Fins

Yesterday we went fishing – in the Atlantic ocean.  That still sounds strange to me having lived in Texas all of my life before moving to Boca two years ago.  Unfortunately, we didn’t catch many fish; we only caught a remora. 

If you aren’t familiar with remoras, it’s the fish that you see attached to sharks.  

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, if you know Jimmy Buffett’s song, “Fins,” you’ve heard the reference to remoras:

Chorus:

Can’t you feel ‘em closin’ in, honey

Can’t you feel ‘em schoolin’ around

You got fins to the left, fins to the right

And you’re the only girl in town

  

Sailed off to Antigua

It took her three days on a boat

Lookin’ for some peace and quiet

Maybe keep her dreams afloat

But now she feels like a remora

‘Cause the school’s still close at hand

Just behind the reef are the big white teeth

Of the sharks that can swim on the land

  

I have a confession to make about this song.  I only found out recently that the song is about “fins.”  For years, I sang, “…dance to the left, dance to the right…”  It seemed to work at the time.  I also never knew what a remora was until we were saltwater fishing last summer and once again, caught a remora.  I makes me wonder if sharks are nearby when remoras are all that are caught!

It was still a fun day even though the fish weren’t cooperating.

 

Doggie Daily Double

This morning was quite a morning!  I am still recovering. 

Around 9:30, Lucy (remember our little dog who doesn’t like having her picture taken?) was running door to door, squeaking.  Of course she had seen something outside and was dying to get out there and chase it.  So, I opened the sliding door as she dashed out along with Jack (he goes where she goes and vice-versa).  The next thing I knew, a huge iguana went flying into our pool!  Oh  My Gosh!!!! 

I was immediately freaked out.  I had heard of iguanas in pools here in South Florida but had never witnessed it myself.  What was my plan of attack?  I ran to Cub’s bedroom to see if he was awake because he had to see this!  As I opened the door, he startled me since he was standing right there.  He jumped and I laughed and yelled, “There’s an iguana in the pool! …and the dogs are trying to get it.”  Cubs quickly dashed out the door to see all the excitement.  I stayed inside, safely behind the glass sliding doors of course, so I could take photos – from afar. 

I was able to get Lucy to come inside by yelling, “Treats!  Lucy!  Come get a treat!”  Now usually, Jack will knock over whatever is in his way for a treat – but not today.  His treat was in the pool!  Jack loves to chase lizards – this must have been like hitting the daily double for him.

I knew that getting the dogs inside the house would be the only way that iguana would ever get out of the pool.  I had Cubs help me get Jack inside by using a leash. As soon as Jack was dragged inside, he and Lucy pushed their way through the glass doors in the living room.  Before we knew what happened, Jack and Lucy were back outside again trying to get at that iguana!  So, Cubs and I went through the whole routine again and finally got both dogs back in the house.

Lucky for us (and that iguana), the pool guy showed up at that time.  This was a pool service person who had never been here before.  He had come to repair something on the pool.  When he came to the door, he told me who he was and why he was here.  I didn’t waste time with small talk – I said, “How good are you at getting iguanas out of the pool?”  After asking how big it was, he was very helpful.  He used the skimmer to scare the poop out of that thing (literally…several times…ewww!!!!!!) and it swam to the other end of the pool before swimming into the skimmer. 

(Look closely, the iguana’s at the end of the skimmer pole)

He then quickly lifted the lid off the skimmer and it was like a Jack in the Box (the toy, not the fast food chain)  –  out came that iguana!  It moved so fast I never saw where it went, but apparently it climbed to the top of the nearest palm tree beyond the back fence.  Ewww.  Gross.  I am totally creeped out and disgusted.  On a positive note, thank goodness for the kindness and timeliness of others!!! 

So much for a day in the pool. 

If anyone has any idea of what I’m supposed to do to de-lizard my pool after skimming out the poop (yes, I’m a do-it-yourselfer…when no one else will do it!), please let me know!

 

Happy Jack

 

After all of this excitement, I couldn’t let the day go by without selecting a song to commemorate it.  I think this one is appropos. 

I wish I was back
In Ti-a-juana
Eating barbecue
Iguana

If you are a child of the 80s and recall when MTV first began, when we were all glued to the television and fell in love with Mark Goodman and Martha Quinn (I digress….), then you are already singing along with this song by Wall of Voodoo. 

 

Holy guacamole, Boca!

