Adventures With B and B

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2012-01-28T11:42:00.000-06:00

Paul and I celebrated our 32nd Anniversary last Thursday. Many years, we would say "Happy Anniversary" to each other as we headed out the door to work and that would be it for another year! You know how it is, one's job consumes the day. Now, we've decided to have an "Exploration Day" as our retirement tradition.

Early Thursday morning we set out for Tarpon Springs.

Tarpon Springs, incorporated mainly by Greek immigrants, was once famous for its sponge diving industry. Now, the sponge dock area is mostly gift shops, museums and restaurants.

Fishing boats are now much more predominate than sponge boats, but there are still a few along the water as tourist attractions. We had fun poking around.

We asked a local for a restaurant recommendation and we were glad we did!

He sent us to Rusty Bellies, which is located right on the water. In fact, the restaurant even has its own boats! We sat at our table and watched them unload the shrimp. It doesn't get any fresher than that!!!

We definitely enjoyed our anniversary lunch! Crab cakes and fritters, calamari and shrimp. I never tasted the onion straws on our plate. Why???

After lunch, we headed to Ybor City. This Tampa neighborhood has been designated as a National Historic Landmark District. It was founded by cigar manufacturers in the 1880's.

Paul and I visit Ybor City during the day, while 99.99% of their clientele visit at night, judging on how many of the buildings are now occupied by nightclubs and tattoo parlors! There even is a store where you can buy a personally tailored pirate suit! Dandy!!!

We go there for the food and the cigar shops even though we were obviously too full to eat there this trip. Paul likes to pick up a bundle or two of hand rolled stogies for his evening smoke out under Betsy's awning.

It was a great day! It's been a great 32 years!! Love you, Paul. Let's go to the beach!!!

Time just slips away!

2012-01-23T15:24:00.000-06:00

We have been enjoying life in Florida, Paul, Bauxite Betsy and I.

We added a screen house to our set up, so we have a defined outdoor dining area. We are finding our new cabin on wheels to be a very comfortable place to live. Of course, the country club set doesn't comprehend our happiness, but oh, well.

The routine seems to be pretty well established. In the morning, we are around the camper. I do my computer work. The rest of the day is usually centered around Caspersen Beach. The beautiful weather makes us, we can't help it.

I can usually be found under "my" personal palm tree,

while Paul is off down the beach, looking for whatever washes up on the shore.

When the sun gets to us, we head back and pick up something at the local market that looks good. Last week we were in a salsa state of mind. Good deals on tomatoes and peppers were too good to pass up!

Tonight will be the fourth straight evening we'll have seafood for dinner.

That is all. Simple. Sweet.

But, I miss my kids. Can't have everything, I guess!!!!

Happy Birthday, Jim!

2012-01-05T09:20:00.000-06:00

This one is for our family.

As you know, yesterday was Jim's birthday. The Florida family, minus Kent who is in Los Angeles this week, met at a local Mexican restaurant. Someone at the table alerted the strolling Mariachi band it was his big day.

Dance to the music, take a swing at the piñata and wear the sombrero. It's your birthday!!!

This guy would NEVER have smiled through this attention in his younger days. He even refused a graduation party!

Happy Birthday, Jim. We love you. I'm glad we were able to be here to celebrate with you.

2012 New Beginnings

2012-01-03T11:12:00.000-06:00

Hello again!

I've been absent from this spot for awhile.

We were busy. You know, the holidays, family events and traveling across the country.

And now, we are in Florida. We arrived in Venice on New Year's Day. We're getting "moved in" to our little spot at Camp Venice Retreat.

We're tired. Last night, Paul read and I worked on my knitting while we listened to music.

It was great.

We plan to start our container "garden" soon. So far, all I've started are the two mushroom gardens Suzanne gave me for my birthday. They grow in recycled coffee grounds.

I'll bet people are SO looking forward to visiting us. We are such an exciting couple!!!!

It's not much, but we're back, sharing our action packed lives!

I'll talk to you soon. Hopefully, the mushrooms will grow so I have something to report.

Julia Child Night 2011

2011-11-07T17:29:00.001-06:00

Our 3rd Annual Julia Child Night 2011 has come and gone. I think Lisa and I have created a fun tradition. Lisa captured the evening and posted it on her blog earlier today. You can read it by clicking here.

Our menu this year was inspired from a Julia cookbook I've had in my library for 25 years. Appropriately, she titled her menu

CASSOULET FOR A CROWD

A Menu Inspired By Julia Child

Assorted Cheese and Olives

Olive Tapenade and Crackers

French 75

Consommé Parisienne

Bread Sticks

Honey-Roasted Pear Salad with Thyme Verjus Dressing

Cassoulet

Pickled Red Cabbage Slaw

Dinner Rolls

Apple Crisp

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Coffee

The living room became a dining room for the evening. It was a "bring your own chair" event.

We had lots of good help. Nick and Ellen enjoyed a quiet moment before the crowd arrived. Ellen is already wearing the required apron...it's a tradition!!!

Another tradition is enjoyed by our youngest generation. They know right where we store some of Suzanne and Nick's old toys. Remind me next year to hide that "construct your own musical instrument" toy before the event. Seriously, these grand nephews are the best kids ever!

While the kids played in the laundry room, the adults mixed it up before dinner in the family room. It was standing room only!

Lisa and I are ready to start our meal. Is everyone seated?

The apron Lisa gave me is the most feminine clothing item I own!

Enough with the explaining, Barb and Lisa, let's eat!!!

The beef consommé was worth all of the effort and time to prepare. Thanks, Julia, for your wonderful directions!

I really did make "cassoulet for a crowd." We served twenty-one, but I made enough for thirty. I am Val's daughter, you know!

Matthew enjoyed the homemade ice cream his mom, Julie, brought. And, the apple and pear crisp his Aunt Lisa and Grandma Marlys made. It baked in our oven while we ate the main course. Yum!!!

Can you tell we had a fun evening?

We already have ideas for next year. We're thinking everyone should consider French stripes and berets!

I'll talk to you again sooner or later!

Barn Burner BBQ

2011-10-20T16:42:00.000-05:00

Paul and I traveled last weekend with our cabin on wheels to Libertyville, Illinois,

to work with our nephew Chad as he competed in

a KCBS sanctioned contest. Chad arrived at Lamb's Farm on Friday morning to set up and get organized and we got there in the early afternoon. We were challenged with a brisk, cold and blustery wind all weekend. We had to batten down the hatches so things didn't blow across Lake Michigan!!!! Paul and I returned to the warmth of our camper Friday night while poor Chad stayed at the contest site and braved the cold to tend the smokers.

When we returned on Saturday morning, there was a smoky haze over the contest cooking area.

The place was hopping. There were 57 teams from across the United States in the competition.

My favorite part of the event was spending time bonding with my nephew.

He is a master chef, let me tell you. He cooked six racks of ribs, two briskets and two pork shoulders for the contest.

He also did chicken thighs

and chicken breasts.

Once the turn in times started, we were all busy preparing the boxes. First turn in was chicken. Wow, believe me, it was so good!!!!

He placed tenth in chicken, which is fantastic in a contest with that many teams!!!

Next turn in was ribs. He used Berkshire for the first time and they were fantastic. I thought they were perfect. I am NOT being biased, either. We are certified judges, you know!!!!

Next turn in was pork shoulder. Again, extremely good, I must say. So moist.

And last was brisket. Chad understands how to smoke a brisket. His tasted fantastic on Saturday.

I can only imagine your mouth is watering as you look at these pictures. Everything tasted as good as it looks. There was lots left for us to sample!

Yum!

And, just to make it an even greater weekend, I was able to hold our new great-niece, Anna Grace.

She was born to Chad and Emily a little over a month ago! She melted my heart. She is Marlys and Paul's first granddaughter. Quite a beautiful addition to their five grandsons!

Thanks to Chad for letting us join in the competition. Next year, nephew Kevin will hopefully be able to join us again. Team DGQ, what a fine tradition!!!! Have I said today I'm glad we're retired?

We did some meandering on our way home from Chicago with Bauxite Betsy and just arrived home yesterday. I'll add an update soon.

Bear Head Lake State Park and Ely-September 13-20, 2011

2011-10-10T11:52:00.000-05:00

We moved from Temperance River to Bear Head Lake State Park for another week of fall camping. We had a choice campsite right by the lake. Making reservations far in advance is a good thing!

After the warm temperatures we experienced during our stay on the North Shore, we noticed a bit of a change. That's alright, though. It is supposed to be fall.

We tested our furnace and it works well. We even spent a cozy day inside, playing Scrabble, watching movies and reading while it rained. No problems, except my Scrabble scores.

In fact, we even experienced our first snow of the season while we were at the International Wolf Center in Ely. Shortly after Paul took this picture, huge snowflakes started to fall.

Isn't he handsome?

The nice thing about spending a full week in one location is that a day or two of cold, rainy weather doesn't spoil the whole experience. We still had plenty of great weather to get out and do some hiking and canoeing.

We drove northeast of Ely on Fernberg Road and hiked the Blackstone/Secret/Ennis Lakes loop trail.

What an incredible hike.

It makes one wonder how many lakes like this there are to hike around in this great state.

We saw several beaver swimming in these lakes.

And very few people.

I'd love to go back. It was a "grand" day!

We toured the Dorothy Molter Museum, located on the outskirts of Ely. She was known as "The Root Beer Lady." Notice the root beer extract under her signature sign.

She lived by herself on an island in the Boundary Waters for years and made root beer to sell to the canoeists who passed by her place. After she died, they moved her main cabin and belongings to the present museum site.

Another day, we drove up the Echo Trail and hiked the Bass Lake/Dry Lake loop. The BWCA fire continued to be a presence in our days. However, we were on the other side of the smoke now, as opposed to our hazy days on the North Shore. We obviously avoided this spur of the hike.

If you are ever in this area, we recommend this hike. This lake has an interesting history. I'm not going to tell you what its story is, but encourage you to make the trip! No spoiler alerts here!

Of course, we had to spend time out on Bear Head Lake. We were camped right by it!

It's a good thing we weren't depending on a meal of fish to fill out our menu plans.

But, it didn't stop us from enjoying the better part of two days out in our canoe.

I told Paul that out of the 52 weeks in a year, I hope to be able to continue to spend at least two of them camping in northern Minnesota.

It is where we have shared some of our happiest memories.

And, I'm telling you, this Air Stream deal is the best! Next? We take the tin pickle north of Chicago for a BBQ weekend.

I'll talk to you soon.

The North Shore 2011

2011-10-03T14:23:00.002-05:00

Northern Minnesota is one of our favorite places to visit. For the past four years, we have spent the week after Labor Day at Temperance River State Park. I made a slide show out of the pictures Paul chose. If you want to get a look at our week, here it is.

Oh, please excuse my

pictures. I wear my binoculars all day when we are camping and I realize they don't make the most attractive jewelry. Here's where I'm at on the fashion issue:

Have I said today I'm glad we're retired?

The music is "Minnesota" by Austin Kyle. If you click on the youtube icon, you'll be able to view it in full screen. Enjoy!

Now, on to Bear Head Lake!

I'll talk to you soon.

Celebration Time!!

2011-10-01T10:40:00.000-05:00

Wednesday was Nick's birthday. How could he be 25 already??? We headed into the city that evening to celebrate.

We had a great evening. We had appetizers at their apartment. Then, Nick, Ellen, Suzanne, Paul and I had dinner at Rinata, an Italian restaurant within walking distance. Delicious!!! A little poppy seed cake finished the evening. Nice!

Nick is a good and kind person. We are very proud of him and love him dearly. He likes his job. He has a wonderful partner. He and Suzanne have a close relationship. We are blessed.

Now, I am on to sorting our pictures from our northern Minnesota camping trip.
I'll talk to you soon.

