Full Moon ~ Sunshine ~ Picture of the Day ~ Roller Skates ~ Chocolate Chip Cheesecake ~ National Zoo Lovers Day

   

Good 34º clear sunny morning. 

Yesterday morning just after I took the picture of the fog it went away!! We had a beautiful sunny day and topped at 74º.

Picture of the Day ... LOL

Interesting about roller skates....

When you consider the history of roller skating you must first trace back the origin of the first pair of roller skates. The first known roller skate was invented in London, England by a Belgium born man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s roller skate was not a quad skate, but rather an inline skate with small metal wheels. Consequently, Joseph Merlin was also an accomplished violinist and violin maker. In 1760, as the story goes, Joseph Merlin was invited to perform for an audience at a masquerade party at the prestigious Carlisle House Mansion in Sofo Square, London. Merlin’s intent was to impress the crowd by playing his violin while skating on his newly invented roller skates. The festivities were progressing quiet well until Joseph Merlin accidentally skated into an expensive mirror, breaking the mirror and his violin, and injuring himself. Needless to say Joseph Merlin’s performance did not successfully generate an enormous amount of interest in roller skating!

In 1819, nearly 60 years later, a Frenchman named Monsieur Petitbled invented, and officially patented his new roller skate design. Monsieur Petitbled’s roller skates were also in-line skates with three wheels made of wood, metal or deluxe ivory. Petitbled tried to sell the public the idea that a person could do anything on his roller skates that could be done on a pair of ice skates. Unfortunately for Monsieur Petitbled he was unable to convince a skeptical public, and his roller skates did not fair well on the market.

By the 1860s the idea of roller skating had reached America, and in 1863 a young inventor named James Leonard Plimpton created a new, and superior type of roller skate. His roller skates allowed the skater to steer the skates in different directions. We would consider Plimpton an out of the box thinker as he moved away from the known “in-line” roller skates of his day. He built his skate with two wheels in the front and two in the back, much like the quad roller skates you’d find today. Plimpton’s wheels were mounted on carriages that rotated when the skater’s foot leaned to one side or the other. This feature allowed for smoother turns, and significantly enhanced the skater’s capability to skate backwards. Lastly, Plimpton’s roller skates provided the skater a superior glide when compared to the other roller skates of his time.

James Plimpton did far more to promote roller skating than designing an outstanding roller skate. Plimpton built a large roller skating rink in New York City, and Newport, Rhode Island. He also made it easier for anyone to roller skate by leasing his roller skates to his customers. Additionally, Plimpton developed an effective system for teaching group roller skating lessons, and provided incentives by creating proficiency medals. In 1863 he founded the nation’s first roller skating association, the New York Roller Skating Association. He also hired Jackson Haines, a famous ballet dancer and excellent skater, to put on shows to help promote his roller skates and the sport as a whole. James Plimpton successfully changed the way people thought about roller skating, and is considered by some the founding father of modern day roller skating.  

Over the years there were various improvements made to Plimpton’s roller skate; from the use of ball bearings, to the first all metal skate. However, it wasn’t until roller skates were mass produced near the end of the 1800s that the average working class person could afford them. During this period the price of a pair of roller skates dropped to half the price of Plimpton’s hand-crafted roller skate. The mass production of roller skates was most certainly instrumental in ushering in a whole new market and generation of skaters.

From Mr. Food

If you're looking for a crowd pleaser, look no further than our all-time favorite, these Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars. It's one of the most popular recipes on our site! The creamy filling between two layers of chocolate chip cookie dough makes this easy cheesecake recipe a heavenly delight that no one can resist. After all, who could turn down a mouthful of creamy fill between two layers of ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookie crust?

 

• 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 (16.5-ounce) rolls refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough

 

1. Preheat oven to 350º.  Coat a 9- x 13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until well mixed; set aside.
3. Slice cookie dough rolls into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices from one roll on bottom of prepared baking dish; press together so there are no holes in dough. Spoon cream cheese mixture evenly over dough; top with remaining slices of cookie dough.
4. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until golden and center is slightly firm. Remove from oven, let cool, then refrigerate. Cut into slices when well chilled.

 

*****Keep the cookie dough refrigerated until just before slicing. You can serve these as-is, or top with chocolate sauce, fudge, whipped topping, or anything else you might like!

Historically this date.........

1974 – At Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Hank Aaron hits his 715th career home run to surpass Babe Ruth's 39-year-old record.

1992 – Retired tennis great Arthur Ashe announces that he has AIDS, acquired from blood transfusions during one of his two heart surgeries.

.........he died in 1993.

And births this date include....

1918 – Betty Ford, American First Lady and founder of the Betty Ford Center (d. 2011)

1931 – John Gavin, American actor and politician (d.2018)

 :o(

1944 – Odd Nerdrum, Norwegian painter

Ok, never heard of this guy, but GEEZE with a name like that!!! Wonder if his middle name is Ball. It should be!

1960 – John Schneider, American actor

 

All I know. Nuff said. Happy Hump Day. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

Each year on April 8, National Zoo Lovers Day is observed.  This would be a perfect day to visit a zoo and be one of the millions of people who visit them each year. Enjoy seeing your favorite animals swinging from the trees or splashing in the water and have a fun-filled day.

A few zoo facts:

• The Vienna Zoo is the oldest existing zoo and was opened to the public in 1765.
• The United State’s first public zoo, Central Park Zoo, opened in 1874 in New York.
• There are 350 zoos in the United States
• Approximately 175 million people visit a zoo each year.
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom has had more than 9.8 million annual visitors.
• More than 3.2 million people visit the San Diego Zoo each year.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Visit your local zoo ... well, after this virus is over and the zoos are back open to the public again.