#12 Counting the Days Until We Blast Off.....

I have driven past this restaurant so many times and finally stopped in for lunch one day last week. What a treat!!! Great Mexican food, decor and music. Only problem was that the wait staff didn't want to play the speaking Spanish game or maybe our Spanish was so awful it wasn't worth answering!!! Something like our French......

Fun art outside, a metal mariachi band that played so softly you couldn't hear it. Very nonMexican!!!

I'm sure that when all of us volunteer we don't expect rewards. We just like doing it so what a surprise I got the other day when I received this lovely gray swag bag full of goodies from the group that got me involved at The Brevard Community Kitchen. A very nice little perk.

Our neighbour at the end of our floor shared these delicious treats with us. Wraps containing walnuts, cranberries and bananas. Very healthy and yet delicious!!!

It isn't very often we see a sky like this. I was hoping for lightning to be hitting the water but that didn't happen.

Tuesday was my last day at The Kitchen and I wanted to give you one more looking into my volunteer world. So strange that this was actually the same meal that was being cooked on my first day there. To me it was the enormity of everything that surprised me initially.

This is where the vegetables are usually cooked. Vats of vegetables!!!

These large vats contain the beans and ham mixture boiling away. The hose is for clean up. Everything in the kitchen is stainless steal. First all of the counters get wiped off and then the floor which is covered in food is hosed off. Boiling water often gets dumped down these grates or excess food. I just realized I forgot to take pictures of the huge baking ovens. I'll do that in November when I return.

The ladle/spoonish thing in this pot has to be at least 4 feet long.

And here is the line which runs from 9:30 to 10:30ish. During that time approximately 2000 Meals on Wheels are packed up and also meals for schools in the area. The job I did most was the third from the left person, putting the full trays onto the conveyor belt to be sealed in plastic wrap. This working on the line is my least happy place to be. Fast and Furious!!!!

So, on occasion, I can get involved with other jobs before the line starts and thus getting out of the line. Took me awhile to catch on to this but once I did........... Last Tuesday melons were my baby. Four cases of melons. Honey Dew and cantalopes. Two cases of each.

First, everything is always washed for reasons you really don't want to know. Believe me!!!!

After I had cut the melons in half and gutted them I then put them through this machine that took all of the peel off. Ok, not all of the peel but lots of it. There was a substantial amount of meat left on the shells that a hungry person would have been happy to receive!!! I then finished cleaning off the rind with a machete, sort of.

I

The finished product. Someone else cut them all up into little pieces because I got another job. My favourite job at The Kitchen.......

My melons were combined with pineapple and mandarins into 5 bins like the one you can see here and them put into these little cups. I actually did this first tray.

This was my favourite place to work. Assisting the catering chef. Great guy and a delight to work for. I filled this tray with first these orangey wraps and alternated them with green wraps. Great fun!!!

Launch lookers yesterday.

This rocket was quite a long way away. I think it is our 5th or 6th launch and I don't need to see another one. Seen one, seen them all!!!!

Rocket fluff is always pretty. Probably the best part............ Off into who knows where and that is probably a good place to end this years story. We leave on Tuesday for the trek home. We plan to return to Titusville at the end of October. We've rented a house with a huge backyard for the Max. He will get to join us next trip here as we are planning on staying for 5 months. I plan on going to San Blas for the month of January 2016 and would like someone interested in a great adventure to join me. Should that be you please let me know. Thanks for coming along this winter. It's been a blast!!!!!!

#11 Food, More Food, Creations, Beach etc.

The first big news I have to share with you is that having appealed to Blogger to reinstate the blog they took off line, it has been done!!!! Should you wish to see the beginning of this winter in Titusville plus the last entry,#9, that got me extinguished, you can now go to www.winter2015titusville.blogspot.com and see for yourself what was so out there........

At the Titusville Quilt Show I spoke with a man who was offering classes at his bead store on Merritt Island. I told him I wanted to learn how to use wind silver wire. After a few phone calls I was able to speak to the instructor and we arranged for a day that I was in Cocoa at The Kitchen. She suggested that we met for lunch before the class and this is where we went. Again, a wonderful find. Very authentic in decor, music and the sushi was awesome!!!

These are my first attempts at silver wire winding. My instructor Carol was very accommodating as she learnt what I wanted to learn and try. She did not try to keep me in a box which is always a good move with me!!! The class lasted as long as I wanted it to. She only takes one or two students at a time. We spent two hours together and plan on another class next week to learn some new moves. Naturally we will meet for lunch first!!! As I always say, "Life is all about food and money."

Tastes of Titusville was held last week at the Searstown Mall. I thought we should go early before people got off of work so we headed over just after 5 when it opened. Well, what a shock!!! This huge parking lot was jammed full of cars!!! There was no where to park!!! The tickets were $16 a head of time or $22 at the door. Next year we will buy a head of time. As we entered the mall we couldn't believe the number of people inside. It was packed!!! You went from booth to booth eating samples. So it went like this, little chicken, cupcake, margarita, chili, piece of chocolate, pizza, stir fry, cake etc. etc. We were stuffed after about an hour and walked past quite a few vendors on our way out.

The team above are from Walkabout a golf course in Mims just north of Titusville. It is an excellent place to eat. Ray golfs there with The Relative. I eat there. They were offering a lightly seared tuna with a delightful wee salad with a salsa topping. Should you be looking for a new restaurant experience please try Walkabout. You will be glad you did.