There are no certainties in life

2011-09-28T09:58:00.000-05:00

Paul and I spent two wonderful weeks in northern Minnesota. We've been home since last Tuesday and have some great pictures to share. I had hoped to do a number of posts by now to help us document and remember our trip.

But, the night we got home we received terrible news. One of our daughter's best friends, Jen, lost her battle with depression that evening. Her funeral was yesterday. Jenny has been a part of our lives since Suzanne's sixth grade year. Looking at the pictures at her visitation and funeral brought back all of the memories of the girls enjoying sleepovers, middle school days, camping trips, high school dances, graduations, and other life stage celebrations. For Jenny, it ended too soon. My heart hurts so for her parents and brother. And, for her friends.

Grieving is a part of life. It's unavoidable. Our children were very young when they learned that for the first time. The rawness of grief is so painful and observing a loved one in the depths of it is terrible.

I sought advice from our niece, Melissa, last week. She is such an intelligent, caring person. She has helped Suzanne more than she will every know. I am so thankful.

I told Missy I had hesitated to share the news with my family because I wanted to spare them painful memories. Our family misses Chris every day. She told me that for her, that is the worst thing, to not discuss it. She's right. I continue to learn.

We have our family as an anchor and we can count our blessings for that.

Today is Nick's birthday. Twenty five years ago today our son entered our world. He is a great son and brother.

I am going to bake his birthday cake right now. It will be poppyseed. Same every year. And, tonight we will all be together and we will celebrate.

Hug your loved ones. I will talk to you soon.

Hurray!!!

2011-09-05T20:15:00.000-05:00

Paul and I leave tomorrow morning for our 4th annual trip to the North Shore.

Some of us need to work at relaxation....

For us, nothing speaks to our soul more than a week on the shores of Lake Superior at Temperance River State Park.

And, after that, another week at Bear Head Lake State Park, near Ely.

I'm pretty sure we'll being enjoying our days immensely. It's a good world.

I'll talk to you when we get back!!

BBQ and Beer Lights

2011-08-31T16:00:00.000-05:00

We finally got out of town last weekend with the cabin on wheels. It's a shame it sat waiting for us in our driveway since May. Never again!!

BBQ judging called us to Albert Lea, Minnesota. We stayed two nights at Crystal Springs RV resort by Ellendale. It's a brand new park and we had a nice spot right by a small pond where great blue herons came to roost at night. We watched dozens of them fly in at sunset. Our wooden egret, George, named after the artist who created him, joined us. You can always find him in our camp sites.

We visited Steve's Meat Market in Ellendale our first day and enjoyed a great meal that evening of locally made andouille sausage with fresh herbs and veggies from the farmers' market.

Saturday found us at the competition. We walked around before our day started to observe the teams in action. We can't talk to them before the event because we are judges. It's always interesting to see the different setups.

No two are the same.

Some have invested great amounts of money in their rigs.

We were each given a ticket for a glass of beer to enjoy after the competition was done! Boy, did that taste good after all that BBQ! Too bad the band struggled matching up their chord progressions. Yikes!

We moved a few miles up the road to Riverview Campground near Owatonna for the next two nights.

The purpose of our stay there was to visit our friends, Stan and Carol. Paul and I used to teach with Stan. They retired outside of town on acreage where Carol grew up and built a new home there. They are master gardeners.

They take land stewardship very seriously and are working with a land conservancy program to revert most of their forty acres back to native species. Their plan is to make their property available for future study programs.

They also have a mind boggling beer light collection in their basement. This picture shows just a small percentage of what is displayed. I think there may even be a electrical brown out in the southern half of the state when they flip that special switch to turn everything on!!!

We had so much fun visiting with them.

Next week is our annual trip to the North Shore.

We are extremely comfortable in our "Al-u-MIN-i-um Con-do-MIN-i-um." I can hardly wait!

Good times with good friends.

2011-08-25T15:12:00.000-05:00

We got home yesterday from Lake Nancy near Minong, Wisconsin. Our friends, Mike and Nancy, own lake property there.

The mosquitoes were out in full force.

They were hungry critters!!!! We didn't let them get in our way of having fun, though.

We share so many great memories with Mike and Nancy.

I hope we can go back there again next summer. I lost at dominoes and demand a rematch.

Today we are working to load up the camper as we head out tomorrow morning for four days. It's been too long since the cabin on wheels has left the ranch so we can hardly wait!!!!

I'll talk to you soon.

Pasta with Trapanese Pesto

2011-08-21T11:15:00.000-05:00

Try this.

Pasta with Trapanese Pesto

We loved it. The recipe includes directions for homemade pasta. Our version, pictured above, uses this organic gluten free pasta and it was delicious.

We've been busy. Our calendar has been full for too long. Tomorrow we are escaping to the lake for a few days with our good friends, Nancy and Mike.

Pontoon rides and campfires. Yes.

Vegan Sunday!

2011-08-15T12:42:00.001-05:00

When our children were young, we often did our weekly grocery shopping as a family on our way home from church on Sunday. Paul made a game with the kids of selecting a different and unique (to us) fresh fruit to try each week. Ever wonder who buys those ugli fruits? This family did. Star fruit, persimmons, you name it, they tried it. I think this approach led both of them to enter their adult lives with an open mind toward new foods.

Even though we shop alone now, we still have the same philosophy. Last Thursday at our local farmers' market, Paul was attracted to these:

Thai eggplants. Neither one of us had tried them before. In fact, Paul is not a huge eggplant fan. But, he saw them and said, "Huh! Look at these. I wonder what they taste like?" So, there you are. I'm game to try!

We did some searching and both thought this recipe: Thai Eggplants and Chickpeas in Peanut Masala from the FatFree Vegan Kitchen sounded good. The internet is a wonderful thing. We judged BBQ on Saturday, so Sunday was a perfect day for us to go meatless and try something completely different from ribs and pulled pork!!!

This is our idea of fun. Assemble and prep the ingredients:

I love summer.

We cook together while we crank some tunes in the kitchen.

And, then, we sit down to enjoy what we've created.

This dish is dinner party material. Excellent. I can't wait for this week's farmers' market! I'll talk to you soon.

Gluten-free Labeling: Register your comment with the FDA

2011-08-08T10:49:00.001-05:00

I have posted this because it is important. Please read.

Gluten-free Labeling: Register your comment with the FDA: "
Last week, The Food and Drug Administration re-opened comments on its proposed gluten-free labeling rules. We have 60 days in which to submit comments to these proposed regulations. The comment period ends October 2, 2011.

Whenever a government agency prepares a set of guidelines, they open them up to the public to comment. It’s important to have a significant volume of comments to help shape guidelines and policies, but those comments must also be of decent quality. Every comment is read, logged, and recorded. This is an important (and often-overlooked) tool the public can use to help influence public policy.

Nancy at Gluten Freeville wrote a post which outlines the substantive points of the FDA’s proposed guidlines. You can read that here.

To submit your comments on the FDA’s proposed guidelines on gluten-free labeling, go to www.regulations.gov and:

1. Choose “Submit a Comment” from the task bar.

2. Enter the docket number FDA-2005-N-0404-0135 in the “Keyword” space (you don’t need to worry about the “Document Type” drop-down menu).

3. Select “Search.”

4. Scroll down to the results window and click on the “Submit a Comment” blue text to register your comment. Keep your comments professional and smart; they won’t be taken seriously if they’re overly emotional, ranting, derogatory, or filled with wild accusations, typos, and general cray-cray wackadoo-ness (which I know you won’t do, but I needed to put it out there).

Sample text you can cut and paste, then customize to your liking:

I have celiac disease/gluten intolerance, and I am requesting that the FDA institute clear, stringent guidelines on the labeling of gluten-free products. I know there is a recommendation of a level of <20 parts per million being gluten-free, but that is not gluten-free. People with celiac and gluten intolerance can get very, very sick from gluten-free foods that are produced on the same lines as regular food. If a food product carries the label “gluten-free,” but also has a disclaimer that it was processed in the same facility that also processes wheat or other gluten ingredients, then IT IS NOT GLUTEN-FREE, even if it did test at <20 ppm. If I consume that product, here is what will happen to me over the next 3-5 days:

1) I will suffer uncontrollable explosive diarrhea; 2) I will experience numbness and tingling in my extremities; 3) I will experience excruciating joint pain; 4) I will not be able to work or care for myself or my family; 5) I will suffer from migraine headaches; 6) I will experience a serotonin fluctuation that results in severe depression; and 7) the risk of my developing lymphoma increases five-fold.

Please establish gluten-free labeling rules that are clear, straightforward, and truthful about what the product actually is and how it is manufactured/processed. Again, cross-contamination is an enormous risk, and food that is produced in facilities that are not dedicated gluten-free facilities are not gluten-free foods. If a gluten-free food is processed on the same lines as wheat or other gluten-containing ingredients, companies should be required to disclose that on their packaging.

Lastly, please add gluten to the top allergens list.

Thank you for your consideration.

* * * * *

After you’ve registered your comment with the FDA, it would be great if you could take a minute to email a short thank-you to Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) for urging the FDA to re-open the comments on these regulations and actually set some rules around gluten-free labeling, as they were instructed to do by Congress way back in 2007. Doesn’t matter if you’re not from Vermont or Oregon — Senators Leahy and Wyden deserve our thanks for pushing the FDA to establish guidelines. Here’s some text you can cut and paste into a thank-you email, and customize to your specific needs:

Dear Senator Leahy/Wyden:

Thank you for urging the FDA to establish rules around gluten-free labeling. I have celiac disease/gluten intolerance, and this is a very important issue for me and my family. Too often, those of us who can’t eat gluten get very, very sick because of the lack of labeling laws that allow trace amounts of gluten into the foods we eat. So, thank you for making the FDA do the work they have promised to do for years.

Sincerely,

Your Name Here

Senator Leahy’s email contact form is here: http://leahy.senate.gov/contact/

Senator Wyden’s email contact form is here: http://wyden.senate.gov/contact/

* * * * *

Lastly, please Digg and StumbleUpon this post, forward it to your friends and family, “Like” it on Facebook, Tweet the link — do whatever you can to encourage your friends, family, colleagues, and others to help support strong labeling practices. There are handy little buttons at the bottom of this (and every post, actually) to help spread the word.

This is one where we need all hands on deck. Thanks for taking a few minutes to tell the FDA how you feel. It’s really important, and I hope you will encourage others to register their comments, as well.

* * * * *

A little background reading on the issue:

The Washington Post: FDA says “gluten-free” is not for fad dieters

ABC News: “Gluten-free” — FDA may be closer to definition (except, ugh, they call it “Celiac’s disease” in the intro)

Boston Globe: When foods labeled “gluten-free” aren’t

Oh, these kids!

2011-08-04T14:12:00.000-05:00

We have had some great family time in the past week.

We were so happy to have our niece, Missy, and nephew-in-law, Zuel, and their daughter, Ede, as house guests last weekend. They had a family wedding in St. Paul, so while her parents attended the reception, Ede stayed with us at the ranch. She is probably the happiest baby I've ever met. Seriously.

It's so apparent her parents are doing a wonderful job.

I'll admit I was a little jealous of Paul. I had to go to the closing night of "Joseph" on Saturday night, so he took Ede for an after dinner walk and put her to bed. They got along famously.

Please come back again soon, Missy and Zuel. We had a great time visiting with you. Thanks for letting us get to know your daughter!

Our nephew, Joey, is home this week on leave. It has become a tradition when he is in town to go out for burgers at the Nook or the Shamrock (same menu) in St. Paul. Don't even bother giving me a menu, I know exactly what I'll order every time. The Paul Molitor, please.

Nick and Joe grew up together. It fills my heart to see them together, even if it is for a short time.

