Category Archives: Leisure Moments

Chilly and Chili……

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A team in the previous Homestead Chamber of Commerce Chili Cook-off and Outhouse Race.

A team in the previous Homestead Chamber of Commerce Chili Cook-off and Outhouse Race.

Yes, those in cold climates are welcome to start chuckling whenever you wish as we fuss about temperatures plummeting into the low sixties. The cold front that wreaked havoc to the north is blowing in and while definitely milder than what it was, is bringing us lowered temperatures, wind, and apparently rain tomorrow. With our usually sunny, warm weather, all winter long we have many different festivals and events planned for each weekend and today is no exception. There are at least six here or in the nearby area. One of them is the 19th Annual Chili Cook-off and Outhouse Race which I realize is not your usual combination. It’s sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and as you can imagine, this is not on the  professional competition circuit. It is a local one though with plaques going to both the chili and outhouse race winner and placers. The outhouses, by the way, have to be pushed as a means of conveyance. Teams can be really creative with some of their design and construction. It’s basically the same as a “bed race” for a frame of reference. The origin of “outhouse” versus “bed” is a bit muddled though.

Anyway, this year there is also a business expo and I’m going to have a booth as much to promote the March 13th Book-give-away and the pending release of Small Town Lies as to try and sell books. After all, this is not the sort of event that people attend thinking, “Gee, maybe there will be some good books to buy today.” With the high temperature of only 70, that means you’ll find us bundled in sweaters and jackets for at least the morning. Since it is outside all day long, we are now also the owners of a 10 x 10 canopy that allegedly will go up with no assembly and no tools. My husband, wonderfully supportive as always, will no doubt bring his tool box, and a roll of duct tape, however, to be on the safe side.

So, have a wonderful weekend whatever it is that you have planned, and if you’re in the Homestead area, come on down to Harris Field for the Chili Cook-off and Outhouse Race.

Chili Competitors (Images from Chamber of Commerce.)

Chili Competitors (Images from Chamber of Commerce.)

Special March Event……

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 Cover Orchids 300 (480x640)My first novel, Orchids in the Snow, will always have a special place in my heart. For those who have read it, bear with me for a moment. The book, set at Barksdale Air Forces Base in the early 1980s, centers around Air Force wife and mother Andrea Randall as she faces a year alone when her husband takes a remote assignment. Their son is a B-52 pilot like his father and their daughter is a freshman at college. The potentially boring year takes an unexpected turn as Andrea becomes socially involved with a group of younger officers and a newly arrived Air Force civilian divorcee. Like their son, these women and men are in an Air Force that is changing and as the year progresses, Andrea begins to reflect on the unwritten rules she has always accepted without question.  Orchids in the Snow is indeed, “A book for any woman who has ever wondered if she has made the right choices for her life.”

Orchids is no longer in publication, nor is it in e-book, but I have copies that I have been looking to give to women who have an association with the military (family member, veteran, or civilian employee) and I simply haven’t been able to make the timing work. So I decided to stage a special event in Homestead to make it happen. http://charliehudson.net/military-tribute-event.html

On Wednesday, March 13, 2013 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. I will be at the Town Hall Museum in Homestead (41 N. Krome Ave) and I am inviting women to join me to get a free autographed copy of Orchids. The offer is for any woman with any association with the military – wife, “military brat”, veteran, etc., What I would really like to see is women make an afternoon of it and have lunch somewhere in Homestead (maybe near the musuem) and then come get a book, or come later to get a book and then go for coffee/Happy Hour. Make it an all-museum afternoon and stop by the Pioneer Museum on Krome Avenue in Florida City.

Now yes, I know many women work in structured jobs and can’t do this, but I’ll find another venue to take care of them.

Brown Pelicans….

