HAPPINESS IS FOUND HERE….BEACH MORE, WORRY LESS…
A DAY AT THE BEACH RESTORES THE SOUL!
(okay…not super “motivational” but it’s summer, so take a deep breath & imagine yourself here!)
Fabulous First Father’s Day Friday
Happy (early) First Father’s Day to these two Fabulous men!
Jude and Rowan are so lucky to call you DAD!!
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
Motivational Monday….Act X 2
Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does! — William James
…what we do today, right now, will have an accumulated effect on all our tomorrows….Alexandra Stoddard
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
Steve’s Bees….A lesson in backyard beekeeping!
I would venture to say that most people have a hobby or two…something that you enjoy when you’re not working…right??
Well, one of my neighbors, Steve, decided to take up a different kind of hobby….bee-keeping….quite by accident, about 20 years ago. It all started with a swarm of bees at the golf course he owns. Nobody wanted to go near it, but the branch it was on was near a wash rack that they needed to clean off their equipment at the end of the day. Steve and one of his employees put a big cardboard box under the branch where the hive was, cut the branch and the ball of bees dropped into the box. The bees were very quiet. They sealed it up, cut a little triangular hole so the bees could go in and out and put it in the corner of the maintenance yard. A few months went by and one of the workers told him he needed to come and see it. The box was bursting and he realized it was filled with honey. He eventually got a wooden bee box and the rest, as they say, is history.
What started as a curiosity has turned into seven colonies, which, he says, is a fairly small number for a bee keeper. So, about a month ago a few of us were out chatting in the neighborhood and he was in his garage getting ready to “harvest” some of the honey. I had to see what it was all about and ask a bunch of questions. Here are some pics of the process…
First they collect the honeycombs, sliding them out of the hive (with Maggie, Steve’s wife)
Then they scrape them with a “hot knife” to strip the wax and expose the honey.
….and then he spins them in a machine that sucks the honey from the hives & then transfers it to a bucket.
…then it’s time to bottle the delicious bee creation…
….slave labor….mom and sister
Here’s some fascinating information that Steve shared with me about bee keeping….
- They only harvest honey twice a year, once after winter and then early to mid-summer. You don’t harvest in winter because the bees use the honey as food until plants start to flower in the Spring.
- After harvesting, most of the wax honey comb remains in the frames. They reinstall those frames in the hives, so the bees can start refilling the honey comb with honey instead of having to make all the new honey comb.
- Honey lasts forever and never spoils. It has even been found in Egyptian tombs.
- Eating local honey helps with allergies.
- Burning candles made of bees wax purifies the air.
- Bee stings have been used to treat joint pain similar to a cortisone shot and has also been used to help treat the symptoms of MS and arthritis.
- Bees create a new queen by selecting a bee larva and feeding it royal jelly.
- After a queen bee is born it takes a mating flight and drone (male) bees fly after her and impregnate her. She will take other mating flights throughout her young life.
- If a hive gets too big, they will create another queen and split off to form a new colony.
- When you see a ball or swarm of bees, like the original one Steve and his employees found, they are usually just resting and protecting their new queen until they find a new home. Scout bees fly out and find potential new homes. They fly back to the hive, do a little waggle dance and tell all the bees about the new home and then it’s “follow me!!” to the new hive location.
- Bees communicate by pheromones and dancing. The waggle dance tells the quality of location, distance and direction of the potential new home.
So what’s it like inside the honey bee hive??
- There are 20-60 thousand bees in an active hice
- Worker bees live 4-7 weeks
- Drone bees live until they mate…they are then pushed out of the hive before the winter to conserve food (HARSH!)
- Queen bees live 3-5 years
- The bee larva is called a brood
- A hive contains one queen, a few hundred drones and lots of worker bees. The queen tells the worker bees what they need to do. Besides foraging, they also sound alarms when the hive is in danger and they protect the entrance of the hive from instruders.
Not only does Steve harvest the delicious honey (not like any you’ve tasted from the store), but he and his wife, Maggie, harvest the wax caps that have been scraped away from the comb to release the honey and make candles, body bars and lip balms. They’ve even made medicinal salves and lotions.
….and that’s your education in backyard bee-keeping! As I said, fascinating!!
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
A Visit to the Whitney Museum
I’ve always loved visiting Austin and Kate in NY two to three times a year…to see them and take advantage of their proximity to Manhattan. Since baby Jude was born back in December I go visit them much more often to hug and spend time with them….and hopefully give A&K a night or two off from their parental duties. I’ve been pretty successful in going every two months since she was born (okay, I’ve been 4 times, but who’s counting?) and I hope I can continue as time goes on…I already have my July and October plans in the works. I’d be visiting them if they lived in the middle of nowhere…but they don’t…so I try to take advantage of all that NYC & Brooklyn have to offer by spending at least half a day going to a museum, play or just hanging out in my favorite city.
