Hogar Luz

Ah, old photos....  When I lived in Costa Rica back in 1984, I volunteered at a place called Hogar Luz. It was a home for children thrown away by society, most had both physical and mental handicaps.  It was run by a staff of Carmelite Nuns.  They didn't speak English.  I didn't speak Spanish.  Somehow that didn't seem to matter.

 That's me back in '84.  I would have been 23.

Gray Day In Mid-Autumn

Down in the park with Romeo....

20% Fatality Rate

So I have this photo composite of the my graduating High School Class on the wall in my office; all 117 of us!  Little town with a little High School in southeastern Michigan--it was a true Flat Rock!

 When I was elected at my senior class vice-president back then, I had no idea that it would secure for me a place of honor in the middle of this "august" composite, but it still feels kinda cool.

 And it is also a bitter sweet collection.  I can name 14 boys in this portrait that I would have called friends.  Boys, for the most part, that I grew up with from elementary school on, and already 3 of them are dead.  Toss me in the mix and that a mortality rate of 20% as the rest of us enjoy our 54th year.  So tonight I remember these friends in particular.

 Randy Brown, 1961 - 2015

Victor Green, 1961 - 2012

Zoli Naki, 1960 - 2002

Pride Birthdays and Memorials for the Week ~ October 25th through October 31st

Just Another Reason

Democrats are better for the United States...

It's still not good enough, but it's clear which party is committed to moving US in the correct direction.

Ono Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

 Ono Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb Capatava macaroni (most people use elbow)

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

2 cups whole or 2% milk, divided (skim or 1% is just too thin)

2 cups mayonnaise, divided

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced

1 large carrot, peeled & grated

2 celery stalks, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

After chopping and grating all the veggies!

Cook the pasta and cook for a minute of two more than the time on the bag to make it slightly softer for a authentic result on this dish.  You are welcome to use elbow pasta, which is how it's make in Hawaii.  I used Capatava pasta, because...well, because I like it.  It's more interesting and it holds onto the diced/grated veggies better.

After cooking it, toss in the Apple Cider Vinegar and mix.  It will be absorbed in short order by the pasta.

 Next, place the sugar, salt and freshly ground black pepper in bowl.

 Mix it up!

 Add 1 cup of the Mayon- naise and then (not shown) 1 1/2 cups of the milk.

 Stir it all up with a whisk.

 Pour it over the pasta and mix.

 Next combine the remain cup of mayonnaise and 1/2 cup of milk.  Again, use a whisk for best results.

 I then combine the vegetable into the creamy mix before pouring then onto the pasta and mixing for the final result.  A word here about the vegetables.  In a traditional Ono Macaroni Salad, only celery and carrots are used.  Changing it up is fine and many include some form of onion.  I added the half of green pepper, because I happened to have a half of green pepper that needed to be used in something!  But that's how all GOOD cooks do it, right?

The Ono Macaroni Salad (after chilling for 30 minutes) was the perfect compliment to my Homemade Meatloaf Sandwich!  Bon Apeptit!

Such A Gift!

Some weeks back this wonderful gift of an amazing watercolor painting arrived out of the blue from my friend, Dean Grey.  For sometime now I've been toying with how best to frame it. And only recently it hit me--the reason why I was struggling. I had to come to the idea of not using any matting. 

It needs to be framed like a proper work of painting. Like a renaissance still life with that "trompe l'oeil" sensibility. Next move is to get it situated in the dining room proper. Here the detail I previously shared and the full work in its frame.

Yup, that's it! At the head of the table. Doesn't it just pop!?

A Walk In The Park With Romeo