Shrimp, sea beans and kumquats

My recent weekend with friends to Gulf Shores and Fort Morgan this month included eating shrimp, being introduced to sea beans and kumquat pie. It was a beautiful day to be at the National Shrimp Festival, and the smell in the air on the Gulf Coast made it impossible to not want to try something I hadn't had before. With all the shrimp, I couldn't help but think what was the name of Forrest Gumps' shrimp boat?  (The answer is below).

There were plenty of vendors cooking shrimp and other sea food fixins'- you could have shrimp on a stick or in a plate with lobster, gator, crab, oysters, coconut, onion rings, and the list went on and on.  Below you can view a display of enticing food behind screens at one of the busy food vendors and menus on overhead signs. I managed to snap these photos when I wasn't eating my fill.

Sea beans, also known as 'drift seed' or 'drift fruit' are not edible,  and interestingly, these beans are from trees and had probably floated hundreds, if not thousands of miles riding ocean currents before washing up on the shore of Fort Morgan, located just a few miles from Gulf Shores.

Below is the sea bean collection my friend proudly showed she had found while combing the beach.  You can see a couple 'sea beans' have been made to wear as a necklace.

 I've walked on a few beaches at San Francisco, Daytona Beach, Siesta Key Beach at Sarasota, Florida, and Atlantic Beach and Emerald Isle in North Carolina looking for seashells, sea glass, drift wood, or anything that looked interesting. I don't remember seeing anything looking like 'sea beans', nor had I ever same upon any large, whole sea shells, but plenty smaller ones. Other treasures like a lost diamond or gold ring, or maybe even a message in a bottle, or some other treasure brought in by the tide and left in the wrack,  I was never fortunate to find, I'm sure others are luckier in their treasure hunting on the beach,  but not me.  This weekend was the first I'd heard about sea beans or even saw sea bean jewelry or heard there are collectors and traders and actual sea bean conventions. Imagine that!   I've also discovered that there are also edible 'sea beans' which I am going to be looking in the produce idle for this green 'veggie' the next time I grocery shop. I have to try some- might be crunchy in a green salad.


And then, there was kumquat refrigerator pie for dessert. My first and certainly not my last. I think it's up there with key lime pie for a light, warm weather to cool you off dessert.  Aside from getting the seeds out to puree the cute, little kumquats, it was a cinch to make. Five ingredients- pie shell, kumquats, lemon juice, condensed milk and cool whip.   I found the recipe online for this kumquat refrigerator pie.

I never would have imagined kumquats make such a delightful pie. Delicious. See what a nice pie I had below.

All in all, I think it was a super weekend! Any weekend around friends and food is good!


Answer- Forrest Gump named the boat 'Jenny'.
Then later, he had a fleet of Bubba Gump Shrimp Company shrimp boats.

Chaz, not everything is changeable

In the news recently is Chaz Bono, formerly Chastity Bono, the used-to-be-daughter-but-now-son born of Sonny Bono, now deceased, and his wife at the time, Cher.  I remember cute, little Chastity on TV back in the 70s, at the end of her parents' hour long comedy show being held in Sonny's arms. They made a cute family standing together being viewed by millions every week.  Chastity really was an adorable little girl. In all probability she could've grown to be a very attractive woman,  but rather today she/he chose the path to be altered to the opposite gender, and now looks like a heavy-set male with soft, feminine facial features and womanly hands.
 
Here's an interview with Chasity/Chaz about transgender change


I was thinking.........

Chaz can't change her bone structure , but the fat and soft tissues around bone can change with hormones, exercise, and weight loss or gain.  Compare the bone structure of a man's to a woman's, For instance, compare pelvic bones. Compare the rib cage and torso, the neck, the head, feet, and facial structures underneath soft tissues give either soft female and male features and characteristics.  All different.  Mind you sometimes the differences can be very subtle, but for the most part, if you study forensics or anatomy, those differences help determine the gender of a body.  Chaz wants to be a male, but she/he can't change everything about her/his body and be a real male.


      See the differences of a man's vs woman's hand?

Photo credit: taliesin from morguefile.com

 
Hormones do play a very important role in gender and sex of the human body.  For some time, Chaz has medically been injected with more male hormones to overpower the female hormones in her/his body giving the obvious, male physical  characteristics like a deepened voice, bulky muscle mass and male hair growth patterns.  But you can't ever change the fact that Chaz was a normal healthy, female first, with chromosomes of a female. That can't be undone or forgotten or changed.  Chaz will have to continually take hormones to keep displaying male physical characteristics.


