Summer

August 25, 2010No oddities today because the stars would not align properly - today we are having an All Request Summer Cocktail submission because August 25 is National Whiskey Sour Day!Thanks to a Gentle Reader from Sewall's Point, for whom Whiskey Sours will forever be known as John Cheevers.John Cheever Whiskey Sour2 parts blended Irish Whiskey1 part fresh lemon juice1 part simple syrup2 dashes bittersShake all the ingredients vigorously over ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain andpour into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a maraschino cherryand an orange slice."It was a ...

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August 6, 2010It's All Request Cocktail Recipe Friday with thanks to Nancy Taylor Robson."Mine is a Pear Bellini I had in Edinburgh last year with one of mylongest-term (not oldest) dearest friends, Anna. Anna, who is Welsh, andI were roommates in a big old house of flats in London before either of uswas married. I was Anna's only bridesmaid and she would have been mine thefollowing year, except she was too pregnant to fly. I went over lastOctober to spend a week and we made a foray into Scotland's capital to buybooks and visit her daughter, who was about to deliver Anna's firstgrandchild. ...

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August 4, 2010The Good Cooks at Food52 are exploring plums this week. A perfect summertime snack. I can remember times in my childhood, sitting with a book in the wicker chairs on the front porch contemplating plums. It was probably easier to use a knife to cut one in half to remove the stone, but where would the fun be in that? There was lots of time on hand, and efficiency needn't always rule the day. And would one be ladylike about the disposal of the pit? Hardly. There is and unwritten front porch challenge about pit projectiles - points if you cleared the porch, extra points if ...

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August 3, 2010An iconic eatery on the Indian River. Forget Rick's - everyone comes to Conchy Joe's. Even the Red Hots have had a memorable dinner here. This is where you bring out-of-town guests so they can get a snapshot of old Florida - with the demise of Kodachrome you had best stock up some colorful memories. Conchy Joe's drips with atmosphere and signs, fish nets, floats - and then there was the poster in the men's room that opened the Tall One's eyes! This is also a nice place for the locals - there is nothing like a tall cold beer while the little ones toss bread to the ...

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August 2, 2010We are back home - temporarily - here is a Stuart sight. I love this super secret pocket park at the east end of Osceola Street. I never see a soul here except for some fat, chattering squirrels and moody, introspective waterbirds. This is Kreuger Creek. You can sit on the bench and watch the tree rats scamper about, or you can walk down to the water's edge and peer through the mangroves at this little flotilla of sail boats. Bring your lunch.

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It's All Request Cocktail time!Neighbor Bob was the first Gentle Reader to send me a recipe for All Request Cocktails, and for this he will be receiving the original watercolor used in today's Fine Art Daily. If you want an original Fine Art Daily, send me a deelish cocktail recipe, perhaps with a little story so all the Gentle Readers will want to try it. This is the Annual Summer All Request Month. Get cracking!Champagne Cocktail á la BobIn a Champagne glass add a teaspoon of sugar and enough Angostura bitters to melt the sugar. Add a tablespoon of Grand Marnier or cognac and mix ...

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July 22, 201040 Tradd Street, circa 1718In case my Gentle Readers were under the impression that all of Charleston is ablaze with vulgar or un-neighborly pigments, I wanted to show you the tasteful restraint of the current residents of 40 Tradd Street. The deep purple of the petunias is echoed in the shadows behind the periwinkle blue shutters. Cool, calm colors on this side of Tradd."John Bullock or his widow Mary built this two and one-half story house c. 1718. Col. Robert Brewton sold this property with the house on it in 1752 to Daniel Badger."Charleston County Public Library

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July 21, 201032 Tradd Street, circa 1790 (eight years younger than Washington College)An interested reader wrote to tell me yesterday that after Hurricane Hugo ripped through Charleston in 1989 workers from Ireland were brought in because only they had the expertise to repair the roofs. “Historically, many roofs on Charleston houses were wood shingle. Because of the many fires that plagued the city, this roofing material was outlawed by city ordinance. After Hurricane Hugo in 1989, many metal roofs peeled back to reveal the early wood shingles ...

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July 20, 201017 Tradd St. c.1750. On the corner of Bedon's Alley.One of the houses on Tradd Street as recommended by Mr. H. Number 17 is austere, dignified and restrained. The flowers in the window boxes and the planter are white, mirroring the white crape myrtle trees in the street. One imagines the residents of Number 17 wear crisp, pressed garments and never speak in anything but full sentences, with few contractions or meaningless pauses. Fountain pens, never ball points. IMs? How vulgar!"Tradition says Tradd Street was named for Robert Tradd who supposedly was the first child of ...

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uly 19, 20108-10 Tradd StreetThe Lamboll Double TenementI was strolling up the East Battery one morning, before all the tourists mobbed the place, smug because I had snagged a legal parking place. I was enjoying the relative quiet - the only other people around were gardeners who were tending their tidy gardens, some with hoses and clippers and one perfectionist with a weed whacker and a patch of grass that refused to conform itself to his pictured ideal.I wandered off the main road and was tiptoeing along Tradd Street when I had an encounter that usually only happens in gauzy movies ...

