boutilier’s Point to Halifax, we decided to come up the lighthouse trail and to hit Peggy’s Cove once again. We’ve done it before, but it’s always majestic. On Saturday, it was drizzling majestically, so we decided not to brave the slippery-when-wet rocks. Others did, and some fell. Here’s a picture of some who didn’t fall.
And here’s the obligatory picture of the lighthouse:
We stopped for lunch at Phil’s, on Quinpool. Karen had the seafood combo platter, and I had the haddock fish & salad. It was all very yummy.
We spent Saturday night at the Quality Inn in Halifax, and then went to the service at the Universalist Unitarian Church of Halifax on Sunday morning. “Seven generations” old, this UU church does indeed swap the U’s. I counted at least 90 people in the historic house at the beginning of the service (including children and RE teachers). The congregation seems mostly over age 60, but I was glad to see at least 10 I would call young adults—with about 10 children.
Unlike our visit to the UU church in North Andover last Sunday, we were definitely made to feel welcome in Halifax. The service was largely about atonement, with a nice selection of hymns. One hymn, #193 “Our Faith is But a Single Gem”, I think was sung at double-time. I was astonished that the congregation kept up—they’re vocally agile. UUCH is in their third year of a search for a settled minister. The Rev. Frances Dearman is the current interim minister, and has been with them since March 2011. She mentioned and quoted Paula Cole Jones, who will be facilitating an ADORE (A Dialog on Racial Equity) session at MVUC tonight.
After church, we tried to find a chipper we’d passed a few times (for fish & chips), but ultimately gave up, and settled on a Subway in Bedford. Suitable subbed, we next set a course for Prince Edward Island.
We’ve rented a house named White Sails Cottage. We’ll be here through Thursday, whereupon we’ll begin our slow re-entry and descent back into the land of never-ending primaries. Here are a couple of pictures of the exterior.
We’re here:
At the end of the road is part of the PEI National Park. Here are some of the views from our driveway.
And here’s our living room:
Today, we’ll do a little shopping and a lot of exploring. We’ve been to PEI many times before, but there’s always sometime fun & new to do. This is by far the most complete cottage we’ve ever rented here. The only thing it’s missing is A/C (it was a very muggy 80 here yesterday, and we could have used it—we’re both wimps when it comes to hot weather). But, with forecast highs and lows in the 60s and 40s for the rest of our time here, it should do nicely. And, it’s nice and sunny.
Moncton, New Brunswick (because the Old one is too far to drive to)
September 21, 2011 09:41 – 09:41We’re in Moncton, NB. I didn’t take any pictures yesterday—it was drizzling on & off. This is just a stopover on our way to eastern Nova Scotia, where we’ll be for the next four days.
Quick restaurant review… on our way up from Augusta, Maine, we stopped at a little seafood shack in Bangor, called McLaughlin’s Seafood. It was good, but not as good as Hingham Lobster Pound. Their shrimp tasted more like homogeneous fried seafood than shrimp. Their clams, haddock, and scallops were good, but not stellar. Their fries were quite above average, though. Hmmm… McLaughlin’s Fries might be a better name.
For dinner last night, we didn’t get fancy. We opted for spicy chicken Caesar salads at Wendy’s, and then blizzards at DQ.
We’ve been at the Rodd Hotel in Moncton. We’re in the L part that was the original motel, years ago. We decided it’d be nice to be able to back right up to the room for a change. As it turns out, “outside entrance” is code for “good place for smokers in a non-smoking hotel.” Getting to and from the car last night meant coming through a smokescreen. Fortunately, the room itself isn’t smoky, though, and none leaked into this very allergic traveler’s room. The beds turned out to be quite comfy, and we slept like proverbial logs. Aside from the smoke, my only other complaint is the internet wireless signal. It comes & goes, and loses connection at least several times an hour.
Our next overnight destination is a cottage in Boutilier Point. It’s supposed to have internets. My fingers are crossed. Time to pack up and hit the road.