 I was thinking if this might be confusing to her/his body and brain?  Only Chaz knows or will know.


No matter what the brain thinks it wants, however you were formed in uteri, is the 'original' material you will always have to deal with and consider. That is a fact that can't be overlooked, erased or ignored.  Mankind with just enough knowledge to deviate some degree away from the 'original' and try to act like God, can never make a new 'original'.  Chastity was female when she was born, and as long as she/he is occupying that body, she/he is locked into what God created her as in uteri. and that fact stands no matter how many hormones or operations she undergoes.  She/he has undergone drastic physical changes, but Chaz will never in her/his lifetime experience being a complete male.  She/he can only be less feminine, but never a full man.


The photo below shows typical male and female physical characteristics- a male has a stronger angled jaw and brow bones, heavier, thicker facial hair, a longer torso, larger ears ,an Adam's apple, and a narrower pelvis.  A female typically has softer facial features,  a shorter torso, and a wider set pelvic bones.


Photo credit: azrikhan from morguefile.com


I wonder what sort of medical challenges Chaz, or anyone who's undergone gender-switching, will have to contend with in the future?


God has the title 'Creator' all to Himself. He alone makes the original and no one can alter that fact.



I am not making any statements against any one's personal wishes. I wish the original Chastity, altered to be Chaz, the best.


Here is more interesting content can read about on sex reassignment/transgender change.

Products and people- from sturdy to flimsy

Have you noticed the change? Cereal and laundry detergent boxes aren't as big as they used to be. Dog food bags are either thinner or smaller as well. I've noticed canned food cans are slightly smaller. Even aerosol cans are smaller in diameter.  Manufacturers have made ever-so-slightly packaging changes in hopes consumers wouldn't notice the downsizing.  

Products don't hold up as long neither. I can't find a can opener that will last longer than 6 months before I need a new one. I had bought my Mom a name brand hand-held mixer, thinking surely it would last a number of years, but after a couple months she told me the beaters kept falling out. In my kitchen, I still toast my bread using an old vintage toaster I bought from an antique shop back in the late 70's during my Marine Corps days. It's got one of those round, black electrical cords and ticks when it's toasting, but it works just as good as the first time I toasted in it-no telling how old it is. Things are made of lesser quality material now. My latest vehicle doesn't have a metal body all around. Some of the body panels are fiberglass. Wow! That's very comforting knowing I'm protected with fiberglass against an oncoming logging truck. Why use flimsier, lesser quality materials to in a vehicle? I know-it's about making it lighter for better fuel consumption. Well, the truth be told, when products were made with sturdier material they lasted much longer.

                           My trusty old toaster is still toasting my bread over 30 years

Not only have products changed, so have values, moral, and attitudes of people. I'm sure many other people my age or older have noticed this as well. We can compare and see the younger generations aren't carrying forward many ideas us older folk were taught, lived by and hold sacred. The younger generations march to a different drum beat or something different. And that something isn't very comforting or what I call being good, solid, values and morals.  

The following is part of an email on senior citizens I received.


Upon reflection, we would like to point out that it was NOT the senior citizens who took:

The melody out of music,
The pride out of appearance,
The courtesy out of driving,
The romance out of love,
The commitment out of marriage,
The responsibility out of parenthood,
The togetherness out of the family,
The learning out of education,
The service out of patriotism,
The Golden Rule from rulers,
The nativity scene out of cities,
The civility out of behavior,
The refinement out of language,
The dedication out of employment,
The prudence out of spending,
The ambition out of achievement or
God out of government and school.
And we certainly are NOT  the ones who eliminated patience and tolerance from personal relationships and interactions with others!!

And, we do understand the meaning of patriotism, and remember those who have fought and died for our country. 
Just look at the Seniors with tears in their eyes and pride in their hearts as they stand at attention with their hand over their hearts!

YES, I'M A SENIOR CITIZEN!
 ------------------------------------------------End of email.



I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking, "what's happened?"  Good, solid, sturdy, things are now made flimsy, and the strong fortitude, backbone, commitment and convictions people used to posses and exhibit have also become 'flimsy. This is becoming a 'wimpy world'

What do you think about this?

Relaxing in fresh water

My last posting was on Leisure Diving and so I had a longing to get in some water myself. So a friend and I took a short trip to Morrison Springs in Walton County, Florida. It's a natural fresh water spring that is beautiful. It's cool water is too cool for alligator or snakes, so it makes for some nice time in the water in a natural setting without fear of any unwanted reptiles hanging around.

