Seafood!

    What's the best thing about living on the coast? Fresh seafood! Now I'm no connoisseur, but how could one visit an island, bay, or harbor and not go for the local catch o' the day? It's criminal! Ya gotta have seafood! 
   Let's get through the semantics: I know trout, catfish, crawdads and the like aren't literally  food from the sea, but if it's aquatic and it's edible, I'm calling it seafood. This is my blog and I'm the king here, so as king I hereby decree a decree that henceforth and hereafter shall   hushpuppies be deemed and classified as seafood!  Glad we cleared that up!
    Secondly, I realize there be religious taboos against consuming crustaceans and mollusks and bivalves and stuff, so if you abstain from these in your devotion, you may wanna skip ahead a few paragraphs. I wouldn't want to tempt you to violate your conscience! (Bacon-wrapped scallops must be doubly sinful!)
   Some words about clam chowder:  You've got New England clam chowder,  and then there's Manhattan clam chowder.  One is white and creamy, the other brown and soupy. It's like the Yankees and the Red Sox:  either ya love the one and hate the other or else you hate the one and love the other; don't trust anyone who says they like 'em both.  What the hell is Rhode Island clam chowder? I dunno! Third base!  For me, on a cold, raw, yucky day, give me the New England Clam Chowder!  With those tiny crackers!

Working on the second of twin lobsters!

   My wife loves lobster. Wendy could chow down a whole lobster faster than Madison  from Splash!  We celebrated our first Valentine's Day at Westbrook Lobster in Wallingford, CT, and have been going there for great seafood ever since. Me, I'm a baked, stuffed lobster fan. Westbrook makes a wicked lobster quesadilla too! (Sometimes we visit Red Lobster just for those cheddar bay biscuits.)
   Years back when we stayed with my mother-in-law ("Mama'") Onieda, she took us on a trip across D.R. to the region of Samana. It was an all-day journey on the road over treacherous terrain, and by the time we got there, we were hungry! Wendy and I each ordered the fried fish. The waiter supposed the plate was too big for the little lady, and invited us back to the kitchen to behold just how big those fish were (about a forearm's length). He don't know my Wendy! Needless to say we both ordered- and completely devoured- those deep fried fish!
(My wife dared me to eat the eyes....have you ever tried them?)

Fish at Playa Ensenada,

   I recall years ago my sister Jodie and her husband Dave took me to their fav Italian restaurant. I ordered the Catch o' the Day, and the waitress was like, uh, there is no catch today. I have never returned to that establishment, which shall remain nameless!
   For our summer vacations, we occasionally rent a friend's beach house in Clinton, CT.  And Wendy is the queen of the grill! Jumbo shrimp, salmon: forget about it! I'm in heaven!
  Now I admit some seafood is kinda gross. Like fried soft-shell crab sandwiches, and raw oysters, which are all slimey and squiggly.  I remember my Dad used to eat shrimp cocktail, and sardines right out of the can. He and his dad and uncles used to go out into Long Island Sound for some flatfishin'.  (Flatfish are gross because they have both eyes on the same side of their face---creepy!)

Dinner on the beach in Jamaica

   A cool thing about seafood is the regional variety and specialties. If you head down Maryland way, you've gotta have them crabcakes; you journey Down East  to Maine and the lobstah is a must-have. You go down South and you can't miss the catfish!  Some stuff you can only get- or get done right- in just one place!
   I could talk about the health benefits of seafood, nutritious and delicious Omega-3 fatty acids, whatever! This blog is all about the emotional health benefits to your heart and soul! My wife loves seafood and I love to see her lovin' what she loves.  
   Life is beautiful and seafood, in all of its amazing forms, is definitely one of the things we love about life!

Windows

   Windows? No, not the brand-name computer Operating System, I mean, the clear part of your wall. Really, Matt, you're going to celebrate something so mundane as the window? This here's the thing: life is beautiful, and some of the most beautiful things about life are the ones we often overlook, the ones staring us right in the face. And the cliche' is true that says you gotta stop and smell the roses or you'll go postal.  We'll talk roses another day; right now if you'll give me three minutes of your time, I'd like to contemplate tempered plate glass!
   What prompted me to pen this message is a reno going on at the house down the street. The original architecture featured a big picture window in the Living Room, which the contractor inceremoniously tore out, and replaced with a standard off-the-shelf double-hung version. Several other windows were removed and their spaces boarded up. Maybe to make room for a giant flat-screen TV; to replace an actual window with a virtual one?
   I'm a light guy: I love sunlight, and I love daylight. As I type this, I luxuriate in the sunny splendor of our living room's bay windows, a happy home for Wendy's houseplants. To me, the more windows the better! Sure, I get that curtains and rods and stuff can be expensive, and energy efficiency may be reduced, blah,blah,blah, I don't care! I like windows, especially those of unique styles and shapes.

