It Dawned on Me...
November 18, 2009, 12:38 pm
...that some people haven't seen our costumes!
Natasha Fatale:
"We are looking for Boris Badenoff, I have a present for him."
Fearless Leader:
"I have captured Moose and Squirrel!"
Hanging with Wyland down on Duval.
The house was properly defended for the evening. Our sentry swore to "Take charge of this post and all property in view. Walk the post in a military manner, keeping always on the alert, and observing everything that takes place within sight or hearing."
| Wyland |
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Sauce Boss at the Green Parrot
November 16, 2009, 7:54 am
Spent time down at the Green Parrot, they always have the best music on the island. In fact - in what is, to me, a hysterical recommendation for this blog - Playboy magazine has named the Green Parrot one of the top 20 bars in the USA.
We were down there to hear the Sauce Boss. You may know him from a Jimmy Buffett ditty -
"The Sauce Boss does his cooking on stage
Stirring and a' singing for his nightly wage
Sweating and a' fretting from his head to his toe
Playing and buffetting with the gumbo"
from "I Will Play for Gumbo" by Jimmy Buffett (2000)
Me, a photo by Hal, waiting for that gumbo to simmer.
Mmmmm-mmmm good!
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Key West High Homecoming
November 14, 2009, 8:25 am
Yay! NJROTC!
To answer a question I received - The band really does have a uniform, they just don't like to sweat in it.
Formations and everything!
Those Conchettes kicking up a storm.
And there was football involved, I promise! I just got distracted by the terrific food they serve up here. Full on Cuban Pork Dinners with rice and beans and plantains, conch fritters are a given, of course, homebaked desserts walked through the bleachers by glittery Conchette girls... and just chilly enough to wear jeans and have it feel like Autumn.
I love Key West.
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Veteran's Day Parade, pt II
November 13, 2009, 10:00 am
The full photographic exhibit - minus old cars (Marianna and Hal's interest) and any kids not in NJROTC (Brownies and Boy Scouts mostly, they all look terribly worried in still photos, must be all the guns present on Duval that afternoon!) with apologies for any mislabelling (I'm not military and Marianna and Hal are both out of the house so I'm making it up as I go).
The review stand - Dan, photogenic guy, the Skipper and Sir Peter Anderson of the Conch Republic.
The two Army guys from Hal's compound - Tony and SM.
The parade begins with the requisite wild eyed horse followed by loud bikes, I think these are from the VFW, perhaps?
Mike and Debbie from the marina.
The Joint Task Force Color Guard.
The Joint Task Force Platoon.
Coast Guard photo for our friend up the Keys a ways. They had the best flag, check out those ribbony bits!
The Coasties have boats, lots of boats, some of which can fit down Duval Street.
Hurray for the pipers who came from New York!
A snazzy Color Guard
And the Navy, row after row of blinding dress whites.
The Key West Marching Conchs, one of the best high school bands I've ever heard!
The Conchettes, which are not cheerleaders, or the dance team, or the flag team. They're Key West's version of The Rockettes.
Seabees, I think. We see them cruising just like this all over the island.
The Knights of Columbus
The one Navy vessel that fit down Duval.
A cool float...
...with a scary sniper. See why the Brownies scurried so?
And the Key West High School Naval Junior Reserve Officiers Training Corp!!!
Marianna with the rifle and her friend has the guidon.
Spinning rifles, note the blurry hands, they were moving!
The full NJROTC platoon.
And in the most brilliant parade move I've ever experienced, they closed the parade with the Fire Trucks rather than putting them right behind the band or the horses, which appear to be favored positions for the engines in other parades.
So. Terrific parade, wasn't it? :)
Happy Veteran's Day!
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Veteran's Day Parade
November 12, 2009, 11:07 am
Just one shot before I'm off for work...
Marianna in the NJROTC Color Guard - as a Freshman!!!
We're so proud of you!!!
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Just for the Record
November 8, 2009, 12:42 pm
Hurricane Ida, our first of the season which, incidently, ends in 22 days.
Winds at 28mph here in Key West, gusts to 35mph. No rain yet.
Checked the boat yesterday, all the dogbones are properly deployed, didn't double up on the any lines for this blow. Considering heading out to hear the Sauce Boss for a bit of a hurricane party and gumbo this evening.
| Nature Study |
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Crashed
October 2, 2009, 4:30 pm
Our main computer has bit the dust, we're painfully trying to use Marianna's while the other is being fixed. I just took a cool photo of her laptop to show it off, but it doesn't seem to be compatible with my camera cards. It also does not have one single saved password - arrrgh!
So if you've tried to get in touch with me in the past week or two, try the phone! That bit of technology is still working fine. For now.
