Evee picked out this recipe from Parade magazine for Farmstand Gazpacho. Fresh produce from Wegmans and a few custom-picked garnishes (olives, avocado and blurry but yummy shrimp) and we maintained our vacation’s high quality culinary experience.

I had to throw in this demonstration of the famous peeler that we picked up in NYC and sent to Evee as a gift.

Another great Wegmans find, this black bean salsa bread was a phenomenal spicy addition to our cold summer meal.
  

  
It looks as good as it tastes…as you can tell from the plate that I had to wipe clean with a slice of bread…every bite delicious.

Is it a sign of age that many of my trips include visiting key grocery stores, and that my friends/family do the same when the come to see us? We have the headquarters of both Whole Foods and Central Market in Austin that have become (for reals) top tourist destinations. In several cities we visit a stop at Trader Joes is in order, but when we’re in State College it is Wegmans or bust! The product selection is always interesting and different than what we get in God’s blessed Dixie.

      
I’m still baffled by the concept of Birch Beer, I mean what-the-heck was wrong with sarsaparilla or plain ol’ root beer? Did we really need the yanks to invent a new tree-based beverage?; Green Tea Canada Dry was new to me, but I’m guessing it’s out somewhere in Austin without my knowledge.; Shrimp on special from my favorite equatorial locale.; This particular cake is the Wegmans prize winning ultimate chocolate cake which Becky was obliged to consume (and it’s pretty darn good.)

Most compelling was this old-school-fonted advert for a ground-breaking idea: a one-piece hamburger called, without presumption, the Incredi-Burger. You know that if it is junk food related then I will test the heck out of it. Now in my unending quest to save your gastronomical health, I give you the Incredi-Burger unboxing.

From the common plastic food container comes the burger wrapped in its own bun with instructions to place in the oven at 375° for 35 minutes. It comes out of the oven sizzling, and when you slice it open it is steamy…and that’s where it starts to go bad. The image of steaming mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, and pickles is…well, unappetizing. The Incredi-Burger isn’t as disgusting as it looks, but for the required 35 minute investment it is definitely not worth the wait — not to mention the fin I dropped on it.

Anyone who has traveled between terminals at the Detroit Airport has seen the tunnel but it was a first for Becky and me.

Finally made it to State College yesterday, but we were completely exhausted after what turned out to be 12 hours of traveling. Our 6 am flight from Austin to Memphis was diverted to Tupelo because of massive storms (and after a very hairy attempt at landing in our tin can sized plane), then the plane turned right back around after fueling and we made our Detroit connection in Memphis without a second to spare. Sat on the tarmac in Detroit for about an hour, then finally finished the last leg to State College. Good times.

Mom is of course thrilled to have us here. Of course, there’s one person (er, animal) who wishes we’d never left.

The press is afraid to fully say it, but I will be glad to call John McCain’s on his interpretation of the recent SCOTUS ruling. When McCain says that the law he helped craft “made it very clear that these are enemy combatants, they are not citizens, they do not have the rights of citizens”, he is suggesting that this ruling gives these detainees the rights of citizens. It does not, from what I’ve read. What it does say is that a human being of any nationality that is being held by the US government has the right of habeas corpus — that it is unlawful (and immoral) to hold a man indefinitely without giving them the right to defend themselves. The ruling makes it clear that the “military courts” the conservatives have been trying to define are not sufficient to the standard.

One of the things that surprises me about John McCain’s reaction is that he was a prisoner of war who was denied these rights, and yet somehow he doesn’t think these people deserve better. Habeas corpus is based on the true Christian values that this country was based on — treating men equally whether or not you align with their religious convictions. To deny this right to the people we are detaining is to treat them in a manner that shames me.

It certainly doesn’t help my opinion of McCain when he associates himself with the a hypocrite of Lindsey Graham’s level. “…the greatest of these is charity…” unless you’re a detainee and then we’ll lock you up for five (or more) years. Graham’s amendment to the DoD Authorization Act — what the Supreme Court was decrying with this ruling — shows his lack of compassion, so it was no surprise to hear him standing next to McCain sayng:

What happened yesterday was unprecedented. Americans are going to be shocked to find that that mastermind of 9-11, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, now has the same legal standing as an American citizen.