Our South-facing bays

   One of my cherished childhood memories is of a stained-glass window that lit our second floor stairwell. The warm sun shining through its colored panels shone red, blue, and yellow on my little hands and arms. If I ever build me a house, you'd better believe it's going to have a stained-glass window illuminating the hallway!
   I'm so happy the apartment we now dwell in has a little window over the kitchen sink. Yes, we still wash dishes by hand, and ya gotta love the view! At times I've lived in a home without a sink window, and I tried to fake it by hanging a mirror there instead. It doesn't work!
   Years ago I worked in a greenhouse---which is of course all window. Then 20 years back I started working in a cleanroom which of course has no windows! How did I survive but by heading outside on my breaks to see the sky and the trees and the grass! Some of the oils I work with are sensitive to flourescent light, so the company covered the bulbs with an orange film.  So that one little corner of my workplace always looked like sunset! It helped alleviate my windowlessness.

Caribbean style at Mama's house

   You all know I love to travel: and when I fly, give me the window seat every time! Have you ever seen a thunderstorm from above the clouds?  And I love to watch the coastline give way to the ocean, then again to see the city lights as we near our destination.
   Let me say here that a window is not merely a physical portal between interior and exterior, but can be a mental passway as well. For who hasn't sat by their window on a rainy day, watching the storm shower the streets, and drifted off to daydreaming? Who hasn't lain in bed on a day off, listening to the birds chirping "every little thing is going to be all right!" ? Or who hasn't watched the snow falling by moonlight and hoped there'd be no school the next day? Who hasn't drawn tiny icons with their fingers on the foggy schoolbus window?
   I remember as a child sitting at the breakfast table with my Mom, staring out the kitchen window at the tired old apple tree, while the grackels hopped about, looking as creepy as Poe's raven. She would say grace with this little prayer: Thank You for the food we eat, thank You for the world so sweet. Thank You for the birds that sing, thank You, Lord, for everything.

   Maybe that simple, childish prayer is the reason I appreciate simple, mundane things like windows.

 
   

Ah, the Fire!

   The old brown kerosene stove in our Dining Room warmed my childhood home in Seymour, Ct.  I used to just sit there and watch the flames, blue and orange, flickering and dancing in their assigned spots. Campfires, bonfires, firepits, fireplaces, the fire has always been a gathering place for family and friends old & new. Is it the warmth, the ambience, or maybe people just look better in that warm, amber light?

   I'd rather gather around a fire than a TV set anyday. The fun and comfort of the fire is one of those things that are simply the way things ought to be! I'm a low-tech guy at heart, and I love simple things. The song isn't about chestnuts roasting in a microwave oven! (Though most people would probably rather be roasting up marshmallows and stacking up S'mores.) A hot dog or a brat cooked over the open flame is a delicacy to be savored!
   I've written before about the smell of hickory smoke wafting its way from the fire. And how come steaks and burgers smell so much better cooking out on the grill? Breakfast cooked on the campfire: sublime.
   Fires are just made for friendship! At the campground on Burton Island in Vermont,  the park rangers would light a huge bonfire on the shores of Lake Champlain on a Saturday night, as local musicians would ply their instruments in old favorites and folk songs. A fire brings people together.
   I'm no pyromaniac or arsonist. I don't worship fire. But from Moses and the Burning Bush to the disciples in the Upper Room, fire is a Biblical metaphor for the presence of God.  Rapid oxidation. Combustion.  Flame. Fire.

   It's one of those things we love about life. Light one today!

KIDS!

   Maybe it's because my wife and I are just a few years away from becoming Empty Nesters,  and several more beyond that from becoming Grandparents. I asked Wendy if she missed having little kids in the house, and she denied it.  But I don't believe her!

   Kids are special. They are amazing, silly, surprising, honest, loving, incredible little people. Now at my age, I call anyone under 40 a "kid", but for the purpose of this discussion, I'm referring to those mini- human beings who have already started walking and talking, but haven't yet started smoking nor drinking nor making out.  So I'm talking about children from just under four to just over twelve years old.
   Life is beautiful, and it's more beautiful with kids. You can't get more basic than that; kids are our future- they're why we do what we do! But they are also fleeting, temporary. As my wife says, "Those days don't come back". It may be a cliche' to say "They grow up so fast", but Damn! Don't blink your eyes! Childhood is the morning of life, the springtime of life.

