If Dr. Oz says it, I believe it!!

Last weekend, the whole family celebrated my brother-in-law's 60th birthday. After the party, a lot of the family came over to our townhouse to catch up with each other. Pete's sister Denise and her husband Jim were talking about resveratrol, wondering if any of us had heard of it and asking if any of us was taking it. They told us that Dr. Oz praised its life improving qualities. Whatever quality red wine has that requires us to drink at least a glass of it every day is concentrated into a pill that's supposed to reduce the quickness of aging, remove "brain junk", improve a person's energy level, and improve a person's state of mind.


So, we all came up to Vermont for Easter two days ago and yesterday we all decided to take a trip to Middlebury. The health food store had resveratrol and we bought some. I took a pill when we got back to the Keating's house and I took another one this morning. I will report on my reaction the the miracle pill within the next week.

What a Difference a Day Makes!

About a week and a half ago and over a period of approximately 48 hours, Nellie lost the use of all four of her legs. We went to the vet in Morgan City, LA and Xrays and blood work showed no problem.


The vet recommended that we go to the vets at LSU for CT scans, MRIs, etc. They said the cost would be several thousand dollars. We cringed.


We decided to drive at breakneck speed and go to our hometown vet at the Hopewell Animal Hospital. Were we snobs to think that a NY vet could fix something that a LA couldn't? You New Yorkers know what I'm talkin' about.


She stayed overnight with the NY vet after being given prednisone. The next morning, she had improved, but not much. We were ready to make a decision to have her put to sleep, so Sky was able to take the train the next day and we all went to visit Nellie. The vet, Jerry Scheck, told us about a tensilon test that would show if she had myesthenia gravits, and he advised us that there were no guarantees that the test would be positive, but he recommended that it might be worth a try. So we decided to try the test.


The miracle vial of tensilon arrived the next day, and I drove to the vet's office. I learned that if the results were positive, within 15 seconds of the injection, Nellie would jump up and walk around like a youthful dog for about 45 seconds, then collapse. Does this sound like science fiction? Well guess what! I wish I had taken a video camera with me. She ran around for about 3 minutes, then she collapsed. The doctor and his expertise had given life back to my dog.


Nellie is home now, and she can walk. She's getting better every day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7YX9kuWrxA

I am unable to add pictures to this post. I don't know why, but here's a youtube video of the tensilon test on another dog.

Cafe Du Monde

Everyone who visits New Orleans goes to Cafe Du Monde. On a sunny day, the cafe is open to the street and musicians play for tips. Last year, the weather was beautiful and the jazz was fantastic.

The rain poured today, so no music. It was a totally different experience. But the cafe au lait and the beignets were great. We went there after we shared the muffaletta.

www.cafedumonde.com

Muffaletta Sandwich from the Central Market, New Orleans

According to the Today Show, there are five "must try" sandwiches: pastrami from Katz's Deli on Houston Street, a Philly cheesesteak but I don't remember where to get it, a muffaletta from Central Market, New Orleans..... and I don't remember the other two, but I have it written down somewhere and it's in a safe place.

The pastrami from Katz's is fantastic; be sure to add some french fries and a plate of mixed pickles.

While I haven't had the Today Show recommended cheesesteak, the best one I've had was in College Park, Maryland. A couple of University of Maryland graduates from Philadelphia opened the place and it's very sucessful. The perfect cheesesteak is supposed to be topped with Cheese Wiz, a food I've never warmed up to. So I opt to have mine with real cheese.

And now for the muffuletta! I had one or two last year, so I couldn't wait to have one for lunch today. It was better than I remembered. I'll probably have another one on Monday.

http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Overview.aspx?RefID=122

Goodbye Tampa..

I picked up Pete at the airport yesterday afternoon and we went to the Columbia Restaurant agaain, as I knew we would.

The next big stop is New Orleans, and we'd like to be there on Saturday so we're not taking the scenic road as we usually do.  We'll find some new treasures along the major highway.

Also, and I think this is goofy:  someone has reported that my blog has objectionable information it.  The only thing I can think of is a comment that someone made on the entry showing the paper mache roosters at the KOA.  I think this person didn't read the entry and he thinks I'm promoting cockfighting.  What's up with Patty? 