Speaking of parents who are doing a wonderful job, Elizabeth and Mike were there, too. Here's Elizabeth with Haley, who turned two in July. She talks up a storm and has a delightful personality. She was quite amused by her Uncle Joey and Nick.

And, we all took turns holding Elizabeth's baby, Jake, who was born in May. Isn't he too cute?

So is Ellen!

Happy times. Life is good.

Tomorrow, Paul and I are heading north for the weekend. No Airstream this trip. We'll be sleeping in a tent!!!!! I'll talk to you soon.

Occupied

2011-07-15T12:30:00.000-05:00

I've been at rehearsals every week night and several weekends the past month for the Eagan Community Theatre's production of

The show opens tonight and continues with evening (7:30 PM) performances July 15-16, 20-23, 27-30 plus 4 matinees (2 PM) July 17, 23, 24 and 30. The box office (651-683-6964) is open Monday-Friday-1:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

I have been the vocal director/rehearsal pianist for the production. I'm proud of these people. I am also very happy be done with rehearsals!!! It's time to think of other things.

Yesterday was Paul's last day of summer school. This morning, we made reservations for August at several campgrounds. Yes!

Inspired, Encouraged, Challenged and Proud

2011-07-10T15:33:00.001-05:00

Paul, Suzanne and I were at Lake Nokomis for the Life Time Minneapolis Triathlon by 5:45 a.m. yesterday. Paul and Suzanne participated in the event.

I was their cheerleader.

Our friend and fellow dinner group member, Joe, competed in the event last year. When he told us his intentions to give it a go again this summer, Paul was inspired to start training for it himself. Here we are with Joe and Char before the event started yesterday.

When Paul shared with Suzanne his plans to enter the triathlon, she said, "I'll do it with you, Dad." So, they both registered for the Sprint Race. Her encouragement helped him immensely. He researched training schedules, met with a trainer a few times to get advice and pointers, and day by day faced the challenge to get into condition.

The Sprint Triathlon started with a .4 mile swim in Lake Nokomis, a 15 mile bike ride around the parkway and a 3 mile foot race around the lake.

Watching all of those people swimming around that lake yesterday morning was quite the sight.

Paul and Suzanne entered the Friends and Family section so they could experience as much of the event as possible together. Their segment wore yellow swim caps. Here's Suzanne in line waiting to enter the lake. She's the one with the turquoise waistband. Paul was already in the water at this point.

And here she leaves the lake.

I waved and cheered for Paul as he went past me, but the picture didn't turn out.

Nick and Ellen joined me along the parkway and we watched them go past us on their bikes.

As you can see, Paul went by us in a blur! The weather cooperated, with a light breeze and a good cloud cover.

Josh joined us at the finish line. So did our friends, Pam and Dave. We all cheered them as they went by.

I am so proud you, Paul and Suzanne.

What a great bonding experience for father and daughter.

We are truly blessed.

If Mom Ain't Happy...

2011-07-07T13:52:00.001-05:00

When I call Paul after rehearsal each evening to tell him I am on my way home, I always ask him, "Anything new?" He always says, "No, nothing." It's just that routine people fall into, I guess. Except last Thursday when I asked, he said, "There is a bit of a problem with the water. It's real rusty." When I got home I discovered his statement was no exaggeration. Our water looked like Lipton Tea. Gritty tea.

Great. Just great. Paul, of course, had done considerable research as to why this sudden change and started running the water outside onto the lawn. If there was a solution, he said, that would be the answer.

My course of action?

We had a service guy out the next afternoon. He could talk the leg off a mule.

Let's just say he got off subject quite often. Whenever we could steer him back to the subject, he assured us our water was safe to drink but there obviously is rust down there in the aquifer and the orange tea colored water would be back. Paul was having success with his method of running water onto the lawn. I fixated on the fact it would return and said, "What filter system works best for our house?"

Mr. Talkative happened to have the perfect solution to the problem. We just had to listen to him tell about the conversations he and his wife had on their first AND second dates before we talked about the filter system.

We agreed to have a filtration system installed. Me, because I wanted the water problem to go away, and Paul, because he wanted this guy out of our house.

The water was clear by that evening. The install was set for Wednesday morning. Tuesday night, just as we were going to sleep, Paul softly whispered into my ear,

"You know, we can call and cancel that appointment tomorrow morning. We can just take our chances on the well."

My reaction?

Mark Dayton has had more success with the Republicans than Paul had in negotiations with me on the subject.

Being the intelligent man that he is, he knew when to say,

Yesterday the system was installed. I'll admit our basement furnace room looks a bit like a chemistry lab.

And, I just kissed my summer paycheck goodbye.

But, I slept well last night. So did Paul. Because it's not over. He always will get in the

He's already told me how many flat screen TV's we could have bought with that money as we walked through Sam's Club yesterday. I'm sure I'll be reminded often. For many years. With clean water.

Inside the New Cabin-On-Wheels

2011-07-05T09:54:00.001-05:00

The camper is back in our yard after being back at the dealer for two weeks for some warranty work.

It's rather sad that she just sits out there, waiting for us to take her someplace. Unfortunately, our schedules dictate we stay home. Oh, well, the state parks are all closed due to our stupid state government. Politicians.

Stop. No more on that subject.

I have had requests for an inside picture tour. My personal photographer, Paul, obliged and took some interior shots of our aluminum asylum.

We love all of the windows. Both by the booth

and in the bedroom.

A separate bedroom is one of the main reasons we traded up. That, and facing our 60th birthdays.

Oops, that's also another subject.

There are different design options with Airstreams. We wanted the aluminum interior.

We have so much storage space which will come in handy when we are snowbirds each winter.

Paul calls our kitchen sink the baptismal font.

My brother, Al, and our friend, Randy, who are both ordained ministers, could find this useful.

The internet is a wonderful thing. Oops, off subject again.

This next shot is my favorite. For some reason, Paul loves to shoot pictures which include his feet. If you can look beyond them, you might notice that nice little television mounted on the wall. We have sold out as campers.

He also likes to take a "this is our route out of here" picture.

We are so anxious to get out of town.

Speaking of feet, I have new hiking boots and I am just as excited as a kid with a new pair of school shoes!

I can hardly wait for our trip to the North Shore in September. I'll be ready for those rocky trails!!!!

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T15:35:00.001-05:00

George is with us now until Suzanne's move is completed. Staying out here at the ranch is like summer camp for this urban cat. The turkeys have been keeping him occupied.

Paul and I have gotten so used to them, we don't pay much attention. But, they will come right up to the window and "cluck" at George. He's used to the little songbirds in the tree branches outside Suzanne's living room window. These guys are much more interesting!

We also had Sophie, the warm hearted labradoodle, as our houseguest this weekend. Although she was quite interested in George, he really was not a very gracious host to the pooch.

We haven't had a chance to get the cabin on wheels out of the yard. We've been busy with the show and summer school. We are a bit anxious to hit the road again.

It's been nice to have the weekend off for the holiday. Due to my rehearsal schedule, we don't eat many meals together in the evening. We've made up for it the past few nights. Friday, we grilled stuffed mushrooms (no recipe, just stuff from the refrigerator). They were mighty fine. Also, we made Guy Fieri's Grilled Romaine with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette. Excellent!!!

Saturday, we celebrated Tom's retirement with Jayne and him at Porter Creek in Burnsville. That was fun! Good food.

Yesterday, we brought out the smoker and cooked up some pork butt using nephew Kevin's recipe for dry rub and this site for direction and served pulled pork last night to Nick, Ellen, Suzanne, Josh and a group of their friends. We'll be doing this again!!! The pork had great "bark" and the meat was tender and moist.

How fun to have a houseful of "kids" again.

Now, it's back to just George and the turkeys. I'll talk to you soon.

Father's Day 2011

2011-06-21T11:16:00.001-05:00

We enjoyed a great day last Sunday. It was Father's Day, you know! Unfortunately, I failed to get a picture of Paul with our kids that day, so I have included a picture of him on one of his favorite days this past winter.

Nick came out to the ranch in the morning and he and Paul enjoyed a round of golf together. Then, Nick mowed the lawn for his dad. If you have ever seen our lawn, you will understand that is a truly nice gift of time. Nick is enjoying his new job and it is wonderful to see him happy. He deserves it!!!!

Suzanne and Ellen were able to join us in the evening and we shared a great meal together. Paul and I came up with an Asian "Surf and Turf" menu and it worked out quite well.

We made Halibut Coconut Curry with Charred Chiles and Lime. Click here for the recipe. It is well worth a try. I loved it. I've never made my own green curry sauce before.

Of course, Paul worked a steak into the menu plan. He found a Wolfgang Puck recipe in the paper for Szechuan Rib-Eye Steaks With Caramelized Shallot Sauce. You can find the recipe here. Again, I must say, this recipe is one to come back to again. With the steak, we served our new favorite side dish, grilled romaine. Both of these recipes would work perfectly for a dinner party.

We don't get to have our kids here for dinner often enough. Suzanne and Josh were here on Saturday night as well. Josh loved our bring home goodies from the barbecue competition that day!!!

It is fun for us to be able to look back to see how we celebrated our special times together.
I'll talk to you soon.

Ribs, Rats and Recovery

2011-06-16T15:59:00.000-05:00

Time slips away from me. We've been busy. Our new cabin on wheels is back at the dealer to have a few things added and corrected to our satisfaction. So, there are no camping trips to share here.

We judged another BBQ competition last Saturday. We donned our geeky outfits and badges

and headed to Canterbury Park for Blazin' Belmont Day.

Over 70 teams from throughout the United States set up a temporary little city to compete in the event.

Both of us were extremely impressed with the quality of the BBQ we judged. $25,000 in prize money was handed out at the awards ceremony.

Life throws curves at you sometimes. We found ourselves in a situation yesterday that I kept telling myself I couldn't believe I was experiencing. Unfortunately, it was all very real. Poor Suzanne. A rat entered her apartment building last Saturday evening. How do we know it moved in that night? Because, it entered through the toilet of her downstairs neighbor, who happens to be a good friend of mine. The poor dear. She witnessed the vermin's unwelcome entry into her bathroom. Yes, it is true. And yesterday morning, Suzanne called to inform us she could hear it in her kitchen. Talk about rude awakenings! She had called her landlord but had to leave for the hospital. Could we please come and be there to make sure some resolution to the problem was attempted? Paul had an appointment he could not reschedule. So, I found myself on

Yuck. I could hear the critter chewing away in the walls of her kitchen. I called health departments, animal control, exterminators and renter's rights offices. Mr. "I don't always fix things right the first time" Landlord took over four hours to arrive. He had indicated he would be there by the time we got there. GRRRR. While I waited and anxiously paced her apartment, I tripped over a computer cord and fell flat on the floor. Boom! And then I couldn't move. For like a minute. I honestly thought this:

Great, just great. With a rat that already has grossed me out beyond description gnawing away about 10 feet from where I am flat on my face. I willed myself to stand. All I could do was shuffle across the room.

And, then all I could think of was when our Great-Aunt Maggie (Margaret) came to visit when we were children. She struggled to get around and had to use a walker. I don't remember her otherwise. When she came to visit, her sisters (my grandmother and another great aunt) used to announce, "Move the rugs, Grit's coming!" So I am listening to this rat chewing in the walls, and the first thing I think of is how we used to giggle when they made that announcement. I loved Aunt Maggie. She was a funny, funny woman. She even made me laugh 45 years after her death, when I was in pain, afraid of a rat attack! I'm moving pretty slowly around the ranch today, but luckily only suffered bruises. Dr. Suzanne checked me over last night.

On a completely different subject, we have started rehearsals for the summer show.

The cast is fantastic and I look forward to each evening.

And, Paul and I were asked to judge another KCBS contest on Saturday. This time we will be in Sauk Rapids at

As of this moment, Mr. Rat is still "at large." Suzanne is handling it all quite well and is looking into arrangements to move her belongings to storage. We are so glad she had already signed a lease on a new apartment starting in August. It is nice to have her temporarily back in her old room here at the ranch!

