The orcas are back up in the neighborhood.
I love them..
Book club will be at Cheri’s #213 we will be chatting about 
by Amy Harmon. We will meet on May 13th. Let Cheri know if you plan to attend. This will be the last Book Club meeting for the year or should say for the summer. We will get back together in September. So keep a list of the books you read and come up with some great ideas for next season.
Traveling Neighbors
I’m so jealous of our neighbors.
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- Carole had a great cruise; she wrote up a nice report and added some photos.
In early April my sisters and their husbands and I spent a glorious 2 weeks cruising in and around Japan visiting 13 cities in central and southern Japan on the islands of Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku. We also spent a day in Busan, South Korea.I was struck by the beauty of the well manicured Japanese gardens, the gorgeous cherry trees which were blossoming at their peak, the cleanliness of the cities, the graciousness and politeness of the native Japanese people, and the wonderful food on the cruise ship.The trip brought back memories of a trip to Japan we had taken over 20 years ago with our mother though much has changed since then.This was the first time seeing the Peace Memorial Parks and Museums in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, both very poignant and touching.
I’ve selected a few pictures from the vast number of photos I took. They include pictures of the sisters, Mt Fuji, Shitennoji Osaka Temple, Osaka Castle, Golden Pavillion, fish market in Busan, Sengan-en Garden in Kagoshima, Torii Gate at Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island, and Nagoya Castle.
Click here for larger pictures.
- Carole had a great cruise; she wrote up a nice report and added some photos.
- I haven’t checked with Kayoko to see how her trip was, maybe we can get her to write up something for June’s Blog.
- Bob took his eldest granddaughter Madeline to WA. DC and Virginia last week over spring break. What a great opportunity for Madeline, she is lucky to have such a great grandfather.
Just in time for Cinco de Mayo
You can make this seasoning as spicy or mild as you want.
Homemade Taco Seasoning
Ingredients
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbs ground cumin
1 tsp Kosher salt
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp dried oregano
Directions
Combine spices:
Stir together all ingredients in a small bowl. Store in a airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 months.
This seasoning can be used for various recipes, taco’s, casseroles and of course salads.
Recipe by July Levy
Southern Living
Recipe Du Jour
This is sort of a “special occasion” recipe.
Cheesy Shrimp Bake
1 pound of shrimp peeled and deveined I use 15-20’s
2 Tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
¾ c grated cheddar cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
Topping
1 cup breadcrumbs, I use panko breadcrumbs that I toast first.
2 Tbsp melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F and grease a baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, combine the melted butter and minced garlic. Place the shrimp in the greased baking dish, arranging them in an even layer. In a separate bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, cream, dried thyme, paprika, salt and pepper.
- Pour the cream mixture over the shrimp in the baking dish, ensuring they are all covered.
- Sprinkle the grated cheddar and Parmesan cheeses evenly over the shrimp and cream mixture.
- In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with the melted butter until well coated.
- Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the top of the casserole. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the sauce is bubbly.
- You can swap out the heavy cream for half and half or plant-based alternative.
- I often bake these in individual baking dishes, it is a nice presentation.
The right temperature and timing are important in this dish, you want to make sure the shrimp aren’t overcooked, otherwise they come out rubbery.
A nice green salad and a slice or two of crunchy bread is great with the shrimp and makes a great meal.
Entertainment Recommendations
TV Recommendations
We have been watching a great travel show named the Reluctant Traveler. It is on Apple TV. The host is Eugene Levy, known for Schittz Creek. He is a funny guy and the places he visits are outstanding a bit outside the box.
My sister-in-law went on a bus tour of the south last month. The last stop on the tour was Memphis, they happened to be there on April 8th. The director of the travel agent they were with thought they should see if they could find someplace to watch the eclipse. She looked at a map and found a small town named Bald Knob that was sort of in the middle of nowhere.
She called the Mayor of Bald Knob and asked if the town had anything planned for the eclipse. No, as a matter of fact they had nothing planned.
She asked if the town had a restaurant. The answer was yes, but it was closed on Mondays.
