tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33222191068102680432024-03-19T01:06:20.494-04:00Cape BloggerLife is Good in Beautiful Cape St. Claire, MDChristyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.comBlogger119125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322219106810268043.post-65770233304059953332012-03-01T11:38:00.000-05:002012-03-01T11:38:01.182-05:00Cape Photo of the DayI am going to start a new Cape Blogger feature called Cape Photo of the Day. I will probably just post it to the Cape Blogger Facebook page to keep it simple, but I will also try to add them to the Cape Blogger website under the Cape Photos tab. My goal is to get a picture from somewhere in the Cape each day just to share images of the place we live. I'm not typically good with routines or consistency, so I can't promise this is going to fly, but I like the idea. Plus, I have a fancy new camera that I need to put to good use and learn how to operate. I will use my blog as a testbed.<br />
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Feel free to post/share any images you have of the Cape to the Cape Blogger Facebook page, as well, or e-mail them to me if you prefer (<a href="mailto:cape-blogger@comcast.net">cape-blogger@comcast.net</a>). I will post them on the Cape Blogger Photos page and credit them to you. Maybe at the end of the week or month, we will pick a Cape photo of the Week (or Month). Whatever. Let's just see how it goes.<br />
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For my first installment, I shot the picture below with my phone camera on my way back from the gym this AM around 6:45. So much for putting the new fancy camera to use. I saw an interview on TV with famed photographer Annie Leibovitz, and the interviewer asked her what camera she recommended for the aspiring photographer. She pulled her iPhone out of her pocket and said she was pretty fond of it because it was handy. She said the best camera is the one that you have with you.<br />
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Anyway, the photo is not technically in the Cape but on College Parkway before turning onto Green Holly. The sun was just coming up beyond the tree line in Broadneck Park, and the school buses were delivering kids to Broadneck High for the day, both ahead of me and behind me in the turn lane. The sun was huge coming up behind the trees, and the morning fog had not entirely lifted. We were stopped waiting for the light to turn, so I did not take the picture while in motion, I swear. I liked the idea of all us Capers starting out the day in our different ways but from the same place.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cape Photo of the Day #1 - March 1, 2012</td></tr>
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I considered lightening up the exposure with a photo editor, but when I did, the sun lost some of its glow, and I kind of liked the shining stars on the back of the bus against the shadowy background - symbolic of what's inside. I'm not going for professional quality with these photos - just Cape scenes that we all know and love.<br />
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Please comment as you like (be gentle) and share your own photos if you will. Let's say the theme is simply Life in the Cape, or as the banner of my blog puts it, Life is Good in Beautiful Cape St. Claire, MD.Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322219106810268043.post-49353541107106298392012-01-31T14:28:00.000-05:002012-01-31T15:12:50.875-05:00The Pit of My YouthTo paraphrase the title of Erma Bombeck's 1978 book:<br />
<br />
If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, How Did We Get Stuck with the Pit...<br />
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When I was thirteen years old and a 7th grader at Willis Jepson Junior High back in 1978, my path home from school took me past a short set of concrete steps walled in on three sides by a resident's privacy fence. The three or four stairs led up to a gate allowing access to a backyard. I never saw anyone come and go through the gate. Instead, the alcove of secluded stairs was appropriated as a hangout for a group of junior high kids (7th - 9th grade at my school) known as the "stoners".<br />
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The alcove was a couple of blocks away from school, close enough for a convenient gathering spot but out of eyesight of the faculty and administration Just about any time of day from a half hour before school until an hour or so after, you would find an assembly ranging in size from one or two kids to a dozen, shrouded in a cloud of smoke. They dressed alike in dark colors and flannel, and had words in their vocabulary that were as ugly to me then as they are now.<br />
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I always gave the "stoner steps" a wide berth and avoided any form of eye contact. I had no desire to engage this clique (OK, more of a "gang" than "clique"). My goal was to pass by twice daily without incident. Their world held no intrigue or appeal for me. I realize now they were drawn together by the common need of most teenagers - the need to belong to a group and have friends with shared interests. It just happens that their interests as far as I could tell were cutting class and smoking.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Site of the old "stoner steps". The alcove has been fenced <br />
over - perhaps to discourage gatherings - but a gate remains.</td></tr>
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The ring leader of the Jepson stoners during my 7th grade year was a 9th grader by the name of Trudy Outlaw (I kid you not). Trudy was in appearance a taller, female version of say Shaun White with none of the charm or appeal of the "Flying Tomato". Maybe Danny Bonaduce is a better comparison. She was one of the most truly frightening people I knew or have known since. She was typically perched at the head of the steps, but if you encountered her on foot, she was easily a lanky 5'10" towering over her cowering victims with that flaming red hair and a perpetual sneer.<br />
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As I said, my goal each morning and afternoon was to pass by as unnoticed as possible. My best friend, Jackie, was usually by my side as we walked the gauntlet. Unlike me, however, Jackie did not shy away from confrontation. The strength of our long friendship was grounded in her daring and adventurous spirit countered by my more mild-mannered and cautious nature. This was ever our dynamic, and it generally served us both well.<br />
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As the school year advanced, Jackie became increasingly bold and began to let her distaste for the "stoners" show. She quit veering out into the street and walked the sidewalk directly in front of the "stoner steps". She would make a show of her disapproval with a smirk, or derisive laugh, or exaggerated coughing from the smoke. Typically, the inhabitants of the "stoner steps" were too engaged in their own extracurricular activities to take notice of a couple of do-gooder 7th graders, but I lived in fear of the day Jackie would attract their attention and wrath.<br />
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Well, the day finally came when that fear was realized. It was inevitable, of course, and frankly what my friend was going for all along. While I was happy to pass by in anonymity, Jackie was not content to make concessions to "stoner turf" and to enjoy safe passage only at their pleasure. She wanted it known that she would not be intimidated and that their variety of cool was anything but.<br />
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The encounter played out something like this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Jackie (<i>passing by the steps with a sideways glance to the stoner crew):</i><br />
<i>"Ughh, my clothes are going to smell like smoke again.</i>"<br />
Trudy (<i>rising from her perch as my terror rose right along with her)</i>:<br />
"Did you say something?"<br />
Jackie (<i>exaggeratedly coughing</i>):<br />
"No, I couldn't talk from all the smoke."<br />
Trudy (<i>now directly in front of Jackie blocking her path staring down at her menacingly - me trying to stay at my friend's side and resist the urge to run for my life</i>):<br />
"You @#$$@#%@!^#@&"</blockquote>
Those choice few words from Trudy were the end of any dialogue. Jackie gave Trudy an unimpressed look and then attempted to follow my lead and move on by. Trudy would have none of it, though. Before Jackie stepped away, Trudy reached back and forcefully slapped Jackie across the face. I believe it's charmingly referred to these days as being "bitch slapped".<br />
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I think we all guessed what Trudy was capable of, but the slap was utterly unexpected - a violent flash of uncontrolled anger. Everyone stood there in shocked silence with their mouths agape - even the stoner crowd - as the audible smack of the hand to face contact echoed against the fence and pavement. Everyone, that is, except Jackie. I don't think she even flinched as the blow landed - keeping unbroken eye contact with Trudy. She gazed back at Trudy with a hint of the defiant smirk still on her face, cheek turning as red as Trudy's hair, as if to say, "That's great, but I don't play that game."<br />
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While Jackie had not shown the sense to avoid this encounter and was playing a game of her own, she did have the sense to turn the other cheek. After a moment in which I was not at all sure what would happen next, Trudy stepped aside and returned to her seat at the top of the nook looking a little stunned herself but trying to laugh it off. Although Ms. Outlaw had won the physical encounter, Jackie had won the psychological one.<br />
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I don't know, maybe it wasn't as dramatic as all that in reality, but that's how it was seared into my memory. My brash and fearless friend stared down the scariest person in our world and stood her ground to let it be known that she would not be intimidated. While I truly believe that the best course of action is to avoid such situations, I couldn't help but be impressed with the balls my friend showed that day (courage is not the right word as it implies a nobler cause).<br />
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Every generation of teenagers has their own version of this crowd of kids. In the case of Broadneck High and Cape St. Claire, it's "the pit". Much about "the pit" resembles the place I once knew as the "stoner steps". It's a place where kids gather and share their rough and tough personas, smoke illicitly obtained cigarettes, and generally act disrespectfully to anyone who engages them, of any age. They don't seem to have anywhere better to be or anyone to tell them that their behavior is unacceptable and doing them no favors.<br />
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The hanging out part is understandable. It's fun to see and be seen - to enjoy the freedom from the school day once the bell rings. It's the poor behavior and disrespect - for property, home owners, traffic, and passers by - that elevate this gathering to a level of nuisance exceeding what I knew as a kid. In the case of this past Friday - to a level of violence and serious injury.<br />
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Like my fellow Capers, I was acutely distressed at the news last Friday afternoon of a teenager that had to be medevaced to shock trauma following an altercation with another teenager at "the pit". A problem that has been tolerated too long came to an inevitable consequence. Upon hearing the initial reports, I was concerned first for my own high schooler and then for the young people involved, for the Capers who have to negotiate the corner of Southview and Chestnut Tree each day, for the families who live at that corner, and for the reputation of our school and community. Thankfully, the injuries sustained in the fight did not prove life-threatening, but damage has still been done on many levels for all involved.<br />
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Our fine community association, the CSCIA, has responded by setting up a meeting at the clubhouse on Monday, February 6th, at 7 PM to discuss the situation and a plan of action. Representatives from the Anne Arundel Police Department will attend, and Dr. Smith, the Principal of Broadneck High School, has also been invited. This is a valuable opportunity to address this problem in some kind of meaningful way. For the time being, a police presence has been assigned to the trouble area. I don't know if that's a practical long-term solution or even what we really want, but the status quo is not acceptable.<br />
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The fact that there will always be Trudy Outlaws and pit dwellers in our world does not make it OK for us to cop out with a "kids will be kids" mantra. We all deserve better - the kids and the community. I wish I could wave a magic parenting wand since somebody's clearly not getting the basic requirements of the job done - not that it's easy and I'm surely making my own mistakes. I'll get yelled at now for blaming parents for bad behavior. I'm really not sure, though, who else is responsible for a kid that glares at me and refuses to move out of the middle of the road so my car can pass...<br />
<br />
I don't know what ultimately became of Trudy Outlaw. I do know that she never made it to my high school. She was sent to the place that all "troubled" youth in my hometown ended up short of juvie - an alternative high school called Country High. Who knows, maybe they set her straight, and she's a happily married mother of cute little redheads who are good students and follow the rules. I sincerely hope so. I'm dubious, though - new generations of stoners and pit dwellers have to come from somewhere.<br />
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Please take the opportunity to talk to your kids about respect - for one another, for adults, for their teachers, for authority, and for their community - and then demonstrate what it means to earn respect so they know what it looks and feels like. Also, if you are able, come to the meeting on Monday ready to participate in a constructive discussion about solutions. It's in the best interest of all of us to find a way to keep the peace and make our neighborhood safer.<br />
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What are your thoughts on solutions to this pit of a problem? After-school police patrols? Later school day? Availability of more after-school activities/programs? Let me know what you think.<br />
<br />
---Cape BloggerChristyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322219106810268043.post-8983370650303851362011-11-07T16:04:00.000-05:002011-11-08T14:31:15.339-05:00Sewing, Sincerity, and Sexuality - The Inspiration and Humanity of Tim Gunn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's not typically my style to be a celebrity chaser. I am not easily starstruck or impressed with fame for the sake of fame. I enjoy following the tabloid headlines here and there, but the vast majority of what poses as celebrity these days is talentless, manufactured deadweight. Many so-called "stars" are nothing but money making machines for themselves and their sphere of hyenas with no connection of value to the real world (can you tell I'm maxed out on the Krapdashians?).<br />
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There are notable exceptions. The George Clooneys, Jolie-Pitts, Matt Damons, Sandra Bullocks, Paul Newmans, and Madonnas of the world seem to try to do their part. They put in time as spokespeople for this cause or that and throw significant chunks of their earnings at their charities of choice. They make some attempt to put their celebrity to good use. Some are misguided or perhaps just looking for a good photo op, but at least they show some capacity to be outward-thinking and make the effort to carve out normal lives for themselves.<br />
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I don't necessarily expect the rich and famous to head up behemoth charitable organizations or adopt a gazillion impoverished babies. It's certainly refreshing though to at least see them acting appropriately and exhibiting an awareness beyond the ten-foot bubble of fame that encapsulates them. I know there are challenges that come with the role. The media and fan-base fixation on them can be suffocating and even dangerous. Still, despite the difficulty creating a normal life, some of them manage to get the important stuff right, or at least as right as any of us can - home life, relationships, parenting, generosity, behavior. They take their craft seriously, work hard, and set an example worthy of our attention.<br />
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Recently, my daughter and I saw the signs up at Annapolis Mall that Tim Gunn of Project Runway fame would be visiting for a fashion show with the opportunity for fans to meet and be photographed with him. While we would not have blinked at most opportunities to get up-close with a celebrity (Bieber? - blech, Lindsay? - laughable, Snooki? - snasty), we both resolved that if possible, we would not miss this chance to get some face time with Tim Gunn, one of our very favorite TV personalities. We read the fine print and marked the date on our calendar.<br />
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My daughter and I are huge fans of the show Project Runway. Reality TV can be hit or miss - mostly miss - but I find a lot to appreciate about this particular show. First, host Heidi Klum is a celebrity who it appears to me gets it right. She is smart, funny, and most importantly, does not take herself too seriously despite being fabulously beautiful and successful. Her family life seems wholesome and healthy, and she presents as real and sincere.<br />
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I might wait in a line to meet Heidi Klum, although waiting for hours to get a picture with a supermodel might be rough on the ego. On Project Runway, I find her comments entertaining and insightful and honest. If I had to choose a celebrity's life to lead, it might be hers (not that I fantasize about that or anything, um... but come on, Seal for a hubby? Does not get any cooler than that - just saying'). Even so, I don't actually think I would wait for any significant length of time to meet her. While I'm impressed with her, it's not the same warm fuzzy I feel for Tim Gunn.<br />
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Second, I love the insight into the world of fashion and clothing design on Project Runway. I find the designers to be truly talented and creative, and I love watching them interpret the challenges into high fashion (or low fashion on occasion). Their work demonstrates that fine line between tasteful and trashy or just ordinary. They have created masterpieces of fashion from birdseed and trash bags, and they all have personal style out the yingyang.<br />
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Third, I just enjoy watching the sewing that goes on. I come from a family of very capable seamstresses including my Mom, her sister, and my great-grandmother on my father's side. Even my brother has been known to whip up a kilt for a friend in need of a costume and sew canvas awnings for his house. I can remember my Grandmama Mac sewing for me when I was a very little girl - sweet little smocked dresses and play clothes. Here is one of my earliest Grandmama Mac custom designer fashions:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White Easter dress.<br />
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My mother sewed on Grandmama's old Singer throughout my childhood. She made Easter dresses for me, the odd John John suit for my brother, and doll clothes for my Barbies. She made us matching mother-daughter outfits that were the height of 70s fashion (take that for what it is - I'm talking orange polyester jumpsuits and full length denim skirts that would have been right at home on the Brady Bunch). She also sewed all the linens, curtains, chair covers and quilts for my daughter's nursery.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom sewing in a hotel room I think?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom on the old Singer making terry cloth<br />
robes for the whole family for Xmas.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom doing her best Florence<br />
Henderson in a homemade maxi.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnyAdbJqkBMb0rwDFgPuwBkahev7uE0fDr1lOdV4qTYGKqslsbkqjr1e92riB_wouY7WGVYFi6xvdpLvtv8sOg7NHp_pHUQLNHDHLqhGanRI5KVEcnvF8WxkXPwAI_CvnJvLzeDpQA4N8/s1600/Scan+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnyAdbJqkBMb0rwDFgPuwBkahev7uE0fDr1lOdV4qTYGKqslsbkqjr1e92riB_wouY7WGVYFi6xvdpLvtv8sOg7NHp_pHUQLNHDHLqhGanRI5KVEcnvF8WxkXPwAI_CvnJvLzeDpQA4N8/s320/Scan+6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very short pink Easter dress made by Mom <br />
accessorized with some styling white sunglasses.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Again with the very short hemline! <br />
Mom made both of these outfits <br />
- venturing into menswear.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She was only responsible for mine here.<br />
Don't know if my brother is laughing at<br />
the thing on my head or his crazy outfit.</td></tr>
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My Aunt Joyce has been a seamstress by trade in the latter part of her life, and as a young woman, she made my mother's wedding dress. The dress is a true thing of beauty - creamy, dense, white satin with a perfect neckline and long sleeves the likes of which you would never see today in a world of endlessly repetitive strapless carbon copies. It is classic and elegant and simple in a way that rivals Grace Kelly's. Aunt Joyce also made the red brocade satin bridesmaids and flower girl dresses for the December 26th wedding which were my goto dress up outfits as a little girl.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNilsZ3oHBrbXKiN_9adzgIZVVpjatRiA4i4tdrgtGPckpMRa3ji3Ha9EhqZUljVSTSjn5ZpwBsrRkL6NNFVfza0NlIVoGIXnxqYWlk31QxlqronuCYW879eeRw6jaK3mPrD4LI6po7c/s1600/Wedding5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNilsZ3oHBrbXKiN_9adzgIZVVpjatRiA4i4tdrgtGPckpMRa3ji3Ha9EhqZUljVSTSjn5ZpwBsrRkL6NNFVfza0NlIVoGIXnxqYWlk31QxlqronuCYW879eeRw6jaK3mPrD4LI6po7c/s640/Wedding5.jpg" width="520" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom and Dad on their wedding day. Designer<br />
Aunt Joyce just over Mom's right shoulder.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me dressed up in the red brocade.</td></tr>
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Whoa, getting sidetracked... Fourth, and most importantly, we love to watch Project Runway because of Tim Gunn. This guy is a gem among men. He is intimately knowledgeable about fashion design. He taught and was chair of the fashion design department at Parson's, the famous New York school of fashion design, for twenty-four years before taking over as chief creative officer of Liz Claiborne. The thing that is most appealing about him beyond his wit and expertise, though, are his remarkable graciousness and warmth. He is quick with a hug or supportive critique for a distraught or conflicted contestant and not afraid to show emotion. His sincerity and honest nature radiate right out of the TV. I don't know how many times I've said I would love a Tim Gunn in my life when I need words of support and encouragement.<br />
<br />
So when we learned Tim Gunn was coming to town, we went into full-on groupie mode and figured out where to be when. He has partnered with the Lucky Brand clothing line to promote their stores and fashions while at the same time promoting his book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gunns-Golden-Rules-Little-Lessons/dp/1439177716/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320589160&sr=8-1">Gunn's Golden Rules, Life's Little Lessons for Making it Work.</a> His visit included a Lucky Brand fashion show commentated by him followed by a question and answer session and then an "after party" catered by California Pizza Kitchen. For a $100 purchase at Lucky Brand, you also had the opportunity to meet Tim, get a free signed copy of his book, and get your picture taken with him.<br />
<br />
Since we just had to have that face time, we made our purchase and then waited in the gargantuan line following the show to get our picture. I ended up being placeholder as my daughter and her friend took a few strolls down the mall to pass the time. The wait was made much more bearable by the endless flow of drinks and pizza provided by California Pizza Kitchen staff. I have to hand it to the organizers, they did not skimp on refreshments. They even had ladies from Bare Essentials freshening up makeup at the head of the line so we didn't look too homely after our ordeal when we met Tim.<br />
<br />
Despite the long, slow wait, I didn't see any disgruntled fans in the crowd. It was mostly women of all ages, a few brave, self-confident male fans, and confused but devoted-to-their-wives-and-daughters dads. While I was initially discouraged by the amount of time Tim spent with each person who came through the line, by the end, I was just astonished and impressed at his ability to keep up the meaningful and sincere conversation. That graciousness that comes across so distinctly on TV was on full display for his fans who love him for that very reason. His hugs were just as forthcoming as on the show.<br />
<br />
When it was finally our turn, we basked in the glow of his company for our few moments as he signed our book. We spoke about his family tradition of men at the Naval Academy (no kidding) and my family tradition of sewing. I told him in all honesty that his show had inspired me to take up the craft in a more serious way. For years, I threw together Halloween costumes on Grandmama Mac's old Singer, now in my possession. Recently, in large part as a result of watching Project Runway, I have purchased a more modern, if inexpensive, sewing machine and taken on some more challenging projects. I made a cute wool blend skirt with kick pleats and a zipper, and I'm now about halfway through a wool blazer - darts, sleeves, pocket welts and all. OK, it's not Project Runway material, but not bad for a first try.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few puckers to iron out on the sleeve.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07hflVSJ_XPUxj7XOGfkF8K_8_pWMc3o1ef23kBqfTlV5Wjm1Wnkj6_bw1g78tPAMxdvDpjPaIB8Dhyphenhyphene3XVAFASZBBNZ28juuhiNEg1w3PfpyH1bky8ugOd5a8OULCZfB7lsnhyphenhypheni_j6k/s1600/2011-11-06_10-30-50_284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07hflVSJ_XPUxj7XOGfkF8K_8_pWMc3o1ef23kBqfTlV5Wjm1Wnkj6_bw1g78tPAMxdvDpjPaIB8Dhyphenhyphene3XVAFASZBBNZ28juuhiNEg1w3PfpyH1bky8ugOd5a8OULCZfB7lsnhyphenhypheni_j6k/s320/2011-11-06_10-30-50_284.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still have the collar facing, <br />