The Oldest Restaurant in Florida

The Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City

opened in 1905. It's a Spanish restaurant, so of course the pitcher of sangria was excellent. First I had a wonderful black bean soup, followed by salmon with tomato and asparagus baked in parchment. Wowie, it was good. Pete had paella, also a good choice. We were surprised that the prices were so reasonable, considering the decor and the formal dress of the wait staff.

There were beautiful tiles everywhere, inside and out. The restaurant is a whole block long, and it was crowded. Our waitress told us the kitchen is on the far end of the building from where we were eating, and last week, on a not too busy night, one waitress wore a pedometer and she walked over five miles on her shift.

We will certainly go to this restaurant again. Maybe this week.

Ybor City in Tampa

Ybor City was well-known for its cigar making in the late 1800s.

Immigrants from Cuba and Spain settled there to work for Mr. Ybor in the cigar factories. Often, while a roomful of men were rolling the tobacco into cigars, another person was employed to read to them. Nice touch, don't you think?

The whole area of Ybor City is on the National Historical Registry.

The first picture is Habibi's Hookah Bar. I wish I had stopped to find out exactly what goes on there.

Alligators Everywhere on the Tamiami Trail

The Tamiami Trail was built by digging a canal and filling in the area next to it, so the canal filled with water and the alligators showed up. The alligators live so close to the road that anyone driving west can count them as they drive. It's a little spooky.

We stopped at the National Park in the Everglades to watch the gators, birds, and fish from a walkway that was built about 6 feet above the canal. A park ranger who was giving us answers to all our questions told me they don't feed the gators, but there were quite a few huge ones right in front of their building in the canal. Coincidence?

We stayed in our motorhome over night in the parking lot and we were met the next morning by a different park ranger who told us he could have given us a ticket, but he gave us a written warning instead. No overnight parking at the park even though there's no sign posted.

We're leaving Sugarloaf Key, on route to Tampa via Alligator Alley.... my next post will contain pics of the 'gators.

Ruth and Bill McKeever are Show Offs

They have flamingos, they have palm trees, they have all sorts of lights, and you can also see an American flag in the background.

Ruth and Bill collected the buoys that are hanging from their awning frame after a hurricane a few years ago.

The amusement park atmosphere they've created has raised the standard for the appropriately decorated camper exterior in the southern keys.

Key West Botanical Gardens

Linda Dayton and I took a short trip to the KWBG yesterday.

The gardens were a WPA project and over the years, the gardens fell into neglect. A recent restoration project has begun and the gardens and walkways are becoming well groomed and inviting.

By drilling and cutting through solid coral, a fresh water pond is being built over a natural aquefor. I imagine this project will be finished within the next year.

It's a perfect place to bring a lunch and relax among the numerous rare palms, lignum vitae, cactus, and butterflies.

At the end of one of the trails, we saw a frenzied and determined male duck run into a pond and, I thought, attack another duck. The male duck held the female's head underwater. I thought he was going to kill her. It was, however, a mating ritual. Wild stuff.

How Many Roosters?

Many people come to the KOA park and stay for a month or more. Some of the long termers express themselves by decorating the outsides of their campers. So, I often see plastic flamingos, wire parrots, buoys, blowup palm trees, and strings of lights on the ground that outline and identify the camper's territory. I'm beginning to think there's some kind of unspoken competition to see who can have the tackiest and most novel outside decor.

When I was walking one of the dogs yesterday, I saw something new. There is was: a corral of paper mache roosters with feathers glued all over them. In the background on the right is a single hen with three eggs.

There are quite a few live roosters that live in the lower keys, including the KOA campground, and I was fooled at first. This is my idea of great campground decoration.

I don't know if I could top this one!

How Does He Paint Like That?

I don't paint, and I can't understand how someone can take a canvas and a bunch of paints and brushes and create a beautiful painting.

Lucky for me, I'm married to someone who has a great skill for painting. I appreciate his gift.

This newest painting is another great one.

He keeps getting better all the time.

Mallory Square Right Before Sunset

Hundreds of people funnel into Mallory Square every evening to watch the sunset.

There's always a variety of performers to entertain the crowd, and as soon as the sun sets, it's all over.

The sunset wasn't all that spectacular partially because there weren't any clouds in the sky, but that didn't matter.

The street show was enough.

EcoTour in the Keys

First of all, Pete just can't help being himself. He has to be seated in the Captain's seat.

The KOA offers a morning tour in a pontoon boat that goes in the shallow waters off Sugarloaf Key.