She asked if they would be interested in opening it up for 40 guests. Of course, the answer was yes, they would be delighted.
So off they went about an hour’s drive from Memphis. They arrived about time for lunch. The Mayor and Sheriff were waiting to greet them at the restaurant. After lunch everyone went to the Bald Know Sports Complex, where the residents of the town set up some chairs for their viewing comfort. They had a fantastic view of the eclipse; they saw it from start to finish. My sister-in-law said it was the highlight of the trip.
The town folks had set up some vendors which sold cold drinks, popcorn and the like. When they got ready to leave someone had made cookies for their bus trip back. She said it was a beautiful day but while the eclipse was happening it was perfectly quiet, no wind blowing, no birds chirping, both started up after the show was over. The next day it poured down rain.
I thought this was such a great story, it was Southern hospitality at its best.
Restaurant Review
The Hook Seafood Broiler and Spirits
76th Ave W. & Olympic View Dr
Edmonds, (Perrinville)
425 673 0551
We went to the Hook last Saturday evening. We were able to get a table in the bar, food was good, large helpings. We both brought doggy bags home. Nothing fancy, a bit noisy but we will go back. I have been there for lunch a couple of times. A large menu so you should be able to find something that meets your needs.
Ridge Report |HOBOES IN ECHO
Echo is a small town, a railroad stop, and siding in the central part of Louisiana, a state in the southern part of the United States. It only has a population of perhaps 200 people now but had more like 500 people as we turned into the 1900’s. Echo is in the Red River valley, very flat and swampy and very fertile…wonderful farmland.
Elsie Beauregard was born there in 1911. Her parents were farmers and storekeepers. Their home was next to the railroad line, maybe a stone’s throw away. She had 10 brothers and sisters to keep her busy. Her dad built a store to supply local people with groceries and other items that would be ordered from larger cities. Elsie’s mom ran the store and used her and the other children to help.
Times were pretty good up to and into the 1920 years. Echo had lots of cotton fields and a cotton gin. There was a sawmill to cut up the big cypress trees that were harvested from the swampy land. (The family store was made completely of cypress lumber, including the shakes on the roof. Cypress grows in shallow water and is so full of water that it won’t float like other wood.) There were also jobs at the railroad depot, the school, post office, and a lot of work on the levees along the river…especially during the Spring floods. Lots of jobs for everyone.
As time went on into the 1920’s things worsened. Most of the saw logs were used up.
Boll Weevils, a bug from Mexico, came to the cotton fields and ate most of the crop every year. And things got worse for much of the rest of America. As jobs became harder to find, some folks without jobs started traveling, hoping to find other work. Maybe they could find some construction jobs or picking fruit or nuts. Many of these poor people couldn’t afford transportation, and they started jumping rides in empty rail cars to get from place to place. Sometimes they would be chased off the rail cars or just wanted to stop to get something to eat. (Cutting wood or doing household chores for something to eat was often used.) People that did this were called hobos. They would often carry their possessions in a bag, much like we would do with a backpack now. The bag was called a bindle, and it was often hung on a stick and slung over a shoulder. Hobos were sometimes called “bindle-stiffs”. Some places were popular as camp sites for groups and were called “hobo jungles”.
Elsie was working with her mom in the store in the 1927-1928 years. Being near the railroad, hobos would often show up at the back door and ask for something to eat. With 12 people in the family, it was sometimes hard to find left-over food, but they always managed to feed these poor. This was during prohibition years when alcohol was illegal. The store sold a lot of bottles of vanilla extract. Hobos had found the bottles were mostly alcohol and drank a lot of it.
AND:
Elsie and her brothers and sisters slept on mattresses stuffed with Spanish moss!
Local Events
Memorial Day is coming up at the end of the month so have a great time kicking off the summer in style.
The Annual RBCA Garden Tour is coming up, Sat. June 1st from 11:00 to 4:00 PM. Nice gardens will be showing.
RB Strawberry Fest on June 8th 12:00-5:00 PM
The parade starts at 11:45
https://www.richmondbeachwa.org/strawberry-festival127827.html#/
All kinds of activities will be held at the Richmond Beach Community Park.