Foodie Friday: Just ask

I didn't do a lot of research before this spring's grand adventure to find what was to be seen in the places we were going to be. Sweet Bear did, he bought advance timed entry tickets for several places, especially in Vienna. While in Vienna I did a couple of quick searches on my phone, including one for markets. I love exploring markets. And sure enough the major city market was one U-Bahn stop before the hotel. I don't remember what we had explored that day, but Sweet Bear looked exhausted, so I asked may I, get off and walk the market while you go onto the hotel to rest, I will be along in an hour or so for a nap before dinner.  He agreed. The Hotel in Vienna was really nice. 

The market was a mixture of new pavilions and older open sided stalls. In one of the newer pavilions was this wonderful organic fruit and veggie shop.  I went into look around, and asked "may I" pointing to the camera, "yes - thank you for asking" was the fast answer. 

The open stalls had a wide variety of fresh local produce and fruits. Again it made me wish I had a kitchen to play in. 

I was talking with one of my prefered vendors at the King Street Farmers Market last weekend, about cheese - his cheese man had a disk fusion in his neck and hopes to be back at the market this weekend, he and his cheese were missed. I bought a large block of 8-year aged cheddar. I mentioned the great markets in France, Italy, Germany, Austria. I really like the refrigerated trucks with the side that opens up to a display/ sales counter. He said, "yes, they know how to live." I assured him that the markets he is a part of are our version, and I am so grateful that I live near such a great market (there has been an active market in Alexandria for about 300 years.) Market life is not easy. The farmers/vendors are up early, often driving long distances in all kinds of weather.  My grandparents and my father were vendors in the Eastern Market in Detroit for about 30 years. 

Thursday Ramble: Daily Items

There is a genre on YouTube of videos of assumed to be famous people describing the things they carry with them on a daily basis, or that they never leave home without. Many of them are people I have never heard of, and many of them need a small moving van to carry all of the stuff they supposedly can't leave bed without. They should also all qualify for American Express Black Card if they can actually afford some of the items on their list. 

Here is my list of daily items: 

A simple analog Casio Quartz watch, one with an old fashioned round dial, numbers and hands. For years I wore digital watches, when I was studying for the Bar exam, I used the stopwatch in one to time my practice exams, knowing that I needed to answer 100 questions in three hours in the morning and 100 questions in three hours in the afternoon. An unanswered question is a wrong answer - and a failure to complete the questions is a major cause of failure. I used the watch to assure I would finish without panicking when I took and passed the exam. A few years ago I went back to a dial faced watch, because they are easier to set when I change time zones. I own a couple of valuable watches, and they never leave home, almost never get worn. The one I am wearing was less than $40, when the band breaks or the battery runs down, I will simply buy another one. It never leaves my wrist. 

I never leave home without my phone, but when I am home it is usually laying on the bedside table or desk, not with me. My current phone is a Google Pixel, simple, reliable, and it has a decent camera. It was a freebie from my overpriced service provider.  

When I am leaving the house, I almost always take a camera with me. A Nikon D5500 with an 18-200mm lens.  I own two of them, I felt so comfortable with the camera that when Nikon stopped making them, I bought a second one as a back-up. I have five other lenses for them. It is an exception to my general policy of not spending a lot of money on my daily carry, replacement cost, is about $800 for what often have on my wrist when I leave home. Overall I have probably $3,000 in the drawer of toys or tools.  

In my pocket when I leave the house, is a small leather case with a central zippered compartment for coins, and two side pockets with snap closures, one of them has cash and a credit card in it, the other one ID. Along with that is a leather ID case with my condo ID/gate card, and my subway fare card. My keys are on a brass snap and I only carry a couple of keys, the door key, and mailbox key. I only take a car key, if I am going to drive the car. Car keys are separate from my house keys. 

That is really kind of it. What do you carry everyday? 

 

My World of Wonders: July 1, 2026

Where have I been this week? The gym, the pool, the community center, the farmers market, out to lunch, the Grill, apt 608 to water the plants, Mt Vernon, the Old Town Waterfront, the outlet mall at National Harbor. 

Who have a talked with this week? My sweet bear, Amy, Brad, and  Marcell.  

What have I been up to in the kitchen?  Bland baked chicken and macaroni and cheese. Pork Stew. Hamburgers and potato salad. Fried chicken, with green beans and a tomato salad. 

What was exciting at the Farmer's Market? The cheese guy's supply is back and he is due back next week, he had surgery and has been out for a month or so. Pastry Boy is back, he had been out six weeks for surgery. He proved to be irreplaceable. 

What travel is coming up?  Indiana to see family this month, then Chicago for a board meeting, Syracuse in October for a conference, another board meeting in Philly next spring, and a cruise for later next spring. There will be another board meeting in Chicago in winter, and I should go see Family and Friends in Florida next winter. There will be plenty of time to rest when we are dead. 

What have I been reading? Class Clown by Dave Barry - I laughed so hard I had to stop and catch my breath. 

