Bautizo

I'm oficially a godmother again. The first time was for my nephew, Colton. This past Saturday was the Baptism of my goddaughter Kaelyn. I arrived in Florida almost a week early to spend some time and help with preparations for the big day. The weather was beautiful and warm, and Kaelyn and I had a great time playing in the park and watching Dora the Explorer every day. My comadre and compadre made me feel right at home, and sleeping in a bed was sure a welcome change from the hardwood floors of my almost empty New York apartment. The ceremony was in Spanish, and held in a huge Catholic church in Naples. A number of children were being baptised that day. They were all very well behaved, and the ceremonies lasted about an hour. The godfather is one of my closest friends, and the baby's father is his cousin.

After some photos inside, and outside with St. Peter, we head back to the house to continue the cooking that had begun the previous night. There was baked chicken, potato salad, stewed chicken, roast pork, meatballs (a big hit), stuffed rolled beef, mountains of rice, green salad and, of course, the cake. The cake was two levels made by a very talented Bolivian lady, with the bottom layer tres leches and the top pineapple. People started arriving to dig in at around six, and over the course of the evening 100 or so friends and family gathered to dance, sing, visit and play. Ages ranged from 5 mos. to 75 years and everyone had a blast! I was able to see friends I hadn't seen in years, including a number of teens I used to easily carry and who now tower over me.

It was an honor to be asked to take part, and I look forward to many years of celebration with my new extended family.

Tis the Season

It feels strange to be back in New York, but it's a nice time of year to be here. Most of my Christmas shopping has been foiled by the masses of Euro-wielding guests looking for bargains. I really prefer just looking at the windows anyway.


Macy's is all done up for the holidays. The 2007 Holiday display is of Santa's Big Night. It features Santa Claus' travels across the world fighting Jack Frost's snowy chills, and celebrating back at the North Pole after a long night's work.

I love riding the old wooden escalator in Macy's. The clickety clack is a nostalgic sound. They have apparently been in operation here since 1927. The same model, according to Otis' website was "Australia's first escalator, installed in 1924 in the Lavender Bay Railway Station in Sydney. The one there has since been retired. For excessive detail on Macy's escalators, visit http://www.forgotten-ny.com/STREET%20SCENES/wood.escalator/wooden.html.

The Kenseth Collection

At a Roush Show Car Garage
Liberty, NC
On the way back to Chicago

Scottsdale Hike

Our final week of the tour in Phoenix was hectic, but we made time for a hike in McDowell Mountain Park, near Scottsdale. We did some geocaching along the way, and were able to drop off a Jeep travel bug we'd picked up in Texas. It wasn't a strenuous hike, but Phoenix afternoons are still over 90F/35C, so it was a warm one. On the way home, we stopped by Fountain Hills and saw (supposedly) the world's largest man-made fountain.

Another highlight? We seriously doubted we would be able to find great sushi in Phoenix, but we were wrong, wrong, wrong. Yasu, sushi chef at Yasu Sushi Bistro was a master working with fresh, high-quality ingredients. Along with our standard tekka (tuna) and Kappa (cucumber) rolls, we ordered a soft shell crab roll, plus nigiri or sashimi: octopus, chu-toro, mackerel and salmon. Specials included striped jack, fluke, and Kumamoto oysters. I think my favorite of the night was the fluke. It was served with ponzu instead of soy sauce, allowing the light, subtle flavor to shine. Check out the full review on yelp.com or click here to get there directly.

Click here for a few photos from the Scottsdale area.

Highlights from the drive between Houston and Phoenix

That's 130 km/h for all our international readers...fast for the US!

But no advice on what to do in that case. . .

This was has always struck us as a bit odd. . .like they may not exist after 10 miles?

Giraffe Drool at Fossil Rim

Peek-a-Boo

Fossil Rim Wildlife Center is 1800 acres of animals animals animals (over 1000 representing 50 or so species). Although we love animals, most of you know neither of us likes zoos much. The drive-thru style can be almost as sad as the cages, but Fossil Rim has lots of space for addax, bongo and the scimitar-horned oryx to roam along with more familiar species such as deer and elk, zebra and giraffe. The animals are plentiful and seemingly happy. We didn't opt to get a bag of feed, but the animals didn't know that, so they approached the truck to check us out. One of the giraffes was so excited he drooled all over the driver's side arm-rest and Donny's shorts.

