#836 Music List

Angela asked about my iPod music list. I have 1200+ recordings in the computer in iTunes.  Many of those are on the iPod and 160 are on the iPhone.

Here is a break-down of classifications:

• Genre - 33 From Alternative to World
• Artists - 164 From Alex Skolnick Trio to Zap Mama
• Albums - 18 From The Band: Greatest Hits to 20th Century Masters.
• Some of the albums have only one song. That was all I was interested in.

Favorite Albums (in alphabetical order):

• Avenues of Love - Marilyn Scott
• Bering Strait - Bering Strait
• The Best of Creedence Clearwater Revival - CCR
• The Best of Willie Nelson - Willie Nelson
• Bluebird's Best: Cool Imagination - Paul Desmond
• Blues on Bach - Modern Jazz Quartet
• Bridge Over Troubled Waters - Paul Desmond
• Bud Powell in Paris - Bud Powell
• Canciones de Llama - Tony Lasley
• Clapton Chronicles: The Best of Eric Clapton - Eric Clapton
• Come Away With Me - Norah Jones
• Crossroads 2 - Eric Clapton
• The Dance  - Fleetwood Mac
• Dances, Prayers, & Meditation - Nestor Torres
• DueSOUTH Themes - Various artists
• Feels Like Home - Norah Jones
• Feng Shui: Living in Natural Harmony - Solitudes: Exploring Nature with Music
• Genius Loves Company - Ray Charles and various artists
• The Girl in the Other Room - Diana Krall
• James Taylor's Greatest Hits - James Taylor
• Jazz for a Rainy Afternoon - Various Artists
• Jazz for the Quiet Times - Various Artists
• Leonard Cohen Live at The Isle of Wight 1970 - Leonard Cohen
• Let it Be... Naked - The Beatles
• Live in Paris - Diana Krall
• Live in Stockholm - The Real Group
• Love Scenes - Diana Krall
• Music for Relaxation - Jim Oliver
• Nickel Creek - Nickel Creek
• Nightcap - Marilyn Scott
• Not Too Late - Norah Jones
• Panorama: The Best of Craig Chaquico - Craig Chaquico
• Road Tested (discs 1 & 2) - Bonnie Raitt
• Santanna, The Many Sides of Santanna - Santanna
• Seven - Zap Mama
• Snowfall on the Sahara - Natalie Cole
• Stoned - Lewis Taylor
• Thelonius Monk Standards - Thelonius Monk
• This Side of Paradise - Nestor Torres
• Time Signature: A Career Perspective - 1 - Dave Brubeck
• Time Signature: A Career Perspective - 2 - Dave Brubeck
• Time Signature: A Career Perspective - 3 - Dave Brubeck
• Time Signature: A Career Perspective - 4 - Dave Brubeck
• Transformation - Alex Skolnick Trio
• Unreal - The Real Group
• The Very Best of the Doors - The Doors
• Wires and Wood - The Johnny Staats Project
• 65th Birthday Celebration: Live at the Blue Note In New York - Herbie Mann

Those are just the albums that I like.  There are a number of singles from various artists that  I also enjoy hearing.

#836

#745 The Whispers of Wisdom

I received a framed copy of the following when I finally decided to turn in my key and take an extended break from teaching. I must admit it brings a lump to the throat and tear to the eye. Thanks Rod and Jackie. You are the best.

For our friend, Jack Kochenour

To the past ….

Thank you for your soldiers, your poets, philosophers, and scholars.  Thank you for great civilizations, for legendary accomplishments, and timeless moments known only to those who chose to receive them.  Their ancient torches shine brightly today in the hands of the few who seek the fire of vision, and heed the whispers of wisdom.

To the present ….

Thank you for one such man.  A friend, a teacher, a visionary.  A man who serves with compassion and reminds us all daily to find and share the love in our hearts.  Now, as he closes the door to his classroom, it is with sadness that we say it won’t be the same without him.  Yet, it is with gratitude and certainty that we say we will all be better because of him.

To the future ….

The wisdom of our present is the wisdom of your past.  Carry the torch.  Keep it bright.  And when the crisp air of morning or the calming breeze of evening time, sends forward the whispers of wisdom ….. listen.  You will hear his voice among them, and you will know that he is our trusted mentor and friend.