Here are some photos I snapped while there. Of course scuba divers were diving down into the caves of the springs. I think that would be fun, too,  but I can't scuba dive. Regardless, it was enjoyable getting wet and cooled down in the cool, fresh, clear, spring water. The opening to the spring was located a few feet to the left of the floating deck. If you can see the water is slightly darker a few feet to the left of the deck in the second picture below. I heard it went down 80 feet. Surrounded by cypress trees, there was lots of sun, splashing, kayaks, canoes, swimming and paddle boarding, but no leisure diving going on, doggone it!

Hope you're having a nice time relaxin somewhere.

I like this diving!

I don't know how I found this site but I love it. LeisureDive.com.   
What I find so cool is the 'leisurely look' while you're jumping into a pool or something soft. I was thinking, could I look cool jumping into a pool? And also important is the photographer has to snap the picture at just the right moment and it can't be blurred.

 I was thinking what I could do for my leisure dive shot.... I came up with a few ideas.

1. Have arms outstretched as if yawning with my eyes closed.
2. Dive off backwards with my arms behind my head and my legs crossed.
3. Have my dog jump first then me dive in afterwards like I'm trying to catch his leash.
4. Casting a fishing line while diving and looking leisurely.

I wish I could come up with more ideas.  How about you?  Have any ideas for a leisure dive ?


This is my old way to dive. I think leisure diving is much more classy and creative, don't you?

Diving in the old fashion way

Photo credit: d3designs from morguefile.com

The gentle, country plumber

Have you ever had to call upon the services of a plumber? Have you ever had to call twice in one week? I recently had and the experience turned out to be a very pleasant one in the end.

I needed a bathroom toilet repaired as soon as possible as it had been leaking apparently for some time without my knowledge and caused floor damage hidden under the carpeting.  I called a recommended plumber who lived not too far from me in the country. But I was so sleepy and tired that I couldn't stay awake while the plumber was in the bathroom doing his repairs.

Bathrooms can have slow leaks and mess up your flooring

Photo credit: jade from morguefile.com

When I woke up, the plumber was gone. He left without getting paid and I couldn't find where he'd left an invoice.  I called his phone number and his wife answered and said he knew that I was asleep, so he didn't wake me.  Wow!  Now that would have never happened if I lived in the city. I called him again that week because I thought the toilet was leaking again. He came out again and checked, but it was dry and he offered to do the work to replace some of my flooring as well. What good skills to have. I lucked up on a nice, country plumber.

In the country I find there's extended and exercised a little more trust between people than in the city.  I like that. I did drive over and paid him the next week plus a tip for being so thoughtful, along with a jar of homemade jelly to his wife. 

I saw mermaids in Florida

 I finally got to visit a place in Florida I've been wanting to visit for some time.  It's away from the crowds of Disney World, where you can enjoy Florida the way it used to be in a simpler, older, slower, more natural setting.  I visited Weeki Wachee, the home of the world famous mermaids in Spring Hill, Florida about an hour North of Tampa.  The mermaids were so amazing and  graceful swimming underwater.  It was all I thought it to be.  Just thinking about the year of mermaid training in order to be beautiful Weeki Wachee mermaids to breathe and swim like a graceful mermaid in a cool natural spring setting surrounded by turtles or fish or manatee in the spring.  During the show, held the mermaid theatre, the mermaids open their mouths to sing, and even eat and drink a coke underwater.  I don't know about you, when I'm underwater, I gotta keep my mouth shut or I'm gonna get waterlogged and sink. But not mermaids.  I'm still wondering how can anyone eat and drink while underwater?  To me, see that was an absolutely amazing feat on top of the unique water show. 

 If you want to see something different in a natural spring water setting, visit the mermaids yourself. Here are a few photos I took. Here is the website to Florida State Parks. - click on the Weeki Wachee Springs Park.  Personally, it was well worth the trip and quite unique to see.  Enjoy.

 

Let me tell you while watching this underwater show in person the colors underwater were very bright and vivid. My camera photos didn't do justice to the underwater colors of the mermaid's costumes nor their flowing hair. They were lovely tail-finned underwater ballerinas and the water was absolutely crystal clear.  

  View this video, Part 1 of 6 one of the mermaid shows at Weeki Wachee.




My next adventure is to lazily float down the Suwannee River in Florida along the Suwannee Wilderness River Trail in a houseboat.