The Green Flash

I knew the Green Flash was the name of a bar on Captiva Island. http://www.greenflashcaptiva.com/ I didn’t know it was real.

Dolphins jumping in the wake

Pelicans everywhere!

Apparently, when the sun sets over a very flat horizon with very few dust or smoke particles in the air, you can sometimes see a green flash. Drinking may be involved.

Sunset over the Gulf of Mexico

Seriously, blue is the first color to disappear, followed by red, orange and yellow. Sometimes, for a brief moment, green follows as the last wavelength visible to the human eye. Like the Aurora Borealis and rainbows, green is one of the colors we see in the sky. You can even see it in an airplane, but in all my years as pilot, I never have. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_flash

Spring break craziness in Key West

Coming back on a boat from Key West last week with friends, I was taking pictures of the sunset.

Just as I took my camera from my eye, I saw the green flash! Everyone watching gasped, and I was so bummed that I had stopped taking pictures too soon. But then, I zoomed in on my last picture and I had it! Not great, but it is there! The Green Flash, not to be confused with The Green Hornet or any other super hero, IS REAL!!

Look closely...its THE GREEN FLASH!!

This is proof, once again, that a bucket list is only as good as it can be without knowing how incredible certain things in the world are. You can’t want to do or see what you don’t know exists! So stay open and keep learning and life will just get better and better.

I See What Eye See

Staying young..that's the key!

I don’t think I will ever be someone who is bored in retirement. As long as I can keep learning, I hope and pray I can stay young mentally.

I still love to fly.

I still love to fly. I know airports are more of a hassle and I know people say it isn’t as fun as it used to be. But I still love to travel. There is so much to see in this world.

I love to learn by taking photography classes, cooking classes, writing classes, nutritional classes and art classes.

Taking cooking classes across the river at Maryhill Winery

I never want to be the know-it-all who tells everyone one else what to do and how to do it…the one who judges everyone else and has all the answers.

I'm not afraid of alligators. Well, maybe just a little... at least a healthy respect.

People who have to be right are probably just insecure and scared. But they are hard to be around because they project their fears. It’s hard to be happy if you are afraid, I fear.

Don't be afraid of life.

The older I get, the less I have figured out. Or is it the wiser I get, the less I know? Everything from politics to religion – the unmentionables, to new ideas and a changing world: I don’t want to be the one talking about how much I miss the good old days or how this world is going down the tubes.

Too often if I take a hard-line stance on something I turn out to be wrong. For me, the key is staying open-minded, listening, and considering viewpoints counter to my own. I want to keep trying to understand: Why do they do that? Why do they think that? Why do they believe that way? What am I missing?

It’s the old Indian “walk in my moccasins” cliché, but it’s true. Different cultures, upbringings, and experiences create completely different ways of thinking and doing. It’s not black and white or right and wrong. It’s shades of gray, with lots of middle ground.

I could stay in one place, do the same thing, and enjoy my life just as much. But meeting new people with new ideas stimulates me. Observing and questioning the world around me, I grow and change. Then I go home happier and, hopefully, more interesting and positive to be around.

Cowboys and Pendleton Roundup

http://pendletonroundup.com/

The Roundup is the 15th - 18th of September, but we went early and beat the crowds!

Finally! I finally made it to the Roundup!! After 23 years of life 100 miles away, I actually got in my little car and drove with my girlfriend, Patti. Of course we only went to “Slack” day – $2 each for Patti, Kayci and I, but we avoided the crowds and got great seats. Patti and I love taking pictures, and she had to get her kids on the bus, so we didn’t stay long, but we had a great time.

Kaylene and her boot!! (Well, one of 40+ boots...this girl loves boots!!)

Patti even bought some cowgirl boots from a really cute Justin Boots girl…Kaylene  knows her boots: she has 20 !!! pairs! And they’re on sale during the Roundup.

Kaylene's dad was in Patti's high school class

Patti says they are awesome – already comfortable and just the right fit.  (Just look for the big, red blow up boot in the booths down the street east of the arena…)

http://www.justinboots.com/en/

Kayci and Patti's camera lens

There were lots of people watching, but everyone was spread out, all over the stands. You could get close, for better pictures, without being in anyone’s way.

Whitney & Sandy

The funny part was that, even with the size of the arena, we still ran into lots of people we knew. And the whole place is covered now, so we were in the shade.

Kaylene and her boot!! (Well, one of 20 anyhow…)

Kaylene’s dad was in Patti’s high school class :)

Friends everywhere!

http://pendletonroundup.com/

Whitney & Sandy

What’s Cooking in the Country?

Maryhill Winery, Columbia River Valley, Washington

One hundred miles from Portland, Oregon, is a great place to be.  Maryhill Winery offered another cooking class yesterday. Instead of Thai, we learned to cook seafood with Chef Gary Puetz.

Of course Trena and I took it! Only this time, we invited more friends. Debbie Brown, Linda von Borstel, Wanda Hilderbrand, Arla Melzer and Tom McCoy came.

Trena, me, Gary, Tom, Debbie, Wanda, Arla & Linda (almost out of the picture!)

While eating delicious seafood and drinking good wine, Gary enlightened us on catching, cleaning, preparing and eating fish.

We tried four or five different kinds…I lost count, but they were all great.

