In all truth, Jamaica is a food lover’s paradise. Everything is fresh and delicious, from the fruit (Papayas and Mangoes like you have never tasted), to fish and even some of the best tomatoes!Let’s not forget the Blue Mountain coffee and the Scotch Bonnet peppers. There was just so much to try it was great. I sampled things that I had always wanted to try, and tried some things I had never even heard of before. We drank coconut water straight from a green coconut. We snacked on raw sugar cane, refreshed ourselves with sour sop juice, which was not sour at all, but milky and tasting like a cross between banana and coconut with a bit of tang.

We enjoyed the national dish of Jamaica - Ackee with Salt fish - which is made up of Ackee fruit - that looks like scrambled eggs and tastes very rich, and Cod, which Jamaicans call salt fish. I thought it meant salted codfish, but it was uncured. I liked it, but I think the ackee was a little too rich for me.

But the story behind it is great. I arranged for a private beach dinner to surprise Roberto. His birthday was in March and with all the excitement of wedding planning it was not that inspired of a celebration, so I wanted to make sure that he was recognized. So they set up a private table for us on the beach, surrounded by tiki torches. There were tropical flowers on the table and the path that lead us out to the beach was lined with votive candles. We enjoyed a delicious 5 course dinner, full of treats. It started with …

“I’ve got a new love baby, a new love, oh, oh oh” …besides my new husband that is… and it is Smoked Marlin Ceviche. Now I don’t know how something they is already cooked can be a ceviche, but I am gonna let this one slide because it is so freaking good. There were many new tastes and delicious things to be eaten in Jamaica but I must say this little gem was my favorite and I ate it every chance I could get - in sushi, as an appetizer, over pan fried grouper as an entree. Hell, I would have eaten it for breakfast or dessert, if they had offered it. This stuff was addicting. So smoky in its under notes, yet incredibly citrus-y in the high notes. It was like nothing I ever had - but the best was when they served it that night with an ackee fruit and lemon aioli over a slice of pineapple. It was pure heaven. I can honestly say possibly the best thing I have ever eaten, ever.

Next was a Cream of Carrot, Seville Orange and Ginger soup - creamy, refreshing and delicious, served in a coconut bowl. Then the salad course, a green salad with nuts, cilantro, feta cheese and passion fruit vinaigrette.

Then the Entree - 2 huge pieces of fish - Pan Fried Grouper and Salmon, with Garlic Shrimp, over Mashed Potatoes in a Lemon Buerre Blanc with Capers. Talk about fresh. Everything just melted in your mouth like a symphony.

Dessert was a chef’s choice trio: Chocolate Espresso Tart, Tropical Fruit Compote with Coconut Brittle and some kind of citrus pie that I can’t remember… mind you all of this was served with copious amounts of champagne. So that is my excuse!

Irie! The food was amazing as I said, but the service was great. Jamaicans are some of the nicest people I have ever met - always ready to laugh and smile and at the same time, almost everyone we talked to was a philosopher. The first experience we had of this was with our waitress that night, Carlene. We talked a lot in between dishes about family, roots and doing the best you can with what you have. During this conversation, when we were talking about her working at the resort, I mentioned that I really wanted to try Ackee and Salt fish. She also works at one of the restaurants at the resort, and said if she was working there tomorrow, she would talk to the chef and see of he would make it. So the next morning, we go over there, and of course it was there. It was so sweet and heart warming that she did that for me. We saw her there and she gave me a big hug and made sure I knew the dish was available.

This is what I am talking about. There is a spirit to the people of Jamaica that Roberto and I really had an easy time relating to. People there have had a lot of adversity in their lives, but most of the people we met, had used that to learn something from. They have taken it and embraced it, and risen above it. People were proud of their country and happy to talk about all sorts of topics relating to Jamaica, its culture, history and food. They don’t worry about the small things, and value love above all. This is Roberto with one of our favorite bartenders, Fraser, who hopes to move to FL for work. He is the same age now, as Roberto was when he came to the US. So we wished him luck and told him to be sure to work somewhere that his enormous skill, talent and personality would be appreciated.