According to their website, here's the mission: "Fossil Rim Wildlife Center is dedicated to conservation of species in peril, scientific research, training of professionals, creative management of natural resources, and impactful public education." They are involved in the Red Wolf Recovery Program, have internships and educational programs for teachers, kids, and home-schoolers.

Apparently, the current director has brought the park back from near bankruptcy with some shrewd business decisions, but since this place is pretty far off the beaten path, they could probably benefit from some more patrons (not too many though...it was really nice not to be rushed through). Click here for photos.

Dinosaur Valley

Located just outside Glen Rose, TX, this state park reportedly has some of the best preserved dinosaur tracks in the world. The tracks (from the Cretaceous period) can be seen mostly on the rock ledge in the bed of the Paluxy River. It's been raining for a few days, so the water was high and a bit murky, but even so the clawed theropod tracks and big, round sauropod (brontosaurus) tracks were pretty amazing.
Maybe because it was so misty and deserted it was easy to imagine dinosaurs lumbering around when these were the shores of an inland sea. There are also some nature trails in the area, and you can camp and birdwatch. Click for pics of the tracks and the river.

Granbury

We spent our few days off (making up for working weekend) in Granbury and the surrounding area. Granbury is a town of about 7,600. It was settled in the mid-1800s, and many of the buildings in the historic town square look much the same as they did when the town was up and coming. There's some active recreation on Lake Granbury, including a riverboat, but since it's October, there wasn't much happening on the lake. Downtown Granbury was nice for a walk. Most of the stores around the square are full of antiques or western novelty items and souvenirs. The Courthouse Tower is tall and imposing. The Old Jailhouse has a museum, and Granbury Cemetery is the final resting place of Jesse James. We also had a delicious lunch at the Nutshell Bakery and Cafe. Donny's grilled cheese was served with Granny Smith slices in the sandwich! Mmmmm.

Cowtown

Fort Worth got the name "Cowtown" for the millions of head of cattle that passed through as they were herded north (over 4 million between 1866 and 1890). It was the last major stop for rest and supplies on the Chisholm trail to Kansas and the rails there. After the railroad arrived in Ft. Worth, it became a major shipping point itself, leading to the construction of The Ft. Worth Stockyards in 1877.

There are a number of interesting historical buildings in town, as well as restaurants, shopping and all the standard trappings of "old town" anywhere, but with a western twist. Cowtown Coliseum's 100th Anniversary was today, so we got to hear the mayor say a few words before the daily cattle drive down the main street. Later, we went to a rodeo at the coliseum. Here are all its firsts:

1908 - First Exhibition Round-up of Cattle ever held under a roof in the United States.

1908 - First Night Horse Show in the United States

1918 - World's First Indoor Rodeo

1923 - World's First Live Radio Broadcast of a Rodeo

1934 - Bull Riding Introduced to the world of Rodeo

The sculpture above shows Bill Pickett, the first black cowboy to be inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame. He was a top act at the coliseum. He was the first to introduce bulldogging to the masses. His trademark move was biting the lip of the steer to bring it under control (a move he picked up from the clever ranch dogs). Click here for pics.

Big Tex

We spent the day at the Texas State Fair, held at the same site, Fair Park (itself a National Historic Landmark), since 1886. Today was the second day of the month-long fair, but we arrived pretty early so the crowds weren't too bad until people started arriving for the Grambling State vs. Prairie View game at the Cotton Bowl (also onsite). We rode the Texas Star Ferris wheel (tallest one in the US), saw livestock exhibits, a dog dancing show, a Tango demonstration and did lots and lots of people watching. Thankfully (sort of) we successfully avoided everything on the list of 2007 Big Tex Food Award Finalists: Mama's Fried Sweet Potato Pie, Zesty Fried Guacamole Bites, BW's Original Fried Banana Pudding, Texas Fried Cookie Dough, Country Fried Peach Cobbler on a Stick, Deep Fried Latte and Fernie's Fried Chili Frito Burrito. We did however eat a jalapeno cheese corn dog, a Coors light, pizza, a tamale, watermelon lime agua fresca, a free ice cream sample and a lemonade. I don't know if that's much better, and I still wonder how they do a fried Coke?! Click here for some photos.

