§ Ruby Reds & Contrasts

Ruby Tuesday this week is something I've been wanting to 'show off' for some time. I've mentioned before in a previous post several days ago that I found the most adorable soft sculpture snowlady and couldn't resist bringing her home with me. I believe it was either Marshall's or T J Max where I found her. She stands about 10 inches and is free standing. The body is white of course, and she's draped in a woolen red 'floor length' coat. Black mittens. Black pom pom buttons, a tie down hat of the same red wool and a black, rhinestone adorned, velvet, bow, and red/black feather boa scarf. Along with all this, her matching purse is of a snowman face - all identical to her outfit only with a man's top hat on its head....





...then, for Tina's Picstory, her challenge this week is 'contrasts'. For me, contrasts can be a whole slew of things of oppositional values such as smooth/rough - dark/light -the color wheel contrasting colors such as red/green - black and white etc. etc. etc. And it being the holiday season, here are some little whimsical items sittin' 'round our home this time of year [with mouseover captions].

next week´s topic is *relaxation*!

§ a peek through my 'kitchen window'...

...but first a bit of comedy to get the day going before I share photos, below, of our kitchen--

Speaking of kitchens...I love to cook. But if you're a lousy cook, you'll know it when: Your son goes outside to make mud pies, the rest of the family grabs forks and follows him.

Top Rejected Cookbook Title: 101 Ways to Wok Your Dog

Top Fast Food Restaurant New Slogan goes to: Taco Bell -- Working around the clock to invent new ways to combine the same 5 ingredients.

Top Reason You Know You're Eating Genetically Modified Food: You use the leftover chicken as a nightlight for your kid's room.

A Recipe From Anni's Kitchen:

Holiday Fruit Cake

You will need the following:
A cup of water,
a cup of sugar,
four large brown eggs,
two cups of dried fruit,
a teaspoon of salt,
a cup of brown sugar,
lemon juice,
nuts,
and a bottle of whiskey.

Sample the whiskey and check for quality.

Take a large bowl. Check the whiskey again. To be sure it is the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer, beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar and beat again.

Make sure the whiskey is still okay. Cry another tup. Turn off the mixer. Beat two leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit. Mix on the tuner. If the fired druit gets stuck in the beaterers, pry it loose with a drewscriver.

Sample the whiskey and check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something. Who cares? Check the whiskey. Now sift the lemon uice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Spoon. Of sugar of something. Whatever you find.

Grease the oven. Turn the cake tin to 350 degrees. Don't forget to beat off the turner. Throw the bowl out of the window. Check the whiskey again and go to bed.

- - -



Last week, trees....
This week the Picstory challenge is showing the kitchen.
I'm glad you chose this subject this time of year, Tina. My kitchen is half way clean 'cause I scrubbed it all just before I put out holiday decorations. LOL

First I shall explain that our kitchen is 'open walls' from the dining room. Well, at least HALF open. The layout for the kitchen/dining room is angled and the bottom half is closed in with cupboards/drywall - then, carved wooden pieces go from the frame up to the ceiling...the first photo shows you the kitchen view from the dining room, and it was taken early; before sunrise so the skylight is not illuminating much [Bud was still sleeping, I didn't want to have any bright lights on and wake him up] -it's kinda hard to explain. Sorry. Okay...so, here is some of the kitchen in our home -


Open woodwork wall separating the kitchen from the dining room.


Santas on Countertop - Santa Nutcracker on top of refrigerator


open countertop...looking from dining room into kitchen Santa Train front view


Santa Train back view


Christmas Cardinal hand towel and small night lamp
[which I covered the lamp shade with
Santa wrapping paper for the season]

§ “Not all those who wander are lost.” – J. R. R. Tolkien

Tina at Picstory challenges us to show trees on our Tuesday blog post. And to keep the continuing 'saga' going with Louisiana...here are photos of holiday trees I found along the way---