Always sinting deh yah fi nym (There is always some food here to eat). Other foods of note were Coco Bread which is a soft delicious bread that accompanies a lot of Jamaican dishes, like one of our lunch favorites, Snapper baked in foil with onions and peppers. Also good was the Jerk dishes - we had Jerk Chicken and even a Jerk Burger. It was great to try Jerk in Jamaica - it is so different than the “Jerk” stuff we get here in the US. So spicy, but yet with a bit of sweetness to it. Delicious stuff. Also a local green called Callaloo was a favorite. It is kind of like spinach, but often eaten for breakfast, which I loved. Roberto even had callaloo risotto with dinner one night. Roberto also enjoyed Jamaican pizza - he doesn’t know how they learned but he says the crust is perfect. He enjoyed it several times while we were there, even for breakfast. For me, I loved the use of Scotch Bonnet peppers in so much of the food. I love spicy foods and this was great. Like in this remoulade dressing for grilled romaine. YUM.

Wanga-guts for sure! Ya Mon! - oh yeah, did I mention that we also took a Patois (Jamaican dialect) class…
Really fun stuff!

Then of course there were the drinks - frozen, shaken and stirred. This was a resort, so we enjoyed as much rum as we could take (among other beverages like wine, and cordials, and martinis) and we certainly had more than enough, it will be a very long time until I crave another frozen rum drink.

But my favorites were the ones that contained Papaya and Blue Mountain coffee! YUM. Roberto liked the ones with Coconut the best.

Did I mention Jamaicans also like to cook a lot with Rum? Like Italians cook with wine, so do Jamaicans cook with rum. But we were well behaved, no bangarangs, I promise.

Although, there are incriminating photos, I will not put them here of Roberto dancing on stage during one of the resort shows, Roberto singing O Sole Mio! at the piano lounge and both of us with a big snake wrapped around our necks….ok, well I guess its not so bad, so here you go.

Next time we go to Jamaica - because there WILL be a next time, I would love to see more of it. We really didn’t do much besides snorkeling, swimming, kayaking and taking boat and catamaran trips. But it was what we needed this trip. It gave us a chance to really relax and connect with each other away from the world at large.

Luckily we were able to see the Southern most point of Jamaica and on the way, enjoy the Pirates Caves - caves in the ocean, that we were able to swim into and explore a bit. The water there was about 25-30 feet deep and still crystal clear.

It was a gorgeous place and certainly a highlight of our trip. While snorkeling and swimming we saw lots of sting rays, tropical fish, starfish, sea cucumbers, coral, and someone on our scuba trip even saw an eel.

Also a highlight were the beautiful sunsets! There is nothing more romantic and beautiful than sitting on a beautiful beach, under swaying palm trees, holding your new husband’s hand and watching the sun disappear behind the endless sea.

disclaimer: no starfish were harmed in the writing of this article.

Many people these days have begun to look at the travel industry with a critical eye. With gas prices rising and the dollar struggling, people are beginning to see that things in the world are not status quo anymore - things are changing. With that, mindsets are changing and people are starting to travel in a different way. A way that benefits other people who are in need, helps the environment or for cultural exchange. These are not new concepts for me. I took a year after high school to travel to Norway as an exchange student. It was a life changing experience. It changed the way I looked at the world, and helped me to see that people all over the world have ways of life that are unique to them and that I feel should be preserved. That fascinated me and still does. This is one of the reasons that I write this blog - it is because I believe that through travel and cultural experiences we can learn so much - not just about the world, but about ourselves.

After my Norwegian experience, I officially came down with the Travel Bug. Not just to see other places, but to really experience them. Being an outsider has its lessons. So while in college, studying anthropology and contemporary Native American issues, I found out about Black Mesa and Big Mountain - part of the Navajo Reservation in NE Arizona and their struggle for survival. To read more about the history and my experiences there, please read this.