Written by Rod McIntyre

Presented by Rod McIntyre and Jackie Hovey,

On behalf of the Kansas Association of REALTORS®

#745

#665 2010 Contract

Thanks, Nancy, L.

After serious & cautious consideration your contract of friendship has been renewed for the New Year 2010

It was a very hard decision to make, so try not to screw it up!

My Wish for You in 2010:
May peace break into your home and may thieves come to steal your debts.

May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills.

May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips!

May happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy

May the problems you had, forget your home address!

In simple words;
May 2010 be the best year of your life!!!

Merry Christmas

and a Happy,

Healthy, Prosperous

New Year!!!

I really like this one and you are welcome to a Lifetime Membership if you like.

#665

#661 Baked Garlic Anyone?

Today was the day to get together with Ted and Priscilla again. Ted has had a desire to learn how to roast garlic. Apparently he has had a garlic roasting dish for some time and has not been ready to use it. Well, today was the day. As you might remember from the Boeuf Bourguignonne posting, we like to get together and cook things. The fellowship, wine and food make for a marvelous time. Today was no exception as you can see.

The photo on the left is the preparation prior baking. The photo on the right is the test to see if the garlic bulbs are ready for consumption. They are.

Don't they look delicious? We had warm multi-grain bread on which we spread some cream cheese and then the garlic.













As you can see there is not much left. We also had some cheese and crackers. Ted and I had a little ice cream with chocolate syrup. He does whip up a tasty sundae.

#661

#659 Grilled Cheese Sandwich

The other day you learned about Pepperoni Pizza bread. I mentioned then that it made great grilled cheese sandwiches. Well, here is the evidence of how the sandwich is made. We really did enjoy them for lunch today.






















#659

#658 Peppperoni Pizza Loaf

It's that time of year again. We currently have about 1.5 inches of snow on the ground with a promise of a few more inches. I'm not complaining.

Around this time of year we begin to think of some unique gifts for friends. On occasion we give bread. If you enjoy grilled cheese sandwiches, you will love this recipe. (Yes, it is included at the bottom. Enjoy.)

Sunday and Monday we spent a good portion of the days baking bread. Two loaves on Sunday and three on Monday. Maryann is a great Sous Chef when I bake this loaf. It is one of her favorites. When you check the recipe you will find the requirement to chop pepperoni and green peppers.

I use a bread machine to mix my dough, no purist here. chuckle. This year I used the 1.5 pound recipe and baked them in a 1 pound pan. The steps are to mix the dough, turn it out onto a marble board, punch it down and put in the pan to rise. It is in the machine for almost an hour and a half, then under warm lights for another hour. I bake it in the oven for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. (preheat the oven.) After that, it has to cool on the rack. Next each loaf is put into a separate plastic bag and frozen until it is ready to wrap as a gift.

This year we decided to bake one loaf in the machine just to see how it would turn out. Photos of the various steps are shown below.

Rising.

Baked in the oven

Baked and cooling

Two ways to bake


Bagged and ready for the freezer.

Recipe:

PEPPERONI PIZZA LOAF

2 pound

1 cup water
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ cup finely chopped pepperoni (use slices and finely chop them)
1/3 cup finely chopped green pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil or cooking oil (I use extra virgin olive oil)
2 tomato paste (You can get this in a tube at Hen House)
4 cups bread flour
1/3 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
1 1/4 teaspoon bread machine yeast

Add ingredients according to the manufacturer’s directions. Use the bread dough cycle. Knead the dough 5 or 6 times. Let the dough rise for an hour. (You can divide the dough in half and put it in to two 1# bread pans.) Bake at 375º for 30 minutes. Cool. Slice. Enjoy.

The Complete Guide to Bread Machine Baking. Better Homes and Gardens, 1999. Page 51.


#658

#657 Boeuf Bourguignonne

It all began shortly after the release of the film Julie & Julia. (We haven't seen the film yet, but it is on our Netflix queue.) Maryann became intrigued with the premise of the film and the recipes. The Sep 30, 2009 edition of Wine Spectator had a section devoted to Julia Child's life & legacy. Thomas Keller was among the chefs who published his version of the recipe of Julia's. (You can find the complete, detailed and very long recipe on page 64.) She decided that it might be fun to try making it. We mentioned it to our friends, Ted and Priscilla. Ted, who is the primary cook in their family, was intrigued and wanted to be included.