Sixth Floor Museum

The former Book Depository in Dealey Plaza, downtown Dallas, TX, houses the Sixth Floor Museum, chronicling the events leading up to John F. Kennedy's assassination. The museum includes film, audio, photos, some Kennedy family history and other artifacts. You can see the sniper's perch, where police found piles of boxes where Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly hid and shot from. This corner of the Sixth Floor is plexiglassed in to preserve it. The window is open. The Seventh Floor had an exhibit pertaining to Texas Law Enforcement, including the suits two of the detectives were wearing when Jack Ruby shot Oswald in the basement of police headquarters. Outside you can walk around the grassy knoll.

Historic Guthrie

We wanted to get a head start on our drive back to Dallas from Wichita, so we ended up stopping at a known quantity: a Sleep Inn and Suites in Guthrie, OK with a relatively big parking lot just off the highway. It didn't hurt that there was a Braum's within walking distance. What we hadn't discovered on any of our previous three overnights in Guthrie, is that its downtown is a sprawling National Historic District. Armed with this knowledge overheard during dinner at Johnny's Original Rib Shack, we delayed our morning departure for a brief visit to downtown Guthrie.

In 1889, Unassigned Lands (about two million acres of Indian Territory) were opened for settlement by non-Native Americans in what was called "Harrison's Hoss Race" or "The Great Land Run of 1889." At high noon, cannons were fired. During the next six hours, an estimated 50,000 settlers grabbed sections of land up to 160 acres, and claimed their new homes. In an afternoon, the city of Guthrie became one of the country's largest cities west of the Mississippi. This first land run was a free for all, and numerous legal battles ensued over who was where first. Incidentally, the term "sooners," now used for the fans of OU football, was used to identify those who hid out early, before the "official" time, to then pop up and snatch up the prime homesteading spots. Residents continued constructing buildings of brick and stone, a mass transit system, and perhaps most interesting: underground parking for horses and carriages. You can still see the foundations of many downtown buildings extending below the street. Tunnels connected many of these buildings. In 1907, Oklahoma was admitted as the 46^th state to be admitted to the union. Guthrie was the first capital of the new state, but this was also its downfall, as politics within the state government succeeded in moving the capital three years later. The city lay quiet for many years, until historic conservation efforts recently restored many of the old buildings.

Guthrie's National Historic District (one of the largest in the US) now contains 2,169 buildings, 1,400 acres and 400 city blocks. One favorite was the Post Office, built after the newly appointed Postmaster spent many months under a tent passing out mail by hand with the help of volunteers to hundreds of people anxiously waiting for news of when the wife and kids would arrive. The Oklahoma Frontier Drugstore Museum houses an amazing collection of turn-of-the-century medicines, tonics, pills, advertisements, prescriptions and an authentic soda fountain. Mark Ekiss, the proprietor, is a pharmacist himself, and can provide a wealth of information on the collection and its history. Click here for some photos of Guthrie.

Standin' on a corner

Eagles fans will know why we finally took a rest stop in Winslow, AZ on our last long drive (California to Texas). It was a quick overnight after a long day, but there was a county fair going on in a big parking area across the street from our hotel, so we couldn't resist a little walk.

Ever been to a Braum's?

We'd seen Braum's Ice Cream and Dairy Stores on past visits through Kansas and Oklahoma. A visit proved to be surprising and tasty. In addition to the ice cream, they had Braum brand cold cuts, eggs, juice, and a grill with old-fashioned burgers and chicken sandwiches.

