CEDARHILL

cooking freestyle

So today was a good day to cook. The banks and Post Office were closed. I decided to do a seafood medly. It actually turned out great, but you might have questioned that as I was making it. Here is what went into it...

First I started with chicken stock. Added some onions, and a few ginger slices. Then I added some fish stock...and  some Limeade in the fridge that was Waaay too "limey" to actually drink...but adds a zest to soups. Added some fried bacon and bacon grease and then tossed in salmon and spinach.

Let that simmer and topped the whole thing off with a few frozen mussels in butter sauce. 

Mmmm. I surprise even myself sometimes. 

Launch of News-n-Views

 
The news continues to be alittle grim when it comes to print newspapers. This last week we heard that the East Valley Tribune - which has been in business for 118 years- is officially closing its doors after Christmas. They had tried to cut back to 4 days and less circulation and that didn't solve the problem. It just costs alot to print/produce a weekly paper with good content. The Trib had even gotten a Pulitzer for their writing! They had many good, quality people.Yet, the ad revenues were not enough to pay all the overhead. What is the solution? I'm not sure. It will involve some combination of New Media which is a collection of print/on-line/social networking. All of the people involved in disseminating information are trying to find the right mix which works for their market. I'm doing the same. Recently, I pulled together a word press blog which will feature local news and views on a weekly basis. This site is embedded into the Web Portal GMTeConnect.

 I'll be writing more about the process of navigating this new process. Check out the new addition!

PS: On another note - the B&B has been very busy since Fall began. A welcome change. Plus we are now listed on Trip Advisor in the Top Rated B&Bs thanks to our guests who are now logging on and posting reviews. Thank You.

First Friday @ Vida E Cafe

              Just when I decide to plant myself in front of my computer until I get all my posts updated, the events calendar loaded, the bills paid, the articles written for the new, upcoming "News n Views" an opportunity comes along like listening to my friend Bill Bell perform at First Friday at Vida E Cafe.

First - it is just a pleasant one block walk from my house. Second- first Fridays are free entertainment and a chance to visit with people you don't normally get to hang with. Tonight I ran into Fernando (that would be Mayor Fernando, who had just gotten back from the State Legislature where he - as part of the executive committee of the Cities of Leagues and Towns- just agreed to sue the State over HB 2008. Fernando is one of the most well-versed, interesting leaders I've met and I always learn more than I ever knew I was even interested in - when talking to him. More on that later...where I'll be writing a reg. monthly column on the Mayor.

Third, my friend Bill Bell and his wife Toti (who is a wonderful artist) are now enjoying some time in the area after spending many many years working in Calif. and driving out here to care for an aging parent. One of the key things Bill and I found we shared. Anyway, he is quite the musical talent and was performing with the 2nd love of his life- after Toti- his 170yr old violin.

He has produced a CD:  The Vicar's Son which has is sold here and I've included a cut from that CD. As he joked tonight, this is the first performance he's given without a contingent of other musicians, but I don't think the audience cared.  Thanks Bill, for sharing your music!

06 Neil Gow's Lament For The Death Of His Second Wife

 

What I did for my 16th.

Hmmm, typepad has posted this question for the week.

What did you do for your 16th Birthday? Do you remember clear back then?

I don't really, but I suspect it had something to do with riding horses and watching movies with friends. Mother was operating the Laramie house which was a Big boarding house for international students and I shared "space" with so many . It was not a traditional childhood - but a very good one. No over-the-top Sweet 16 parties here. Does anyone else find these just a tad bit WRONG?  I mean I can see acknowleding the 40 milepost and the 50 milepost. But 16? Geeze...that just means a training license for your drivers license. Right?

Pictures on the Porch

       

This is why I love Pictures on the Porch!  Walker (cowboy) was new this year. His folks brought him by on Friday. We ALL had fun watching him "take his hat off for the ladies" - but he didn't always get it back on straight. Then there was the little Chicken. Yes, those feet are made of rubber maid gloves and the eggs...are real! And Joe- one of my favorites every year came as a "Jack in the Box" complete with a pop-up routine which would entertain even the biggest curmudgeon!

We were set  up outside this year and that seemed to work well since people could see what we were doing and wanted to be a part of POP. We did over 85 portraits and 500 pics this year.  

I even found an Indian garb which will serve me well for next Spring's Bollywood party. And friend, Debbie who does so much for me on my many business ventures volunteered her time to man the DESK and write up receipts and take money. She says her shirt is TRUE.

i know that not all my friends will understand why I can't join them for Halloween...but if you're in GLOBE you get it. Halloween is a big deal here and God Bless my friend Molly, she keeps making it a must-go-to-event every year. Of which, fullcirclephotoworks has become an engaging participant.  