We arrived in New Orleans early in the evening, just as dusk approached the city. I made sure we were in the 'heart' of the French Quarter with our hotel, or at least a bit centralized to where and what we wanted to see on this trip. The hotel, once a girls' school and then an outdoor theater, it was purchased and renovated into a 3 story hotel. And, within walking distance to the famous Bourbon Street, Congo Square, Louis Armstrong Park, the oldest cemetery in the city, Jackson Square and the Mississippi River....all within minutes of walking. If you've never been to the old historical part of this city, trust me, driving and finding somewhere to park isn't the easiest thing to do. Stressful, and narrow streets and not to mention tourists walking on the sidewalks AND in the streets...cabs, horse carriages---it's just easier to leave your car at the hotel if you're lucky enough to get a place to stay....AND WALK!! So, settling in with the prearranged reservations for 3 days, and the help of GPS we had no problems finding the place. Erik was driving so I took photos as we drove up to the parking garage...he dropped me off and then Bud and Erik found our reserved parking space within the hotel's area [also, if you ever go there...you most certainly want to park at the hotel...it's gated and surrounded by security cameras and an 'on the grounds' guard ---there is a LOT of corruption in this city...including a corrupt police force; if you've ever paid attention to the news any.] Once in the lobby of the hotel, I got our room key and met the two guys out in the parking garage to help 'em unpack the trunk and get us all up into the room and settle down a bit before we hit the streets and getting to the famous, legendary, Broubon Street and the nightlife!! We all unpacked and showered to get ourselves a bit relaxed and ready to hit the streets, stretch a bit before beginning our walking. When we arrived, the weather couldn't have been more perfect...balmy, not hot nor cold....perfect. Tho, the forecast was for rain hitting the city the following day. I came prepared for that too...brought three umbrellas. Along the coast, and near the river, when there is a threat of rain, it's not just going to be a sprinkle here and there - it'll no doubt be a downpour. By the time we were all ready and had a change of clothes, we left the hotel through the backside and came upon the hotel's courtyard. It was dark o'thirty by then, and the courtyard with the pool and tree-lined fountain and patio was dramatic and very stylish. The three of us were pleased with my choice of hotels so far. What will be the ticker was the following morning...the continental 'full breakfast' lay in store and we are picky eaters. LOL



[The Hotel Courtyard]




This tree, just covered with the Louisiana Fluer-de-lis I found at the huge Riverwalk complex along the Mississippi River in New Orleans -taken the 2nd day we were there. The Fluer-de-lis [flower {fluer} -lily {lis}] is the Louisiana State Symbol. And today, especially after the devastating hurricane Katrina, the symbol represents the recovery and New Orleans' grassroots. You find it everywhere...the professional football team has it as its team logo, it's part of religions, art, even some automobile models have it in their use. It's heraldic.



Tomorrow....hopefully, a beautiful Park and historical Square/

§ What carries in the Gulf Stream...

Last week's topic for Tina's Picstory was "indoor" ...theme for this week "you can show *heart*"! I've posted about these sea beans before [link], as I've posted this photo before also. It's one that Bud found while we were combing the beach one day. It's the most 'perfect' form of heart that we've found as of yet. They're quite popular to collect, and seldom found on the beaches except for Spring months. Most often you see them into jewelry and women's belts...

"The Seaheart supposedly inspired Columbus to find new land in the west. The Gulf Stream carried sea-hearts to northern European beaches, where they were commonly made into snuff boxes by polishing, cutting them in half, and attaching little hinges. In the Azores, the sea-heart is called Fava de Colom (Columbus bean). The seaheart is often referred to as a Lucky Bean. Ed Perry states "In general, seeds have long been worn as good luck charms. Especially seeds that also double as "sea-beans" or driftseeds. For hundreds of years they have been seen as symbols of good luck, longevity, endurance, fertility, etc. Some of this is due to their ability to float ocean currents for years/decades before coming to rest on foreign shores (often with their powers of germination unimpeded). Other reasons may be due to their relative "rareness" on many beaches north of the Tropics. Entada seeds are revered world wide as good luck charms, and have been for centuries."

                      Sea Heart Bean [Entada gigas]

And, speaking of hearts:

A mechanic was removing the cylinder heads from the motor of a car, when he spotted the world-famous heart surgeon in his shop. The heart surgeon was standing off to the side, waiting for the service manager to come take a look at his car. The mechanic shouted across the garage, "Hello Doctor, please come on over here for a minute."

The famous surgeon, a bit surprised, walked over to the mechanic where he stood. The mechanic straightened up, wiped his hands on a rag and asked, "So doctor, look at this here. I also open hearts, take valves out, grind 'em, put in new parts, and when I finish this will work just like a new one. So how come you get the really big money, when you and I are doing basically the same work?" The doctor smiled, leaned over, and whispered to the mechanic

"Try doing it with the engine running!"