I have stayed in touch with some of the people I met there and try to keep myself up to date with what is going on there on Black Mesa. These elders that live there, have a very hard life and they always need volunteers, people to go out to their homesteads, do a home stay, help with sheep herding, carding and spinning wool, cooking, chopping wood, cleaning and doing just about anything and everything to do with traditional Navajo life. I spent 6 months with a family there and it truly was a life changing experience (yep, that is me in the jeans and gray sweatshirt hanging with my Navajo grandparents and their children during a family reunion). Without that time in my life, I would not be the person I am today. I am so thankful for that experience, because even though I was there to help them, I think in so many ways they helped me more.

Black Mesa Indigenous Support Group - the group that arranged my home stay, is now calling for volunteers to go out to the land and stay with families. They are a small grass-roots all-volunteer group organized to work with and support the issues of traditional, indigenous peoples of Black Mesa who are impacted by the coal mining and forced relocation policies of the US government. There is a lot going on that you can participate in that will help immeasurably. There are people all over the world, struggling and living in third world conditions who face human rights violations all the time. It saddens me deeply, but what saddens me even more is the fact that we have a similar situation going on here in America, and so few people even know about it!

Continue reading to learn more about how your next vacation can be one that helps people in need.

*On a personal note, I will be getting married very soon, so posts/ updating comments will be more sporadic than usual with gaps - don’t worry I will be back with more travel articles and Saint Augustine Resturant Reviews!* Continue Reading »

If you have followed this blog for any length of time you know that Roberto loves his pizza. Being from Rome, Italy, although not THE capital of pizza that Naples is, he still knows a thing or two about what pizza should really be like (if you would like to see what we think makes a pizza great, check out this article ). So as always, when we change living locations we are always on the quest for the best pizza around (if you want to see where the best pizza in the US is that we have found so far, check out this article ).

If you live in Saint Augustine, Florida or have ever spent time here, you know there are tons of pizza joints. One night we were in the mood for a slice so we decided to check out Pizza Time’s Brooklyn style pizza on St. George’s Street. Now as you know, generally we are not big fans of New York style pizza. The crust is much more floppy than the classical Italian version and so it never quite meets up to our crunch standards. But Pizza Time displays many of their pie choices in the window and they looked really good. Plus I loved the sign in the window saying: “I’m Italian, I don’t need a recipe!”
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BY KARI HOEL
PHOTOS BY KARI HOEL

I think most visitors to Bangkok are struck by the size of the city. It is big, both in terms of geography and population. And not all of it is pretty. But the city has it all – culture, history, shopping and nightlife. You just need to bring a good guidebook in order to find it all.

My husband and I stayed in the Siam Square area, which is the primary shopping district, and we used our guidebook a lot (Thailand Travel Guide and Bangkok Encounter Guide, both published by Lonely Planet), which made it possible to find some wonderful places. We lived it up a bit, and stayed at the Amari Watergate Hotel and Spa. Everything was very nice: The room, the service, the view, the food, not to mention the pool area on the 8th floor. It is a big business-like hotel, so you do not get a warm fuzzy feeling when walking into the large, air-conditioned lobby. However, when you are determined to spend some time shopping, the Amari Watergate is a good location as the big shopping centers are very close by.

I have already mentioned the s-word. Bangkok is famous for its shopping opportunities, and rightly so. I spent a lot of time at MBK, Paragon, Siam Center and Central World Plaza – four large shopping complexes. As we stayed in Bangkok both in the beginning and end of our trip, I did ”research” in the beginning, then went back and actually spent money when we returned. I was a bit surprised that it was difficult to find stores that had Thai-inspired clothing. Last time we were in Bangkok was four years ago, and I am not sure if there were more non-western brands back then, but there were probably fewer shopping centers. The price is still a bit lower than Europe, but it might be a close race. The selection, however, is good! And if you are able to find a good tailor, you can get some great deals on custom-made suits, dresses etc.