Gary Puetz is an entertaining chef, and his crew cooked for us while he talked. I took notes because I knew I wouldn’t remember half of it otherwise. The only trouble is, I can’t find my notes right now, so I’ll try to remember what he said!

Gary Puetz

Use dry vermouth when you cook fish to eliminate the fishy odor!

Use limes instead of lemons: no seeds, lots of potassium (your body needs it and you won’t need salt), and its delicious.

Use dry ramen noodles, among other ideas, for breading – but throw away the awful seasoning packet – use it around your plants in the garden as an insecticide.

Cut a potato lengthwise and put it on a long barbeque fork, cut side down on the grill surface. Run it along the bars – it keeps seafood from sticking to the grill – the starch is the secret ingredient!

Of course Alaskan salmon and good Albacore can’t be beat. Don’t buy Chinese farmed fish. The water they are farmed in is runoff from pigpens. Do buy American farmed fish – its not the farmed fish of 30 years ago, and it is better for you than fish caught in polluted waters!

Grill fish skin off, 65% of the time on one side, 35% on the other.

A great crew of cooks!

Bake fish with the skin-off side up (i.e. Tire tread look) so that the oil from the skin is pulled down into all of the fish.

Use mayonnaise instead of butter or oil to seal the juices in: the oil renders out.

Never buy seafood with concave eyes. Fish needs to be cleaned and iced right away.

You know how seafood relaxes on the grill, and droops? Use a fork to lift the parts lower than the grill, and then use a spatula, so you don’t lose any!

Thanks, Gary! We learned a lot!

Oh, there was so much more that I learned… too much wine and too little time!

A great group of listeners, eaters and drinkers!

Cheese and grapes and a salmon spread were our first course. Then we ate a ceviche to die for: raw shrimp and salmon and vegetables, but not really raw because the lime chemically cooks the seafood. Yum! And it was accompanied with a wonderful salad with Albacore tuna on top.

Then we had a prawn risotto and baked salmon for the main course.

Gary’s son Matt, another chef extraordinaire!

Fudge cake with whipped cream and raspberry sauce for dessert!

Rosé, Viognier, Reserve Zinfandel, Syrah and a few other delicious wines…. We sat on stage, laughing and enjoying the company and food for three hours, before retiring upstairs to the winery!

Linda and Arla (trying to hide behind her glass…)

It turns out that he has known Forest Peters, another friend of ours, since they were five. They’re both from Newport Beach, Oregon and he calls her “Punkie.” (Sorry Forest, I couldn’t resist!)

Of course I had Gary sign a book for Forest…and I bought one for myself, too.

Thanks again, Gary!   http://www.seafoodsteward.com/

Happy 4th of July weekend!!

I was ready with my painted toes...

We were at the beach for the 4th of July weekend, a good way to destress and chill out before harvest. The weather was perfect – and so was the company: Amanda, Justin, Taylor, Alex, Deanna, Brandon, Keegan, Brett, Arly & us.

There was a Sandfest down at Coos Bay – thank goodness because it cleared the crowds away from Winchester Bay for us. As you can see it wasn’t crowded at all, despite the big Red Bull tent and gathering.

We won a zillion bouncy balls for Taylor at the pizza place, and Brandon finally succeeded in getting her the grand prize – 4 times – at Bedrocks in Reedsport.

We spent two-day pulling out of holes and trying to get un-stuck. Justin covered  Brandon with sand…payback for all the other times Brandon got him!

Life is good. Of course there are still Nimbys who try to stop the four wheeling on the dunes. Some people build houses close to the riding areas and then complain about the noise – like suburbs that are built too close to airports. They obviously don’t realize that it is good, clean fun – we don’t damage the environment (except for the gas we burn – much less than cars, boats or airplanes). It also keeps a lot of people employed at the economically hit coast.

http://www.oregon.gov/OPRD/ATV/Protect_Privilege.shtml#OPRD____

Friendly ribbing...

Finally he's out of the hole!

Brandon covered with sand

I was ready with my painted toes…

Finally he’s out of the hole!

Friendly ribbing…

Brandon covered with sand

PK Yonge Comencement Speech

Bridal Veil Falls...I stopped on the way home and impaled my WRX on a rock...Shit.

Oh well, it was worth it...

I’m home for a month, before my children’s writing class at the Oregon Coast. It’s good to be home. Summers here are beautiful, and the days are long and slo0ww…especially when we start harvest in July…or August? It’s a late year, but the crop looks good.

I put all  my new pictures up of Italy, unpacked and did laundry. Time to relax!

Tuscany countryside canvas with Kevin’s farm equipment underneath!

Pisa and Montepulciano in my dining room!

Italy, my house is plastered with canvases! I'm running out of wall space...time to buy a beach place!!

My high school alma mater is PK Yonge, the University of Florida’s developmental research school. I like to joke that we were guinea pigs, but its true. What other high schools offered Aviation as a science elective way back in 1971?

The new PK Yonge auditorium

PK Yonge cafeteria...lots of good memories here!!

PK Yonge library...oh, what a memory here!!

Everyone has been asking how my speech went, and what I said. Luckily my sister-in-law, Carla, recorded it for me.

So, I was wrong - our class did have a graduation ceremony - Go figure! I sure didn't remember it until I found this in Mom's storeroom this week.

After the introduction, my whole life story and then some, what more could I say?????

