Who can't relate to the idea of leaving one chapter behind and moving onto the next?
Mike Shinoda
You nailed it, Mike!!
Catching up!!
There's a couple chapters here I have to catch up on so, please, bear with me. It's an interesting concept, viewing life as a series of chapters leading up to the exciting conclusion that finishes the book of life. In this way, maybe each new chapter is another chance to start anew.
Well, it's fun to play around with that idea and, so, let's visit a couple of recent chapters that need telling now.
First off, who knows what's going to happen next!?! Seriously, living with Carol is sometimes like living with a loaded gun. You never know when she's going to go off!! Hahaha, and I say that in a good way. Like this ... we were going for a walk on the beach and just amblin' down the beach access and, BAM!! She was off with a couple that was making their way back to their car.
Hahaha, whenever these random conversations occur, I tend to stay on the sidelines and just listen in. This couple, the ones in the swim suits facing Carol, were down there with their family and their pet . . . . . . snakes.
That's right. They were there with the kids AND the snakes. So after some small talk with them Carol headed straight on over to . . .
That's right. They were there with the kids AND the snakes. So after some small talk with them Carol headed straight on over to . . .
. . . the snakes.
The kids were playing with them and giving them some air.
And, of course, Carol wanted to hold them.
Hahaha, no thanks. I'll just look with my eyes. I'd prefer they stay over there and I'll stay over here.
After this the rest of the walk was dull.
Ah, the things this girl likes.
OK, let's segue to the First of the month. That means its time to pay the rent. That means we have an excuse to take a walk to the real estate office to drop off the check. That means another opportunity to get out and see some new things and take some pictures.
Which I did. Big time!!
A view of the ocean looking down NW 21st St from The 101.
We're still getting familiar with our new town and so these walks also help us to get oriented. And it gives us opportunities to see some of the places we've just driven by in the Mini. Like this used book store, Pacific Coast Books.
What a nice place. The owner welcomed us and we had a good conversation with him about this and that. And then we were off looking at books.
He's even got a place in the back where you can have a sit, relax and peruse a book or two.
He boasts of a collection of over 50,000 books in his store. I can believe it. He's used just about every available inch of space to display his books. It's tough negotiating some of those turns when you're a chubby little fellow like me PLUS you have a camera bag sticking out your side.
These looked interesting.
As did this one. They covered all the big ones; Rommel, Doolittle, Patton, MacArthur, Eisenhower and Zhukov. I don't know, I hope they didn't miss Bradley, McAuliffe, Nimitz, Halsey and that British Banty Rooster, Montgomery.
And I found this treasure, Perry Winkle and the Rinkeydinks.
Fun Facts: We've got a way to go to get to Perry so be patient. Let's go, Winnie Winkle was an American comic strip which appeared over a 76-year span (1920-96). The stories and artwork were by Martin Branner, who wrote the strip for over 40 years. Winnie Winkle was one of the first comic strips about working women. The main character, Winnie, was a young woman who had to support her parents and adopted brother, serving as a reflection of the changing role of women in society. It ran in more than 100 newspapers for several decades.
During its first years, the daily Winnie Winkle evolved from simple gags to more complex humorous situations. A new character was introduced in the form of Perry, a little boy from the backstreets, whom the Winkles adopted in '22. The focus of the sunday pages then shifted to the adventures of Perry at home, school and on the streets. Although compelled to wear a duffle coat and fancy clothes, he continued to frequent his old neighborhood. The local gang, The Rinkydinks, in contrast, still wore torn and patchy clothing, and were regarded by Winnie as 'loafers.' One member of the Rinkydinks was the dunce, Denny Dimwit, who popularized the catch phrase, "youse is a good boy, Denny."
So they took Perry's adventures and put them into a book form ... with illustrations from the Sunday Comics Page.
Hahaha, Denny Dimwit definitely has a place in my life.
Hahaha, they knew how to illustrate a book cover back then. Hahaha, nothing shows spirit more than gossiping around the ol' water barrel.