The guy here thought I was taking his picture, he was striking a pose no less!!! so I explained I was taking his sign instead. Skeeter's was serving Gator Sausage!!! Sorry too full maybe next time!!!

Not only was the mall full but this large tent was also full of vendors.

Ok, this is our beach at Playalinda. Can you imagine that last time we went to the beach someone sat in front of us!?!?!?!?! I couldn't believe it!!!

This is my new tactic. Want to sit in front of me? You're going to get wet!!!!!!!

This is the official name of the Troll Restaurant as The Relative calls it because it is under the bridge beside our places. Friday and Saturday nights we can hear the live music. Sometimes that is a treat and sometimes, not such a treat.

This excellent solo artist was there last time we walked over. Our plan was to sit and listen to him when we were finished eating dinner but alas he was packing up. He will be back on Wednesday, March 25th from 5-8.

About 30 minutes north of us is the little town of Oak Hill. They have a farmer's market every Saturday. We just learnt also on Sunday. Sunday being the "best" day. I have found some real treasures here. Last Saturday was a wooden coke bottle tray. Emsdale Farmer's Market every Friday from 10-2 will give you the opportunity to make it yours!!!!

I didn't care what this guy was selling. When I saw him, I just knew I wanted to take his picture so I bought 5 tomatoes for $3 and then took this wonderful picture!!!!

Yesterday was the last day of the Daytona Bike Week. All week we saw bikes everywhere around here and lots of signs welcoming bikes and biker only parking. There were bikes for sale everywhere where you have never seen bikes before!!! The bikers bring in approximately 34 million a year during Bike Week. Welome Bikers!!!

I'm not sure who had the great idea to take the sailing school out into the middle of the Intercoastal Waterway to learn how to turn and pass and race but yesterday this was the game in town. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this boat with the two sails trying to come north and these fools racing back and forth in front of it!!!!

Whew, they are almost safe!!!!!!!! I can just imagine how blue the air must have been on board.

Oh, my it must be time to stop buying!!! There is no more room in the closet and now this corner of the breakfast room is full too. Good thing we are heading home two weeks from tomorrow!!!!

The Story of the White Apron - In December I was rooting around in my linen closet looking for something when I suddenly saw this apron. I honestly do not know where it came from. I picked it up and told Ray I was taking it to Florida. "Why??" he asked. "I have no idea but I just know I have to take it." and this is the apron I have worn at The Kitchen every Tuesday and Thursday mornings since the beginning of January. So, when you hear that small voice telling you something, listen and follow!!! You just never know..........

#10 Key West, Kennedy Space Center and the Odd Hot Day.....

Key West: Once a quiet little gay village on the tip of the Florida Keys has changed so much since we first visited in the 60s. There is a Key West tradition that each night the town gathers in Mallory Square to watch the sun go down on the horizon. This has always been a place for buskers to show off their talents and I had made a pile of $1 bills to use as tips. What a surprise upon our arrival in the square to see that it is now about four times its original size and the performers were asking for $5 tips!!! This is just one of the many shows we enjoyed.

Don't try this at home kids!!!

We stayed at Duval House at the upper end of the main street Duval. This was our lovely unit at the back surrounded by gardens, meandering walkways and a nice warm pool. Two comfy rockers were on the porch where it was nice to sit and catch up on emails.

This is the street view of Duval House. Should you be heading to Key West, I would really recommend it.

As we walked to Earnest Hemmingway's House just a couple of blocks away, I was delighted to see chickens on the street just like in Mexico!!!!

This is the great writer's kichen. Again, with a Mexican flare.

An on suite bathroom had this cute marble sink.

Loved the colour of this house. This is a very typical style of house for Key West. Lots of ginger breading. 

Similar to New Orleans, many graves are above the ground but for a different reason. Here it is because the ground is too hard, packed shell and sand, to dig. In New Orleans, it is due to the high water table. The two locations have something else in common, three nights is long enough!!!!

So, you live in the south and you get termites. No problem. Cover the house with a large tent and inject, we don't want to know what, into the house and wait until there are no more gnawing sounds coming from the inside!!!

There are 42 bridges to cross to get from the main land to Key West. The Atlantic Ocean is on your left and the Gulf of Mexico is on your right. The water has that amazing turquoise colour you see in the Caribbean. It is truly a beautiful drive. Too bad some are in a hurry!!!

 This is a contest. Which toilet brush holder can be found in the executive penthouse suite?

Todd and Ray went off to the Kennedy Space Center for a day. I don't know what any of these things are so you can fill in any captions you want!!!!

I know this one!!! I know this one!!!! This is the monstrously big machine that they use to take the rockets from the assembly plant to the blast of site!!! Whew!!!!

This is my first rug made after taking the course last month. Now I'm looking for pieces of material, large pieces of material you might have laying around - yards of it - or old sheets that are the colour that would make a good rug so white is out!!! I tried to make this one look like dirty Max prints to go just inside of one of our doors - when we get home.

Tomorrow I am taking a course on how to curl silver wire. Should be fun. Before my class I am meeting my instructor for lunch at the Sumo Monkey for lunch. Should be interesting!!!!!! I will let you know.