To view all the images from the evening please visit us at  PicturesOnthePorch.    

Deb, my partner, and Pattie who volunteers every year with husband Bert (from Tucson) are part of the crew who help to make Halloween and Pictures on the Porch Fab...

Patti says they are considering moving up here and all I say is - WHEN!  we can put them to work on so many more things than JUST Halloween!

Hope YOUR Halloween was fab! Ours was terrific!

~L

PS: My guests for the weekend. The guys both showed up as cows - unbeknownst to each other. THEN, they discovered another couple wandering by who were also dressed as cows! And we though OBABMA masks were going to steal the show!

 Ha!

POP -Fall Festival

  This year Molly and I decided to offer Pictures on the Porch (or more accurately..in the street) on both Friday and Saturday. Friday is -"Fall Festival" which Molly launched 4 years ago as a downtown event. She is persistent and persuasive and it has grown every year.

This year the Copper Rim folks added their events to the Downtown events which brought over 20 booths from the Popsicle-pull (don't ask), to food booths which raised money for the school, and then there were long lines for the Prison of Terror, the haunted house event in the Old Jail.

One of a kind...

This year the backdrop for your complimentary photo @ Aaalll Aboard for the Arts was the soon-to-be-hung marque for the old/new Globe Theater. Soon to be known as the Hollis Cinemas. The Sign has been beautifully restored - having survived the Pioneer Fire in 2005- and got its new neon just days before this event. So we all got to pose in front of the Marquee and have Jeannette Bronson take our pics. I LOVED the evening! and the photo op with the Globe Marquee!

 

Guy number three

Guy number three.

Guy number three

I'm posting this to my site for two reasons. It is the first time I discovered a cool video which asked me if I wanted to share it. And then made it sooo easy for me with a click of the button.

It worked!

And- I like the question which Seth Godwin poses in this...about Guy Three.

Take a Look

GMT Fall '09

The latest edition of the Globe Miami Times is out in Print and available as a download on GMTeconnect.com.

I used to think it takes 6 weeks of preparation to put out the paper but under the current circumstances it seems that I can pull together a paper in about 4 weeks of concentrated effort. The ART of the process is balancing editorial content with advertising revenue and that picture never comes together until the last three weeks when advertisers decide they DO want to sign on-board again...and I need to look at the articles I've written - or others have written - and how this balances against the ad revenue.

It's a messy process and one which I wish was alittle smoother - pre-programmed- et all, but all-in-all I'm pleased with the product and the process. After every issue I find myself asking what I could have done  better? 

New Color-again

OK, so a month ago I decided to re-paint ALL the floors of CedarHill one color. A Nice unifying color that would lighten and brighten. Well, after two days of moving furniture et all, JD and I did manage to re-paint all floors. The only problem is that the paint did not dry a darker color which I was hoping for. No- it dried into the light pea-green of a seaside resort. NOT exactly the look I was going for. I knew this was a problem when Sarah suggested plants to help blend the green with the rest of the house, and Renee just said "Ah...." and then moved the conversation to other topics. The last straw for me was the dirt. In a house known for it's perenially open-door policy to guests, friends, and furry pets, light colored floors present a problem. I gave up after the first week and just told guests that I hadn't gotten to the floors - even if I had just mopped them the day before.

So this weekend the floors are getting a re-do: from pea-green to olive. So m blog is getting the full benefit of "watching paint dry." I have now successfully painted myself into the proverbially corner. The Hallway leading from the front porch has a fresh coat of paint as does the kitchen. Effectively blocking my exits and putting me in the living room with the cat, the computer and atleast an hour to kill before the "paint dries."

Look for pictures soon.

New Horizons

I just bought a book: Twitter Wit. (It is a compilation of tweets worth the paper to print them on)

In it it has a "tweet" which goes

"I consider good days where two people using voodoo dolls cancel each other out." 

(It makes me think of many occassions where this could apply. Mostly to those on the far Right and far Left who are just plain crazy and not good for the country! or for my peace of mind!)

Now that I have some free time from deadlines and paper presses, I'm taking a Sunday to peruse "new things." Found a conference on Blogs,Twitter,FaceBook et all that I REALLY wanted to go to next weekend but it is a $1000 over my budget for those things....(My budget right now is 0 for the non-essentials). Not one to be deterred by a lack of funds I have decided to teach myself more about the new social media/et all by reading books, checking out on-line sources like Pro-Blogger ( a chap from Australia who has written some great pieces) and ..to save my greenbacks in order to beable to attend next years Fiesta de la Social Networking Extravaganza~! in Las Vegas. Boy is that going to be fun!