I'll talk to you soon. Never a dull moment!!!!

Steakhouse Dinner Party Menu and Recipes

2011-06-01T13:58:00.000-05:00

Paul and I hosted our dinner group last weekend. We were too busy to take pictures that night, but I still wanted to document the menu and recipes. I remember things better when I put it on my blog!

When we plan one of these parties, we first decide on our main course. We landed on steak, probably because we were eating it as we discussed.

We sidetracked into a discussion about old steakhouse and roadhouse restaurants and what we remembered from their menus. From that discussion, our dinner party started to take shape.

My next step in the process is recipe research, which happens to be one of my favorite things IN THE WORLD. I have accumulated quite an extensive library of recipe books. They live in a bookcase in our living room. I pull up my rocking chair, open the doors and start taking a gander.

If I can't find exactly what I am looking for, I continue my search on the internet. I throw out ideas and we start to experiment. Our kids have learned this is a good time to cruise through the house, as the refrigerator has some interesting choices. I trust their palates and value their decisions. They appreciate the dinners and the leftovers.

After about three weeks of this process, our "old" steakhouse dinner with a "new" twist menu was set.

As these menus develop, Paul researches wine selections to serve with each course. We then start searching our local wine stores for possible choices. It's a tough job, but we carry on like the good soldiers we are. I make spreadsheets of grocery lists, develop timelines for food preparation, print the recipes and spreadsheets, and place everything in a three ring binder.

We are ready to start cooking!!!

Click on each menu item below to find the recipe.

We remembered the relish trays and bread baskets that we would be served at these old roadhouses. So, we started with a relish tray and basket of crostini served with white bean dip and curried mushroom pâté. And, how could one not include shrimp cocktail?

We also remembered the vegetable soups sometimes found on the menus. We decided to serve a broccoli, leek and spinach soup. We made half of the recipe, served six servings at our party and ate a bowl for lunch every day for the past four days. That original recipe makes enough to serve a 1962 Catholic family!

For your information, I base most of what I make in my kitchen on that frame of reference, so I always work at scaling down the amount of food I prepare.

We loved the salads from these old days. So we served iceberg lettuce wedges with bacon and purple onion. To top the salads, we made Zesty French Dressing, Thousand Island Dressing and Blue Cheese Dressing. I even made my own mayonnaisse. I forgot to add the recipe to my collection, but will do so later. We loved those popovers served in the old days, so of course we had to make those as well. However, I forgot to put them on the table during the salad course that night, so they were eaten as a "between courses" treat.

Our main course was Paul's favorite bone-in rib eye steak topped with chimichurri sauce. On the side of the steak (on what little plate was leftover) we served lemon potatoes and sautéed mushrooms and onions.

We finished with Lemon Pannacotta with Lemon Marmalade.

After dessert, as they always do, the guys went to the patio and enjoyed a cigar while the women dozed in the living room. It's become a tradition!

And, just like every old steakhouse, we sent home "doggy bags."

Email me if you'd like a copy of my "dinner party in a binder"!!

We have to go now and help people retire. Talk to you soon.

Minnesota In May

2011-05-22T12:01:00.000-05:00

Paul and I judged our first BBQ contest yesterday.

We arrived in Faribault early in the morning to check in at Minnesota in May,

an annual contest run by the Minnesota Barbeque Society

and sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society

for which we are newly certified judges.

It was an interesting day. We experienced a very professionally organized event. The judging is blind and conducted in an honest and carefully monitored fashion. No talking is allowed during the judging process. Entries are turned in at 30 minute intervals and each entry is judged on appearance, taste and tenderness.

The first entries we tasted were turkey breast, provided to contestants by Jennie-O. I am going to be experimenting with this in the smoker as soon as possible.

We then moved on to the four meats sanctioned by KCBS.

The first turn-in is always chicken.

Second is ribs.

Third is pork.

And fourth is brisket.

Here is a picture of me at work. I found it this morning on the contest website!

As first time judges, we were well mentored and I feel so much more confident about the task. Next time I have to drink more water during the event. Although we only take two bites of each sample, that was much more salt than I normally consume in one day! Our next judging event is in three weeks. At this contest, we work both Friday and Saturday.

We both came away from this contest knowing our nephews, with whom we have experienced contests from the cooks' perspective, are top competitors.

We have a busy week ahead. I have auditions for the children's chorus for the summer show and we host our dinner group next weekend. I'll keep you posted.

Spring Camping

2011-05-20T11:53:00.000-05:00

Hi! We've been busy living life and so I have not gotten here to update. We have managed to run away twice with our new Airstream. Paul calls her Betsy. I call her fantastic!

Our maiden voyage was to Frontenac State Park the first week in May. It was a barren landscape.

We did find a few spring flowers.

And, it was cold. We did see the sunset from our campsite, though, because there were no leaves to block our view.

What a difference two weeks makes this time of year. We just returned from camping at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park.

Spring happened!! I love hiking in the woods as much as Paul loves walking on the beach.

We have camped in this park for 30 years. When she was fours years old, Suzanne asked if they turned this waterfall off at night. We laugh about that now every time we do this hike.

We found some trout lilies blossoming, although we were a little late and missed the big show. They blossom before the leaves come out on the trees.

I am trying to make up for all of those years we missed hiking in the spring. I love the flowers this time of year.

We generally seek out State Natural and Scientific Areas near our camping locations. This trip, we chose Townsend Woods.

This area is a small portion of woods that has never been cleared. We had to hike along the edge of a farmer's field to get to it. Paul actually asked me to go out into that field and stand so he could take my picture. Being the obedient wife, I obliged.

Then he said I could finally tell people I was out standing in my field. Look closely, you might see the hook in my mouth.

It was worth the hike, despite the bad jokes.

This is what southern Minnesota looked like before the land was cleared. This tract of land was on a hilltop surrounded by ravines and so was probably considered unworthy to clear. Over the years, it was left untouched and the family eventually gave the land to the Department of Natural Resources for study purposes.

There are amazing old growth trees there.

Because there were no maintained hiking trails, we followed deer trails. Paul stopped abruptly as we found our way back to the edge of the woods. He almost stepped on

this baby deer. Too little to run, he was hiding under a log, hoping we would not harm him.

What a great moment.

Speaking of newborns, while we were off in the woods, Jacob Rohrer, our newest grand-nephew was born. We are so excited to meet him. Also, we judge our first KCBS competition tomorrow!!! I'll keep you posted.

Did you know...?

2011-04-28T19:34:00.000-05:00

that Paul and I love to travel?

that we just came home from being on the road for over three months?

that we spend over five months of each year living in our camper?

that we celebrate our 60th birthdays this year?

you only go around once?

Paul and I brought home our dream "home" today?

We are thrilled!

We'll talk to you soon. After we get back from our maiden voyage!!!!

A little catching up.

2011-04-27T22:54:00.000-05:00

We've been busy since we've been home. More on that later.

Last Sunday, our niece and nephew-in-law, Mike and Elizabeth, invited us to their home for Easter dinner. And, a wonderful dinner it was.

Our nephew, Joey, Elizabeth's brother,

is home on leave from the Navy. It was so great to get a chance to visit with him. We really have missed him. Elizabeth and Joey are so dear to our hearts.

And, we were able to see Haley, our grand niece. Or is it great niece? Well, she is great. And so cute.
She belly laughed at Paul. Made his day.

We forgot our camera, so I had to borrow some pictures from family facebook albums.

Thanks for a great day, Elizabeth and Mike!

Is it Spring yet? Brrrr!

Tomorrow is a big day for Paul and me. I'll keep you posted.

We're Back!

2011-04-19T18:25:00.000-05:00

Well, we made it.

I hope our kids did not conjure up this image when they learned of our arrival!

I'm back!

We put many miles on the Tundra since our departure in January.

It was a great trip.

The last leg of our journey took us to Kansas. I would not be lying if I told you that for the first time I was scared to sleep in our camper. The weather was not pretty last Friday night.

Fortunately, we survived. We attended a class in the small town of Yates Center, Kansas on Saturday to become certified judges for the Kansas City Barbeque Society. Paul and I spent the day with twenty other people taking notes, tasting food, judging and discussing what makes good barbeque. It was a very fun experience.

The next step for us is to sign up to judge at a competition or two this summer. We took notes to share with our nephews, Chad and Kevin, as we hope to work on their team at a competition this summer as well. Next winter, we plan to look into the possibility of judging a competition on our route home from Florida.

We got up early Sunday morning and decided to make the trip home in one day. There wasn't much stopping us!

And, now, we will look around our beautiful state and enjoy the spring.

That is, if it ever gets here! Talk to you soon.

The Ozarks!

2011-04-16T15:10:00.000-05:00

Paul and I spent the past five days in Arkansas in the Ozark Mountains. We stayed in two different spots, Mountain View and Withrow Springs State Park, near Huntsville. We had a fantastic time enjoying the spring weather. I tried to make a slideshow of some of Paul's pictures. I hope it works!

We are now in Kansas and boy, is it cold!!! And windy! Tomorrow we take our class for KCBS judging certification. We are excited! I even have a new notebook!

Talk to you soon.

Memphis: History, Geography, Music and Food

2011-04-12T20:47:00.000-05:00

We left Florida early last Friday morning and drove to Southaven, Mississippi, just outside of Memphis. We looked forward to our first visit to this city. We had done our research and were ready to see the city.

Our first stop on Saturday morning was at the Lorraine Motel. It just seemed fitting we go here before any place else. This is where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in April 4, 1968, a day we both remember very vividly. The site now houses the National Civil Rights Museum.

I was not expecting to be so emotionally overwhelmed standing in this spot. It is preserved, just as it looked in 1968. We both remembered the television footage of him standing on the balcony. It was a very sobering experience, to say the least.

Memphis is a river city and they have made excellent use of their Mississippi River front. Other cities should take lessons from Memphis.

We spent an entire afternoon at their Mud Island River Park and Museum. The river walk is a scale model of the entire Mississippi River. We walked the length of the walk and worked our way through the impressive museum as well.

Of course, we also walked the entire length of Beale Street, although we didn't venture out there at night, when the real action takes place.

And, of course, we paid a visit to Sun Studio, the birthplace of Rock N' Roll where Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley and many others started their recording careers.

We also spent an afternoon at Graceland,

where Elvis lived,

was laid to rest,

and where his life story is on display. It is amazing.

An important part of our trip to Memphis was to experience some Memphis style barbeque. We sought advice from others and settled on two places. We were not disappointed. Admittedly, we may have seemed like Jerry Seinfeld's parents (early birders), but we chose to be there at lunch time. There were no lines and we walked off our meal in the afternoon. Our first stop was Rendezvous.

Fantastic.

Our second Memphis barbeque experience was at Corky's. Again, superb.

We ordered ribs, pork shoulder and brisket at both places. Which did we prefer? We liked certain things at both places, but both were fantastic. We came away with questions for our judging class this Saturday in Kansas.

Memphis was wonderful. What a beautiful city.

We got up early Monday morning and drove in heavy rain and are now in the Ozarks. We will talk to you soon.

Three Rivers State Park

2011-04-08T07:41:00.000-05:00

We just left Florida. I am doing this blog entry while we are driving through Alabama. We both have been pleased with tethering with the iphone. The trip from Venice on Wednesday to Three Rivers State Park in northwestern Florida went well except for being hit by a flying barrel on northbound I 75 near Ocala. We suffered minor damage to both the truck and the camper, but we are very, very lucky. People need to be careful about securing objects on vehicles before driving 70 miles an hour on a freeway.

We had a lovely campsite on Lake Seminole. Except for the gator we saw swimming across the lake and the Spanish moss, it seemed like we were home in Minnesota!