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Pelican4Okay, I am a sucker for brown pelicans. I’ve loved them ever since we had the beach house in Nags Head. I know I’d seen them prior to that, but it was walking along those beaches, sitting on the deck, or dining at one of the waterfront restaurants on the Outer Banks when I really came to admire them. Interestingly, you don’t see brown pelicans in the Pacific and when I inquired about this to a biologist who was guiding a tour of some small island, he said that despite their beauty in soaring, they aren’t long distance fliers. Therefore, as populous as they may be along the Southeast Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean, you don’t find them in the Pacific. Now, that was some time ago and considering the globalization of so many other things, perhaps that, too, has changed.

Anyway, we’ve seen a significant increase of brown pelicans in Key Largo and while I’m not certain of the reason, I am glad about it. Unlike the larger white pelican of my home state of Louisiana, the brown pelican is a bit smaller and I think more graceful. Watching them fly in formation is another enjoyable sight and when one of them goes into a dive, you simply have to stop whatever you’re doing and watch. On a few occasions, we’ve seen a flock working a school of fish and that’s definitely a sight. Imagine a V of brown pelicans cruising along for a distance, then one or two dives from the formation into the water, then up and more dive down in a constant up-and-down motion until the flock, and presumedly the school of fish, moves beyond vision. Naturally I had to put them into Irises to Ashes and any other book where they fit. I do hope that our increased population is not temporary, but if so, then I will enjoy them for as long as I can.

Brown Pelicans at Big Chill in Key Largo

Brown Pelicans at Big Chill in Key Largo

The Household Sports Trough……

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This is not an issue for me, but is written in sympathy for my husband. Other than for March Madness, he is not a basketball fan, doesn’t care for hockey, soccer, or golf. With the Superbowl over and NASCAR almost two weeks away, we now officially enter the annual sports trough between the two sports. It may be that the Rolex car series has started again and perhaps Indy, but I don’t think so. It isn’t that my husband has to have sports, more that it’s disconcerting for him to not have the weekend ritual of watching. He does follow a number of drivers and racing personalities on Twitter and therefore gets updates about important news.

I’m a little unclear about this although I guess NASCAR has a “new car” coming out this season that is supposed to have a potential impact and that has created a fair amount of chatter. I gather that will provide discussion for shows leading up to Daytona when the new car will be unveiled. And yes, if I have this completely muddled, all ardent NASCAR fans may correct me. I do, understand, however, that the Daytona 500 which is the first race of the season doesn’t occur until 24 February, but there are all sorts of other NASCAR events that lead up to that. It’s basically the same thing as all the coverage leading up to the Superbowl.

This coming weekend will be quite busy for us though as we pop over to St Petersburg for a combination business and pleasure trip. That should provide entertainment and will carry us through the “trough”. By the way, my sympathies if I have any die-hard San Francisco 49ers fans among my readers.

Venturing Into Quilting, Sort Of…..

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Cover Small Tonw LiesIf you have visited my website (www.charliehudson.net) in the past week then you already know that Small Town Lies, the first book in the new series, The Helen Crowder Adventures, will be released this spring. Helen Crowder has been born and raised in the small town of Wallington, Georgia and she is an avid quilter. While anyone can enjoy the book/books, they will hold special meaning for anyone who has ever lived in a small town. The series is a part of the American Quilter’s Society (AQS) line of fiction and this is where it gets interesting. This is also what I was referring to in my previous post of Quilting as a Craft.

Although I am not a quilter, I do have an abiding love of quilts and admiration for those who quilt. The manner in which I became involved in this project is somewhat different than my others. AQS put out a call for authors and I was intrigued with the idea. I was very upfront though about my lack of actual quilting experience and when I received the “green light”, I immediately sought out the group of ladies that I was told meet for quilting at the local Community Center on Tuesdays. Actuallly, there is a group on Tuesday and another on Thursday. Anyway, I ventured into the room and explained my situation. They could not have been more generous with me. They suggested I return the following Tuesday so they could bring a number of samples to show me some of the many variations in the world of quilting. I did so and it was a delightfully informative evening. We met another time after that and I will be dropping by this coming Tuesday to let them know that Small Town Lies is available for pre-order and of course, I could not have done it without them.