I happened to read in the NY Times that there was an exhibit of artist Grant Wood’s work at The Whitney Museum of American Art. You know him as the guy who did the iconic painting, American Gothic. I’ve also wanted to stop for coffee at The Laughing Man since seeing Hugh Jackman talk about it, and his foundation on the Sunday Morning Show. It’s just a tiny coffee shop in Tribeca with a little outdoor seating area (there’s another larger one on North End Ave), but I was going over that way, so thought I’d stop for a morning cup and a croissant. I had the turmeric latte and it was delish…and the weather was so gorgeous that I continued walking up the west side to The Whitney.
It moved to this much more beautiful building, in my opinion, on the Hudson in May of 2015, from it’s older uglier building on 75th & Madison on the Upper East Side. This was my first visit!
I was so pleasantly surprised by the artwork of Grant Wood. American Gothic seems a bit serious, with somewhat muted colors, but I discovered that so much of his artwork is whimsical, with bright colors, polka dots and patterns. I loved it! Here’s a sample…
The detail, color and whimsy were so refreshing…and still so bright after all these years!
I was also fortunate enough to see some works by Edward Hopper, depictions of scenes from his hometown, Nyack, NY & some Americana….
…and one of my favorites…a beautiful, colorful, piece by Henry Koerner called Mirror of Life. As you walk by, at first glance it looks kind of fun, colorful and silly, but looking more closely it is a depiction of his life. He was Jewish, born in Vienna, fled to Italy and then ultimately America, finding out later that his parents, who remained in Vienna during WWII perished in concentration camps.
I heard some people talking about these next “works of art” dismissing them, because…. REALLY??? Okay, anyone could probably do this, but, as a traveler, I loved what these two displays evoked…traveling, vintage luggage and a life of adventure….
Lastly, I have to mention that The Whitney’s location is great, at the base of the high-line…right on the Hudson with beautiful floor to ceiling windows on couple of the floors. I decided to have a quick bite for lunch before heading back to Brooklyn and opted for the 8th floor Studio Cafe (a Danny Meyer restaurant)..with, again, beautiful view of the Hudson. I opted for the popcorn chicken with the herbed buttermilk…basically a really good ranch dressing…and it was soooo good. I happened to have tasted the, much hyped, fried chicken strips from David Chang’s place, FUKU the day before at EEEEEatsCon in LA and was not impressed at all. The popcorn chicken at The Whitney was so much better, crunchy, with the perfect amount of spice. I’m looking forward to going back some time at sunset, to enjoy a glass of wine, some of these delectable snacks and the beautiful view.
I still had about half an hour to walk along the high line, taking in the view, the ambiance and reading my book. I enjoyed the Whitney so much that I became a member and can go for free, avoiding the lines, whenever I’m in NY…with reciprocal benefits at a few other museums around the country. YAY!!! I’m looking forward to whatever their next exhibit might be!!
….and then I got to go back to Brooklyn and pick up this adorable little girl from daycare!!
…then pizza Monday on a Brooklyn rooftop with these awesome people…
….another great NY adventure with the people I love!
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
Motivational Monday…No Regrets
“The only thing people regret is that they didn’t live boldly enough, that they didn’t invest enough heart, didn’t love enough. Nothing else really counts at all.” — Ted Hughes
I’m doing my best to live up to this ethos, with a little help from these peeps!
….how about you?
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
Motivational Monday…Powerful
We celebrate Memorial Day in memory of those who’ve lost their lives fighting for our country….may they never be forgotten.
I’d also like to share this powerful, amazing commencement speech given by Abby Wambach at the Barnard College. (thanks to my cousin, Beth, for sharing it with me) It’s a bit long, but worth the time to listen.
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
One Week, Two trips & A Lighthouse Discovery…Part II
So I got back from San Francisco late on Wednesday night, went to work on Thursday and got up early Friday to head up to my sister’s for the annual drive up the coast for the Big Sur Marathon weekend. I don’t think I’ve mentioned how incredibly understanding and generous my co-worker, Monica, is about all my travel. I couldn’t do it without her understanding of my wanderlust and the need to frequently see my son, daughter-in-law and grand-daughter in NY. I’m a pretty fast and efficient worker when I’m there, so she knows I’ll get caught up when I’m back, but it can be stressful when your in the attendance office of a high school working solo! Best job and best co-worker ever!!
…but I digress….back to Big Sur! I’ve posted many times about our adventures in Big Sur, but it basically comes down to a weekend in one of the most beautiful places on earth, with fun conversation, lots of laughs and incredible hospitality from our hosts. Hwy 1 is still closed at Ragged Point, so we opted for the 5 Fwy and over through Salinas this time….not as pretty, but we still made it down to Nepenthe for lunch. Here are a few pics…and then it’s on to the lighthouse!