While I was tempted to just say, “What she said!” I didn’t.

This was my ad-lib speech. I know I could do it better with practice…

THE SPEECH

“One of my girlfriends says that with that many things someone likes to do, they are either a renaissance woman or ADD. I hope I’m a renaissance woman….

When I graduated from PK Yonge nearly 40 years ago, I never expected to be flying a jumbo jet around the world. In fact, I didn’t know what I wanted to be, and once again, there were too many choices to choose just one. What I did learn from PK was that there were no limitations and that I could do anything I wanted. I think that’s the most important thing to take away from PK because I know you all can do anything.

If I can fly a jumbo jet that weighs over 833,000 pounds – 400 tons – longer and wider than this room with these little weenie arms, you can do anything you want: anything. Anything! (laughter)

Of course, the 747 is all hydraulic, so you don’t have to be strong – you just have to use your brain.

When I was at PK Yonge, math was the only class that I felt I really had to work at, and for those of you who have had my brother, Mr. Bice, for three years of math (Standing ovation, cheering, clapping!!!), I was going to say I feel your pain, but you all must like him, so go figure. (Laughter) He’s been my brother for 54 years. (More laughter) Yes, I know, that’s a long time. (Laughter, again!)

He’s told me quite a few stories about all of you, but I really hate to tell them in front of your parents, so maybe later we can get together and I’ll tell you what he told me.

My favorite class at PK of course was aviation, and I would like to thank Dr. Gadsden over and over again for being a great physics teacher, and then a great aviation teacher. When I learned how to fly, I didn’t plan on doing it for a living. I just did it so I could fly my friends over to the beach (chuckles). I know, it’s not a great goal or a huge goal, but that’s what kept me going – putting one foot in front of the other, and always having something I couldn’t wait to do next – something I was excited about.

I soloed at 16 at the Gainesville Airport, and one of the notations in my logbook said, “Student must stop counting swimming pools and start concentrating on learning how to fly.” (Laughter) Every time I went up I was looking for a friend’s house or something exciting in the air, and I still love to fly and it has been a wonderful career. I hope that our graduating students realize that this world has so many places to go, so many things to see, its incredible.

When I was flying the whale, which is what we call the jumbo jet, 4 engines, 55,000 horsepower each engine, we would usually go to Asia, but I also flew to Europe. The whole nose of the airplane would lift up when I was flying cargo. We would load on race cars, pigs, giraffes, antelope, zebra (laughter)…we took a whole zoo to Asia once.

We had thousands of chicks peeping underneath our cockpit all the way over, and you couldn’t hear the engines over the chicks – that’s a lot of chicks!

We flew saltwater fish, and probably every Nintendo game or Playstation or computer that you all would use. We couldn’t wait to see what cargo we had!

(I said incredible again, need a new adjective…5 total!!!! Yikes…at least I didn’t say “umm”).

You could look from the front of the airplane, if you pretend I’m at the front now, all the way to the back of the room where the tail would be – it was almost as long as a football field. An (incredibly) fun plane to fly, into foggy airports like San Francisco, icy runways in Alaska – for me the most exciting thing is a challenge, and I loved it when the weather was down, or I had to make a crosswind maximum gross weight.

I think finding your passion and being able to do it in this world is incredible (yes, 4 times). I know you’ve all heard how hard it is to make it in this world, how everything is changing so fast…but I would love to start over – the incredible  thing about this world is that there is always something new in it…flying down to Singapore over the South China Sea, flying over the Saipan where the ocean goes down 7 miles, when you are flying 7 miles up – almost makes me an astronaut, right? 14 miles above the bottom of the ocean?! (Laughter)

I was flying on 911 when the skies were closing and I was one of the last planes in the sky. To me, one of the best parts of aviation is that it is always changing. You have to stay on your toes.

My life has been so fun and exciting…if I could tell you just a few things to keep your life fun and exciting, I would say:

Stay positive.

Hang on to your integrity.

Surround yourself with positive people.

I know you all have supportive people in your life, because your parents had to sign you up to get into PK Yonge. But I don’t just mean your family…

Surround yourself with positive friends and people who are going places and have dreams and ambitions. I find I can only have two people in my life at a time who are negative because they such the life right out of you. (nods, agreement)

Keep positive people around you, keep putting one foot in front of the other. You don’t have to know where you are going to get there…unless you are in a jet like me – then it helps to know where you are going, say to Singapore. (laughter)

Anyway, I think the world is yours and I’m excited for you, and I wish I could come back in 40 years to see what you do with your life.

Congratulations and good luck.”

1000 words, 7.5 minutes

Plans for the new wing at PK Yonge...wow!

PK Yonge modulars...I wish Sherman County would do this! It's amazing how many resources there are when K - 12 are on one campus.

Inside the modular classroom...much better than the originals!

Breaking ground for the new elementary wing

Now this is my kind of curriculum!! Rome, yes!!

You Plan, God Laughs

PK grad speakers: Rashad, Elle, Robin, Erin Kylee, Julia: Pictures do not show how fun and bright they are! We are talking rodeo rider just back from Austria, New York fashion design & crewing, Colorado State runner who used to live in Medford OR & plays fiddle in a bluegrass band, Biology at University of Pennsylvania, film editing and on and on!!!

I was practicing my speech for last night when my son emailed me a complex paper to correct. So, I decided I could practice later…but later he sent me the final version to correct… I was ready enough (I hoped…!)

