Bow Wow Wow!
"I've been a bad puppy.
I can't come out and play today."
How much for this doggie in the window? Maybe it was bring your pooch to work day here. VIA, in our old Portland Public Library, might be one of these new places filled with millennials that encourages bringing your canine companion to work each and every day to improve the work environment. I hung around about 10 minutes watching the snow fall, and he watching me. His expression never changed. Kind of sad. I think he really wanted to run down the stairs, get outside and frolic in the falling whiteness. Maybe that expression is more of a confused stare. You see he might have heard, as I did yesterday, that the state is considering selecting a state dog, and that his canine cousin, the Labrador Retriever, might have the inside track.
A state dog?
Really?
Jealous of the Maine Coon Cat?
Really?
Good friends, Alan and Sylvia are Cardinals. Ian and Sylvia are not. BC in the Big Lou is a Redbird fan tried and true. I am not. Our two cardinals spent the day with us during the storm. Here the male is hanging in there against quite a few odds. They like the suet and the seeds that the chickadees throw all over the place. Gosh, those little birds are messy. The feeders and suet were busy all day. The worse the weather the more activity. The day of the storm loads of restaurants and coffee shops all over the city closed early for the day. Birdman's drive-thru feeders were open for business. The US Postal Service thrives on the motto "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."
Guess what?
During Tuesday's storm, the mail was brought to its knees.
They ceased deliveries here.
But not my feeders.
Will you take peanut butter on that suet?
Coffee or tea?
For all you guessers out there. The snowpocalypse is over! The final total was 30 inches in our country town. It's gotta be over, because many surfers have taken to Higgins Beach to tackle the big waves the storm brought to us. Yes, some do surf year round here on the various beaches. Came across this lobster boat ready to head out the other day in a little snow. It was docked at the Maine Wharf.
Question for the world out there---
If there are items called lobster buoys in the fishing industry, are their such things as lobster girls?
I had to occupy my time somehow during the Blizzard of 2015.
Didn't I?
Well, I wasn't going to 'hang 10'.
Surf's up!
Monday with the blizzard on our doorstep, everyone in the state was asked to stay indoors and off the roads to facilitate emergency vehicles and the plow trucks. Most obliged. The first of the trucks came over our hill at about 4 AM and continued for the entire day. I'd say it made about 15 passes by the house until about 9 PM and counting. Basically around these parts, they are calling it a cold weather hurricane. All day there were but a few sounds: TV weather reports blaring in the den, the rumbling of plows passing the house, and the non-stop howling of the wind. I must say, I've witnessed blizzards through my youth and right up until the big one that dropped 34.5 inches in 2013, but I don't think I've ever observed a Big Blow like all day yesterday. Sitting in the kitchen, next to the woodstove that was fully loaded, the wind was just howling down the chimney and the driveway was truly a classic whiteout all afternoon.
The cleanup begins this morning.
All schools are closed again.
By late afternoon yesterday, my guesstimate was 18-20 inches.
Still snowing.
Final total?
Are you a good guesser?
* This is a photograph of one of the many plow trips past our house yesterday. Front door open amid snow and wind.
Click!
It's the Blizzard of 2015!
*Deering Oaks in an afternoon snow.
Here's your vocabulary lesson for the today.
Crippling.
Catastrophic.
Death.
Violent.
Ya, we're being pounded.
Harmful.
Costly.
Misfortune.
Momentous.
Deplorable.
Calamity.
Dire.
Disastrous.
Local weather reports have been using all of these words since yesterday to help prepare us for this snow.
Blockbuster.
Ruinous.
Woeful.
Harmful.
Tragic.
Devastating.
Heartbreaking.
However, this morning the estimates of snow accumulation have been reduced a bit. The Blizzard of 2013 brought us somewhere in the vicinity of 31.5 inches out here. Things won't be that DIRE today and tomorrow, but the driving wind is the KILLER.
Anyway, we're a hearty bunch up here in the Northeast.
We'll survive.
But please pass the Thesaurus!
*If you came here today lookin' to find a moose crossing, you'll be disappointed.
Well, snow wasn't the only thing in town Saturday night. Ah, a certain Mr. Alan Jackson graced the city at the Cross Insurance Center. He brought along his "Keeping It Country Tour". No, I wasn't in attendance, but if someone had thrown me a last minute free ducat, I would have somehow found my way to the Spring Street site. Now, if it had been Dwight and his band of vagabonds, that would have been another story. Over the last few years every time his feet have hit somewhere in New England, I'm on a cruise, working or something else major is already in my plans. It'll happen. No, the my stetson probably won't accompany me. But I'll be there, someplace. His 2015 tour has already hit the road, and yes, I've checked out the tour itinerary. I'm really looking for a summer outdoor site, maybe under some stars.
