Last year was a doozy. Did I spell that right? The dictionary agrees I did, but maybe it’s not the right word for last year. I think “doozy” is too positive a word. Last year was frustrating – a bust.
Me
I did a few things that were productive during my isolation. I have been consistent with my exercise program. I’ve done a lot of reading and some writing. Not so productive things like tearing my calf on a bike ride, getting a bout of Vertigo and then a bunch of ridiculous ear issues. Who knew earwax could accumulate to such a degree to cause pain?
Enough of 2020. We survived it! Now we are making plans. Plan A and Plan B. AND we have finally registered for a vaccine! I suppose I shouldn’t get my hopes up; the wait will surely be long.
That brings me to King Cakes. Recently I found a Bernie Meme with a little Bernie poking out of a slice of King Cake. I found it hilarious! However, my friends and neighbors didn’t because they didn’t know about King Cakes. The following is my interpretation.
According to several Christian religions, 12 days after Christmas is the Epiphany. This is the time that the Wise Men brought gifts to the baby Jesus and the beginning of Carnival. New Orleans, by the way, is not the only city that celebrates this. They just do an excellent job.
King Cake
During the 6 weeks of Carnival people feast and have parties and parades. At these parties they serve King Cake.
A King Cake is made of a sweet dough and braided into a circle somewhat like the crown of a king. The outside is covered in icing and/or sugar that is colored green, purple and gold. The three colors honor each of the Three Wise Men who brought gifts to the baby Jesus. Inside the King Cake is a tiny baby doll. I think you can guess the meaning of that. Tradition has it that whoever receives the slice of cake containing the baby will host next years party.
Does this make you want to join in the celebration? Word has it that Randazzo’s Bakery has the best King Cake in New Orleans. But there are tons of recipes for those who love to bake; this one is good.
So, is it funny now?
Thank you, Bernie for lightening things up and being good natured about it.
Note: This blog is sponsored by me, Karen J Adams. Any recommendations or suggestions are purely my own opinion without the exchange of money.
3,801 miles, 19 Campgrounds and 53 Days in The Good Ole USA
With quarantines, face masks and political uproars we decided (on August 24th) to take our leave and visit the Northeastern US. With that in mind, we packed the Winnebago for a long haul.
Our first destination was Marietta, OH. An itch Marty needed to scratch after reading some historic novels that were based there.
We Took Our Time
After 6 days of traveling through Georgia and North Carolina we arrived at the Starlight RV Park in Marietta, OH.
A lot of history can be found in Marietta; one of the earliest settlements in the country. Sitting along the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers Marietta was an ideal location for receiving and transporting goods. Founded in 1788, it was hoped to become the nation’s capital. Apparently, the locomotive dissolved those plans.
And there were Shanty Boats that carried whole families along the banks. Whole communities lived on the rivers up into the 1930’s.
Replication of the inside of a Shanty BoatShanty Boat Exterior
We spent several days to explore the area. One gem we ran across is Hocking Hills State Park which is located about 80 miles west of Marietta in a town called Logan, OH. The park offers multiple trails, waterfalls and spectacular rock formations.
Hocking Hills State Park
Our next itch to scratch would be Acadia National Park in Maine. This would take 17 days of sight-seeing in Pennsylvania, New York and New Hampshire.
Pennsylvania
Oil City, PA was once headquarters for Pennzoil and Quaker State motor oil companies. Located along the Allegheny River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains makes it a nice spot for exploration.
Grove Hill Cemetery in Oil City, PA where Karen’s mother is buried.
Barker, Mexico, Clayton and Plattsburgh were towns where we spent time on our way to Maine.
From our camp in Barker, NY we visited a Light House at Fort Niagara followed by a stop at Niagara Falls.
Lighthouse at Fort NiagaraNiagara Falls – Looking at Toronto
In Mexico, NY we discovered the Erie Canalway Trail and biked along 10 miles of its 360 miles (the trail runs between Buffalo and Albany).