Later this month I will be traveling to Largo, Florida for a luncheon and auction with a lot of quilters and I have no doubt that, too, will be an adventure for me. I’m having a wonderful time creating Wallington and the residents, and I am gaining an even greater appreciation for quilting. Here is a big thanks to those who have already embraced the craft.

Loving History……

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As always when speaking with her, I had a wonderful converstion with Dr. Sally Bauer the other day – a conversation that will be the subject of another post, but in the course of the discussion was the comment about a love of history. This was not the love of history in general, since that is a different subject. We were discussing taking a particular topic that you are interested in – the history of diving in this case – and devoting a great deal of time to seeking out as many levels of the history as you can. Reading or collecting the authoritative books or articles, sure, but it’s beyond that. The vast capabilities of the internet have become an amazing resource of course, yet there is still the search through archives and little known sources. The rummaging around in old bookstores, antique stores, garage sales, small museums that may be either specifically about your topic or related to it. It’s learning what to look for in references that can lead you to other information.

A few years ago, when I was coping with estate issues from my first husband’s mother, (discussed in Your Room at the End) a gentleman came to the estate sale and purchased one of the more expensive items that had belonged to her husband. He also inquired as to if I had certain items from WW II. I thought I did, but couldn’t find them because the woman handling (or sloppily handling as it turned out) the sale had them. She brought them around the next day and I contacted the gentleman to see if it was what he was looking for. It was, and my curiosity was aroused since I didn’t know his name as a friend of the family. In acutality, he’d never met the family, but my father-in-law’s father had been well known in the martime community as was my father-in-law and this gentleman had become intrigued with that aspect of their lives. It was obvious that his interest was genuine and so I let him look at boxes of family history that I had held back, knowing we did not need all of it, but neither did I wish these items to be bought as “old junk”. It was the proverbial win-win. The gentleman was able to obtain some things he would not have otherwise, and I learned about an aspect of my father-in-law’s family that I had been only partially familiar with.

The point to that rather rambling personel anecdote is that people can become intrigued with well-established history or less documented people, events, regions, periods, things,etc., History of all sorts can be a great hobby that can stay with you for a lifetime of enjoyment.

Contemplating Superbowl Menu……

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My husband’s chili is the Superbowl stand-by, although we do try and go for regionally appropriate fare. I mean, when it was the New Orleans Saints, how can you not have gumbo? With Baltimore and San Francisco in, it raises some questions. We’re not going to have Cheasapeake Bay crabs flown in, but crab cakes are easy enough to do. Sour dough bread is a given – it’s after that where we need to decide.

My husband does love a good cioppino which is the San Francisco equivalent to the spicy fish stew that we often make and that may well be the route that we take. We tend not to invite a crowd for the game, more like one or two other couples. I guess I should go look for Anchor Steam beer, too – at least I think that’s a San Francisco brewery. Back to the food, however. Tri-tip steak is another California thing, although I’m not sure you can even get that cut around here. There were several places around Baltimore who claimed to have great fried chicken and while it was in fact excellant chicken, I simply cannot accept that as a signature dish. Our respective Louisiana and Georgia ancestry would collectively turn in their graves over that one. So, okay, folks – I’m up for suggestions at this point.

 

New Year’s Eve Menu……

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A number of years ago we decided that being out and about on New Year’s Eve more than about three miles from home was not a good idea unless it was one of those hotel package arrangements. So, we began to declare New Year’s Eve dinner as something special where we would do complicted dishes with multiple steps or that have a “wow” factor. We usually invite one or two other couples who live close by – preferably those who can walk over or have to drive less than three miles. Most of our dinners have worked out well although there was one terrible situation where the small veal roast we got was simply not the quality we expected and oh yes, there was one other time that was okay, but nothing to brag about.