I finally found good guacamole in Boca Raton!  To me, salsa and guacamole are the true tests of a good Tex-Mex or Southwestern restaurant and now I’ve found both right here in Boca. 

Where?  Cottonwood Cafe

Here’s a review from www.opentable.com

Cottonwood Restaurant, a pioneer in Boston’s thriving restaurant scene, has brought its award winning Margaritas, a huge selection of tequilas and fresh approach to Southwestern cuisine to the prestigious Royal Palm Plaza in Boca Raton! Serving lunch and dinner daily, and also a weekend plated brunch, Cottonwood has received many accolades for its contemporary approach to Southwestern cuisine, and the Boca location lives up to its Boston counterpart in every respect.

• Dining Style: Casual Dining
• Cuisine: Mexican / Southwestern, Contemporary American, Latin / Spanish
• Cross Street: ROYAL PALM PLACE MALL
• Menu / Website: http://www.cottonwoodboca.com

My girlfriends and I went to Cottonwood for lunch the other day and we all enjoyed it.  I ordered chicken quesadillas while my friends ordered a salmon sandwich with sweet potato chips, a vegetable wrap sandwich with some delicious fries, and two friends ordered salads.  We also ordered the “4 dips and chips” which was great and there was plenty for the 5 of us to share as an appetizer.  Our waiter was very friendly and accomodating, while the cafe’s ambience was nice as well.   I can’t wait to go back…it looks like I’ll have to try the margaritas next time!

 

Grilled pizza

There’s a buzz in the air today because of a cool front that blew into Boca last night.  It is so beautiful today.  It’s about 68 degrees this afternoon (50’s this morning).  As a result, it’s a perfect backyard day and evening.  Tonight we are going to grill pizzas and continue enjoying this cool weather.  You see, we have summer and fall and that’s about it here.  So today, fall arrived (even though it’s November 15th!).

We’ve grilled pizzas on a couple of occasions recently.  Our pizzas have gotten better with practice so here are some tips if you are interested in trying your hand at pizzas on the grill! 

                                                                   

We purchase our pizza dough at Publix.  However, not all stores carry the dough.  Of course, you can make your own.  I am just not very good at “rising” the dough so the premade dough is a better choice for me. 

When you are ready to make the pizzas, let the dough sit at room temperature (that means about 70 degrees) for at least an hour so it will be easier to work with.  I use a large cutting board when I am ready to roll it out.  (First, sprinkle some flour on the board and I use cooking spray on my hands so the dough isn’t so sticky).  Roll it out to the desired thickness.  Dear is good at tossing it a bit (he worked in a pizza parlor in college!) so I let him do that part.  I like to sprinkle the dough with garlic powder and minced onion just for an added bit of flavor.

The grill has been preheated.  Now, take a large piece of foil and spray one side with cooking spray (away from the grill, please!!!! …unless you want an explosion!).  Place it on the grate and then place your pizza dough directly on the foil (on the sprayed side).  I know you should be able to place the dough directly on the grate, but I just don’t trust it to not stick.  Let the dough cook until it is slightly light brown on bottom then flip over (tongs work well for this task).  Repeat.  Remove the pizzas and then add your toppings.  Return the pizzas to the grill (on a low heat) – do not place directly over flames.  You want the toppings / cheese to slowly heat through while not burning the crust. 

Need some ideas for something besides a cheese pizza?  What about fresh basil, mozzarella, and thinly sliced tomatoes?  For the sauce, I like to mix a little pesto sauce with my favorite jar of pasta sauce.  We also like a veggie pizza so we top ours with mushrooms, olives, onions, and black olives.  Try a “new” cheese such as fontina, gruyere, or feta for a switcheroo.  The possibilities are endless. 

For more information on grilling pizzas, check out http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/grilled-pizza-recipe.html 

and

http://www.donosborn.com/pizza.htm

 

Need I say more?

Hurricane Season Countdown:

87 days, 3 hours, 53 minutes

until the end of the Atlantic Hurricane Season on November 30, 2008.

 

For a current hurricane season countdown, go to :  http://www.weather.com/newscenter/hurricanecentral

Ike is the one I’m watching for now… 

 

For a little more fun…

Names of Atlantic storms -  2008

(Blue dot:  tropical storm /  Red dot: hurricane)

Arthur

Bertha

Cristobal

Dolly

Edouard

Fay

Gustav

Hanna

Ike

Josephine

Still remaining: 

Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paloma, Rene, Sally, Teddy,Vicky, Wilfred