Flying in Hawaii with a Jet Pack-guest blog

Guest Blogger Ed Lipsman wrote today

“My flight launched from Oahu, Hawaii, North Shore location amid a calm beautiful sea, bountiful sunshine and low winds, and warm temps all of which helped with the launch.

My flight was fantastic as I always wanted to fly and being propelled into the air and over the ocean by water turbines was just a fantastic rush!”

img_2430img_2429img_2428Remember Ed Lipsman? Meet Flashes of Fire Author click for his author portrait and book link.

A Perfect Dessert

You know how I like dessert. It’s a double guest blog  today.

Necessity! I purposefully left my cell phone home so I could be present in the moment during a special luncheon Wednesday afternoon.

Steve and I were invited next door for a delicious lunch to welcome our new neighbors to the neighborhood.

Dessert was this stunning and  mouthwatering Lemon Tart from the French bakery on Butler Street in Lawrenceville  La Gourmandine

 

The first photo by Madison who said  “The simple things in life are the sweetest.”

 

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img_2377and then when my slice of the delectable tart on the beautiful blue and white china plate was set in front of me, I definitely needed another photo.  (Thank you Joaquin)

No way to adequately describe the simultaneous sweet and tart combination as it glides over your tongue.  Perfection!

 

Penny the Golden Doodle ate Charlie’s Animal Cracker During the Family Photo

It was time for Grandma  (AKA Froo Froo Ruthie) to go home.

My car was packed and I’d left Mark and Erika’s house to head to James and Laura’s house.  About a twenty minute drive. Had to drop off the cast iron griddle gift left by the couch.

Drive back to Pittsburgh.

The one thing I didn’t really do on Christmas day was take any photos. It’s hard to be a participant AND a photographer simultaneously.

It can interfere with your living in the moment and enjoying those you are surrounded by. A camera can be a barrier, a distraction, an annoyance to others- sometimes I’m unobtrusive and candid and they ignore me…..but I said to James and Laura I was leaving and the one thing I didn’t get was a family photo of them at Christmas.  And I’d really like to get one of their family I’d gotten Mark and his family on Christmas eve in the usual spot after church.

Okay, get Penny a milkbone biscuit.  And Charles got an animal cracker/cookie.

Bribery. This group family photo will just take a sec, a little tasty bribe…..  OOPS

Penny’s nose was right at the level of Charlie’s animal cracker.GULP.  One big bite for Penny. And in the second photo you can see how  Charlie felt about losing his snack.img_1488

img_1489We’ll get that family photo another visit. Thanks for letting me try.

 

When You See a Flagpole

Did you ever see a flagpole being erected? Me either.

The other day, I saw this truck at the red light-Herron Hill aand Bigelow Boulevard intersection in Pittsburgh. Got thinking what would flagpole services entail?

Installation for one. Make sure it’s stable and straight. And then there’s maintenance. I’ve seen some tall ones. Pretty much ignore that they are there.

Can’t be easy to secure a tall flagpole.  I can tell you I’ve never given flagpoles or how they came to be there,  much thought –

Until I saw the truck.  Got me thinking about flagpoles.

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Friends in Florida AND Massachusetts Bake Aunt Rhea’s Lebkuchen

Aunt Rhea’s Lebkuchen recipe  and this recipe was handed down from her mother’s father. (So from the 1800’s)

A double guest blog today!

This evening I heard from two dear friends.we met at Fort Knox, Kentucky in 1975. (Both were Army midwives -now retired, one delivered my son Mark in 1976)

Baked by Linda in Massachusetts – used light brown sugar she had on hand and it came out fine

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And this batch baked by Kristin in Florida whose husband says it tastes like his mother’s -baked in Germany

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Thanks for sharing your photos with me and all my blog followers,

Love,

Ruth

P.S.

and here is a response to the to the Annual Lebkuchen Baking post of 2016

Ruth,

My lebkuchen recipe is really a lot different….has honey and a bit of baking soda and is rolled into rectangle cookies. Then the icing has lemon juice and grated lemon peel. I think I’ll try your recipe along with mine this year. Oh, mine has chopped blanched almonds along with the chopped fruit. Different part of Germany, probably. Mine is from Bamberg and Wurzburg area. Pat Kelly

 

What is the world’s most recognizable scent?

List of the top twenty most recognizable scents

You know number one?

img_2276Zeke’s Coffee- I just wish you could smell the aroma of these freshly roasted beans.

Yep, it’s coffee!

#1 on the recognizable scent list!

What a lovely hostess gift😀