I was browsing photos after posting Grandma Lou's Recipe and found this photo of Marianna taken at the Truman Museum. She is all dressed up as Bess Truman and I think she looks likely to whip those broccoli spears into shape!
Love the apron...
Okay, okay, I'll give in and tell the tale behind this photo. Marianna and I went through the entire Truman Presidential Museum & Library being highly interested in the goodies stored there.
Wow! Slight derailment here - check out the upcoming exhibits including Caroline Kennedy's Dolls and Truman's Love Letters to Bess online!
Okay, back to the topic, the embarassing story. So we are gorging ourselves at this wonderful museum, if you are nearby you must stop in. Actually, if you are nearby you must beg, borrow, (hopefully not steal) the Truman Footlockers. They were fabulous, the highlight of my 4th grade teaching year! A trunk crammed with lesson plans and hands-on activities all planned out for you beautifully!
So there we are, gorging away, it had been years since we'd been in a really great museum you know, and being polite and observant of all the rules and oh so proud of the new camera. Which, just so you know, has a Museum setting for just such an occasion as visiting a Museum. It allows you to take hundreds of photos without a flash (that is important, no glare on glass, you know) so that you can subject anyone who was not with you to the things that those who were with you saw first hand.
So there we were clicking away, enjoying our dose of culture when Marianna rounded a corner and found a pile of fake clothes. Fake, as there were no backs to them and they stuck to you with velcro. Just about as modest as hospital dressing gowns but, Oh so cute! I had the camera and was trying to get one good photo of a kid who won't stop craning around to view the missing backside or giggling wildly in the Tri-Mirrors. Yes, three mirrors set up for boaters who have tiny little mirrors that you cannot see your whole head in equalled real fascination and was a highlight of the trip, actually. We flew all the way to Kansas and saw our whole body!
Well, due to the miracle of digital technology, I could totally tell every one of the photos so far was blurred and yellow, ick. And it dawned on me - that is why Portrait Mode was invented! To eliminate blurry yellow kid pictures!!! One quick spin of the dial, a push of the button and it was like Hiroshima all over again, (well I guess that would be Nagasaki, wouldn't it?) As anyone who has a camera with portrait mode will gladly tell you it fires off not one, not two, but multiple flashes in quick succession. Multiple flashes in multiple mirrors all reflecting back at one Mom and an entire floor of antique paperwork of Churchill's and Truman's.
Oops!
When I could see again I sheepishly turned about to sneak away to a different floor or a different museum, take your pick, and ran smack into a Museum Guard standing there, Oh so disapprovingly! with arms crossed and frown on.
I think I'll just draw the dressing room curtain discreetly over the story now...
(But I did make it out of there with one good picture!)
Ha!
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Comments [5]
My Great Grandma on my Mom's side was the loveliest, tiny, dear lady who homesteaded on the Western Slope of Colorado nearly a century ago. This, coupled with the fact of a few World Wars, lead her to perfect the art of not wasting food, much to her great granddaughters chagrin!
It had been rumored that Grandma Lou had been known to carve up the broccoli stalks to resemble celery and pile them up on the ubiquitous relish tray. I never could decide if Uncle Donald was pulling my leg on this topic or not and usually decided to stick with the carrots sticks just to be safe.
Well. She would have loved this Slaw mix I fould in the store the other day! Shredded up broccoli stalks - who decided this was a good idea? Though in fact it is just that - a great idea as it tastes wonderful and fills the void that spinach has left in the produce section!
My favorite way to serve Grandma Lou's Slaw so far is to mix up
1 Bag of Broccoli Slaw
1 Can Pineapple Tidbits
Slivers of Onion
and
Poppyseed Dressing
Deliciously crunchy!
| I'm all at Sea with this Recipe! |
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October 10, 2006, 1:50 pm, Mangrove Marina through Snake Creek to Blue Waters Marina
Having your shingle out as a Boat Delivery Captain (or being the wife of a Captain!) has definite benefits. The Islander has been on the hard in a marina bayside with repair work from the neighboring boat's demasting and installation of various upgrades. The owners decided to upgrade the swim platform from teak to metal and from a ladder to a spiral staircase - wow!
Marianna got plenty of time driving one of her favorite boats, little speed demon that she is. 7 whole knots of full speed ahead! (That is 8.05 mph) Unfortunately our timing was off and her warp speeding did us no good, if you look closely in the following picture you can see the blue Snake Creek Bridge up and us not nearly close enough.
This gave us plenty of time to practice half impulse circles and figure-eights while trying to raise the Bridge Tender to confirm the next opening. Regardless of the channel we were on, the Tender never acknowledged the M/V Islander circling directly below.
Time, which we had plenty of, was filled with a bit of nature study - a peregrine falcon in the mangroves, an iguana in a yard - and admiring Keysy Yard Art. Why, everyone should have a red boxcar in the backyard!