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July 15, 2010The Preservation Society of Charleston has made life so easy and convenient for people like me who mill around the streets without maps or guidebooks. (Yes, I did have the Google Machine in my pocket, but generally used it for terse texts to keep track of Tall Boy and his World Cup issues.) Here is another stunning window box display, set off by the boldly orange paint of Major Peter Bocquet’s Georgian architecture. The symmetry of the planting is nicely bracketed by the dual gas lights. Charming and clearly labeled. This is what the Historic Marker says:Major Peter ...

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Strawberry Daiquiri5 large, fresh or frozen whole strawberries 1 tablespoon lime juice 1 teaspoon sugar 2 ounces of rum ½ ounce triple sec1 cup crushed ice Blend 10-20 seconds and serve in a chilled cocktail glass. Charles and Camilla are not sure about the Fourth of July. Sometimes Charles gets a little sniffy about those upstart Colonials. Silly Charles. Usually he is mollified after a daiquiri or two, and he does hull the strawberries nicely, and without being told. Camilla is rooting around the laundry room looking for the chairs we are going to take to Downtown Stuart to watch ...

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July 1, 2010Rabbit, Rabbit!It's official - Patty has moved Gumbo Limbo into its new digs on Osceola Street. Tall Boy and I stopped by yesterday to inspect the bright and airy space, which should be packed with eager shoppers during tonight's Stuart Stroll. Another option for tonight is a new venue the Arts Council is sponsoring - an extension of First Thursday, called "Hot Summer Arts" held at Harbour Bay Plaza from 5:30 until 8:00. We don't have to wait for season to enjoy art, music, photography, food and wine. Visit www.martinarts.org for more info!

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June 30, 2010Hoover was not the least bit happy with yesterday's Fine Art Daily. My interpretation of his vision of the sacred watering hole was limited and pedestrian. I did not apprehend the full scope of his appreciation of the dynamic that exists between him and his surroundings. Here, with a little prodding, and some swipes at my pen, is what Hoover's pool of water really looks like. A temple-like setting much more befitting a cat of noble birth, with cool, dark areas where he can assess the neighborhood. (I think he has pool-envy - the cat next door's pool has been under ...

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June 29, 2010This is the swimming pool - but from Hoover's point of view. No dragonflies this morning. Roxanne is still in the house. I think I'll lie on the chaise for a while. It's quiet. It's good.

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July 28, 2010It is going to be another scorcher, but that's OK because there is relief in the back yard. We bobbed around the pool several times this weekend, far away from the computers, the TVs and the iPhones. The mosquitoes did find us after a while, but we splashed them away languidly, and pushed off the wall for another lazy lap through the broth-warm water. Have you visited the Spy Osprey Cam lately? Those young birds have gotten big and adventurous. Mama O looks beside herself some days, keeping the two from falling out of the nest. She needs a nice swim in the river, and ...

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June 24, 2010It's Food Friday!Roasted Corn1 stick butter, melted1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice1/2 teaspoon lime zest1/2 teaspoon sugar1/2 teaspoon salt1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro12 ears fresh corn, shuckedCombine the butter, lime juice, lime zest, sugar, salt, and cilantro in a medium bowl and mix well. Grill the corn on a medium-hot grill for 10 minutes, turning occasionally (use tongs so you don't suffer like Charles does!). Transfer the lime-cilantro butter to a serving bowl and serve with the corn. Before grilling the corn, soak the unshucked corn in water. The heat ...

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June 24, 2010It has been HOT! If you take your dog out for a walk, be sure to stop by the Arts Council. Across East Ocean Boulevard from the Court House Cultural Center there is a thoughtful shopkeeper who has put out this double water bowl for strolling pups. So Palm Beach!Tomorrow night at the Court House is the opening of the Thomas Winter/Robert Holland photography show. The reception starts at 5:30. Visit www.martinarts.org for more details.

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June 23, 2010Here is a little coolth for everyone. Although the water was as warm as the bath, it was a relief to paddle around in here the other night. (I had planned on a little swim last night, too, but it decided to rain.) And I did not indulge in the Prosecco - I think we will leave that until Friday. Chardonnay did the trick as we swam a few laps, watching the birds, wondering where the high-flung planes were flying, checking on the progress of the moon, and laughing at Hoover, who could not quite overcome his amazement that we were sullying his sacred watering hole. Visit ...

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June 22, 2010Summertime delights abound! We threw together a delightful concoction of raspberries, blackberries and blueberries, topped with whipped cream and crispy little Pirouline sugar wafer cookies for dessert the other night. The berries were room temperature, so not quite as delicious as the sun-warmed berries I remember picking as a child when we lived on Strawberry Hill. But that is a memory too powerful to overwhelm; ask Monsieur Proust about his madelines. Although I must say that I did not encounter any thorns this time... Visit my Fine Art Daily blog , and come see my ...

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June 21, 2010Happy First Day of Summer! How unfortunate that the longest day of the year falls on a Monday! Make the best of it. Come home early, eat leftovers, loll in the pool, watch the birds fly home from work and then enjoy an old movie. That's what Best Beloved and I are doing tonight. We have queued up King of Hearts from Netflix and have Chris's special chicken salad marinating in the fridge. There's a bottle of Prosecco already chilling... Visit www.jeandsanders.blogspot.com to read more Fine Art Daily. Visit www.chestertownspy.com to read the latest news from Chestertown! ...

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