A Trollop through Tremont

It was a beautiful September Day.

There was much happening in Tremont with the galleries open, music in the streets, great food and people watching.

What a wonderful historic place to spend an afternoon. I’ll let the photos tell the story with minimal comments from me.

Sunflowers outside of Fat Cats Restaurant.

Lunch at Fat Cats – Great food – excellently prepared and fresh ingredients.

The bar at Fat Cats.

The Fat Cat?

Seems to be a lot of yellow going on today….

Eye Candy Gallery owner (and friend) Rita Telaak

Art is not always found in the galleries.

A neighborhood rich with ethnic ties…

and churches rich with architectural detail.

We found art down every alley…

and on the walls.

They were jamming on the sidewalks…

and dancing on the street.

A part of Cleveland that is colorful.

Art is everywhere.

Indulge your senses, enjoy the sunshine and trollop through Tremont.

Beautiful Biloxi

We just got back from a mid-week getaway in Biloxi, Mississippi. We stayed at the beautiful Beau Rivage Hotel and Casino.  We love this part of the country. Mississippi is very dear to us as we built a home there several years ago. In fact, we purchased the property the spring before Katrina!

And then there was Katrina.

Having a house there, we were able to experience and watch from a distance the tragic touch of nature…but nothing like the folks that lived there and called Mississippi home.

This is not our house – our house wasn’t built before Katrina. But many beautiful ones were and left like this. I have to truly say that I have never seen this type of devastation at this scale before in my life and I still am in awe of what nature can do.

But this blog entry isn’t about tragedy. It’s about beauty – about rebuilding.

Driving around Biloxi we saw beautiful new buildings and homes going up along I-90. Not the beauty of the pre-civil war homes we saw in our first visit. This beauty reflected a renewed faith in the Gulf Coast and a willingness to invest to start over and try again. The homes we saw were breathtaking. Unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera with me for the drive. Maybe you may have to go there and check it out for yourself?

We stayed at the Beau Rivage, also destroyed in the hurricane. After the hurricane, the Beau Rivage was one of the first casinos to step to the plate and start rebuilding. And rebuild they did…

And oh – the colors! These colors speak to my soul…our house is decorated in the same color scheme…but not like this! Exquisite integration of color throughout like the carpeting….

But wait! There’s more. I was enraptured by the beautiful mosaic work in the lobby areas. It took my breath away. My photos don’t give the work the justice they deserve.

I’m inspired. My kitchen project seems so minimal now.

Nice work Biloxi! We’ll be back!

A doggone fun event at Stan Hywet!

Save the date for Throw Us A Bone on Friday, August 21st from 6 – 11 p.m. at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens. They’re celebrating a “petacular” season! They will be auctioning one-of-kind Barkitecture doghouses that have been on exhibit on their grounds this summer.

They promise to have “yappetizers” and “doggone” good entertainment! Sounds like fun for pooches too!

If you haven’t seen the Barkitecture exhibit yet, it’s worth a visit. Very creative!

Cooking up something memorable!

I’m going to have put jewelry making and everything else aside for a few days and throw myself into one of my favorite other things to do – cooking. We are kicking off the season with a cookout tomorrow night having a few of our friends over. And it will not be a hamburger or hot dog affair. (See menu below.)

I love Memorial Day – it’s alway a special day for my husband. Before we got married, he told me that Memorial Day was always his and that traditionally he would take the day to spend with his Dad – a veteran of World War II. My husband is a Veteran as well – Navy. One of the virtues I admire of my husband is the reverence he has for those who served. Anywhere we go – if there is a service man or woman in uniform, he will shake their hand and thank them. One time, we we having drinks at a local hotel lounge after a movie and in walked young officers and their wives dressed to the nines – apparently, there was the Marine ball at the hotel. Gary bought them all a drink.

Memorial Day – we will go to the parade and if his Dad is well enough, he will be there. Afterwards, we go to the American Legion for hot dogs, beer and stories.

In between, there’s a cookout I’ve got to get ready for. Here’s the menu – (subject to change as my energy level wanes)

Seared Ahi Tuna (appetizer – my friend’s bringing that)

Roasted Beet Salad with Feta

Honey Ginger Pork Tenderloins

Butternut Squash and Carrot Puree

Fried Cinnamon Apples (my other friend’s contribution)

Sauteed Spinach with Garlic

Nutted Brown Pilaf

Assorted Cupcakes and Ice Cream for Dessert

Enjoy your weekend – whatever you do! And to all the Veterans out there – THANK YOU!