It didn’t matter anyway…I thought my introduction was going to be short and sweet: 1972 graduate, Kathy McCullough, airline pilot for Northwest Airlines, retired and living in Oregon with her husband Kevin who is a wheat farmer. Here is what they really said plus a little more:

Kathryn “Kathy” Bice McCullough PKY’72

P.K. Yonge Distinguished Alumna and Commencement Speaker, June 3, 2011

Kathy Bice McCullough is the sister of PK Yonge’s Jim Bice.  She entered PKY in 9^th grade.  Was a member of the National Honor Society, the French Club and President of Keyettes.

She earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health from Colorado State University.  She holds licenses to fly Boeing 727, 747 and McDonnell Douglas DC10 commercial jets.

Kathy’s interest in flying was sparked by an aviation science elective taught at P.K. Yonge by Dr. Tom Gadsden.  Following a field trip to the airport, she took a weekend job to pay for flying lessons, which she continued while attending Colorado State University.  To pay for her multi-engine pilot rating, she worked as a flight attendant for a charter airline that flew rock bands to their concert locations. Clients included America, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Poco, Commodores and Bad Company. She also flew for coal mining operations in Colorado.  At the end of the 1970s she moved to Oregon as a flight instructor.

During this period she also flew as a fire spotter for the US Forest Service, accumulating so many flight hours during the California fire season of 1980 that she was able to compete for a pilot’s job at Northwest Airlines in 1981.

She started flying for Northwest as a Flight Engineer on the Boeing 727 and after three years moved to second officer and safety instructor on DC-10s. Shortly after that she was promoted to copilot on the 727, a position involving a new set of technical and management challenges.  She then transitioned to 747s, starting again as second officer on long-haul flights to Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan. After accumulating the necessary hours and seniority, she trained for and was promoted to first officer, then captain. It is worth mentioning that she managed this career along with a full family life that included marriage and children.

After 26 years of service, Kathy retired from Northwest Airlines in 2007. This gave her the time to focus on a second career as a motivational speaker. She talks to teens at traditional schools, juvenile facilities, 4H Leadership Camps, private academies and corporate functions. Her main themes are career and life choices and having the courage to face the challenges they bring.

Finally, Kathy is a talented artist. She has taught pencil drawing at her town’s high school and done graphic design projects for a local museum. She makes silver jewelry and she is a skilled photographer.

Kathy and her family live in Wasco, Oregon.  Kathy is a true renaissance woman. For her exceptional career achievements, she is being honored as a 2011 distinguished alumna of P.K. Yonge.

A nice intro, but also most of my speech! What a hoot! I just improvised for 1500 people!! Yikes!!

I winged it….thank goodness for extemporaneous speaking at PK in French!!!

Me speaking at graduation!

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20110603/ARTICLES/110609774

Home Sweet Home

I swear I did not Photoshop this!!

Home Sweet Home

Yes I love to travel. But oh, it is good to be home!

I miss my husband, my dogs, my cats, my neighbors and my house.

Favorite Husband, Kevin

My neighbor Trena, and Potter

My Italy wall at my home, sweet home in Oregon!

Sax kitty – Fast Freddy – all grown up 9 years later!! It’s a coyote record!!

Steady Eddy

Vegas, what happens at home while you are in Vegas! Pepper is probably sulking somewhere – weird dog, but we love her.

Oh, and my barn.

The barn fell down while I was gone. Sob. Now what will I use for a backdrop?

Neighbors Clint and Ally in front of my (sob) old barn last month…

I doubt this part will stand much longer, either.

Fire rainbow cirrus clouds above... still beautiful.

I have never seen this cloud formation before.

Now its a lean-to

Built over a hundred years ago, Kevin’s Grandma Bee made everyone promise to never tear it down. I wish she had made her kids promise to keep it up!

By the time we moved here, it was so far gone that there was no fixing it.
I always used it in my photos – graduation photos, Christmas card pictures, sunset and sunrise pictures…no wonder Grandma Bee didn’t want it torn down. It was a part of history.

It’s the place Kevin’s mom was shot as a child playing Cowboys and Indians. Where Uncle Pete had to maul hay.

There was a rope going from the house to the barn in the winter for blizzards, foggy days and dust storms – so you could find your way back and forth after feeding the horses.

Countless memories…my children’s fort…storage for the old two-hole outhouse seat… Colt and Alex’s four wheel track behind it… lots of old trucks were parked around it…the cat’s favorite hangout.

Gone. With the wind.

The old barn in its glory days. Aunt Francis painted this. Phyllis Porter sent it to me.

Driving in Italy

Our peppy little Lancia.

Driving in Italy…what an experience!

Lots of tunnels in Italy! I never realized how mountainous it was….I tried to pay attention to road signs while on the bus to Sorrento, before renting a car.

Rent a motorcycle if driving isn’t exciting enough…

Suzanne and I both went to AAA and paid for International Driver Licenses before we left the states. We never needed them, but we could see why they were good to have. Italian police officers do not read or speak English! I am going to practice my Italian for next time…. At least I bought maps in English before we left, too.