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Khaki Ball - Dress
September 24, 2009, 2:16 pm
Because certain people have been bugging to see my dress that I wore to the Chief Petty Officers Ball last Friday...
This picture, however, was taken the next morning by my dear husband who could not resist posing me in front of his pride and joy - the 1968 Chang Jiang.
So. A question for those who are planning on attending the next round of Balls (Navy here is Oct. 16th, I do believe) do you have your dress yet? Show and tell, please? Inspire me, I need another dress desperately! October 16th is coming quick!
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Summer Goes
September 23, 2009, 9:13 am
Like the sand between my toes
When the waves go out.
That's how summer pulls away,
Leaves me standing here today
Waiting for the school bus ...
From "Summer Goes," by Russell Hoban:
Summer has gone! Can you believe it? I'm always shocked as we're still in one of our two seasons down here, wet or dry ;) until November 30th. Still, I'm always up for observing special days as you know, so I ran to the store to gather up autumnal produce for dinner last night. A highlight were these hand pies which came out of the oven 10 minutes after Marianna got home from NJROTC Color Guard practice - first football game is set for Friday! Very exciting for my Cadet!
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 red potatoes, coarsely chopped
1 head of garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
8 ounces frozen, chopped turnip greens
your favorite pie dough
* Make the vegetable filling. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss together carrot, potatoes, garlic, oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and the pepper in a small roasting pan or baking dish. Roast until golden and tender, about 30 minutes. Squeeze garlic from skins, and toss with vegetable mixture; discard skins.
* Heat butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook until translucent, about 1 minute. Add greens and remaining teaspoon salt, and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Drain, and toss with vegetable mixture. Remove from heat, and let cool.
* Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Using a 4-inch glass, cut out 12 circles. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Place a heaping tablespoon of vegetable filling on each circle.
* Roll out remaining dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out 12 more circles. Brush edges of each filled circle with milk; top with a second circle. Press edges together to seal with a fork. Brush tops with milk wash.
* Bake pies until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve warm.
The original recipe can be found at Martha Stewart's.
I, of course, adapted it a bit.
| I'm all at Sea with this Recipe! |
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My Datebook, September 14
September 14, 2009, 9:16 am
Stop by Peggy's for more entries.
Outside my Window...
Crabs, loads and loads of tiny crabs. September always brings little crabs to land. We always used to say one needed to carry a golf club to walk up to the showerhouse at the marina, just to clear the walkway of all these little golf ball sized crabs! Mia is totally distracted on her walks now. She adores playing with the crabs. She looks like a meerkat playing with a scorpion.
I am thinking...
about clothes actually. I'm attending my very first Chief Petty Officer's Khaki Ball on Friday. After much discussion this past weekend I think it has been determined that a tea length gown would be most appropriate. A Girl's Night is being planned this week with the goal of finding a dress, so here's hoping for success! Shopping in Key West is always an adventure...
I am wearing ...
currently khaki shorts and a Schooner's Wharf tee that I won in a conch blowing contest.
I am thankful for...
time spent with my husband this past weekend.
From the kitchen...
I think that today is the Triumph of the Cross and I just happen to have a basil plant that desperately needs trimming. Supposedly the hill Saint Helena found the Cross on was covered in basil. Mahimahi is on sale this week too, and the Ember Days are upon us again so some menu planning needs to happen this morning! I found Jen at Wildflowers and Marbles plans last year to be comprehensive and inspiring.
Towards a Real Education...
Marianna's homework this weekend was a poster using two art materials illustrating 3 Tom Swifties from Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie and one original Tom Swifty by Marianna. She chose colored ink and mulberry paper for her materials.
I am creating...
a house that is a home.
I am reading...
Under the Persimmon Tree by Suzanne Fisher Staples
Around the home...
My passionflower vine is blooming!
One of my favorite things...
Last Friday we participated in a NASKW 9/11 Memorial Motorcycle Ride up to Marathon stopping at all the Police and Fire Stations to thank them for their service and deliver a poster signed by all the participants.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...
Busy, busy week! Tuesday will be the Girls Night Out, Wednesday is the Pinning Ceremony for the Chief Selectees and I work in the evening and it's an Ember Day. Thursday I'll work the night shift again and it's the first day of the Peterson's Poker Run so we might drop down to Duval to see some of the bikes. Friday is the Khaki Ball, Duval will definitely be closed for the 10,000 expected bikes and it's an Ember Day - mmmm, they're serving Mahimahi at the Ball! Saturday I do believe Hal will be taking his Chang Jiang down to Duval and it's an Ember Day again.
Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you:
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