lining, and hemming to do.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR3W6Jkz13Ylj__VDEvd35I76FyfQa_kOjkh4VlqDii7u7GfuJiFfye1Q0U2yAuxHhlLw1S8pKkt_SWTW9DZFn9xi9LpHPtskqIRCFyUjqyDX5UEEfAYdDxxS4Ej4LhwIbN7tu8sRnMa8/s1600/2011-11-06_10-35-48_13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR3W6Jkz13Ylj__VDEvd35I76FyfQa_kOjkh4VlqDii7u7GfuJiFfye1Q0U2yAuxHhlLw1S8pKkt_SWTW9DZFn9xi9LpHPtskqIRCFyUjqyDX5UEEfAYdDxxS4Ej4LhwIbN7tu8sRnMa8/s320/2011-11-06_10-35-48_13.jpg" width="294" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miraculously a perfect fit. Pleats need ironing.</td></tr>
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Sewing and sincerity are not the only ways that Tim Gunn has been inspirational. He also has been open about his sexuality and contributed a <a href="http://youtu.be/9GGAgtq_rQc">video</a> to the It Gets Better Project that has done such a wonderful and powerful job of increasing awareness about and acceptance of GLBT youth.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9GGAgtq_rQc" width="560"></iframe>
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I, for one, am tremendously happy that Tim Gunn was unsuccessful in his desperate suicide attempt as a young man. Otherwise, we would not have known the terrifically entertaining, wise, and kind man that he has become. I know that my gay friends and family must be inspired by him as I am. I am so pleased to have had the opportunity for me and my daughter to shake his hand and return his hug. I am not awed by his celebrity but rather his humanity.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSaRDx4IVcAQylClHMcGriV5yaClOAxvM6G_R7BMsGXCMd2X7DlbkOWOhmIOXZTzC43TePJEenMcgv0qw2SPDo4KbuUrBhK94XL1J6lxf5Wxg_wWPk32CsiEN_O7NonWA608f2L9-XS8/s1600/290886_2584671345747_1523412699_2766318_1984092713_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSaRDx4IVcAQylClHMcGriV5yaClOAxvM6G_R7BMsGXCMd2X7DlbkOWOhmIOXZTzC43TePJEenMcgv0qw2SPDo4KbuUrBhK94XL1J6lxf5Wxg_wWPk32CsiEN_O7NonWA608f2L9-XS8/s400/290886_2584671345747_1523412699_2766318_1984092713_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls with Tim</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2pvFkL1Q9cKF9zPO_PtY2iIag7Z2JhvYBmwoO9PV7Y2Jg8eANGtpCEsm2hrShAcBd93OPAeDj4ABbZ78ZaR3WXrso9zQUvLgnUFV_yBF1I36aA7VmHWWlB-UojoYW8TvIp58eABtlUWU/s1600/326983_2584645065090_1523412699_2766298_267689430_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2pvFkL1Q9cKF9zPO_PtY2iIag7Z2JhvYBmwoO9PV7Y2Jg8eANGtpCEsm2hrShAcBd93OPAeDj4ABbZ78ZaR3WXrso9zQUvLgnUFV_yBF1I36aA7VmHWWlB-UojoYW8TvIp58eABtlUWU/s400/326983_2584645065090_1523412699_2766298_267689430_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wore my It Gets Better Project T-Shirt. <br />
The sweater is my Lucky Brand purchase.</td></tr>
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In closing, I will leave you with Tim's list of Golden Rules from his book. They are the titles of each of the chapters. Good ones for all of us to keep in our poorly stitched and ill fitting hip pockets...<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Gunn's Golden Rules</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">Make It Work!</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">The World Owes You . . . Nothing</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Take the High Road</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Don't Abuse Your Power - or Surrender It</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Get Inspired If It Kills You</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Never Underestimate Karma</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Niceties are Nice</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Physical Comfort Is Overrated</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Talk to Me: There's Always Another Side to the Story</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Be a Good Guest or Stay Home</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Use Technology; Don't Let It Use You</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Don't Lose Your Sense of Smell (*<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">i.e. don't get used to things that stink</span>)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Know What to Get Off Your Chest and What to Take to the Grave</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">When in Rome . . . I Still Wouldn't Eat Monkey Brains</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">When You Need Help, Get It</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Take Risks! Playing It Safe Is Never Really Safe</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Give Back (but Know Your Limits)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Carry On!</li>
</ul>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322219106810268043.post-89249397078845561712011-10-26T10:05:00.001-04:002011-10-27T12:23:52.923-04:00Cape-mandering<blockquote>
“Nothing will produce Bad History more directly nor brutally, than drawing a Line, in particular a Right Line, the very Shape of Contempt, through the midst of a People,-- to create thus a Distinction betwixt 'em,-- 'tis the first stroke.-- All else will follow as if predestin'd, unto War and Devastation."<br />
--- Thomas Pynchon, <u>Mason & Dixon</u></blockquote>
The above quote was my opening salvo in a draft blog post full of righteous indignation at the proposed Maryland redistricting plan that bisected the Cape. Like most Capers, I was outraged at the notion that our tight-knit community would be split down the middle into two separate congressional districts. What kind of gerrymandering insanity would divide the interests of a well-defined, cohesive locality, leaving half of us within a strange part waterfront, part Baltimore beltway, part Howard and Montgomery County constituency while lumping the other half into a chunk of Anne Arundel bizarrely attached by a land bridge to the belle of the beltway, Prince Georges County? Really?<br />
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OK, it's not like Hampton Drive would have become the Mason-Dixon line or the Berlin Wall. It would not have been a line dividing one lifestyle or set of beliefs from another. No physical barrier would prevent movement from one side to the other. It was not drawn to banish, ostracize or otherwise relegate one group of people or ideology from another. The line was simply drawn in the interest of political expediency as a way to balance out numbers of voters to the best advantage of the majority political party.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Capers responded with justifiable concern, passionately expressing their dismay on the public comments page of the <a href="http://www.mdp.state.md.us/Redistricting/">Maryland redistricting website</a>. In addition, the CSC Improvement Association prepared and submitted a thoughtful and persuasive letter to the Governor's Advisory Committee, the text of which follows:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">On behalf of the 7,500 residents of Cape St. Claire, I am writing to vehemently oppose the Committee’s new congressional redistricting proposal. Cape St. Claire is a waterfront community located on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay comprised of more than 2,300 single family homes. The community is bounded on three sides by bodies of water: the Little Magothy River, the Chesapeake Bay, the Magothy River, and Deep Creek. Indeed, our connection to the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries is fundamental to our community identity, and has been since Cape St. Claire was founded in 1949. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">For the past 20 years, Cape St. Claire has been part of the 1st Congressional District, as were most of the Chesapeake Bay waterfront communities in Maryland. The new proposal arbitrarily divides our tight-knit community into two separate districts -- with one precinct in District 3, and the other two precincts in District 4. While because of our size we vote in three precincts, the community participates in elections as a whole: we have Candidate Forums in which all residents participate; we routinely host our Congressional Representatives at community meetings; and while we may have thousands of residents, we act very much like a small neighborhood. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Splitting our community into two districts will confuse and disenfranchise our residents. An arbitrary line will have been drawn through the heart of our community which will create an abomination where one resident can't have a conversation with his or her neighbor about their common representative--that surely cannot be a responsible way to encourage participation in our great democracy. In the words of one of our residents (who serves as a poll judge on election days), "splitting Cape St. Claire will be logistical hell come polling day." </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">We are equally astounded to read that some believe that we have more in common with Prince George’s County than with our Chesapeake Bay waterfront neighbors. And since the community is split in half, does this mean one half of our community identifies with Annapolis (District 3) while the other half has more in common with Landover and Greenbelt in District 4? Cleary, our interests are not being represented in this proposal. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">We understand that a line has to be drawn somewhere. But, to split a community in half--one that is only a square mile in size is ridiculous. To add insult to injury, putting one half of that community in a district that runs right up to the District of Columbia line demeans and dismisses the 62-year history of our community's ties to the Annapolis area. We respectfully request that Cape St. Claire, in its entirety, be placed within District 3 with the rest of the Annapolis area and other central Maryland waterfront communities with which we share so much in common.</span></blockquote>
Lo and behold, when the governor submitted his finalized plan to the General Assembly, the Cape was intact once again! Somebody was actually listening on the other end of the line. The whole of our community was redrawn into District 3 - the tortured light green district on the map below - contiguous only by boat at the mouth of the Magothy River and by a thread east of Baltimore City. Taken as a whole, it looks like a duck pointing at western Maryland. The light blue-green District 4 shaped like monster arms is where half of us were almost relegated.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vaeZm3pZCSYcHdtkZx7zV2MBNeqlcKPEZA1ERcte9txFEfdTECDxYh7j2KwYIkeHoXhhnh_VQ8ZyRAVy3sM-QFN1wU7Nqt6-V5_7decaQCy2epSTt-OMAlohEblooU2gziGYThJ-fKI/s1600/District.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vaeZm3pZCSYcHdtkZx7zV2MBNeqlcKPEZA1ERcte9txFEfdTECDxYh7j2KwYIkeHoXhhnh_VQ8ZyRAVy3sM-QFN1wU7Nqt6-V5_7decaQCy2epSTt-OMAlohEblooU2gziGYThJ-fKI/s400/District.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
While our voices were thankfully and refreshingly heard on this particular occasion, I still am not at all comfortable with the process. Had it not fit conveniently in the Democrat's overall redistricting scheme, I doubt the change would have been made. The redistricting that occurs every ten years following a census is not a pretty business. It necessitates the drawing of lines to divide states up into contiguous districts that contain roughly equal numbers of people ostensibly ensuring "one person, one vote" per Supreme Court guidelines.<br />
<br />
The kicker is that state legislatures, in our case the Maryland General Assembly, are generally responsible for Congressional redistricting. In other words, the state's majority political party has control of the process and can pick and choose where they want to slide district lines to the best advantage of their party. It's done with equal ruthlessness by both parties and has a major impact on the outcomes of elections.<br />
<br />
In recent history, the political parties have become increasingly overt in their attempts to create districts that promise the best results on election day. No contortion of a state map into district boundaries is too extreme. While redistricting with any kind of racial bias is not permitted by the Constitution, there is nothing prohibiting partisan-based motives. Here is a nice example from Illinois:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTSHMTDEIbj-OYyz9N2wt-v5vihJowS7AeB0C6LoNmSgHNjSTd5laq7oYcpZ4pNfForj4DT8Bltf2Xb75Cgrvcjm4T7qnTmmSJe8Us15PiokUWX4UZayKgQQYEU86bYcj_Ug29FXL0Ac/s1600/180px-Illinois_District_4_2004.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTSHMTDEIbj-OYyz9N2wt-v5vihJowS7AeB0C6LoNmSgHNjSTd5laq7oYcpZ4pNfForj4DT8Bltf2Xb75Cgrvcjm4T7qnTmmSJe8Us15PiokUWX4UZayKgQQYEU86bYcj_Ug29FXL0Ac/s320/180px-Illinois_District_4_2004.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illinois district contiguous only by <br />
virtue of the highway to the left.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
and another interesting district courtesy of the infamous 2003 redistricting of Texas:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHADPAAsKdUP0Y0r9o6xUTvnfxdnsOKBvyYesaxejE43bUJV00LG0Cu9S_h3WMnMeajnDKrsKa6JPm5QRuouHAst-29zN6UAG5l6Rcx2ceKWuM6ITAERBexypx5bRsj9lUG4QyqdrHL18/s1600/220px-TravisCountyDistricts.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHADPAAsKdUP0Y0r9o6xUTvnfxdnsOKBvyYesaxejE43bUJV00LG0Cu9S_h3WMnMeajnDKrsKa6JPm5QRuouHAst-29zN6UAG5l6Rcx2ceKWuM6ITAERBexypx5bRsj9lUG4QyqdrHL18/s400/220px-TravisCountyDistricts.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of Tom DeLay and Rick Perry's handiwork splitting <br />
heavily Dem. Travis County into three solidly Rep. districts.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Neither of the major political parties is above exploiting this conflict of interest. The primary goal of this latest round of redistricting in Maryland was to pick up a seat for the Democrats in the next election by increasing the vulnerability of 10-term western Maryland representative Roscoe Bartlett (maybe that's who the District 3 duck is pointing at). The system seems fundamentally flawed when a party in power can dramatically impact the outcome of congressional elections - the politicians picking the voters instead of the voters choosing their representatives. And since the party in power likes it that way, they have no incentive to change the system.<br />
<br />
It makes my skin crawl, like so much of politics these days. While gerrymandering is nothing new and many would argue a necessary "part of the game", it seems to have taken on a whole new level of unfairness in recent decades. The country has been carved up into increasingly polarized constituencies as our system of government continues to be warped and manipulated in favor of those in power or with monetary influence.<br />
<br />
For any of you who would like to have a go at this dirty business yourselves, I came across an online <a href="http://www.redistrictinggame.org/">redistricting game</a>. It's actually a pretty fun learning tool - a little slow to load at first, but worth your patience. If you have kids and would like to demonstrate the complexities and partiality of drawing congressional lines or just want to better understand it yourself, this is a great way to do it. You can play the role of party heads named Libby Rahl or Conner Servative and shift the district lines in several imaginary states until the number of constituents is correct while simultaneously pleasing or angering animated representatives. Some of the representatives' names include Tyree Hugger, Manny Pulative, and Celia Coen-Valley. Entertaining and educational at the same time!<br />
<br />
For the next ten years at least, Capers can rest easily knowing that our interests still lie together on the congressional map. Neighbors across the street from one another on Hampton Drive will still be represented by the same Member of Congress. Next time around, who knows where they will put us or how they will divide us. The only thing that is certain about the redistricting process is that they will in fact divide us - with a "Right Line, the very Shape of Contempt".Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322219106810268043.post-12178297194739181612011-10-11T12:10:00.000-04:002011-10-11T12:42:47.614-04:00Taylor Swift Is Making Me Eat OatmealAt my annual OB/GYN checkup earlier this year, my doctor suggested that I have some blood work done as it had been a while since my last blood letting. My doctor, by the way, looks about eighteen years old and bears an uncanny resemblance to Taylor Swift. She is a lovely, bright young woman, and from what I can tell a fine doctor, but I don't know if she's the best choice to usher me into my fragile menopausal years.<br />
<br />
With each yearly visit, more and more parts of me wrinkle and sag further south while Dr. Taylor Swift is just coming into her prime. I worry it could get ugly on an intensely hormonal, insecure day. As I sit vulnerably on the paper-covered exam table half exposed in an open-front hospital gown, I start to imagine myself in a glowy, hazy Taylor Swift video where Dr. Taylor and I do a guitar duet version of You Belong With Me:<br />
<blockquote>
My part: </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">'Cause she wears short skirts<br />I wear an ugly gown<br />She's a cheery MD<br />And I'm in the stirrups<br />Dreamin 'bout the day when I sit up and find<br />That my breast exam is all normal this time.</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
Taylor MD comes in: </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">If you can see that I'm the one who understands you<br />Knows your per-i-od and does your pap smee-ee-arr.<br />You belong right hee-ee-eerre.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">You're-old-but belong right here.</span></i></blockquote>
The ladies might appreciate my ditty. Guys - you will have to come up with your own tune about coughing and prostate exams. Too bad for you Taylor Swift is an OB/GYN and not a urologist...<br />
<br />
Anyway, back to the blood work. I kept putting it off with plans of losing a few pounds and getting in better shape before coming face to face with my cholesterol levels. In the past, my total cholesterol has been a little high, but my LDL or "bad cholesterol" was within normal range and the elevated total resulted from a high HDL or "good cholesterol" level. Even though my total was a little above the recommended numbers, I rationalized that my excess "good cholesterol" got me off the hook from worrying about it.<br />
<br />
Well, I finally dragged myself down to the lab to get my blood drawn since the extra ten pounds I'd been carrying did not seem to be in a hurry to drop off. I fasted for the obligatory twelve hours before my appointment. Why is that so ridiculously hard to do? Basically just skip breakfast. You would have thought I had not eaten for days by the time I weakly crawled into Wawa for coffee and a Sizzli after the lab visit. I suspected the results of my blood test were going to mean changes to my diet, and I wanted to get in a last relatively guilt-free greasy breakfast.<br />
<br />
When the results came in the mail, I was not too terribly surprised to learn that my total cholesterol was forty points higher than five years ago. While my "good cholesterol" was still very high, my "bad cholesterol" was now seventeen points above normal range. At the bottom of the lab report, a handwritten note from Taylor was scrawled which read, "Start a low cholesterol diet and follow up with your primary care doctor." There it was - the directive from Taylor Swift to clean up my dietary act:<br />
<blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Taylor:</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">And you've got LDL that could clog up this whole town<br />You haven't checked it in a while, need to bring it down<br />You say you're fine<br />I know you better than that<br />Hey what you doing with a Sizzli like that.</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
Me: </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Cause she wears short skirts<br />I wear sweat pants<br />She's a cheery young thing<br />And I need some implants<br />Dreamin 'bout the day when I wake up and find<br />That my bathroom scale has been wrong this whole time...</span></i></blockquote>
Sooo. Here I am a few weeks later having made some modest changes to my fitness and eating behaviors. I am trying to be more consistent with my exercise and do something physical each day whether it's a bike ride to Graul's instead of driving or a short run. I have also cut back on high cholesterol foods, and I try to work fish and vegetarian meals into our dinner menu two or three times a week. I still allow myself eggs here and there because I love them.<br />
<br />
The other dietary change I've made is adding the mother of all cholesterol busting foods to my breakfast menu. Yes, I'm talking about good old reliable oatmeal. I've made attempts in the past to embrace oatmeal, but somehow I've resisted preparing and eating it on a daily basis. I'm not a creature of routine in general, so I guess that should not be a surprise.<br />
<br />
For the past two weeks, however, I have cooked myself a bowl of old fashioned oats every morning, and I have to say, I have become a fan - you might even say a groupie. While oatmeal is not glowy, hazy, Taylor Swift smooth, youthful, and glamorous, it does perk up nicely with the addition of some well chosen enhancement products. Just as a little collagen cream, face spackle, and matte powder freshen up my saggy, mushy exterior, oatmeal becomes pretty darn appealing when topped with an assortment of fruits, nuts and spices - instant oatmeal facelift! Here are before and after pictures of my oatmeal:<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsDXgS3R0zu0vAnrVcR6OG_H02kltnCGGbZCy9aefBh56_IKj56v8DZYR-JrYfZ6ffn-Sv8muiR4Nc4bIqRzeYJ0PrEC7KjwHJS3OMzZ1gFH-jsmeUE7Qn7N_RJzb515sVMXMply7_lj8/s1600/2011-10-11_08-11-34_841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsDXgS3R0zu0vAnrVcR6OG_H02kltnCGGbZCy9aefBh56_IKj56v8DZYR-JrYfZ6ffn-Sv8muiR4Nc4bIqRzeYJ0PrEC7KjwHJS3OMzZ1gFH-jsmeUE7Qn7N_RJzb515sVMXMply7_lj8/s320/2011-10-11_08-11-34_841.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sad old oatmeal</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGr-GQccH-Ltp2kTXtEYrTer05v34U2jBaelh17uJAkKZwhjyjH6HoCcNL97YTl6KhXn3R9_weDGfTTSasIbbmWcgON5iyMf9Lh2iEp7FJBHlvMqW116IUoCQX4ZALFdSOlju8xAA43U/s1600/2011-10-11_08-20-50_346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGr-GQccH-Ltp2kTXtEYrTer05v34U2jBaelh17uJAkKZwhjyjH6HoCcNL97YTl6KhXn3R9_weDGfTTSasIbbmWcgON5iyMf9Lh2iEp7FJBHlvMqW116IUoCQX4ZALFdSOlju8xAA43U/s320/2011-10-11_08-20-50_346.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oatmeal post-facelift</td></tr>
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<br />
I bet most of you can find a way to like oatmeal if you get creative enough. You can cook it with almond or soy milk instead of water, swirl in some honey, nutella, or peanut butter, top it with granola or yogurt, or add chopped apples. strawberries, or even dark chocolate chips. My version here is cooked with a drop of vanilla extract and cinnamon and topped with some brown sugar, sliced almonds, banana and dried cranberries. I used pumpkin spice yesterday with chopped pecans and some crumbled ginger snaps. Just keep some basic ingredients on hand and have at it.<br />
<br />
I personally like the old fashion variety of oats. They cook up in five minutes on the stovetop and have a better texture to me than the quick or instant kinds. Steel cut are also good but take longer to prepare, and that's just not doable for me. I get distracted and forget about them and end up with a pot of inedible, solid glop.<br />
<br />
You know, I think Taylor Swift is great - both the artist and the doctor. I am secure enough in my aging skin to appreciate their youthful energy and beauty and confidently stand alongside with the wealth of experience and battle scars that come with maturity. I was there once, and they will be here one day - looking for ways to dress up their mushy, saggy oatmeal and get their cholesterol in check. We have to keep our senses of humor and perspective intact to make it happily and healthfully to the finish line.<br />
<br />
Here's Taylor's adorable video for You Belong With Me released back in 2009 when she was 19 years old. She's a ripe old 21 now and seemingly wise for her years. May we all be so.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="285" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VuNIsY6JdUw" width="500"></iframe>Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322219106810268043.post-5670642327749988382011-10-03T12:58:00.000-04:002019-10-15T09:58:30.648-04:00Cape Mom's Magic Mumbo SauceOver the summer, I opened up the local section of the Washington Post to find an article about someone I know - a fellow Caper. It was a lengthy one about a local DC condiment called mumbo sauce. Despite living in DC for two years and within thirty miles of the city for my entire adult life, I had never heard of mumbo sauce. I was too busy starting a career and then a family to stop and immerse myself more deeply in the real DC (just one of the things I would go back and tell my younger self to do).<br />
<br />
When I say the real DC, I'm not talking the exclusive streets of Georgetown or the power brokering K Street corridor but the REAL DC - the DC where people are born and raised and live their lives. DC culture is less touted than in other great US cities, perhaps because of the District's unrealized statehood ambitions and the consuming distraction of being the seat of federal government. Also, the accelerating gentrification of the city is eating up and pushing out much of the authentic diversity of the local scene. The rich homegrown traditions and innovative local music and arts communities persist, however, for those who know it as their hometown.<br />
<br />