The Spirit of the Border, written in 1906, was a historical novel about Moravian Missionaries and the different paths two brothers take on their arrival on the border. It was the second book in a trilogy that began with Zane Grey's first ever novel, Betty Zane.
And here's Carol with the owner, Don. Very nice guy.
Hahaha, I told him I was retired now and if he needed some help around the book store to give me a call. Hopefully he will.
While we were at the book store, Carol bought me a surprise.
Ginger Rogers and The Riddle of the Scarlet Cloak
First off, it was written by Ginger's mother, Lela E. Rogers. Wow, that's convenient.
The next thing to know is that this Ginger rogers is not the movie star. She has the same name and looks the same in the illustrations. But she's only about twenty, lives at home with her mother and has a boring boyfriend. She works as a switchboard operator in a large hotel on the coast. Nearby is a defense plant that's developing secret weapons for the war effort. The hotel's location turns it into a center of suspicious activity. Ginger keeps track of some guests through her position on the switchboard, but she doesn't become involved in any intrigue until she mysteriously receives a scarlet cloak in the mail.
This was published in 1942 so it was finished and printed sometime during the first year America was at war. Oh, and I was just browsing and read where, in this book, Ginger works at the switchboard eight hours a day, six days a week. I'm wondering when she had the time to get involved in any kind of intrigue.
Wowsers!!
The Riddle today would be how to get someone that would work that long each week. Hahaha, good luck with that one!!
And it comes with nifty pictures of the heroine, Ginger Rogers. As it says on the front page, 'An original story featuring Ginger Rogers, famous motion-picture star, as the heroine".
Neat surprise!!
Now let's get back on track. And what trip out and about on a semi-sunny day would be complete without a couple of pictures of some springtime flowers, eh?
It's just too easy sometimes.
It's a small town and so when you go to pay your trash bill and your electric bill, you can just take them to the IGA where they have a small counter set aside as a mini-post office. You can just drop your bills into the appropriate slot and, viola!! there it goes ... without a stamp. Love it!!
Oh, to buy liquor you have to go to a state-run liquor store. Silly Oregon. They can sell beer and wine elsewhere but to get the hard stuff, you have to go to one of these stores.
And it is a small-town store. Not all that large but nicely done. Here's the deli/bakery department.
Carol was getting some crab cakes for lunch. Mmmmmm...
Small town America.
And we still make time to walk on the beach. Carol goes more than I.
 |
| Rockin' it on the beach |
And I finally finished setting up a small rock wall around the house. Everything's been weeded and the place is looking a wee bit better now.
And after that, we walked up the street a short bit and I got these pictures.
Hahaha, loving the flowers.
.jpg)
May 2, 2015
Now let's get back to today. Start a new chapter in our book.
There's a lot to do here. The City has a pretty active calendar and it seems every weekend there's something happening.
Like today. Today was the Fish Taco Cook Off.
Four restaurants in LCO competed for the People's Choice Award at this Cinco de Mayo-themed event. They have the chefs set up in the The Culinary Center. It's on the fourth floor. City Hall is on the third floor and the Library is on the second floor. As near as I can figure, the first floor is all for parking. Hahaha, that's our City Hall!!
And right next to it, sharing the same parking lot, is the Price 'n Pride market.
Hahahaha, small town America.
Let's open this chapter by saying that we've been to City Hall and the Library but we haven't yet gone all the way up to The Culinary Center. On the 4th floor. Waaaaayyyy up there. Hahahaha, it's the tallest building in town!!
So this was all new to us.
And kinda nice.
Fun Facts: I am still up in the air about what exactly The Culinary Center (TCC) is intended to do. Here's what their website says: TCC is a great place to explore your culinary side. From cook-offs to classes there's something to fit everyone's experience level.
TCC features seasonally-inspired cooking and focuses on the abundant foods of the Pacific Northwest. They feature locally grown and raised foods...from organic vegetables to grass-fed natural meats, prairie-raised chickens and, of course, the Oregon coast's vast array of fresh seafood and shellfish. TCC also strengthens the connection between food producers and the consumer...through a field trip to an oyster farm or having a farmer help teach a class.
