This short and completely ridiculous post is for James , a new blog friend who recently had a birthday and didn’t receive that one special gift he’d been hoping for.
So because his clueless family let him down?
Happy Birthday James.
The gift you never knew you wanted.
Enjoy.
There’s a school in Reykjavik, Iceland that teaches you how to spot elves?
I did, because….
Yes, you can enroll here and start learning all there is to know about trolls, fairies, gnomes and other assorted mythical creatures.
Did you know...
The tongues of flamingos were a common delicacy at ancient Rome feasts?
Apparently Nero thought so as well.
Did you know.…
The word misteltoe derives from the Anglo-Saxon words mistel and tan?
Mistel means dung…. and tan means twig. So the next time you steal a kiss at Christmas? You’ll be doing it under a dung twig.
Can’t get much more romantic than that.
Did you know….
The band Steely Dan got it’s name from a William Bourroughs book called Naked Lunch.
Steely Dan III was a strap on dildo.
Which gives an entirely new meaning to this meme.
(Yes, all the above statements are true.
Knowledge is a wonderful thing!)
Ya gotta love New York City.
My late father worked on Wall Street and I grew up marveling at it’s magic and savoring the myriad flavors of it’s streets.
Now? My heart breaks for it’s citizens. The virus is testing them, but they’ll pull through. They’re resilient.
They’re New Yorkers.
Yes, it’s the city the never sleeps. The Big Apple. The home of Broadway, the Empire State Building and Katz’s Deli…. but what you really have to love about them right now?
This:
Yes.
The New York City Health Department is recommending masturbation.
Among other things.
Proof positive you can find blog fodder everywhere.
Not being a Slim Jim or pork rind fan I passed on these…
I mean, hey… I like spicy food.
But not hot enough to make my pig squeal.
Then there was this –
A clever ad gimmick for Walking Dead fans, but I can turn into a zombie by drinking just about anything.
No apocalypse necessary.
I did buy these lemons.
Although I was little disappointed they didn’t have seed spitting lips.
Next time I’ll look for the GMO versions.
They’re always more interesting.
And finally, back to the liquor aisle.
While the name Screwball caught my attention….
I could come up with no reasonable explanation for adding peanut butter to a perfectly good whisky.
That’s just wrong.
Which is why I’m posting about Valentines Day at the end of March.
It started with a nice bouquet of roses….
And a kitchen selfie before we went out for a late lunch on the water.
The building used to house a garage… and was previously a wonderful restaurant called, are you ready?
La Garage.
Clever… no?
But now it has new owners and a new incarnation as the Water Street Kitchen and Bar.
It sits on the Sheepscot River in Wiscasset and please pardon the reflection of my hands in the window.
We’ve been wanting to try it for a while, and found that’s it’s undergone a major remodel.
The feel is more modern.
And I have to say I was loving the metal works installations. This would be perfect for all my husband’s rusty crap treasures!
But first things first.
A marvelous basil limeade with a view….
The menu was small, but seemed alright.
And just as the waitress brought my (overly salted) charred Brussels sprouts appetizer, the husband saw a friend of his walk in and asked them to join us.
On Valentines Day.
Oh, well.
This called for two Blueberry Mojitos… .because a girl can only take so much romance.
Husband had a butternut squash soup, which you couldn’t pay me to eat.
And then it was on to a rather dry, garlic-less shrimp scampi for me, and an overcooked paella for the other half.
The meal was redeemed by dessert.
A delightful lemon marscapone cake…
Husband’s friends said their meals were good, and the cocktails were lovely so we might give them another try. We do like the area and supporting small businesses.
And I might have to take another look at the metal works.
They really were quite interesting.
Yes, there’s that as well.
This was the very first picture of us ever taken ….
Back in 1984, on that awful chair at his mother’s house…… right before we got married. I may look twelve, but no worries. I’d just turned 20. (As for the husband’s hair… I have no idea what was going on there.)
We knew each other for 6 days.
Yes, you read that correctly…. 6 days. And to be honest, 3 of those were the required waiting period for the marriage license.
People thought we were crazy. (We knew we weren’t.)
People said it would never last. (It’s been 36 years.)
The Grateful Dead had it right…..
What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been!
But I wouldn’t trade a minute of it.
Anyway…. this year on our anniversary?
A seriously beautiful bouquet from my other half….
That got better every day as all the blooms opened up.
The rose colors were gorgeous.
Then it was off to our favorite restaurant in Boothbay Harbor…. before their doors were shut due to the virus. The decor is nothing to write home about, and the menu is smaller in winter….. but the food is still fabulous.
As were the seasonal cocktails.
I started with a Ciderberry.
And moved on to a few Sugar Plums made with this.
OMG!!
If you’ve never payed attention to any of my advice before?
Start now… and buy a bottle.