After the allotted time for the bridge opening passed with no sign of the bridge opening, I was ready to measure the universe, or at least the bridge clearance height, as we all were doubtful of the cartographer's knowledge of the terms vertical vs. horizontal. The odds that the bridge was 60' wide and 27' high were pretty slim even to the unknowledgable eye, so in the end the Captain decided to take the vessel through with the bridge closed and....the map was proven wrong and the antennas are still attached to the vessel! It is now safe to say the vertical clearance of Snake Creek Bridge is 60', not 27'.
Immediately after the bridge it became very apparant why the channel has the name Snake Creek. Is it Red, Right, Returning?? Wait, we just crossed land so it would be opposite, right? Nothing like having to apply your newly learned boating skills in a real life situation! The Flats on either side were impressive and are a great spot to watch wildlife such as turtles and manta rays and dolphins. Three of the later greeted us in the middle of the channel and dove directly under the boat, bringing a smile to all.
Next up was practicing catching hold of a mooring ball with a boat hook and the First Mate and the Swabbie had it first try! The reward was a cooling dip in the sea over a fabulous shallow reef as it had been decided that the swim platform definitely needed a trial run!
Some nice Coral Heads were fun to dive on and the immature Mahi-Mahi were spectacular! They are one of my favorites as the brilliant, irridescent blue spine is so eye catching. Our captain kept a close eye on our antics from the top deck. It was hard to leave, the water felt so nice, but leave we finally did.
Once Tavernier Key came into view, with hours still before sunset we took 30 minutes or so and practiced our MOB Drills (Man Overboard Drills) on handy crab pot bouys.
Marianna brought the M/V Islander down the canal and into the basin all by her lonesome! Though she did let the Captain actually dock while she ran the lines and fended off the dolphins. (These would be 3 pilings bound together, not a mammal or fish.) After adjusting the lines, connecting shore power and water, we scrubbed her down and headed to the showers for our own rinse down. Nothing feels so good as a fresh water rinse after soaking in salt water! Just like a cool drink of water for your whole body.
A fabulous end to a fabulous day! Can it get any better than this?
Perhaps...this weekend?
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Recently we were able to stop by one of our favorite Reefs, Hens and Chickens. Why it has this appellation is a mystery, other local reefs have great names with equally great stories behind them. Pickles Reef is one of the closest to us currently and is named after the ship carrying pickle barrels that met its demise upon that reef. Not all shipments through this area were of Gold Doubloons!
But Hens and Chickens? Was it a similar food shipment? Were the first divers also botanists? If you squint one eye the coral heads might look like the cacti bearing the same name.
Odd names aside, it is a fabulous reef. Shallow enough snorklers can easily see the sights, and those sights are very diversified in fish and coral! It wasn't the greatest visibility as we were just coming off of a week-long Small Craft Advisory, but I hope you can see Brain and Pillar Coral, both hard corals, and a few soft coral Sea Fans in these pictures Marianna took.
Speaking of which...it is really hard to take a good underwater picture! You suck in a lung full of air, dive down to your chosen subject, point the camera at it and promptly float away! I think I understand why Hal's Hard Hat Dive Boots weigh 17.5 pounds apiece now!
Coda: After posting I decided to see if I could add a few links and lo and behold! the mystery of the name Hens and Chicks is solved through the miracle of the Internet! It is so-named because of the layout of the reef: a large central "hen" patch surrounded by smaller "chick" patches.
Mystery solved!
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October 3, 2006, 3:42 pm, Marianna
On the first of October I caught a really cool caterpillar that was in front of our bathroom. Research has found it to be an Oleander Moth larva, thanks to whats that bug?. They feed on the Oleander plant. The Adults lay millimeter-sized eggs that hatch into small furry bright orange caterpillars. These feed on Oleander bushes and eat their fill of leaves until they reach the right size to form a chrysalis. Each chrysalis undergoes a metamorphosis or change within its hard covering until an Oleander Moth hatches. The Oleander Moth can produce up to three generations a year. I got the picture of the adult Oleander Moth off of whats that bug?.
For more caterpillar adventures go to Lapaz Farm Home Learning and Blossoms and Bees.
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October 1, 2006, 3:02 pm
The most memorable portion of our schooling adventure is the hands-on activities, always. These activities tend to be the ones we talk about years down the road and frequently one activity will spark another.
For our Egyptian Studies this year the hands-down favorite activity so far must be the Egyptian Shaduf. Marianna creatively constructed a minature Shaduf out of twine, sticks, a seashell and a rock wrapped inside a palm leaf.
After discussing why they might have used a Simple Machine like this to raise water from the Nile River to the irrigation ditches, we did what any self-respecting homeschooler would do - build a life-size model, of course!
Grabbing rope, (which became line as it then had a purpose) a bowl, a hunk of coral rock and our favorite boathook, a Shaduf was quickly assembled dockside. Trying to raise a bucket of water by hand vs. utilizing a lever, made the concept crystal clear. If one's purpose in life is to water Pharoh's fields, a Lever is a wonderous tool!
If Simple Machines are in the lesson plans, a Rube Goldburg tribute is a great end of unit activity.
Just a thought...
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September 26, 2006, 7:40 pm
By Marianna
(Class; Insecta, Order; Lepidoptera, Superfamily; Papilionoidea, Family; Nymphalidae, Subfamily; Danainae, Genus; Danaus- plexippus.)