As for the more lasting experiences: Most of the cultural/historical sites are in the Ratanakosin District. As this was our second time in Bangkok, we had seen many of the temples the first time we were there. This time we took a boat trip on the Chao Phraya river, which was a very pleasant way to spend a few hours and at the same time see Bangkok from a different angle. The boat left from Saphan Taksin, which is at the end of one of the SkyTrain (metro) lines.
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STORY BY: Kari Hoel
PHOTOS BY: Kari Hoel

Three days in Cambodia is too little, but enough to find out that the Angkor temples are among the world’s most incredible sites.

A little bit of geography: The Angkor temples are 7 km from the town Siem Reap. Siem Reap is in the north-western part of Cambodia, and it has an international airport. My husband and I flew there from Bangkok, which was an efficient way to travel as we had limited time. Travelers whose funds are more limited than their time, get there by bus/taxi, or by boat from Phnom Penh.

Most visitors to the Angkor temples rent a tuk-tuk with a driver. We decided to combine exercise and sightseeing, so we rented bicycles instead. We loved it! The bikes very not very good (the rental price was USD 2 per day), but it did not matter as the area is very flat and easy to cycle around regardless of the quality of the bike. Also, Cambodian drivers are courteous and drive carefully (in sharp contrast to Thai drivers), so we were not worried about being run down by maniac drivers.
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I have been to Cafe del Hidalgo many times for Gelato. Boy is it good. I am so happy that they don’t always have Nocciola (Hazelnut) or else I would never have gotten the chance to explore the other many wonderful flavors. One day, I was out on an errand and I decided to try their espresso. Whenever I go to a new coffee place to try their espresso drinks, I always get a latte, so it is the standard by which all coffee places are judged.

My latte at Cafe del Hidalgo was alright but it was not as good as some of the other places I have been, like Mystic Bean, which I will be doing a write up on later. I was also disappointed that it was served in a paper cup, even though I was having it there. This is not just a complaint about Hidalgo, but most coffee places now. I remember the days when you went to a coffee bar and if you were having a drink there they served it to you in a regular coffee/ espresso/ cappuccino cup. I miss that and I hope the coffee bars will go back to that someday. There is something nice about that.

I still may go back to Cafe del Hidalgo and try one of their fancy specialty coffees, but most likely I will just stick to the Gelato!

A bright soul has left this world. At the age of 30, my bellydancing teacher, Rose Champagne has left on the final journey into the unknown after a battle with brain cancer. She already beat it five years ago and had her whole life ahead of her. When I left New England, she had just gotten married and bought a new house. She had it all – a wonderful husband, a new house and a fabulous career doing what she loved. She was one of those shining stars, someone with a beautiful soul who kind of glided through the world. She was the kind of person everyone wanted to know and be around. She was someone who stood out in a room. She was kind, and loving and beautiful. I knew her but briefly and from afar, but she affected everyone she knew with her grace. I pray for her family that must go on without her.

To my teacher Rose Champagne. Rose, it is hard to believe that a spirit so strong and beautiful and full of light has left this earth. There is always a bit of emptiness felt in the world, when a light as bright as yours leaves this realm. I ask that your spirit be as free now, as it always was in The Dance now that you are free from the physical limitations of your body, which whirled with such grace and beauty as you walked among us for too brief a time. You taught us how to be free in our own dances and to let the ancestral spirit flow and sway with our bodies. You taught us how to communicate through dance and let loose. You gave so much to us all and I want to thank you and send you with gifts of the sweetest baklava and delicious dark Turkish Coffee, for the journey you have left to travel.
May you be at peace.

This restaurant which is often touted as a place for tourists is in fact, great for tourists because it has a fantastic view of Matanzas Bay and The Bridge of Lions. You can see seagulls, fish and even dolphins playing in the water below you. But it is also a fun place for locals when you need to get your fix of watching crazy seagulls and attempt to feed them without getting your fingers bitten off! Kids will love it, too, as this place is more than food, it is also entertainment.