§ Eclectic Mixture

From last week's Picstory challenge of "my town" comes this week's photo challenge topic... *indoor*! And as always, a little added touch of Ruby Tuesday Reds...




A Framed Collage of Sunrise Photos
[all taken by me thru digital - hard copies made]









Red and Green Glass
Turkey dish









Dining Room Ceiling Light Fixture
Shell - etched sailing ships

§ “Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?”

            ~Thornton Wilder "Our Town"

The Ritz, Opening Day, Christmas 1929 - - Opening day for the Ritz Theatre was an exciting one. It was Christmas day, 1929. Patrons were anxious to escape the reality of the stock market crash, just 3 months before, and the beginning of what would become the Great Depression. The first show at the Ritz was “It’s a Great Life” starring the Duncan Sisters. The feature was presented by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and included selected shorts. The story was about two sisters working in the sheet-music section of a large department store. They get fired, enter vaudeville (variety shows), split up when one of them falls in love with a piano player (Lawrence Gray), become re-united and finally return to the stage. The film included songs such as “Sailing on a Sunbeam” by Dave Dryer and Ballard MacDonald. Ticket prices were 30 cents for adults and 10 cents for children, although the lower floor price was raised to a whopping 50 cents later.The Ritz Fantasy - - Designed by St. Louis architect, Scott Dunne, the Ritz was created to be an “image of fantasy” using art deco style and Spanish Renaissance influences. The elaborate interior, which seated around 1300, featured a Spanish courtyard façade and illuminated sky. Moving clouds were projected from two cloud machines mounted on turrets near the ceiling. Stars twinkled in the sky to further enhance the magical atmosphere. The decorator was Peckenpaugh Construction Co. The lobby was a two-story open space with a mezzanine balcony that circled the room. The Ritz was declared “one of the finest in the state” by critics, in addition to being one of the largest. The Ritz Entertainment - - The Ritz was opened as a first-run movie theatre and vaudeville house (stage entertainment offering a variety of short acts such as slapstick, song-and-dance routines, and juggling performances). During World War II, big-name bands entertained military personnel as well as the local community. “Big Screen” movies came on the scene and forced Ritz management to strip many of the theatre’s embellishments to make room for the bigger screens. This included the ornate proscenium, the permanent framed opening, a sort of picture frame around the stage, through which the audience would see the play or entertainment. But the Ritz was still grand and continued to thrive until the last regular scheduling of films in 1972. It re-opened as The Ritz Music Hall in 1974 and then Ritz Productions in 1976 and featured such acts as Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffett, Bruce Springsteen, Metallica, Def Leppard, Motley Crue and many others. Later, the Performing Players, an amateur theatre group, held shows at the theatre, followed by another amateur group, The Encore Theatre Corporation. The latter occupied the Ritz until the 80’s.

- - -


The Ritz Theatre, once a state-of-the-art venue of its day, has been closed for over 15 years and slowly deteriorating. Today, the theatre’s future is in the hands of the non-profit corporation, PATCH, and the community. Bruce Collins created the Ritz with a long-term vision of entertainment and excitement filled with culture and creativity. This should continue to be the ongoing vision for the Ritz and Corpus Christi. PATCH, established for the good of the Ritz Theatre, has a responsibility to restore this house of creativity. We want to respect the history and the courage of those who found the passion and drive to create the theatre in the first place. PATCH will restore the Ritz Theatre, retaining the original style of Spanish Renaissance, and develop the theatre into a state-of-the-art entertainment venue worthy of the times and the name, The Ritz.

This week´s topic for Tina's Picstory is *my town*! I drove to the area to take pictures of how it looks today... As above shows, this is part of the old town Corpus Christi, and a future bright for the old town theater/vaudeville. Restoration has begun, but funds are dwindling by the state of the economy. All written, describing the theater's history was found HERE.




Also, you know me...anything Halloween!! Right? Well around our town, in the grocery stores they had bags of these. Of course I couldn't resist picking up a bag....what else for snacking but Halloween Colored Tortilla Chips?!! They were tasty. But, I think I liked the orange ones better...hehehehehe

§ Things that go 'bump in the night'......

