Freeze ~ Clouds/Sun/Dude ~ Nancy & Dave/Taqueria La Guacamaya ~ Bearded Mike ~ Throw Back Thursday ~ Picture of the Day ~ Pecos River ~ Crunchy Hash Brown Casserole ~ St. Nicholas Day

 

Good 26º everything frozen morning! Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.............

 

 

 

Yesterday the  cloud cover left and we got sunshine...........

Dude was totally happy!

 

 

 

OMGOSH, we're havin' a heat wave, a tropical heat wave....

We warmed to 61º !!!

 

 

Yesterday I met up with pal Nancy and Dave Perry for lunch at Taqueria La Guacamaya, a local super good Mexican restaurant. We had a fun time and talk and a SUPER GOOD lunch!

 

My Margarita.... (I gave a bunch of these pint canning jars to Julio (owner) and he serves his Maggies in them....

 

My lunch was a taco salad. AWESOME with shredded chicken!

 

When I got home Mike was here doing yard work... blowing leaves, stacking firewood, and fixing a gate. Here is is with his beard he grew for the No Shave November with money raised going to the Cancer Society.

 

Throw Back Thursday...

10 years ago, Sami & Bobo at the Grants Pass Boatnik Parade....

 

 

 

Picture of the Day

 

Interesting about the Pecos River....

 

 

In 1882, when Texas frontier judge Roy Bean began calling himself the "Law West of the Pecos," he was referring to the Pecos River, which flows from the mountains of New Mexico for almost 1,000 miles down through West Texas to the Rio Grande. The Pecos is an important source of water in the northern reaches of the Chihuahuan Desert—and that's how it attained its most unusual geographic distinction. Near Carlsbad, New Mexico, locals brag, the Pecos becomes the world's only river that crosses itself.

 

How can a river cross itself? In 1887, a group of settlers drew up plans for an irrigation canal on the Pecos, to irrigate crops in the semi-arid Pecos Valley. A series of hastily built dams and canals began to appear, and soon orchards and farms dotted the valley.

• The centerpiece of the project was a massive wooden flume.

 Supported by trestles, the 145-foot flume carried eight feet of water south through the main canal, crossing over a bend in the Pecos. Since water from the Pecos River was being carried across the Pecos River, Robert Ripley's Believe It or Not comic strip made the flume famous as the "World's Only River That Crosses Itself!"

The flume carried 9,000 gallons of water a second, and its planners had lofty dreams of irrigating half a million acres. But the new canal proved no match for the region's flash floods. The flume was washed away and rebuilt in 1893, and within a decade the replacement was ready to collapse as well. With the help of the federal government, the wooden flume was replaced in 1903 with a majestic concrete version 47 feet high. At the time, the 497-foot structure was the largest concrete aqueduct in the world.

• Today, tourists still visit the Pecos River Flume, but it's seen better days: what was once one of the nation's premiere engineering feats is now a leaky, weed-choked overpass. But climb up the ruin and take a look: after heavy rain, water still flows through the channel above and along the rocks below. The Pecos River, over a century after Robert Ripley made it famous, is still crossing itself.

From Mr. Food....

Add a little crunch to a morning favorite by making our Crunchy Hash Brown Casserole. This flavorful potato casserole uses lighter ingredients, too, so you can enjoy a healthier morning start. It's a double whammy of breakfast goodness!

 

• 1 (10-3/4-ounce) can reduced-fat, reduced-sodium cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• 1/4 cup fat-free milk
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
• 1/2 (32-ounce) package frozen hash brown potatoes
• 1/2 cup crushed cornflakes cereal
• 1 tablespoon butter

 

Preheat oven to 375º. Coat a 7- x 11-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine soup, cheese, sour cream, scallions, milk, ground red pepper, and nutmeg, if desired, stirring well. Stir in hash brown potatoes; pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with crushed cornflakes and drizzle with butter.

Bake, uncovered, 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly. Serve immediately.

 

 

Historically this date....

1768 – The first edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica is published.

 

1790 – The U.S. Congress moves from New York City to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

 

1865 – The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, banning slavery.

 

1877 – The first edition of the Washington Post is published.

 

1877 – Thomas Edison, using his new phonograph, makes one of the earliest recordings of a human voice, reciting "Mary Had a Little Lamb".

 

1884 – The Washington Monument in Washington D.C. is completed.

 

1897 – London becomes the world's first city to host licensed taxicabs.

 

 

And births this date include....

1900 – Agnes Moorehead, American actress (d. 1974)

 

1920 – Dave Brubeck, American pianist and composer (d. 2012)

 

 

 

 

1924 – Wally Cox, American actor (d. 1973)

 

 

 

1928 – Bobby Van, American singer (d. 1980)

 

 

 

1948 – JoBeth Williams, American actress

 

 

 

Later it was chair, wine, 

, and TV. 

 

 

 

 

All I know. Nuff said. Happy TBT. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo 

St. Nicholas Day celebrates the third-century saint who sold all his possessions and gave his money to the poor. Raised to be a devout Christian, his whole life was dedicated to serving the sick and suffering.

There are several legendary stories about St. Nicholas which later become part of the inspiration for the modern-day Santa Claus.

For example, during the third century, a daughter was more likely to be married if her father could offer a large dowry to prospective husbands. The story goes that a poor father with three daughters had no dowry to offer. On three separate occasions, it is said good Ol’ St. Nicholas made bags of gold appear in the girls’ shoes drying by the fire at night.

While St. Nicholas Day traditions include leaving gifts in shoes (or stockings) or the exchange of small gifts, it is not to be confused with Christmas.  Traditionally, treats are left for good boys and girls, and a twig or chunk of coal for the naughty ones.

Interesting facts associated with St. Nicholas:

• He is the patron saint of a great many causes including sailors, travelers, clergy, school children and thieves just to name a few.
• He was born in the village of Patar which was located on the southeastern coast of modern-day Turkey.
• Buried in a tomb in Myra, water believed to have healing powers formed in his grave. It is called the Manna of Saint Nicholas.
• December 6th is also known as The Feast of St. Nicholas and is widely celebrated in Europe.

HISTORY

St. Nicholas Day is celebrated worldwide on the anniversary of his death, December 6.