Fellow Caper, Arsha Jones, is someone who can tell you a thing or two about the "real" DC. She is DC born and raised. I first met Arsha just after volunteering to take over the Cape St. Claire Elementary School website. As interested as I was in working with the website, I didn't know squat about web design. I learned enough from the previous webmaster to maintain the existing site, but I had no real clue what I was doing.<br />
<br />
Arsha approached me at one of our PTO meetings and introduced herself. Her oldest was just entering kindergarten at Cape Elementary. She was an accomplished web designer by profession, and she offered to help revamp the website using up-to-date tools that were more powerful and easier to maintain. I couldn't believe my luck. Her energy and expertise had dropped right into my lap - both greatly needed and appreciated. I owe what little I have learned about blogging and website creation to her patient tutelage.<br />
<br />
When I opened up the Post last July, I immediately recognized the name and photo of Arsha in the article about mumbo sauce. Somehow in her free time between raising three very young kids (with another on the way), working as a web designer, and blogging, she had started making, marketing, and selling her own mumbo sauce. I get dizzy just thinking about it. Her energy and entrepreneurial spirit simply amaze me. Her product is sold under the name <a href="http://www.capitalcitymumbosauce.com/">Capital City Mumbo Sauce</a>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGHFIee2JoAZE42ORfPA5UCZvIeZwOsZKiH4AEWZIymyR67DtZxpzQmqXC2yKaidFEt74fOgmflLxK4xMvdWrwM7WIQas-OuHTF4Dlr4KEpzlqxnYNUp4T4iPd_hH6SEN-csSlrZU5Go/s1600/ccms-eastern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGHFIee2JoAZE42ORfPA5UCZvIeZwOsZKiH4AEWZIymyR67DtZxpzQmqXC2yKaidFEt74fOgmflLxK4xMvdWrwM7WIQas-OuHTF4Dlr4KEpzlqxnYNUp4T4iPd_hH6SEN-csSlrZU5Go/s320/ccms-eastern.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arsha selling her Capital City Mumbo Sauce<br />
at DC's Eastern Market in Capitol Hill</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbY56oWD8w5pHbuyR53T_mbJTzQPyC0QCrRVANBY8hnYRpMVsy6HoD3fMF_-M2V3RLIjZYPCpJshF9VQhrdTOGBWWGHSp_vqkfnoKXONvEYXnUL9E9c30OZkPz5cqvMfibvhiN25T2lZs/s1600/teaser_bg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbY56oWD8w5pHbuyR53T_mbJTzQPyC0QCrRVANBY8hnYRpMVsy6HoD3fMF_-M2V3RLIjZYPCpJshF9VQhrdTOGBWWGHSp_vqkfnoKXONvEYXnUL9E9c30OZkPz5cqvMfibvhiN25T2lZs/s320/teaser_bg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I won't retell her full story or the background of mumbo sauce here since it's told better by the actual reporter who got paid to write it in the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/mumbo-sauce-the-flavor-of-washington-that-isnt-the-president-and-the-politics/2011/07/14/gIQAFOqQII_story.html">Washington Post Article</a>. When I finished reading it, I went straight to the computer and ordered myself a bottle of her mumbo concoction. It arrived in my mailbox soon after, and I used it that evening to smother a dish of baked chicken for dinner. My family happily licked their fingers through the meal and declared it "yummy!".<br />
<br />
As Arsha says on her website, the flavor and consistency fall somewhere between barbeque and sweet and sour sauce. It would make a great glaze for pork chops or ribs and sets off especially well against salty flavors. While we thoroughly enjoyed it on our baked chicken, from what I understand, the true calling of Mumbo Sauce is as a coating for chicken wings or fried chicken - DC's answer to buffalo sauce. That is what makes mumbo sauce aficionados swoon.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHPQe1iDy9JJ6PDSwImH60_jkh9lvtIoquFPfleBOIWRhNPbjKN5lXXk7jSIf8UWaBNSI48C4hBGdFTShZL-pcJS1_mNv-ZPxOCh27Ul3skY359_L58ycGuBTfjqIkJLP_QJz3S3JXSRk/s1600/mumbo-sauce-wings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHPQe1iDy9JJ6PDSwImH60_jkh9lvtIoquFPfleBOIWRhNPbjKN5lXXk7jSIf8UWaBNSI48C4hBGdFTShZL-pcJS1_mNv-ZPxOCh27Ul3skY359_L58ycGuBTfjqIkJLP_QJz3S3JXSRk/s640/mumbo-sauce-wings.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
<br />
You know those tastes that we grow up with and are acutely linked to our memories of a place? For me, the flavors of my childhood revolve around the mexican food of the California central valley or the southern dishes of the Carolina low country. We love them because they are delicious but also in large part because of the fond attachment we have to their place in our upbringing.<br />
<br />
Mumbo sauce is one of those flavors or even THE flavor for folks who grew up in the African American community of DC. Arsha has quickly tapped into a sentimental market of DC expatriates who are overjoyed to have access to their beloved mumbo sauce. Just take a look at the testimonials on the <a href="http://www.shopcapitalcity.com/">website</a> to get a feel for the meaning of this sauce to people who know it and the various ways it is used.<br />
<br />
I highly recommend getting a bottle or two or three of this sauce for yourselves. The sweetness of it might be an acquired taste for anyone who did not grow up with it, but I acquired it pretty darn fast. The vinegar and very slight bite of heat from cayenne put it over the top for me. I expect you will find myriad ways to apply it to your own favorite foods. If for no other reason, it's worth trying just to add to your database of knowledge about local cuisine, and even more importantly, to support a hard-working local Cape wife and mother of four who is enterprising enough to start a new business.<br />
<br />
Best of luck to Arsha on this new venture! I know she's rapidly acquiring a cult following. I am feeling some mumbolicious inspiration for tonight's dinner plan myself. As I type on my now sticky computer keyboard, I am dipping Utz Party Mix into a dish of bright red Capital City Mumbo Sauce...mmmmm.Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322219106810268043.post-25065965328319040382011-09-20T12:46:00.001-04:002011-09-20T12:46:59.775-04:00Cracker Jacktastic Baking Contest 2011Some of you may recall my post from last year about our company picnic baking contest. I was in search of a winning recipe that would meet the year's theme requirements. Last year the theme was Maryland. I went with a Baltimore Bomb pie made with Berger's cookies that earned the last part of its name in my rendition.<br />
<br />
My attempt was not particularly good, although I loved the idea of using yummy Berger's chocolate cookies as an ingredient. It was actually not what I initially planned to bake. You can read about my search for a recipe and the cake I expected to make in this <a href="http://www.cape-blogger.com/2010/09/kossuth-cake-and-other-maryland.html">previous post</a>. The recipe did not work for me as a single cake, but I went back later and tried it as individual cakes, and they were divine.<br />
<br />
Anyway, as it turns out, my blog post about my choice of recipe backfired on me when it caught the attention of another company employee. She was searching for a recipe idea as well, and thanks to a Google search, stumbled upon the detailed description of my contest entry. D'oh! Company intelligence had found me out!<br />
<br />
Well, this year, I would not fall into the same trap. The picnic was this past weekend, and I kept my baking plans close to the vest as the date approached. Our picnic theme this year was baseball, and desserts for the contest had to contain Cracker Jacks and peanuts as ingredients.<br />
<br />
This turned out to be somewhat tricky as Cracker Jacks tend to have a stale texture to begin with and when combined with standard dessert ingredients, the popcorn loses any crunch it might have once had. The caramel coating and peanuts were my main inspiration, and I decided to go with some sort of apple recipe with a Cracker Jack/peanut streusel topping.<br />
<br />
After a few iffy test runs, I settled on a Paula Deen recipe for <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/caramel-apple-cheesecake-bars-with-streusel-topping-recipe/index.html">Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars</a>. I am not a tremendous Paula Deen fan. I find both her and her mamma's-coat-tail-riding sons in particular to be a bit annoying and her recipes to be too rich and heavy. The woman can cook, though, and when I encountered this recipe, I was not above jumping on Paula's coat-tails right along with the Deen boys. It appeared to be the perfect one to adapt for the baking contest. I named my variation Cracker Jacktastic Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars.<br />
<br />
Thanks to my son's soccer game, we were late for the picnic and arrived just in time to slide our dessert into home plate. The umps were on the fence about whether I was SAFE! or OUT!, but my entry was ultimately accepted. Here are pictures of this year's competition:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLVWY0AT16xfzTnKEojq25hEvjlIiPyMFfyG3RvBe-efhius1kdJnQmPvETnsZ3i4ULXrtgYa1txzXJDM5yS3bUdqdOTNuqF3B2ZcVJASy6VQBAi2bvflB72ZUzcmasSaKqk5lVB2ylw/s1600/IMG_20110917_143711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLVWY0AT16xfzTnKEojq25hEvjlIiPyMFfyG3RvBe-efhius1kdJnQmPvETnsZ3i4ULXrtgYa1txzXJDM5yS3bUdqdOTNuqF3B2ZcVJASy6VQBAi2bvflB72ZUzcmasSaKqk5lVB2ylw/s320/IMG_20110917_143711.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1st Place winner - big presentation points for<br />
creating the giant Cracker Jack box and prizes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6izKdN_58tkYkoRJv0no61nZQ0yZ1B4mMz21LMba8AYrdVoj8Gl7aWSd66X2I-U9k-6kadGREApTTrbwCLn5_9xYi2YxEiESfK7pti2LovFFoPA0DYyUB8yGWg29QflurMgxzI1odEk/s1600/IMG_20110917_143721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6izKdN_58tkYkoRJv0no61nZQ0yZ1B4mMz21LMba8AYrdVoj8Gl7aWSd66X2I-U9k-6kadGREApTTrbwCLn5_9xYi2YxEiESfK7pti2LovFFoPA0DYyUB8yGWg29QflurMgxzI1odEk/s320/IMG_20110917_143721.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going with the Nationals over the Orioles - <br />
risky, but more color coordinated.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUe2E5PJd4K3M2JZ8fgTak6BsC0aDh1HXsBGfVUMJgqYs4n5uBwxMeRQWLW-j1vRsElBoIxbvUiHwBRueFIRNMbwi6kz3Wd6HY4HbbLRHTVX4xXjqyHBh-V5hjD3IUtqCmFI8l5Jt8xA/s1600/IMG_20110917_143728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUe2E5PJd4K3M2JZ8fgTak6BsC0aDh1HXsBGfVUMJgqYs4n5uBwxMeRQWLW-j1vRsElBoIxbvUiHwBRueFIRNMbwi6kz3Wd6HY4HbbLRHTVX4xXjqyHBh-V5hjD3IUtqCmFI8l5Jt8xA/s320/IMG_20110917_143728.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entry by the intelligence agent who found <br />
me out last year. These were VERY good. <br />
A variation on buckeyes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWzyhsQBsQ1uCxWJyv7vp2hfRpcY90kqMJrDJab0fmzdpsuTjZ41QCdD2-qpndfSv-229nKHPN0iUZa1LJXmPMQByj6Z5i4ozewyFcMT34eOBu1m_mNQDe0iCEY7pEq2yns_1iH0eM6dQ/s1600/IMG_20110917_143737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWzyhsQBsQ1uCxWJyv7vp2hfRpcY90kqMJrDJab0fmzdpsuTjZ41QCdD2-qpndfSv-229nKHPN0iUZa1LJXmPMQByj6Z5i4ozewyFcMT34eOBu1m_mNQDe0iCEY7pEq2yns_1iH0eM6dQ/s320/IMG_20110917_143737.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My (Paula's) Cracker Jacktastic <br />
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_dQgcHsIafdb6vW8VipcP7iv7h4lw_QXALS__RTv5nS9lAGT01RS03zFOD_kncIUxKVY1DmYHH0mr2dw9ITBdq3M_ebA5E1Ng5Y-eDEku9oXynLPrktT4Yr5u5ZjBXj4rUCUz3Zbd8_o/s1600/IMG_20110917_143743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_dQgcHsIafdb6vW8VipcP7iv7h4lw_QXALS__RTv5nS9lAGT01RS03zFOD_kncIUxKVY1DmYHH0mr2dw9ITBdq3M_ebA5E1Ng5Y-eDEku9oXynLPrktT4Yr5u5ZjBXj4rUCUz3Zbd8_o/s320/IMG_20110917_143743.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another variation on the cheesecake idea</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgosMAui0PyFCww3HU9yBR804HXxdCtyOZUKqysVV57X2YifXpIlgi6ZrDJ1ysErf9NsVxCLKgnBcNFe3TscCuc2YMdpausj2HDbaf3dgGnU19Ew13f9BDfE-qAy1OZeL9mH95jlDTR1fs/s1600/IMG_20110917_143752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgosMAui0PyFCww3HU9yBR804HXxdCtyOZUKqysVV57X2YifXpIlgi6ZrDJ1ysErf9NsVxCLKgnBcNFe3TscCuc2YMdpausj2HDbaf3dgGnU19Ew13f9BDfE-qAy1OZeL9mH95jlDTR1fs/s320/IMG_20110917_143752.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2nd Place winner - baseball cake-pops</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwxGErJBqkKyc60J95oMpS2O9FcHWtXzqoy4hh5hj9SE0rBtWbF_cCQH4ReOi88MwGcE0Cw79hwBze-2Rwqkt4PBylt9GpKJjKdEPQmQ_8mL0-PuB7V8h2Ahdj92RXmwJ7OUYGJiMvC4/s1600/IMG_20110917_143836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwxGErJBqkKyc60J95oMpS2O9FcHWtXzqoy4hh5hj9SE0rBtWbF_cCQH4ReOi88MwGcE0Cw79hwBze-2Rwqkt4PBylt9GpKJjKdEPQmQ_8mL0-PuB7V8h2Ahdj92RXmwJ7OUYGJiMvC4/s320/IMG_20110917_143836.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ooey gooey Cracker Jack confection</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhT4p6WkXNn3Xa_NcYndnTf7EycXuNM8_zujL0UpL_dK5kFwpud7rIESHeoIca2MloPGyMByXu_HuDpffEwrrtb6ohvc8zj4zFX8diN-CnK01wB59j_DhIrUZVNDU4vJcDaFD1AxPQyGs/s1600/IMG_20110917_143840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhT4p6WkXNn3Xa_NcYndnTf7EycXuNM8_zujL0UpL_dK5kFwpud7rIESHeoIca2MloPGyMByXu_HuDpffEwrrtb6ohvc8zj4zFX8diN-CnK01wB59j_DhIrUZVNDU4vJcDaFD1AxPQyGs/s320/IMG_20110917_143840.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cracker Jack Fudge!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXG8dCz0AxXuxcHKQSms5hzOAMJU6KPsoAHc0zy3z-AABM1_4F6oxaaHHPDxUW5vGEeCaLuEP22YBwst5xZ3TbBCRWG7kV1-RjC58Rc5_KG4Q3woLkMdqBaw3yOcxGY1_Rab2MzLt-XZc/s1600/IMG_20110917_143848.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXG8dCz0AxXuxcHKQSms5hzOAMJU6KPsoAHc0zy3z-AABM1_4F6oxaaHHPDxUW5vGEeCaLuEP22YBwst5xZ3TbBCRWG7kV1-RjC58Rc5_KG4Q3woLkMdqBaw3yOcxGY1_Rab2MzLt-XZc/s320/IMG_20110917_143848.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cakes encased in marshmallow pillows<br />
with crushed peanut coating. These were my <br />
kids' favorites. Also VERY good!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In the end, my Cracker Jacktastic bars placed 3rd despite the near disqualification. Personally, on taste, I am confident that mine was better than either the 1st or 2nd place finishers. They clearly had me on creative presentation, though. You need the whole package to compete with this crowd.<br />
<br />
Ah well, there's always next year, and I will once again be gunning for the 1st place trophy. I am not above dirty tactics either. I just might have to put out some misleading advance blog posts with false information to throw off those nosy Information Services folks...Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322219106810268043.post-35822201342247129552011-09-11T11:16:00.000-04:002011-09-11T11:16:01.437-04:00If Only We Could Draw Them BackI came across this photo while looking for a new Facebook profile picture for 9/11. It's from a blog called <a href="http://obm7.wordpress.com/">OBM7* / Culture</a>. Harold would similarly draw our World Trade Towers back with his Purple Crayon...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Yv6VH9GYGUGnvw3LZo-wH6gTSxMfrlYEpjZlc_Auhae63j49sYdWet9P9LEYaXUo5EEHUQ_ISRmg8qcyOKoslFiMl4uwDV4Ibg6doPCenqBoCHFp1-QGdK3s0acIIdT4NgJjcMeVF7M/s1600/http-%253A%253Aobm7.wordpress.com%253Atag%253A911%253A.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Yv6VH9GYGUGnvw3LZo-wH6gTSxMfrlYEpjZlc_Auhae63j49sYdWet9P9LEYaXUo5EEHUQ_ISRmg8qcyOKoslFiMl4uwDV4Ibg6doPCenqBoCHFp1-QGdK3s0acIIdT4NgJjcMeVF7M/s320/http-%253A%253Aobm7.wordpress.com%253Atag%253A911%253A.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322219106810268043.post-62365436821832749902011-09-09T17:50:00.000-04:002011-09-23T07:02:35.381-04:009/11 In the Cape<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw09Zs4S5JvRwUE_-n5DaBK2voKeO9zzr9NYZXs7SZzF9SA3MFG29GGqJjPpxKg76X-Z-zErBs-kuexn0mYZ7unTj9Eew2nfqo2QkXiJ5PXvUjB5TA_GOBI3mNH6fYvWJcmzhJUwJneCw/s1600/911StatueOfLiberty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw09Zs4S5JvRwUE_-n5DaBK2voKeO9zzr9NYZXs7SZzF9SA3MFG29GGqJjPpxKg76X-Z-zErBs-kuexn0mYZ7unTj9Eew2nfqo2QkXiJ5PXvUjB5TA_GOBI3mNH6fYvWJcmzhJUwJneCw/s320/911StatueOfLiberty.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Wow, can it really be 10 years later already? This decade has flown in the blink of an eye. Many people mistakenly think of the start of a decade or century as the year ending in zeroes - 1800, 1900, 2000, etc. In fact, these blocks of ten and one hundred years begin on January 1st of the 'x1 years, meaning that the 21st century officially began on January 1st, 2001.<br />
<br />
But the reality for Americans who witnessed the events of 9/11 is that our 21st century began on September 11th, 2001. It's the day everything changed for this country and for much of the world. It's hard to overstate the impact of that late summer day. Most of us recall the event down to the minute that we first learned of the inconceivable - that the heart of our country's economic, military, and political centers had been viciously and devastatingly attacked during peacetime by a foreign enemy for the first time ever using our own domestic jetliners.<br />
<br />
The only thing even close to the scale and surprise of this attack in the history of our country was Pearl Harbor, and frankly, even it pales in comparison. On that infamous day, we lost the better part of the US Pacific fleet and a similarly terrible number of lives as 9/11. However, it was a naval base on a distant island that was not yet even a state, as opposed to major population centers at the heart of the Manhattan financial district and the capital of the United States in Washington DC. The attack on Pearl Harbor was directed at our military by squadrons of enemy military fighter planes. Of the 2403 people who were killed, only 68 were civilians. In contrast, the attacks of 9/11 were carried out by a dozen guys in business casual attire inconspicuously boarding domestic flights with box cutters to terrorize primarily civilians.<br />
<br />
The scope and daring of the plan still leave me in awe. I can watch footage of the planes flying into the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon today and still not wrap my head around the mad audacity of it. I know we Americans don't like to think of anyone getting the best of us, but these guys seriously did. They saw how to hit us where it would hurt, both materially and psychologically, and they executed it with deadly and heinous effectiveness. To make matters worse, we were left with no tangible target for retaliation with the exception of Osama bin Laden, and it took the better part of this decade to find him.<br />
<br />
While the damaged New York and Washington DC landscapes have been largely rebuilt, as a nation, we are still in many ways reeling. We are fighting two terribly expensive wars (both in dollars and lives) and as a result have lost more Americans than we did on 9/11. It doesn't seem entirely clear what our goals are or that we have made a long term difference in either Iraq or Afghanistan. Our military can't stay forever, especially in times when we are talking about the need to cut our defense budget. We can arm and finance those we consider to be the good guys, but that's what we did with Osama bin Laden once upon a time, and look where that got us.<br />
<br />
Certainly the seeds of our current economic crisis were already planted well before 9/11, but the dubious choices made since then in the name of national and homeland security have escalated the debt problem and left us much less prepared fiscally to deal with the mess. As individuals, we were told that the best way to help our country post 9/11 was to go out and spend - fight dastardly terrorism with glorious consumerism. Many of us did just that and are now as crippled with debt as our country.<br />
<br />
You would hope an event like 9/11 would unite a country - bring us together in our shared desire to rise above it. Instead though, politicians and the media have taken advantage of the climate of fear and uncertainty to press their own agendas instead of putting country first. A vacuum of sound, conscientious leadership has allowed opportunistic fear-mongers to encourage anger and polarization and grab what they can for themselves in the ensuing distraction. I worry that before we all wise up and snap out of it - stop being told what to think - the damage will be permanently done - may have already.<br />
<br />
Sorry. I don't mean to be so fatalistic, but I see very little to suggest that we are a better country for having been through 9/11 together. We are bursting with potential and even wealth despite the massive national debt, but paralyzed by the inability to seek out common ground. Ideology and a my-way-or-the-highway attitude rule the day.<br />
<br />
Maybe my grim mood is just due to the endless rain. If only the sun would come out. Then I might be able to drum up some enthusiasm for writing my congressman and asking him to pass the American Jobs Act, but oh yeah, he's a Republican (and a schmuck to boot) so he's contractually obligated to reject anything sponsored by a Democratic president.<br />
<br />
Whoa... again my apologies. I realize those are not helpful or constructive comments. I'm just proving my own point about anger and distraction. I'm serious though, the rain, economy, politics, and 9/11 media bombardment have me in a major funk.<br />
<br />
I set out this gray morning simply to blog about my personal 9/11 experience here in the Cape. On the morning of September 11th, 2001, I was a 35-year old Cape mother of two young kids, ages two and almost four. My husband was in Florida at the Kennedy Space Center working on a proposal for his fledgling aerospace engineering company. I was headed to the Cape dance studio for my daughter's Tuesday morning ballet class. This is the last picture I took on the morning of 9/11 before leaving for the dance studio.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOsbBF0oqrCj88cN17aK_P7sicDAyEcLC0bpq_Z0jSKfj9w_Xstji6vNe9QYRYii7Mc_WQhv7skKYwD84Ig1HeXs9LT52fwiHbMm9MP5w62z68_kfnK2qrmwwK7wuCRJphFIakReNECk/s1600/Ballet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOsbBF0oqrCj88cN17aK_P7sicDAyEcLC0bpq_Z0jSKfj9w_Xstji6vNe9QYRYii7Mc_WQhv7skKYwD84Ig1HeXs9LT52fwiHbMm9MP5w62z68_kfnK2qrmwwK7wuCRJphFIakReNECk/s400/Ballet.jpg" width="325" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Kids In Our Last Few Pre-9/11 Moments</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I heard about the plane that flew into the first tower on the radio as I drove down to the shopping center. As us moms sat in the waiting area with our younger children, we learned about the second plane and began to get a sense of the bigger scope of the attacks. When news came in on the studio radio about the Pentagon and the possibility of another hijacked plane in the air, we all started to come a little bit unhinged. New York was bad enough, but DC? Way too close for comfort.<br />
<br />
I was in a mild panic by the time class was over, and I hustled the kids into the minivan taking just enough time to strap them into their car seats with jittery hands. I called my husband in Florida (it wasn't illegal yet to drive and talk on a cell phone - just stupid) and had barely enough signal to tell him to turn on the TV in his secluded Cape Canaveral conference room. By the time I got home, the first tower had collapsed and as I watched, shaking in disbelief and horror, the second soon followed.<br />
<br />
Once the haze of shock began to clear a little, I realized that I desperately needed my husband to come home. I'm not a needy type, but I was fearful for the safety of me and my kids like I had never been before. The brilliant blue skies were eerily devoid of the typical commercial air traffic but buzzing with the sound of fighter jets patrolling for god knows what might still be up there.<br />
<br />
My parents called, and also fearing for us in the DC area, suggested I drive to South Carolina with the kids. A big part of me was tempted to run to mom and dad, but the grown up part of me knew I needed to stay here until I better understood what was happening and my family was reunited. It was clear flying home from Florida was not an option for my husband, so he and a couple of his coworkers drove their rental car as far as my parents' house in SC, overnighted there with them, and then drove the rest of the way home the day after.<br />
<br />
I can't even describe my relief at having my family together again. I hadn't slept the night of 9/11 with my kids and Great Dane tucked in my bed around me. Without my glasses on, I imagined every blurry star out my window was a commercial jet that I knew was not supposed to be in the sky. I curled up with my husband the night after that when he had returned home and cried myself to sleep - a combination of fear and sadness and the relief of not having to bear it alone.<br />
<br />
I know we all have our own personal stories about 9/11. It was simply horrendous for each and every one of us, both as individuals and as a nation. I can't even begin to imagine the agony of those who experienced it first hand and lost their lives or the life of a loved one.<br />
<br />
Mayor Giuliani nailed it when he gravely stated that the losses would be "more than any of us can bear". As I watch the replays on TV ramping up to the 10th anniversary, I still can't bear it. I still feel a sob catch in my throat every time I see those soaring towers burning, the wound in the mighty Pentagon, and the scar in that lonely Pennsylvania field, all connected by violence and tragedy.<br />
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The hope for my country that I clung to ten years ago is still my hope today. I hoped that she would be strong, wise, rational, and possessed of enough grace to overcome the losses of that day. I hoped for leadership that would make responsible and constructive choices for our country and her people that would honor the principles of fairness that make this country great. And I hoped for a better understanding of those who felt such anger at us that they would envision and execute such horror. They say hope springs eternal. Perhaps, but mine is wearing thin...<br />
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Wishing us all blue skies free of fear. Actually, I think I see the sun peeking out even as I write...Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322219106810268043.post-82851444154457431192011-09-06T09:03:00.002-04:002011-09-06T09:32:35.464-04:00Tobacco RoadAmidst all the activity surrounding the start of school, the earthquake, the hurricane and ensuing power outages, some new signs have popped up on the windows of a vacant storefront in the Cape St. Claire shopping center. I only tuned in enough for it to register a couple of days ago. The red signs which I assume announce the arrival of a new business read, "Discount Tobacco." I saw some activity in the shop yesterday, but couldn't get a peak inside.<br />