I'll keep you posted.
"Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose"
Ducks yesterday.
Geese today?
Moose tomorrow?
Am I on some kind of bird kick? Waiting for my gaggle of geese. I'm going to be here awhile, I bet. Here we are mid-yesterday's storm in the Stroudwater section of the city on outer Congress Street and not a goose in sight. They have fled for the winter. We are still here hanging on.
Who's the smarter?
I must admit this is a useful sign during the summer. There can be lots of back and forth action here. I've seen them crossing many times. On the other hand, out our way there's a moose crossing sign. I've never seen one there, ever.
That said, I'll probably hit one tonight.
Look out, Bullwinkle!
There are lots of things to find 'alive' at a cemetery. The other afternoon at Evergreen, as the sun began its creep behind the tall pines, I came upon some open water at one of the small ponds and a bunch of ducks paddling about. Now, while a group of ducks in flight is called a flock, on water or land they can be referred to as a brace, a raft, a team, a flock or even a paddling. That last one is pretty cool, a paddling! As some of you might know, I worked at this cemetery summers through my high school and college years. One my jobs, while riding shotgun with the cemetery foreman Herbie, was feeding the ducks. During the summer months, the city would drag out to the island on the big pond a duckhouse and release a paddling of white ducks, about 20 or so. They needed food each day, and that's where I came in. I'd load up two buckets of duck food stored in the shed, and we'd head out to the pond. There were a few wild ducks like these that got to the food, but summers they were mostly of the white variety. When I drove up the other day, they were all huddled about on the water, but hurriedly made a bee-line for my truck as soon as I stopped.
They must have recognized me.
Their approach was loud and vigorous.
Without food, there was no way I was stepping onto that snow.
Just Ducky!
Early evening at Rocky Hill.
I've been thinking. Yes, I do that from time to time. Come February 1st, the theme for that day is something along this: If you left your city and never could return, what would you miss the most? I'm undecided at the moment, but I do know it'll be something in the natural world. The city is just chock full of pieces of mother nature's handiwork. For example, my photograph today is of the backside of Rocky Hill in snow. On the other side are some sheer cliffs that drop off precipitously. Unless you live nearby, most people probably have no idea that wonder spots like this one lurk close around us.
Search and ye shall be rewarded.
Last weekend it was me alone with the cats. Elenka left Thursday night for a extra long weekend with her Mom in Florida. It was kind of cool there but not as frigid as here in the North. Saturday morning, I awoke to -5°F and this frosty greeting on the family room window. It was cold, but not as cold as the previous week when Weather.com had us at -20°F with a wind chill reading of -34°F. If you've never been in cold like that, I'll just say that, in my book, once it hits 0°F all bets are off. If the wind's not blowing, it makes no difference to me. I can't tell one below zero temperature from another.
Never could.
Never will.
My advice?
Just grin and bear it.
Oh, and enjoy the frosty designs on your windows.
You can scratch your name in it for added fun.
Here's one of my old haunts in a little new snow: the Corner. These tracks run along the back of Bell Street. I had two different paper routes in this area. One was an afternoon route delivering the now defunct Portland Evening Express. I had it for about 5 years. I had about 75 stops and was constantly trying to set my 'personal best' for speed. With my bike, I was pretty good. I can't remember the exact time, but I do remember one afternoon, the planets were aligned, and I finished somewhere around 50 minutes. I could be speed crazy. When I started high school, I picked up another small route for about a year and a half. I delivered the Portland Press Herald in the morning to about 60 customers in the same general area around Morrill's Corner. The N.T. Fox Company used to have quite an expansive set of buildings in a large mill in the area of that chimney, now the site of the Portland Boxing Club. These tracks used to be for high speed freights heading back and forth to Canada, probably about 10 a day. Now, all you might see on them is a work engine and a couple of cars 'playing around'.
Papers and choo choo trains: sights and sounds of days gone.
All Aboard.
