Solace

Ancient Chinese Remedy -

Take one chicken soup each day for one week
May have better effect when eaten while watching
Old movie or sports game on television
Some cracker may also make more yum yum

- - -

Easing in to the mid summer days, the humidity rises, the sun blazes, the reading session at the dock moves to an earlier hour of the morning.

Soon the days will consist of the gray haze that looms over us in the dead of summer, as the grayness of winter looms in mid February. It is the anti-pole, the extreme opposite. It is the reason why some cannot abide summer in the Carolinas. I do my best to find activity that allows tolerance and brief escape. Going to an ice box theatre for a matinee. Going for a swim. Taking a nap while a fan gently whispers a cool breeze overhead.

Some of these have been blue summer days. The question of when the right job will come along. The intent to make each day meaningful and productive and not fall into a funk that debilitates the motivation of moving forward, seeking the answers and making some progress, regardless of what it is.

I planned this pleasant day to be a day in the kitchen. A day to make happiness food, comfort food. To make use of the harvest of neighbors gardens. To taste the tangy sweetness of the first locally vine ripe tomatoes. To crunch on crispy cold cucumbers. To crisp up some fried okra that was just picked yesterday.

I returned from the market to a marathon of "No Reservations" with (have I mentioned my favorite foodie?) Anthony Bourdain. Oy vey, will I get anything accomplished today? Possibly, intermittently. This is not just an indulgence, it is my geography lesson.

Shanghai, Dali Province, China. The cormorants assist the locals in fishing for their food. I wonder if the cormorants we spotted on the north shores of Lake Robinson Crusoe are trainable?

I retrieve the remains of the butterflied lemon Chicken a la Nigella Lawson that I made on Friday. Just enough to compose a chicken salad a la Annie's Natural Cafe. Olives, Nuts, Herbs. It's the Best, if I do say so. One of my most fulfilling sabbaticals was working as the salad girl at Annie's in the early '90s. The folks I met during that time are irreplaceable. It also makes me happy that the very same kitchen is now home to Giorgio at Trattoria Giorgio, where he masters the art of the finest Italian fare that I have ever sampled.

So to cure what ails me, to wrestle with my culinary muse, I will prepare the Bongo Bongo Soup of Traitor Vic's, the original version having been made with Toheroa clams from New Zealand.
Alongside the Bongo Bongo I will stir and fry a Shrimp Chow Dun, a specialty from Don the Beachcomber in Palm springs, CA. You may find these and many other exotic and fascinating recipes in "Taboo Table" by Beachbum Berry.

And while I pass the time in the solace of my own home, I travel vicariously with Tony, and Beachbum and savor the flavors of the world and the memories of meals in faraway places and what in inspiration they have been.

Tomorrow, Cold Cucumber and Yogurt soup and a new outlook.

Mid-Summer Breezes

dockside reading. water ripples. fishermen compare their catch. puffy clouds drift.

a strolling stone gathers moss for her garden.

picking berries in the early morning breeze. humidity subsides. peppers ripe add fresh hot bite to fruit salad. melon peach blueberries mint. juicy refreshment for a midsummer day.

a pre-holiday quietness hangs on the air like a silent prayer.

painting: Marshy Gracias

birds of a feather

coffee talk. scenic drive. winding roads through Carolina hills. hot summer day. tour bus unloads sight seers on to small town street. girlfriends shop for inspiration. let's do lunch.

quilt show. see Jane sew. piece work. stitch by stitch. many hands made beautiful work. little bags of fat quarters wait for hands, scissors, thread to stitch by stitch in to beautiful memories.

Channeling Hong Kong

On a recent hot June day as I took a break to cool off, have a glass of tea and watch an hour of my favorite foodie, Anthony Bourdain, we strolled the crowded alleys of the concrete jungle of Hong Kong. While he worked his way around the island, I started to reminisce about my long ago journey to that faraway place.

I pulled out my Fotomax photo albums and shortly discovered that this June marks the twenty fifth anniversary of my trip. My brother and sister in law were living there on work assignment as journalists, and my nephew had just been born. I thought it was my best first chance to travel abroad to a destination with built-in travel guides plus a chance to see baby Thomas in his first year.

I marveled at the exotic sights and sounds, aromas and largeness of the city. Viewing it from atop Victoria Peak or from a water taxi in Aberdeen boat village. Shopping in street markets, jade markets and markets filled with endless varieties of vegetable, fruit and live seafood. I sampled Peking duck, strange fruits and pungent, smelly fruits. I gazed at the rows and rows of roasted ducks hanging in shop windows, rode on the Star Ferry and in the zippy red and black taxis that zoomed at lightning speed on the freeways and through the alleys.

One of my most favorite dining experiences was the Dim Sum Restaurant. A cavernous room full of people talking loudly and trolleys careening through narrow aisles piled high with bamboo baskets filled with many savoury dumpling delights, including anything from meat, seafood or mixtures of mushrooms, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts and preserved egg yolks, or flaky dough filled with fruit fillings to make you smile.

I took a short trip to the mainland, learned to use my chopsticks, and happily snapped photos to help me remember it all. Twenty five years later, I'm glad I did.

rain, rain

painting: Moody Marsh

every day rain. thunder. wind. afternoon at the cove. two blue herons skim low over the water. drawings on paper. wax softens in the hot sun. Inez wades and wanders and soaks in her summer afternoon in the refreshing waters. rain falls. water surrounds us. garden grows by leaps and bounds. there will be food for all.

Great Escape

Flaky, warm croissant with creamy French brie. Fresh fruit with herbs and nuts and spicy peanut sauce left from last evening's tropical feast, and a cup of steamy French Roast with a splash of cream. When I asked my friends to bring a surprise, imagine my delight in receiving the July '09 issue of Vanity Fair, cover story, Johnny Depp! After a late night, a late sleep and awakening to a beautiful crisp summer morning, I wielded my 'zine, my coffee and my brunch to the tiki bar, the happy place of our evening before.

Saturday night was our summer break-out to share a fruitful feast and tunes and libations with dear ones. While many of our friends spent the evening celebrating the Floridian Hukilau, we made our own more intimate version with loved ones.

In Douglas Brinkley's account of his voyage with Johnny, he wrote that they talked of "the need for escapism in a world gone wrong." Reading about their visit seemed as if they would fit right in to our niche in a heartbeat.

We can hope that in sharing our talents and creative passions with those we love, it will continue to lead us to a place where our labors make our lives richer. We escaped for one night to the candlelight and colorful lights of the tiki deck and left our worries behind. We told stories and listened to endless background music, and as everyone left, they smiled.

And so I ask myself, what would Johnny do?

Ceremony

Orbs of orange, white and bright yellow. Paper parasols. Marigolds. rose petals. Special words to express love, commitment, thanks, union.
A gentle breeze blows over the early summer afternoon, white chairs on lawn overlook a pond surrounded by laurel blossoms and towering trees.
Food prepared from the heart for friends and family from far and wide, shrimp, corn, sausages.
Toasts to the future.
A meld of cultural blend to tie the knot of a new life together.
Congratulations Chad and Melissa and thank you for letting us be a part of your lovely day.

***
A new day. Bleak news. Wheels collide. An old friend of many. A kind heart. A true saint. A man who kissed middle age goodbye and changed lives. Friends traveled across the continent to share their love and their stories of one special person who smiled and joked and hugged and laughed and loved life and his friends and family. Reflections of the past.
We will all miss you Joe.