Wednesday, April 26, 2017

A random April hodgepodge


 Wednesday again; time to link up for the Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond with Joyce and other friends.  Joyce asks the questions; bloggers answer them on their own blogs and then link to the Hodgepodge.  Why not join in?
Mural in Ely, NV
 (Note: the photos interspersed are from various touristy (or not so touristy, as the case may be) places I've been.)
Seaside, FL
1. April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes. Has your April been filled with showers? Do you carry an umbrella, wear a slicker, or make a run for it? Besides rain, what else has filled your April? 

My April has been filled with showers. We've had lots of rain this month; more than usual, it seems.  I usually wear a slicker if I have to be out in the rain, so I can put the hood up.

My April has also been filled with busyness.  Lots of things to do this month; my calendar has been very full.
LL Bean, Freeport, ME
2. What's something you could you give a 30-minute presentation on at a moment's notice and with zero preparation?

Probably how to make a certain recipe that I have memorized, like my mother's fish chowder recipe, for example.   If I needed to add more information fill up the 30 minutes, I could share memories of times when she served fish chowder and how it was a favorite meal of certain friends and family.
Wiscasset, ME
3. Share with us a favorite food memory from childhood.

This is a tough one because there were so many.  Both my mother and grandmother were amazing cooks, as were my aunts.  One favorite one I recall was coming home to the scent of baked potatoes and creamed chipped beef.  Comfort food for sure!  My aunt Dot made fantastic pies.  She made a date cream pie that was simply incredible.  And my mother often greeted us after school with the scent of just-baked brownies, cookies, or homemade bread.
Cabbage Island Clambake
4. What's a song you thought you knew the lyrics to, but later discovered you were wrong?

Drawing a blank on this one, but I'm very sure there were some.
Story Land, Glen, NH
5. According to one travel website, the most overrated tourist attractions in America are-
Niagara Falls (NY), Hollywood Walk of Fame (California), Times Square (NYC), Epcot (FL), Seattle Space Needle (WA), and Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market (Boston). How many of these have you seen in person? Did you feel like a tourist? Did you care? Tell us about a place (not on the list) you've visited that might be considered a tourist trap, but you love it anyway.

I've been to Niagara Falls on the Canadian side, but it was night time and we were in a hurry.  So it doesn't really count, I'm sure.    I've also been to Times Square, eons ago, and to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market a few times.  I'd have to say yes, I felt like a tourist in every instance, but didn't really care, I guess.

I think a good many of the places I like in New England could possibly be considered tourist traps (but then again, maybe not).  But I love them anyway.  Probably the one that could be considered most like a tourist trap is Boothbay Harbor, ME -- a place I would never have opted to visit in the summer.  But I have done so, and I enjoy it.
Boothbay Harbor, ME
 6. Your signature clothing item?

Some people would say it's a vest.  I own a few, but don't constantly wear a vest.  Other than that, no signature item.
Nubble Light, York, ME
7. What's an experience you've had you think everyone should experience at least once? Why?

Hmmm ... this is a tricky one.  Joyce is trying to make us think again. I thought of salvation, but that would be only once.  How about this -- the realization of how much God loves you.  Because that would change us from the inside out and transform our world.
Ely, NV
Ely, NV
 8. Insert your own random thought here.

My brain feels utterly fried today. Guess most any thought I have would be considered random!
Bliss, ID
Castleford, ID
 Happy Wednesday, everyone!

30 comments:

  1. Childhood comfort food can always take us back to the good old days. I am glad I had a mother who loved to cook and made such good meals for us on a limited budget.

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    1. Me too, Arlene. And it really inspired me to do the same!

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  2. Maine is definitely on my "must-see" list! Looks beautiful there!

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    1. Oh, it is, April! All of New England is definitely worth the trip.

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  3. I spy your Seaside photo. Seaside is only about 35 miles from my house, but of course about an hour's drive in the summer because of traffic.
    According to my husband, the most overrated tourist attraction for him was Old Faithful. We went to Yellowstone when the kids were in high school. He had the idea that it was going to shake the earth and be a lot higher than it shot up. We commented that the buffalo had better get out of the way soon. I thought it was impressive, but he underwhelmed by it. I reminded him TV makes it look higher and bigger, but it is named Old Faithful, because it is faithful to spew.
    My other thought on this hodgepodge is how many young people go to Disney World over and over and over around here. I want to scream at them and say save up and go see the entire country's landscape.

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    1. A few years ago we visited friends in Panama City and they took us on a day trip to Seaside. What a beautiful place!

      I agree about Disney. I've never been there and -- though I would go if someone offered me a free trip -- I would rather spend my travel money seeing more of our beautiful country.

      Haven't seen Old Faithful yet, but you're right -- its faithfulness in spewing is its claim to fame, not its size and force.

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  4. Those are great photos in your post - love the one of Seaside. It reminds me so much of the beach on the Belgian coast - the fence, the dunes, the grasses. Date cream pie sounds interesting, I've heard of chocolate cream or coconut cream pie but never date. I love dates so I'm sure it was delicious.

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    1. Glad my Seaside photo brought good memories, Pamela.

      I ought to look through my old recipe box and see if I ever got that date pie recipe from my aunt. It was cooked dates, prepared similar to homemade vanilla pudding with milk, eggs, sugar, etc. I believe the pie was topped with whipped cream and served cold. I loved it.

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    2. I should have looked around more.