Danaus plexippus, or Monarchs, are one of the most known Butterflies in the United States of America. Monarchs have a black Thorax and Abdomen; the wings are an orange color with black veins and outlines. The Wingtips on the Fore wing and Hind wings are black with white dots. The Forewings have four yellow dots clustered with the white.
To tell the different genders of a mature Monarch is simple once you know how. A male Monarch has a black spot on the inside surface of the Hind Wing. The female Monarch has thicker wing veins. There is no way to tell the gender of a larva Monarch unless you dissect it.
The life cycle of an Monarch starts with a female butterfly laying a fertilized egg on highly toxic milkweed, there for the larva will become toxic itself. In three to four days the larva starts chewing out of its egg. After it has eaten its egg it starts to demolish the milkweed. After about ten to twenty days it has grown from 1/16th of an inch to about 2 inches in length, and has increased its weight by a factor of 2,700 times.
After it has reached its full size it spins a cremaster on or near the milkweed and hangs on it by its rear claspers in a J shape for about a day while many changes happen within the body. Then for the last time it sheds its skin and reveals its crysalis.
The crysalis looks like a green cocoon with yellow stripes. During the first hour, the stripes move upward and form a crown of gold buttons near the top and down a side seam. The hardening crysalis looks like a jade jewel and hangs quietly for approximately 10 days. Slowly the crysalis becomes more and more transparent until the orange and black pattern of the butterfly within is revealed.
The crysalis splits open along the golden seam and an adult Monarch emerges with crumpled wings and an enlarged abdomen. Immediately it starts pumping fluid into its wings by moving them. After the wings have an appropriate shape the Monarch hangs upside down for about three hours until the wings have hardened. Then the Monarch flies away to continue the life cycle.
Something I learned during this study (Something even Mom didn't know!) was the proper way to hold a Monarch. Unlike what we hear about how to never touch a butterflies wings is not true for the Monarch because they have to fly a very difficult migratory route and if by just brushing your finger on would cause the Monarch to loose flight, just about every Monarch wouldn't make the difficult journey. You hold both the fore wing and hind wing where they meet with your thumb and index finger gently. I do not know is this is true with other butterflies so I wouldn't try it with them.
Please consider setting up a Monarch Waystation at or near your home. Places of rest and refuge for Monarchs are declining rapidly due in part to Genetically Modified (GM) crops. When a farmer plants a GM crop, that farmer can then spray Roundup, an herbicide, directly on the crop. The crop will resist the poison but any weed in the field or nearby land will die including Milkweed, the only plant the Monarch larvae feeds upon.
Now, here is the interesting bit about Monarchs, Milkweed and us, personally. In Florida, there is much debate over what happens with the Monarchs. Do they overwinter here in Florida? Do they fly on to Mexico? Or do they cross the very few miles of ocean to Cuba for the winter? To find out the Monarch Watch is Tagging Monarchs
to track the journeys. You can keep up to date by checking Journey North's website every Friday through migration season.
And finally, a classic Butterfly craft that is very simple - if you own a coffee maker that uses filters in this modern day and age! Thankfully, my dear friend is used to odd requests and didn't blink an eye when I asked for a half dozen filters one day. This craft is good for the very young, the very young at heart, and those who need reminding of their youth! There is something very satisfying and freeing about scribbling on a white circle and plunging it into a plate of water or spritzing it with a spray bottle of water to make beautiful butterfly wings, just pinch the center in a clothespin or use a pipecleaner as body plus antennae.
Enjoy one of the quintessential sites of Autumn, the Monarch Butterfly, or as Marianna now calls them, Danaus plexippus!
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September 26, 2006, 12:35 pm, In the Office under the Tiki Hut
Everyone's been asking me, "Well, what are you doing with yourself since you are not working for an employer anymore?” It's a hard question to answer because I wouldn't be working for an employer if we moved to the Bahamas or other destinations of exotic delights. But just to show you that I do work, check it out. First is my new office. It comes with an Ocean view, a Hammock, and a Conference table which I am sitting at:
This is where I have been eBaying all the STUFF we have accumulated over the past three years and will not go with us when we depart Tavernier.
Next is the shipping department. This a little slow but the fuel savings is unbelievable unless you consider feeding an 11 year old one continual meal a day, fuel. Then it's very expensive!
All in all things are good and if the job in Key West turns out, so be it. If not I always have diving, my small maintenance business and eBaying. Life is good in the tropics. What more could a sailor want!?! AAARRRGGGHHH!
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Inspired by this Superboy, who must have salt in his veins, Marianna noticed for the first time our copies of
Chapman's and Knight's Modern Seamanship. These two books have languished on our shelves for years. Now they are being lugged about town and when I say lugged, I do mean lugged. Chapman's weighs in at a healthy 5 1/2 pounds! Not a book I'd want to take to bed and fall asleep holding, it might make a permanent impression on my head if not in it!
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September 21, 2006, 10:03 pm, On the bow.
Answering the Siren's Call may have many benefits.
Just remember 'corks' for the last minute to prevent wreckage on the rocks...
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