We arrive mid-day Friday and have all day Saturday to shop, relax, get our race packets and enjoy all that Monterey and Carmel have to offer. We’ve been coming up here off and on since 1995 and I’m embarrassed to say that I just discovered Point Pinos Lighthouse, right there in Pacific Grove! What?!!! Where have I been, why haven’t I been paying attention? I love lighthouses…in case you didn’t know….and I try to seek them out whenever I’m traveling on a coastline.
Point Pinos is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the West Coast, opening in February 1855. Did you know that each lighthouse had it’s own “signature” intervals of flashes….alternating short and long bursts…. to identify each one so the ships would know where they were. Of course, now most ships have GPS and many lighthouses have been closed permanently. The Point Pinos Lighthouse was transferred from the Coast Guard to the City of Pacific Grove in 2006 with ongoing restorations today. It’s a beauty!!
Sunday was race day and we’ve had every different kind of weather over the years, but this year was a beauty (even if there was a little bit of light drizzle later in the morning)!
….another amazing weekend on the coast, with good friends, good food, lots of laughs….and a beautiful lighthouse!
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
One Week, Two trips…and a Lighthouse Discovery
I’ve been signed up for “alert” emails from various airlines and travel websites for quite some time…and every once in awhile there’s an amazing deal I just can’t pass up! (okay…maybe that happens a lot?) One was a few months ago on Southwest Airlines to San Francisco for $58 RT ! The only catch is that you have to fly on Tuesday or Wednesday…no problem. I booked the flights, took two days off of work and headed up for a quick getaway.I used to live in SF and have been more times than I can count, but each time I go I try to explore an area a little more in depth…you know when you live somewhere you don’t tend to go to the touristy/popular places! It’s just fun to have a quick change of scenery to re-energize…no matter where it is!
So, I headed up there a couple of weeks ago and decided I’d stay near Golden Gate Park and spend my time there and in the Marina district. I arrived just in time for lunch and had to go to my favorite, BurmaSuperstar…that I’ve mentioned every time I’ve posted about SF. Getting there from my hotel looked like a beautiful walk through the Presidio and it was only 2.1 miles. What I didn’t quite realize was the steep incline of the hills involved from the bottom of the Presidio up to Clement St….but I did it. The walk through the Presidio was gorgeous and the smell was heavenly through the rustling trees.
Spent the afternoon just wandering and then walked over to a place I’ve been meaning to try, Bar Crenn…since seeing the Chef/owner Dominique Crenn on Chef’s Table (I’d highly recommend this series on Netflix) . It is a sister restaurant/bar to Atelier Crenn, which was the one featured on Chef’s Table….and which is $335 for her multi course tasting menu…yikes! She also has the more affordable, but still expensive, Petite Crenn, $95 for her tasting menu….hence the reason I chose Bar Crenn.
The ambiance and decor at Bar Crenn was just what you’d expect from a little French hideaway. It was cozily dark, with gorgeous chandeliers and comfy seating areas, as well as the bar. I usually just like to get a glass of wine and something to nibble on because, first of all, it’s expensive, but also because I’m there to enjoy the experience and let the warmth of the place envelope me in a warm hug. That’s how I felt about Bar Crenn. One of my favorite French foods is pâté, so I opted for the pâté en croûte, and it didn’t disappoint. My mouth is watering just writing about it. After a quick bite, I walked over to browse the adorable shops on Chestnut and decided to see the movie I Feel Pretty, with Amy Schumer at the Marina Theater….hilarious, with a great message at the same time. Your confidence, the way you look and feel, is all in your mind and up to you to portray to the world!
Wednesday was wandering through the park, enjoying the botanical garden, blooming trees, a windmill, lunch looking out at the ocean, reading on a bench…and just enjoying all the beauty Golden Gate Park has to offer.
I planned on going to the California Academy of Sciences, but didn’t do my diligent homework and when I got there was shocked to find out it’s $35.95 to get in! Okay, granted, it’s three museums (planetarium/aquarium/natural history), but I just wanted to go to the Steinhart Aquarium and see the underwater coral dive and the penguin feeding. Even the MET in NY is only $25.00. It seems to me they’d make more money by separating them into three different admissions…but what do I know?!
It was a gorgeous day, so instead of the aquarium, I decided to take the bus down to the Marina Green, where my dad’s memorial bench is located. I sat on the bench and read my book with a gorgeous view of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate bridge. I then meandered back to the very cool Presidio Social Club , an old military barracks erected in 1903 converted to a restaurant, for a glass of wine before heading to the airport. The end of a fun 36 hour getaway!
Next up…Big Sur and discovering a new lighthouse…..stay tuned
