Everyday things that make me smile

Everyday things that make me smile

Seeing these blue hydrangas unexpectedly.

Laughing with someone.

Sincere compliments.

Finding money in an unexpected place,
like a pocket.

African violets blooming on my kitchen table.

An unexpected call, just to say hello, from a friend .

A thinking of you or thank you card or note from a friend.

A single, very small Reese’s peanut butter cup.

A cat that reaches out to me with her soft paw.

A great haircut.

Fresh polish on my nails.

An unhurried warm bath or shower.

Things that smell good like honeysuckle on the fence
or passing someone in a store that has a faint but pleasant smell.

A child smiling at me.

What makes you smile?

Egypt - Palace Walk - Great Story

Dear Friend,
Hope you’re enjoying reading today. I am deeply engrossed this week in a book. Sometimes I'm reading blogs on the internet or articles on something I'm interested in. This week I'm reading a story about another time and another place.
The novel Palace Walk is a slice of middle class, family life in Egypt almost a hundred years ago, near the end of World War I. The author tells us about this family’s daily activities, but also tells us of their hopes, fears, manipulations in their relationships and of their religious life. It is written from the view points of each of the family members – the father and mother and those of the three sons and two daughters. We see the way they chose to live with the feelings they have for one another, the way they cope with life's disappointments and happinesses. Being closer to the Mom’s age and female I relate to Amina the Mom most closely. What would appear to be a very harsh reality, in that this woman stays home night and day for 25 years, is softened by the fact that she appears content and even happy on a daily basis. I am only half way through the book, but can tell you that I will read the second one as soon as I finish this one. Amina experiences a huge sadness in the middle of the book. The author has done such a splendid job of describing that sadness that I have felt absolutely horrified for her. Despite the differences in their culture and ours, I see that we all share some very fundamental feelings and I can see my own family members in each of them. The youngest son’s emotions remind me so much of those of our own middle class children in America. And the daughters’ desire for marriage are no different that those of our own daughters.

The novel was written in Arabic by Naguib Mahfouz, an Egyptian man, who was born in 1911. Naguib Mahfouz began writing when he was seventeen years old. He continued to live in Cairo, Egypt where he married and raised two children. He wrote this novel and it was published in the 1950’s. He has written many other novels that were widely acclaimed in the Middle East. An English translation didn’t come about, until I think sometime around 1975. He won the Nobel prize for literature in 1988. The Cairo Trilogy which is what this book is the first book of, is considered to be his most important work. He is considered by some western book critics to be the best Middle Eastern author of the last century.

I’ve had fun with this book . Yes, it’s my book club selection – and my group is going to have our discussion Tuesday night, with a light supper of what we plan to pass off as (sort of, kind of)Egyptian (Middle Eastern) food. An original member from 1991 who no longer lives here is coming in to teach us about the modern social history of Egypt which she will do in a most entertaining manner. Today I went to the King Tut website and printed out the words sandwiches, chips, dip etc. in Egyptian Hieroglyphics. I'll put them on the table and let people figure them out. I’ve put the link to The King Tut website at the bottom of this page for you to use.

I am so grateful for Honeysuckle. While walking this morning I passed two yards with honeysuckle close enough to the street that the sweet smell was quite evident. Loved it ! I am grateful too for women’s freedoms in this country. I can’t imagine missing all the things I’ve experienced because I wasn’t allowed to leave the house.

Take care,
Maggiegladyoucame

The following link is to a weekly newspaper from Cairo Egypt called “Al-ahram.”

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2006/797/pe1.htm

The following link is to the King Tut website where you can print out the Egyptian Alphabet and even type in your name and the website will show you your name in Egyptian hieroglphics.

www.kingtut-treasures.com/ hiero.htm

Quilting for Valor website

Dear Friend,
Quilting for Valor is a website that tells us about a group of women across the country who make quilts for wounded American Soldiers. There are great quotes from the soldiers who receive them and pictures of the lovely quilts. There are also explanations of why they make quilts for soldiers in the women's own words. It is a a very thought provoking website and for me an affirmation that individuals can make a difference in a very positive way doing what they enjoy.