We looked right across the lake at the state of Georgia and the Eastern time zone.

Paul threw some casts while I did some birding in the campground. We met a fellow camper from Inver Grove Heights. He has been in Florida since October, sleeping in a tent the entire time!!! He had interesting stories to tell.

We enjoyed the sunset and the sunrise on the lake.

And, for the first time on this trip, we also had a campfire. I am so excited to camp in the north woods!!!

We stop this afternoon this side of Memphis and will spend the weekend there. I'd better get back to being a supportive copilot. I'll talk to you soon.

Our migration begins

2011-04-05T17:42:00.001-05:00

The sun is setting on our last night in Venice. Sigh.

These snowbirds are starting northward early tomorrow.

We have planned a fun trip home. I'll keep you posted!

Hurray! Kids!

2011-04-04T20:49:00.000-05:00

Grandma Marlys, this is for you! Thanks for sharing your grandchildren with us!!!

Matthew, who turned three on Saturday,

and his big brother, Andrew, who is five,

brought their parents, Kevin and Julie, to Florida this past week. They had been up in Orlando doing the Disney thing and convinced their parents it would be fun to visit the old folks down in Venice for the weekend. We were able to spend the day with them out at Paul's place, better known as Caspersen Beach.

Paul spends hours out on the beach. He showed Andrew how to sift for shark teeth.

Kevin got into the activity as well.

Julie took her boys swimming in the warm gulf waters. It was a beautiful day.

Matthew became one with the sand. Those boys put miles on that beach. It was fun to watch.

We gathered at Mary and Jim's for a birthday dinner that evening. Right before he blew out his candles, Matthew said he was wishing for a kitten.

And, then, while he was eating his cake he said, "This is the most wonderful birthday I ever had!"

Thanks for making our day, Matthew and Andrew and Kevin and Julie!!! We were so happy to be able to share Matthew's birthday with your family. Come back!!!!!

A few things on our list before we go

2011-03-31T14:48:00.000-05:00

We are wrapping up our stay in Florida for the year. Besides walking on the beach and spending time with family, we have visited a few other spots in the vicinity the past few weeks. Paul picked out some pictures and I'll just add a little narration as I see what he has chosen. Here goes!

The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota was on our list of must sees this winter. They specialize in the study of epiphytes.

Obviously, the orchids are always a favorite of ours.

Where there are orchids, you will find Paul and Barb.

Paul, of course, easily rattled off all of the correct names as we walked through.

Me? I just say, "Oh, look at that spotted one over here! Wow!"

The gardens and grounds are incredible. Look at the root structure on these fig trees.

We went on a boat tour on the Myakka River, right by our campground, with Kent and Margie and her sister, Karen, brother-in-law, Jeff and nephew, Steve, who were visiting from Iowa.

This was another "must do" on our list. Just think, this guy lives two minutes from where we are staying!

There were a few more of his friends out there to greet us as we slid by in the boat.

They filmed Tarzan movies here in the 50's. It makes me want to watch them again to see if we recognize the river. I think it is beautiful!

We toured the Clyde Butcher Studio here in Venice and went to listen to him speak. Clyde is an incredible photographer/artist who lives in Venice and specializes in photographing outdoor scenery and specifically, the cypress swamps of the Everglades. Paul was fascinated with his photography studio. I was amazed they let us walk around and look at it! Next year, we want to take one of his swamp walks. We have family members who are freaked out by that concept, but that is another story!

After the lecture, we went with Beth and Gary to the North Jetty to watch the people, boats and dolphins.

And then we stopped at the Tiki Bar for a cold one. Life is rich!

The four of us also went to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary this week. Paul and I visited last January with Tom and Jayne. We had put it on our list for this March, because we wanted to see Spring in the cypress swamp. Luckily, it had rained the night before, so the resurrection fern were everywhere.

If you ever find yourself in the Naples area, go to Corkscrew Swamp.

Look very carefully, you can see a snake in the water lettuce. Paul, what was the name of that snake again?

Oh, yeah, a Florida Banded Water Snake. That's what they told us while we were watching it from the board walk. I only know garter snakes, being from the northern tundra and all. Do you think we'll see one next year when we actually go walking right in the water?

I can hardly wait! Talk to you soon.

Broderick (and some other people, too)!

2011-03-23T10:37:00.000-05:00

We had a great visit with family and extended family this past week. Marge's sister, Karen and her family escaped from Iowa, Jim, Dave and Rosie ran away from Fargo and Jen and Eric and Broderick came in from Virginia. Little Broderick stole our hearts. He gets top billing here today. Here he is at Beth and Gary's on their first day, saying to Paul, "I think I know how you work this camera."

"Yeah! I've got it! Smile, Mom and Dad!"

The next day, Broderick experienced the beach for the first time. His opinion? "This place will have to grow on me."

Jen and Eric took a little side trip to Miami, providing an opportunity for Grandma and Grandpa McDougall to bond with their grandson. Of course, the rest of us old fogies were pretty thrilled with the chance to get to know him as well.

The brothers caught up with each other.

Jim and Mary's home is a great gathering spot.

I think Mom would be happy to know we enjoy cooking and eating together! Jim, those kabobs were excellent!

We had one last picture of the whole group before the Iowa crowd left.

The next day the guys golfed at Pelican Pointe and cooled off afterwards in Kent's pool.

After another great meal, we enjoyed the super moon.

On Sunday, we took in some sights around Venice, starting with the jetty. Grandpa and Grandma McDougall took excellent care of their little guy.

Broderick rolled along beautifully with the older set.

He loved watching the birds and the boats.

He is one happy little boy. I think Grandpa is, too!

One cannot put a price on family time.

I'm not sure, but I believe Broderick may have been enjoying his first taste of french fries and ketchup too much to enjoy the sunset at Marker 4. The rest of us took it in, though. This is the view from our table.

He charmed us all. All too soon, the week was over and we had to say goodbye.

We can hardly wait to see you again. I hope you remember us!!

I have to check to see if Jim can get back to Fargo today. Bad weather up north held him at their Venice home one more day.

Don't you feel his pain? I'll talk to you soon.

A little foreshadowing...

2011-03-14T10:21:00.000-05:00

Life is good in Venice, Florida. We continue to be comfortable in our little cabin on wheels.

This morning, Paul and I finished making our arrangements for our trip home to Minnesota in April. I am not going to share the entire plan, but with throw a few hints your way.

We need to get a few pictures for some good friends who are big fans. That's the kind of friends we are.

We are planning to soak up some local culture and do some hiking on our way through the Ozarks.

Our last stop will take us to a judging class. Then, we will come home!!!

Dave and Rosie and Jen and Eric are coming to Florida this week. We are excited to see them. I hope they are prepared because we plan to spoil their little "B"! Talk to you soon.

Go Twins!

2011-03-07T08:37:00.000-06:00

We went to a Twins game last Saturday afternoon.

A friend of Kent and Margie has season tickets to the Tampa Bay Rays, who play in Port Charlotte at Charlotte Sport Park, which is 20 minutes from Venice.

The stadium has been nicely renovated in recent years. We arrived early to watch some batting and infield practice.

Paul and I had seats right by third base.

After a couple of innings there, we moved down by Kent and Margie, who were sitting right behind home plate. We could really watch the bonding between the ump and the batters.

And, we could tell the ump if we agreed how he called the pitches. Kent was very good at that!

Twins won! Great day. Awesome seats! Thanks Kent and Margie! Glad your friend wasn't using them!

Next, we want to go to Fort Myers and watch the Twins at their "home" stadium. We'll talk to you soon. There's a botanical garden around here somewhere...

Ding Darling and Dinners

2011-03-04T14:42:00.001-06:00

Another week is gone. Where do the days go?
Paul and I drove to Sanibel Island early Wednesday morning to the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge.

We wanted to be there when the refuge opened because we read there was a birding bike tour led by volunteer naturalists that morning. If you ever have a chance to visit Ding Darling, I would highly recommend you take advantage of these programs. It cost us $1 each to ride our bikes through the reserve.

We lucked out because it was low tide that morning and the birds were on the mudflats.

Although our camera wasn't able to get close pictures of the birds, there were huge flocks of birds out there for us to view. Also, there were knowledgeable birders at each stop with excellent scopes and they invited people to view the birds close up. I have been trying unsuccessfully to learn shore birds and this experience really helped. The people who led our tour and the birders at each stop were so accommodating.

We both really enjoyed the day. I counted at least 20 different species of shorebirds.

After our bike ride, we drove to one of the beaches on the island, sat in the shade at a picnic table, ate the lunch we had packed and then walked the shore for a little bit. There were no sharks teeth here, but thousands of shells. You can see a line of them next to Paul's feet in this picture.

Paul said he like the Sanibel beach, but it doesn't hold a candle to his beloved Caspersen!!!

Back at the camper, we continue to eat well. Beth told us about Angelo's, a local Italian market. We stopped there one afternoon, bought some fresh sausage and grilled a pizza on the Weber.

Our miniature herb garden outside has come into its own, so we harvested the first crop of basil and made bruschetta one night.

And last night we grilled chicken and made parsley/rosemary/garlic "new" potatoes. Yum.

Well, I have to go. Paul went golfing today and I just might have gone to Best Buy to buy myself a Kindle...I see it's charged up, so I am excited!!!!! I got tired (literally, eye strain tired) of reading books on my phone. Talk to you soon.

The weeks are flying by...

2011-02-27T08:32:00.000-06:00

My brother, Jim, was here this past week. I love the opportunity to connect with my siblings. Paul and I were able to help him do some painting in their Florida home. Note: paint does not dry very quickly down here in this humid climate. We also had opportunities for fun during his visit, including sunset at the beach.

While we waited for the sunset, we enjoyed the sights.

However, I may consider bringing my passport with me the next time I go to the beach! Three of these patrolled while we sat obediently in our lawn chairs.

Another beautiful ending to a sunny day.

Beth, Gary, Jim, Mary, Paul and I also spent a couple of hours kayaking on Little Sarasota Bay.

We even had a view of Stephen King's home.

Happy times! We are discussing going out again when Dave and Rosie visit.

Paul and I swing through the seafood market several times weekly to see what is available.

One night, we had stuffed clams.

And also a meal of grouper cheeks! I kept slipping and called them gopher cheeks, much to my own disgust!

They were tasty! We do love our seafood!

The weather has been so wonderful. We sit out each evening and enjoy the breeze.

We really do live mostly outdoors, just like our plants. Flowers grow so well here.

A little water, a sunny spot and they are happy, just like us.

Meanwhile, Nick, who started a new job this week, takes care of our house in our absence. Thanks, Nick! Hang in there.

I do miss being home. But, I do love it here.

I'll talk to you soon.

Paul and Barb's New Discovery

2011-02-19T11:23:00.000-06:00

"What do you want to have for dinner tonight?"

"Let's check out that seafood market on Tamiami Trail."

"Great idea, Paul!"

That discussion brought us yesterday afternoon to the South Venice Seafood Market. How could it be we had yet to visit this establishment? We learned they have been open less than a year and so last winter when we were here, they did not exist.

I hope they are successful as they have great fresh fish and seafood. They told us they sometimes get freshly caught fish delivered twice a day. You can buy cooked takeout, too. Yesterday was blue crab day.

We chose a nice serving of Triple Tail to take home and grill. I always want to know what I'm eating, so here's a picture.

One can understand why it received its name.

We brushed a little olive oil on the fillet and seasoned it with a little Florida Seasoned Pepper from Penzey's before we placed it on the grill.

And, we had a glass of wine while we prepared a pineapple/mango salsa to accompany the fish.

I must admit, it was EXTREMELY excellent.

With this seafood market and a fruit and vegetable stand between us and the beach, I see the beginning of a trend. Maybe Paul will stop requesting steak so often! Talk to you soon.