Biking along the Erie Canalway Trail
In Clayton and Plattsburgh, NY we discovered campgrounds in the middle of farm country with corn stalks as far as the eye can see. I spoke with a farmer there who encouraged me to pick all the corn I wanted from his plot. It was delicious!
A local farm spreadAmish Country
From Plattsburgh we drove our heavy RV onto a ferry that took us to Vermont. We then drove across Vermont to Shelbourne, NH. The views were magnificent and the hikes rocky. We went to the Market Basket grocery store where they sell freshly steamed lobster and other NH delicacies.
Rocky Trail in NHBiking amidst Fall Colors
Bar Harbor Campground in Bar Harbor Maine offers first come, first serve sites. Located close to Acadia National Park, we drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain and took in the views. Guess what else we found in Maine? Lobster! Steamed in outdoor pots at local Lobster Pounds.
Top of Cadillac Mountain
Heading south toward home, our next campsite was in Kingston, NH at a campground just 5 miles from a Market Basket. You know what we did. The possibilities were endless. We filled our tiny RV freezer with them.
Next we headed for Prospect Mountain Campground in Granville, MA. It was a nice, wooded site – unusual for an independent campground. It’s located close to Springfield and Wilbraham; childhood homes for Marty. We visited each and hiked on more rocky trails.
Marty and his family cleared this land in the late 1940’s and built the house.
Cherry Ridge Campground was our next destination in Honesdale, PA. We found a few trails and some old architecture along the Delaware River.
House facing the Delaware River on the NY side.Delaware River bordering PA and NY
Hesston, PA was the next stay where we found a great Army Corps Campground called Seven Points. For instance, the campground has miles of hiking and biking trails. As well as a rubberized path made from recycled materials that weaves all through the camp and around Raystown Lake. We’ll go back there.
Raystown Lake and Recreation AreaCaterpillar crossing the recycled path.
Next stop, Virginia and the Shenandoah Mountains. The weather was cold, wet and windy but the scenes were serene.
Shenandoah Mountain Trail
We wound our way back home staying in NC, SC and GA taking about 5 more days.
It was a great trip that soothed a few itches. Now, home in Tallahassee, we’re brewing up some new itches to scratch.
Wow! It’s been a crazy first quarter. In January I was planning for my yearly 10K race in New Orleans (the Crescent City Classic). I’ve been there over the past 10 years and often a friend or family member joined me. There were a few times that I ran the race solo but I always enjoyed it because my family lives there. I remember when I first started I would stay with my Mom. She’d drive me to the Algiers Ferry and I’d float over with a ton of other people. I’d take one of the designated buses back to the ferry and give Momma a call to pick me up. Good times.
Momma eventually had to stop driving, at least while I was paying attention. I got rides with other people that were either going or volunteered to drop me off. It quickly became a tradition where my three siblings, their families, Momma and me would be together.
Momma passed away two years ago on March 23rd and my brother arranged for the memorial to happen on the evening of the race. I ran in that race, too, and I think it was the hardest one to get through. I had just retired and drove to New Orleans.
Last year I stayed with my younger sister in Gretna, drove again because it’s just easier. One friend joined me; it would be her third time running the race. It was fun and it was good to be with my siblings and their families.
I signed up for the 2020 race after I finished the 2019 because I was aiming, now, for 20 consecutive years. As it got closer to the race I recruited a retired friend to join me and then learned that my daughter and her husband would also come. I was beyond excited about the trip.
When the virus was mostly in other countries I began to worry about my daughter flying; airplanes can be germy. In early March, things were getting worse so my husband and I stopped going to the gym and only went to the store early, when they first opened. He’s 78 and I have asthma. Every day things changed. The race was cancelled; but they are offering a Virtual Race. My friend decided not to go. My daughter also backed out and is trying to get a flight credit or refund.
New Orleans is being slammed with the virus; I fear for my family. They are, so far, safe.