This does several things for my psychic well-being. Like re-cycling, I feel I am doing the responsible thing for my budget and developing good habits - like self-education. In the long run, I'll be better for this delayed gratification!  Plus- I will have smarter questions NEXT YEAR when I attend and have actually read/followed/tweeted with and learned from those who will be speaking.

I'm excited. Look for changes on THIS blog over the next 3 months as I learn how to Do More, Do Better and just DO on my blog!  Also look for a twitter accnt!

Banking pet peeve

I was opening my mail this morning and got a very professionally designed and printed mini-catalogue from Wells Fargo telling me how there are now even more reasons to bank with Wells Fargo. It's called earning points by using my WC credit card - so that I get FREE things ...eventually. After about 30,000 pts. Which by my calculations will take a hell of alot of shopping and spending to reach. However, last week they reduced my line of credit. This is the problem with banks. I don't care which way they want to lead off here....but the two programs seem to be at odds with each other and truly if they really wanted my loyalty, they wouldn't reduce my credit line and they'd make their monthly statements easier to read. Even my book keeper hates em. What keeps me there is the hassle of changing...and the people. I like the folks at the local branch.  Corporate should get a clue...keeping business is not about fancy brochures and "reward points."

 

The Chicago Experience

This week I'm in Chicago with the Handa's. They are sending Sarah off to college in Ohio and checking in on Andrew who is working 'safety' for a Steel mfg in Chicago. These days you've got to grab family get-togethers where and when you can find them and this seemed the best opportunity to spend time with the those i love.  And- Chicago is a beautiful city full of those things that make you glad to be alive...part of the human race...and it reminds you of what humans can do when they put their heads together and create. From the Chicago skyline, to all the public parks, works of art and plethora of colleges; and from Wrigley Field to the John Hancock building....everyplace is an experience - not just a function. 

Ev's Visit

Ev came out for a visit and it felt like old times in the Kitchen when Guy and Ev and I were all taking care of the "Helens" and sharing life.

Ev is enjoying her new freedom as a freelance human being with time to spend with a new grand baby and ....well, visiting friends! She's off to Michigan after this but promises to make CedarHill a 2nd - or 3rd home base.  She and I caught up on life over many cups of coffee at the kitchen table...and a few glasses of wine. And she helped host Deb's engagement party on Wednesday. Whether it is talking to Ev about life, or setting up tables for an event, or sharing the demands of "caregiving"...  she is there for her friends and family and when I count my blessings - her friendship is certainly at the top.

Rongorongo Paddle

I have had this carved wooden paddle for over five years and not known what it was. Got it from a trader who came through my store in Globe and offered it to me in exchange for a japanese tea pot.

And this week I finally got some info on it from Diane, who is an Egyptologist and promised to help me research it. 6 months later I get an email which says "Eureka".

Seems this system of "glyphs" was discovered in the 19th century on Easter Island. Authentic rongorongo texts are written in alternating directions, a system called reverse boustrophedon. (Mine does bear this characteristic. The lines are alternatingly upside-down). Wikipedia goes on to say that if rongorongo does prove to be writing, it could be one of as few as three or four independent inventions of writing in human history.

Still in the process of getting an "expert" in the field to determine whether this is real or not... Kinda exciting. Even if it is a copy... It's a copy of a pretty cool rare language. see wikepedia and  Rongorongo.

~L

Addressing School Kids

I had drinks with a friend today and the subject of the Mayan Calendar came up. The same Calendar which ends on December 21, 2012. Some say that is the end of "civilization " as we know it. My first thought is that civilization has gotten pretty weird and in some cases unpalpable.  It greatly disheartens me when there is so much vitriol about President Obama addressing school kids. Other presidents have done this, but Obama had the audacity to sent out some homework involving the question what can I do to help the President?

It's not an evil plot as some of the fox News viewers would have you believe. When Jack Kennedy asked not what this country can do for you - but what you can do for this country he was voicing the same thing. 

A Few Family Pics

 

 

 

Happy Birthday Kevin & Marianne!

  Marianne's family arrived in force this weekend - Ken(son) and his family from Oregon, and Gigi (daughter) from Phoenix with boyfriend Mike...It is times like this that really makes me glad to have a large house which accomodates just this kind of gathering. The kitchen and the back porch both got a good work out.  