From North Andover to Augusta
September 19, 2011 08:54 – 08:54We’re in August, Maine, at the Fairfield Inn & Suites. We have a regular room, rather than a suite. It’s comfortable, albeit not spacious. We’ve decided to spend another night here, and head over into Canada sometime tomorrow.
We began yesterday by attending the First Religious Society (UU) of Newburyport, Massachusetts. Every other UU church we’ve visited has been welcoming, friendly, and curious about visitors. There was none of that at FRS. We stopped at the greeting table, where we were greeted. But, after saying we were visiting from MVUC in Virginia, there seemed to be no curiosity or interest. I thought, okay… we don’t have questions about UUism, so there’s no need to press. But, inside the sanctuary, while people were happily engaged in conversation with each other, nobody turned and introduced themselves. After a very nice service, we went to the Parish Hall for coffee, and picked up a couple of silver-colored mugs to signify we were visitors. Neither the mugs nor the visitor name tags attracted so much as a “Hello”. I did receive one query… it was “Do you know where we put these?” from a woman looking to see where to put her empty coffee cup.
Listen up FRS. Yes, you have a decent size congregation. But, if you want visitors to feel welcome, you’ve got work to do.
After church, we headed up the road to Biddeford, where we had lunch at Pizza by Alex—my favorite place for pizza anywhere. It lived up to our fond memories. If you want beer with your pizza, then you’ll need to go elsewhere. Either that, or do carryout. We were content with soft drinks, especially given that we had more driving to do.
After lunch, we headed back down the coast to the Ogunquit Museum of American Art. We’ve been there before, but they have interesting outdoor sculptures, as well as changing exhibits inside. No photography inside, but I did stroll around the grounds until I felt at home.
After the OMAA, we set a course for the Swinging Bridge, in Brunswick, Maine. It was built so that workers could move afoot between Brunswick and Topsham, across the Androscoggin River. The bridge was recently refurbished. It took a fair bit of searching, but we finally found it.
There were beautiful views from the bridge, particularly nice as sunset was approaching.
I’ll have to see if I can find out what kind of birds there were. They would sit for a moment on the branches of trees on the short, then swoop and dive, possibly for flying insects. My guess would be some kind of swallow, since the behavior is similar.
After the bridge, it was well after 6 pm, so we decided to head up the road for Red’s Eats, in Wiscasset, and then to the hotel. The line at Red’s wasn’t awfully long—for once. After a 5 minute wait in line and a 15 minute wait after ordering, we found ourselves chowing down on the best and largest lobster rolls anywhere—served with hot drawn butter. Mayo is also a choice, but please! Mayo? I guess it takes all kinds.
After dinner, we headed up to Augusta, to the Fairfield Inn & Suites. Where we are now. And as 10 am approaches, I guess it’s time for us to get ready to head out to see what we can see. On the agenda are an apple orchard and other stuff. I’m sure this has plenty of typos, but I don’t feel like proofing right now. I’ll fix any errors later.
Caution: Graphic Content!
August 6, 2011 09:46 – 09:46There are a bunch of reports and articles out yesterday and today about unemployment and jobs. I was curious to see exactly what’s been happening with unemployment and discouraged workers during Obama’s Presidency so far. So, I downloaded the seasonally-adjusted data from BLS (based on CPS monthly surveys).
Obama inherited a recession. The stimulus package began to kick in in November of 2009. More significant improvements came after the November, 2010 elections, but then things began to deteriorate after March, 2011.
June and July 2011 are interesting because we can’t tell whether another recession has begun or if things are beginning to turn around. Unemployment took an unexpected dip, but there was an increase in discouraged workers. Discouraged workers, simply put, are people who have dropped out of the labor force (and are no longer looking for work), but who are nonetheless available for work. August will tell us more.
Unfortunately, it seems that the Tea Party has been trying very hard to boot us into a recession (or depression) by ensuring that the Federal government’s hands are tied with respect to making the kinds of long-term investments needed to spur the economy. In August, perhaps, we’ll begin to see the fruits of their labors, particularly if S&P’s downgrading of the U.S.’s long term credit rating causes investors to look beyond our borders, sending long-awaited jobs overseas.