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    3. Oh, that's okay, Vee! I am going to see if I can find the recipe. If I can, I will make it, and post about it, just for old time's sake. It may not even be as delicious as I remember it being, but somehow I think it probably is.

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  5. Hi,
    I like how you added all the photos today. I am a L.L. Bean fan.
    Enjoy your week!
    Carla

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  6. Glad you enjoyed the photos, Carla! I was trying to think of a couple tourist-y photos to share and found so many I decided to use more.

    Enjoy your week too. Thanks for stopping by!

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  7. I am enjoying the answers on everyone's favorite food from childhood. Funny how that can take you back and make you smile. Coming home to smells of recent baking or food cooking is sadly kind of lost today I think in the fast paced world we live in. Great answer on an experience....we can never experience enough of KNOWING of His love! Enjoy the rest of your week!

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    1. Really sad, isn't it, that so few kids today come home to wonderful aromas like we did? I know that my daughters are both good cooks and that their families, at least, are experiencing that.

      True on the experience ... I just couldn't think what to put, but knowing how much God loves us ... well, the first time we realize that, if we accept His free gift of salvation, then that opens the door to knowing more and more of His great love and appreciating all that He does for us throughout every day of our lives. A privilege we could never earn!

      You have a wonderful week too, Debbie!

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  8. Oh I enjoyed reading today's Hodge Podge. You like many of the same places I do. A vest, eh? A vest is very comfortable, and often just enough, outer garment on a cool day. Now I want to know about

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    1. So glad you enjoyed it, Vee! It's neat that we enjoy many of the same places.

      I agree ... a vest is often just right for a cool day so one doesn't have to bother with a jacket. I own several in varying weights from fleece to a lined cotton plaid. Someone in my life observed that I "always" wear vests, which is a long way from being true. Trying to consider the source ...

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  9. Date Cream Pie. (This iPad is freezing on me.)

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    1. Since you've seen the reply to Pamela above, you know a bit more about date pie now. I'm going to look for that recipe. If I never asked my aunt for it, I'd be surprised. Failing that, I may be able to find it in my mother's recipe box.

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  10. Love those murals! And wow, fish chowder sounds really good. I make New England clam chowder, which my family loves, but I only make it for Christmas Eve, which makes it a real treat for everyone. I enjoyed all your photos. You asked about curly/straight hair? The answer is a flat iron, or whatever it's called. I didn't use it on the pic on Monday's post but should have. My hair is short and I can flatiron two sections and it's good to go (well, as good as it's going to get). I take that thing along even when traveling. So, in answer to the question, keeping it short and taming a couple sections with the flatiron is what works for me. How I'd love to visit New England again, by the way.

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    1. Aren't those murals lovely, Judy? If you look in the label cloud under "Nevada" you should be able to see more. There's a three-paneled one depicting the Pony Express on the AT&T building. It's my favorite, I think. I would love to visit Ely again. Do you and Mr. C enjoy trains? The Nevada Northern Railway is located in Ely. If your hubby enjoys equipment, he would love to see the shops at this railway. They are always restoring old stuff and fabricating what they need to keep these old trains running. I didn't realize until we went there that this is a destination for rail fans from literally all over the world!

      Well, I will have to consider that flat iron trick. The shorter my hair gets the curlier it gets -- and, in our summer's humidity it just goes crazy. I've seriously considered letting it grow out again so it's easier to control ... but who knows, with gray hair, what it will do?

      Oh, if you ever do get to our part of New England, let me know! We could meet for ice cream, tea or coffee, or something. That would be fun.

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  11. It's interesting how the foods of our childhood say love to us in many ways. I think one of the ways I still try to show love is by cooking for my family. The coast of Maine is stunning, one of my favorite places on Earth.

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    1. Oh, I agree about the coast of Maine, Joyce. And we definitely do show love for our families by cooking and baking for them. Providing for their basic needs but in a way that goes over and above -- it becomes a very real ministry to our loved ones and friends

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  12. I have never heard of date cream pie and may check that out on Pinterest. Your food memories from after school are so like mine. Mom always had something baking. Have you visited all those places? The pics are great!

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    1. Hi Nonnie!

      Yes, I have visited all of those places ... and more. Many of my travel pics, sadly, predate digital cameras so I guess I have a lot of scanning to do. Glad you enjoyed seeing these!

      Yes, always something baking after school. I'm going to see if I can hunt up that pie recipe and post about it.

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  13. I enjoyed your answers...great childhood food memories. Your photos are are so beautiful. I have been to Maine for part of a day when my hubby and I were visiting his sister and her hubby when they were living in Boston. That beautiful photo of Nubble Light look very much like a place we saw while there....is it anywhere near Cape Cod?

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  14. Thanks, Debby! Nubble Light is in Maine so that's probably where you went on your day trip to ME while visiting near Boston. It's near York Beach. Kind of an iconic lighthouse.

    Cape Cod, though, is in Massachusetts.

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  15. Coming home to all that delicious food must have been wonderful :)

    rue

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    1. It was, Rue! I think that cooking and baking were some of my mother's primary ways of showing love to her family.

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  16. I really enjoyed your vacation pictures! You have been a lot of places. I don't like tourist traps at all either! All the food pictures and memories you shared are wonderful :)

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    1. Thanks, Marilyn! Yes, I guess we have been quite a few places. I wish that more of them had been with the digital camera, but oh well. I need to get busy and scan some of our older photos (someday).

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