Braum's is unique in its industry, owning its dairy herd, farms and ranches, processing plant, bakery, retail stores and delivery trucks. It also has the largest milking parlor in the world. According to their website, "Three times a day, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, Braum's is milking 10,000 cows!" They grow alfalfa and corn to feed them, and buy local soybeans, wheatstraw and other crops. They also don't use any hormones or antibiotics. The farm-to-table operation is still family owned and run. Way to go!

Labor Day on the East Coast

Vacation at last! Long hours in the airport were well-worth a long-awaited vacation. It was a whirlwind that felt like a lot more than five days. Stepping out of the airport may have been a highlight of the whole trip. The air was cool and refreshing, a drastic change from inland California's daily triple digits. It was nice to be in a real city, instead of the strip mall-Applebees-Chilis- on-every-corner outskirts usually mandated by our schedule and the size of our vehicle. We went straight from JFK to a tasty home-made breakfast of yuca, platanos, salchichon, eggs and the best coffee we've had for six months, all lovingly prepared by the best friend a girl could have, Arismendy. Later that afternoon we went to a picnic in a newly-renovated park in the Bronx. There were 30 or 40 of us, with food to feed twice that many. The kids had fun playing and running around, and there were some impromptu soccer and volleyball games. It was great to see everyone. Excessive dancing at the after party led to an appetite for leftovers. Since several people mistook him for a cop (due to his quiet observation of the whole affair), Donny's going to practice his merengue skills for next time. The photo below is Adonis and me. I can't believe I used to carry him around on one hip, and now he's starting high school. I guess it's true: time does fly.

Sunday night we head to a small club in Brooklyn for the pre-wedding "Labor of Love" party for my friend Kavitha and her husband-to-be Chewy. As an added highlight, we got my good friend Joe to meet us there. The two bands and DJ were worth coming out for on their own, but it was also nice to be able to see Kavi before her big day. The music was modern jazz, later transitioning into some urban funk. The wedding will have elements from Hindu and Christian, Indian and African-American traditions, and that includes the food. I'm sorry to miss the greens and samosas. I know it will be a beautiful day.

Monday we drove up to Cape Cod, MA. Dinner at Dad's the first night was sirloin tips on the grill, mushrooms and onions, squash and potato, asparagus and salad. Mmmm. The meal and visiting was followed by a round of miniature golf where someone beat someone else by three strokes on her home course. I won't give Donny the satisfaction of going into detail. The next day, we walked around the harbor, played at the 6A playground, and did the boardwalk at Bass Hole. Salmon on the grill was for dinner at my sister's, then we got my brother-in-law Tim hooked on geocaching during a walk in the dunes the next day. We were even able to snag a coveted Jeep Travel Bug from a cache in Mashpee. (For more on this see http://www.jeep.geocaching.com/.) Our last night of vacation we all got together for a New England seafood dinner by the Hyannis Harbor at the Black Cat. Thanks to Tim and Caroline we got a ride to the airport in Boston after a walk and lunch on Newberry Street on the way. For pics from Cape Cod, click here.

Coronado Island

Coronado Island is connected to the City of San Diego by the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge. It's also accessible by ferry. The area includes some nice beaches, shopping and dining. There are bike paths along the tidal pools and beaches. Silver Strand State Beach seems to be especially popular with kite-surfers and campers.

Further along, just a few miles from the Mexican border, Imperial Beach is the most southwesterly community in the U.S.

The atmosphere there is more laid back, with a fishing pier, lots of rental beach houses and a few restaurants. Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge and Border Field State Park are nearby for walking and wildlife viewing.

The Hotel Del Coronado, a National Historic Landmark dating back to 1888;

Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon filmed "Some Like it Hot" here in the '50s.

Therapeutic Beachdays

In a last hurrah before being exiled back to the stifling Inland Empire, we spent a sunny weekend not too far from the coast. This allowed not only a relaxing afternoon at the beach, but time spent with good friends in Orange County. In addition to having dinner at a dining room table instead of in a restaurant, Donny got to add to his poker winnings. We were even able to have some visitors at one of our events later in the week! The photo above is Crystal Cove. The one below is near Newport Harbor.

