Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens

For my birthday, I wanted to visit the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens. It was the perfect day with my family.

The Morikami's mission is to provide authentic Japanese cultural experiences that entertain, educate and inspire. This Japanese garden is curated to educate visitors and features a number of gardens, flowing seamlessly from one to the next, from various eras in Japan's gardening culture. Wandering along the path brings a feeling of serenity and sense of well-being, especially with the wind running around in the bamboo trees you see just below. Ah. . . until the teenager wrinkles her nose at the heat and slow pace at which the mom is meandering. Ah well.

Please enjoy my photos from the lovely gardens.

Besides strolling in the gardens and taking photos, we enjoyed lunch in the Cornell Cafe. The servers were delightful and the food was fresh and delicious.

The aforementioned teenager perked up when we purchased some yummy Japanese candies from the gift shop.

Morikami Japanese Museum and Gardens
4000 Morikami Park Rd.
Delray Beach, FL 33446

Photos, Oops!

Hey "At Home" friends. You might see some photo issues as you might realize as you peruse my blog. Please be patient and I'll fix them as soon as I have a chance. But for today, here are a few image to make you smile as you wait for the others to come back.

Cheers to all!

Why do boys get all the great clothes?


Pretty maids all in a row.
Now that's putting down some roots.

 Cheers for you day!

Breakfast of Champions

Most of you who know me, know that I joke about my personal "breakfast of champions..." Diet Coke with Splenda

{source}

But after the next few pictures, maybe we could all agree that hummingbirds are champions in their own right and watching them fight for their breakfast offers us a glimpse of something a bit more heroic than my version.

 Here are a couple of crazy facts from birding.about.com...

• The average ruby-throated hummer 3 grams. In comparison, a nickel weighs 4.5 grams.
• A hummingbird’s wings beat between 50 and 200 flaps per second depending on the direction of flight and air conditions.
•  Hummingbirds do not suck nectar through their long bills, they lick it with fringed, forked tongues. (If you look really carefully, you can see one in the top picture, left hummer...cool.)
• A hummingbird must consume approximately 1/2 of its weight in sugar daily, and the average hummingbird feeds 5-8 times per hour.
• Despite their small size, hummingbirds are one of the most aggressive bird species (probably because they have to eat so much...)

Courageous little creatures. I have yet to see on in Palm Beach. Do they migrate through here?

Anyway, enjoy your day in the mountains or by the shore. Eli

Signs You Might Be: On a Mountain

I guess I never realize the variety of road signs and other important informational stuff that one sees along the highways and bi-ways in the mountains and how different it is from what you find along the beach. I mean, it stands to reason, but I found it striking on summer vacay which included a lot of miles back to Colorado and the mountains. I found it interesting. I hope you will too.

A mountain is a big place and when one is riding up the lift or gondola and sliding on the snow, or hiking on a gravel trail, signage is important. Most of the rustic wooden signs are painted and have applied letters, like the one above. It's telling us that Avanti is Expert and Cold Feet is Easy. It sits on the mountain year round. But below, you'll find a corrugated plastic one that just has to make it through a summer or two.

It's hard to imagine that the following pic rests at the top of an expert run. The hill is dotted with tufts of green grass and colorful wild flowers. But when you stand at the top of it looking down in the winter, admiring the bright white slippery snow...it's a bit easier to comprehend.
 
The mountains though massive and courageous, have challenges. Pine beetles, a tiny invader, have become a huge problem for the Colorado mountain forests over the last 5-10 years. The tree below is marked with blue paint to designate it has been invaded. You can also see sap running down the left side and on the upper right, indicating the tree is not well.

It is devastating to see the hillside covered with dead trees as in this image.

{source}

And as we've all seen on the news for many summers, forest fires can decimate the land in a heartbeat. Well, imagine a lightening strike in the above picture...it doesn't take much of a spark.Next time I'll share some of the great beauty held in the mountains...

So, what do you choose? Winter skiing or boarding OR summer hiking or biking? Or I guess, you could choose them all.

Cheers, Eli

Racing the Bridges

When you live on an island, you deal with draw bridges and their openings...