Uh, what!?!?! Next question is, is this a private enterprise or something the city is sponsoring? Seems like it should be more of a private business to me. But, then, I am not widely known for my staggering intellect so what do I know.
And, TCC is home to four cook-offs a year: Jambalaya, Fish Taco, Wild Mushroom and Chowder, all featuring Pacific Northwest ingredients. Hmmmmm, one down and three to go.
Hahaha, again, I am a little up in the air about this but, hey, admission to the cook-offs is free so that sits OK with me. What do you think? Does it smell a little bit ... fishy?
I couldn't resist!!
As you come in, you get directions and they explain the set-up to you if you're a first-timer. Like us.
But we quickly got oriented and we were off. First, you have to buy tokens. Each token cost $1.50 and you need one token for each taco.
And they had a station set up for drinks. They had craft beers and wines from the local area for sale along with the old standards, DC and water.
First up was Siletz Bay Foods and their Surf and Turf Taco.
OK, I'm game. Let's go!!
The chef, servin' em up!!
This was our first taste and both of us felt that the greens overwhelmed the whole thing. Plus the sauce they used was spicy but not pleasant to our palette. It didn't work. I can't remember tasting the meat or the fish. Plus it was a weak presentation. I felt like I was getting the salad first. Carol felt there wasn't enough fish to give it any flavor.
Small town America. Hahaha, the chef is our mayor. Yeah, he used to own a restaurant but retired and then ran for mayor.
This is the back side of his card. Hahaha, I like it!! I like that personal touch and the offer to help.
Sorry about the pan on your tacos, Mr. Mayor, but I am thinking you might be a better elected official right about now.
OK, that's one down. We ate our tacos, talked it over and then we moved on to Fish Taco #2. It's from the kitchen of TCC itself. Well, this should be interesting
Seeing as how they were playing at home, they had pride of place. That's the director of TCC there on the left ... observing.
They were servin' em up quickly here but they still had time to give us a greeting and make us feel welcome.
Here's the finished product. They did things a bit different and put their sauce down on the tortilla first and then put in the tuna and the other ingredients. Carol felt it was kind of like eating Chicken McNuggets. You got the chunk of tuna and then you got the salad. Nothing was incorporated.
An improvement over the first entry but this one wasn't ringing any bells. It was OK, even interesting but we still both had our socks on.
Hahaha, pride of place also includes a couple of TVs broadcasting the goings on at the grill, too.
Stacking the deck there a bit, TCC.
When we got into line for the third entry, we had to slowly move in front of Captain Dan's Bakery.
Danger, Will Robinson!! Danger!!
They had all kinds of tempting goodies!! From octopi ...
... to where we found Nemo and some of his pals. Plus a lighthouse.
Mmmmmmm.....
We made it to the next station for the Hearth and Table restaurant. Definitely the chef with the most personality; I kinda felt like I was in line for one of the contestants for Top Chef. This guy kept up the banter nonstop . . . along with his tacos.
Here he is along with his sous chef. (See what you can learn from watching Top Chef!!) Carol thought he sounded like the peanut vendor at the ball park.
He made it a point to tell us, several times, that we were getting homemade tortillas.
Now this one was good. The slaw was tasty and actually complimented the Rockfish instead of subduing it. This was, so far, our favorite. Carol thought the tortillas felt more like a part of the meal rather than just as a plate for the other ingredients.
And the tortillas were OK, too.
Three down and one to go. And this final line snaked by Barnacle Bill's Smoked Salmon.
Now this was tempting, too. They had smoked salmon, tuna and some others which I can't remember right now. I tried a sample of the smoked tuna and ... decided to pass. I was going to wait for the fourth and last taco.
Which was a Cod Taco all the way from Pacific City just up the coast.
These guys had a good system going and if we were voting on ability to serve 'em up, they'd have gotten my vote.