He’s either the worst spin man in Washington, or he’s a judicial idiot. In no way does this decision give detainees the full legal standing of an American citizen. It simply gives them the rights any captive should have.

I was supportive of Bob Dole several years ago when he announced his intention to run for POTUS, then he started his campaign and began spouting dogmatic anti-Christian attitudes. I had strong positive feelings for McCain before the campaign started. I really thought he could be a good modern face for conservatives. Now it is becoming clear that he wants to continue (what has apparently become the true thrust of) the neo-conservative attitude — increasing international inequity, restricting freedom and promoting violence in the world.

Still in love with the Wii Fit, and logging in faithfully almost every day. Sadly, none of my Wii buddies love it as much as I do (or maybe, my Mii is just really boring?)

For you non-Austinites (and you Austinites that don’t keep up with local politics…I know, that’s redundant) there has been a lot of churn around proposals for new regulation on selling/buying homes in Austin that aspires to increase the energy efficiency of real estate in the area. Most of it has been fodder for the City Council run-off elections, but it’s nice to see Mayor Wil Wynn release a letter explaining what is going on.

… I want to try to set the record straight. I hope that you will take a moment to read this. … Make no mistake: powering our homes and buildings is going to get more expensive, perhaps dramatically. Right now, we have an opportunity to get in front of it. … Sellers wouldn’t have to make upgrades, and they wouldn’t have to pass an inspection – they would just have to let buyers know what kind of efficiency condition the house is in. … The Task Force is discussing a VOLUNTARY program. Under a voluntary program, “low-hanging fruit” like weather stripping and duct sealing would be prioritized, and spending caps would be proposed. All of Austin Energy’s rebates and incentives would be available, including their low-interest loan program. …
Sincerely,
Will Wynn
Austin Mayor

I love having a mayor whose name is so aggressively positive, and while he hasn’t been a perfect mayor I think this kind of missive is representative of why I think he’s been a really good mayor.

I heard some strange noises from outside the windows in my bedroom as I was preparing for sleepy-time last night. I went out to find this adorable little girl scared out of her mind, wondering why she was ripped away from his siblings to wander around in this strange place…and why her mommy wasn’t coming to her plaintive cries.

Cute, yes?

Gotta love that purr!

We already have a 5 animal zoo, so we really need someone to take this handsome sweet gal off our hands. I have paid, up-front, for a full year of standard vet service including all neccesary vaccinations and a hysterectomy (spay). That is nearly $400 is bills and I will discount this cost to you for the low low price of $40 — an almost 90% discount!

I took almost no pictures or video of my trip this weekend to Liberty Valley (outside Bald Knob, AR), but here are a few that’ll give you something other than a blank screen to stare at.

On the way out, I came across these candy jewels at a truckstop. They are similarly configured like the peanut butter M&Ms except the core is made of crispy rice and the chocolate has a mint flavor. If you can find these limited edition sweets, I recommend you grab a pack.

We passed this very fluffy dog in the back of a pickup.

My cousin, LB, has a baby boy, Cayde, who is very happy…in the mornings only. :)

note: inclusion of happy baby pictures should in no way indicate any desire on the posting party’s part to actually have a baby. i’m super happy that my cousins have them, but they’re not for me.

Most people have problems visualizing how far out my Grandma’s house is…well, now it’s LB’s house across from my Aunt Kay. This video was taking from the crossroads where they live to where the pavement starts. At 35-40mph it is two and a half minutes before you reach the paved road.

Click the button to blow this sucker up full screen and be patient. I found out my new camera can be set to video some pretty cool lightning effects.

I was at the intersection where US-167 splits north (and US-64 splits east) from US-67 when I hit the reset button on the trip computer, so I’m technically missing over 8 miles of slow driving from the overall statistics here. However, this gives you an idea of how long it takes (and what speed it takes) to get from Bald Knob, AR to Austin, TX. The stopped time is inaccurate, though. We spent at least 15 minutes making the regulatory stop in West, TX to grab some kolaches.