You're Never Too Old For A Field Trip!

2011-02-18T09:50:00.001-06:00

Paul and I took ourselves on a field trip this week. We could not begin to count the number of field trips we have supervised in our lives. We still remark how nice it is to no longer have to collect permission slips and bus fees! Our destination was Historic Spanish Point, along the Gulf in nearby Osprey. The 30 acre site has been preserved to give a perspective of prehistoric life in the area as well as pioneer settlements and early 20th century life.

We set our own "curriculum" and gave ourselves a self-directed tour. We were interested in the restored and preserved buildings.

And the replicas of the boats used by the pioneers who first settled here.

However, none of the pamphlets mentioned the huge euphorbias we saw growing up through the trees.

And, I don't think the tour guide would have said, "Hey, let's run over here and look at that tree's incredibly strange growth habit !"

And, we stood and watched this little guy until he grew tired of us.

Look at these philadendron! I think there are dinosaurs in here!

After another day of cracking each other up with our clever remarks, we head back to our little "cabin on wheels" to cook some good food. Grilled vegetables keep finding their way to our plates.

We even stuff our chicken breasts with the left overs! Yum!

The weather lately has been too beautiful. Most days we "just" go to Caspersen Beach.

Paul is impatiently waiting for me to be done so we can get back out there. Have I said today I'm glad I'm retired? I'll talk to you soon.

Family, Flowers and Fruit

2011-02-09T10:42:00.001-06:00

We watched the Super Bowl with Mary last Sunday.

In fact, we watched the first half while we swam in the pool. I've been in a Super Bowl pool before, but I've never been in the pool during the Super Bowl.

Earlier that day, we went to the Venice Orchid Show.

If we lived here, our yard would be a jungle.

There are so many to see.

We love the different colors

and shapes

and varieties.

We also admire the different sizes, both small

and large

and the abundant flowers possible on one plant.

We are learning what it takes to be judged a champion, both in an individual plant

and in a general display.

A few little varieties found their way back to the camper.

A desert rose joined our world as well.

We also added a fruit and vegetable basket to our "Florida" room. I ordered it from Amazon. My goal is to eat an orange every day while we are down here. It's that whole, "when in Rome" thing, I guess.

Can you see the orchid planter Paul made from the base of a palm frond? Perhaps he has found his cottage industry. Talk to you soon.

Settled In

2011-02-02T09:34:00.000-06:00

Life is back to normal for us. We arrived in Venice earlier than planned to be able to see Jim while he was here during his vacation. Then, Nick and Ellen arrived and also Al. For the past three weeks, it was like "Disney World For Adults" for Paul and me as we kept a much busier than usual social calendar. We were tired from having so much fun! Such a deal.

We moved on Saturday from Oscar Scherer State Park to Camp Venice Retreat, where we will stay for the months of February and March. We are in the same spot we were last winter, so we picked up a few plants

to enjoy in what we call our "Florida Room,"

which is just our extended awning with an added sunscreen. We sit out here every morning and evening. Paul usually smokes a cigar at night after dinner. We visit with people as they walk their dogs.

Our days are definitely quieter. Maybe I'll start working on my recipe collection again.

Off to the beach! I'll talk to you soon.

"The Sea Was Angry That Day, My Friends"..

2011-01-30T08:33:00.001-06:00

Remember that episode of Seinfeld?

We laughed about that quote from George "The Marine Biologist" Costanza as we headed out on Friday morning for a day of fishing on the Gulf of Mexico.

My brother, Al, spent the past ten days in Venice. One of his goals for his vacation was to go deep sea fishing.

Because we had a few challenges making the arrangements, I like to believe serendipity led the three of us down to

Fort Myers Beach to Captain Lewis, skipper of the

Not that we are superstitious or anything, but the Mac-Attack also happens to be the name of Al's fantasy football team and dart team. We also took it as a good omen the boat had a fellow Scotsman, Lewis MacDonald, at the helm. Our premonitions were correct, because it could not have been a better day!

The seas were not angry, fortunately. We enjoyed the beautiful view as we left the marina and had time to find our "sea legs" as we were two hours and twenty two miles away from land before we dropped anchor.

I have been known to exaggerate a little, but this time I am telling the exact truth. Paul was the first person to drop a line into the water. Within 15 seconds-honestly, that quickly- he caught this huge gag grouper and brought it up into the boat. Al and I had yet to put fishing rods in our hands. This is one happy person!

That variety of grouper has to be released, so back into the ocean it went.

For the next three and a half hours, the three of us pulled in one fish after another. We were so involved in the moment, Al and I both lost count of the number of fish we caught. Paul knows he brought in at least thirty two. Unbelievable. Paul and Al caught these red groupers simultaneously.

I caught this hogfish.

We learned they are considered to be an excellent tasting fish, so it was a good thing.

Before we knew it, the time was up and we headed back to land.

We had a cooler full of red grouper, red snapper, grunt fish and the hogfish.

We caused a bit of commotion on the dock with our catch. Captain Lewis cleaned the fish right there for us while we waited.

We took our catch back to Venice, cooked up a wonderful dinner and placed several more meals in the freezer! Here is a picture of one happy chef!

Thanks for making this day happen, Al. It was too good to be true.

It was great spending time together! We'll miss you!!!

Good times! Nick and Ellen come to Venice!!!

2011-01-24T20:14:00.000-06:00

Nick and Ellen escaped Minnesota for a few days to come to Venice for a visit.

We took them out to Caspersen Beach

on their very first evening to enjoy the sunset.

They stayed with us that first night at Oscar Scherer. Nick practiced his golf swing in our camp site

to warm up for his first round at Lake Venice Golf Club. Nick discovered there are new challenges when golfing in Florida.

Beth and Gary joined Paul and Nick for the round while Ellen and I enjoyed a beautiful afternoon at the beach.

After golf, what else? Another sunset view

from Sharky's, a "must see" when visiting Venice.

And, of course, there was great times with the family, including a feast of bratwursts from Geier's Sausage Kitchen enjoyed at Jim's and Mary's.

Nick and Paul enjoyed a round of golf at beautiful Pelican Pointe with Kent and Al while the ladies explored some of the finer shopping spots around town.

We gathered that evening at Kent's and Margie's. Four of the siblings were together.

I guess one could say we had fun.

Nick and Paul were up very early the next morning for one more round of golf with Kent and Al and a few of their feathered friends.

And then, all too soon, Nick and Ellen were gone. It was very difficult for me to say good bye.

We are so thankful they were able to come to visit us. And, we are thankful for our family who welcomed them so graciously into their homes. I'll talk to you soon.

Warning!!! Sorry, dear family and friends up north.

2011-01-16T10:45:00.000-06:00

Already, our first week in Florida is behind us.

Caspersen Beach was waiting patiently for our return.

We arrived here earlier than scheduled because we wanted a chance to spend some time with my brother, Jim, and sister-in-law, Mary, before Jim had to return to reality. They own a beautiful home here in Venice. Mary gets to stay here and work from their home and Jim has to return to the frozen tundra. Too bad it's such an impossible daily commute!

The four of us went exploring one day this week and actually found the (supposedly) authentic "Fountain of Youth," located a short drive south of Venice. No offense to the nice people who run that place, but I would have to be extremely, extremely desperate before I would dip one toe into that festering pot of bacteria!!!

Our main goal for our exploration that day was to scope out Miss Cindy's Placida Fish Market. We bought some Stone Crab, a few shrimp, a couple of pieces of grouper and red snapper and headed back to Jim and Mary's. We grilled some peppers, made a fruit salad and enjoyed the best meal of seafood I have probably ever eaten in my life.

The Tundra will be burning some gas in the direction of Miss Cindy's again soon!

We moved the cabin on wheels to Oscar Scherer State Park yesterday and will stay here for two weeks. We love this campground and the privacy it provides. I won't mention the no-see-ums.

Brother Kent is back in town from his work week, so the family gathered again at Jim and Mary's last night. We all enjoyed their private "fountain of youth" before dinner. Great times.

As Paul says to me often, "Lose the tension, you're on a pension." We're off to the vegetable market.
Talk to you soon.

Camping in town

2011-01-12T10:15:00.000-06:00

We made it! We finished the last leg of our trip on Sunday. We were up at 4 a.m. each morning and on the road early. Because we passed into the Eastern time zone on Saturday, our internal clocks knew we were actually up at 3 a.m. on Sunday morning. We were concerned about the weather, so getting further south as soon as possible was important! Good thing, because right behind us was a bad ice storm!

Our location until Saturday is at Florida Pines, a snowbird "roost" right in Venice. It is a nice location for us to get everything set up and fixed so we can live in the North Trail until we return to Minnesota in mid-April. However, we look forward to moving out to quieter surroundings. That happens on Saturday.

The ability to tether my computer to my phone became active this morning. I hope it works to my satisfaction, as being connected is important.

Paul and I have spring fever. Yes, he already bought an orchid. We went to the store to buy a shelf for the camper and a bunch of plants jumped into our cart.

Talk to you soon.

A Long Day's Journey In Many Ways

2011-01-08T18:56:00.000-06:00

We drove 620 miles today, from Mt Vernon, Illinois to Cordele, Georgia. We ran into icy roads around Nashville, which was scary. Most of the way was clear sailing, and we look forward to tomorrow, when we will get to Venice and set up the camper for our stay.

My brother, Keith, had knee surgery yesterday afternoon. He injured it several weeks ago and the first doctor he saw thought the injury was torn muscle. Turns out it was a torn tendon.

Fortunately, he was able to go home today. He has a positive attitude, so I know he will do what is necessary to heal correctly.

This country needs a big dose of healing right now before it is too late.

Hate is tearing us apart.

My sympathy goes to the families and loved ones of those who were killed and critically injured in Arizona today.

Take responsibility, "leaders." Do the right thing and stop breeding contempt. Placing politicians who do not share your opinions in "crosshairs" on a target list is corrupt behavior.

I am tired. Good night.

Florida, here we come!!!!

2011-01-07T17:25:00.000-06:00

We did a "high five" at the top of the hill this morning at 4:50 a.m. Pulling the camper up that icy hill at the end of our driveway is always a scary moment for us.

We stomped a big old

today as we drove 640 miles from Inver Grove Heights to Mt Vernon, Illinois.

We took a deep breath every time we pulled into a gas station. Have you looked at those gas prices?

Oh, well. Guess that means we'll be eating canned tuna instead of fresh seafood! We hope to get through Tennessee and Georgia before icy weather hits there this weekend, so that means we'll be up early again tomorrow to get back on the road.

Wish us luck!

We're talking turkey!!

2011-01-05T10:28:00.002-06:00

We roasted a 22 pound turkey yesterday. One might assume there was a large group here for dinner. But, no, it was just the two of us. And we each ate just a few slices for dinner. The rest is going to the kids.

We have been cleaning out our freezer and that big turkey was in there, waiting to get out.

We have cooked 56 pounds of turkey since Thanksgiving morning. Someone I know needs to curb the urge to buy things just because there is a "good deal." Baby steps...

We used a new injection recipe from my brother, Al. My people know how to cook!!! You can find the recipe in my collection. I've cleverly named it, "Al's Turkey Marinade." The marinade ingredients include garlic juice, lemon juice, tabasco sauce and liquid smoke. Although the list of ingredients seems to suggest the meat would be spicy, that is not the case. The finished flavors are very subtle and very delicious. Paul took this picture right before we carved up the big guy.

Excellent, Al! Thanks for the recipe!!!

Today, I am making a ginormous pot of turkey stock from all of the bones, also to be divided up and to be sent to our children's kitchens. I hope their freezers can handle it!

Why are we ~~forcing~~ offering so much food to our children? Because, I am shutting down my kitchen here at the ranch for three months. We are

blowing this popsicle stand. Taking our cabin on wheels and

heading to warmer latitudes. Our freeze alarm, smoke alarms and security system are all tested and ready to go. The ranch is now a fort.