Here in Palm Beach there are three that carry nearly 37,000 people back-and-forth every day:

• The Southern Bridge to the south
• The Royal Park Bridge in the middle
• The Flagler Memorial Bridge to the north.

When we moved here we learned that people call them North Bridge, Middle Bridge and South Bridge. {How civilized.}

When deciding which bridge to use for any given outing, I want to employ my intuition for the drawbridges openings. Each drawbridge has the possibility of opening twice an hour when needed for boats to travel under them. So far, so good, right?

{source} North Bridge

So it makes sense to have the bridges at the top and bottom of the island, open at the top and bottom of the hour, right? Then have the middle bridge, open in the middle of those.

NOT!

The middle bridge opens at the top and bottom of the hour and the North and South bridges open at quarter past and quarter til. ARRRGH! Even after living here nearly 2 years, I still have to look at the time and stop to think which bridge might be opening. Sigh.

{source} Middle Bridge

So what happens if you get "caught" and you are in a hurry? I know, just leave one bridge's line of traffic and "race" to the other? Right?
Ummmm, NO! I doesn't work! (I know. I tried it. More than once...). Here's a tidbit. I recently I found out, the average time for a bridge opening is only 7 minutes.Now, I take deep breath, put the car in park and read something on my Nook, play a game on my phone or clean out the receipts in my purse. Ahhhhhhhh! I realize it may be the only 7 minutes I have to do nothing in a day.

{source} South or Southern Bridge

Another deep breath, look at the palm trees, water and sky and remember how thankful I am to be living here. I might even love those bridges a little bit more.

Want to learn more about the history of Palm Beach bridges? Click here.

Have a fab day. Eli

Life in the Fast Lane...or is that the slow lane?

Driving in Southeast Florida is always a "treat." And by treat I mean something unexpected and fun, right? OK, maybe it is not always a treat. But after living here for nearly 2 years there are some traffic norms I have come to expect, even if I don't love them.

{source}

Slow Lane/Fast Lane
On most Highways, the slower traffic keeps right while speedier drivers enjoy a little freedom with the left hand lanes. Not so in South Florida. There seems to be some code, although I have not quite cracked it yet but everyone knows the fast lane is on the right. Maybe not the far right because that could end up being an exit lane but the next lane is it. So if you want to move it down the highway, don't bother with the far left lane. You'll get stuck behind some grandpa going 55 in the 65 in which most want to go 75...Did I say that out loud?

Pick a Lane
When turning at an intersection on Palm Beach, turning into any lane is quite acceptable. For example, I'm on a four lane road, let's say South Ocean, going south. I'm in the right lane turning right onto Royal Palm Way. It's clear. I turn into the center lane instead of turning into the right lane. What if someone coming north was trying to turn into that lane??? Well, turns out they wait 'cause they know I'm going to just pick any lane I want. CRAZY!!

U-turns are Not a Federal Offense
Florida is a great place for U-turns. Unlike Colorado where U-turns can get you into big trouble. Here, you can make them almost anywhere. I guess if we gave tickets to all the lost folks, we might not have such a great image with the tourists and retired individuals gawking at the ocean and scantily clad beach goers. So while the police ignore it, you MUST watch out while others do it.

Life is distracting to drivers here, I understand.

So, while you are out there on the road, be careful and learn from this Colorado turned Florida girl, u-turns are your friend.

Palm Beach Cheese Puffs

One of the most delicous and delightful tastes I've discovered living in Palm Beach for the past year and a half: The appetizer affectionately known as Palm Beach Cheese Puffs!

Seriously! These little dollar coin-sized toasts topped with a magical mixture of cheese and who knows what else is one of the most delicious things I have ever "appetized." Is that a word? Probably not.

The taste is strong yet smooth, toasty and warm, savory and rich! and as far as I know, you can only get them in the Palm Beaches...so come on down and we'll get some!

Before

After (After that is a plate with crumbs)

Leave it to the Leaves for Bougainvillea

Bougainvillea

It's a vine. It's a climber. It's evergreen in wet climates. It's beautiful but it's barely a flower!

What?