This year we will have eight since our son and daughter-in-law will be here and that maxes us out for matching place settings. Anyway, after much discussion (as we always do), it will be a roasted crown of pork that will then be cut into individual chops, a mashed potato casserole that works well with a crowd, a beautiful salad, and whole petite green beans with sundried tomatoes. Oh yes, I’m tentatively planning a nice cream peppercorn sauce as well, although that might change to something less spicy. Hors d’oeuvres will be on the seafood side with smoked baby clams, chilled spiced shrimp and bite-size crabcakes. Dessert – now dessert is a different story. It isn’t really my thing and while we have made some nice ones, I think I’ll send “the kids” to pick something out instead.

On a closing note, the crown pork is also not a dish I excel in and husband has agreed that he will not work  that afternoon. Just as when we served the standing rib roast two years ago, the main dish will be his domain.

 

Breakfast Before Sunrise…..

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Sunrise Over Galveston Bay

I’ve written before about being a morning person and the fact that my husband isn’t, but we have a rythym worked out. My sister, on the other hand, is also a morning person and so on Sunday when we were in Galveston and both awake at 4:45 a.m., it made sense to get up. The IHOP on Seawall Boulevard is open 24 hours a day and it was an easy walk from the Holiday Inn. It also wasn’t what one would call crowded at the time we arrived and we sat by the window where we could gauge the sunrise.

Parts of the sky were turning pink when we finished and we went across the street as we had the evening before, but for the sunrise instead of the sunset. There were actually a number of joggers and dog walkers out and it was a beautiful sight as the pink-gold sun seemed to emerge from the bay.

We set back out for Houston and took a different route, stopping in a small seaside theme park at Kemah. It’s an old boardwalk design mixed with a couple of large restaurants and some nice rides all at the edge of the water, and then a number of cute shops on the approach to the water. There was a Starbucks of course and we sipped and strolled, watching brown pelicans, seagulls, and other birds along the shore.

One more stop at a Marshall’s for a little shopping, then back to the house to get caught up on email and then lazed away the afternoon watching “War Horse” and a couple of episodes of “Without a Trace”. Dinner was at a Saltgrass Steakhouse, a chain that we all enjoy. It’s good food in an utterly Texas ambience and they serve a delicious beer bread. We topped the evening off with watching the original “Miracle on 34th Street”. That was hardly my brother-in-law’s choice when he came downstairs to see what we were up to, but he indulged us knowing that we early birds would go to bed soon and he could switch to whatever he wanted to.

It was a pleasant last day and we’ll see what next year brings.

Seagull on beach at Galveston Bay

 

An Afternoon of Contrasts……

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Open House Tea at the Women’s Club

Weekends here are often packed with events as well activities and it isn’t unusual to have multiple committments. Yesterday, however, was one of those days with distinct contrasts. The Women’s Club does a number of events throughout the year and yesterday was an Open House Tea that was also tied to the town’s Centennial celebration. The ladies had decorated the main room beautifully as they always do and the array of food was tempting. Christmas music played in the background and it was a couple of hours of pleasant conversation in a lovely setting.

Some of the other women had the same follow-on event that I did though as we left there. I dashed home to change clothes to head to the Rocking Rib Fest, a gathering put on to help raise funds for a local charity. There was music, but it was not Christmas and the food was of a completely different type. There was tea, although of the iced variety and the attendants’ attire, like mine, included jeans, shorts, and T-shirts rather than the two-piece hand-crocheted outfit I’d worn earlier. The beer was cold, ribs were excellant, but we didn’t linger too long since we did have to get back for the second half of the SEC Football Championship game.

Had we attended the evening Art Exhibit at Biscayne National Park, that would have been yet another change of clothes, but that was up against the ACC Championship Game, so that was a no-go. It was indeed a busy day.

One of the competitors at the Rocking Rib Fest