warmislandsun: 6/14/09

Friday, June 19, 2009

Craig Ferguson

Craig Ferguson is the funniest late night host in America. Check out his interview with Sandra Bullock.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Favorite Places

Below are some of the places that have become special to me. They are in no particular order. If I do win the lottery, I will for sure have homes in a few of these places.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Every visit to New Orleans meant a visit to the Voodoo Museum. New Orleans has it's own rhythm, vibe and personality. I find a very welcoming and comfortable place - it suits me and I suit it. If I ever had the chance to live there, I would snatch it up in a heartbeat.

The French Quarter and Bourbon Street. The stories that I could tell about Mardi Gras are not g-rated. But I will say that I always came home with tons of beads and never flashed once (at Mardi Gras.)

K-Paul's, my favoritist restaurant in New Orleans. The bread basket alone will make you weep with joy.

The one, the only, Cafe du Monde.

Woo hoo, these beignets have me hungry right now!

Florida Keys, Florida

If you ever fly down to Florida to vacation in the keys, don't fly into Key West. Fly into Ft. Lauderdale ( cheaper flights) and rent a car to drive down to the Keys. Yes, this adds on atleast four to five hours of travel time to get to Key West, but the drive is one of the best things about the Florida Keys. Islamorada is my favorite key. It is between Marathon and Key Largo. It is a nice stopping place if you are too late or too tired to make the full drive to Key West in one day. The 7 mile bridge is very cool and the water is beautiful. The seafood places are quite good if you need replenishment along the way. I just cannot stress enough how enjoyable it is to drive the Keys. Man, I need to win the lottery.

Sloppy Joe's. Nothing more to be said.

I'll never forget the day I was driving around Key West in my convertible, the U2 song beautiful Day was playing and I passed this southernmost point marker - life wasn't any better.

The sunset at the pier on Key West shouldn't be missed. If you run into the Bird Man, his birds are partial to painted red toenails.

John Pennekamp Park in Key Largo is one of my favorite state parks in Florida. They have the safest and best deals for snorkelling on the island.

I'm not much of a diver, but I love snorkelling off of a catamaran from Key West or Key Largo. Off of Key West I saw a spotted eagle ray, a sea turtle, HUGE tarpon that I first thought were sharks, a reef shark and countless parrot fish.

And, of course, the key lime and key lime pie. If you are in florida, go to Publix - they make a great key lime pie.

Yucatan, Mexico

Governor's palce on the main plaza in Merida.

Beach at Progreso.

A view from the house in Progreso.

Bouganvillea at a Hacienda.

Serpiente column at Chichen Itza.

The international pier in Progreso.

Greece

Delphi, the bellybutton of the world.

Greek goats are not to be missed. They are normally very friendly - atleast they liked me.

Olympia - site of the first Olympic games and a beautiful ancient ruin site. One of my favorites.

Koules - Venetian Fortress built on Crete in 1211 and site of maqny romantic encounters since that time. (*Cough* - no comment.)

Hong Kong, China

Hong Kong - a city on an island and an isthmus. Colony of Great Britain until 1997. I lived here for two years of my life.

Repulse Bay is on the opposite side of Hong Kong island from Central. I went to this beach quite a bit while in Hong Kong. It has the cleanest McDonald's in Hong Kong and it is also close to Stanley Market.

It just isn't a Hong Kong post without the Star Ferry. I wish I had a dollar for everytime I rode this. It is one of the main forms of transport in Hong Kong, right up there with the metro, taxis and walking.

Yellowstone Park, Montana and Wyoming

The very best park in the USA.

An actual picture of myself at Tower Falls.

I have heard that Iceland is the only other place on planet earth that even comes close to the natural hydrothermic features of Yellowstone. This place is miraculous - put it on your short list.

So much wildife roaming free in Yellowstone. Bison, Elk, Moose, Coyote, and Pelican are some of my favorite sightings in the park.

Koh Samui, Thailand

The Koh Samui Airport was all open-air when I was there. It was like your vacation didn't stop until you actually took off on the runway. I bought a great mug at this airport.

I bought a huge pastel wooden fish in Koh Samui. This one is similar, but mine is atleast 20 inches by 20 inches and weighs about 10 lbs. I had to carry it on the plane so that it wouldn't break.

Koh Samui beach. I loved walking down the long beach and meeting new people. It was such a laidback place when I went there in the 90's; I hope it is the same forever.

Famous penis rock in Surat Thani, Koh Samui.

BALI, INDONESIA

I bought three Balinese masks, including a Garuda much like this one while in Bali. I no longer have them :(

I climbed down a cliff to a great beach on the Indian Ocean in Bali.

Beautiful rice terraces in Bali

Glass is Beautiful and Natural

I love handmade glass. Even for everyday eating or drinking, I prefer something handmade.

Sand dunes in Egypt

Something about glass feels natural and right and, in some ways, historical and ancient. Glass comes from silica - sand - and is a strange substance, defying easy scientific categorization. It is not a solid, not a gas, and not quite a liquid either.

Pier One Glasses

I bought some glasses at Pier One - just cheap drinking glasses, although I could tell they were well made when I bought them. What I figured out after I got them home is that they were handmade, not machine made. They have the circle on the bottom where they broke from the firing rod. Like any handmade object, I believe that some of the maker is transferred to the object. There is a sense of the original silica or sand and of the original maker of the glass. I am very happy to own these glasses, and thankful to the person in Mexico that made them for me.

Great Glass is made by many artists. Dale Chihuly is probably one of the best known artists in glass. Although he no longer does his own work in the hotshop, his studio turns out his creative vision and creates unbelievable designs.

This chandelier masterpiece is installed at the UWGB Weidner Center. It is the only Chihuly I have seen in person.

Weidner Center, Green Bay, WI

PBS had a show about Chihuly's studio and work, called Chihuly in the Hotshop. I was mesmerized. Their talent and creativity is something I wish I possessed.

One more Chihuly - this one is called a Macchia. To me, it looks like a beautiful seashell. Such talent!

The Real Mojito - de Verdad!

I got this information from the tasteofcuba.com website. I love lime, the tropics and a good mojito. This is their recipe plus some information from their website - enjoy!

The recipe for the original Mojito - the one that Hemmingway himself enjoyed at La Bodega del Medio in Havana, Cuba.

1 teaspoon powdered sugar

Juice from one lime (2 ounces)

4 mint leaves

1 sprig of mint

Havana Club white run (2 ounces)

2 ounces club soda

Place the mint leaves in a tall glass and squeeze the lime juice over them. Add the powdered sugar and muddle - smash together at the bottom of the glass. Add crushed ice and rum and then soda. Stir.

Some recipes call for a dash of bitters to smooth out the sweetness. Some add the lime wedges to the glass. I like mine heavy on lime, so I squeeze the lime, skip the sugar and add lime wedges.

This drink is so refreshing - it's as good as a dip in the pool on a hot day.

And don't forget to toast Hemmingway on your first sip!