Remember playing Dot to Dot as a kid? I think every Christmas Santa brought me a Dot to Dot puzzle book. They were great fun. Still talking dots, fast forward to WeekiWachee Springs, a unique water park, in Springhill right off Highway 19. We took J- there many times to enjoy the aspects of this waterpark like Buccaneer Bay, the Lazy River, the large waterslide and much more. Why am I going here? Well, it was the first place that I ever saw Dots. Dippin' Dots that is. Ice cream in the form of little colored dots. J- loved them. Me? I'm a big Dairy Queen guy. A soft ice cream lover for sure. Taking a walk yesterday, I came across this walkway covered with dots. Not ice cream, but some ice melting product in little dots scattered to melt what the freezing rain, of the night before, had brought us. They caught my eye and took me back to waterpark fun.
Ice. Fun. Sun.
Together again.
Visiting WeekiWachee Springs was always a fun day.
By the way, they have live mermaids swimming in a huge tank.
You can watch them in the underwater theater.
So forget the dipping' dots.
Bring on the mermaids!
I've been wrong?
How can that be?
What we are looking at in this image is an estuary that I have always called Back Bay. My old high school overlooks it, seen here in the distance, and for many of my formative years, I lived overlooking it. How could I be this much out of the loop? Let me try this again. What you are looking at here is Back Cove. It is on the northern end of the city, and Baxter Boulevard circles it, as does a popular loop walking trail. At low tide, the area in view is a tidal mud flat of about a mile in diameter. At one time, I believe, raw sewage from the city flowed into this are and created quite an aromatic 'delight'. Thankfully those days are long gone.
Back Bay?
It won't happen again.
I'm sorry for any false information I have ever passed along.
"Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa"
Top of the hill.
It's all downhill from here.
Yippeeee!
WinterKids is a program that's been around for quite a few years now. It introduces young kids, many new to Maine through the Refugee Resettlement Program in Portland, to the excitement of getting outdoors in winter, with a goal of developing a lifelong enjoyment of the season. Yesterday's Winter Festival at Payson Park was sort of a kick-off of the program. If numbers of people on the hill was a testament, sledding down the Payson hill, with a bunch of moguls built in, was certainly the most popular activity, but snowshoeing demonstrations and ice skating at the pond, where, yes, they even had a fire to keep your hands and feet warm were available as well. Throughout the winter, there are events scattered across the state for local communities to be exposed to the enjoyment of winter in Maine. Kids in grades 5-7 can even get a WinterKids Passport, which provides free or discounted equipment and opportunities at sponsored events across the state.
I wish there was something like this for me, back when.
I might have taken skiing much more seriously.
Seriously?
*Go Patriots!
These icicles were captured dripping at our Holiday Inn: By the Bay Portland.
Cold January days like today were made for sleds and ice skates. There never was a long, icy hill that my sled didn't fall in love with. And as for my skating, I especially enjoyed the Allen's Corner rink. It was big. There was plenty of room for ice hockey games, games of red rover on skates, 'the whip' or my favorite pastime: chasing good looking high school girls in their white skates. These days my love of ice pretty much just extends to the ice machine at hotels or our ice cube tray and some concoction I've thrown together on a warm summer afternoon on the deck. On days like today, I've got my eyes peeled for any large chunks of ice that might be in the mood of falling from buildings.
Getting a 'header' by one of these might signal less 'ice time' on the deck in 5 months or so.
That wouldn't be a good at all.
This sort of looks like a 'ghost street', but it's not. Just caught on an early, lazy Sunday morning. It's is a look up Fore Street. The New Hampshire granite building seen in the distance is the United States Customhouse. Built in 1868 by Alfred B. Mullett using the Renaissance Revival and Second Empire styles (whatever that is), it stands as a testament to Portland's long maritime history. One of my favorite restaurants in the city is situated first on the left here Fore Street and across the street is the Hub Furniture building. It's claim to fame? I think it has had a 'going out of business' sale for close to 40 years! I've been in it twice. Once with Dad way back, looking for God knows what, and another time with Elenka a few years back on a quest for a couch. The inside is frozen in time. It's the building that 'time forgot'. It's a museum.
A sale lasting about 40 years?
Now, that's an amazing feat.
In my collegiate years, on a limited budget, Boone's Farm Strawberry Fields and Ripple often were my beverages of choice. A far cry from this 'ripple' here. Rippleffect is an outdoor, educational, leadership program for kids ages 12-18. The sailing program is based here along the waterfront. Although I grew up in Portland 'on the water', sadly I've spent but few hours in my life actually upon the water. I've been sailing a small number of times, and each time found it invigorating and quite fun but confusing as ever. If I'm on the high seas these days, cruising on a big ship is where I want to be.
My 'rippleffect'?
Does a banging headache about 12 hours after indulging count?