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I guess a new Cape shop is better than a vacant storefront, and in this economy, we should probably be cheering for the success of any company. I've got to say, though, that smoking products are not up there on the top of my list of things I'd like to see open up in the shopping center. I can imagine that smokes are not cheap at Graul's, Bella's, and the Shell station, but frankly, I would like to see them cost a bloody fortune - not be even more convenient and cheap for my fellow Capers.<br />
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I don't mean to rag on smokers because I know it's an incredibly tough habit to kick. I can't even quit biting my nails, and they aren't jacked up with nicotine. I smoked cigarettes for a year or so during college after a semester abroad in England (where most of my bad habits either began or were amplified). The main thing that kept me from going past the point of no return upon my return to the States was the disapproval of my good friends and future fiance and the expense of it. It was neither socially acceptable nor affordable on my post-college, sandwich-making income.<br />
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Both of my parents were smokers from their 1950s teen years through their 1970s young married life. I can remember as a five or six year-old when they were finally successful in their joint attempt to quit, about the time my Dad finished his medical school residency. They excitedly put me on the phone to my grandmother three thousand miles away to tell her that Mommy and Daddy had "kicked the habit". My Dad continued to smoke a pipe for a few years after that, but he eventually gave it up as well.<br />
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So I'm familiar with how easy it is to pick up the habit in our invincible youth and how dreadfully hard it is to quit when we wise up and start to get a sense of our mortality. It just makes me sad and a little angry when I see teenagers smoking on the corner behind the high school fondly known as "The Pit". It's so darn bad for them and is going to cost them and us in the years ahead. For the most part, laws protect the rest of us from second-hand smoke in bars, restaurants, and workplaces, but it doesn't protect us from the heartbreak of losing a loved one before their time to lung, mouth, or throat cancer.<br />
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That's why I guess I'm a little dismayed at the notion of a smoke shop opening up here in the Cape. The health food store in the shopping center was short lived but I fear a discount cigarette shop will thrive (how ironic is that). Perhaps the business will be more slanted toward fine cigars and pipe tobacco than cigarettes. Still, I would much rather have seen a pet supply store, a bakery, a seafood market, a florist (used to have one of those), a FOURTH beauty/barber shop, a craft shop, a sporting goods store, maybe a bait, tackle and boating supply shop, or dare I even dream it, a bookstore to replace Borders...<br />
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There are still several empty storefronts down at the shopping center. If any of you could open your own business down there, what would it be? What are your secret entrepreneurial dreams? What shops would you like to see somebody else open up? What do you find yourselves routinely seeking out beyond the boundaries of the Cape? Let's hope this economy finds a way out of the muck before too very long so that business throughout the Cape shopping center can thrive and grow.</div>
Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322219106810268043.post-73616793548424352642011-08-28T11:57:00.001-04:002011-08-30T07:47:11.744-04:00Capeshots From the Morning After Irene<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-sPeFSD3ufRU/Tlpkc2X1GBI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/O94SFa7uSns/IMG_20110828_081344.jpg"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-sPeFSD3ufRU/Tlpkc2X1GBI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/O94SFa7uSns/s400/IMG_20110828_081344.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-2i_FZTRonQA/Tlpk5sCSWTI/AAAAAAAAAjc/f9T0jndNQuo/IMG_20110828_084145.jpg"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-2i_FZTRonQA/Tlpk5sCSWTI/AAAAAAAAAjc/f9T0jndNQuo/s400/IMG_20110828_084145.jpg" /></a><br />
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Well, our household escaped the ravages of Irene relatively unscathed. Many small limbs are down in our yard, and of course the power is out. I think the whole Cape went down at the same time based on the Facebook updates I saw. <br />
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We all hunkered down in the basement for the night with the pets and slept fitfully while the winds blew likewise. Daybreak revealed that Irene was still not quite done with us but perhaps had already done her worst. <br />
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After a quick survey of the property, my husband and I went about the work of snaking extension cords from the generator to all the necessities, first and foremost the well and coffee pot followed by the refrigerator, toaster oven and miscellaneous chargers. We bought our generator in anticipation of Isabel, and it has proved a worthy investment. We are seriously considering going with a whole house propane generator in the near future. For now, the old Briggs and Stratton is doing a fine job for us. <br />
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Once electricity was flowing, hubby, Laika, and I hopped in the truck and took a slow ride around the Cape. We didn't stay out long so as not to be in the way, and I would recommend the same to all. <br />
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While we didn't see any terrible devastation, we did find plenty of damage in the form of downed trees. A few were blocking roads or down over power lines, and some were on top of cars and houses. We also saw a good Anne Arundel County and BGE work crew presence setting about the work of clearing roads and piecing our power grid back together. Again, I would stay off the roads as much as possible to give them time and room to work. <br />
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I'm no expert, but I'm guessing days rather than hours of outage for many in the Cape. The BGE website is currently reporting 108K Anne Arundel customers without power. We will need to be patient. <br />
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Here are some of the pictures I took this AM. Everyone be careful out there and help each other out. Keep those generators away from your houses in well ventilated areas, and be smart with the extension cords. As we approach nightfall, assuming the power is still out, be careful with candles. Irene was destructive enough without adding to it with carbon monoxide poisoning, electrocutions, or fires. Stay safe Capers. <br />
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PS. I'm publishing this from my only source of Internet at the moment, my Droid. Apologies for any formatting issues. Couldn't figure out how to add captions. Those porta johns at Lake Claire may already have been bashed prior to Irene. <br />
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Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322219106810268043.post-12409667736656955012011-08-26T11:28:00.001-04:002011-08-26T12:49:59.950-04:00Go TimeEvery three hours for the past two or three days, I've eagerly pulled up the latest predicted track of hurricane Irene from the National Hurricane Center website. I keep expecting the next update to be the one to verify that we are or are not going to be in the path of the worst of the storm. Each time, it creeps a hair to the east or west, and two consecutive creeps in one direction or the other have me convinced that it's a meaningful trend. I study the slightest tip or wobble of the eye to divine whether we are in for just another rainy day or the apocalypse.<br />
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The reality is that the update that tells the real story will be the one that's too late to do anything about. It will be another 12-24 hours at least before we know with certainty if and where Irene will make landfall and how that will impact her path. By that time, it's game over in terms of proper preparation.<br />
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So far, we have stocked up on groceries, flashlights, batteries and fuel. The rest of today will be spent stowing loose items in the yard (once I quit blogging...).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzO3zDMpYbizq3bsF40tkluFxYG-TuwwaZ3TbD_Emtku3ORik6kPgnXz3LyAdnL8eC6aKwM8SKsvSSQ0TXmVuwOT8ojEsxToF1GY4PyjYUPzT0X0VX66ZHA2qqkO8a0jP_ULsRRHukhTw/s1600/IMG_20110825_131259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzO3zDMpYbizq3bsF40tkluFxYG-TuwwaZ3TbD_Emtku3ORik6kPgnXz3LyAdnL8eC6aKwM8SKsvSSQ0TXmVuwOT8ojEsxToF1GY4PyjYUPzT0X0VX66ZHA2qqkO8a0jP_ULsRRHukhTw/s320/IMG_20110825_131259.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Provisions</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flashlights and Batteries</td></tr>
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The boat ramp at Deep Creek had a backup yesterday afternoon, and this morning when we pulled our boat, a steady stream of trailers waited their turn. Local hardware stores are bringing in extra generators. Water bottles are starting to sell out here and there, and I've even heard of a gas station out of gas. A storm shelter has been designated at Annapolis High School. The city is handing out sand bags, and downtown parking garages are offering free parking to residents at risk from rising water. The list of preparations continues to grow.<br />
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Much of this may very well not be necessary, but we won't know until it is in fact necessary. Don't let your fear of looking overcautious keep you from taking the basic and easy precautions. The city and state are making every possible resource available, and local businesses are calling in reinforcements with respect to supplies. Better to look a little foolish now than a lot foolish later.<br />
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As for the boat we trailered this AM, it's entirely possible that it is more at risk from a falling limb in our driveway than from an unlikely worst-case tidal surge on the lift. We seriously considered leaving it down at the dock. During hurricane Isabel, though, I watched with alarm as my husband lassoed our free floating boat from an invisible pier three feet under water in the pitch power-out-darkness of night to keep it from floating away. It's not something I want to watch again.<br />
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So we've placed our bet on the wheel of falling tree and branch roulette with fingers crossed that we chose just the right spot in the driveway for the boat and cars. There is an element of guesstimation at work here, but at this point, we all still have some time to stack the odds in our favor. That time is running out, though, and today is our last best chance to tie up the loose strings.<br />
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Everyone be careful and considerate of one another as Irene approaches and in the aftermath. I honestly don't have a clue what is in store for us. If all the preparation turns out to have been unnecessary, we can be nothing but thankful. It's not like all the food I bought will go uneaten. Heck, half of it is eaten already...<br />
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PS - You know where I've always really wanted to ride out a wicked storm? Baltimore Light! How cool would it be to view it from right out in the Bay safely enclosed in a solid brick structure that's stood since 1908? I might not have as much faith in the precariously leaning Sharps Island Lighthouse or chicken-legged, wooden Thomas Point, but Baltimore Light - I would buy a ticket for that show. Although I'm not sure I'd utilize that outhouse in a hurricane or otherwise...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baltimore Light (Daredevil Potty on the Left)</td></tr>
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<br />Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322219106810268043.post-42786928274013411552011-08-24T11:34:00.001-04:002011-08-25T07:59:26.743-04:00Earthquake in the Cape!Sooooo, how was THAT for a first day of the 2011 - 2012 school year? I thought the main drama of the day would be choosing my daughter's outfit for her first day of high school or maybe a fight in front of Cape Elementary over the new dropoff rules, but noooo, Mother Nature had to one up every bit of it with, of all things, an <i>E</i>A<i>R</i>T<i>H</i>Q<i>U</i>A<i>K</i>E.<br />
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And not an altogether insignificant earthquake, even by West Coast standards. This rumbly tumbler was a solid 5.8 on the Richter scale centered in Virginia, and it was felt all along the I-95 corridor from Georgia to New England and then some. Now that's something you don't experience every day, even this girl who grew up an hour from San Francisco. Here's the "shake map" of the event showing who felt what in our area:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5im-qo84Mbrqq49DcOLcKWXlIjpGTxSGfntE3neUFB1mG1D245BqjR-6HlHOaw37_fkdixafdGw9cDDUnuoKqvTe_MrMghQRn1oKzzw7z4HA9GIUSJIcku427eZv7mMLn-3g9uYy-6M8/s1600/intensity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5im-qo84Mbrqq49DcOLcKWXlIjpGTxSGfntE3neUFB1mG1D245BqjR-6HlHOaw37_fkdixafdGw9cDDUnuoKqvTe_MrMghQRn1oKzzw7z4HA9GIUSJIcku427eZv7mMLn-3g9uYy-6M8/s600/intensity.jpg" width="510" /></a><br />
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I actually didn't feel the earthquake because I was on the road coming into the Cape, but my husband sent me a text from Angler's where he was picking up some fishing supplies. My son (who had not started school yet) served as textographer and read, "Did you just feel that earthquake?" to which my son transcribed, "No, but there are lots of Capers standing out in front of their houses with cell phones in hand looking really confused." Maybe that's not so out of the ordinary, but in large numbers, it was notable.<br />
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When I arrived home, my neighbor gave me the play by play of the quake. A quick tour of my house revealed evidence that we had, in fact, experienced an earthquake. These pictures of the "destruction" in my house tell the tale (with captions in case you can't make out the full scope of the devastation):<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crooked Picture</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crooked Picture</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tipsy Barbie</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOx_nh_rlnaPybvQzdJwO2pwEB0x7jZqU5lMw1y68VKtl-QIzUaKqvJYG7cmyO4-jhN4eSFfy5goETugMeUvYPdB8Og-SV5NRZkDuP2C7kAsTWT-u2aYbPStgjNcNNHlAxeTDjwaB5Vy4/s1600/IMG_20110823_141214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOx_nh_rlnaPybvQzdJwO2pwEB0x7jZqU5lMw1y68VKtl-QIzUaKqvJYG7cmyO4-jhN4eSFfy5goETugMeUvYPdB8Og-SV5NRZkDuP2C7kAsTWT-u2aYbPStgjNcNNHlAxeTDjwaB5Vy4/s320/IMG_20110823_141214.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toppled Book</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjh1wCi3676Z1K5b05zMEWXTmMXRBejuj-Jp7mUP5-Q7NFDaMTP22zArdu0jIwNqmlw1Nfd1dwbS8PSkayK7cZW2u9Kt9-bCRxV-S2u5beUMvMjuL2ImGcQtpzChoBwnBoALLo96kysg/s1600/IMG_20110823_141242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjh1wCi3676Z1K5b05zMEWXTmMXRBejuj-Jp7mUP5-Q7NFDaMTP22zArdu0jIwNqmlw1Nfd1dwbS8PSkayK7cZW2u9Kt9-bCRxV-S2u5beUMvMjuL2ImGcQtpzChoBwnBoALLo96kysg/s320/IMG_20110823_141242.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deodorant Strewn Off the Shelf</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unhung Mirror Knocked Over</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPHcW9wFUAg6yzjJJsPJPYApHzDNWSZjmitEcfUB8YTgxIgh4NFCr3zGKX4cWYAB7EJuG-voSrwu90P4qm8lngakOPxKXs5aR8AE6Bufbi6KxttO-5iZ21J8Dr6wWvF2xG7VXw8hbLYSE/s1600/IMG_20110823_215340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPHcW9wFUAg6yzjJJsPJPYApHzDNWSZjmitEcfUB8YTgxIgh4NFCr3zGKX4cWYAB7EJuG-voSrwu90P4qm8lngakOPxKXs5aR8AE6Bufbi6KxttO-5iZ21J8Dr6wWvF2xG7VXw8hbLYSE/s320/IMG_20110823_215340.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crooked Map of Annapolis - Kind of Apropos</td></tr>
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OK, it wasn't the great quake of 1906, but it truly did shake things up on our typically steady peninsula. My husband's good friend who stopped by Graul's on his way to our place to buy chicken for their fishing outing arrived at the grocery store to find it closed with aisles full of boxes. In an attempt to buy another fishing prerequisite, beer, he learned from the folks at Bella's that they had miraculously only lost four bottles of bourbon (ouch) and a half dozen or so other miscellaneous bottles of booze. ("100 bottles of beer on the wall, 100 bottles of beer, earthquake them around, shake them down, 99 bottles of beer on the wall...").<br />
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In the end, it was a lot of excitement with only a very little damage for us in the Cape - a little more so for our fragile historic downtown Annapolis. Even so, it was disconcerting that cell phone communication was immediately compromised due to the high level of airwave traffic, and the roads were jammed with an equally high level of roadway traffic. Parents delayed in that traffic could neither get home to their kids nor make calls to check on them. The Anne Arundel Public School website was not up to the barrage of visits, either. Thankfully, our good Cape neighbors did their part to round up the stray kiddies until their parents could get home safely.<br />
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Here's a funny picture from a blog called <a href="http://boringpittsburgh.com/news/did-anyone-else-just-feel-that-earthquake/">Boring Pittsburgh</a>:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXb0YVP_uDYY1gnrNhytNenYM2janaDOOpuUgRYxjzzxUGt9sOltrVaXqU_ERZMmLRw8eAQ7tNn9KmgK7HDUIkXu3y87vI6fVvMPHYnDAdL6KoCd-pmoYZxtXvjwG9g7K3DtPHNRInVM/s1600/pittsburgh-earthquake-of-8-23-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXb0YVP_uDYY1gnrNhytNenYM2janaDOOpuUgRYxjzzxUGt9sOltrVaXqU_ERZMmLRw8eAQ7tNn9KmgK7HDUIkXu3y87vI6fVvMPHYnDAdL6KoCd-pmoYZxtXvjwG9g7K3DtPHNRInVM/s320/pittsburgh-earthquake-of-8-23-11.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WTF? Pretty Much Sums It Up</td></tr>
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Still, all of this strikes a little fear in my heart for a truly catastrophic disaster. This serves as a good wakeup call for us to spend a little more time on those emergency cards that the schools send home. It's worth seriously thinking through how our kids should get home when we can't get to them and talking to them about what to do until we arrive. As for my household, one small measure we have taken is to install a cipher lock on one of our doors. It's provided some peace of mind knowing the kids don't rely on an easily misplaced key to get in the house.<br />
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Where cell phones were unreliable yesterday either for calls or texts, I have to say, Twitter and Facebook never lost a step. Information was flying over social media at the speed of disaster. I knew instantly via Facebook that the quake had been felt by friends and family as far south as South Carolina and as far north as Connecticut. I also learned pretty quickly that my kids were safe at school and that area schools had been evacuated but would dismiss at the usual time. This information has to be taken with a grain of salt and filtered sometimes to get to the facts, but it's an invaluable tool in fast moving situations, especially when mobile phones and websites aren't up to such heavy use.<br />
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Following the earthquake, a couple of friends on Facebook posted <a href="http://gawker.com/5833738/californians-are-being-insufferable-about-this-earthquake">this article from Gawker.com</a> about the West Coast's reaction to our "quaint" earthquake. It's very funny and makes two good points. First, while the earthquake was not catastrophic by any stretch, neither was it trivial in a location that is not conditioned to this sort of threat. I think all things considered, our levels of alert and concern were warranted.<br />
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The day-after assessment is revealing that our area did not escape unscathed. The Washington Monument sustained a crack (I will NOT be superstitious and view that as an omen...), and the Washington Cathedral lost some finials from its spires. Downtown Annapolis also saw some damage to older structures. It remains to seen what other underlying harm might have been done.<br />
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Second, I think West Coasters can't fully appreciate the immediate and intense fear that accompanies every boom, bang, and bump that those of us on the East Coast feel or hear following 9-11, particularly in the DC to NY corridor. To a person, it's the first thought that leaps to mind when things shake, rattle or rumble. While the whole country was wounded that day in 2001, I think those of us closest to it geographically experienced a particular level of trauma that is still all too fresh.<br />
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DC does not have skyscrapers, but there are plenty of buildings tall enough to have given people a real fright from the swaying and shaking triggered by the quake. Then we had the sight of people running out of federal buildings in fear that brought back vivid and fraught memories of a day that fundamentally changed those of us who watched the horror of 9-11 unfold from just down the road. I think with that as a backdrop, our reactions were justified.<br />
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So, that should be enough natural disaster excitement for one week, right? Who gets nailed with an earthquake and say, a hurricane, that close together? Well, hopefully Irene will keep turning to the right like she has with each new update of her track and leave this already shaken part of the country alone. The trend for her eventual path so far has been slowly but steadily eastward. Let's hope that continues.<br />
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Still, the track is much too close for comfort, and everyone should be thinking ahead to the possibility of very heavy rain and tropical storm force winds later in the weekend. The winds in particular can mean very high water (or very low water) depending on what part of the storm impacts the Bay. Be prepared to secure your boats or take them out of the water if necessary, and stow away any loose articles in your yards. Have your generators tuned up and get some gas to power them. Heavy rain and wind could mean power outages in the Cape and surrounding area. While we can be forgiven for our lack of earthquake preparedness, there is no excuse for not being ready to deal with a hurricane given the lead time and our wealth of experience here on the East Coast. The devil we know...<br />
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Wishing everyone a calmer day and week ahead. Thanks to everyone who did their part to keep our kids and neighbors safe yesterday. When the ground shakes, Capers rock more than ever!Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322219106810268043.post-48294138712823797762011-08-05T22:00:00.000-04:002011-08-05T22:00:28.800-04:00Claire With an e, Please...<blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-AYnmZFziQtSPZjc4VG22GEZop-yfJQ0Mgv3416IorOjLjcCCvMwXbWFya1PSM1swcVOgzvbZ9SfxvlCcOK2Wg1_v3x6-PplA0fvugisRwyzIDBXgYdaOxL3d5Mo_Qr9C7Ve-wr6p8M/s1600/anne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-AYnmZFziQtSPZjc4VG22GEZop-yfJQ0Mgv3416IorOjLjcCCvMwXbWFya1PSM1swcVOgzvbZ9SfxvlCcOK2Wg1_v3x6-PplA0fvugisRwyzIDBXgYdaOxL3d5Mo_Qr9C7Ve-wr6p8M/s400/anne.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<blockquote>
'But if you call me Anne, please call me Anne spelled with an e.'<br />
'What difference does it make how it's spelled?' asked Marilla with another rusty smile as she picked up the teapot.<br />
'Oh, it makes <i>such </i>a difference. It looks so much nicer. When you hear a name pronounced can't you always see it in your mind, just as if it was printed out? I can; and A-N-N looks dreadful, but A-N-N-E looks so much more distinguished.'</blockquote>
Many of you Capers had opportunity to drive past the new sign this side of the Route 50 overpass directing travelers into our fine community. I'm sure whoever decided it was needed had the best of intentions, but something went a little wrong between intent and execution (isn't that often the case?). Even though we are the largest community on the Broadneck Peninsula - one of the largest in Annapolis - the powers that be still managed to get our name wrong. Instead of being directed into Cape St. Claire, the new sign was spelled Cape St. Clair - simply "dreadful".<br />
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Capers very quickly noted the problem and posted some wry comments on the I Live in Cape St. Claire Facebook page. The names and faces have been deleted to protect the innocent (or smartassy :)...<br />
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<span data-jsid="text">I can't believe those darned teenagers stole it already! :-)</span><br />
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<abbr data-date="Wed, 03 Aug 2011 05:18:09 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 8:18am">Yesterday at 8:18am</abbr> · </div>
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<span data-jsid="text">Damn budget cuts!!!</span><br />
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<abbr data-date="Wed, 03 Aug 2011 06:07:18 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 9:07am">Yesterday at 9:07am</abbr> ·</div>
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<span data-jsid="text">Its the economy, you're right. Good thing they got the debt ceiling raised!</span><br />
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<abbr data-date="Wed, 03 Aug 2011 06:32:06 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 9:32am">Yesterday at 9:32am</abbr> · </div>
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<span data-jsid="text">i just noticed that too, maybe one of our residents can help with a can of paint? LOL</span><br />
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<abbr data-date="Wed, 03 Aug 2011 07:15:02 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 10:15am">Yesterday at 10:15am</abbr> · </div>