The morning was perfect. Most of the water surrounding the lower keys is very shallow. It seems that if the water were 5 feet more shallow, the landmass of the lower keys would be at least twice as large as it is now.

The seastar is red............the ones we see in Maine are brown.

We were on the EcoTour with Lyn and Linda Dayton and Bet and Bill Crain.

This Man Needs Your Help

Do you see the bumblebee socks? Does the man appear to be proud of the way he looks?

The socks are from www.flightclubny.com and while they are stylish, I don't think they were meant to be worn with shorts and deck shoes.


We all know who does marketing for Flight Club. Will this person please come forth and advise this man about how to wear shorts and shoes.


Or, maybe I'm wrong.

Fish Fry at the Southernmost Firehouse

Of course we went. You didn't have to ask. But what I didn't know was that the biggest band in the Keys would be playing music. It was a great day. We went with Ruth and Bill McKeever.

www.milemarker24.com

They're similar to Jimmy Buffett and they play at our KOA sometimes too.

The fish was outstanding and the beer was cold. AND at the end of the day, books were selling for $1/bagfull (I got about 10 travel books) and regular flea market items were $2/bagfull. Ruth filled up a bag of goodies for their camper.

High Standards at the KOA

This is an example of the serious decorating that I have seen here at the KOA.


Palm trees, flamingos, alligators, old buoys, and strings of lights are all part of the night scenery here. The sun goes down and the lights come on. And they really come on. You can see that people take great pride in their campground decor.

Sky is in Rio

And this is the one picture that he sent us. What a life.

You can see his black toes from soccer cleats.

Nellie and Lena, AKA "The Goobers"

Pete had been wanting to get a dog, and in the spring of 2000, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Also, at exactly that time, I heard about a litter of about a dozen lab puppies that were just about ready to be sold.

It was the last few days of the school year, so there weren't any students in the school. The teacher who was in the classroom across the hall from me brought her new yellow lab puppy to school with her. I was in love.

Pete and I went to look at the pups and Pete picked his favorite. We bought the pup and immediately bought a crate for the pup. She has come to be known at Nelliethegooddog.

Lena came to us in a different way. Sky was dating Miriam whose family bought a pug for the younger kids. I think we knew we would end up with the dog, and about a year and a half later, after a few families kept her for a week or two and brought her back, we said that we would take her. She has come to be known at Lenathebaddog.

Pete's Back and He's Painting!

Wednesday evening, I picked up Pete at the Key West airport and he told me he was ready to paint. So, early Thursday morning, out came the paints, he loaded up the car and he drove south to the same house on Key West that he painted last year. Last year's painting is on this blog too.

He spends about 4 - 6 hours on a painting this size, 24" X 30", and when he drives back to the KOA, he rests for a short while, then he adds the Master's finishing touches. Then, he's done for the day. Good night, Pete. It takes all of his energy to paint a canvas. It's a good one!

Key West Sunset

In case you weren't on the beach in Key West last night, this was the sunset you missed. Oranges, pinks, and yellows dominated the blue sky for about 3 minutes.

Watching the sunset from Mallory Square is a Key West tradition. It's a circus atmosphere there. There might be a one man band, a juggler, a unicyclist, a contortionist, and a magician drawing crowds and accepting tips. Everyone has fun there, but we decided to go to the beach instead and I do think we saw a more dramatic sunset there. It was a lot more quiet and there are parking spaces all along the road. Finding a parking space in downtown Key West is more difficult every year.

Tropic Cinema in Key West

My friend Linda has been visiting us here at the Sugarloaf Key KOA and yesterday we decided that we wanted to see a movie.

http://www.fandango.com/ is a site where you can enter the name of a town or its zip code to find out what movies are playing nearby. I was surprised that there are two movie cinemas in Key West, so we had about 8 movies from which to choose. We decided to see Milk.

The Tropic Cinema is right in the heart of Key West, just off Duval Street. I'm sure we drove past it many times and never noticed it.

This movie theater is totally charming. The interior looks like it was recently rennovated in an Art Deco style. There are four screens, a small eating area, and a Monday night film festival. One of the movies was sold out (2 pm showing), and ours was fairly full, so the movie business in Key West seems to be doing just fine. I'm going back soon.

No Name Pub on No Name Key

Lots of places in the keys aren't heavily advertised. Case in point, the No Name Pub.