   Must say I miss those days of watching the news early for school cancellations so I could let the kids sleep in. I miss helping our son with his homework. I miss Family night at Ben Franklin Elementary. And Book Fairs. Chuck E. Cheese and Coco Key. (Oddly, I don't miss SpongeBob Squarepants.)
   What's cool about kids is that everything is new to them, everything's a discovery, everything's exciting. I recall when Wendy and I were watching her cousin's son. I taught him how to flip a coin off his thumb. He was so thrilled! Stuff that is nothing to us is so wondrous to them. When did we lose that sense of wonder? Kids don't have to "think outside the box", because they don't have a box yet.  We haven't built that box in their heads  yet.

   To kids, nothing is impossible. They'll believe whatever we tell them because their minds aren't cluttered with "facts".  (Is it any wonder Christ taught that unless you receive the Kingdom of God as a little child, you ain't getting in?) However, they can be hindered by fears. And this is where a strong, dedicated, caring parent or grandparent comes in.
   Kids have weaknesses.  And they need our encouragement. Children are impressionable, and we must be careful what we impress upon them.  Play, pretending, and imagination are how they sort out their world, not with logic, reason, and research.
   Why? Why ? Why do  they always ask why? Do they really want an explanation, or they they just challenging our version of reality? How long until we run out of "because" 's?

      Fun. Kids love having fun. And they can have fun doing something as simple as blowing a soap bubble. Over and over and over.  And doesn't candy & stuff taste better when we're kids? I've heard we actually have more taste buds in our early years....the sugary ones, anyway. And isn't it cool to be so small you could wear one of those flower-shaped butter cookies on your little finger? (Yeah, tell me you never did that!)
   I'm rambling, but, wow, birthday parties, story-books, sleep-overs, Christmas presents (except clothes), school fund-raisers, cartoons, summer vacation,  back-to-school time, camping, so on & so on, all the wonderful times we spend with our kids. What would life be like without kids? NOTHING! There wouldn't be any life, once all us adults passed away!

   Children are a treasure. They make us happy, make us proud, make us sad, get us mad sometimes, and cast reflections of us. Sometimes we look at how they've developed and grown, and just ask ourselves, "what did I do right?"
    Kids aren't merely one of the things we love about life; they are our lives. 

Work?

   Going totally counter-intuitive here today. Isn't work something we all hate? Isn't work like a punishment? Didn't God tell Adam, "That's it, Buddy: no more free ride! From now on, in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground." ? (But don't be too mad at God; He later gave us The Weekend!) Work sucks, right?
   Of course, there are disagreeable aspects to any job. But jobs have to be done! And anyone who's ever been unemployed knows that working is a right and a privilege- may I say a blessing?  When payday comes around and you get that big, fat check (or that weeny little check), ain't it grand? And renumeration isn't the only positive about work. There are other benefits besides benefits!
   Learning new skills and understanding of how things are done is huge! To me, the sense of accomplishment when the Boss gives me an unreasonable amount of work to do in an unreasonable amount of time- and somehow I get it done - is very rewarding and brings a great personal satisfaction.  I love it when I see a huge pile of work go down, down, down and we finish it- sometimes ahead of schedule!
   When you're in middle management, and the people above you are telling you "This gotta get done" and the people below are telling you, "This can't be done" ,  and somehow you resolve it- man, you feel like the hero! It's a feeling I like!
   When you go to work, you meet new people, make new friends. Some really interesting characters! Yeah, there are jerks at work too; but guess what? At quittin' time you punch out, and leave them behind!  And the folks you work with can be a positive influence and encouragement in your life as well.
   My first job as a teenager was working in my brother Art's flea market stand in New Haven, CT. We sold fruits & vegetables he bought from a wholesaler. Not much money, but great experience! Since then, I've worked in a greenhouse or two, a screw machine shop (or two), a demolition crew, a homeless shelter, an eyeglass store, and finally where I am now with an aerospace company,  building gyroscopes. And my wife wonders why my fingers are all twisted and distorted? I have workin' man's hands! Gnarley, Dude!

