I love the July 4th celebrations. The whole idea  of picnics, family get togethers, fireworks, and listening to the Star Spangled Banner just does something for me. Generally we open the house up to anyone who wants to come, put up the volleyball net, the horseshoe spikes, the hatchet targets (yes my kids throw hatchets at targets, doesn’t everyone’s kids?), and point people in the direction of the creek if they want a swim.
The house fills with flies as people run in and out and gallons of lemonade, tea, cokes, and other beverages are consumed. The only requirement is that …read more

Surfin’ Safari is another of Boca Java’s flavored coffees. Caramel and Kalhua are the foremost flavors with hints of vanilla.

First of all, I think that Boca Java coffees are good, but not over the top. As for the flavorings, I think they are very imaginative but for my money Kaffe Magnum Opus takes first place in flavored coffees, other than a local roaster that I use. Boca Java flavors just don’t have the intensity that I am looking for. And…you can’t smell them when they are brewing.
Now, Marc says that is because we have a 600 square foot kitchen. Given. …read more

I don’t know.  It seems to me that we looks for any excuse for a celebratory dinner these days.  Not a bad idea really! I can remember ..you know, back in the horse and dinosaur days, when Cinco de Mayo was the fifth of May.  Now, the Hispanic areas of town celebrated, yeah they did.  But the mostly Anglo suburbs? We pretty much stuck with out pot r0ast and apple pie.

At some point in the late 1980s Cinco de Mayo began to take off a bit and now I think they celebrate it everywhere.  In fact, Marc and I were …read more