It took a while to set a date, but we managed to do that. The meal was to be served on Sep 22nd. However, the preceding Friday we got together to begin preparation. The first part required preparing a reduction in which the meat would "repose" for a couple of days. The following photos were taken on Sunday as we prepared the final steps and then enjoyed. The St. Auguste wine was consumed with the meal. We used a different Buordeaux to cook the beef. Ted's pumpkin cheesecake was absolutely wonderful.

We were invited to share Thanksgiving dinner with Lily, Dick and some friends of theirs. We were asked to bring some pies and bread. Maryann bakes terrific pies. They are displayed in the slides below.

The meal was scrumptious and the friendship delightful. We'll certainly have to do these things more frequently.


#657

#646 Vintage Homes of New Bern, NC

While on our visit on the East Coast we visited friends in New Bern. John and Elizabeth were eager to show us the town and these homes. They are quite beautiful. I couldn't resist the opportunity to take some pics. New Bern, NC is a lovely old town.




#646

#637 Stage Seven - Tour of Missouri

We have been bike racing fans ever since we got interested in the Tour de France a number of years ago. We try to watch that race every year. We were in Paris when Lance won his fourth tour. We've been fans ever since then.

This year there were a number of the big name racers who came to participate in the Tour of Missouri. Dave Zabriske, Leo Leipheimer, George Hincapie just to name a few. We just couldn't pass up the opportunity to be there. (Our local channel 9 gave this report.)

Ted and Priscilla agreed to join us. We always have a good time with them. A picnic lunch, a shady spot, a great view of a great event, with great friends are all that is needed for a fun afternoon.


We found the perfect spot to watch with a minimum crowd. These photos show how the race progressed. I don't know how those guys do it. It takes a lot of practice and a good bike.





#637

#624 It was a fun-filled very busy week

The week of July 20 was quite a week for Maryann and me. We (she) has been planning for it for some time. In fact, ever since we worked on the narration for the Leavenworth Trolley tour. Twenty plus folks were invited to participate in a special day that began with the trolley tour, followed by a luncheon and culminated in a guided tour of the C. W. Parker Carousel Museum.

Before that, other fun things occurred. On the 21st, Gail, the flower girl at our wedding arrived for a week long visit. On the 23rd, Jerry and Shirley drove up from their home in Texas to take part in the festivities. We have known them for a long time. Jerry and I served together at Ft. Hood back in the mid-60's. We also lived next door to each other at Ft. Leavenworth. They are really good friends. We get to spend time with each year at the annual Retired MP Officers Reunion.

Now for some discussion of the following photos.

One of Maryann's favorite breakfast recipes is the one for German Pancakes. Gail, Jerry and Shirley just love them. I must admit I think they are scrumptious too.

Neither Gail nor Jerry and Shirley had seen the Buffalo Soldiers Monument on Ft. Leavenworth. It commemorates the service of Negro soldiers during the Westward expansion of the US.
















No visit to the Kansas City area is complete without a visit to the Liberty Memorial and the World War I museum. The Liberty Memorial tower is a great place to get some fantastic photos. Here you can see Union Station and the KC skyline. The first photo of Union Station is taken from the foot of the tower.
















The trolley ride went over quite well. The narration was well received and the comments added by our driver, Bill, were greatly appreciated.

The tour occurs every Saturday morning at 11:00 AM. There is a slight fee. The tour takes about an hour and is quite interesting.

It took us a couple of months to do the research and write and record the narration.



June, from June's Cottage catered our luncheon. It was very good. She not only operates the cafe but has antiques for sale.




After lunch we were taken on a guided tour of the C. W. Parker Carousel Museum. There are three carousels in the museum. Two are refurbished. One is an old, wooden and hand cranked.

There are also examples of a variety of horses and artifacts on display. They are in various conditions. Some are still works in progress. There are volunteer woodworkers who spend time on the repairs.

The final activity is a ride on a 1913, original Parker Carousel. It is quite a treat guaranteed to bring out your inner child.











We strongly urge others to make the trek and take the tour.

#624