We had a great experience at The Santa Maria when my Dad and Stepmom were visiting a few weeks ago. We were going to take them to the A1A Alehouse, so they could get a nice view of the water and city, grab a pint of beer and enjoy the food, but they were closed for renovations. So A1A missed out!By this time we were so starving we didn’t know what to do. The belly was taking over the mind, so we ended up at The Santa Maria. I am really glad we did because I am sure this is exactly the kind of place I would have overlooked since it is right on the water and I have a theory that a good view does not always equate to good food. But I was happy that The Santa Maria proved me wrong.
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I always have a few rules of thumb when dining at a new restaurant. I like to try places that serve food I normally do not prepare at home. I love eclectic restaurants, small establishments that are family owned, that cater to people with various dietary habits, not because I have one, but because it means the chef is usually creative and cares about satisfying a wide variety of patrons – not just mainstream palates. I especially love restaurants that tell you about their food – what ingredients are in the dishes, what sources they get their food from, is is organic, fair trade, etc. This tells an awful lot about a place and I care a lot about the answers. It has to do with quality. I care about quality. I fancy myself a pretty good cook – I have a whole other blog devoted to it, so if I am going to go out to eat, I want the restaurant to have some of these aspects. That or a killer ambiance, but that can be another whole kind of experience.

All of the times we came to St. Augustine before we lived here I wanted to try Casa Maya. It is known for its Mayan cuisine, which to me, means real Mexican / Northern Central American food – not the stuff you get at Taco Bell or Moe’s. By self describing as “Mayan” - you can already surmise that it is done to set them apart from that contingent. I love when I go to an ethnic restaurant where the real cuisine is unfamiliar to me and I don’t recognize anything on the menu. This usually is a signal that the food is authentic to that region. Such was the case at Casa Maya. After being disappointed by Acapulco, several months ago, I was loosing the battle with trying to convince Roberto that Mexican food is really good.
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These guys have got my number. I do believe that coffee is a crucial part of life. Not just any coffee but GOOD coffee. I admit I may be a coffee snob, but I feel myself very fortunate to know a bit about coffee and that I have a desire to learn more and more. If you look through this blog or my other blog TheLeftoverQueen you will see much about my love of the bean. So when we relocated to St. Augustine, I made it my personal mission to seek out the best of what St. Augustine has to offer by way of coffee. I will also be enjoying many of the eating establishments here as well, so stay tuned for more. But now, for the coffee.

I love the look of Crucial Coffee. This adorable little coffee shack on the corner of Cuna Street, right near the Castillo de San Marcos is so inviting. It does remind me of those coffee shacks in New England I so love. It is unassuming yet brings attention to itself with brightly colored doors and twinkling little lights. You just can’t help not to go in.
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Jenn’s TravelCloseup has just changed hubs. We have moved from Ocala, Florida to the beautiful coastal city of St. Augustine. The Oldest city in The United States, founded in 1565 and discovered in by Ponce de Leon. His Fountain of Youth is still here. It has the effect of giving you the giggles.

We are going to have a lot to explore in St. Augustine - lots of historic sites, beaches, restaurants, cafe’s, etc. You can even visit this bar that has no electricity and is lighted at night by lanterns! I can’t wait to check that place out.

We are settling into our new place, so stay tuned for some adventures in St. Augustine! Or if you live in this great city, you may see us at one of our new favorite cafe’s - The Bunnery on St. George Street.

In the spirit of giving, do something simple for those less fortunate:

Please Forward Widely!

URGENT ACTION ALERT!! DEADLINE APPROACHING!
YUCCA MOUNTAIN, SACRED TO THE SHOSHONE & MAJOR FAULT ZONE, IN
IMMINENT DANGER!
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY MOVES PLANS FORWARD TO TURN YUCCA MOUNTAIN INTO
NUCLEAR WASTE REPOSITORY.
PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD DEADLINE JANUARY 10, 2008.

Public hearings have not been well attended, statements mostly in
favor of the plan to put all of the nuclear waste in the country in
this one sacred place. Activists were told that if we do not go on
record with a statement, we will have no legal recourse later on.
Local papers & media spin have recently stated that opposition to the
nuke dump had dropped of since the passing of Corbin Harney. The
nuclear reps are confident to the point of acting like it’s a done
deal. WE KNOW THAT’S NOT TRUE! LETS PROVE THEM WRONG! TAKE ACTION &
MAKE YOUR COMMENT NOW!!