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<span data-jsid="text">Maybe someone can track down FTH for us since they have no problem writing on all of our other signs.</span><br />
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<abbr data-date="Wed, 03 Aug 2011 07:59:28 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 10:59am">Yesterday at 10:59am</abbr> · </div>
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<span data-jsid="text">...but he doesn't have an "e" either :)</span><br />
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<abbr data-date="Wed, 03 Aug 2011 08:13:59 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 11:13am">Yesterday at 11:13am</abbr> · </div>
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<span data-jsid="text">What is the location of the sign? I will conact the SHA.</span><br />
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<abbr class="timestamp" data-date="Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:22:28 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 4:22pm">22 hours ago</abbr> ·</div>
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<span data-jsid="text">We don't need no stinkin' "e".</span><br />
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<abbr class="timestamp" data-date="Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:35:46 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 4:35pm">22 hours ago</abbr> ·</div>
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<span data-jsid="text">is that a new sign???</span><br />
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<abbr class="timestamp" data-date="Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:51:06 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 4:51pm">21 hours ago</abbr> ·</div>
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<span data-jsid="text">It's new, its right after you cross over 50 on the overpass. When you're heading towards Cape (from WaWa) it's on the right.</span><br />
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<abbr class="timestamp" data-date="Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:05:12 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 8:05pm">18 hours ago</abbr> · </div>
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<span data-jsid="text">It's not like we spell Claire in some funky unusual local way!! I guess the sign company doesn't use spell check before they paint those puppies.</span><br />
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<abbr class="timestamp" data-date="Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:11:45 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 8:11pm">18 hours ago</abbr> ·</div>
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<span data-jsid="text">I think it's due to the economy ...... they had to make budget cuts and the E drew the short straw ;-)</span><br />
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<abbr class="timestamp" data-date="Wed, 03 Aug 2011 18:11:29 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 9:11pm">17 hours ago</abbr> ·</div>
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<span data-jsid="text">I just saw it. I think there is a new one up over head too. Near old mill bottom.</span><br />
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<abbr class="timestamp" data-date="Wed, 03 Aug 2011 18:15:55 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 9:15pm">17 hours ago</abbr> ·</div>
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<span data-jsid="text">What, exactly, was wrong with the old signs that they had to replace them?</span><br />
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<abbr class="timestamp" data-date="Wed, 03 Aug 2011 18:18:23 -0700" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial;" title="Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 9:18pm">17 hours ago</abbr> · </div>
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The misspelling of a name can trigger something visceral in us. As my all-time favorite heroine Anne Shirley of Green Gables fame so aptly explains in the above excerpt, our names are more than just the way they sound. We also identify strongly with the way they are spelled. When we think of a person's name, the spelling is integral to our association with that person, and when someone gets the spelling of our names wrong, we are quick to correct them and rarely let it lie.<br />
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My daughter Kathryn is burdened with a name that has myriad traditional spelling possibilities, not to mention the dozens of nickname variations. My son Henry is in safer territory unless he travels to France where they spell it with a silly i and say it like a donkey's bray, or Germany where Heinrich sounds like a throat being cleared during a bad cold. My husband Mark largely avoids spelling concerns with his simple four-letter name. The alternative Marc is pretty uncommon, although he was plagued for years with credit card statements that came addressed to him as Martha - an old mixup stemming from the switching of his name with his mother's.<br />
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As for me, I have seen my name spelled all manner of ways over the years, all of which I have found unsettling. The spellings are fine in and of themselves. They simply are not me. I am Christy, short for Christina (and only my Dad calls me THAT) - not Kristy, Kristie, Cristy, Cristi, Christie, Christi or Krysti. I was particularly flipped out to receive a certificate at work one time with the name Tina printed on it. Tina? I just don't identify as a Tina in any way. I used a Sharpie to add the Chris on the front end.<br />
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Anyway, Cape residents were justifiably taken aback to see the all important e in Claire dropped from the name of our beloved community. While I'm sure no harm was meant by it, the impression is that we were somehow not significant enough for the typo to have caught ANYONE'S attention before being mounted on the side of the highway for everyone to see. It doesn't even look right, does it? Anne Shirley would deem it "the most tragical thing that has ever happened...".<br />
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Well, I'm happy to report that the error has been remedied before it could result in a full blown identity crisis for our neighborhood or general confusion for outsiders. Kudos to the State Highway Administration for hustling to correct their mistake. The new e is slightly lower than the rest of the lettering, and it is a little squished, but the casual observer would not notice anything amiss. It's certainly better than Sharpie. I don't know if this is the permanent fix, but it will suffice to quell our initial indignation. <br />
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By the way, does anyone know if this is a new sign? Is it a replacement for an old one? I can't recall seeing one before, but my powers of observation are not the sharpest. I do kind of like it now that the e is in its rightful place. As I said, I'm sure the intent was sincere despite the glaring error. While I somehow doubt the Highway Administration lost any sleep over all this (other than the poor schmucks who had to slap up the missing e in the wee hours of the night), they can take solace in Anne's redeeming words that I always keep close to my heart, "Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it."Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322219106810268043.post-49441619565247473472011-08-02T12:38:00.005-04:002011-08-02T13:46:22.003-04:00Paddle Board FeverI've been watching with interest the past summer or two as stand up paddle boards have become increasingly popular in our area. They appear to be a case of kayak meets surfboard. If you read the <a href="http://broadneck.patch.com/articles/deep-creek-restaurant-hosts-stand-up-paddle-board-race">Broadneck Patch article</a> about the race on the Magothy and Deep Creek this past weekend, you can see what they look like in action - at least in cruising action. Some models can also double as surfboards, which is a different activity, altogether - extreme paddle boarding.<br />
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The first ones I noticed caught my eye as a novelty when I saw the odd one or two glide past on Deep Creek. I judged the people on them to be a little showy or exhibitionist. It's all out on display standing atop a board in a creek or harbor instead of tucked away inside a kayak or offshore in a wetsuit on a surfboard. I wasn't all that intrigued or impressed initially.<br />
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Well, this past weekend, as paddle boarder after paddle boarder pushed up and back down Deep Creek as part of an organized race, I took a bit more notice. This was clearly more than a mere novelty to these folks, and I began to see the appeal of paddling across the top of the water on foot in terms of perspective and comfort level. I have always felt a little low and constricted in kayaks, but these enthusiasts atop the paddle boards were making use of every part of their bodies to stay balanced and move forward. It was like surfing without the threat of being crushed beneath crashing waves or eaten by sharks.<br />
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I wasn't the only one who was intrigued. On Sunday evening, my husband asked if I would like to go take a look at paddle boards with him. He also was curious and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I'm not sure if marketing was one of the goals of the race organizers, but it clearly was effective either way.<br />
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So we drove over to East of Maui to do some research and try to learn a little bit about the sport of paddle boarding. After a twenty minute in-store tutorial by one of the owners, we determined that our best bet was to rent a board and see how we liked it before making an investment in one of our own. There are myriad board options available, and we were not even certain if we had the balance to stand upright on one.<br />
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We strapped an 11-foot beginner model to the roof of our Explorer (feeling very cool to have something even close to surfboard looking on top of our vehicle), drove home, and deposited it in Deep Creek for a trial run. I was not at all sure how easy or difficult this was going to be. The guy at the shop had given us a slew of pointers. They even offer classes, but I felt pretty sure this was something we could figure out on our own.<br />
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Well, we spent the better part of the afternoon taking turns paddling out in gradually longer distances. The "idiot proof" beginner model was surprisingly easy to balance as long as you kept moving - kind of like riding a bike. Like I suspected, I enjoyed being upright and having a better view than down low in a kayak.<br />
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Overall, we agreed that we really liked paddle boarding. The boards are lighter and more manageable than kayaks in terms of getting them in and out, and it really is fun being upright - standing on water. I found that my feet would tend to go a little numb after a while on the board - I think because I was trying so hard to balance properly. A little repositioning seemed to take care of it as I became more acclimated.<br />
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We managed to make our way up and down the length of Deep Creek between the two of us without falling in. I had a couple of dodgy moments up at the top of the creek trying to turn around in a narrow, shallow channel, but I even figured out how to reverse on a paddle board to get me out of a tight spot. It wasn't pretty, but nobody could see me up there but the birds and the frogs. My husband, who ventured out into the Magothy, said it was pretty challenging to stay upright in even a little bit of chop, and a boat wake almost dumped him.<br />
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While I was at the head of Deep Creek, I came across some really lovely flowers that I hadn't seen before - looked like white and pink hibiscus. I don't know if they are desirable or not in that habitat, but they were really eye catching. I found myself wishing I had my camera with me.<br />
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Later in the day just past sunset, I made a second paddle board trip up the creek (with a paddle, mind you), but this time, I threw caution to the wind and took a camera with me. The water was significantly higher by this hour, so the channels were a bit more navigable.<br />
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I was disappointed to find that the flowers had closed up for the night, but I still got some pretty shots of the head of the creek. I also took some video of the birds fluttering in the reeds. The sound was amazing, but the video doesn't quite capture the full effect. I felt a little guilty for disrupting their settled evening reverie. I fear Deep Creek will be even more disrupted by the ominous sounds of bulldozers that I could hear and just see through the thinned out trees on the south bank of the creek.<br />
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As I turned back down the creek and headed for home, I could see lightning strikes from a thunderstorm in the distance to the northeast. This is where I almost went in the drink in my enthusiasm to capture the lightning on camera while not dropping my paddle (in which case I WOULD have been up the creek without a paddle).<br />
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If I waited to take the shot when the lightning struck, I would miss it. So I just started randomly taking pictures (thank goodness for digital photography), and managed to catch a strike on one of them. Then I used the part of my brain God gave me (as opposed to the worthless Homer Simpson part that would have just kept clicking randomly to catch one lightning strike in twenty shots) and switched to video mode to capture some more of the show.<br />
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Here are the shots and video I came home with:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front of my board</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closed white flowers at head of Deep Creek</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flowers in the grasses</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closed pink flower</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These were even lovelier earlier when they were open</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty side channel where I got stuck</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking East</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View back up the creek</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV_z35Z1-y_GlwkAkYGtvFfOGeJu0diPOrl73SDMEQi2-8rJI7O02jz4ca9EXxxl30FlpDq-s-u9vjGlS8IS_w5K4kcq3D-rx8wGPFQTZ7Dfb2VHoOzPf5XsYa3YisxyQYMWCUCscYouA/s1600/IMG_5564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV_z35Z1-y_GlwkAkYGtvFfOGeJu0diPOrl73SDMEQi2-8rJI7O02jz4ca9EXxxl30FlpDq-s-u9vjGlS8IS_w5K4kcq3D-rx8wGPFQTZ7Dfb2VHoOzPf5XsYa3YisxyQYMWCUCscYouA/s400/IMG_5564.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View down the creek</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvCWty2uHtqHOX5iznKXKG6cFP11aKCXtPTBbqKL-Usga6jKS5RVgVG1xwnBn0gYitkdipAYM3r51nYxNYJ8CcfC914UHQh9G9nAiXM5J06P-DxyJi6VBn-b9j3Su46jk0Nj_XRcdySk/s1600/IMG_5568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvCWty2uHtqHOX5iznKXKG6cFP11aKCXtPTBbqKL-Usga6jKS5RVgVG1xwnBn0gYitkdipAYM3r51nYxNYJ8CcfC914UHQh9G9nAiXM5J06P-DxyJi6VBn-b9j3Su46jk0Nj_XRcdySk/s400/IMG_5568.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset through the trees in Arnold</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQXDbyQYzqfoGh93kIu8g7d_zgHpoDoc2gcdvvRlAAJf9Q8CF7_ChKAq3MQqL2YWQMGYG2JY-FqFehSMZRICOF6dUiRoKEUrlJmWwm54vKn_TH4hHJiU-hFajTj6hhMTBcVoWTUhA33M/s1600/IMG_5570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQXDbyQYzqfoGh93kIu8g7d_zgHpoDoc2gcdvvRlAAJf9Q8CF7_ChKAq3MQqL2YWQMGYG2JY-FqFehSMZRICOF6dUiRoKEUrlJmWwm54vKn_TH4hHJiU-hFajTj6hhMTBcVoWTUhA33M/s400/IMG_5570.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty clouds at sunset</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLif8N5gdgg0hIJXBmu8ROtwbY3pa1RxxTiXB_xKOOIZ1CFS-il7A0Veuboa-jJaYrXT2koAH-UMank8I-wo8urhbqURrhkHZHb-DaFnxarLOvLrrKQHfyqCK5Ue0_voBkyZx43Uam9YI/s1600/IMG_5574.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLif8N5gdgg0hIJXBmu8ROtwbY3pa1RxxTiXB_xKOOIZ1CFS-il7A0Veuboa-jJaYrXT2koAH-UMank8I-wo8urhbqURrhkHZHb-DaFnxarLOvLrrKQHfyqCK5Ue0_voBkyZx43Uam9YI/s400/IMG_5574.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reflection of the sunset in the water (not algae!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjorElJWl7V2g8vZLCrxQFunh89FOTUWyoDqs2-cwsvO7gstz5cX89KRE7OWHw8ptCm4FYSiWp9Qad59P8vSBruNowYFCdeWcZr9VQkj7QhLdGzB65uVSggSzVs2n25LQ-T1kl8bgH9k2Y/s1600/IMG_5582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjorElJWl7V2g8vZLCrxQFunh89FOTUWyoDqs2-cwsvO7gstz5cX89KRE7OWHw8ptCm4FYSiWp9Qad59P8vSBruNowYFCdeWcZr9VQkj7QhLdGzB65uVSggSzVs2n25LQ-T1kl8bgH9k2Y/s400/IMG_5582.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even Homer Simpson gets the shot sometimes</td></tr>
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It's nothing short of miraculous that my camera did not end up at the bottom of Deep Creek. Heck, it's miraculous that I didn't end up at the bottom of Deep Creek. While I DO recommend paddle boarding, I do NOT recommend paddle board photography unless you have a waterproof case for your camera. I was truly tempting fate, and it was only a matter of time before I and the camera took a swim (deadly for the camera and potentially hazardous to my health with the bacteria levels recently measured in the Magothy).<br />
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We're still debating whether to go all in and purchase a board. We agreed we need to do more homework and get a better feel for how much we would use one. I certainly don't anticipate competing in a race anytime soon. I'm thinking it would be more fun to sit on shore with a water balloon canon and try to knock the paddlers off as they pass by. Now THAT'S some serious sport! (do I have to actually say that I'm just kidding and that I don't condone that behavior?)...Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322219106810268043.post-83633497654550288552011-07-20T11:25:00.002-04:002011-07-20T11:45:51.017-04:00Tipping the Scales of Progress and Produce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmK4ksDMQQgyuRxfQHkDjfVVmtCIfCOx9WSk3eHhvQOJt31dwvK_LculkCn2xA4UarG5amlyI9so3aoYag9-7-9vhkGT_wCy8rz33OqIeRamPpyVHWVGzBxGoPrDRoNVNWiLqAfSuhkyk/s1600/CapeStClaire-2011-SM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmK4ksDMQQgyuRxfQHkDjfVVmtCIfCOx9WSk3eHhvQOJt31dwvK_LculkCn2xA4UarG5amlyI9so3aoYag9-7-9vhkGT_wCy8rz33OqIeRamPpyVHWVGzBxGoPrDRoNVNWiLqAfSuhkyk/s320/CapeStClaire-2011-SM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I was in Graul's earlier this week for one of my daily visits. You could say that I'm a poor menu planner and kitchen provisioner, but I prefer to view my frequent trips to Graul's as the European approach to grocery shopping. Not buying it? Neither does my family, but that's just how I roll.<br />
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At any rate, as I made my first daily pass through the produce area, my pal, Ron, greeted me as he weighed my bag of shallots (ooh - sounds really haute cuisine-ish, huh? - just an ingredient from the latest quick recipe ripped from the pages of Real Simple magazine - recipes that always leave my family starving). He informed me that in a few weeks, Graul's will finally install produce scales at the checkout, and we will no longer have to have our produce weighed by the guys and Donna in the produce area.<br />
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I was surprised to find myself taken aback by this news. When I first started shopping at Graul's over eighteen years ago, I made the standard newbie error of not getting my produce weighed before checkout, not just once but over and over. Even after I got the hang of it, there were many times when the kids were little that I missed weighing something in the mad rush to get in and out before one of the little angels destroyed a shopping aisle or threw a world class tantrum. The folks at checkout would always patiently (and sometimes not so patiently) take the unweighed item over to produce to remedy my blunder.<br />
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Over the years, I have fallen into a comfortable routine of starting my shopping in produce, having a chat with Ron or Pat or Donna as they weigh my apples or broccoli, and discussing the current evening's dinner experiment with them. At checkout, I occasionally find myself behind someone new to the Cape or a visitor who does not know the drill, and I always feel just slightly superior to be an established "local" with my produce already weighed and labelled. The process that vexed me so in my early Cape days has become one of those unique Cape experiences to which I've adapted and even come to embrace.<br />
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Well, there's no stopping progress, even at Graul's. Ready or not, they are busting into the... late... 20th... century...? with produce scales at the checkout counter. Who'd have thunk! No more can we munch on our grapes as we shop, safe in the knowledge that they've already been weighed and priced so it's not really stealing. What will be next? Self checkout? Dear God, please no...<br />
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I guess progress is a good thing, but it makes me a little sad. I will miss Donna and her crew manning their posts at the scales as I pass through (sometimes two and three times a day...). I hope they will still find tasks to do out in the open so I can continue to bat around my dinner plans, but it won't be the same. I may have to pay them a visit in the back room, although I'm not entirely sure I want to know what goes on back there...Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322219106810268043.post-48051668235153118222011-07-11T13:22:00.002-04:002011-07-11T13:53:27.259-04:00A Fond FarewellI guess somewhere, the fat lady has sung. Other than a hundred and fifty or so more revolutions around the Earth and one more gliding brick landing, the space shuttle program is at an end. The final liftoff of Atlantis this past Friday is the last time we will see a space shuttle blast into orbit.<br />
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My husband and I couldn't resist the offer to go watch the finale, so we hauled the kids down to the space coast in hopes of a timely liftoff. The weather was terrible when we arrived in Florida on Thursday evening - pouring rain and thunderstorms. By sunup Friday though, Mother Nature had dried her tears for the demise of the shuttle program and granted us a grudgingly pretty space coast morning on this most final of launch days.<br />
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My previous blog post about attending the launch somehow caught the attention of a BBC News producer (the blogosphere is a bizarrely random realm). They wanted to carry live updates from the shuttle launch on their website and feature the impressions of miscellaneous bloggers about the launch and the end of the shuttle era. I was asked via email by a nice woman named Jamillah (straight out of a Beatrix Potter tale) if I would send email updates and pictures from our viewing area at Jetty Park. She also requested an introductory writeup about me and my interest in the space program for their site and then a follow up once everything was said and done.<br />
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Anglophile and wannabe journalist that I am, I jumped at the chance, not really having any idea how to accomplish this. My cell phone has been dying a slow death, and I knew my iPad would be impossible to view in the bright Cape Canaveral sunlight. I emailed Jamillah Puddleduck the requested bio and slapped together thoughts on the shuttle program before heading out the door to Florida. Here is the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14055743">BBC link</a> to my initial writeup.<br />
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Following the launch on Friday, I had ample time in the airport thanks to an extended weather delay to pen(?) a wordy follow up on my iPad. Mother Nature was in a much more disagreeable state by that time - spent her good humor on the shuttle. The requested three to four hundred words became many more, blatherer that I am. I don't think I can sign a greeting card in three to four hundred words...<br />
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My new BBC friends took my meandering email submission and edited it down to an even more incoherent blurb which you can find <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14088189">here</a>. This is what my original writeup said in is entirety:<br />
<blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0c343d;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Wow! I had a gut feeling that this launch was going to happen today, but I have a lot of gut feelings that don't pan out. When we arrived last night, it was pouring rain, but the forecast called for a clearing on launch morning that appeared to be perfectly timed. I was optimistic. I heard my husband up during the middle of the night checking to see if the fueling of the external tank had gone as scheduled. It had, and we were one step closer to launch.</span></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0c343d;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">We awoke to a few glimpses of sunshine peeking through a thin layer of overcast skies. Radar showed a line of thunderstorms well west of Orlando and no threat to our morning. Still optimistic, we threw on our beach gear and hopped on our bikes. </span></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0c343d;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Our first stop was Grills Tiki Bar for breakfast. It has been a gathering place for locals and NASA folk for years. The flat screen was tuned to NASA TV, and everyone was talking launch.</span></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0c343d;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Next we headed over to Jetty Park where the masses were gathering. It was a festival atmosphere with tripods set up all over and spectators vying for the prime spots on the pier and jetty rocks. We couldn't hear the broadcast of the NASA launch director from where we were, but I checked in with the NASA website and Facebook page for updates. From our own observations, the weather was getting better by the minute - confirmed by NASA.</span></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0c343d;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">The only issue we were aware of was a concern with the Return to Launch Site criteria. Weather has to be clear enough for the shuttle to return to the space center for landing in the event of a failure of the main engines. I confess, while I would never wish for a shuttle engine failure, I have always secretly wanted to view a successful RTLS. Launch and landing all in one viewing. It's doubtful that circumstances of a failure would ever allow such a maneuver to work, but in theory, it would be pretty cool. The criteria were ultimately partially waved, and the count continued.</span></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0c343d;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">As launch time approached, we all turned our eyes to the northern horizon. As the seconds past the designated launch time ticked away, nothing happened. The crowd waited in relative silence with the same question in all our minds - where's the shuttle? We've seen a lot of things go wrong in the final seconds before liftoff over the years, and it's almost always a show stopper with a short launch window.</span></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0c343d;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Just as we started to despair of a scrubbed launch, we heard shouts from the folks tuned into the launch count. 5-4-3-2-1!!!</span></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0c343d;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Sure enough, there she came like the grandest bottle rocket you ever saw glowing brighter than the sun in the distance. The crowd erupted in cheers as Atlantis shot toward the heavens. The booming, crackling sound followed shortly after - just as impressive as the view. Against all weather odds, the skies had cooperated for this final launch of the pride of the American space program.</span></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0c343d;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">As we hopped back on our bikes and pedaled away, the elation of the launch suddenly gave way to a crushing sadness. It was just for a moment, but the finality of it hit me full in the gut as we left the final launch behind. I'm utterly uncertain about what and when the next big thing will be. NASA still has plenty of good work to do for the time being, but nothing will capture our hearts and imaginations like the space shuttle until the US once again sends astronauts into space.</span></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0c343d;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Safe travels, Atlantis. Thanks for the memories.</span></span></span></blockquote>
The slight delay was due to a sensor reading from the launch platform that turned out upon further inspection not to be an issue. I had quit videoing when the shuttle didn't appear and then had to scramble to get my iPad back into video mode. I just caught the shuttle as it came over the horizon, and recorded most of the ascent until we lost it in the clouds.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="408" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FSZtMjtC9po" width="500"></iframe><br />
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I quit recording when it went out of sight to save on file size, but the accompanying sound reached us shortly thereafter, prolonging the experience. At fourteen miles from Jetty Park to launch pad 39A and a speed of sound of roughly five seconds/mile, it was over a minute before the sound caught up with the sight. The visual was fleeting, but the rumble and crackle stayed with us as we made our way back to our bikes.<br />
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While we were waiting for launch at Jetty Park, I emailed several photos of the scene with some comments to the BBC crew. Shortly before launch, they emailed to ask if I could do some live, on location interviews with spectators via cell phone for their show. My fantasy role-playing game suddenly took a quantum leap from print journalist to girl-on-the-scene field reporter for the BBC! I had no freaking clue what I was doing, but I was game to have a go.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgWmnmAUfNgu-irCd8Ut0WxddC4tTNEgexzlQdHLqgWrIgoU2GSY-IVorMplwuTYrrnZUbZaG7l1aZ4IYmrjg2EIWsQl0bv0agdWAYb1Uvp6qi3lhfxtHEZ7Aqll-lY96xvF9qqv5IsAc/s1600/IMG_20110708_090057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgWmnmAUfNgu-irCd8Ut0WxddC4tTNEgexzlQdHLqgWrIgoU2GSY-IVorMplwuTYrrnZUbZaG7l1aZ4IYmrjg2EIWsQl0bv0agdWAYb1Uvp6qi3lhfxtHEZ7Aqll-lY96xvF9qqv5IsAc/s400/IMG_20110708_090057.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On our way to Jetty Park</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRWpBCujnnl3tJiVW03TPPxS6ZEatV-Fl7rZXM_cP-AC3upi6pAxw-m_Mk0MXXzp8CEs1VnStB3InscCxWdVsZG5MHOiyKqSjjKL3seTaUQzKo1qKRyLwamO6KpcNsSE9UhlgNeFbKEU/s1600/IMG_20110708_105206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRWpBCujnnl3tJiVW03TPPxS6ZEatV-Fl7rZXM_cP-AC3upi6pAxw-m_Mk0MXXzp8CEs1VnStB3InscCxWdVsZG5MHOiyKqSjjKL3seTaUQzKo1qKRyLwamO6KpcNsSE9UhlgNeFbKEU/s400/IMG_20110708_105206.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">People on the jetty rocks and pier</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3uT0nv5eRBhHtekRdN52Ta4TkYZR_-V9wFUdtbY3qkuaAQ6GDJNhMpe8k4VRRibSmijnZqkPkGbYaKG2EIchU1CvpyA2GYhKzcV1dOnrO4pYKdyOE3ZYVBJBFNPt4Y26wVUW5BYckQI/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3uT0nv5eRBhHtekRdN52Ta4TkYZR_-V9wFUdtbY3qkuaAQ6GDJNhMpe8k4VRRibSmijnZqkPkGbYaKG2EIchU1CvpyA2GYhKzcV1dOnrO4pYKdyOE3ZYVBJBFNPt4Y26wVUW5BYckQI/s400/photo.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jetty Park Beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7vCVPx_pK9JcmPuAFhc7RAYSHo6NAwZTuUr4lg1JBzUPcqUzVBtxhSmlOxebbmJkhnDF20QOm5fyQp1FDFj-gdzUa4xWLuqkf29m-02WX8v0aJzYhrsBvBAkbe2HIs45FduI40ZI20_c/s1600/IMG_20110708_112527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7vCVPx_pK9JcmPuAFhc7RAYSHo6NAwZTuUr4lg1JBzUPcqUzVBtxhSmlOxebbmJkhnDF20QOm5fyQp1FDFj-gdzUa4xWLuqkf29m-02WX8v0aJzYhrsBvBAkbe2HIs45FduI40ZI20_c/s400/IMG_20110708_112527.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">People lining the Jetty Park Pier in the distance</td></tr>
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Alas, my technology failed me and others in attendance as cell phone signals began to drop out from pure system overload. No calls or texts were getting in or out readily in those last frantic minutes before launch. Texts that we sent to our friends viewing from the space center and vice versa did not arrive until ten or fifteen minutes later.<br />
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I did manage to send the BBC folks part of the launch video I took with my iPad. It somehow made it across the Atlantic via email almost as fast as Atlantis did by rocket fuel despite the severe broadband congestion. My dream of signing out from an interview with a jaunty "Christy Roberts, Cape Blogger, reporting live from Cape Canaveral for the BBC... " was not to be realized, though...<br />
<br />
Heady stuff, but all pure flight of fancy. I am back to the terra firma of reality this week with kids to send off to theater and sailing camps and a house to ready for an in-law visit. In nine days, Atlantis will also be back to Earth, and she too will be left with only dreams of the stratosphere from her Earthbound home on display at Kennedy Space Center. It was fun while it lasted... for both of us...Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322219106810268043.post-87039115184203666442011-07-04T12:42:00.004-04:002011-07-04T15:40:38.514-04:00The Biggest Firework of Them AllHappy Fourth of July, Capers! I've been out of pocket on a family Grand Canyon adventure that I will blog about in upcoming posts. At the moment, I'm trying to get to the bottom of four huge suitcases full of dirt, grime, and sweat courtesy of the great American West.<br />
<br />
It was a spectacular trip, but when temperatures hit 120 degrees in Phoenix the last day, we decided to cut it a day short and head back to the heat and humidity that we know best - just in time for the July 4th festivities. We don't have anything planned since we didn't expect to be home, but it's nice to have a day or two to decompress before the work week begins. Vacation is great, but coming home is even greater.<br />
<br />
We do have firework plans at the end of this week, however. We couldn't resist the temptation to get one more look at a shuttle launch, and this time, it will truly be one more look. Atlantis lifts off this Friday, July 8th at 11:26 AM, and it is not only her final launch, but the final launch of any space shuttle. We had not planned to try and attend, but a friend who has never seen a launch twisted our arm and asked us to join him. It didn't take much of a twist.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_A9D5WEhjK0RB1dgvIQyUXpRxSlRd0OpbIBVkXKRO5Vv-LljH-NSWF2C19UlDA2zL_EOLH3uVhUIS5Ys4_iA7g9EACnTLcZpnvVNBL7EjE5Q3Lhu64yzqwmBGZ_nUCdV0OsvcEs3o8c/s1600/268270_10150225158073091_86505458090_7326528_8349282_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_A9D5WEhjK0RB1dgvIQyUXpRxSlRd0OpbIBVkXKRO5Vv-LljH-NSWF2C19UlDA2zL_EOLH3uVhUIS5Ys4_iA7g9EACnTLcZpnvVNBL7EjE5Q3Lhu64yzqwmBGZ_nUCdV0OsvcEs3o8c/s320/268270_10150225158073091_86505458090_7326528_8349282_n.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atlantis Ready for Final Launch</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Those of you who have read my past blog posts know that I am a NASA junkie. It's hard to imagine who would not be, but I realize NASA has its detractors. For all those who claim supporting a space program is a waste of resources, I would challenge them to find a government R&D program that has produced such a return on investment for the public. I'm talking a powerful combination of national pride and technological advances that have had a direct impact on the way Americans live and breathe. For me and my family, NASA has been our livelihood for over 20 years and our passion for as long as we can remember, so yeah, perhaps I'm a little biased.<br />
<br />
Anyway, to get a look at the grandest firework America has ever produced, you will have to wait four more days past Independence Day. Cape Canaveral and the greater Space Coast are going to be a complete and utter zoo come Friday, but we are gluttons for punishment and are going down just for the one day before heading back.<br />
<br />
If anyone else expects to be in the area, we will be at Jetty Park this time, along with a gazillion other space buffs. We won't have the view that we did for the Discovery launch back in February from the Space Center viewing area. My husband was able to pull one more center pass out of his hat for this one which we have offered to our friend who has never seen/felt a launch up close.<br />
<br />
Instead, we will take it in like the locals have time and again over the past 30 years - from a beach chair on the space coast - assuming, of course, that all goes according to schedule. Worst case, we sit in a beach chair on the space coast with nothing but blue sky, sand, and surf (and a few thousand other sentimental space fanatics). Still not a bad deal.<br />
<br />
For those of you who are going to make the roadtrip down, I found some great information on a Patch site in Bloomingdale, FL (Tampa area) that you will find useful. Here's the link:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://bloomingdale.patch.com/articles/if-you-go-final-shuttle-launch-10">Bloomingdale Patch: If You Go: Final Shuttle Launch</a>.<br />
<br />
And here are the links to my prior posts about Discovery and Endeavor's final flights:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.cape-blogger.com/2011/02/countdown-to-discoverys-last-mission.html">Countdown to Discovery's Last Mission</a><br />
<a href="http://www.cape-blogger.com/2011/03/as-promised-sts-133-launch-video.html">As Promised, STS-133 Launch Video...</a><br />
<a href="http://www.cape-blogger.com/2011/05/endeavours-final-mission.html">Endeavour's Final Mission</a>.<br />
<br />
And last but not least, I've uploaded the slideshow/video I put together from our viewing of the final Discovery launch as a thank you to our hosts. A Fourth of July tribute to the ultimate American Firework.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6ufErwJE_Eo" width="425"></iframe><br />
<br />
Postscript:<br />
<br />
Atlantis will remain in Florida at the end of this final mission. She will be on permanent display at the Kennedy Space Center for the public to visit. A tour of the Space Center is always a worthwhile activity and will be even more so once Atlantis takes up permanent residence there.<br />
<br />
You know, early last year when the President announced the cancellation of NASA's next generation manned space flight program, Constellation, it was initially interpreted by many as the end of manned flight for NASA. The death knells were sounded by news anchors and analysts for American manned spaceflight. Since then, the news coming out of NASA has mentioned development of manned flight vehicles for missions to asteroids and Mars and refitting of the Constellation Orion capsule for 21-day manned missions. All of this was proposed in the President's speech at the Space Center in April, 2010, but all we heard was no Constellation or shuttle follow on.<br />
<br />
This does not sound like the end of America's manned space flight program to me - just a gap like we saw between Apollo and the Space Shuttle. Maybe it's wishful thinking on my part, but I don't believe the launch of Atlantis on Friday will be the last time we and our children and our grandchildren will see American heroes liftoff into space flying the NASA meatball. The destination has been changed, but the dream of manned exploration of the solar system is alive and well. Stay tuned, space fans...Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322219106810268043.post-75510744397460662652011-06-19T16:04:00.002-04:002011-06-19T16:51:26.263-04:00Change in Father's Day Plans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VvIsiSD6rmKRg6oVKgvdr0bUz4fTRGsTpQsnQPK7cKUDZAPBOpXJY7WFocH5ixX_bmJqlavnH0l9kwgTrIirSiPomWtmtXM_yBuu8kZ665k3WAm7nzk5wVKRfc_zQ_WzJOl0Aw-RznI/s1600/Father%2527s+Day+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VvIsiSD6rmKRg6oVKgvdr0bUz4fTRGsTpQsnQPK7cKUDZAPBOpXJY7WFocH5ixX_bmJqlavnH0l9kwgTrIirSiPomWtmtXM_yBuu8kZ665k3WAm7nzk5wVKRfc_zQ_WzJOl0Aw-RznI/s1600/Father%2527s+Day+image.jpg" /></a></div>I am usually terrible about planning in advance for Father's Day. The days before are typically spent scrambling around trying to come up with a good gift idea for my husband or grabbing a last minute card for my Dad. Every few years, I come up with something good and get it together on time, but mostly it's a pretty slapped together occasion.<br />
<br />
This year, I thought I had it covered way ahead of schedule with respect to my husband. About this time last year, I learned that tickets were going on sale for the 2011 US Open to be held at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda. The final day of the US Open is always on Father's Day, and I thought it would make a fine gift for the family to take Dad to the tournament. We have all been trying to get good enough at golf to play a round with him, but our games are not improving very quickly. I figured our best shot (no pun intended) at enjoying 18 holes of golf as a family on Father's Day would be as spectators as opposed to searching for errant balls in the woods.<br />
<br />
I was feeling pretty pleased with my plan until a few months ago when I learned that my son's week of Navy soccer camp would run from Sunday through Thursday as opposed to Monday through Friday. Not just ANY Sunday but Father's Day Sunday. Ah well, I thought, we will just drop Henry off at camp early and head over to Congressional as a threesome instead of a foursome.<br />
<br />
Well, as the day approached, and I received the registration instructions for soccer camp, it began to occur to me that it might not be that simple. It seemed important to get Henry settled in being his first ever "sleep-away" camp, but registration didn't even begin until 10 AM, and we were expected to provide our boys with lunch the first day before handing them over to the Naval Academy camp staff. This midday checkin would effectively cut our day at Congressional for the US Open in half.<br />
<br />
So last week, I brought it up to my husband so we could discuss the game plan. It became clear pretty quickly that trying to do both was not a good option. The logistics were just too complicated. Without hesitation, my husband, good father that he is, said not to worry about the tournament. We would just find someone else to enjoy them and enjoy our own leisurely day getting Henry checked in and then watching the US Open from the best seats in the house - the big screen, high-definition TV in our air-conditioned family room.<br />
<br />
And that is where we sit after a morning in downtown Annapolis. We are now about to watch Rory McIlroy tee off at Hole 1 and have a go at making history. They say he could be the next Tiger Woods. At 22 years old and 14 under par going into the final round of the US Open, he may well be, though Tiger's 14 majors will be tough to match. Let's just hope he doesn't wind up careening down his driveway in his boxers with his wife in pursuit wielding a golf club...<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, my brother-in-law and nephew are enjoying our Congressional Trophy Club tickets to possibly see history made by McIlroy in person. Our loss is their gain. I told my nephew I was delighted that they could use them, but please don't embarrass us by doing an eyebrow dance in the background of a camera interview with McIlroy. Don't know what I'm talking about? Check out the smart-a$$ kid in this video - too funny:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/YR8-guYFnS0" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">As for our Father's Day morning in Annapolis, the whole family helped Henry move into his USNA digs. He was happy to have his sister there to organize his closet, his Mom there to make his bunk bed, and his Dad there to give him some last minute tips from his own Navy camp experience. Another year, I would be OK with sending him on with a friend, but this first year, I'm glad we were all there to see him off properly, even if it meant sacrificing the US Open. Henry didn't get to see the best golfer in the world, but he was reminded that he does in fact have the best family and Dad in the world.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Of course, that's how many of us feel who have been lucky enough to be raised by good fathers - fathers who are always there for us when we need them, always setting a good example and giving us useful advice. Here's to all the Dads dropping their kids at camp, teaching their kids to play golf, or thumping their kids on the head for doing or saying something stupid - that was MY Dad's specialty.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Speaking of my Dad, I posted this picture of me and him on Facebook this AM in a lame attempt at some kind of Father's Day gesture in the absence of a gift. I thanked him for always making me feel safe and loved. His example made it possible for me to recognize the qualities in my own husband that would one day make our children feel safe and loved. For me, that's really the bottom line with respect to good fathering - that and a few well placed thumps on the head.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7cLN5Zkod-BOYlOIFeBcHXym7vm4Cj8eygCAFHTgsBh-vZU1kaL-F3Q7MX-MSQuQZAeE0zi_031WEstaElQ4N3Hii80Op5SgODKpqtPe7HfvQY33JhSTv6dB_I082J_3asZcjCZx6sVU/s1600/Father%2527s+Day+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7cLN5Zkod-BOYlOIFeBcHXym7vm4Cj8eygCAFHTgsBh-vZU1kaL-F3Q7MX-MSQuQZAeE0zi_031WEstaElQ4N3Hii80Op5SgODKpqtPe7HfvQY33JhSTv6dB_I082J_3asZcjCZx6sVU/s320/Father%2527s+Day+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Dad</td></tr>
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Happy Father's Day to all you Cape dads. Hope you're enjoying the golf or the Gold Cup soccer or whatever your favorite pastimes might be. As I've been writing, Rory has birdied Hole 1, shot par on the 2nd and 3rd, and birdied the 4th. At a record breaking 16 under par, he's well on his way to providing his father with one heck of a Father's Day gift.<br />
<br />
I'd love to hear about your great Dads in the comments. Feel free to share!</div>Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322219106810268043.post-61665725517048212422011-06-12T09:16:00.001-04:002011-06-12T09:49:56.717-04:00Strawberry Festival From Land and SeaI somehow managed to miss the Strawberry Festival Parade, despite planning to be there 20 minutes in advance. I don't know where I got the idea that it started at 10:30. As we pulled into the shopping center parking lot at 10:10 to get a prime spot, my daughter, ever observant, noted that the road was littered with candy, and the fire truck that usually brings up the rear of the parade was already passing by. I wish I could share with you the look of disgust on my kids' faces. "Really, Mom?". Ah well, if you blink, you miss the Strawberry Festival Parade, anyway. I love our home town parade, but the Rose Bowl Parade, it's not. We will be on time next year (queue the kids' eye rolls).<br />
<br />
As for this year, we parked the car in front of True Value and followed the tail of the parade down to the Festival on foot. I told the kids that instead of watching the parade, we would actually be in the extended parade. That might have worked on them as toddlers, but my big kids didn't buy it.<br />
<br />
Once we got to the park, we checked out the festivities and said hello to all the folks manning this booth and that. We also enjoyed the music set by our friend Dirk Schwenk and his band (sounded great!). It was pretty darned muggy, so after grabbing a yummy strawberry shortcake and placing a silent auction bid on a cute beach cruiser bike in the clubhouse, we headed back up Cape St. Claire Rd. to the shopping center.<br />
<br />
Here are some pictures from our day. The first ones are from our time at the Festival on land. The latter ones are from the water, courtesy of an evening boat cruise along the Main Beach and into the Little Magothy. No thunderstorms. No cold weather. No sunburn. Lots of sun, friends, music, food, drinks, games, crafts, dogs, and princesses. I call that a fine day at our fine Strawberry Festival. Post your photos on the Cape Blogger Facebook page and let me know your favorite part of the day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jv42egdO6elLs3GTYw_iPyEuyzsVvdyShQsdxRT-12PpxQZuHqjFQQSfWrP6FiENva0DWIhyphenhyphenfh6M9H_Ewomdv3t6G4u15ilxhBUFxYh4XY8G_QMkORMSJ8m7bkBzIk9DjNcm8bi6k38/s1600/IMG_20110611_113736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jv42egdO6elLs3GTYw_iPyEuyzsVvdyShQsdxRT-12PpxQZuHqjFQQSfWrP6FiENva0DWIhyphenhyphenfh6M9H_Ewomdv3t6G4u15ilxhBUFxYh4XY8G_QMkORMSJ8m7bkBzIk9DjNcm8bi6k38/s400/IMG_20110611_113736.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flower made from plastic bottles.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxs-JCNi3XeAEK55irnvjEkYBgtQ78-D2UPwtIceIfSogqH1WEpsso4Q9qMRBoJdWfyAVMj5iUn7VCzb7EkfktXid76knyuvjbY3-4OhZr1HkCebAFQkhnA1shcpwRwDTvllyRo3FFFmA/s1600/IMG_20110611_114845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxs-JCNi3XeAEK55irnvjEkYBgtQ78-D2UPwtIceIfSogqH1WEpsso4Q9qMRBoJdWfyAVMj5iUn7VCzb7EkfktXid76knyuvjbY3-4OhZr1HkCebAFQkhnA1shcpwRwDTvllyRo3FFFmA/s400/IMG_20110611_114845.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SPCA cutie looking for a home.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bqd635sc9LxlSnb6GE9tpZSPNAl8C5wIqIjsiYeb5P2PyCRWso6VqD7tUf9ktyg2cXLRFHVrObncLjsH9sBT0dsnke-_RXmfaOk4DZBgGaTmt1bGQqqgJWH0SUswoDnUP1SKlccZt7A/s1600/IMG_20110611_115016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bqd635sc9LxlSnb6GE9tpZSPNAl8C5wIqIjsiYeb5P2PyCRWso6VqD7tUf9ktyg2cXLRFHVrObncLjsH9sBT0dsnke-_RXmfaOk4DZBgGaTmt1bGQqqgJWH0SUswoDnUP1SKlccZt7A/s400/IMG_20110611_115016.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Girl scouts paired up with SPCA. <br />
My daughter is not a scout, but <br />