I feel so very fortunate to have found this website and to have had the time to spend a few minutes reading over the comments made by our wounded soldiers who have received the quilts. I have read about a woman who doesn't support this war, but quilts for the soldiers out of respect for their beliefs and actions in the name of this country. I like her way of thinking. I find it very uplifting to know that so many spend so much time doing something for people they don't know and will not receive recognition for. Good folks to say the least.

Take care,

Maggiegladyoucame

Quilts of Valor website
http://www.qovf.org/pixs.guilds.html

Quesadilla recipe

Dear Friend,
How are you? I am enjoying this hot day. Now by the middle or July or first of August I will have had it with the heat and by the time there are cool mornings in September I’ll be looking forward to a cold day. I love the change of seasons with emphasis on the word “change.”
I made quesadillas the other night for the first time. I’ve enjoy eating them out often, but with kitchen remodeling going on, I have barely cooked. Before that when I was not retired we ate out often. But this recipe is so easy I knew I could do it even with my pantry still in the old kitchen, my refrigerator in the front garage along with my dishes, and my hotplate in my husband’s workshop in the back of the house. The beauty of this recipe is that it can be customized to meet your tastes. It needs the cheese to stay together and to be a quesadilla, but all the rest is up to you. Here we go.

Quesadillas – this is a Mexican cheese sandwich. This recipe makes 3 quesadillas which feed my husband and I.

Ingredients

6 soft flour tortillas (about 7 inches across - if you use the large size then just use more stuff)
butter to sauté them in
tablespoon or so of olive oil for vegetables
grated Monterrey Jack and Cheddar Cheese ( at least a cup or cup-and-a-half)
ham, chicken, or shrimp (about 3 ounces total)
½ onion and about a ½ a bell pepper – just a few strips, flavor of your choice
Salsa or tomato as you choose

Here’s all it takes

I sautéed the finely chopped onion and slender strips of bell pepper in a skillet in the hot olive oil for just a few minutes until the onion began to look clear and the pepper was softened.
Then I removed them to a plate.
I wiped out the skillet just a little and added a small pat of butter and moved the skillet until it was just about coated with oil and butter.
Then I plopped the first tortilla in the skillet and quickly added about a third of my meat, cheese and vegetables on top of the tortilla.
I put a little spicy salsa – just a teaspoon or two in this first one.
Then I put the second tortilla on top of that mixture pressed it down with a spatula for a few seconds so that it got stuck to the cheese.
Put some small dabs of butter on top of the tortilla.
Now it’s time to flip the whole thing and cook the other side for a minutes of two. Just until it’s lightly browned and the cheese is melted.
Using my spatula, I moved it to a plate – a pretty one of course.
Then I cut it like a pie into 6 pieces. This whole process is less than 5 minutes.

Then I began again on the second one.
This one I added a slice of Deluxe American Cheese torn into small pieces to mix with the other cheeses, because I like the way it melts.

Then I made the third – reheated the first one in the microwave for 20 seconds on 80% power. And I was done with dinner. Tomato wedges go nicely with this because we love tomatoes. I could see cantaloupe in the summer or soup in the winter. If you wanted to keep the theme Mexican maybe, jicama sliced and served with fresh lime. These sandwiches are so good if you like cheese, butter and sandwiches. But a little different because there wasn’t any bread. As you can see I am into easy!

I have had these with fajita meat instead of ham or shrimp, I have had them with just a little refried beans spread on one tortilla in additon to chili. This recipe can use what you like !

Take care of you,

MaggieGladYouCame

The Photograph is borrowed from another blog and I don't know where she got it - but it is not original.