Yucca Mountain is sacred to the Shoshone as an herb gathering site,
for rituals, and as a part of their stories. Yucca Mountain is known
in Shoshone language as Snake Mountain. Indeed it looks like a
snake. It is said that the snake was headed north when it froze where
it is. Further more it is said that it will move again and “flip
around”. Geologists say that there are thirteen different fault lines
running through it.

Citizens can make an oral statement at the scheduled public hearings
or fill out a form and mail it in to EIS Office U.S. Department of
Energy Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Mgmt, 1551 Hillshire dr.
Las Vegas, NV, 89195-7308 or by e-mail at EIS_Office@ymp.gov.
HERE ARE TALKING POINTS: http://www.h-o-m-e.org/Yucca/index.htm

“The eyes of the elders are on us. The fate of the unborn is
rolling toward the cliff, the voice of Corbin Harney is ringing in my
ears, “It’s on your shoulders now…”. Info from Bear Dyken.
mdyken@goldrush.com.

YUCCA MOUNTAIN FACT SHEET, TALKING POINTS, & MORE INFO: Healing
Ourselves & Mother Earth http://www.h-o-m-e.org/

The DOE released two Draft Supplemental Environmen-tal Impact
Statements related to repository changes and rail transportation of
high-level waste in Nevada.

Inyo County CA- Excellent Draft Impacts Assessment Report Comments
due by 1/10/08

One of our other stops during our New England trip was in Bennington Vermont, visiting our friends Nicki and Lisa (you will remember them from our Ft. Lauderdale trip, although we all had slightly different hair at that point….). When in Bennington you must go to The Bennington Battle Monument
The monument was built in the 1880’s at the same location in 1777 during the war of independence, that the American colonists maintained a store of weapons and food, which the British knew was critical to capture in order to restock their own troops.

Besides the history the Bennington Monument is a great place to look out over Bennington and see the landscape which at this time of year included many beautifully colored trees. You get to the top of the monument by going up in an elevator. It is cold up there so be sure to bring a jacket.

Another must see outdoor monuments of sorts is the great poet, Robert Frost’s grave at The Old Bennington Cemetary. It lies in a small cemetary that houses many old and ornate tombstones and also those that are fairly plain. The cemetary goes back to the American Revolution. In 1920 Roberto Frost came to Shaftsbury, VT (one town over from Bennington) to live. His wife died suddenly 13 years later and he went to their old farm in Derry NH to scatter her ashes per her wishes, but the place was run down. He kept her ashes until he bought 2 burial plots at the Old Bennington Cemetery behind the Old First Congregational Church.

We were a little chilly after our trip to the monument, so we decided to look for some indoor activities. There is a local winery in Southern Vermont called The North River Winery. All of us having been residents of Vermont had all been to this winery in the past and had vowed to never go back. But it is just a thing you do when you are in VT - it is like a weird kind of pride for the state thing - local wine. North River Winery makes all their wines from fruits grown in Vermont – apples, raspberries, blueberries, rhubarb, etc. Sounds good right?

Well not so much…all of us really liked the IDEA of these kinds of wine, but the taste leaves something to be desired. I think it would make nice salad dressing, but drinking wine? Um no. I wish it weren’t so. As I love the idea of using local ingredients to make everything! But if you are ever in the area, do take the tasting and make up your own mind. They do stay in business so someone must be buying their wines!

Anyway, Bennington is a wonderful place for a fall getaway full of beautiful leaves, historic monuments and local products! Go Vermont!

This is a picture of me and my best friend, Jen. Notice anything? Well we are both named Jennifer, we both have dark brown hair that we both cut short this past year, we both have glasses. And for some unknown reason, we both have a thing for octopuses. It is one of those weird things in life – friend soul mates. We used to see each other every single day and it made sense back then that we would sort of rub off on each other. But now, living far apart and not seeing each other over the past year, we still on are the same wave length. We used to work together in a Doctor’s office for years and people thought we were the same person. Funny, huh?