Florida, here we come. We have some International Rummy games waiting for us down there!!!

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T09:56:00.001-06:00

We are facing an icy New Year's Eve, but nothing like the storm they are experiencing further north, where a blizzard has shut down the state. Lisa will join Paul and me for dinner and an evening of games. We are heading out shortly for Coastal Seafoods to see what strikes our fancy for our New Year's Eve dinner. Sounds like a great plan, doesn't it?

We are all well fed here at the Geier ranch.

One week until we (hopefully) head south. Who will feed our friends in our absence?

Christmas is for kids!

2010-12-26T18:40:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas holiday. Children in our lives made it so.

We were able to see our niece and nephew-in-law and their daughter, Haley, the day before Christmas Eve. Every time I am with Haley, I find myself saying, "She is so cute, I just can't stand it."

She was just grasping the concept of opening presents. Haley's a quick learner, so she didn't need much help!

Christmas Eve brought family members to the ranch. Ours is an informal gathering, with an opportunity to nosh away the day.

But food wasn't on the minds of the kids who were in attendance. Clara, our Nutcracker aficionado, was dressed as pretty as a princess. She liked the Mouse King she received from Suzanne.

Clara eagerly anticipated the arrival of our grandnephews, Tyler and Caden. She asked, "When are my boys going to get here?" I just love Tyler's happy smile.

Watching them open their gifts was a highlight of the day. Clara watched Caden carefully.

Tyler patiently waited his turn.

And Caden was most interested to watch Clara open her present.

We all laughed our way through our traditional "White Elephant" gift exchange. Tom always wins with the most unique offerings to the collection of oddities.

The most important gift for Paul and me was to be with our children. It fills our hearts to see them happy. Fortunately for Nick, Ellen gets his sense of humor!

Suzanne was able to be free for the day from work at the hospital. Her friend, Josh joined us. He was a good sport to jump right in and be part of the family celebration.

Young children who still believe in the magic of Christmas and our own children, who bring true happiness to our hearts. Just wonderful!

Back To Reality

2010-12-26T13:05:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas and today we are back to reality.

But first, I think I'll warm up some of that brisket we had on Christmas Eve...

A McDougall Family Christmas

2010-12-23T12:51:00.000-06:00

I grew up during the 1950's and 60's in a family of eight children on a farm in the Red River Valley in North Dakota. Though we didn't know it at the time, we really had a good life. Our birth order is: Mary Beth, Marlys, David, Barbara, James, Kent, Keith and Alan. There are only ten years difference between the eldest and youngest! Last year, some of my siblings wrote about memories of Christmas from our childhoods and I am sharing those memories here today. I miss being with them at the holidays and wish just once I could bring back those Christmas vacation days we spent together all those years ago. Here are our

We have so many happy Christmas memories. The anticipation would start soon after Thanksgiving Day. During our elementary years, the season was ushered in with our annual Christmas program at Antelope School. We spent a good share of our curricular time in school during the month of December practicing for the annual Christmas Program. Miss Mary Stone, our music teacher, was highly regarded in the community, and what she said was gospel. The other teachers helped supervise while all the students sat on wooden benches in the gymnasium and sang Christmas carols. There would be little plays on the stage by different age groups. It was always a big night in the community. We definitely learned all the verses to many Christmas carols as a result of those programs. When Kent and Keith were first graders, they had to recite “The Night Before Christmas.” Mom worked very hard helping them memorize.

Our Christmas tree would just be there in the living room one day when we got home from school. Dad was never too crazy about having a Christmas tree, or that was Barb’s impression. “I can remember him saying we weren’t going to get a tree one year. I was very concerned because I really believed him.” We kept our Christmas decorations in an old, black suitcase. Mom would hand us ornaments and we would place them on the tree. There weren’t many other decorations around the house that anyone remembered. One year, though, Mom painted Christmas decals on the dining room window. The reason Barb remember this is “because I walked into the house after school and there was a big bowl of what I thought was green icing on the dining room table. So, I stuck my finger in and put a big wad of that green “frosting” into my mouth. It was the paint Mom had mixed to paint the windows and it tasted awful. I didn’t dare tell her I had eaten it, I just ran and tried to wash it out of my mouth. I was sick the rest of the afternoon.”

Shopping for presents for that big of a household must have been a challenge. Keith remembers “One of the most exciting things about Christmas was going shopping. We would get to go to Fleet Farm in Fergus Falls. I had never seen so toys in my life. What a wonderland!”

He continues, “Mom would give us money to shop; I think five or ten dollars. We would shop so carefully because we had to buy a gift for a sibling and Mom and Dad. I remember Kent and I (maybe Jim and Al too) in a fine gift store in Wahpeton, don’t remember the name. Mom was very nervous with us in the store, constantly reminding us “Don’t touch anything!” We escaped for seconds running thru the aisles, accidently bumping into a rack of sterling silver platters, trays, etc. We watched in horror as the rack, much taller than us, swayed slowly back and forth before falling with the loudest crashing sound you could ever imagine. Mom was horrified and embarrassed but not as angry as the clerk. If I remember she wanted to make mom pay for the damage. Don’t know if she ever had to.”

Music practice for midnight mass was also part of our anticipation of Christmas. The choir, made up of junior high and high school girls, would sing before Mass started. Barb remembers, “One year, our director, Dorothy Klosterman, or Joe’s Dorothy, as everyone called her, had the “great” idea we should bring our band instruments and play Christmas carols before church. We had neither good instrumentation in our small group nor good musical arrangements. We were bad and we knew it, but we performed that night up in the choir loft because that was what was expected of us. No one said anything about it after church, but we could see people’s shoulders shaking down there while we played, so we knew they were not having a spiritual moment because of our music.”

Beth and Marlys remember that Christmas also meant that Dad would go to town and bring home a big bag of Christmas candy and those “awful chocolate drops!” Dad loved Christmas candy, so we had plenty in the house. Barb remembers those candy ribbons. Marlys said, “The one candy he bought that I did love was chocolate covered cherries! Dad loved them, too, and I fondly recall that when he took me to UND to start my Nursing classes, he left me with a box of them and it warmed my heart! I think that he and I may have been the only ones who did like them!”

Mary Beth and Marlys have early memories of Christmas Eve with our Uncle Colin’s family. Uncle Colin was Dad's younger brother. That tradition changed as both family’s grew in number. They both remembered one Christmas Eve in particular. Marlys wrote “I vividly remember one Christmas Eve as we were getting ready for company to come, I stood in the vestibule and looked out that window and saw Santa and his eight reindeer flying through the sky to the south! I'm sure my imagination was kindled by listening to the radio all the time and having to visualize every story! I truly believe to this day that I saw him!”

Marlys continued, “Later that night when the McDougall cousins were at our house, a knock came at the front door and everyone scampered to see who it was with vision of sugarplums dancing in our heads! Lo and behold, Santa came in the door ringing his bells!”

Beth and Marlys both remember being so excited until our cousin, Bobby reached up and grabbed the beard off of Santa and who should appear? MOM!!! They were both devastated! In fact, Mary Beth remembers Bobby told her that night there was no such thing as Santa Claus. Marlys added, “I really disliked him for a long time after that episode!”

As the family grew and we celebrated without the cousins, we opened our presents on Christmas Eve. But first, we had our traditional supper of oyster stew and spaghetti. Oyster stew was a holdover tradition from the McDougall side of the family. The spaghetti tradition fit well because it was easy, everyone liked it and it was economical, too! Keith remembers, “The anticipation was always heightened by a great meal followed by doing the dishes…very slowly.”

And of course, none of us will ever forget that after dishes we would all gather in the living room to pray the rosary. Keith adds it was “the longest rosary ever prayed!” Marlys concurred, “That was pure torture! I think Mom led it as slowly as she could to make the suspense even worse!” Interestingly, Keith’s perspective was “The older kids loved prolonging it as much as possible!”

Barb said, “I can remember counting all those ‘Hail Marys’ on my fingers. How many decades left? I am not certain what we were supposed to have gained from that custom. I now understand that praying the rosary is a meditation. Assuming a child will meditate on the mystery right before we are set to open our Christmas presents was a bit misguided if you ask me. I think Mom’s ultimate goal was that delayed gratification would make us all better people!”

Finally, we settled in our places to open our gifts. All of our gifts were sorted and we would patiently wait for our turn to open. Perhaps after praying that rosary, waiting for one’s turn was not a challenge! Keith adds, “We opened one gift each, plus the $1 from grandma or a matchbox car. Kent and I sometimes shared a gift, but we didn’t care. Later we drew names for gifts. It was by no means an extravagant affair, but very special. We took our time opening gifts, sharing as much time for the giver as the gift.”

Somehow, while we were opening the presents, the doorbell would ring. Santa had arrived and there would be the gifts from him on the front steps! Keith remembers, “My earliest memories are of older siblings saying ‘did you hear that?’ Someone outside was ringing the bells.” Those bells were from the horses our Grandpa McDougall had on the farm years ago. Keith continued, “We were so excited, wearing our ‘winter” pajamas’. Do I vaguely remember someone dressed in a Santa costume dropping gifts off in the vestibule?” Barb remembered that as well. “One year, Uncle Bill and Aunt Jean came from California with our cousins, Kathy and Steve. Our neighbor, Duren Moffett, dressed in a Santa suit and came to our door on Christmas Eve.”

Other than the earlier episode when Mom dressed up a Santa, that was his only appearance. Older siblings obviously remembered the horror of Bobby’s behavior that earlier Christmas and didn’t reveal to the younger siblings that Santa was an interloper! Barb continued “I was relieved he brought them to our front steps. I remember thinking Santa came through a little door in the chimney in the basement. I knew there was no way he could get much through there.”

Marlys remembers, “We only got one gift for Christmas and my favorite gift ever was a walking doll! I will never forget that Christmas.” Barb said, “ I think my favorite Christmas was the one when Jim and I both received guitars. Later, we sat in the den and figured out how to play some chords. ‘Beautiful Brown Eyes’ was one of our better tunes.” Keith shared that “One of my most memorable gifts was a white garbage truck that got crushed when Mark Fahsholz parked it under the tire of some ones car.” Barb interjects, “Another pesky cousin!” Keith continues, “ I also got a gas powered plane that I never got to actually fly. My favorite gift as a child was a very heavy duty battery operated tank. Kent got a helicopter. The tank shot plastic shells which did a great job of destroying Christmas tree decorations! The tank lasted for years until our pyrotechnic days. It stubbornly went down in a blaze of glory!”

“The best gift we ever gave was to mom. Kent and I shopped and shopped until we found the cutest ceramic dogs, a mother and her puppies. We fell in love. We couldn’t wait for her to open them. Mother graciously displayed them for several years. We were never so proud! I will never forget Jim’s doll in the best double cross I’ve ever seen. I don’t think he enjoyed that as much as the rest of us!” added Keith. On that subject, Marlys said, “ Mary Beth always liked to snoop for the gifts, as did James in later years. I did not like to do that as I wanted it to be a surprise!” Barb said, “I think the double cross on Jim was that he thought he knew what all of his gifts were, except for that one that was added at the last minute. Everyone else knew it was a doll. He was not amused.”

Keith said, “I also remember dad buying mom a vacuum cleaner. I can still see him bringing it to the car with a look of satisfaction on his face. Mom didn’t appear quite as satisfied to receive it. But, by far and away the best gift I ever received was one from dad. I was in college. It was crudely wrapped by dad himself. I opened it to find a blanket. I was quite stunned and not very impressed. Later dad sat down beside me and asked how I liked it. Fine, I said. He told me he just wanted to make sure I was warm. I never told him how much I learned to appreciate it nor how many years I used it.”

