Indebtedness for driving on toll road #000299968

Notice to Appear,

You have a debt to pay for using a toll road.
Please service your debt in the shortest possible time.

You can review the invoice in the attachment.

Regards,
Terrance Simons,
E-ZPass Support.

Memory

LOST IN TIME

Here we are, Twinkie and I exchanging thoughts in the comments secetion of a post from May 27, 2013! I had a hard time even finding where her comment was so that I could respond! Which I did,,,then she added a note,,,and as I was about to add another--again after much searching--I realized we were truely lost in time.  AND the comments we were exchanging were about the cemetery in Jefferson!  But had morphed into talking about memory--how we each seem to have our own and only occasionally do our memories correspond.  Sometimes the memory of one evokes a similar memory in another, but not always so.  Twinkie remembers marigolds in the cemetery, I remember gardenias.  My gardenias provoke Twinkies memory of gardenias AND magnolias.  Her memory of marigolds raises not a glimmer of memory for me.

Memories.  It seems that the older we (I?) get the more we cherish our memories and yet the more are lost.  Memories of Jefferson are especially rich--perhaps because they are frozen in time since our time there was short and then no more.  Wish I could pass them on--but only if they could carry the richness I find in them.  I remember Daddy Doc talking about his past but I don't remember anything he told us nor do I remember that anyone was listening.  Now I wish I had!

Does anyone have a picture of the house in Jefferson?

A  BIRTHDAY  STORY

When Bradford was five or so--about the age he is in this picture--we visited Aunt Pud and Uncle Jimmy in Pecos. Always a treat, this visit was especially so. They had planned a big day for us out on The Land, a barren acreage whose claim to our attention was The Tank, a cement pool filled with fish. The adjacent house (not a cottage, possibly a camp) had rustic dimensions that made cooking and eating and sleeping possible. We spent a long afternoon there, with reels and rods and the whole Pecos family preparing a fish fry. 

The hooks went in and, over time, came out, usually with a fish.

Everyone caught at least one.  

Except Bradford. 

The sun went down, the bugs came out, and still Bradford sat holding a long, empty rod. People started to eat, wondering how long he would sit there. 

He sat there until--finally--he caught a fish. A great Whoop went up.  Bradford was much pleased with his first catch. 

It was also his last. He has yet to cast another rod into another tank.

This is the pattern he set that day. Define the goal, your goal. Focus on it--really focus. Then when you've got it,  move on.  

Think javelina, think Pachelbel’s Canon... think Dean’s List.

Think Bradford. Its his birthday!

HOME AGAIN, BACK HOME

We left North Street at 9:15 this morning--with regrets.  It was such a wonderful time with Twinkie and Wayne.  Just being with them was so great and to top that off we had such a wonderful time with them in Quebec City!  Definitely a trip to repeat.

We got to Manchester, NH in good time.  Split a hamburger at the airport and took off for Baltimore.  Deplaning at Baltimore I took a mis-step and made a big splat in the tunnel between the plane and the airport--with a long line of people eager to get to off the plane behind me.  Two gentlemen picked me up--out of the way--and left me to pull myself together.  It was not a bad fall--just unfortunate.

Got the next plane to San Antonio easily and had a smooth flight home.  Then began discussing dinner!  Maybe pick something up on the way to or from visiting Kenny.  But when we got home we checked out the plants--flowers, herbs and tomatoes.  All was well!  The basil was so great it needed trimming back--so we had a delicious pesto pasta for dinner (Sarah, that is one of our 'go-to dinners').  Yummy.

Then off for a short but great visit with Kenny--who was surprised as he, along with lots of other people, expected our return on Monday not on Saturday.  Some how, somewhere I got the word out that our trip ended on Monday the 12th instead of Saturday the 10th--even our hosts thought we were there till Monday!  Only Jim was not too surprised at every one's surprise.

Good News!

You do not have to go to Canada to get good rabbit stew. But perhaps you do have to go there to get the inspiration.

Gay and I made a superior one right here last night. It took some doing. We drove to Portland (Yes, to Rosemont) only to find they had no rabbits. Problem with their provider. We called around and found that Pat's Meat Market--not far from Rosemont--had rabbits. Do you have two? we asked. Why, yes, we do. When we got there to grab them they seemed to be as surprised as we to find that they had only one. So….we added two pounds of chicken thighs, daring anyone to tell the difference. We did find the difference, but wonder whether we would have had we not known to look for it. We were very pleased with ourselves, until we realized we had failed to authenticate with a picture.

When you ask Gay to  replicate this for you, and you must ask her,  remind her to include the gingered-pear conserve. A minor but absolutely essential ingredient.

Happy trails...

Canada, Oh Canada

We left Canada with a new project in mind: 1,000 Things to Eat Before You Die. One in particular might kill you: Poutine, the ancient and honorable signature dish of Francophones in Quebec City, Biddeford, and New Orleans. We skipped it because the ingredients consist of gravy over french fries topped with cheese curds. You see the problem.

But from this trip we can recommend rabbit stew, especially as prepared by La Lapin Saute. So good, but the outstanding element of that meal was the accompanying melange of vegetables, the best-ever in my experience. I cannot figure out why. 

The theme of our visit, as defined by me, was the pursuit of game-centered meals. Which should have been easy to come by in that country that has no reservations about selling wildlife.  But rabbit was the closest we got, except for a non-descript stew made of boar. Sounds right, except that to me it was indistinguishable from any beef stew. 

We did score some food fun on our way out of Canada--at Peres Natural, a specialty grocery store, which is to say it did not sell toilet paper--only very interesting food, prepared and to go. I left with close to $100 worth of mustards. Over the top, but it did inspire the idea of some taste tests at theKRC grill nights this summer.

Catwear was not any part of the plan, but it emerged as the Big Takeaway.  In fact, I expect to be able to claim the cost  as business expense. It has changed everything. But more about that later…