Anyway, Jen has a baby, her name is Alina Rose and she is just adorable. Her favorite toy? An octopus.

So Jen and Alina took Roberto and I to McCray’s Farm in South Hadley, Mass.

It is full of Bunnies, Sheep, Cows, Horses, Piglets, and birds of many kinds. It is a hot spot for little ones and children of any age (I am definitely one of those people! ). McCray’s has hayrides in the fall and they also have their own creamy where you can get ice cream and pancake breakfasts during maple harvest season. It is a great place to go when you are in Western MA for a taste of real New England life!

Article and Photos BY ANTHONY ROMINSKE
Blue Rock Farm Productions

Like a sandstorm coming out of the west from the Sahara, my partner Jonathan and I descending upon Egypt for a week of intense sightseeing. We had long wanted to travel to Egypt to walk through the ancient temples, gaze upon the pyramids, and travel on the Nile, long the source of life in Egypt. We booked a tour with Friendly Planet Travel that covered the highlights of ancient Egypt from Aswan in the South to the pyramids of Giza in the North.
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Here is the latest on the situation in Black Mesa/ Big Mountain. To read more about it read my article My Time With The Navajo Elders here.

Greetings supporters, friends, & relatives of Big Mountain, Black Mesa, AZ.
Here are our fall updates. Details are below.

* ANNUAL BLACK MESA FALL FOOD & SUPPLY RUN BY CLANDYKEN IS STILL MOVING FORWARD DESPITE ONE
OF THE MAIN ORGANIZERS HAVING HAD A MAJOR HEAD-ON CAR COLLISION. YOUR SUPPORT IS ESPECIALLY
NEEDED THIS YEAR!
* 30th ANNIVERSARY OF BIG MOUNTAIN RESISTANCE: A SUCCESS!
* A CALL-OUT FOR SHEEPHERDERS & SUPPORTERS FROM BLACK MESA FAMILIES TO COME & STAY AS THEIR
GUESTS.
* BLACK MESA MINE UPDATE:
* DOODA DESERT ROCK- FOUR DAYS OF SPIRITUAL GATHERING NOVEMBER 8 - 11, 2007:
* RISING TIDE NORTH AMERICA (RTNA) ANNOUNCES FOUR NEW CAMPAIGNS. (Including so called ‘Clean
Coal’)

—————————-

* ANNUAL CLANDYKEN FALL FOOD & SUPPLY RUN TO BLACK MESA IS STILL MOVING FORWARD EVEN AFTER
ONE OF THE ORGANIZERS HAD A MAJOR HEAD-ON CAR COLLISION. YOUR SUPPORT IS NEEDED –ESPECIALLY
THIS YEAR!
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They should really call it Italian Restaurant Row. The North End of Boston is full of Italian restaurants, specialty food shops, café’s and apartments. It is a section of town devoted to all things Italian and most of the residents, shop keepers and restaurateurs are also Italian keeping the authenticity alive. You rarely see something like this is America anymore. As I discussed here growing up, when I went to visit my grandparents in Western PA, it was a little like this, although most of the ethnic groups were kind of mixed together even though each had their cultural Mecca’s. But here in Boston’s Little Italy, it is all Italian all the time. You actually hear Italian being spoken in the streets and everywhere you go. The TVs in the cafés have Italian stations playing soccer matches, in Italian. You can really get the flavor of Italy here just walking through the streets, but when you go into the restaurants and sit at the table to eat, it gets even better.

As many of you who have kept up with this blog and my other blog The Leftover Queen,
you know that Roberto and I have been on a quest for the perfect Italian pizza. We have tried making it at home and have gotten close several times. We have also spent endless trips all over town trying each pizza joint, hoping to find a bit of pizza gold! But to no avail…yet. Until we found Pizza Regina in Boston’s Little Italy. We should have expected something good when we saw the line coming out the door and onto the sidewalk. When we got in, the place was packed and full of the hustle of a great pizza place: lots of yelling back and forth between servers and cooks, pizza dough flying in the air as a backdrop and smells of melting cheese and tomato sauce. Roberto and I shared a Napoletana - a huge pie with anchovies, capers and olives. Rachel and Gwen, Roberto’s daughters shared a half mushroom, half meatball.