I plan to run the Virtual Crescent City Classic on the scheduled date. They’ll send my t-shirt and medal in the mail. I’ll sign up for 2021. I can’t help but wonder about how things will be this time next year.
Note: I forgot to publish this post in late March. Too much time on my hands, I guess. ?
The holidays passed like greased lightening. I was transformed into a Master Chef with an opportunity to use all my pent up cooking curiosities. The results were mostly positive but more than anything, it was fun. Cooking with children and grandchildren is a joy I can never get enough of.
In the bread baking department I have conquered my fears and produced perfect loaves, rounds and pull-apart buns. It helps to have a good sourdough starter. I have aptly named mine “The Rock Star”.
The Rock Star
My Thanksgiving meal was mostly homemade (I bought a can of french fried onions). For the turkey, I used a garlicky, lemon, butter rub and pushed it under the breast skin and on the outside of the other parts. The result was juicy meat and a fabulous gravy (courtesy of my son, the pro chef). We had 2 whole days of chattering young adults and happy children running about. It was wonderful.
My preps for Christmas usually start after the Thanksgiving rush is over. I stay away from the malls and instead “create” gifts for my family. There have been breads, cookies, cookbooks, calendars, travel picture books and so on. This year I made baby barn quilts choosing designs that I thought would fit each person. Along with the quilt was a report of the history of barn quilts.
Our Christmas week was spent in the mountains of North Carolina with our California grandkids and their mother. We had a pizza assembly line one night, which was fun and yummy. Baked Ziti, Chicken and rice stew, chili, roasted veggies with pasta, extreme nachos and a spinach frittata – all were gobbled up. And I was, once more, in chef’s heaven. We also had a barn quilt factory going, one for each guest.
Californians in the Smokeys
Now we’re home and the dust has settled. It’s time to get back to my 2020 resolution of getting something published. Wish me luck!
Before I retired I had visions of myself sitting at my desk
writing the next great novel. I do a lot
of sitting at my desk but mostly researching things other than writing. Okay, I do some of that, too. Last Spring my obsession was Barn Quilts. In case you don’t know what that is and to
save you from Googling it: A barn quilt is a large, hand painted wooden block
displayed on the side of a barn; the painting usually depicts a quilt
pattern. Standard size is 8 x 8 but mine
are 1 x 1 so they can be displayed on a wooden fence, shed or indoors.
First I wanted to know how people came up with the patterns;
I studied that. Then I created my own
pattern. The process was fun and engaged
my long, lost math skills. Since I loved
it so much I decided that I should buy small cans of outdoor paint in the
primary colors – red, blue, yellow, white and black. That cost a pretty penny but I could mix my
own shades. And mixing colors is fun!
My First Barn Quilt
Painting them was the easiest part but time consuming
because first the block needed 3 coats of white primer. Then the colors needed at least 3 coats as
well. So, generally, while waiting for
colors to dry I was prepping the next one with primer and drawing the
pattern. This kept me very busy until
travel season came. I put it away.
While visiting family and friends in California my second
obsession was seeded into my brain but I had to wait until I got home. Sourdough Bread! Oh, how I fretted over that starter. As soon as I created it the weather changed
from hot to very cold. One week passed
then two. On the third week after daily
feedings and tons of research my starter responded. Now it is a rock star, reacting to feedings
within an hour or two. My third loaf was
pretty good and we brought it over to some friends for a dinner they were
preparing. It was a hit.
Sourdough Starter
My sixth loaf is the best, to date. I’m still tweaking the crust; I want it to be
a little softer. All my sourdough bread
research boiled down to one thing – pay attention to the texture and pliability
of the dough. I also needed to watch it
while it cooks to get the right crust. I
made some delicious pull-apart buns for Thanksgiving using my sourdough starter
instead of yeast. Last night we had
sourdough pizza that was very good. No
more buying Publix pizza dough or their sourdough loaves; I’ve got that
covered.
My Best Loaf
I need to get back to writing; I have several unfinished short stories. But first I think I’ll research homemade Calzone!