AIS Holiday Party

   So many other things about work are cool: the commute, the camaraderie, the situations; bonuses, raises, promotions; shop picnics and Christmas parties, fund-raisers and community service opportunities; they are all the stuff we love about work!  Being the person people depend on and go to when there's a problem gives a sense of fulfillment in life.
   We were made to work. Food's not going to just walk up and say, "Here I am, eat me!" We earn it. And being "the Breadwinner", or provider for our families,  is another dignity work gives us. And any job you do, big or small, contributes to society as a whole. So work isn't just about what you get, but also about what you give. Your talents, knowledge, experience, skill, creativity, and intelligence are put to use not just for yourself, your familiy, your boss, or your customers, but for all of us.

CNA's rock!

    "In all labor there is profit" wrote Solomon.  And that profit isn't only financial. I've worked for  global mega-corporations, and I've also worked for small Mom & Pop enterprises.  Some places you feel like you're just a number, while in others you're part of a family.  Their success is your success.
   Bottom line, it's this amazing paradox that even though sometimes work is one of the things we hate about life, it's also one of the things we love about life.
 
 

TRAVEL!

  The journey. The adventure; the discovery. The escape! The experience.  You know, there's just something about putting feet on your dreams and getting out there! We all have places we long to see, to visit, to explore....what could be more rewarding than going there? Or what could be more disappointing than never going?
   I love travel. Everything about it, the whole deal. From dreaming, to researching, to planning,  to booking, to packing, to boarding...and ultimately to  arriving, there's nuthin' about travel I don't love.  The sights, the landmarks, the food, the newness, the wonder of being in a place outside the everyday routine bring such a lasting joy to the soul!
   Now people travel for all sorts of reasons: for work, business matters, family matters---sometimes of necessity, at others times by choice.  It's a great thing!  I don't mind telling you, I genuinely pity those who never venture more than 25 miles beyond their home environs! There's a whole wide world out there: how can anyone be content with seeing less than 1% of it their entire lives?

Jamaica, no problem!

   Let me say up front I don't do as much travelling as I'd like!  Thus far, I've been to about 22 of the Fifty States. I have to qualify that by saying that a few states we just passed through on our way to other states, maybe stopped for gas or lunch, but didn't actually stay and do anything.  So they kinda don't count! But I've actually gone places and done things in all the New England states, as well as New York, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Arkansas.
   Internationally, I've been to Canada, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Rumania, Sweden, and briefly, Austria.  I've been above the Arctic Circle in the lovely little city of Kiruna, and below the Tropic of Cancer in the Caribbean. I've yet to cross the Equator! O, when will I reach the Pacific???

Las Terrenas, D.R.

   Why go to these places? I went to Sweden to visit the land of my Anderson ancestors. I travelled to Arkansas to meet my Mother's side of the family, and to learn a little about her country way of life. Romania was a church Missions trip.(Now I can proudly say I've been to Transylvania!)  My wife always wanted to go to Jamaica, so we chose that for our honeymoon destination.  I had always wanted to see Cape Hatteras Lighthouse; another member of my family had always wanted to see Kittyhawk.  So one summer while visiting my sister in Virginia, Laura and I took the trip to North Carolina's Outer Banks, and crossed those dreams off our bucket lists.
   Other places I'm yearnin' to go are: San Francisco, Hawaii, New Orleans, Puerto Rico, and the Pacific Northwest in this country; and  Ireland, Cuba, Morocco, and Tahiti outside the U.S.
   So what I'm saying to you is: if there is somewhere you've always wanted to go, don't just talk about it, do it! Make it happen ! Save up for it, look for deals, connect with others who've always wanted to go there too and make it a trip! You can find inexpensive places to stay if you're willing to be a tad adventurous, and book outside the ALL-INCLUSIVE HOTEL.
   And remember what Matt says, "It's not an adventure if there are no risks!"  One of the great things about travel is the challenge it brings (like trying to figure out how to use the ATM in another country!) and the growth it inspires in you. It causes you to dig down deep inside yourself and find strength and resolve you never knew you had! Sometimes it will test your very faith!

The Brothers in Vermont

   What about the expenses? To me, the memories, the pictures, the stories, and the experiences (including the surprises) are all worth far, far more than whatever sum you paid to get there and back! You come back a different person! Who can put a price tag on that?
   Whether by plane, or train, bus, boat, or car, get out there!  'Cuz there are things you just can't see or do in your own little backyard!  I think of some of the places I've been--- Bar Harbor, Montego Bay, Lake Champlain, Vienna, Boston, Gotland Island, Times Square,  the Samana Penninsula, all so different, so unique....so unlike anything around here! I would have missed so much by staying in my own familiar settings.
   Ok, travel ain't cheap; it's not always easy. But it does something to you, something good. I know not all people love it. But for me & my family, travel is definitely one of the things we love aobut life!