Seattle, Pike Place Market, The Museum of Flight

Dear Friend,
This is the last page of the journal about our driving trip from San Francisco to Seattle. so naturally we are in Seattle. the big spurprise for us was how much fun the Pike Place Market was. Pike Place Market has a carefree, come-have-fun atmosphere. It is an open-air celebration of fresh regional fruits and vegetables, seasonal flowers, herbs, seafood, spices, cheeses, and hand-crafted work by artisans. There are a couple of hundred shops including ones that sell imported groceries, clothing shops, jewelry shops, import shops with Russian handicrafts and of course more. When you’re hungry you can choose from fine restaurants and eateries--many with views of ferry and freighter traffic on Elliott Bay. It is an old nine-acre, multi-building community with cracked walkways and uneven cobblestone streets, the scent of lilies mingles with crabs and orange spiced teas, street musicians compete with "free sample!" vendors, and many languages can be heard from the nine million visitors who come to Pike Place Market yearly. This was a lot of fun for us – as you can tell.
We enjoyed the view of Seattle from the top of the Space Needle – about 600 feet above the city. We enjoyed the short cruise we took from the bay to Lake Union through the locks. We all found that fascinating.
Most of what we did in Seattle was exactly what the guide books talk about and we enjoyed it all. Occasionally we split up and spend a day separately on trips to accommodate our scattered interests. One day I went to the Seattle Museum of Art to see their Asian collection and my husband and son went to the Museum of Flight. We all had a good time. They dropped me at the museum and when I finished my tour, I took a cab back to the motel. I read and napped and was glad for some down time all by myself. I will tell you just a tiny bit about each, because you can read about them online and in Frommer’s and Fodor’s guide books. Your library probably has them and if not your bookstore surely does.

The museum I went to was not the Asian Art Museum at Pioneer Park but the downtown Seattle Art Museum. I didn’t have time to do both. I spent a couple of hours there looking at the Asian collection. The guys loved the Museum of Flight. I think they have something like 150 planes. That night they went to a Seattle Seahawks baseball game and I repacked the bags and got ready for the flight home. Our dog had become ill a few days before and needed our attention so we changed our plans and got the last 3 seats on the redeye flight home. I can promise you that if you get the last three seats on a full plane those seats will back up to the bulkhead and you will not be able to recline. I will also tell you that the old, golden yellow lab that hadn’t walked for four days due to her sudden illness got up and walked when she saw us. We were the medicine she needed.
I need to tell you too that these pictures today aren't mine. I got these from the www.webshots.com community photo pool. It is legal to use those photos. You can see these and hundreds more by going to that web site and doing a search for "Pike Place Market," or the "Museum of Flight" or even just "Seattle."
Have fun in Seattle and if you want to share something about Seattle that you liked, leave it in the comment area for all to read. Thanks for coming.

Take care,

Maggiegladyoucame

Good Folks and Good Reading

Dear Friend,

There is a new story about a soldier on Michael Yon's website called "A Piece of Cake." (Link to the story at the bottom of the page.) I am just delighted that I've found that website because the people that Mr. Yon chooses to focus on are the kind of people that I enjoy knowing. I believe that the people around us "rub off" on us. Who I spend my time with does make a difference in the choices I make, the way I think and in the way I feel. The young man in the story is hard working, successful in business and in life and interesting. If you have 3 or 4 minutes and want to feel good, then click on the link.

I'll be back soon and hope you will too.

Take care,

Maggiegladyoucame



http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/a-piece-of-cake.htm

Columbia River area; Multnomah Falls; Astoria Oregon

Dear Friend,

On this drive from San Francisco to Seattle that I have been writing about we spent a night in Astoria, Oregon and this was the first time on this trip that we encountered the fog that I had hoped to see. As you can see it made for some beautiful landscapes.

We walked on the beach at Fort Stevens State Park at Astoria, and I believe the shipwreck on the beach was the Peter Iredale. There are other wrecked ships on the beaches in this area.

We were spending the night at Astoria in order to have some time to explore the Columbia River area. To get to Astoria we turned off the coast highway at I-85 at the border of Oregon and Washington states. We took the picture at the bottom of the page at Multnomah Falls. The site was even prettier in person than in the picture. Multnomah Falls is over 600 feet tall in two tiers and more impressive when you can hear the water. Didn’t I get a great Christmas card shot! There are signs on the highway that direct you to Multnomah Falls. It is located approximately twenty to thirty miles east of Portland on I-84 (watch for the signs - it's well marked). There is more than one way to get there from Portland. We came from the west on the Scenic Loop Drive exiting at Troutdale. This drive is along the river and supposed to be the prettiest approach. Multnomah Falls is the second tallest year-round waterfall in the United States. While at its best during winter and spring I’m told, this magnificent sight is spectacular to see any time of year. We were there in the summer.