We picked up our car in Rome at the airport. (Referencing my last blog…) The car was supposed to cost 298 euros for the week. $450. I got the extra insurance, added Suzanne’s name to the agreement, and a GPS. Now the cost was 615 euros and we hadn’t even paid for gas. That’s a whopping $900 to rent a car. Ooh la la. Mama Mia.

But how else are you going to get to a farmhouse in Toscana? I looked into bus’ and trains, but we were 5KM from the nearest town.

Italian countryside

The hardest part is the language barrier and lack of flexibility. I should have memorized the signs and more Italian before I drove. Yes, many signs are understandable – just like ours. But others are not. Most things with a red circle around them mean danger or don’t. I was expecting a slash through the circle if it was not allowed. Besides, the red minus signs are everywhere and drivers just ignore them.

http://www.accessitaly.com/post/Driving-in-Italy-part-10-e28094-Italian-Road-Signs.aspx

Roads in Sorrento looked easy enough to traverse…:)

Driving in Tuscany was pretty laid back…

The highway is like the German Autobahn and the cars go fast. I didn’t want a ticket, so I drove the speed limit. Well, most of the time. Suzanne had to keep telling me to slow down. We were obviously noticed because the trucks were all honking and flashing us. Did the license plate list us as newbies???

Driving was okay even though I am not as aggressive as the Italians. Actually, it was fun! Yes, they drive fast, but at least they are on the right side of the road for me. I didn’t have any scary close calls, but I did have to brake a few times…and pull over when they zoom up behind you flashing their lights.

Maybe the signs would be less confusing if there weren’t so many of them!

Montepulciano

See the lady walking in the white hat??? She’s the one who gave us the ticket…grr.

We couldn’t find our farmhouse, so we stopped in Montepulciano. Turns out we were only three miles away! Why they didn’t tell us that when we rented it is beyond me. We really need a latitude/longitude because the directions said “about 4 km” “about 2 km” and there were no street signs or directions on the main road.

While asking directions in the Montepulciano tourist office, we got a ticket on our car. 39 euros. I thought Suzanne was going to cry. I felt like laughing. What a day. Good thing we are rich airline pilots…!

Don’t get me wrong. The farmhouse and the experience were worth every dime. We both filled squares on our bucket list – squares I didn’t know I had!

Suzanne wanted to fill another square on her bucket list by going to Pisa – a childhood dream of hers. I thought the Leaning Tour was just touristy, and if you read this blog, you already know I don’t like bucket lists. I really didn’t want to go and was in a pissy mood after our late start.

We ended up on some really crappy roads going to Pisa because Suzanne wanted the scenic route instead of the toll roads. Understandably. The countryside was beautiful, the toll road wasn’t, and we had paid enough toll from Rome – a whopping $23. But we hadn’t left the house until 11 that morning, and I didn’t want to take all day going to see the stupid leaning tower.

PISA leaning more than usual?

Motorcycles everywhereAnd we think gas in the states is expensive….

Way cooler than I ever expected the Leaning Tower to be!!

I’m sure I was frustrating Suzanne because I was reading signs and not always trusting the GPS. Then I would miss a turn, and instead of telling me, the thing would find a new route. We never knew if we should go back or stay on the new path. It was a TomTom, and quite different from the ones we were used to. Maybe that’s why Hertz calls it “Never Lost” – because it never lets you know you are.

The slow life in Tuscany

For five days we drove around Italy, eating and drinking (most of my drinking was done back at the farmhouse – Italian drinking and driving laws are strict – .05%!), sightseeing and shopping.

The Cat House

Enjoying life in Italy

At first, I kept second guessing myself about the extra expense. Did we really need a GPS? The extra insurance? We did. The only thing we really didn’t use was the extra driver. The one day Suzanne did drive, her international license was in the farmhouse, so I go nervous about her getting in trouble. Luckily she didn’t, but I don’t think we were supposed to be in the little streets of Chiusa – and it wasn’t just the little red minus signs that gave me that impression. There just weren’t many other cars.

Chiusu, Italy

But, we squeezed our way through and went to a lot outside town.

We were glad we had the GPS, especially when going to Pisa or Venice. But we used it all the time in Tuscany, too. If we weren’t supposed to be in some places, it never told us. Like the red circle with the minus sign…. In fact, it led us into some one way streets. Grr.

You’ve got to be kidding us…$6 a gallon! WOW!

When the time came to fill the car with gas, we were both shocked. Wow. A whopping $75, and we weren’t quite down to a quarter of a tank.

On the last day in Tuscany, we decided to pay our fine. Again. Not that we hadn’t tried. The police station was closed the other times, but it was the wrong station. We thought about mailing it, but found out that wasn’t a possibility. And we thought about having Hertz do it, but we think there would have been a huge penalty. Apparently you can only pay in one police station, inside the city walls, or wait in the long lines at the post office.

All our luggage was in the trunk, and I didn’t want to leave it too long. Suzanne walked up the hill to pay the ticket, and told me to meet her in front of the church.  I drove into the town of Montepulciano to pick Suzanne up because there were lots of other cars doing it. (I know, if everyone else was jumping off a bridge…) Who knew? It takes a special permit to drive inside the city walls. I parked and waited for her, clueless until the municipal police drove up and asked for my registration and license. One of them was the same girl who had given us the ticket the first day. Uh oh.

