The Turk Causes a Commotion

Karen, a great friend for 30 years, stopped by for a visit on her way to a convention in Tampa.  This required an appropriate celebration - so we were off to Frenchy's at Clearwater Beach in time for dinner and sunset. The restaurant was crowded as usual for a Friday night, the sunny evening was balmy. Perfect!  Well... not quite perfect.

Karen and the Turk start celebrating

Drinks, then grouper sandwiches - YUM!  Catching up on stories..... and then Mark starts choking.  He came over and I did Heimlich on him. I heard no noise, but am thinking that is because the restaurant was silent. It seems forever when Mark has these episodes.  We have a system to keep him calm and try to get some air out of his lungs to open his throat.

I felt the man sitting next to us rise from his chair.  The dining area was packed for sunset so there was no space between tables.  As he rose, I realized he was huge!  Quite tall and quite big - like a linebacker.  He said in a gentle voice - can I help you?

I thought to myself, we just need one good punch and Mark's throat will open.  Sure, I said as I stepped back.  The giant man wrapped his bear like arms around Mark's upper stomach and pressed. I heard some air coming into Mark's throat, at the same time he grabbed  my arm as if to confirm it.

Ok, Ok - I think we got it now, I said to the giant. Thank you so much.  Mark started to catch his breath and sat down.  We looked around and everyone looked relieved and happy to get back to their evening.  Then the manager showed up to tell us that EMS was on their way.

EMS and paperwork

All of  a sudden 2 EMS showed up with crash gear and equipment threading their way through the crowded room.  Yes we are fine, thank you.  No need for any assistance.  Alas, we had to do paperwork.

As we left the restaurant to walk the beach for sunset, people reached out to Mark to ask how he was, and to say they were happy to see he was OK.  Mark said - I think I'm famous.  I said, no - INfamous.

Then to sunset!

West Coast Food City

Ferry Building farmer's market

Poet with typewriter, rhymes on request

Bourbon and corn flakes ice cream ROCKS

My hostess for the weekend

Great dinner, with view of the pizza oven - just for Mark

After a week of work in Silicon Valley, I headed up to Half Moon Bay to visit college friend, Jackie P.  She and Arthur treated me like royalty with raclette for dinner and the chance to head out to the Ferry Building farmers market on Saturday.
This farmers market is always an adventure and its not far from Tcho chocolates on the Embarcedero.




















We tasted as much as we could across fruits, veggies, and chocolates.  And THEN we headed for an early dinner. Amazing rustic Italian restaurant called Cotogna where we sat at the bar overlooking part of the kitchen. We ate several shared dishes including pizza - made in the pizza oven, roast chicken that was so tasty, duck pate on artisan bread, some pasta that was delish.  And then we wandered around North Beach, my old hood.  The streets were very busy since it was Saturday, AND because the celebrations were starting for the Chinese New Year.  Sadly, I had to head home after that.  But happily it was home to the Turk!

Quick Trip to LA

Fiona helps with the horse therapy on Saturday's

I get to benefit from Fiona's volunteerism

Notice the KNITTED boots from grandma

sisters....sisters...cant get between the sisters...

I took advantage of a business trip to San Francisco to stop in LA for the weekend to catch up with the Hotchkiss line of O'Learys.  The weekend was a whirlwind, including a SuperBowl party,  working with a horse therapy group and a trip to Trader Joe's to buy a bag full of B-12 vitamins for mom.
The kids continue to grow - why does that always happen? Lots of family activity going on.
Too short, lots of fun, glad I could make it!

Ice Man Cometh and Drinketh

Beautiful drinking glass of ice

On the throne

 Ever since seeing a show about the Chinese ice carvers of Harbin and the ice hotel in Sweden, I've been fascinated with the idea of experiencing ice in a non-traditional way.  Traditional would be like: skating, ice cubes, Slurpees, ice icicles.  

I found out about the Ice Bar on International Drive in Orlando, and jumped on a Groupon coupon as my excuse to initiate an outing. I recruited unsuspecting victims: the Turk and Parental Units.

You get 'fur' coats to stay warm, but they only work if they can reach around you, which seemed to be a problem in Orlando Florida. Coats are really needed.The bar is made of 50 tons of ice and it is kept at 27 degrees.  You get special gloves and are told to bundle up.  Then, once you are ready, they open the door into the ice bar! 

First impression - it was, oddly enough, like walking into a freezer that is lined with blocks of ice. A long bar on one wall, made of ice of course, had a row of ice bar stools. Each was covered with a 'fur' to ensure no frost-bit buns.

The business end of the penguin drink luge

There are ice carvings all around the bar, mostly of penguins, large to small, regal to amusing.  The penguin that got the most attention was the ice luge penguin who's luge traveled from his head down to the.... place where liquids would normally leave. It looked like a large intestine from the head down, but didn't deter anyone from drinking the vodka based drinks.