The Columbia river is huge. It has several dams and locks on it. Back in California when we were passing through the redwood area we passed a saw mill that allows visitors and because this trip was about being spontaneous and relaxing, we stopped and went through. The lumber company was the Pacific Lumber Company in Scotia, California. My husband and son both found it interesting. It didn’t take long. Now, what the Columbia river had was a dam that could be toured – so we took the tour. The Multnomah Falls are in a National Scenic View area. There is an information center by the falls and that’s where we learned of the dam that could be toured. I think the dam was the Bonneville Dam – but really am not sure. It didn’t take more than an hour and a half by the time we drove up the river to the dam and went on the tour. My husband and son found that interesting too. By the way there are many other waterfalls in the area that aren’t difficult to get to, and had we had more time, we would have visited others. You can walk to the top of Multnomah for a gorgeous view which we didn’t have time to do either. Perhaps, we will have to go back.

I hope your health is good today, that you are blessed with sunshine or rain as you need it, and that you have things in your life you enjoy remembering.

Take care,

Maggiegladyoucame

Oregon Coast, Benettis' in Coos Bay, Oregon Coast Aquarium

Dear Friend,
Hi ! If you decide to drive the coast of northern California and Oregon, make sure and be in Coos Bay, Oregon at lunch or supper time. There is a little restaurant on Broadway across from the water in Coos Bay that is one of the best Italian restaurants we've eaten in - in the USA. They probably make many excellent dishes but there was a soup, a house specialty, that was just wonderful. We've eaten in Italian restaurants from San Francisco to Boston and this was one of the best. Just order the soup that everyone else is having. The name of the restaurant was Benetti's and their website is at the bottom of this page. My husband loves to try small, family owned and run restaurants when we are traveling. Sometimes they are real winners as this one was.
We spent the fourth night of our driving trip in Coos Bay because that is where we were when we got tired of being in that car. I didn't realize that there was a large port between San Francisco and Seattle, but Coos Bay is a very active, deep water port. There is a boardwalk (no shops) along the water that we strolled after dinner.
I had always heard of the rocky and beautiful Oregon coast. But for me the coast of California was the prettiest. If I had to shorten this trip, California would be the portion I would take. We saw wild life in Oregon like the sea otter floating on his back in the picture at the top of the page that I took at the Oregon Aquarium. (That's in Newport, Oregon - link at the bottom of the page.) But on the whole, the coast of California was more dramatic and there were fewer touristy enterprises on the California coast. In California we visited a sawmill near the Redwood forests and enjoyed the natural beauty. In Oregon I enjoyed the Aquarium - the birds there were my favorite part - the puffins and the Courmorants. Of course the best coastal vacation if you have the time is do just what we did - start in San Francisco and drive to Seattle. It's somewhere around 1400 miles, but when done over 5 or 6 days with lots of stops to walk in a forest or visit an aquarium or to eat a delightful meal, well, it's a real pleasure.
We finally got a foggy day - up by Astoria, Oregon. It was only foggy two days but we loved them. More on that later.
.
This series of letters - that's how I think of this blog - is something that I am enjoying immensely. It's very time consuming but I'm rekindling memories and enjoying my photographs. I hope it's interesting to you and maybe brings back some memories of a good time you'd not thought about for a while.