Seriously, one of the most beautiful flora around these parts is all about the leaves or "bracts." Jeepers, who knew?! So what is a Bract?

According to Britannica online a bract is a "small, leaflike structure often positioned beneath a flower or inflorescence. What are often taken to be the petals of flowers are sometimes bracts." The article points to the colorful poinsettia and dogwood as popular culprits.

Here in Florida, it's most notably the Bougainvillea!

The actual flower has a diameter smaller than a dime.

Those of us who grew up elsewhere just thought that the magnificent magenta set against the deep evergreen of the vine was a beautiful flower. Not so! It is simply a cluster of leaves.

So, let's hear it for the leaf. Enjoy!

Theory or Razor-tivity

It's fall. In Colorado

that means you start layering, wearing jeans, maybe throwing on a sweater in the evenings. Your wardrobe begins to show off rich fall colors, gem tones and if you are civilized, you put away or flip flops until next summer.

{source}

You venture outside, breath in the cool, crisp air and watch the golden leaves fall from the trees. Then you remember, besides Starbucks bringing back your favorite pumpkin latte, you have one other fall bonus, you can take a few days off shaving your legs. I mean, you won't be showing them off as much.

It's fall. In Florida

that means you continue wearing your Jack Rogers, maybe opting for a slightly richer color like platinum instead of the darling pink of summer. You look longingly into the bright sky and wonder when the days will come when the mercury will dip below 75 degrees. You know these days are payment for all the love the coast will give back during the mid-winter glory.

Right now, though, you pine for the life of a mountain girl who can just cover her legs with cute pants, maybe jeans even and actually stop shaving her legs. I mean, no one ever sees their legs anyway.

In a way, I've lived both lives and that's how I formulated the theory of "razor-tivity".

Undoubtedly you've heard of the theory of relativity...something about time and space folding in on itself blah-de-blah, black hole, yada, yada...watch the Big Bang Theory if you don't know what I'm talking about.

So, here goes, Eli's Theory or Razortivity

Every razor is designed to only cut a certain length of hair. That is the constant. What is relative is the number of times it cuts to get to that total length...but let me tell you, when it is done (and it knows) it starts pulling your hair.

Here's how this works.

In Colorado, during the cold months when mountain women don't shave (I've met a few), the razor cuts long pieces of hair infrequently, when the total length of the average strand cut is equal to three inches...the razor starts to pull and it must be replaced. So you get maybe 8 shaves over the winter and it's time for a new one.

In Florida, however, winter months are filled with showing off legs (darned it). So getting to the three inches takes the same time but nearly 45 shaves before it starts pulling.

I really would have thought you could use the razor 45 times in either place but NOT SO! 

Stupid thing is smarter than it looks.

Mountain Meanings and Nautical Nuances

I have now lived in Palm Beach for a year. I noticed some words that are used differently in the salty life than in the snowy life. I have put together a small list of terms to help anyone transitioning between the two environments. Just remember, this is all in fun and is taken from my own perceptions and certainly not from Webster's.

	Mountain Definition	Beach Definition
Berm	A pile of snow	A pile of sand
Coast	To drift on a bicycle, without pedaling, down a mountain pass at high speeds	Where the ocean meets the land
Clutch	A really cute purse	80-120 sea turtle eggs laid in a hole by a mama turtle in the middle of the night
Feeder Bands	Catering companies working with musical touring groups	The outer most rings of nasty weather from tropical storms. These babies can dump lots of rain and I guess, they feed the storms
Glory Hole	A reference to a place in a river in which the fish of a lifetime can be caught by fly fishing	A box in the boat, hinged to open on top, where ropes and tools are kept
Ground Scatter	The stuff on trees that turns brown in autumn and then falls to the ground	Images on a boat’s radar that are meaningless
Guarded Beach	Security Guards on Beaches? What?	Life Guards keep beach goers safe from marine life, rip currents and hopefully their own dumb selves
Heave	What happens when you drink too much alcohol at high altitude	The vertical  rise and fall of a wave
Slip	Made of silk, it is a piece of clothing worn under a dress so the static electricity doesn’t make the skirt cling and people don’t see your underwear	Made of wood, it is where you park your boat so people can get on and off and so it doesn’t drift off into the ocean
Spaghetti Models	Super thin fashion models OR The plates of display pasta you see at the Eat-a-Lot Corral	Lines shown on the Ocean’s map to attempt to predict a storm’s track
Storm Surge	The mass exodus to the mountains before a big winter storm hits the mountains OR the propensity to call in sick when the ski conditions are perfect	The advancing winds and water levels of a tropical storm or hurricane. Strongest in high tide and is often the most dangerous part of the storm
Wax	A substance placed on the bottom of skis to make them faster on the snow	(I had to look this one up) A substance placed on the top of a surfboard so the surfer doesn't fall off

