BLAKE'S BLOG: October 2004

10.23.2004

OCTOBER 22, 2004 BRITISH FRIENDS ARRIVE AND CRABS, CRABS, CRABS

Never let it be said that this coastal Georgia man doesn't like Atlantic Blue Crabs. No way Jose. Boiled, salad, deviled, sauted, dip..just anyway is fine with me, but there is the dilema of catching them, cleaning them, cooking them and then meticulously picking the meat from the shell. Doing this after they have been boiled in perfectly seasoned water makes for a good fare, however, in order to make the other desired dishes, for me, an impossibility. Two lumps for me, one in the bowl. Two more lumps..ah heck, five more lumps for me, one in the bowl. As you can see, this would take an inordinate amount of crabs to make one serving of deviled crab or any of the other delicous dishes. Now there is a solution to this dilema, which increases efficiency and the yield while reducing the work involved. DA DA...enter the Crab Master! A wonderful patented device that removes the meat from RAW Atlantic Blue Crab. After properly dressing the crabs (removing the claws from the body..these are boiled in the seasoned water) and allowing them to remain on ice for 24 hours, the meat is quickly and easily removed from the body. Surprising that there is little to no shell in the meat! Then the meat can be seasoned and prepared in any recipe. It also can be frozen in zip lock bags for over a year which is 2 times the length of freezing the cooked meat. I can not verify the length personally, as it never remains in my freezer for that length of time...I truly enjoy crab meat! Really!

The dilema this time regarding the crabs was that my guests were expected to arrive today from England. I was to fetch them from the airport at 6:30 pm. I had a bushel of crabs that needed immediate attention, and traps to check today. These crabs had to be attended as well. This takes time..and time was short as other things needed to be done...i.e. house cleaning, linen changes, and all the other things you do when guests are due to arrive just to make them feel like you live in reasonably clean surroundings...yeah, right! So, up early, fill the crock pot with succulent beef bits and other things...yep, red wine was one! I tasted the wine before adding..if I wouldn't drink it, it won't go in the dish...This one passed the test..and 2 cups..in you go. Ah yes..the aroma! But sheets to change, wash, dry. bed to remake, bathroom to clean, floor to vacuum, floor to mop, kithcen to clean, oven self cleaned over night (man I love that) and was ready to be wiped out. All that going, off to dress yesterday's crabs. One hour later, time to check the traps again. More crabs...iced down. By now, I'm running out of time. The sheets are dry, the bed is made...I'm smelling a bit crabby myself..so into the shower and out fresh as the morning sun..at least outwardly. Inside as anxious .....well, I don't know...but anxious to see my friends.
Off I go to Savannah which is about an hour away from home. Had a bit of time, so I took in some shopping for things to avoid washing dishes (paper plates, plastic cups) you know, the sort of things you use when you vacation or camp..because this house would soon become “Camp Blake”...meals and beverages included! Arrived at the airport, and true to form, took a wrong turn had to circle back to get into the short term parking. Again, it figures, the one available spot was all the way at the other end of the lot. I am thankful that the Savannah Airport is quite small. By the time I got inside the airport, their plane had landed and the passengers were disembarking.
As I was waiting in the main lobby at the entrance/exit for all gates, I was standing beside a woman that was anxiously awaiting her husband. As I was looking down the long corridor, a young man carrying a case over his shoulder was approaching and I noticed a wonderful smile lighten his face. Then two of the most beautiful toddler girls as I've ever seen, doing what toddlers do best, came toddling up from behind me, lifting their arms up to this man. He scooped them both up in his arms at the same time...and kissed each of them on their cheeks..mom coming up behind got her kiss too...and off they went still joyous from the reunion. This one incident...well, it was priceless! I even commented to the lady beside me, that I woulnd't have missed that for anything...that it had made my day! She agreed whole-heartedly..saying “isn't it great to see something so sweet and precious”. There was no doubt that they were “daddy's girls”.
My friends came up right behind them..and we all embraced and made our way to baggage claim. All bags in tow, the guys went to arrange the rental car and I made my way to the far end of the airport to collect my car and come back for the girls (was there any doubt?). Planning to meet outside the airport..once out of the airport I would pull over and wait for the guys. After an extremely long wait, we decided they had passed us unknowlingly and headed for home. So off we go. The girls thinking they would feel bad when we got home if the guys weren't there. I disagreed..I wouldn't feel bad because nothing was going to make me feel bad today..besides they know the way home..We always do!
Once home, we unloaded the cars and stashed things to allow room for us to move about. The dog was happy to see all of us...of course he is always happy to see us, so we were expecting the wagging tail and the cold wet nose. Nothing more comforting than that is there? No..well, mayby, the girls seeing their dad at the airport was not only comforting..but quite moving as well. My friends were tired. They left England at 11:30 pm Oct 21, 2004 our time. Arrived here at 6:30pm Oct 22nd our time. That's a long day for anyone, but keeping the 4 adults together and two children..well, remarkable. More remarkable still that all were in good spirits when they arrived as well.
Dinner time..we arrived home at 8:30ish. Opened the door and the aromas from the crock pot were intoxicating (hard to believe with only 2...uh..3 cups of wine). That plus the smell of a freshly baked loaf of bread set the “grumbellies” in motion. The rice still had to cook. It had been soaking for 4 hours, so it took a short time to get it right..and then we joined around the table and chased the grumbellies away. Somehow we managed to find time for a cocktail before dinner.. don't know how, but where there is a will there's a way.
The children were the first to sucuumb to their exhaustion, dad not far behind. The rest of us endured for a walk to the dock. The 1/2 moon reflected on the water like a million or more little sparkles..almost matching the stars in the sky. The smell of the salt marsh...and the fresh air...the perfect ending for what I must consider to be a perfect day. The dog, hesitant at first, enjoyed the outing with us..but was pleased to return to claim his postion for the night..just as were the rest of us. One by one..coffee pot set, lights off...doors close..sleep...except for me...I'm sitting here typing this..eyes cross..enough..enough.. Good night!