Imagine walking into a pub that has its walls and ceiling completely covered with dollar bills. This treasure is a small, dark pub with its menu printed on the placemat. Our waitress was one of the happiest and funniest wait staff I have ever encountered. She loved her job and we knew it.

Almost everyone orders a pizza. When Pete ordered his pizza with anchovies, he was reminded that the menu offers "furry fish", and that's how he should order.

According to a sign in the ladie's room, it's estimated that between $60,000 and $70,000 is hanging in the pub.

Pamela and David Howard

Pete has known them since the mid 1970's, when he had the post and beam house built on Woodmont Road, Hopewell Junction.

David advertised in Yankee Magazine and Pete was the second person to answer his ad.

Pete and I lived in the little house, but we outgrew it; we needed more space, larger rooms, all those middle class things. So we had Dave design the addition. Dave does have a great sense of humor and on the plans that we would have to get approved by an engineer, he drew a tugboat in one of the bays of the garage. Pete took the plans to the engineer, and the engineer threw the plans back to Pete. David's style was not appropriate for him!

We found someone else to put his seal on the plans.

David and Pamela spend some of the winter in Hollywood, Florida and the rest of the year in Walpole, NH. We were glad they had the time to come south to spend a day with us. David's website is http://www.firstdaycottage.com/

Do not come to the Florida Keys

The picture of this caterpillar doesn't show the dramatic colors it has. I took the pic with my phone and emailed it to myself, but I couldn't upload it because it wasn't in a format that the blog could read.

So, I slept on it; I do my best work in my sleep. The next morning, I made the pic large, took a pic of it with my camera and uploaded that pic to the blog.

What you don't see is that the caterpillar is bright red and the legs or spines are black and have little knobs and the ends like a hairbursh with plastic bristles would have. It was about 1 1/2 " long and it moved like an inchworm.

Patty's weakness

I love having lots of prints on our walls, and I also know that since we're retired, out print buying days are over.

But, yesterday afternoon we were at an event for Habitat for Humanity event on Big Pine Key. There was music, music, music, music, and beer.........and two tables of silent auction items. No surprise then that the Audubon print you see here to the left was among the items being auctioned. It is matted and framed beautifly so I talked myself into it.

I huddled around the table at 3:59, so I could get the last bid, $1 higher than the previous one. The print was mine.

I did a little research this morning and we did get a great deal. And a great, large print.

Dumb da dumb dumb

An email from Denis Minervini yesterday included this link:

http://www.rethinkingschools.org/just_fun/games/mapgame.html

The site itself, www.rethinkingschools.org has many articles and links that are worth your time.

Wildlife at the KOA

Pete and I were walking the dogs yesterday and we spied this lizard in a tree. According to Pete's estimation, it was about three feet long.

Once Lizzy realized there were two people and two dogs nosing around her, she scrambled up into the branches.

I had to climb onto a picnic table to take this picture, so I hope you realize I sacrificed life and limb to share Lizzy with you.

I've been trying to copy and paste the embedding line from YouTube, and I just can't get the whole line moved to my blog, so I'm going to send the link for this video that Pat Buckley emailed to me today. It's very funny. Do you think Pete would like one of these cars?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAqPMJFaEdY

Pete and his paints hit Key West

One morning last winter, Pete packed up his paints and easel and drove to Key West. He returned that afternoon with this beautiful painting. I think it was either 12 X 16 or 16 X 20. The painting hung in the East Boothbay General Store and it sold within a couple of weeks. He sold 8 paintings last summer, so there is definitely a following for his work.

He's been thinking about driving to Key West in the next few days to paint the same house again.

Last year, we had the Airstream motorhome and storage was a premium. This year, we have a larger Monaco motorhome, so Pete has a lot more room in the basement for his canvases. He's ready to paint. Watch out, Key West.

This Past Year's Annual Lyman Boat Rally

Boating is, of course, a big important pastime in Maine. Many people have sailboats, some have yachts, and some have wooden Lyman boats. We have a 1967, 24 foot Lyman that I lovingly refer to as the money pit. The first weekend of August is the Lyman Rally in midcoast Maine, and this year it was held at the waterfront restaurant in Christmas Cove, just across the Damariscotta River and a little south from where we live. The photo is taken from our boat looking down the river to some of the other boats at the rally. Maine really is a great place.