It's coming to town.
Run away?
Sure, there were times the thought of the excitement of it ran across my mind growing up. But the circus? I think not. It never entered my mind. Running away to join the circus that is. I must admit though that there were those crazy days on Stevens Avenue where Dad offered it as a legitimate career choice for me."What? You're kidding me right?" He wasn't laughing. Remember: mischief had a way of finding me. At least now, I wouldn't have to travel far, and if I didn't like it, Dad would probably take me back. Yes, believe it or not the circus has come to town. Not the Ringling Brothers, not the Big Apple, not the Cole Bros., not Barnum Bailey, but CircusAtlantic. Never heard of it? Neither have I, but they have started offering courses in a warehouse at Thompson's Point.
Riding a unicycle across a highwire?
Tumbling on a trampoline?
Working on a trapeze?
Doing a little juggling?
Really?
I was thinking more on the lines of a clown.
This is Thompson's Point caught in an early morning sunrise Sunday. The Point is a small hunk of land that sticks out into the Fore River. Its major claim, in my life, is that it was the sight of my last Little League game ever. I played in an All Star game situated on a field right along the water. My Little League 3 team lost. Over the last year or so there has been a lot of 'talk', big plans for the city to develop this valuable piece of real estate. I've heard hotel complex, convention site, outdoor summer concert facility, and even an updated basketball arena for our D-League team the Red Claws. So far the only building that has gone up has been this roofed-over framework, that I think might have been a site for a couple of concerts this past summer and maybe a beer fest.
So far, lots of rumors.
Little fruition.
Talk is cheap.
Development isn't.
As they say, you can't have it both ways. You either get the stunning view of Casco Bay in all its seasonal glory or this look at some of the grand housing along Eastern Prom. These Promenade homes have some magnificent panoramic water views. To tell you the truth, yesterday morning my Nikon and I were kind of pulled towards this line of benches in the sunshine braving the icy breeze. They have been newly added to the crest of the hill just above the bandstand. It's a nice place to sit and do a bit of dreaming, but I think I'll wait and try them out in July listening to one of the evening concerts.
If you're taking a seat in this sun, bundle up.
That's not a gentle, warm, summer breeze a blowin'.
I stopped into Longfellow Books last night. They bill themselves as a 'fiercely independent community bookstore'. They are one of the last local bookstores holding out against the Amazons of the world. It's located at Monument Square, and it was packed with parents and kids. You couldn't tell that from this photo. This room was so quiet with everyone thoroughly engrossed in their reading. These two fellers, in this comfy couch, have launched themselves into a world of their own. They remind me so much of my years sneaking away to the Burbank Branch Library at the bottom of Pleasant Avenue. It didn't have an overstuffed couch like this, but the books were enough to take me away. I especially enjoyed taking my bike there on Thursday evenings. The library was open to 7:30 PM, and I could use the light on my bike to get me there and back. It was adventurous. It was another time. I remember I was really into Robb White novels set at Annapolis. Midshipman Lee of the Naval Academy, The Lion's Paw and Up Periscope are three that I remember reading. We played army a lot in the summer, and I got a lot of ideas to use reading these fictional adventures. Buddy and I even used our flashlights to signal back and forth between our houses. We did lots of these clandestine operations at night.
It was another time.
As a matter of fact, if this couch was there amid all the books, I might still be there.
I milked my imagination as much as I could.
Down time.
We all need it.
Time that we can just kickback and maybe just wait for the next onslaught to hit. When Slugger, the Portland Sea Dogs' mascot, hits the road in the off season, he ends up doing a lot of hugging, waving and mugging for the camera. Yesterday, he visited Bonny Eagle Middle School promoting the "Slugger Reading Challenge" on behalf of the Portland Sea Dogs. He was up early and ready for middle schoolers at 7 AM. Here he rests and waits for the 'friendly assault' coming around the corner. I guess it wasn't a case of 'letting THIS sleeping dog lie' yesterday.
So next question- So what's sea dog anyway?
A very experienced sailor?
A seal or a similar marine mammal?
A mythical beast-like dog with fins, webbed feet and scaly tail?
A minor league baseball player?
There were lots of questions like these when the name was selected in 1994.
http://www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t546
Some golden years.
My latest effort in creating a domicile for my fine feathered friends is seen here. I try to put up a couple of new ones each year. This one got painted gold for no reason other than it was the first can of paint I came across in my search for a different color. Most of the housing around the yard is picked up each fall, but others like this one are permanently attached. I've got a couple up around the garden on posts that will certainly need some attention come spring. Yes, after yesterday blast of frigid temperatures, I'm contemplating May right now. Maybe even a sojourn to a couple of beaches around Daytona come April.