I almost started laughing at the irony of being given a ticket while paying one. Somehow I made myself understood, with the help of a nearby shopkeeper. They let me off when they understood, and I could have sworn they almost started laughing too. The meter maid told me to wait right there for my friend. Then the two of them started giving out tickets right and left to the multitude of people driving in. And they weren’t cheap. All the drivers that got ticketed were angry. No one saw the sign. If we thought our parking ticket was high (39 euro), the fine for driving into Montepulciano was at least twice that. Bam. $120 or more, according to my interpreter.

Apparently there is an international symbol for “do not enter without the correct ticket”! I’ll have to do an internet search…. When you are staying in the town, the hotel sends you a parking pass. It was hard to figure out where to pay our fine. Not the police outside the wall. Not the carabinieri within.

The wrong police station…again! They didn’t speak English, but they did Google translate for us!

The long walk up to the police station…Lots to look at while waiting for Suzanne and keeping the police at bay….

The cutest little flag boy!!

The special municipal police office way up the hill into the main square, in a section of town we hadn’t seen yet. Suzanne wished she ha her camera with her, because the main square was huge.

Suzanne was tired when she finally got back to the car. It was a three-mile hike! And I was just leaving because the police were beginning to get frustrated with the long wait for her.

Please, not another ticket!!!

Relieved, and free at last, we drove to Venice. Suzanne said the policeman she paid the fine to handed her change out of his own pocket. Along the way we talked about the system and had visions of Italian jail because of something stupid we had done. Or at least lots of cash.

The toll road to Venice.

Arriving in Venice…by bus!

I did take the toll road to Venezia. Or really, just to the crew hotel in Mestre. Tunnels and trucks, tunnels and trucks. It looked like California and then, Pennsylvania. It took a good 3 ½ hours, but at least it was uneventful! Except for the toll charges. Mama Mia: $30 from Tuscany to Padova, another $5 to get back on the toll road after I took the wrong turn.

At least we drove straight to the hotel, parked and checked in. No incidents. Or close calls.

Venice at night.

We took the bus to Pt. Roma and the Vaporetto around Venice. Then we walked and shopped and ate. I went back to the place I had first eaten at, next to the Marconi Hotel, where Aldo was the waiter, and Suzanne agreed it was perfect. We went back to the room, satiated, after almost falling down the bridge steps. Limoncella and bed. Suzanne gave me her Capri bag because I couldn’t stuff everything in my suitcase!

Suzanne with Aldo, my old boyfriend!

Suzanne with Sean Connery

Me with Aldo, the waiter at Marconi Hotel – 7 months ago in Venice

Airplane arriving at Marco Polo, Venice

Speaking of cash, I didn’t have any to buy gas on the way to the airport with the rental car. I found a station, but it was self-service and wouldn’t take my card. If I didn’t fill the car, it was another $150!!! A nice Italian man with a mohawk told me what the machine was saying, and asked if I had enough gas to get where I was going. He pointed out a bank across the street.

I think I should have gotten up earlier! It was 5:30 in the morning, and my plane left at 7:10. At least I was First Class, so I didn’t have to wait in any lines. Marco Polo Aeroport is small, and the way to get there is really roundabout. I had good directions from the hotel, but stopped to load the GPS just in case. Finally I found it and the rental car return.

The man I walked in with from the parking lot was from Fayetteville, NC. He used to lived in Italy, and was just back seeing friends on business for the week. He told me to check in first, then turn the car in. Good thing, too. I had to go back to the parking lot to put TomTom back in the car because the rental slot was only for papers…Hertz wasn’t open yet either!

Morning takeoff over Venice

In Paris, getting off the plane, I ran into Matt – the man from NC – again. Turns out he’s military, an air force C135 pilot. We talked all the way to our gates. My gate was in Timbuktu…it took at least half an hour to get there. Both flights were boarding when I got to the gates this morning, Venice and Paris! The funny thing is, I have been calm inside this whole trip. The driving was fun, and every thing that happened was an adventure, not a calamity. I must be feeling better, back to my old self.

FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!

Getting ready to eat on the North Shore of Hawaii.

Food…I love to eat. It’s a wonder I don’t weigh 300 pounds. Maybe the reason I love to travel is that I never have to cook, but I can taste exotic, yummy dishes.

Like table-side guacamolé at Barbacoa’s in Boise Idaho. http://www.barbacoa-boise.com/

Ruth's Diner in Salt Lake City

Temple Square in Salt Lake City, UT

Or blue cheese filet mignon at Charlie Palmer’s Steakhouse in Reno, Nevada.

Sour cream enchiladas at Who Song and Larry’s in Vancouver, Washington.

Alex and Deanna at dinner laughing after the guacamolé song.

Portland has great restaurants.

Portland, OR has great food: Salty’s Copper River Salmon. The Melting Pot’s fondues. Stanford’s flat-bread pizzas.

A Japanese restaurant in Venice, Italy.

Friendly butcher in Venice near the Guggenheim

But Italy is all about the food. As much as I loved the preparation and presentation, I’m still not sure how I feel about eating out of the water surrounding Venice. I thought it was out of the deeper parts of the Ligurian Sea….

Sea bass with rosemary potatoes and veggies in Venice, Italy.

Delicious fish in Venice

Rosemary potatoes, tomatoes & olives

Totally clueless how to eat a whole fish at the table...Gail & I got help!