I had a challenge this Tuesday to compose a bit of Ruby in a post to go with Mary's Ruby Tuesday and Tina's Picstory week´s topic that is *gold or silver*...and still work with a month of Halloween theme [which I don't find difficult...LOL] Anyway, here goes:









A silver [heavy] witch with broom candle holder [above the witch is a silver plate for a LARGE votive candle]












The stove top hood that is silver Perched atop the hood is a "Enter if you Dare" Skeleton I made last year...












A wooden/woven wreath
And a Grim Reaper perched
The "Gold" here is the gold flecks in the ruby ribbon











I have a pair of these...
Silver Candle Holders
with Orange Webbing
and Black Candles

§ They're ba-a-a-ck...flower blossoms that is---

RUBY TUESDAY RED [and pink] wildflowers at a park, last week
...what a difference a rain makes...

Tina at Picstory Tuesday's [link on sidebar] category posted October 10th for today states: "Next week´s topic is *Food*!" Oh goodie...seriously, it's something I can live with! LOL...I love food. Now, a favorite place in our largest mall here in town has a Sarku Japanese Food, in the food court. This section of the mall is loaded with stir fry, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and other ethnic places. I've tried 'em all, but keep going back to Sarku!!! Their Chicken Teriyaki is soooooooooo good. It's the tastiest ever. I know I add way too much soy sauce, but I can't help it. Love it. You can have it served on steamed rice, or noodles....but I'd much prefer their special fried rice and veggie combo!! [and it's enough for two people in one order]...but who's counting? We each get an order and consume all of it in one sittin' Another thing that keeps us going back is the fact that this establishment continually gets high scores [from 95 to 100% perfect] from the health department. Sanitary issues with me and restaurants'll either make 'em or break 'em. ::drool:: Maybe Bud and I will go to the mall today.......

§ I get all warm inside every time I see this...

Since my absence with working on my other blog work, I haven't participated in much of any memes. I missed out on so many. I had to go check to see what Tina's Tuesday PicStory challenge was from last week's post. And she stated that: "Next week´s topic is *Sunset*!" We've had some beautiful sunsets around here. But what I've seen from our yard is so long ago. Now, from our backyard, all we see are houses' rooftops and the sunsets are blocked from view. A couple of years ago, the wonderful field behind us was purchased by a land developer and the scenery has changed. So, I had to go back in time to find a sunset photo that I've posted; in the archives. This photo I chose was taken three years ago...in October of 2008!!



And speaking of absence, I'll be behind in visiting again!! But, I will visit those who have stopped by; promise!! Yesterday I started copying all my genealogy pages and making PDF files so I can have the pages published without any added text like Posted by and the date and time stamps!! I'm learning a whole buncha stuff. And once I got the hang of it all, it's quite simple. I 'practiced on the first few pages, the title page, the intro, and the dedication pages along with the first 7 pages of the first family being covered. Wow...I'm impressed it's going so well. But, I don't want to jinx it, and I HAVE BEEN TAKING notes to remember how it's done, from day to day. hehehehe

§ Ready, Set.....ACTION!!!

I guess the migrating season has started already? Guess so. Afterall, it IS nearing mid-September. Doesn't feel like September here tho, yesterday a record breaking high of 100 degrees. Hot and dry here. So, what's new with that? But, the hummingbirds are in the yard like there was no tomorrow!! I have been having to fill the feeders [ I have two ] each day now for the last week or so. We've also had an influx of Baltimore Orioles [ I have some pretty good photos of them also, through the window 'cause they're skittish when it comes to someone outdoors ]. Keeps me busy mixing the water/sugar mixture. I tellya....it's like the word is out: "Hey...have you tried the new restaurant in town?" "No, where?" "Follow me!!!" ---and they show up....









TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY MEME Linked buttons on sidebar.

§ Foghorns, gulls, and peaceful scenery...

Do the words :as dry as a popcorn fart: seem adequate? ...we still have plenty of water. Not FRESH water, but lots of salt water!! By the way, I read in our local newspaper, an article, that a couple of towns in West Texas may be ghost towns soon if no rains fall------their fresh water is drying up. The lakes they depend on are turning to muddy bogs. Our reservoir stands at 63% capacity right now...that's not good. At 50% we begin water restrictions.






Picstory's challenge for the week is: topic *Water*! And Ruby Tuesday shows a bit of 'red' on the shrimp boat "Green Light".

meme participation buttons on sidebar

Sailboat and Tanker - North Shore Bay in Corpus Christi, shrimp boat at marina pier.