Please pass the sunscreen.
"It's gold, Jerry. Gold."
This ain't funny!
It's cold, baby!
Outside my country kitchen window at 5:30 AM, the temperature reads -20°F as I type these words. Add in a little breeze, and they are saying it feels like an almost tropical -34°F. The high today will reach a balmy 15°F. I'm not braggin', but that's a bit cold, even for us up here in our corner of the world. This autumn sedum that flowers and keeps the birdbath company all summer through, wants no part of this snow and frigid temps. Right here right now, any thoughts of spring and summer heat are hard to conjure up, and I have a pretty good memory. But we're a hearty bunch up here in New England. Luckily, this 'blast' will last just a day, then life will get back to a normal January day tomorrow, with my outside thermometer reading about 32° for the high.
Got to get up and face this day?
Warm the car.
Bundle up.
Grab that scarf.
Where's my mad bomber winter hat?
Oh, and no school in Portland today... the Cold and bus issues.
Tasty treats must be hidden here. Every winter morning when I head out early, I'm always hearing the calliope of the rat-ta-tat-tat of all the peckerheads in the trees surrounding our house. They are not partial, it seems, either. Maples, pines, apples are all in play. There are quite a few that visit my feeders. They love the suet I hang out for them.
Back in third grade, I got pretty good at drawing Woody Woodpecker. I loved that cartoon. I'd do sketches of him on every piece of scrap paper I could get my hands on. Sister Ardmarabalis was not too impressed at my efforts. She wanted me more focused on the pages in the latest issue of "My Weekly Reader". I thought perhaps I could make small cash from my friends drawing Woody and some of my other cartoon friends. Now, I lay this all at the 'hand' of John Gnagy, the TV artist, and that "Learn to Draw" kit that I got from Santa that year. Needless to say, I'm not pounding away at my art any longer, but the woodpeckers are relentless.
They've got to be doing some damage to these trees.
Always the refrain is "Rat-Ta-Tat-Tat...
Don't be a peckerhead!
Hair! Hair!
Hair on the head can make you unique in a strange sort of way. These days shaved heads seem to be a dime a dozen or less. Not unique in my book. Hair has always been a thing for me. At my age to wear it the way I do can often lead to questions. Why? Why? Why? My answer, simply put is, "It's me". But really, when I trace the bloodlines back, there's one that's pretty strong that trickles back to those British Invasion bands of the 60's and another would take you back to Adam's Barber Shop on Stevens Avenue. One year, heading back to college, Dad told me that the hair had to go and he sent me right across the street to Adam's. I delayed it as long as I could but eventually sat in the chair. Maybe my Dad had spoken to him in advance and passed the word to 'take it off'. All I know is he strapped me in and asked what I wanted done. I recall saying, "Just a little trim, leave it pretty long." The next ten minutes or so went like this: there were smiles, buzzing sounds, clipping, laughter and words spoken in Italian exchanged, and I was about bald! As I walked out of the shop, I uttered a curse to the sky and said to myself, "Never again, you bastard!" And true to my word, I have NEVER stepped into a barber shop since.
His humor cost the barbers of the world a lot of pay days.
He was oblivious then.
Gone now.
"Just a little off the sides, please."
I remember wading through deep bushes as a kid, after after a thorough blanket of ice had laden the trees making them sag to the ground. It always sounded like I was being chased by about 20 of those cartoon skeletons. Clickety- clack, clickety-clack. That thought came to me yesterday as I investigated the scene near our garden. As the wind blew, it echoed... Clickety- clack, clickety-clack. We got some wintry mix, but for the most part the rain stayed south of us as did the temperatures that were suppose to reach 45° F. As a kid, mornings after a snowfall were always fun-filled, but an ice storm with all the sheer glass cover always brought the sleds out.
And that always led to memorable times.
Streaking on the ice paths all the way across Gullivers.
Oh, but I hated the trudge back up that hill.