Clam spaghetti. Rabbit. Bruschetta made ten different ways – all amazing. I can’t say I had a bad meal in Italy, except for kid’s ravioli in Camoglia. And maybe the anchovies in Monterossa.

Dinner time on the ranch...

I love to cook, if I’m in a class. Jean Jones and I took a great class in Singapore. We even went on the spice garden tour, and I started growing basil at home. Last year I took Diane’s healthy gourmet cooking class in Santa Fe and it was exactly what I wanted and needed.

But there is something about cooking at home that stalls me. The idea, at the grocery store, of concocting something thrills me. Then I get home and it never turns out quite the same.

Maybe it has something to do with marrying a ground beef guy. Seriously, that’s all Kevin really likes. When he was little all he would eat was Salisbury steak and chocolate pie. Thanks, Rose. Talk about spoiled!!

Mom’s lobster Newberg and cheesy-crab dip were to die for. She used to make great stroganoff, too, but not with ground beef. It just isn’t the same with ground beef. Even the good, lean, “organic” beef we get from Mike Woods.  Lasagna. Spaghetti. Meatloaf. Taco Casserole: all big hits at my house. Note something in common? Ground beef. They love a Quiche I make…but only if I make it with (you guessed it): ground beef.Besides, how many times can you make tater-tot casserole (with ground beef) and glow with pride when praised with “Oh, this is so good!”

The kids didn't want to eat Meatloaf Man on Halloween. "Gross, Mom. That is so gross!"

I used to be the casserole queen when I was living with Dr. Fran Lechleitner. She and her son Rich would eat anything I cooked, and they even said they liked it...even though they claimed I made enough for an army! But if you live with a picky eater, there is too much variety in a casserole. Onions? Mushrooms? Garlic? Green beans? Watching your dinner get picked apart at the table is no fun. And I’m not talking about my husband now!

And all the healthy stuff I learned to cook? Colt and Kevin weren’t really impressed. It takes something out of the experience when you spend hours on something and the response is negative. Or you have to throw it out.

Buffalo meat is supposed to be healthier....

Part of the problem comes when I try to “health-it-up.” Using less butter or light sour cream. No sugar – trying to substitute honey or agavé always changes the consistency. The other part of the problem is that the reason I learned to fly was because I hated cooking. I don’t hate it anymore, though – its the outcome that is so sporadic. The highs and lows. I like highs and lows in flying, but not after hours in the kitchen.

When I flew to Japan I would get inspired. Mitsuo’s salmon is always a hit. So was the Yakisoba I learned to make from Bill Fuchs, a pilot friend. I came home with all the ingredients in my suitcase (except the salmon).

Horsemeat...a Japanese favorite I've never tried.

Karlene makes a wonderful oatmeal with crunch, sweet, nutty, etc.! And her pasta with Granny Smith apples, spinach, almonds, peppers – yum!

I make a killer sour cream chicken recipe that I got from Carolyn Petersen. And an awesome enchilada recipe from my girlfriend Linda Cepeda. Jambalaya used to be my favorite, along with a killer wild rice mushroom soup from Linda Mau.

Great chocolate chip cookies from Patti’s mom, Barb Sharp.

Aunt Elly’s margaritas make any dish taste good.

And I don’t want you to think that Kevin doesn’t cook. He makes great breakfasts, and the kids love his pizza, macaroni and cheese, hamburgers (!) and tacos. But that kind of food just leaves me cold. And fat. So, I either need to hire a chef or get motivated.

See, I love food. I love thinking about it, talking about it, eating it. I just love it even more when someone else fixes it. Or maybe I just like traveling and going out to eat. Lobster Mac and Cheese is awesome, by the way, and I can order fish a hundred different ways. Salads loaded with blue cheese or goat cheese. Once in a while I even order a…hamburger.

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FOOD AND FRIENDS

When you think about the impact different people have had on your life, you often forget the recipes you have from them and the food you have shared. Just about every dish I fix came from a friend, relative or travel experience. They are as much a part of my memories as the knickknacks I keep around my house to reminisce and dust.

One of my earliest memories is having Christmas breakfast at my grandparents’ house in Delaware. We used the fragile, cut-crystal bowls I still have in my cupboard. Nana really didn’t cook, but she could cut up a mean grapefruit and I loved the powdered sugar and cherry on top. Other than that, favorite foods at Nana’s consisted of peanut butter, windmill cookies and fig bars – all purchased, never homemade. No wonder Nana wanted to live with us.

Snowman cake and popcorn ball snowmen

Birthday cakes were wonderful creations at our house. Mom always went all out to make our birthdays special because they were so close to Christmas. Mine was December 22^nd, three days before; Jim’s was January 7^th, only two weeks later. I had a snowman cake one year that seemed two feet tall. It was an architectural marvel, and each guest also had a popcorn-ball to munch. My brother’s globe cake, perfectly round with oceans and continents and each country’s flag inserted was another feat of engineering. It fell apart after all the guests had been served. One year I had a manger scene on my cake, with Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus crafted out of sugar standing on top.

My mom accomplished this sugar extravaganza by taking lessons from my Aunt Becky, who made peep-eggs for Easter with tiny panoramas inside. Aunt Becky’s counter would be full of miniature baskets, bunnies, chicks and carrots when the holiday neared. At Christmas she crafted sugar cubes with detailed Christmas trees, wreaths and stockings on top.