I'm sure I missed a few. If you have a classic one (or one you just made up today) leave a comment...I'd love to hear it. See you soon, Eli

For more information check out The Nautical Dictionary, The Glossary of Rock, Ice and Mountain Climbing and for a really different set of vocabulary, a list of Snowboarder Tricks.

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Jack-in-the-box!

Ever seen one of these? Of course you have. If you grew up some time in the 70's or 80's you might even remember this exact one. Funny thing about Jack-in-the-Box is that: Some people love'em. Some people hate'em.

You know, you turn the handle, it plays a little tune and at some point, the scary little clown comes popping up sending an adrenaline rush through your entire body.

Well, in Colorado, at altitude, we don't need no stinkin' Jack-in-the-Boxes, 'cause we got PILLSBURY!!

Those impossible cans of yumminess. Ok, so just like a Jack, you hold on to the paper handle, turn the can and although there may not be any music, the scary little biscuits come popping out with a mini explosion, sending an adrenaline rush through your entire body.

Guess what? That has not once happened to me at Sea Level. I'm waiting. I'm waiting, and NO POP!

I've had to take matters into my own hands. Looks something like this:

After you hold the foil-icious paper and twist the can, lay it on the cutting board and give the seam a whack with a wooden spoon...problem solved with control.

Next time you are out west, go to the mountains and go big with your adrenaline rushes: Pillsbury!

13 Year Ice Cream Cake

Well, my daughter just turned 13 and I know she loves ice cream cakes. She let me know "especially ones from DQ!" I couldn't just let that lie...let DQ show me up. This cake was 13 years in the making.

I spent an hour on Pinterest looking for inspiration and found some inspiring ice cream concoctions. You can look here if you want to see my "yummy" board.

In then end, though, I winged it! I thought you might enjoy checking out the process. First, I knew it needed to be peanut butter and caramel for the feature flavors.

Crust (I love how this turned out...a bit soft...even when frozen...easy to eat that way.)
2 Cups mini oreos
1/4 Cup peanut butter
1/3 stick of butter, chilled
Add Oreos to a food processor and turn to crumbs. Add 1/4 Cup peanut butter and chilled butter and process until combined. It will be fairly soft. Throw it in a spring form pan that you've sprayed with a bit of food release such as Pam.

Layer 1

Add 1/2 Quart of Dulce de Leche ice cream or similar flavor to the cake. I like to use a rectangular ice cream and "slice" it with my spade to get thin pieces to add to the layers.
Chop 30 small caramel filled chocolates and add to the cake.

Freeze for 2 hours

Layer 2
Add 1/2 Quart vanilla ice cream.
Add peanut butter onto top (I used a no-stir, natural peanut butter that was at room temperature).

Spread the peanut butter. It may mix with the ice cream, which is ok...

Chop 25 small peanut butter cups and add them to layer.

Freeze for 2 hours

Layer 3
Add the final layer of vanilla ice cream and pour caramel sauce on top.
Freeze for 2 hours or more.

Before you serve it, remove from the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Place the cake on a serving plate and take off the spring form side. Depending on how thick the caramel is, it will run down the sides...yummy.

Cover with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel. ENJOY! We sure did!!!

Ingredients
2 Cups mini oreos
1/2 Cup peanut butter
1/3 stick of butter, chilled
1/2 Quart of Dolce de Leche ice cream
1 Quart vanilla ice cream
30 small caramel filled chocolates
25 small peanut butter cups
Small jar of caramel sauce
Whipped Cream