Cliff, Ania and Sue

Dick with Socks (left) and a Friend

Ania in Blake's Lap

Rajan and Ania growing up too fast

Rajan steering the boat from Blake's Lap

Rob, Blake and Marsha: The Cruise Ship Days

Fred and Judy (Cliff's Mom)

10.18.2004

OCTOBER 17, 2004 FIRST PERSON PLURAL: A VIEW ON IRAG

First Person PluralThree producers put 150 video cameras into Iraqi hands.Friday, October 15, 2004 12:01 a.m.At a time when shrill political diatribes dominate the documentary scene, along comes an authentic work that dares to let the subject speak for itself--literally.

This spring, film producers Eric Manes, Martin Kunert and Archie Drury sent 150 digital video cameras to Iraq and invited Iraqis to tape whatever they wanted--and then pass the cameras onto someone else. The three had no idea how the victims of first Saddam Hussein and then of the chaos that accompanied his fall would react.
By the end of last month, the producers had received some 450 hours of footage, taped all over the country with some 2,000 Iraqis. The scenes in their completed film, "Voices of Iraq" (www.voicesofiraq.com), come as a shock.

Yes, there is a mother sobbing in her kitchen because her son and four other family members have just been killed in the crossfire between U.S. soldiers and looters. There are stunned survivors picking through the ruins of a church bombed by insurgents. A tiny baby died there; its burned mother lies in a coma and its father has gone insane.

But mostly, overwhelmingly, there are signs of life and optimism. Iraqis have filmed themselves in busy streets, bustling markets and a packed amusement park, the bulbs on its rides lighting up the night sky. There is a jubilant graduation ceremony at Baghdad University, with singing, dancing and squirted confetti, and street celebrations after Iraq placed fourth in soccer at its first Olympics since 1988.
Yes, a few people tell the camera that it was better under Saddam, and in Baghdad many express fear or bitterness about the lack of security. In general, though, the Iraqis have taped each other making plans for the future: celebrating the freedom to get a passport or an e-mail address and to write, broadcast and express any opinion they like. We see people rebuilding a children's theater; artists talking about the contribution they will make to world culture; a heavy-metal band whose members improved their English studying Megadeth and Metallica CDs; a young boy making a direct appeal to Arnold Schwarzenegger for some real weights with which to build his own (scrawny) body. Their enthusiasm and resilience are mind-boggling.
So, too, is their ability to put even the most infamous acts in perspective. As one man says: "The Abu Ghraib scandal has shaken your country--but those prisoners were Saddam's henchmen. What you saw on TV: I was personally tortured by those Iraqis and tortured much worse."

And in August, when the campaign of bombings surges in Baghdad, the people in the videos don't curse the U.S. One man blames Saddam for giving shelter to Islamic radicals for years. But most also blame their neighbors in the region, whose real target, as one man asserts, is Iraq itself: "Many Arabian governments think the democracy success in Iraq is a danger for them, so they cooperate with all the terrorists in the world."

"Voices of Iraq" is not easy to watch, especially when the voices are so optimistic: "I want to be a lawyer," "I want Iraq to be the greatest country in the world," "I want to get married." What if they're wrong? (Their comments are intercut with Internet videos made by insurgents planting bombs.) Then again, who knows better what is possible than the people of Iraq themselves? It's good that Messrs, Manes and Kunert (who cut their teeth on MTV reality TV) and Mr. Drury thought to ask them.

http://www.voicesofiraq.com

10.10.2004

80th BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR AUNT MAE

Up early to prepare dishes to take to the luncheon planned for my Aunt that was hospitalized in September. She was allowed a 4 hour leave from the Rehab hospital in Jacksonville as she has progressed remarkably over the last few weeks. We arrived in Kingsland, but unsure of the location, we made a phone call and received directions. Unfortunately the directions were way off base and resulted in travelling about 4 miles further than needed. After another phone call, the directions were corrected and we arrived just before noon.
My aunt and her daughter (they were arriving from Jacksonville) arrived shortly after us. It was grand old time, my aunt as fiesty as ever and walking with a walker. That was new for her, but she is doing so much better. We were all happy to see her feeling more fit and with an appetite.
Everything ready, the food was spread out in a buffet style...and I was the first to help my plate with ham, roast pork, green beans, squash casserole, carrot souffle, deviled eggs and macaroni with cheese, sliced cucumbers and hot rolls. My aunt's daughter helped her mom's plate with some of everything and placed her at the head of the table. She wasted no time in diving in and tasting everything. Like me, she cleaned her plate and asked for dessert...a delicous chocolate pound cake.
After lunch we visited for a bit, but my aunt had begun to tire and it was time for her to return the the rehab hospital. We said our goodbyes (with hugs of course) and headed out for home.
All in all, it was an extremely good day. Two days later we were informed that she would be released from the hospital on October 15, 2004.

Photos of the day can be viewed here...

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/gblakesmith3/album?.dir=/71a4&.src=ph&.tok=pho8CYCBAryeLe7p