So many early memories come from food. We never realize how they have shaped our lives and our tastes. For example, I doubt I would have liked asparagus as a child if I hadn’t helped my Uncle Larry garden. And my Aunt Sarah always had figs and dates in her refrigerator – a “treat” most children never try in the United States.

I remember having to prepare meals with my grandmother in Indiana. I hated it. I liked the chatter among the aunts, but I longed to be outside running with the other kids. Instead, grandma made me peel peaches and tomatoes. I was horrible at it; partly because I didn’t try and partly because it was difficult to remove the skin unless the fruits were at a perfect ripeness. I would butcher the poor spheres, slicing away half the edible part in the process. We would both be frustrated at the end of the process. I was thrilled when experts finally declared the skins edible and full of vitamins.

Today I would classify myself as an average cook. I never liked Home Economics and I never had the patience complicated recipes required. I even took aviation in high school to avoid chemistry when I need an additional science. I had heard chemistry was just like cooking. One of the big problems I have with time-consuming meals is that I am surrounded by picky eaters. My husband was the baby of his family, so his mom always cooked him Salisbury steak or made peanut butter sandwiches. He never had to try foods he didn’t like – I guess his mom was too tired by the time he arrived to force the issue.

Consequently, my favorite dishes: Lobster Newberg and Jambalaya, never get prepared anymore. For years I only fixed hamburger dishes, and that is as un-creative as you can get. Hamburger pie, hamburger stroganoff, meatloaf, tater-tot casserole, tacos, taco  casserole, lasagna and spaghetti topped the list. Over the years I branched out, trying Carolyn’s Sour Cream Chicken from New Orleans and Mitsuo’s Salmon from Japan. My family loves them! Akiko’s Yakisoba was a hit, as were Linda’s Chicken Enchiladas. Our family is becoming eclectic after all.

When we traveled to Spain, my son finally attempted some Spanish after he let me order. I came back with tuna fish pizza by mistake. Jamon y quesa and only cheese pizza became staples, although he did try a few tapas. Personally, I am somewhat adventuresome when it comes to food. I don’t want to eat Shark fin or Duck’s feet or thousand-year-old eggs, but I do like Korean Kimchi, Malaysian Nasi Goreng and Singaporean Chili crab. Indian, Thai, Arab, French, Greek – any nationality of food is a hit with me.

Nasi Goreng. I picture a restaurant on stilts over the South China Sea with a small band playing. The children fish and collect shells. This is truly heaven.

Fancy coffees in New Zealand

Singaporean Chili Crab. East Coast Seafood restaurant in Singapore with twelve flight attendants making a mess on a white tablecloth while we watch people exercising out the windows. It is situated around a huge arena or track.

"The Watcher" Try to eat BBQ pigeon sitting by a window without feeling guilty.

Korean Kimchi. A private room in a restaurant, where the children won’t disturb anyone as they play. It is set up like a dining room in a home, with the table over a hole in the floor for your legs. Korean homes are so small that people use these rooms to entertain in instead.

Let’s face it, food is all about memories and socializing.

Purple pigeons in Venice

I see pigeons and remember eating them barbecued on top of the Westin in Singapore.

Cracking peanuts anywhere reminds me of Raffle’s Long Bar in Singapore while reading a book on a rainy day. The fans turn slowly, while the rain pours down monsoon-style.

Total relaxation. Chicken satay with peanut sauce reminds me of the pool in Singapore with the underwater speakers and swim-up bar. And that reminds me of sitting at Chilés on the “Singapore River” as a 30 foot snake swam my way. My brain is an infinite loop of memories.

Peanut pancakes remind me of Malaysia in Johor Bahrain, on the way to Kukup Fishing Village and the rubber plantation.

Gouda and Edam cheese: traveling the countryside of the Netherlands.

Meatloaf and chili recipes: Kevin’s mom

Sour cream chicken: Carolyn

Dinner rolls and cinnamon rolls: My mom

Applesauce: Aunt Elly

Apple pie, peanut butter cookies: Aunt Elly

Margueritas: Aunt Elly

Tomatoes and feta: Fran Moore

Lemon bars: Mary Z

Guacamolé: Linda Fogleman

Juanita’s pancakes: Linda Prokes

Barb (Microbiology): Zucchini bread

Toffee: Verna

Taco Casserole: Aunt Junie

Peanut butter pie: Aunt Kim, Cousin Linda

Peanut butter cookies: Cousin Gail

Snickerdoodles: Cousin Debbie

Rice and Bean Bake: Aunt Irene

Tamale Pie: Cheryl (?)

Stew: Aunt Emma

Beefy Bean Wild Rice Bake: Jeanne W. (?)

Barbara Sharp: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sugar Cookies: Verna

No Bake Bars: Barbie Burns

Porkchops: Molly

Hot Fudge: Verna

Short Bread Cookie: Grandma Bee

Bananas Foster: Sandy (flying student, nurse)

Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Pie: Patti Moore

Kahlua Under the Sink: Stephanie Fisher Hill

Yakisoba: Bill Fuch

Stuffed Round Steak: Kim McCullough

Wild Rice Soup: Linda Mau

Broccoli Salad: Susie

Spinach Salad: Mom

Aunt Kim: Corn Casserole

Ally Roble’s Mac ‘N Cheese

Memories. I make a recipe from an old friend and remember all the good times we had.

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