As soon as Roberto picked up his slice and it held up, with no drooping he was feeling inspired, when he flipped the slice over to reveal the tell- tell sign of flour on the bottom of the crust, he got more excited, and when he took that first bite, enjoying all the flavors of a pizza cooked to perfection, he was in heaven and declared that his search for real Italian pizza in the US was over! Big accolades for Regina’s!

After eating we decided to go for a walk and check out some of the shops. We were on a search for some real Parmigiano-Reggiano and Italian Salami. We checked out the Salumeria Italiana a specialty food shop full of Italian cheeses, meats and non-perishables. There was also a table full of fresh baked bread. We picked up some Parmigiano and some assorted olives for snacking.

We then moved on to Café Graffiti where I enjoyed a deliciously bitter macchiato.

Roberto had a childhood favorite, Crodino – a bright red bitter (that matched his shirt that day!), which to Rachel, Gwen and I tasted like cough syrup (same color too)
and the girls each enjoyed a fruit nectar. Here is Racehl enjoying hers.

Refreshed we spent the next few hours walking around and enjoying the sights sounds and smells.

We stopped by the Old North Church, where on April 18, 1775 the church sexton, Robert Newman, climbed the steeple and held high two lanterns as a signal from Paul Revere that the British were marching to Lexington and Concord by sea and not by land. This fateful event ignited the American Revolution.

As well as St. Leonard’s Church, the first Roman Catholic church in new England built by Italian immigrants. All of these sights can be found in the North End.

Before leaving we had to make one more stop – we had to get Gelato, of course. I have been to The North End before and have always loved the nocciola gelato at Café Vittoria, a historical North End Café, and was dying to have it once more. Much to my dismay, they were out of Nocciola, so I settled for Coffee. Roberto had his obligatory Pistachio, Rachel went for Chocolate Chip,

and Gwen not knowing what to get opted for Spumoni after I told her my Grandfather used to get that for me when I was her age! We all enjoyed it AND our trip to little Italy!

*NOTE*: Some of these photographs were taken by Rachel Campus, Roberto’s daughter, who is a budding photographer. I guess she took after her dad on that one!

(image courtesy of Jupiter)

There are only a few Sushi restaurants in Ocala. We have been to Tony’s Sushi, which is nice - good food, beautiful ambience and inventive salads (one I remember specifically was a conch salad in rice vinegar). But I hate to go to the same place twice, especially if there is a restaurant of the same cuisine in the area that I have not tried yet.

I heard about Aki Sushi because they sent a menu out to businesses downtown, and it just so happened that I saw it in the pile of mail that was received at the new Genesis Heaven and Health Juice Bar and Cafe (that will be opening SOON!).
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This weekend we were in Orlando. Roberto and I promised each other after we moved to FL that if any of our friends ever came to the state of Florida, we would make a point to visit them. It so happened that my friend LaLa was in town visiting the parks with her family so a meeting time was planned. Since Roberto and I weren’t planning to go to any of the parks, LaLa suggested that we meet at Downtown Disney. Even though I live in Florida, LaLa is the expert when it comes to all things Disney. Not only has she spent most of her career in the Travel industry, but she is also a huge personal fan.

I mean check out her nails! We decided if things ever get bad on the job front, she can always open a stall to airbrush nails at Disney and probably make a mint!

Anyway, she and her husband Dave try to visit as much as possible, so I really relied on her to pick a good meeting spot, and provide she did.
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This weekend we went to the Caribbean Festival which was held at one of my favorite places in Ocala – Silver Springs. It was a wonderful way to celebrate summer as the season is drawing to an end. I am really looking forward to the Autumn crisp air and rich earthy colors, but the brightness of summer is something I always enjoy, so it was a nice way to raise a glass to all things summer at its height.
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