They wuz smokin'!!!
They had an interesting sauce. You can see it in the squirt bottle there on the table to the left. Unfortunately, by this time the place was filling up and the lines were even longer so no one had time to stop and talk.
Here's the last entry. I definitely liked their presentation. Best of show. The tomato's were fresh and we liked that they put the green sauce under the meat but the fish was dry and didn't taste very good.
So we sat down and enjoyed the last fish taco. And watched the crowd. It was getting busy in there. And then I remembered the two main industries here in LCO.
Tourism and Retirement.
Hahaha, you can see the latter here in great evidence.
Old People Rule!!
Hahaha, this crowd would have a hard time going through the metal detectors at the airport. Still, they were a very polite and semi-quiet group of yahoos. My kinda crowd.
Well, Carol and I mulled over all the entries before we cast our vote for The People's Choice. The first one, the Surf and Turf Taco, definitely came in last. Missed on almost every key point.
The second one, the Oregon Albacore Tuna Taco, was good but it wasn't like a fiesta in our mouths. As I think about it, it was sorta bland. Presentation was good but the tuna was missing in action.
The third one was the Red Chile Rockfish Taco. I didn't get much red chile but I did get a very good taste all over. It had some spice without being heavy-handed with it. A good blend and the slaw was just right for what they served. Plus they did a good job of presenting this food.
Finally there was the Cod Taco. Good job of serving up the food quickly and a good job on the presentation. It was tasty but it wasn't the tastiest of the day.
Our choice for The People's Choice Award was . . . . . .
#3 - The Red Chile Rockfish Taco.
It was the consensus fav for Carol and I.
And, being up on the fourth floor, I couldn't resist getting a different perspective on our city and so I went out on the balcony and got these shots.
Oh, by the way, that's our winning restaurant of today's Fish Taco Cook-Off down there on the right side of the picture. The Hearth & Table Restaurant is the one with the red roof on the right.
And you can see the typical traffic on The 101. They're all pulled up to the light and that's why you don't see the same glut of cars in the northbound lanes, the light.
Last item of business for today's post is this pleasant surprise I found waiting for me in the mailbox.
A week or so ago I went through my stuff and found some of my Aunt Ola's things. My Mom had passed them onto me. They were a booklet celebrating the City of Coffeyville's Centennial way back in 1953. Plus there were a couple of booklets from the University of Kansas about trees and rocks in Kansas from the 50s, too. Oh, and there was a front page from the Journal way back in the 50s.
I knew I didn't have any more use for them but I didn't want to throw them away or try to sell them so I called the Dalton Museum in Coffeyville and asked them if they'd like to have them and, they did. I got them in the mail that same day and felt pretty good. My Aunt Ola and Uncle Warren and their daughter, Jolayne, had lived in Coffeyville, Aunt Ola was a teacher there, and we went up to visit them several times when we went to Oklahoma.
In today's mail I got this back from the Dalton Museum.
And I got this very nice note about Aunt Ola's gift.
Talk about a small world. Go down below this and I've typed out what was in the note.
Mr. Seagrove,
Thank you for donating the Coffeyville Centennial Booklet, Journal, and the tree booklet and the rocks booklet which belonged to Warren and Ola Kraft. We were especially pleased to get the 1953 Journal announcing the establishment of the museum as we do not have another like it.
On a side note; my maiden name was Williams and we lived at 1015 W. 5th (right across the street from the Krafts). Jolayne and I used to play paper dolls together as children and I visited often.
Thanks again for the Ola and Warren Kraft donation.
Sincerely,
Wendy Alvey
Co Curator
Dalton Defenders Museum.
Hahahaha, guess where I'm going to go if I'm ever near Coffeyville, Kansas.
Small world, right!?!?!
Recapping the past few days has been fun. Kinda like reliving the fun all over again. Another couple chapters added to my Book of Life and the story is a bit more complete. And I was able to do a good thing. Yay for me.
Life is good.
Hooah!!
No comments:
Post a Comment