It doesn’t matter if you’re not a fig fan. I actually hate the things.
But this was like nothing I’d ever tasted before. A very unique flavor. I read they also make a Golden Apricot ….. and I’ll be looking for that as well.
Can’t remember what they called my appetizer but it was delicious, with just the right amount of spice.
Husband went with his usual French Onion soup and a light main dish of broiled haddock and asparagus.
I, on the other hand….
Dove into the richest, creamiest most delightful Parmesan risotto you’ll find this side of Italy. It’s one of their specialties and I can never resist…. paired here with pan seared scallops, mushrooms, arugula and a citrus balsamic glaze.
I don’t care how many pounds I gained…
It was worth it!
In case you’re wondering why….
Who are you?
When checking out at the grocery store last week I saw these….
Rap Snacks.
I’m sorry, but no one needs Cardi B. flavored potato chips.
The woman wore a coffee filter to the Grammys. Enough said.
Something else no one needs?
This….
I believe I actually said WTF when I first saw it.
Now come on…. if you have that much facial hair to catch?
Skip shaving altogether and put your beard in a pony tail like all fashion forward men do.
I think by now you all know of my lifelong aversion to dolls.
They’re creepy…. and if you don’t want me to spend the night? Put a few of them in the spare bedroom and watch me run.
But this?
This is the stuff of nightmares.
And speaking of that?
I was cruising Atlas Obscura a while back for an interesting day trip and their recommendation gave even me pause.
Yes, you and your significant other can visit the picturesque vistas of Turkmenistan and tour the Gates of Hell.
And if you think I’m kidding?
I’m not.
Admittedly…. as tourist attractions go, it’s a little strange.
But I’d still rather go there than back to Busch Gardens.
This is for the food (and drink) people.
An entire post devoted to our final meal in Virginia. (That’s 2 in 3 days so no more complaining!)
(On a side note, it was Bogart day last Sunday and the husband and I did nothing but eat, drink and watch the classics.
The Maltese Falcon. Key Largo. The Caine Mutiny. African Queen. And my all time favorite movie … Casablanca. I cry at the nightclub scene when they drown out the Germans by singing La Marseillaise… every damn time! Good stuff.)
But back to food.
After spending 8 hours in an antique store that day I was in dire need of a cocktail.
Or eight.
And when I saw a sign for Eddie Romanelli’s?
I may have squealed.
I didn’t think this was a chain, but there was one in Wilmington, North Carolina we used to make a pilgrimage to every other month when we lived down south. Their Crabmeat Cannelloni in Carolina Shrimp Sauce?
To die for.
We sat at a high top in the bar area because of it’s… ya know.
Proximity to the cocktails.
Prickly pear margarita?
Come to mama….
Sadly the crabmeat wasn’t on the menu, but the fresh baked bread with herbed olive oil was wonderful.
As was the Caesar salad.
And the sparkling Tuscan lemonade. Fresh, crisp and quite delightful.
Husband had a juicy charbroiled steak with garlic sauteed spinach…
While I indulged my inner Italian with some pasta…. drenched in garlic Parmesan cream and loaded with grilled chicken, mushrooms and peas.
Were there more cocktails?
Maybe….
And damn that waitress for not clearing them as fast as I could drink them.
I’m going to blame the cocktail consumption for this last picture I took on the way back to the resort….
Because I have no idea what it is…
Or what it was supposed to be….
But trust me, it was fabulous.
This is for all the people who scream about food pictures. An entire blog devoted to a meal.
Though I’m not a fan of oysters….
The York River Oyster Company in Gloucester Point, Virginia seemed like a great spot for dinner.
So we strolled around the marina checking out the boats before heading inside.
It was a little too cold for outdoor seating in December.
So we picked a table with a view.
With a pole right in the middle to ruin any pictures I might want to share.
Yay us.
I started with an Orange Crush which seems to be a very popular cocktail lately.
And then cringed at the thought of anyone wanting red wine in their Mule.
We started with an appetizer order of simply superb steamed shrimp.
They were perfectly cooked and seasoned and just melted in our mouths.
Cocktail number 2?
An Afternoon Delight.
And I dare you not to have that song stuck in your head all day.
Dinner for me was a crab cake and fried shrimp. The most I can say about them is they were decent. The crab cake could have had more crab and the shrimp were a bit overdone. Which was a shame because the flavor was there.
I don’t know what the husband was thinking with this abomination.
A burger topped with bacon and pulled pork…. for those days when your arteries just feel too clear.
He picked it apart and ate everything separately which probably defeats the purpose, but said it was good.
Dessert was a nice tart Key Lime Pie. Don’t give me those sugary sweet versions. When I order Key Lime? I want my lips to pucker.
Yes, like that.
Night descended while we ate.
And while I’d give the restaurant a solid B minus ……
I have to admit they did have a clever slogan.
River's world..... 