What is on the easel? An abstract poured paint work, kind of like Jackson Pollock. I was stuck, and a friend gave me a Bright Idea (her last name is Bright.) 

Travel Tuesday: He Went To Paris

 

Monday Moods June 29, 2026

Don't panic, but the year is almost half over.  Time flies when we are having fun, and this year has been fun. This is a good time for me to  review my goals for the year:

• Walk 60 minutes or more, at least 6 days per week. 
• Read at least a book per week, 52 for the year. 
• Travel, I expect travel nights to be between 35 and 40 this year. 
• Go to Mt. Vernon at least 25 times in the year.
• Publish at least three articles in the ABA Senior Lawyers Division Voice of Experience Journal (I have already committed to four topics.) 
• Paint, take photos, explore new media. 
• Organize the greeting card box, and send out 20 or more cards. 
• Pause at least once a week, to take stock of everything that works in my life. 

I am easily exceeding the walking goal, many longer walks, and many weeks when I walk everyday. I feel strange if I miss a day. This is a strong habit. 

I have finished reading 36 books so far this year. I am on pace to far exceed this goal. 

I have already traveled 38 nights this year, with another 11 nights already booked.  I expect I will be just over 50 nights by the end of the year. 

I have only been out to Mt Vernon probably 10 times, and it is the peak of summer heat.  I am probably going to miss this one. 

I will publish 6 or 7 articles by the end of the year. I have one partially written. 

I have had more fun with painting than expected. The portraits experiment was fun. I led a small group in color block painting - my first time trying to teach art.  I have archived about 10,000 photos so far this year. I just did a display of digital transparencies, a new media for me. 

The greeting card box has been organized, but I am behind in sending cards out. 

I am pausing more than I had in the past, but still not as often as I should. 

My thoughts on this:

This is a reminder to go to Mt Vernon, send those cards, and pause to be thankful more often.  

I have a good life. I am engaged in doing things that bring meaning to my life, and make the world a better place.  I am learning and exploring.  

What about the shoes? Martha Washington wore them to dance. I think the last time I went out dancing, Martha might have been there. As Zorba urged, "You gotta dance boss!" 

There is an instant flashback for me. My first semester at Rollins College I read the book, Zorba the Greek, and the professors screened the film. It was a life changing experience for me. That one class an introduction to interdisciplinary humanities changed how I think about the world and my role in it. I was so lucky to be there, at that time, with that wonderful group of explorers. I hope Professor Hoyte Edge is out there smiling at the memory of teaching that class, knowing that he made a difference.  

The Sunday Five: Experiences

 1: What is the first experience that stands out in your mind from childhood? 

2: What building left you in amazement? 

3: If the doctor said, let your mind go to your happy place, where is it? 

4: What is the most wonderful thing you have ever touched? 

5: What do you want to experience before you die? 

My Answers: 

1: What is the first experience that stands out in your mind from childhood? Visiting the Grand Canyon when I was about 5. 

2: What building left you in amazement? The Milwaukee Museum of Art, it is worth going to Wisconsin. 

3: If the doctor said, let your mind go to your happy place, where is it? Any one of a hundred villages in Normandy. 

4: What is the most wonderful thing you have ever touched? Sheared Beaver, I was in Anchorage Alaska. I went into a shop that sold furs, the proprietor said, "you have to feel this!" 

5: What do you want to experience before you die? There are not a lot of experiences left on the list, flying in a hot air balloon is one. A friend just did a ski plane landing on a glacier in Alaska, that is on the bucket list.  Someone asked him why he was doing it, he responded "because he can." A few days before they took a flight over the North Pole. 

Please share your answers in the comments. 

The Saturday Morning Post: Challenge Your Creativity to Grow

I try not to ask others to do something, I am not willing to try doing myself. Well sort of, I am not going to try neurosurgery, or changing the doohickies in my car.  This year I led the committee that set the themes for the local arts council shows.  Some of the ideas were mine, some were not my idea, but for all of them, I agreed that they were good. That we would ask our creative community to create art for those themes. Under the policy of not asking others to do something I am not willing to try myself, this has pushed me to challenge my creativity. 

One of the themes is "Still Life and Real Life."  I have never painted still life works. If I am going to ask others to do so, I should try. And I have. Are they great works of art destined to hang in a museum for centuries? When I stop laughing, I know they are not, but they are the best still life paintings I have ever done. I enjoyed creating them. I learned and grew by creating them. Without this challenge, I probably never would have. 

Challenge yourself to create in new ways this week. 

There is a YouTube series where an artist challenge himself to create 30 paintings in 30 days. He outlined a plan for different styles he wanted to try his hand at. The video said 30 in 30 days, his follow up video explained that he worked on planning for a couple of months, and several of the works took several days to complete, he may not have created all 30 in a 30 day period.  Still he challenged himself to create 30 unique works, exploring 30 styles and techniques. He learned and grew by challenging himself to be creative. 

How will you challenge your creativity this week.