she has some lovely friends who are!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge5urB4RNMgpDyuoNPRMW7ZVe2ecUBY4BC6bI5P21WVnqtPv6mnSbj1IuFo_AvTT94Fy0Bzf_WBI6E7x5Vzy_yS0Tn2F1MXw6YFEi5yNDUHb9H-daxywh88ipiyBInz1occKDTggHcDrY/s1600/IMG_20110611_115432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge5urB4RNMgpDyuoNPRMW7ZVe2ecUBY4BC6bI5P21WVnqtPv6mnSbj1IuFo_AvTT94Fy0Bzf_WBI6E7x5Vzy_yS0Tn2F1MXw6YFEi5yNDUHb9H-daxywh88ipiyBInz1occKDTggHcDrY/s400/IMG_20110611_115432.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dirk Schwenk</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmaBqY9lzToefzH1XKoXtiNI2ySUyh-JZSIrZULLgTJPv7x37yQzCxLXxlnSkHuDx1punaqMEdSDLO4HJJPQj5aiNsvnvf6VOhjbkwOLD0MvzRXJvGE7_XfGWypttApVLlNDk6Y0Xy4M/s1600/IMG_20110611_115443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmaBqY9lzToefzH1XKoXtiNI2ySUyh-JZSIrZULLgTJPv7x37yQzCxLXxlnSkHuDx1punaqMEdSDLO4HJJPQj5aiNsvnvf6VOhjbkwOLD0MvzRXJvGE7_XfGWypttApVLlNDk6Y0Xy4M/s400/IMG_20110611_115443.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Schwenk and Band</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2rVeEgy_9FZpH20KP3rM8EmsVLmoolsAgpRoN-HBa_-vM8kITEEAxtgZIUxMSK0J0uVyX54U77bSnefqIbK6x8-tinngt9v4PggqRHofA4Evhz8pJqY1kukAEXCH6MqBS9D_vvxyaE1k/s1600/IMG_20110611_115757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2rVeEgy_9FZpH20KP3rM8EmsVLmoolsAgpRoN-HBa_-vM8kITEEAxtgZIUxMSK0J0uVyX54U77bSnefqIbK6x8-tinngt9v4PggqRHofA4Evhz8pJqY1kukAEXCH6MqBS9D_vvxyaE1k/s400/IMG_20110611_115757.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sodas for Sailing</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOHeJ-y_q0kh7UQ-l6vDAHFV1HWaZxAgGlGxrXJUVgays-9m1ADZ5s6Lc9xge9VxiYmBpRfxWzUQ_VSHY7ziqLzftOZ3A6jwW0EwokchsEV761sKpqynNZ1yviQDfCzPXdyaOKsVtC66Q/s1600/IMG_20110611_120320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOHeJ-y_q0kh7UQ-l6vDAHFV1HWaZxAgGlGxrXJUVgays-9m1ADZ5s6Lc9xge9VxiYmBpRfxWzUQ_VSHY7ziqLzftOZ3A6jwW0EwokchsEV761sKpqynNZ1yviQDfCzPXdyaOKsVtC66Q/s400/IMG_20110611_120320.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me in the Beer Garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNl-1N6Pg87MBSZ3r8ACSIsMbYMcgLfUZC50IDj5_TC7ucY10WE5Zxabk9tej6F5szAgWW3ZIycF3tRaxOWJwx6Zi6KRJv-tDIiu95PviF1z4VaR8aat7aHcq-5y28vdixKgWekpqkd-Q/s1600/IMG_20110611_120953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNl-1N6Pg87MBSZ3r8ACSIsMbYMcgLfUZC50IDj5_TC7ucY10WE5Zxabk9tej6F5szAgWW3ZIycF3tRaxOWJwx6Zi6KRJv-tDIiu95PviF1z4VaR8aat7aHcq-5y28vdixKgWekpqkd-Q/s400/IMG_20110611_120953.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Festival Fun</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQfiXm_ItwH6_vKYK9s_0NYX1PPdkRbDW6Gz0QLoXYxeuWD4wqTebHFEoCNinUBQRcAZ3dANu_gbfsQ2iYKAW2WT5bADwZ_KvHK04p8KM1GDNqPk1KRaKYjAKL7bSOrC1OnjP6jxE7NY/s1600/IMG_20110611_121307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQfiXm_ItwH6_vKYK9s_0NYX1PPdkRbDW6Gz0QLoXYxeuWD4wqTebHFEoCNinUBQRcAZ3dANu_gbfsQ2iYKAW2WT5bADwZ_KvHK04p8KM1GDNqPk1KRaKYjAKL7bSOrC1OnjP6jxE7NY/s400/IMG_20110611_121307.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henry's Tattoo</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisk2zVPYQnEIq6CuuSF4R68uDzZXzLm7shNIxpP5ezVHKrqIcjhcHlie_mSj94QCPhBIvSEaY9mepFB2e2XDXs8fNu-YVexlwVmsqOzF2wQbrJryUXYI79yy7shxROAmIe1jyLrENIEt4/s1600/IMG_20110611_121648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisk2zVPYQnEIq6CuuSF4R68uDzZXzLm7shNIxpP5ezVHKrqIcjhcHlie_mSj94QCPhBIvSEaY9mepFB2e2XDXs8fNu-YVexlwVmsqOzF2wQbrJryUXYI79yy7shxROAmIe1jyLrENIEt4/s400/IMG_20110611_121648.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Bike (didn't get a call that I won...)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-NkbICEFWNNqSodHS92S0eZSOTc6RwgnfbqnndSu1ETn6zgUs5-5wT20BVndKsdC0q3zgpmT3iTABllIV6elK1AikRNGtYAuD3l3riGr2jKYxuJ18u0R-DUl1QMCViQBl4cVD4zJ1D8/s1600/IMG_20110611_121842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-NkbICEFWNNqSodHS92S0eZSOTc6RwgnfbqnndSu1ETn6zgUs5-5wT20BVndKsdC0q3zgpmT3iTABllIV6elK1AikRNGtYAuD3l3riGr2jKYxuJ18u0R-DUl1QMCViQBl4cVD4zJ1D8/s400/IMG_20110611_121842.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Reason for the Revelry</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7PB5LKTmJGoKwEwqu90jXuxI30sQx2bGwRadeIKcTz9vJXoG1RMzFKG7GLoiujNBCrM7R9P2FKyCOpTXyQBTprZg2HH1b4H3Pvfj2YhBps-ZyfE4iNXk-wxcDWi8rWxy8xTQoUDc4j4w/s1600/IMG_20110611_122845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7PB5LKTmJGoKwEwqu90jXuxI30sQx2bGwRadeIKcTz9vJXoG1RMzFKG7GLoiujNBCrM7R9P2FKyCOpTXyQBTprZg2HH1b4H3Pvfj2YhBps-ZyfE4iNXk-wxcDWi8rWxy8xTQoUDc4j4w/s400/IMG_20110611_122845.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hazy Crazy Main Beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlNqCZ3nBlH_GaN9x9hXpROLc6flKgUKorQfjQ5DWJMhotDdVdvbJblLmbzR4JIuCTGiYj34vc9hwNlckuV_jH_-FOG6qLD5wiTLZZ73q-RcH0hgTyAdMV_9A782wLb8kGX1qX4L9uHg/s1600/IMG_20110611_125033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlNqCZ3nBlH_GaN9x9hXpROLc6flKgUKorQfjQ5DWJMhotDdVdvbJblLmbzR4JIuCTGiYj34vc9hwNlckuV_jH_-FOG6qLD5wiTLZZ73q-RcH0hgTyAdMV_9A782wLb8kGX1qX4L9uHg/s400/IMG_20110611_125033.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cotton Candy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-Ti4-BP_PhBcmXJdsNWDG6dKFsvrTXr0AgOakrKn_xABFOIakHGSxOHJ6u9KVj2WTvVXRTW7AMk4Y5zJ3wpri24EuNp8QHwkhJ4cQ1bVSoYEdID6kP211_0rJTrdSgHkmb4HCO0Y1a4/s1600/IMG_20110611_172830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-Ti4-BP_PhBcmXJdsNWDG6dKFsvrTXr0AgOakrKn_xABFOIakHGSxOHJ6u9KVj2WTvVXRTW7AMk4Y5zJ3wpri24EuNp8QHwkhJ4cQ1bVSoYEdID6kP211_0rJTrdSgHkmb4HCO0Y1a4/s400/IMG_20110611_172830.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kids Enjoying the Water</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxNAexyWqQzB5_Ajwaj6PyC84XRg5qWrp0OLzGktwvtShU7nWxL4Vhncvu6EPYHq88ROd2ZovroPjrFDr8yOJsYaDqXzJnWtVzB0dY2oQBBI0_Dgq0iQ6mdiZrBceMGXMZGO0pp9BTeQ/s1600/IMG_20110611_172937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxNAexyWqQzB5_Ajwaj6PyC84XRg5qWrp0OLzGktwvtShU7nWxL4Vhncvu6EPYHq88ROd2ZovroPjrFDr8yOJsYaDqXzJnWtVzB0dY2oQBBI0_Dgq0iQ6mdiZrBceMGXMZGO0pp9BTeQ/s400/IMG_20110611_172937.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strawberry Festival From the Water</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiowkTCxhiRphXCKuBPHFOf1wFcPsk3iz2lcYVHt2TtHCqPbY9RucVX0d5lbN3EwIDP76rOj6yT4P6lcz3KNNXy5dGOpaH39D6AW6PgxPNFn0ErdV5vyOsDU6Ifd1Nlgi8mogDAIqCmMU/s1600/IMG_20110611_172959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiowkTCxhiRphXCKuBPHFOf1wFcPsk3iz2lcYVHt2TtHCqPbY9RucVX0d5lbN3EwIDP76rOj6yT4P6lcz3KNNXy5dGOpaH39D6AW6PgxPNFn0ErdV5vyOsDU6Ifd1Nlgi8mogDAIqCmMU/s400/IMG_20110611_172959.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Makeshift High Dive <br />
(Cape kids are smart enough to jump feet first!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSWLF1x6Q4eyi-cSOqrRUMdSQbFfs5oNeQNCxo-F3sW7oxohfcT2aTjaaEsWs8WE9wHykNyFO-yzD1TNyIcRroD8EjG25-esT5-Hfxr2awfbSigly2ddhtoyeZCssArIUHf8XwhB8SqGM/s1600/IMG_20110611_173003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSWLF1x6Q4eyi-cSOqrRUMdSQbFfs5oNeQNCxo-F3sW7oxohfcT2aTjaaEsWs8WE9wHykNyFO-yzD1TNyIcRroD8EjG25-esT5-Hfxr2awfbSigly2ddhtoyeZCssArIUHf8XwhB8SqGM/s400/IMG_20110611_173003.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am not condoning this but looks like fun!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNThkL18Q97kUfyLfI8Aie5IuMS-QDA2_gTNvituKus37BbQTlZl0MmfwyRDLjeuQDxalNtBSrXLXEZ9TdpdzqI3_fQ4AX4JiIScvGoqp4LJDPB5AoU3zDmywG6Ls-92IcJrYttEx1kek/s1600/IMG_20110611_173012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNThkL18Q97kUfyLfI8Aie5IuMS-QDA2_gTNvituKus37BbQTlZl0MmfwyRDLjeuQDxalNtBSrXLXEZ9TdpdzqI3_fQ4AX4JiIScvGoqp4LJDPB5AoU3zDmywG6Ls-92IcJrYttEx1kek/s400/IMG_20110611_173012.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Hey Mrs. Roberts, where's Henry?!"<br />
Missing all the fun, apparently!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-36RG_v6jFijV4B1dj2A90PTPVxQsU-vSl7u58a2kE4ho5nftDF3MT6pznV4F4lPtENntk4q9xOLR-_q-1_LlvkZ9TcgPvOb4eTF5r9k3wEmGVqM429lIkPHikW7T7WvuaS9Eyafcok/s1600/IMG_20110611_173029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-36RG_v6jFijV4B1dj2A90PTPVxQsU-vSl7u58a2kE4ho5nftDF3MT6pznV4F4lPtENntk4q9xOLR-_q-1_LlvkZ9TcgPvOb4eTF5r9k3wEmGVqM429lIkPHikW7T7WvuaS9Eyafcok/s400/IMG_20110611_173029.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little Magothy Entrance/Water Park</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaLrHPOygTt5oxDT5vXA_HpuATR2YczJZLmKYZEzP8h3GjStI0qVDc-G2X6MDmfJQK_TX6kHgQRJguSmjqDFXO6v4ZH8tDNoW4mTUNQSF29IDdVImkEd_aKMgAefzXu61lD18WwoKqjQ/s1600/IMG_20110611_174326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaLrHPOygTt5oxDT5vXA_HpuATR2YczJZLmKYZEzP8h3GjStI0qVDc-G2X6MDmfJQK_TX6kHgQRJguSmjqDFXO6v4ZH8tDNoW4mTUNQSF29IDdVImkEd_aKMgAefzXu61lD18WwoKqjQ/s400/IMG_20110611_174326.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey, are those water toys?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPWS8I1jPnkYfXg2zAqeQtwLh_xtYfpY_l9lR1YA-aZNgeBoNKE9TQk6HypqEj0JP2tzu9nlLdjYsLUUQUQyd39hdVXE5t92dl132bBm0w35hyphenhyphen_7GtXcc_4x-HpvOOKVkbDmAmFszxy8/s1600/IMG_20110611_174502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPWS8I1jPnkYfXg2zAqeQtwLh_xtYfpY_l9lR1YA-aZNgeBoNKE9TQk6HypqEj0JP2tzu9nlLdjYsLUUQUQyd39hdVXE5t92dl132bBm0w35hyphenhyphen_7GtXcc_4x-HpvOOKVkbDmAmFszxy8/s400/IMG_20110611_174502.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where did the kids go?<br />
Somebody must have run them off.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkzHamU6wM5VU8yy7cHucqDbG_YxJjVvTTNPG2mmr-BirTL0HD5yH9XBxBqrGonX_chemgSabQh8B4EyRFXJfGfq2vhcPG2oeP-HUfnXgLQPld_5j-3JhgMXaOBXOVTAaGPzobO-ez2AM/s1600/IMG_20110611_175055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkzHamU6wM5VU8yy7cHucqDbG_YxJjVvTTNPG2mmr-BirTL0HD5yH9XBxBqrGonX_chemgSabQh8B4EyRFXJfGfq2vhcPG2oeP-HUfnXgLQPld_5j-3JhgMXaOBXOVTAaGPzobO-ez2AM/s400/IMG_20110611_175055.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Laika - my Berry Favorite Dog</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322219106810268043.post-2318262479430737542011-06-09T09:08:00.000-04:002011-06-09T09:08:25.839-04:00Cape Troubadour<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dirkschwenk.com/fr_home.cfm" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1vccMQHK9ITwbCDQnK9T6_JKafPoQbyz1GJuog-FAbGxlVqWawloiCnhtgw0mvcGfeja5uoHrKolbbXeSpTe0IsK91LAFAcvMgdE2db2Tb5ToqwhLeGXef4MahztRMZturAhOHmH0juw/s200/schwenk.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.DirkSchwenk.com/">www.DirkSchwenk.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Asbury Park has Springsteen, the Florida Keys have Buffett, Jamaica has Marley, and Cape St. Claire has our own Dirk Schwenk! Yes, the Cape has an up and coming musician/singer/songwriter to add to our ranks of talented and interesting local folk. Actually, Dirk has been honing his craft as a musician for some time, but with his solo performance at last year's Strawberry Festival, and now this year with his new band backing him up, we here in the Cape are just getting to know him as an artist.<br />
<br />
I first became acquainted with Dirk as many of us Cape parents become acquainted - at the bus stop. During the school year, it's a morning gathering place for parents and kids from kindergarten through 3rd or 4th grade. The kids are always dressed for the day and ready to go, but as the year drags on, the parents show up with their cup of coffee in progressively more casual attire ranging from workout clothes to full on pajamas and slippers. (I have been known to show up in my turquoise-blue-with-pink-ice-skating-elephants flannel PJs.) The bus stop is a nice opportunity to have a quick chat with the neighbors while we wait for the freedom that comes with handing our kids over to the care of the public school system.<br />
<br />
Despite a couple years of bus stop exchanges and the odd neighborhood Christmas party, I was unaware that Dirk was a musician. When we first met, he told me he was a lawyer specializing in waterfront related cases (good choice for this area). His wife, Stefanie, runs a top notch preschool out of their home around the corner called <a href="http://bestbeginningllc.com/">Best Beginnings</a>. They have two boys, Connor and Luke, who are winding down 5th and 2nd grade at Cape Elementary, respectively. Who knew that the guise of an ordinary, nice looking, enjoyable Cape dad was just a cover for the next Cape Idol?<br />
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Music has long been one of Dirk's interests. He discusses it in his responses below to a set of questions I sent him for this post. Like most of us with hobbies or talents that we dabble with in high school, he didn't choose to pursue it in a serious way, instead following the more conservative, reliable path of an education and professional career. This is the wise thing to do in most cases. While there are exceptions with mad talent and drive that find success "following their dream", there are many more who don't and are left having to pick up the pieces.<br />
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The nice thing that I've found with blogging and that Dirk appears to be finding with music is that once you achieve a certain comfort level that those years of study and career-building or home-making afford you, you again have the opportunity to pursue those hobbies that you once put on the back burner. You might well even discover new ones. And by comfort, I don't necessarily mean financial comfort but a comfort within one's own skin - a recognition of what is important to us and the experience, maturity, and courage to give voice to it.<br />
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I wouldn't trade my work career at NASA that resulted from my math and science training, and Dirk clearly values his work as a lawyer (and it pays the bills!). I am very much enjoying, however, the side opportunity to tap into my inner-writer/journalist, and I see a parallel to what Dirk is doing with his musical interest. It's a second chance to explore that fantasy career that some of us set aside for more practical considerations.<br />
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Those of us with families and responsibilities may not have the time and energy to dedicate to a whole new career path (although some do successfully), but we certainly can make time to cultivate our talents and passions on a smaller scale. We do the things that we love to do best and often it's those things that have the most meaning and impact to ourselves and the people around us. If nothing else, it makes us more satisfied and well-rounded people and nourishes our spirit.<br />
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What hobbies have special meaning to you? Music, photography, cooking, writing, sports, painting, sewing? Maybe a little of everything! I would love to hear about the interesting talents my Cape neighbors pursue. Tell me about them in the comments.<br />
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I'll quit and let Dirk tell you more about himself and his music. Below is the list of questions that I sent him and the responses that he so generously provided. Join him at the Cape Strawberry Festival this Saturday, June 11th. Dirk will be performing at 11:45 with his new yet-to-be-named band, and according to his recent Facebook post, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">"should not totally blow." </span>I'm anticipating better than that from our local lawyer turned troubadour. Any of you planning a big party this summer better line him up!<br />
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I will be at the Strawberry Festival as well to hear for myself. My kids will be manning one booth or another between youth sailing and girl scouts (my daughter is not a scout, but her friends have asked her to join them). I will be at the Broadneck Patch table/booth with the other Patch bloggers (a blather of bloggers? a bevy of bloggers? a blunder of bloggers? a blight of bloggers? - if you don't get this, it's because you haven't read my previous post <a href="http://www.cape-blogger.com/2011/01/murder-of-crows.html">A Murder of Crows!</a>).<br />
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OK, now I'll let Dirk speak (his responses are in italics). Thanks again, Dirk, for taking the time to provide thoughtful answers. Best of luck Saturday!<br />
<blockquote>So, I know from our bus stop days that you and your wife, Stefanie, have 2 boys who attend CSC Elementary. What grade are they in now? I’ve lost track since my two went to middle school.</blockquote><div><blockquote><i>My boys, Connor and Luke, are finishing 5th and 2nd grade right now. Connor will be at Magothy Middle (I think!) next year. </i></blockquote></div><div><blockquote>How long have you guys lived in the Cape, and where did you live before that?</blockquote></div><div><blockquote><i>We moved to the Cape in the Spring of 2005, when it began to sink in that we would need to send our children to school. Before that, we owned a house in Eastport and rented for a long time near the stadium in Annapolis. We have been together in or near Annapolis since about 1992. </i></blockquote></div><div><blockquote>What brought you to this neighborhood?</blockquote></div><div><blockquote><i>We liked the big trees, the schools, the water access, and the more casual atmosphere. We were also strongly influenced by the fact that my Mom and Stepdad live here. </i> </blockquote></div><div><blockquote>When I first met you, you told me that you were a maritime lawyer, by trade. Are you still practicing law, or have you left the courtroom behind (quit your day job) for your musical career?</blockquote></div><div><blockquote><i>I am still practicing law. Mostly I am working on cases involving waterfront property and water access, nowadays. I can't really see going to a full time career in music, as the grind of travel is not really what I love in life, and I love my lawyer-job, too, but I am very glad to have people hear the music. Its nice to feel like I shouldn't hide that anymore.</i></blockquote></div><div><blockquote>I actually had no idea that you were a musician. I see on your <a href="http://www.dirkschwenk.com/">website</a> that you played in a band back in school. Have you always been involved with some kind of band, or are you just getting back to it?</blockquote></div><div><blockquote><i>I have always played something -- I can remember Mommy and Me music classes when I was very small; I played clarinet in the band through high school; I started bass guitar in high school and guitar shortly after that. I learned and wrote in college, and had various bands then and for several years after. I took a long break up until a few years ago in which I did not play outside the house and pretty much everyone knew me as a lawyer or a sailor or through sports. I have always felt very shy about telling people about my music, and I was positively horrible about getting gigs. Just in the past few years I have started to play in front of more than just family again. </i></blockquote></div><div><blockquote>How long have you been writing music?</blockquote></div><div><blockquote><i>My senior year of high school, my buddy John Metters -- guitarist in the band I played in in high school -- came to me with a chord progression and a title: "Ode to Backseat Cushion." I took his idea, moved things around a bit, and came up with a song I still think is pretty good -- it certainly captures where our minds were in high school, and I still play it sometimes. Since then I have always written songs. Most get tossed in the garbage, but hopefully find one or two decent songs a year. Since I have been back focusing on music, I am writing more, but time will tell whether the new songs are really good enough to keep around. </i></blockquote></div><div><blockquote>Do your boys play musical instruments? Stefanie?</blockquote></div><div><blockquote><i>Not really -- I am hoping to get Connor going on bass guitar so that I can turn him loose on my other band, Generation Gap, but so far that has not really reached top priority. They will sing with me sometimes, if they are of a mind. </i></blockquote></div><div><blockquote>Do they think it’s cool that Dad is in a rock band?</blockquote></div><div><blockquote><i>My boys are pretty tough critics, but at least they don't seem to mind. They like a good party, so that helps. </i></blockquote></div><div><blockquote>Who are your band-mates, and how did you meet?</blockquote></div><div><blockquote><i>Right now the band consists of Phil Runk on bass and Curtis Cunningham on drums and myself on guitar and vocals. Phil and Curt have played together in various bands all the way back to college. I met Phil at the Lake Claire beach one day when I was sitting around playing guitar -- he is a Caper as well. We decided to try to play a few songs to see how it went, and here we are ... about to debut the thing at the Strawberry Festival. </i></blockquote></div><div><blockquote>Where do you practice and how often do you get together with your band and practice?</blockquote></div><div><blockquote><i>Phil has a complete band set up in a room in his basement and his wife and Mom have been good enough to allow us to bang around down there while they cover his kids. As a band we have been getting together about once a week -- we'll get together twice this week before Saturday. The first day that Phil and I met, he told me that whatever it was that I was writing, it would not be too hard for them to learn. Luckily, he has been right, and even introducing songs that they have never heard before, things have come together surprisingly fast. We will not be perfect on Saturday, but we should be pretty good. </i></blockquote></div><div><blockquote>What instruments do each of you play in the band (the kid across the street from me plays drums if you’re in need of a drummer – may as well put him to work if I’m going to have to listen to him practice anyway…)?</blockquote></div><div><blockquote><i>See above, but Phil also plays guitar and other string instruments, and I play bass in another band that is playing on Saturday, Generation Gap. I am just OK on bass, but it is a very fun group of people fronted by Dan Tobin from the Cape. And I've heard your neighbor is pretty good!</i></blockquote></div><div><blockquote>Did you have formal guitar training, or did you just teach yourself? Do you play any other instruments?</blockquote></div><div><blockquote><i>On guitar, I took one semester in college, but for the most part I am self-taught. I did learn a great deal about music and presentation of music playing in band and singing in middle and high school musicals. My high school band teacher, Mr. Brown, was excellent, and really emphasized that we had to use dynamics and tempo to capture a song. I am sure he would be surprised to know I learned something from him, since I hardly practiced and wasn't very good, and he eventually had to kick me out for getting in trouble on the band bus. </i></blockquote></div><div><blockquote>How does Stefanie feel about your pursuit of a musical career? Is she your biggest fan, enthusiastically supporting your dream, or does she roll her eyes a little and humor your musical hobby? Maybe a bit of both depending on the day?</blockquote></div><div><blockquote><i>Stefanie is my second biggest fan after my mother. </i>(Aww - comment injected by Cape Blogger)<i> She would probably be my biggest fan, but she is worried that I will get a big head and that I will not help get the boys ready for school or unload the dishwasher. She does support me greatly in everything that I do, and without her support there wouldn't be either a legal career or a band. I wrote the lead song on current CD "I've Been Thinking" for her and about her, and I am still somewhat stunned and appreciative that she picked me out of the available guys on the planet. </i>(Once again, Aww...)</blockquote></div><div><blockquote>Who are your favorite musical artists?</blockquote></div><div><blockquote><i>Right now, I love Ben Harper and Jack Johnson because they are all putting out new songs that resonate without engaging in anything that is too formulaic or too conscious of trying to be popular. I have great respect for Tom Petty, Paul McCartney; Paul Simon and that generation of songwriters that are still putting out good music 40 years into their careers. I love outlaw country -- Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash especially -- and the Rolling Stones. Mostly though, I love good songwriting in almost any era or genre -- I can cry about the passing of Bob Marley pretty much any day or time. </i></blockquote></div><div><blockquote>I know you workout a lot at Big Vanilla (because I'm there so much...right?). Do you use an iPod or mp3 player, and if so, what are 5 songs on it (come on, tell me the embarrassing ones – I confess I have John Denver, Little River Band, and Celine Dion on mine – now you go…).</blockquote></div><div><blockquote><i>I am sure that if I had an ipod, I would have embarrassing things on it -- I like John Denver and I would have all sorts of country and punk music I probably shouldn't admit to. I don't have an ipod though, because I always put them through the wash and ruin them, and also because I like to chat at the gym more than I like to work out. In a vulnerable moment, you could get me to confess that I think I should know the pop music they play at the gym, just in case Big Dreams came calling.</i></blockquote></div><div><blockquote>What other gigs have you and your band played (old band and new), and what would be your dream gig (I’m not talking the Verizon Center or Wembley stadium – locally speaking).</blockquote></div><div><blockquote><i>The new band's biggest gig so far was in Phil's backyard for a crowd of about 20. My old bands played some of the bars in Chestertown and Annapolis, but none that are even in business anymore. My dream gigs ... Well, even this time last year it was just to do a party or two as a solo guitar player, so things are being ratcheted up a bit just lately. But all of my dream gigs are outside with a nice crowd, maybe some sand and a water view. Locally, next year I would like to do some of the things like Bands in the Sand and Eastport-A-Rockin -- the festival atmosphere appeals to me much more than a late-night bar. </i></blockquote></div><div><blockquote>I love that you did the photoshoot for your website at Fairwinds Beach.<br />
I think it’s such a pretty spot (the subject of my blog header photo, as well). Did you have those done professionally, or do you have a talented photographer in your life?</blockquote></div><div><blockquote><i>I love that beach, too -- its my favorite place in the Cape. The pictures were taken by Heather Mckay Bowes, </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><i><a href="http://www.heathermckaybowes.com/">www.heathermckaybowes.com</a></i></span><i>, who lived in the Cape until last year. Her profession is photography and her passion (as opposed to her bread and butter) is photographing musicians. She did me an incredible favor taking those shots on one of her last days before she moved. Having met me in person, you can see what an incredible job she did!</i></blockquote></div><div><blockquote>I actually took the photo for my blog one morning when I dropped off my son for sailing camp. I believe your son(s) participated, as well, and I see on your Facebook page that sailing is a hobby of yours. Do you have a boat and/or get much opportunity to sail?</blockquote></div><div><blockquote><i>The boys are in Cape sailing, and we get out some casually on various boats, but as far as serious racing, I have hung up my sailing boots for now. I sailed on my high school and college sailing teams, and Stef was crazy (and supportive) enough to let me use some of the money that we got for our wedding to buy a small racing boat, even though she was not a sailor. She and I actively sailed and raced during the 12 years that I was not doing music, and got pretty good. When we were in babies, racing was a great weekend escape and a time to work together as a team. We are always looking for ways to get out on the water, but our race boat is for sale. </i></blockquote></div><div><blockquote>What’s your favorite thing about Cape St. Claire?</blockquote></div><div><blockquote><i>We love all the beaches and water access and we love the more casual neighborhood feel. </i></blockquote></div><div><blockquote><i>Dirk</i></blockquote></div>Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322219106810268043.post-81530351503869737092011-06-06T10:39:00.003-04:002011-06-06T10:49:00.359-04:00"Ahh, Bach..."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwt7L-qjXK4oNl8CqJGrYHq3bwQbfBX7NxjXbMPcbf_xQjmlEOt1krLSoswSOKJuFIvTfJHJwLuFcf5O74-9wcJ7RYtJ0LEKvXkB9NAxsYJSNnq-KNiRoxa1EZNs9i2P2jUzdoaApFdmg/s1600/bach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwt7L-qjXK4oNl8CqJGrYHq3bwQbfBX7NxjXbMPcbf_xQjmlEOt1krLSoswSOKJuFIvTfJHJwLuFcf5O74-9wcJ7RYtJ0LEKvXkB9NAxsYJSNnq-KNiRoxa1EZNs9i2P2jUzdoaApFdmg/s320/bach.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Those of you who were big M.A.S.H. fans like me back in the day might remember an episode where Radar tries to impress a visiting nurse who is sophisticated and into classical music. The advice he gets from Hawkeye and Trapper is whenever he is at a loss for a response to something she says about classical music, just say, "Ahh, Bach...". This may be one of the single best pieces of advice I've ever heard. Plug in any significant artist, philosopher or scientist who comes up about whom you have no freaking clue and nod your head with a knowing look.You might just get away with it - or not. It didn't work out so well for Radar.<br />