The furniture is carved of ice.  There were couches, single seats, and even a thrown. All have fur
 covers because we know what would happen if they didnt.  Two ice coffee tables were beautifully done, with roses carved within their centers.

A regular

The drinks were served in carved ice glasses - further necessitating the gloves that we were given. It was an experience to drink out of ice. Each time your mouth opened onto the ice glass to drink, it melted just a bit. I guess slow drinkers eventually wear their drinks!

The idea of an ice bar is interesting, but probably doesnt fit the business concept of a bar because people dont just hang out there and order drinks.  They get their drink, look around, take pictures, and leave to warm up.  I just cant imagine a hotel made of ice! Bed? Toilet? Really?

New year's day: perfect!

We stayed with good friends in Sarasota for new years eve and welcomed the end of 2011 and the beginning of a fresh year.  Came back home and headed for the beach where there were A LOT of things going on.

We were sitting at the beach, watching the boats and beach walkers when all of a sudden, a dolphin jumped from the sea, then another and another! The water was full of dolphin all enjoying their dinner chase.

Then we heard a buzzing sound, and more and more buzzing sounds. In the sky we saw 5 sails flying around.  These sails were each carrying a man who had a large fan attached to his back.  Crazy guys! But fun to watch.

I then looked down and saw how pretty the shells looked in the light of the setting sun.  What a great way to start the new year.

Quiet After Christmas - Cedar Key

The day after Christmas, the Turk and I drove up to Cedar Key to get away from the shopping madness.  And quiet is what we got!  Cedar Key is an island on the gulf coast, about 2 1 /2 hrs north.  We stayed in a cute renovated roadside hotel with a back door to our porch, overlooking the mudflats and the sunset.

typical boat dock, ready for the clam boats

picking through the clams after the boat arrives

The town is a fishing town. Their number one business is clam harvesting.  And they are the location of Tony's Seafood - the clam chowder champion for the past 3 years.  No, the contest is not in Cedar Key - it is in Newport Rhode Island.

The Turk and I rode our bikes around the island and I saw some clam fishermen working at their dock.  When I asked if I could photograph them, one of the men looked me in the eye and said, "yes ma'am you can. I don't mind."   Then they asked me if I had a good Christmas.  Say whaaa? All of this while they were busily sorting through the clams, pulling out empty shells.

We made it to Tony's to try the chowder and it was very delicious. Just a bit of heat that you feel after you swallow. Nice.  

trying the chowder

the only manatee we saw

a scavenger on the fishing pier

We enjoyed the island and its nature. I was always reminded that we were on a very vulnerable piece of land. A big storm would surely cause a lot of harm to this place.  We saw a number of poles with measurements in feet to identify the water height in a flood.

Reminder of how high the flood waters can be in a hurricane

Sunset was stunning, as promised. The sky changes colors for about an hour, coloring the mud flats full of birds readying for the night.

yes, wine is involved

outside of our hotel

After sunset, we wandered around town to dinner.  CLAMS of course!   I chuckled over the Christmas lights - pelican with santa hat, star fish, turtle and of course, the all important holiday clam!



My favorite sign of the town?  

The shark pickup and drop off.........  The school mascot is the shark

How convenient

Nature

 This orchid has had quite a life. We found it placed on our deck in Redwood City the winter before we moved to Florida.  It was in full bloom and we thanked the realtor who sold the house next door and found this lovely plant left behind.

Months later, the Turk had to fly to Florida to work on the house for the tenant, so he carefully uprooted the plant, placed it in plastic, and packed it in with his clothes.  American Airlines was not thinking there might be something alive in the Turk's luggage when they lost it for a couple of days.

The luggage was finally found and the plant was retrieved, looking a bit worn from the experience.  We sent the orchid to Mickie's (Tim's wife) mom who grows all kinds of orchids.  She'd not seen a ground orchid before and was kind enough to take this homeless, traumatized plant in to nurse it to health.

We retrieved the orchid when we moved to Florida, and ignored it as we were told. Orchids dont like alot of fuss and attention - but I'm pretty sure they dont like lost suitcases either.  Fast forward 4 years - because the plant did nothing during that time but grow leaves.

Then, in October we saw something amazing... a shoot was starting. Then a second.  And now we've been able to enjoy weeks of perfect orchids in shades of pinks.  We appreciate them even more because we had to wait so long to see them.

I was walking on the beach the other day and had to stop and laugh.  One bird would not stop 'yelling' at the other one - her mate?  The quiet one just stood stoically, looking at me walk by as if to say - "she wanted to winter in Florida, and now she doesn't like it. What am I supposed to do!? We have the beach reserved the whole season."