And this crowd really knows how to cook....and clean. Gigi and Mike spent most of Saturday cooking up 2 BIG pans of lasagne and Mike is a clean-as-you-go kinda cook. So the kitchen is even cleaner after he cooks in it than it was before. What a guy! And Marianne brought over a big batch of Shrimp creole and fresh salad and garlic bread appeared from somewhere!

  Sat. night we pulled out the projector and the speakers and showed The Soloist on my outdoor movie screen. (Thanks to Kenny (in black), who- due to the fact that he is under 30 can figure out any wiring . I still get lost on video inputs and outputs...but he got it working. I may have to fly him back in in September when we do the fundraiser for the Cancer Walk.) Kathy reminded me so much of sister Susan... especially when it comes to the boys. Looking out for opportunities which they might pursue to "widen their options." Lucky sons!  Ken & Kathy flew in with the boys on Friday from Oregon, and Gig and Mike drove over from Phoenix.

Seems there are alot of LEO's in this family. Kevin was having his 16th B-Day celeb as well. And I'm pretty sure there was someone else...but I have forgotten. The B-Day CAKE was Kevin's gift....and having everyone together was Mariannes.

Kathy said something really great the other night as everyone stood in the kitchen and watched her open cards. She said that earlier that day, as the group of them strolled through the streets of Miami and talked to people about Marianne, the mere mention of her name made people light up and offer up stories about her which reflected on the energy, talent, heart, and spirit which makes being her friend so rewarding. Those stories were a good thing to share...especially with a family that doesn't get to see her all that often and can miss out on those moments which define us for our friends.

   There were lots of nice moments in the weekend. The speech that Kathy gave in the kitchen about the stories she'd heard about Marianne and how much that meant. And when each of the kids and grand kids filed by the table and gave her a carved rock-heart from each of them. And having everyone in the kitchen as Marianne opened cards. And of course eating on the patio as the sun went down and the air cooled off. Just a really nice weekend!.

    

A Kodak moment

   What you don't see in this pic is the light fixture lodged precariously from the second shelf.

The little antique stool was sitting on the ledge where Bob insisted on wedging his body....for a late afternoon nap. The little chair started to fall - held only by the lamp cord. Which amazingly failed to bring the attached light fixture tumbling.

Everything was in perfect balance - and yet just micro-meters away from utter chaos.

It was certainly worthy of a Kodak moment.

Hanging in Tucson; talking gmtEconnect

I was in Tucson this week to give a presentation on GMTeConnect to Ellies Breakfast Club which has been around since I moved to Tucson in '83. It has a great collection of people - many I knew and did business with when I lived in Tucson. So it is always fun to be asked to talk!   OK!...so it was the August hotter-than-hades meeting and maybe a slow month for the group....but they are a gracious audience and always seem to enjoy learning about Globe et all.

My talk was on Econnect and my inspiration in launching a portal (necessity!), and what I see as it's greatest strength (cheap, timely and far reaching medium to market individual businesses and local community.... Many in my area are not tech-saavy, but will benefit if given an easy, affordable way to be on the net!

I tell the story about the project I was working on just prior to launching this site. It as a brochure designed with tourism in mind to be distributed at the Airport. Well... it was $1300 to distribute (you have to hire a company to get you in), and another $2000 to print, and then money for sales, design layout etc. About a $5000 project. Something that would have to be paid for by asking advertisers to support it. YET- I had 2 sets of B&B clients at the time who looked at the Econnect site and suggested I drop the brochure. "By the time anyone gets in a car or on a plane they have already "googled"  where they want to go. NOW- they will find Econnect and it will do ten times the sales job that a brochure could have done for ten time LESS money. I dropped the brochure idea.

This morning at 6:30 when i was setting up, I discovered the part to my projector was missing. Thank goodness for friends with the right connections. Or connectors as it was. Leslie, who has been a friend for nearly 25 years is also a photographer and happened to have all the equipment needed to do a presentation on the internet. THANK YOU Leslie!  So- success.

She and I had exchanged "head shots" the day before. We both needed updated images for blogs, websites et all...and it is fun to work with another photographer/friend (and share a beer) to get pics of yourself. I do understand not liking to be in front of the camera....but it is something we all must do for business reasons...or family reasons...ie: those who would like to see something alittle more current than our highschool pic! Leslie has done many many of these "executive head shots" and can turn out great results in very little time with very little fuss. Leslie- you're the best! And it was fun!

  OK...so these are not images I'd put on a brochure...and if we'd been alittle more serious they may never have been shot...but I might find some use for them at some point... Or not. Anyway..we both have shots we can use to update webpages et all.

All in all...it's been a pretty productive two days... nice to spend time in my old stomping grounds and re-connect with friends here and just chill!