I-70 Drive

It was a long way from Springfield, MO to LA, so a hundred extra miles was worth avoiding I-40, its construction, need for repairs and generally less than appealing scenery. We opted to drive back through Kansas to Denver, then across I-70 through Colorado, Utah, and a bit of AZ and NV before arriving in California. It was a good choice. We spent one night in Hays, Kansas, and one in Dillon, CO (an hour or so before Vail, Aspen, etc.) Halfway through Utah, at a truck stop. we coincidentally ran into Del and Connie, a couple we know who haul around one of the Tony Stewart Home Depot showcars. When we found out we both planned to spend the night in Cedar City, we arranged to meet for dinner. The steak at Rusty's on Canyon Road was decent; the company was better. We'll see them again when we work together in LA.

Click here for some photos of this portion of the drive.

The last stop was Primm, NV, south of Las Vegas at the last exit in Nevada before entering California. We stayed at Whiskey Pete's, where once again I lost more than I wanted to. Donny hit for $100 on a quarter slot to even things out. As an unsurprising welcome to LA, it took almost as long sitting in traffic as the drive from Vegas. We'll be here for two more weeks 'til we finally take vacation.

Cedar Breaks National Monument

Cedar Breaks National Monument is located east of Cedar City, in southern Utah. It's a giant amphitheater dipping over 2000 feet from the Colorado plateau from a height of over 10,000 feet. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared it a National Monument in 1933. Inside the bowl are columns, arches, pinnacles and canyons resembling a smaller version of Bryce Canyon. The range of reds, oranges and purples inspired Native Americans to call Cedar Breaks the "Circle of Painted Cliffs." Bristlecone and ponderosa pine, along with aspens and alpine meadows with summer wildflowers fill the Dixie National Forest surrounding Cedar Breaks. The location, a bit off the typical Zion/Bryce Canyon route means less of a fight with the pesky tourist train for those (like us) who really want a place to themselves. It's a beautiful area, and definitely worth a visit. Take a look at the Cedar Breaks area, including a short walk to the Alpine Lake, HERE.

Pythian Castle

The Pythian Castle was built in of cut limestone blocks in 1915 by the Grand Lodge of Knights of Pythias, a fraternal order, as a home for aged members and orphaned children of members. In 1942, the property was sold to the US government during World War II. The few remaining orphans ad elderly residents were placed in private institutions, while the building served as a popular spot for USO dances and shows. Bob Hope appeared on stage there, among others. POWs from several nations were held there at times as well. The building later became a part of O'Reilly General Hospital and then it was used for a number of years by the Army Reserve. It is now owned privately by a family who is restoring it and renting it out for various functions. For those who believe in such things, the castle has been certified haunted by several paranormal organizations. It was even featured on a Sci-Fi Channel show on haunted places. People report hearing unexplained noises, and orbs have been detected in several areas of the building along with temperature changes and voices caught on tape. Click here to see what showed up in some of our photos and judge for yourself.

Branson

We didn't realize Springfield was so close to the live music mecca of the Ozarks: Branson, Missouri. We took care of work stuff early, and head on down. It was a must to see a show while in town, especially since outdoor activities were not an appealing option in the 100 degree weather. From among options like Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede, the Baldknobbers Jamboree Show and Yakov Smirnoff's Dynamite Russian Comedy, we chose the New Shanghai Circus Acrobats of China show. After a look around town, a frozen custard and a quick photo with the world's largest banjo, we head to the theater. Branson has over 40 of them, with 60,000 seats and over 70 live shows.

The show was impressive. It included amazing feats of balance, strength, contortion and coordination. The acrobats spend eight months a year right there in Branson, returning to China for the other four months. Click here for some photos of Branson.

Colorado to Missouri

It might not seem to make much sense to stop in Springfield, Missouri on the way from Denver to LA, but apparently someone in Springfield has some pretty persuasive powers. I guess we can think of it as being very, very wanted.

Since there really is no direct route between the two cities, we ended up on some very rural highways toward the end of the drive. We passed mostly hay bales, cornfields, and an occasional cluster of cows munching for the last few hundred miles. It was really very pretty.