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My own knowledge of classical music is fairly limited. It is constrained to the pieces of music that I encountered while taking piano lessons growing up and the music appreciation course I took in college to meet my humanities requirement. I can identify some of Beethoven's greats, the odd Chopin Waltz, and several of Bach's inventions, and I can play a few passingly well, but I have never become intimately familiar in any kind of depth with the great works of the classic composers.<br />
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As for my family history of piano lessons, my mother played piano growing up - mostly Methodist church hymns. She saw to it that I played piano, and I, in turn, have seen to it that my daughter plays piano. Musical talent does not run strong in our particular line of the family, but each generation has acquired the skill through brute force. I made an attempt with my son, but after months - make that years - of tears and fights on the piano bench, I waved the white flag and called a truce, as did my mother before me with my brother (who plays guitar quite well as an adult, so I hold out hope for my son's musical future).<br />
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My daughter, bless her, has not enjoyed taking piano lessons either, but she seemed to recognize early on that as the next in the line of piano playing women in our family, this was non-negotiable. She has been taking lessons with the same teacher since she was five years old - ever since my Mom sent the old piano to live with us.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me at the then new piano. <br />
Don't let the smile fool you.</td></tr>
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We first met her piano teacher, Emiko Tanabe, through the Peabody Preparatory at Maryland Hall back when I had delusions of grandeur about my daughter's future career as a concert pianist. After a few years of us making the weekly commute across town, Emiko left The Peabody and became an instructor at Anne Arundel Community College. At that point we switched to private lessons out of her home, which became wonderfully convenient when she moved to Cape St. Claire several years ago.<br />
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Having Emiko in the Cape could not be more ideal. She is a fabulously talented and accomplished pianist, and somehow she landed right here in our very own neighborhood. We are incredibly fortunate to have her in our community. A couple of times a year, she plays locally for free and collaborates with many of the other talented musicians in our midst. Over the years, she has accommodated all of our needs and schedule requests and has exhibited remarkable forbearance in the face of a student who has put a minimum of effort into her piano study. I know some days, she must feel like putting in earplugs to avoid listening to Mr. Bach get butchered. Aghhh, Bach...<br />
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Despite the lack of practice time and summers off, my daughter has actually become a very good pianist. Her fingers are much more nimble and lithe than mine ever were, and the dearth of practice has made her into a pretty decent sight reader. I credit Emiko's lovely, mild temperament with keeping her at it this long. My goal at this point is simply to maintain the musical knowledge that she's acquired by sitting down a few times a week to play and by attending the half hour weekly lesson with Emiko for the exposure to her wealth of knowledge and expertise. I'm hoping Kathryn will one day be able to say, "Ahh, Bach" with a little extra confidence and a sincerely knowing smile having played a piece or two written by the man himself and having heard Emiko play it as exquisitely as it was intended.<br />
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Playing piano also comes in handy to torture family over the holidays. Here are a couple of our early greatest hits that we recorded for the grandparents (the second got cut off - I'm sure it was our best performance ever):<br />
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This past weekend, it was time for the yearly piano recital that Emiko holds for her students at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church. It's the one time of year that I insist my daughter put in the extra time to work up her selected pieces properly. I'm past being embarrassed for her or myself if they do not sound passable, but I hate to disappoint Emiko. I knew as the day approached that it was not going to be a flawless performance. My daughter made a valiant effort to perfect her waltz and sonatina, but it was clearly a bit too little too late. I made my peace with this before leaving for the recital.<br />
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Or so I thought until we took our seats in the church, and I looked up to find none other than the Tiger Mother herself and her family in the front row ahead of us. For those of you who aren't familiar with Amy Chua's book <i>The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother</i>, it describes her hardcore approach as an Asian woman to mothering and the exacting standards to which she holds her two daughters. Seated ahead of us was a carbon copy (in the most superficial of ways) of Chua's family - the Asian mother, the Jewish father (I'm basing this purely on their last name, so I could be mistaken) and the two lovely, polished, poised daughters. Add in the Asian mother-in-law, and they were a force to be reckoned with. Suddenly, I wished that I had cracked the whip a little more leading up to the recital, but it was too late. We were about to get schooled.<br />
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Well, of course piano recitals are not competitions. I listened with delight as the steady stream of little to big pianists marched up to the shiny black grand piano and nervously laid their racing hearts out on the keyboard. They were all thoroughly entertaining, and I admired the courage and composure displayed by each and every one through the occasional sour or forgotten note and ensuing pauses - some serious character building moments. The kids play in order of experience from new students at the beginning to the more accomplished students at the end. My daughter was third from the last with, no surprise, the Tiger Mother's girls following her.<br />
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I think the thing I admire most about my daughter is that while she does not like to perform in front of an audience, when she does, she is utterly fearless. I am a quivering bundle of nerves on stage, but I have never seen her hands shake, and this recital was no exception. While she made the few mistakes that we knew were inevitable due to lack of full preparation, the parts in between were truly lovely to me, and my heart swelled to watch her confident posture as her hands floated over the keys. I can only dream of how beautifully she could play with a Tiger Mother at the helm. Nonetheless, I was tremendously proud of her effort. As she returned to her seat, she shared a fist bump and a smile with her brother which seemed to put it all in perspective.<br />
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The Tiger Daughters finished out the recital in spectacular fashion, but even they proved to be human. Their pieces were the most advanced of the day, and they both played splendidly, but they made their share of noticeable mistakes. The younger daughter was technically dazzling through her sonatina, and the elder daughter was fluidly graceful throughout one of the loveliest Chopin nocturnes I've heard (I only know it was a Chopin nocturne thanks to the recital program - "Ahh, Chopin..."). Despite the couple of incidental flubs, I didn't see any sign that their family was any less delighted than we were. When it was all over, the Tiger Parents were every bit as proud of their cubs as we were of ours. I promised Kathryn I would not post the video of her performance, but here she is afterward VERY happy to have it over:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-Recital Smile</td></tr>
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Hopefully my daughter will come away from her years of forced piano playing with a rudimentary ability to carry on a superficial conversation about classical music. My friend whose son also played in the piano recital (Beethoven's 5th - recognized that one!) attended a violin recital for her other son the following day. She texted afterward to tell me that the Tiger Mother and her family were also at the strings recital. The older cub ALSO plays the violin quite beautifully. D'oh! I knew I should have made my daughter stick with playing in the school orchestra! Oh well, she will just have to go through life faking her knowledge of brilliant violinists with an, "Ahh, Itzhak..."<br />
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Here are a few quotes about music I stumbled across online that tickled me:<br />
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"When a piece gets difficult, make faces." -- <i>Arthur Schnabel (to Vladimir Horowitz)</i><br />
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"Get up from that piano. You hurtin' its feelings." -- <i>Jelly Roll Morton</i><br />
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"Nothing soothes me more after a long and maddening course of pianoforte recitals than to sit and have my teeth drilled." -- <i>George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright and music critic.</i><br />
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And in all seriousness:<br />
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"Use the talents you possess, for the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except the best." -- <i>Henry Van Dyke</i>Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322219106810268043.post-25533834380383947732011-06-01T11:23:00.000-04:002011-06-01T11:23:01.203-04:00What Happened to May?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbq1I_qJbiuCiv1sOHVJcyBKwqDkmRBr2ZtKjNfaaLbaZuBHf6Oi8ypHiz8GbqURC36nyRRM-LMjAHbe0Cr3QXTKWz2wgFupW-ByYMA3FFOG6pNI0tljpT4UZUhyAj_ydpaZ2-tXW67Us/s1600/Sun2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbq1I_qJbiuCiv1sOHVJcyBKwqDkmRBr2ZtKjNfaaLbaZuBHf6Oi8ypHiz8GbqURC36nyRRM-LMjAHbe0Cr3QXTKWz2wgFupW-ByYMA3FFOG6pNI0tljpT4UZUhyAj_ydpaZ2-tXW67Us/s200/Sun2.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>Is it me, or does it feel like we leapfrogged over May straight into full-on summer? The weather went from cool, rainy, and windy to Africa-hot in what seems like a matter of days. We could have used a few more of the lovely mild temperatures that we enjoyed here and there. I can hardly remember them now. The cancellation of the Blue Angels just added to the sense that May didn't happen. Now it's June 1st, and I couldn't tell you where May went.<br />
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Thankfully, the Cape pool opened this past weekend. Even more thankfully, my kids are now old enough to drop off on their own with a friend or two. The crowds and the prospect of putting on a bathing suit did not appeal to ME especially, but I was desperate to get the kids out of their PJs and away from their video games. My son was eager to go. He loves playing dodge ball in the volleyball pit. My daughter was less enthused, but got interested when her girlfriends invited her.<br />
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I actually considered leasing our membership this season because we haven't been using the pool a lot in the past couple of years. When the kids were little, we spent much of our free summer hours at the pool, but their interest has waned some as it has become less and less cool to frolic with Mommy. I held on to the membership this year in hopes that maybe with their increasing freedom to come and go on their own, they would choose to use the pool without me schlepping along. This past weekend was a trial run, and I hope it is a sign of things to come. They both enjoyed the better part of their day hanging out with friends poolside. I enjoyed the better part of mine cleaning out my closet.<br />
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The heat has also put a dent in my exercise routine. I'm having to confine any running to mornings and evenings or risk falling out in the street with heat stroke. I did loops through Atlantis yesterday evening on whatever side of the street was shady. My mistake was running after the holiday weekend. All the trash that was put out for the regular Tuesday pickup sat out in the 90+ degree heat all day since the collectors weren't coming until Wednesday. Holy cow, that was some smelly post-holiday trash. If the heat didn't do me in, the smell almost did. For the record, Atlantis trash stinks just as bad as Cape trash.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxEl_MWCuW5cq3Frm2qleIjqPIO13LnbSBQhf8DV6rtPT_TCou5-mFl0DNgHfS83doqL8vcH1mOC5aVul6jkrVPgPKRRfdEVJ1wHCEtoPGLX6EQRtA-DwtPmyN4dEJ4umJiAPIxIsFhXk/s1600/thermom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxEl_MWCuW5cq3Frm2qleIjqPIO13LnbSBQhf8DV6rtPT_TCou5-mFl0DNgHfS83doqL8vcH1mOC5aVul6jkrVPgPKRRfdEVJ1wHCEtoPGLX6EQRtA-DwtPmyN4dEJ4umJiAPIxIsFhXk/s1600/thermom.jpg" /></a></div>I hope all of you are finding ways to beat the heat. I think the worst of it is about to break. This weekend is looking much more manageable. Fingers crossed that the highs stay under 90 for the June 11th Main Beach festivities the following weekend. I can remember a Strawberry Festival or two with cold, rainy and foggy weather. Let's shoot for conditions somewhere comfortably between that and Africa-hot (got that weatherman...).Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322219106810268043.post-70283210652909912372011-05-25T10:41:00.014-04:002011-05-26T09:11:49.999-04:00Prevailing WindsThis past Sunday, we finally made that trip over to Annapolis for lunch by boat. It was our first cruise down Ego Alley of the season. Even after 17 years of boating, docking is never without peril to pride and property, and the stakes are that much higher with a crowd of onlookers. Ego Alley will separate the seasoned boaters from the amateurs, and will even make fools of the seasoned ones now and again. On this day, we were pleased to score a spot on the wall and tie up without incident.<br />
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We enjoyed a lovely lunch in the outdoor courtyard at Reynold's Sly Fox Pub. Since we had Laika with us, we needed a place that was dog-friendly. Afterward, we made a stop by Kilwin's for ice cream and candy before returning to the waterfront.<br />
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When we were almost to the boat, my husband remembered that he needed a couple of items from the hardware store (when does he not?). This is not the first time Stevens Hardware has come in handy. You never know when you might need a new rockfish bottle opener, spray hose nozzle, or red, white and blue carbine clip for the planer boards. I waited outside by the door with Laika and window shopped while the boys picked up these "necessities".<br />
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While I was biding time, my eye was drawn to the shiny copper weathervanes on display just inside the door. This is not the first time they have caught my attention. In particular, the majestic great blue heron in flight had captured my fancy, and I have been secretly plotting to get one for the top of our detached garage for some time. As I gazed longingly at the heron, I noticed a bright green sale tag hanging from his beak and got a little more interested. When my husband finally emerged from the store, I handed him the leash and went to check it out.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copper Heron</td></tr>
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Well, the price was marked down to suit, and having a birthday approaching, I asked the nice lady if she would get one for me from the back. When she returned, she deposited a tremendous but lightweight cardboard box at my feet. I leaned out the door and asked my husband if the box would fit on the boat. He gave me the "really?" look but was a good sport and carried it across the parking lot to the boat. We got a few odd looks from the aforementioned onlookers as we hoisted it over the rail, but it fit securely in the cockpit, and we cast off from the Alley with our booty.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Brown Box Containing Great Blue Heron<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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On Tuesday, in lieu of going to watch the Blue Angels as we and the rest of the city of Annapolis had originally planned, my husband climbed atop the garage and installed my new weathervane. He carefully aligned the two directional plates using a compass, and sprayed the pivoting rod with ample WD-40 to allow the heron to readily fly head-on into the slightest breeze. I was delighted with the result. In truth, the heron might be a little oversized for our garage, but I think he looks mighty fine soaring over it. Now, I need only look out my window toward the garage to gauge the direction of the prevailing winds.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCxKOXKs9o6uxf79QoWUDLhW5PZxjiouTV4XUJPGuMiSkb-OOEO_7cPLbWWMCKXbFqET_YhHBIWNpebS-eKW3EsXa4g47RAe1p3I4uNNNH3iixf5GV1ZOGygirF4vTF-U5muTUiYkpY5o/s1600/IMG_20110524_113527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCxKOXKs9o6uxf79QoWUDLhW5PZxjiouTV4XUJPGuMiSkb-OOEO_7cPLbWWMCKXbFqET_YhHBIWNpebS-eKW3EsXa4g47RAe1p3I4uNNNH3iixf5GV1ZOGygirF4vTF-U5muTUiYkpY5o/s400/IMG_20110524_113527.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Life-sized Copper Heron Will Oxidize to Blue-Green</td></tr>
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If only it were so easy to assess all of life's prevailing winds and know what they will blow our way. The wind that gently pivots my heron can occasionally lash out in devastating fury. Parts of our country have recently born the brunt of some of these catastrophically damaging winds. We were all heartbroken for the Tuscaloosa area among others several weeks ago when hundreds of tornadoes tore through the midsection of the nation, and then even more horrified in recent days at the 6-mile long swath of death and destruction that ripped through Joplin, MO, the deadliest single tornado in recorded US history. And the storms continue to come, spawning new funnels across the country almost daily, it seems.<br />
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The images from Tuscaloosa and Joplin are reminiscent of the tsunami-wracked areas of Japan in terms of the level of complete and utter devastation. Even with much more sophisticated forecasting tools than a weathervane, meteorologists and seismologists are still unable to accurately predict the fiercest of winds and waves. They are some of the worst that Mother Nature can exact upon us. Click <a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/05/25/136655052/before-and-after-a-birds-eye-view-of-joplin?sc=fb&cc=fp">here</a> for a remarkable and dramatic before and after graphic of the area surrounding the Joplin high school. It's mind-blowing.<br />
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Those of us in Cape St. Claire have had our own fairly recent brush with a tornado. While the F1 that skimmed across Severna Park, Arnold, and the Cape in September of 2006 was nothing to compare with the multi-vortex F5 that hit Joplin, it left that signature path of damage and debris unique to tornadoes. It is the closest I hope ever to come to a full-blown tornado. My husband and I watched from our deck as the sky turned wild and green. When the leading edge of the storm arrived, we ducked inside for cover from the hail. I watched from a front window of the house as he watched out back.<br />
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The back is where the hovering twister's path crossed our yard. My husband saw the bottom of the suspended funnel wring the crown off our largest tree, a rock solid beech 60 feet high and two feet in diameter, just as I heard the telltale "train" sound. Although I had never heard this sound, there was no mistaking it. We simultaneously yelled for the kids to get in the basement.<br />
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This is what we found when we ventured out to assess the damage - a yard littered man-high with large branches from three topless trees. The tornado had apparently taken a right turn over our yard, sparing our favorite tree. My kids claim it was because the tree face scared it (see picture below). It's as good an explanation as any for nature's caprice. Again, this was nothing compared to the Armageddon scene in Joplin, and not even as bad as some of our Cape neighbors fared, but a big mess for 30 seconds of ferocious wind.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Debris Field</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_nMGQ9MEnccC0gAoBHTi-CPos7Pt6J7PEcaOtracC9uHp6HpRgl10DauvNy3FhX18OpuE1XvHb5thjOAQ1nJ-DyjxwXd_iOyvmMNym4p0IS-1D9kW0j64ORd_fS3mxhjrjTmQ42WnCY/s1600/IMG_4351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_nMGQ9MEnccC0gAoBHTi-CPos7Pt6J7PEcaOtracC9uHp6HpRgl10DauvNy3FhX18OpuE1XvHb5thjOAQ1nJ-DyjxwXd_iOyvmMNym4p0IS-1D9kW0j64ORd_fS3mxhjrjTmQ42WnCY/s400/IMG_4351.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Topless Beech Tree</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnXVwaz4fr8DVkBrd9Huexzty4Wo2W6mU1uIEmI9ipfJuscQNUf5QnA9nlJrBRIbabp9vJn15TLEU7Ybdgx_7HMsSZ5I6515FTfFx-fx_sFXO8eXRhUtC0ElTsx3XPGTcwRqEoO06WG8k/s1600/IMG_4361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnXVwaz4fr8DVkBrd9Huexzty4Wo2W6mU1uIEmI9ipfJuscQNUf5QnA9nlJrBRIbabp9vJn15TLEU7Ybdgx_7HMsSZ5I6515FTfFx-fx_sFXO8eXRhUtC0ElTsx3XPGTcwRqEoO06WG8k/s400/IMG_4361.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking Up the Yard</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking Down From the House</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR17ZDxWzxQOZ710JIjiUH6K-CtCzdt5NUw-Qc5-uDnyfv0CpBA-ApjWcy-ieM7byX5agSRFERTzBfyV7cItjScGbucJFpPisgSvw0x_59V6iZSaywvmT_rBLq6hRSJibuGamYUACdzA4/s1600/IMG_20110525_095101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR17ZDxWzxQOZ710JIjiUH6K-CtCzdt5NUw-Qc5-uDnyfv0CpBA-ApjWcy-ieM7byX5agSRFERTzBfyV7cItjScGbucJFpPisgSvw0x_59V6iZSaywvmT_rBLq6hRSJibuGamYUACdzA4/s400/IMG_20110525_095101.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Tree That Turned a Tornado</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijeNXD-7Gk5VFaw64H0ghfrg91uRU0MrBFQgHwU-MoBX5jxEqbb-MLREcMh42F6M-9Icd8W5kpILacOZ7CNv8j6Z9IqIIR5N3xMBn6CYN5U22PZPbsk6xOEayKl0Hioxl3FZ6uY_f5S-s/s1600/IMG_20110525_095117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijeNXD-7Gk5VFaw64H0ghfrg91uRU0MrBFQgHwU-MoBX5jxEqbb-MLREcMh42F6M-9Icd8W5kpILacOZ7CNv8j6Z9IqIIR5N3xMBn6CYN5U22PZPbsk6xOEayKl0Hioxl3FZ6uY_f5S-s/s400/IMG_20110525_095117.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closeup - "No Tornadoes Shall Pass"</td></tr>
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Once the shock of what had happened became reality, we went about the business of cleaning up and contemplating life without two of our oaks and our steadfast beech tree. The residents of Joplin have lost much more, but they will do the same in their own time with the help of their family, friends, state and nation. The fact is, while the prevailing winds may spin and knock us around, they don't, in fact, prevail. Human kindness and resilience do.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEBqNohyphenhyphenYLUELpRzaDN12rZPaRhviEYJA3gzodMHa73YAF13efzdaamrC-ND1G3ksQ4XyhJN-wLaVVs68dx_NrueH-N7_kvHPAcdJwUEYxRElO-3r1UPXQ2W9lpZgn2nRACr923IeOjU/s1600/IMG_4386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEBqNohyphenhyphenYLUELpRzaDN12rZPaRhviEYJA3gzodMHa73YAF13efzdaamrC-ND1G3ksQ4XyhJN-wLaVVs68dx_NrueH-N7_kvHPAcdJwUEYxRElO-3r1UPXQ2W9lpZgn2nRACr923IeOjU/s400/IMG_4386.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reinforcements Arrive with Chainsaws</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7gn9SFs2sOCKCaa-gqWwkrJSu71Cr__HifOWIMV4YkDZ5PIFzomRgV-hUTz44M8t_gA4d-PVwBeM2s4V45sx7RUG9oooP1Vesqk8rQPdwj_JPrCgsL88ltwjfiDBsnfL1CAAyvmdawxM/s1600/IMG_4393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7gn9SFs2sOCKCaa-gqWwkrJSu71Cr__HifOWIMV4YkDZ5PIFzomRgV-hUTz44M8t_gA4d-PVwBeM2s4V45sx7RUG9oooP1Vesqk8rQPdwj_JPrCgsL88ltwjfiDBsnfL1CAAyvmdawxM/s400/IMG_4393.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helping Hands</td></tr>
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I hope our new windward heron never has to stare down a tornado, but if he does, at least we will know what direction it's coming from. Sending healing thoughts to all the folks in tornado central. If you have a dime to spare toward tornado relief, I've put the link for the Red Cross donation site back on the right sidebar. Some of you may also have relief campaigns through your work direct deposit like my husband's company. Do what you can if you can. The favor will be returned if and when it's our turn, God forbid.Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322219106810268043.post-73607377289404307502011-05-23T15:09:00.000-04:002011-05-23T15:09:53.185-04:00No Blue Angels This Year Folks...D'oh! Apparently a press release from the Blue Angels just came out stating that the Tues and Wed performances for the Naval Academy have been cancelled due to a problem with their show this past weekend in Lynchburg. This has forced them to stand down until they sort things out. It's still in question whether they will make the Friday flyover. Shoot! Guess we all have to go to school and work this week after all! Might I suggest an alternative?<br />
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Not quite the same, huh? Sorry gang. Hope they're safely back in the air soon.Christyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817194442090140362noreply@blogger.com0