Christmas vacation was most certainly the best time of the year. Beth said, “Christmas vacation was heaven, Mom went into shut down mode, we played games, did jigsaw puzzles, and skated at the clay pit. I remember Grandma Veit playing Christmas carols and all the kids singing” Marlys wrote, “Christmas vacations were the best memory I have, as that was one time that Mom sort of relaxed and even let us sleep in! Then we would go to the Clay Pit every day and ice skate with the neighbor kids, most of who were our cousins. Dad brought the old brooder house down there, how I don't recall, and put a pot-bellied stove in it so we could use it as a warming house. Kids came from all over - even from Barney and a grand time was had by all! I never did learn to skate very good as I was too afraid of falling but loved to watch the older boys play hockey. We would bring food and cookies down and someone would make hot chocolate for us, so it was a true dream vacation!" Barb said, “Christmas vacation was probably the best week of the year, in my opinion. We got to sleep in late and just relax. We would play board games and maybe ride in the toboggan behind the pickup. I did not realize that toboggans were meant for hills. Hills were an unknown concept.” And Keith said, “Without a doubt one of the most exciting things about Christmas was Christmas vacation. Two weeks to explore the winter wonderland of life on the farm. Wrapped up in many layers of clothes with scarves wrapped around our faces we would roam the “trees” looking for nature’s forts created by drifts around the trees. We wouldn’t come in until our cheeks were literally frozen. I also remember skating at the clay pit. Dad and neighbors had moved our old chicken house there and installed an oil heater inside for a warming house until someone vandalized it. We were left alone often. Once Jim got cut above the eye by the back of a skate playing crack the whip. We stood on the road until one of the Stones came by to take Jim to get stitches.”

Keith best summed up our family’s Christmas, “I guess Christmas to us was not all about presents. We never went overboard and weren’t spoiled. It was more about spending time together and we seemed to enjoy giving the gift more than receiving. Even later in life at Reiles Acres, it was much more about just being together and enjoying family. I will always look back on our modest Christmases as some of the most enjoyable times of my life.”

Merry Christmas!! I'll think of you all tomorrow while I'm leading the rosary!

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

2010-12-21T10:46:00.000-06:00

I've brought that song to the stage more than once in my life. However, that's a different subject.

We've been hit hard in the weather department this past month.

Today is officially the first day of winter and it's already getting old.

Only 90 days until spring.

Paul and I are thinking about our trip south. 18 days.

Meanwhile, we'll keep the coffee brewing and the fire burning. May as well stay warm inside.

Bluebirds!!

2010-12-15T09:49:00.000-06:00

The temperature in Inver Grove Heights this morning is hovering right about 0ºF. We are recovering from one of the biggest snowstorms in 20 years. But, this morning Paul called me into the kitchen to see what was at the birdbath (heated, obviously)! He said, "I can't believe this!"

Five bluebirds. Males. Lost. Won't ask for directions...

Snow-M-G!!!!

2010-12-12T14:28:00.000-06:00

A snow storm brought the Twin Cities to a stop yesterday. To add to our list of challenges, this morning brought extremely cold temperatures.

We haven't seen a storm quite like this for years. My friend, Randy, asked if we had to tie a rope from the house to the barn like Laura Ingalls Wilder.

It's been quite a month for snow. But this storm was something else. The dome collapsed this morning, appropriate for the Vikings' season this year.

Outside, our cabin on wheels waits patiently for southern latitudes.

Inside, the soup pot bubbles on the stove. Come on over, the road is open!

Jim's "In The Bag" Turkey

2010-12-06T10:00:00.000-06:00

We've had our share of snow lately. Our yard is home to at least seventeen wild turkeys who love to hang out underneath the bird feeders. I wonder how they taste when roasted. If we had to, we could snare one of them quite easily.

Fortunately, we don't have to resort to foraging in the wild for food (yet). We are, however, foraging for food in our freezer. On Saturday, we roasted one of the turkeys we bought before Thanksgiving. We used a recipe from my brother, Jim, who is an excellent cook.

Paul and I were very pleased with our first attempt at cooking a turkey in a bag. I love the garlic flavor and will use this recipe again and again!

Next time we do a turkey, I plan to use a recipe from my brother, Al. How fun to have a family with a wealth of talent!

Which one looks juiciest to you?

Christmas is coming!

2010-12-04T10:04:00.001-06:00

We "put up Christmas" this week. Before we started, I lamented the

The four of us used to go and cut down our own tree. Deciding which one to buy would be a big deal. As we trudged through the snow, Paul would hang his stocking cap on a tree we liked so we wouldn't lose it as we continued our search. It would be a fun afternoon. We switched to artificial trees when we no longer were able to go together as a family. When we would decorate the house, the kids would insist on listening to "Goofy's Christmas" cd every year. I would always say, "No, not that one!" But they would persist! And, they would argue about which decorations they would get to hang on the tree. The honor of placing the angel on the top was decided by odd or even years, just to be fair. I came to the decision the process was way more meaningful to me than the product. So, why bother? Which caused Paul to call me

and that jolted me back to reality. So, we put on Christmas music (sorry kids, not that Disney one) and got out all of the stuff. We had fun, talking about the memories while we worked. That night, when we turned on the lights,

I was glad Paul had persisted.

Everything went right where it belonged, so when they come home, it will be as they remembered.

And now we wait

for their arrival!

Visions of sugarplums! No? Cabbage!

2010-12-02T12:39:00.000-06:00

I am on a mission to use up food we have in our freezer before we leave for Florida. Remembering my love for Mom's cooked cabbage, the Feuilles de Chou Farcies from

really caught my attention. With everything already on hand except the cabbage, less than $2.00 at the grocery store had us ready to fire up the stove! As one learns when preparing most of the recipes from this book, a wealth of time is a requirement. It took several hours just to prepare the dish for the oven.

And, thankfully, I have Paul, my partner in everything...

We followed the recipe exactly. Julia gives very specific directions.

Our efforts paid off quite nicely, although we had enough to feed a large group. Fortunately, the freezer had room! (One step forward, two steps back.)

The carrots that are roasted with the stuffed cabbage and the accompanying tomato sauce flavored with sage really added the perfect touch to the meal.

It was good comfort food for a cold winter night.

We're dreaming about our trip to warmer climates! But, we're enjoying our days at home, too!

Please let this be over, now!

2010-11-28T10:29:00.000-06:00

I am a voracious reader. Reading was one of the activities I most anxiously anticipated when I headed into my retirement.

I peruse

best seller list to choose which books to reserve at the library.

Earlier this week, I stepped outside of my usual fiction genre to try a book about a post-apocalyptic vampire infested world. If an author is good and can draw me in, I am consumed by the story.

This morning, Paul said to me, "Why do you keep reading that book? You aren't enjoying it." Yikes!

Once I got past the fact he reads my mind, I agreed. What was I thinking?

I won't even watch a movie if I know it is the least bit scary or sad. I had read several hundred depressing and dismal pages. Enough. Back to my own little bubble.

New book today.

Why do people read that stuff?

Brother David

2010-11-24T10:15:00.000-06:00

Everybody should be so fortunate to have an older brother like mine. My brother, David, was my hero when we were kids. I was so proud to be his sister. I even kept a scrapbook of all of his basketball games when we were in high school. He worked hard for my Dad and was the ultimate role model to my four younger brothers. He is truly a good person. Dave and my sister-in-law, Rosie, have faced incredible sadness through the death of their precious son, Christopher. We all miss him so much. Yet, Dave and Rosie demonstrate to our family how to be strong and to look forward to live a good life. My brother continues to be a role model to all of us.

They have many blessings. Last Saturday we were able to enjoy those blessings with Dave and Rosie. It was Dave's 61st birthday. Their oldest daughter, Missy and her husband, Zuel, who live in Fargo, had a baby girl three weeks ago. They were there that evening with their newborn.

Her name is Edythe. Quite honestly, she is perfect! I held her that evening for a long time and she filled my heart with happiness.

Dave and Rosie's daughter, Jessica, and her husband, James, also live in Fargo. They were at Dave's Saturday evening as well.

They have two daughters. Meredith, who is a very bright two year old.

And sweet Lila, born last February. We had never met Lila. Another joyous moment in my life!

Also there to share in the celebration was Jessica's twin, Jennifer, and her husband, Eric, who live in Virginia.

Their son, Broderick, was also born last February. He is a beautiful and bright little boy. We had not met Broderick, either. Another happy moment in my life!

Three beautiful daughters with great husbands and four beautiful grandchildren. And they all were there for Dave's birthday. Rosie had a table full of food to keep the party going. She is a loving grandmother!

And, to make it an even greater evening, six of our eight siblings were together. Fun, fun, fun! I don't remember the last time we were together on Dave's birthday. Maybe 1966? Too long. We missed Beth and Kent, as they are in sunny Florida.

Jessica and Jennifer hosted a huge shower the next day for baby Edythe and Melissa. Ede sailed through all of the festivities like a true pro. Maybe next summer she will help her dad be "Superfan" at a Saints game!!!

Everyone needs a hero. I am lucky to have one in my life! Happy Birthday, Dave. And Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Love you!

2010-11-17T22:56:00.000-06:00

Shrimp Jambalaya

2010-11-14T19:08:00.000-06:00

Today was a very quiet day at the ranch.

We started a fire in the wood stove this morning and kept it going while Paul watched football.

I made shrimp jambalaya for dinner. Yum! Paul said, "Let's have this in Florida this winter."

Beth and Gary, plan on joining us! Anybody else? We'll play rummy after dinner.

First Snowfall

2010-11-13T09:48:00.001-06:00

Our world changed overnight.

There's something about the first snowfall.

Feeling Secure

2010-11-11T10:02:00.000-06:00

Paul and I decided we weren't feeling very secure

leaving our home in the winter in case we had furnace trouble and had to deal with the results.

One thing led to another and before we knew it, we had a brand new cellular security system installed, turning our house into a fortress.

Touch something around this place inside or out when this system is engaged and expect to have your ears blasted. They installed horns that will be heard throughout Dakota County.

Make one wrong move and you'll set off a motion detector.

With a touch of a button, we can have an ambulance,

fire engine

and police cars

at our house in minutes.

I think we are

Peaceful sleep here at the Geier ranch.

I'm dreaming of hitting the road

because now I know our pipes are safe!

Julia Night Continued

2010-11-08T10:48:00.001-06:00

I wanted to share some recipes from our Julia Night dinner, but my recipe site had some problems yesterday.

After several communications to report bugs to their tech support, everything appeared to be back to "normal" and both of my online collections were back around 11:15 last night.

Thankfully, it was "fall back" day and I didn't have to leave the house this morning for work!

Now, where was I? Oh yes, in a French state of mind.

I wanted to share some recipes we featured in Saturday evening's menu.

Our appetizer course featured a variety of olives, French cheese and gourgés, which are cheese puffs. I found the recipe on Epicurious. Definitely a keeper!

When people were seated, we served a warm squash salad.

Suzanne gave me the recipe and it is one I will be using again and again! For our French dinner, we substituted rouquefort for the stilton. Yum!

Our main course was Julia's Beef Bourguignon, a mashed potato casserole and green beans done according to Ms.Child.

Julia and Simone specified to use rump roast to prepare the dish, so I ordered mine from my favorite butcher and was not disappointed! I had made the beef and potato dishes the week before when our friends, Bob and Peggy and Jayne and Tom came for dinner. I made a few mistakes my first attempt, so knew what needed to be done differently my second time around. Practice, practice, practice!

For dessert, Lisa prepared a wonderful chocolate mousse. I hope she got some pictures! With a cup of coffee, it was a perfect finish to the meal.

I'm already thinking about next year's menu. Lisa is going to France this winter. I know she'll come back with some ideas!

We are having a security system installed in our house today. Getting ready to travel!