Take care,

MaggieGladYouCame

This link is to Benettis' Italian Restaurant in Coos Bay, Oregon.

http://www.benettis.com/

This link is to the Oregon Coast Aquarium

http://www.aquarium.org/

The Mendocino, California Coast area

Dear Friend,

Mendocino, California is a tiny town for relaxing. It is just a few hours north of San Francisco, depending on what highways you take, the time of the year(July of course has much more traffic than say, April) and the day of the week. We were on a road trip up Highway 1 from San Francisco when we passed a fascinating looking brown, Craftsman style wooden building identified as The Harbor Inn that seemed very close to the shore. I couldn't see the ocean from where I was. I asked my husband to back up – he had already hit the brakes – so that I could get a better look. Then we decided to park and go in. It was mid morning – not the time of day when we are usually looking for a place to stay – but we wanted to see it for future reference.

What we found, just north of Elk, California and about a dozen miles or so south of Mendocino, was one of the prettiest views of the ocean from high up on a cliff I’ve ever seen. While I have not stayed at this one, I am looking forward to that event. The pictures in this letter are ones I took when we were there exploring. They were very nice to let us look. I will post their website at the bottom of this page so that you can see their advertising. I will tell you that in addition to the view being spectacular, the garden in the backyard was lovely, there is a steep and narrow path down the side of the cliff to a small beach, and the dining room is in a glassed-in room on the ocean side of the main house with a view of the ocean. According to their ad, their wine cellar is a celebrated one and the room rates include a four course dinner and a full breakfast for two people. Hope you enjoy these pictures.

There are many other B & B's or Inn's in the area and they are probably lovely too. Some look like they have larger rooms or even suites, but the view at this one is just gorgeous and the ambiance is charming. This one is small, has no tv's or phones in the rooms, no cell phone service according to their website. It's just a quiet place to read or talk or walk, Maybe a quiet place to write. There are hiking trails nearby and fishing and kayaking very close too. Mendocino for lunch would make a lovely diversion from this quiet place. I think they have space between the house and the four cottages for about 10 people maximum. I have read that the rooms got a redo in about 2004.

Take care,

MaggieGladYouCame

The following website is the Inn's website. Don't for get to click on activities to see what is going on in the area.

http://www.theharborhouseinn.com/index2.html

Sonoma Valley and a California coastal drive

Dear Friend,
Naturally and dramatically, beautiful is how I’d describe the coast of California north of San Francisco and the Oregon coast. We’ve gone to the Northwest about 5 or 6 times, to different areas and for different reasons each time. California is a huge state with so much to see that we aren’t through spending time there yet. Oregon was lovely and we’ve been back to Washington state once since our first visit to Seattle.
The Sonoma Valley was a detour on our coastal drive to Seattle from San Francisco over several days and it is what I want to start with because that was day one of this particular trip. This trip was mostly a driving trip along the coast. My husband and I and our grown son made this trip as he wasn’t married yet. We left San Francisco midmorning in a rental car. Despite having read a guide book about the area, we all felt like leisurely meandering, and just poking our noses in those things that looked interesting, so we did. We followed the map and the signs to the tiny town of Sonoma, California. We arrived about lunch time and after walking around the town square or plaza and browsing in the shops we found a little Italian restaurant and had lunch. Then we toured the Sebastiani winery which is right there in town.
We drove slightly east of Sonoma and stumbled into the Buena Vista Winery (That's the front door of the visitor center on the left.) which unfortunately was closed. It’s one of the oldest wineries in California dating from about 1857. Then when driving down country roads back towards Highway 1(the coastal highway) we saw a little sign that said “winery” and when we turned off to the direction the sign pointed this is what we found. (See picture to the right.)
It is a small boutique winery selling all of it’s product to people who live in California - I don't think they advertise. The owner was very interesting to talk with and we sampled a couple of his excellent wines. I believe the architecture is Russian. There is a Russian Wine Road in the area. There are other examples of Russian architecture in the area as well. Then back to Highway1 and we drove north. We spent that first night in a nice small motel right on the highway in Gualala (They pronounce it wa-la-la.)

There will be several days with posts about California, Oregon and the Seattle, Washington area. I hope if you’re thinking about where to go next and you haven’t driven the coast you will consider it. It was a very relaxing and interesting trip. Hwy 1 doesn’t have the traffic that we so often find pretty places – at least not so much during the week.

Take care,
MaggieGladYouCame