We had fingers crossed yesterday afternoon. My cousin Jane and husband Charlie from New Jersey have been staying at their farm in Lisbon this week, as they monitored a pretty significant logging operation in the rear acres. We invited them mid-week, along with Annie's Mom and Marchin, to join us last evening, but the weather forecast put the festivities in jeopardy. Long story short, we moved up the arrival time by an hour, and the snow held off a bit. They left about 8 PM in a light, but steady snow. We had a wonderful time. The food (ham) was delicious. No, I didn't cook the meal. Elenka maned the stove for the main meal and appetizers. I made dessert, a marble-rum cake with a sop sauce, that I 'stole' from fellow blogger Michelle of "It's a Small Town Life" http://itsasmalltownlife.blogspot.com/. The house, still decorated for the holidays, was filled with enchanting lights. This morning we woke to 5 inches of snow and an icy mix falling. As I mentioned yesterday, snow and ice I can handle, but with a Sunday forecast of a steady rain and below freezing temps, this had a chance of not being a snowblower- friendly event. In a little bit of drizzle making a crusty snow, the deed was done in about an hour. I took a walk in the backyard and took 90 photographs documenting the snow and ice.
Here's one.
An icy ornament still hanging.
2015 Christmas card?
Maybe.
Need help predicting the future?
Let me pull out my crystal ball for a moment and take a quick glance. Wow! "Romper, bomper, stomper boo. Tell me , tell me, do. I see Michelle and Sharon and Lowell and Jack. I see Kate and Yelena and Malyss and Stefan too." Wait a minute wrong device. Whoops! That's my Romper Room magic mirror from way back. Here we go. Now we're in business. Here's my faithful glass ball. Let's see. What does it show in my future? Ah, anywheres from 4-8 inches headed this way tonight. That's the latest forecast. Starting after 7PM and extending until midnight, then changing over to maybe ice and freezing rain. Yuk! The last part of the prediction concerns me the most. You see, for any novices out there, snowblowers are great for all types of snow. Mine can handle handle anything up to say 12-14 inches, but throw in rain and all bets are off. These 'blowing machines' have big issues with slush. Our driveway tilts downhill a bit, and this is where the trouble lies. Slush and water build up at the bottom by the road and become an issue. I'll probably be up and out early attempting to beat the rain. I could throw caution to the wind, not blow and run my truck up and down ten times or so. I've taken this tact before; however, if a cold stretch hits the driveway will be rutted for weeks maybe. Then when it snows again and the ruts are still there... well. So you see my dilemma. Sticky, white snowcover makes for a winter wonderland, postcard event like in today's image, but often it wreaks havoc with snow removal.
Let me take another look at that ball.
Is there a mighty Ram pickup and a Fisher plow in my future?
Didn't think so.
More secrets revealed today.
So, one resolve that Elenka has for me in 2015 is to learn to cook? On New Years Eve, we were invited to friends' Alan and Sylvia's home for a dinner of tuna steaks, dipped in various spices and then pan-seared and a delicious salad of red potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, lettuce, olives, hard boiled eggs and more. Cooking, you see, is a bit scary for me; however, I do enjoy watching others do the deed. I enjoy viewing the Food Network too. Please don't ask me why. I couldn't give you an honest answer. Maybe it's because working in the kitchen seems so alien to me, and besides my culinary efforts would pale along side Elenka's work at the stove. My favorite shows that get my attention are "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" with Guy somebody, "The Barefoot Contessa" and "Giada at Home" with Giada De Laurentiis filling up my TV screen... and oh, she cooks too? What do ya know. Her outfits are mighty fine too! But really, all of them make cooking look so damn easy. They make it look like I could do it. The challenges for me would be getting all the supplies and ingredients together and then coordinating when everything should be cooking. That and having a 'master' chef lurking over my shoulder. Ah, but I refuse to be lulled into that evil trap. But you know maybe I will tip-toe into doing a little work in the kitchen this winter. It's worth the risk. If I do, it'll be documented for sure.
By the way, just an aside.
Did you hear that Giada and her husband have gone split-ville?
Thought you'd like this bit of food trivia.
Delicious!
Anyone else secretly watch these shows?
... and wants to admit it?
Welcome 2015!
Here we go again. It's the first of the month and time for Theme Day across the world-wide CDPB (citydailyphotoblog) community. I always find 'photo of the year' to be like answering the the question: so of all your children who's your favorite? It's always a hard task for me. Someone, please go through my 365 latest and pick one... anyone. Well, here goes. I'm picking one from last January of the Eastern Prom caught in the lull of a storm. Bare tree, storm-laced gray sky and this bench overlooking Casco Bay. There, my work is done.
Resolutions this year?
Playing it close to the vest.
One though, I'll reveal.
Plan to keep posting here, everyday.
I haven't missed a day since December 31, 2008.
Keep on, keeping on.
