First Place!

I did quite a bit of traveling in October, thus the lack of blog posts but expect several good ones to appear over the next couple of weeks.

In the meantime, I wanted to share this fantastic little news. I'm still reasonably new to photography. I bought my Nikon digital SLR in August 2011 and have been playing around with it ever since. I recently joined the neighborhood photography club and took some Nikon seminars to improve but I am by no means a professional photographer. This is a very amateur hobby of mine. I get frustrated with all the buttons, dials, settings, edits etc and not touch my camera for months. One great thing about my current neighborhood is that there is great scenery and all sorts of activities to photograph. And the photography club encourages taking your camera out to these events through monthly homework assignments. So it's been good to have a reason to play with my camera.

The neighborhood held a Veteran's Day event just a couple of days ago. This is an annual event run by resident volunteers. I've been lucky enough to be asked to photograph this event (as well as the Memorial Day events) for a couple of years now. It is great practice. This year they decided to hold a Patriotic photography contest to encourage more participation. I submitted a photo I took at the 2013 Memorial Day event. And I ended up winning 1st place. Luckily the organizer thought of me and reminded me to submit something the day before the event - it wasn't even on my radar because I was so focused on actually preparing to photograph the actual event. It was a nice surprise and really encourages me to continue working on this hobby of mine. With a little more practice, I can become even better. Makes me feel like I'm on the right track.

The original photo taken Memorial Day 2013

All the contests

First place!

The third place winner is actually the lead instructor for the neighborhood photography club

Kolache!

Kolcahe is a type of pastry that traditionally holds fruit in it like poppyseed or prunes. It is primarily from Czech and other Eastern European countries. And the immigrants from those areas brought this delicious pastry to Texas when they immigrated here in the 1800s (There is a large Czech population and influence in Texas).  Now days you can get multiple varieties with fruit and other toppings, even now stuffed with types of sausages.

I never heard of Kolache until I moved to Texas. It is a big deal around here. Finding the authentic versions or trying to the donut shop versions - there's always a lot of discussion about which versions are the best. This New York Times article does a good job dissecting the history and the passion people have for this Czech pastry here in Texas.

A couple of weeks ago I went to check out the Kolache Festival in Caldwell, TX. Unfortunately it was raining like crazy that day but we still got to experience some great Kolaches and the whole festival experience.

Caldwell is a cute little Texas town with a Main street and old historic buildings. It is a nice drive through the country, not too far from College Station. I highly recommend making a day trip out there for this festival next year, and even check out a few other attractions along the way (Texas A&M or Brenham).

I liked this guy's turkey hat

Sausage on a stick is a popular festival food here in Texas

This band was hysterical with their hobo outfits

Prune Kolache!

Strawberry Kolache!

Lots of Kolache!

Czech culture is a big deal in parts of Texas

Main Street Caldwell, TX

No festival is complete without Frito Pie

  We decided to make a little stop in College Station, TX which is the home to A&M University. It was game day, so everyone was decked out in all maroon.
 

This ring is apparently a big deal

The A&M stadium

Jayne Hat

A few years back I watched a television show called Firefly. Unfortunately it had already been cancelled by Fox by the time I watched it but those 14 episodes had such an impact on me that I continue to rewatch the dvds every year and started my love affair for all things Joss Whedon. It's a real shame it was cancelled because it had so much potential with the great cast, witty dialogue and good plot development. It was a good science fiction show that delved into deeper issues. And I'm not alone in feeling this way. Firefly became a cult classic with such a gathering that Fox ended up developing a movie called Serenity to help provide some closure to the abruptly cancelled series. Even to this day, Firefly has a huge following, as noted at various comic and scifi conventions. Fellow fans refer to themselves as Browncoats.  And the best part is the cast still reminisces about their great time on the show and provide Firefly references in their current projects (aka Nathan Fillion in Castle with his Malcom Reynolds Halloween costume).

One of the more common unifying symbol is the Jayne hat. This is a specific knitted hat that a character named Jayne wore in one of the episodes. It is a kind of ridiculous looking hat, knitted in bright orange, red and yellow but it works because Jayne is this gun toting manly man and loves this hat because his mother knitted it for him. Ever since I watched that episode, I knew I had to knit that hat. Too bad it took me around seven years to do so. 


I ended up using the My Jayne Hat Pattern by Erika Barcott. The actual pattern can be downloaded for free on Ravelry. I ended up making a few changes to better fit my head:.
1. For the body, I knitted 13 rounds in both the orange and yellow versus the 12 rounds recommended for XL hats.
2. For the decrease rounds of the body, I did an extra K2tog, k2 and 2 more knit arounds before binding off.
3. For the ear flaps, I did 14 rows of stockinette.
4. The decrease of the ear flaps is where I made the most modifications.
           a. K1, K2tog, K6, K2tog, K1
           b. Purl across
           c. K1, K2tog, K4, K2tog, K1
           d. Purl across
           e. K1, K2tog, K2, K2tog, K1
           f. K1, K2tog, K2tog, K1
           g. Bind off purl wise

In progress

 For the yarn, I used Knit Picks Brava Worsted with the size 10 and 11 circular needles as the pattern recommended. The yarn is super squishy and really doesn't feel like acrylic. The only negative is I wish it wasn't so shiny but it works.

Lastly, this was my first time making a pom pom. Who knew it was so hard. I tried using a pom pom maker that my mom had from the 80s but that was a big failure. After watching a few YouTube videos, I made one using my fingers. It's not exactly the nicest or poofiest pom pom but I kind of like the way it flops around and is a bit uneven. 

Statues and watermelons, oh my!

If you ever want to get out of Houston for a couple hours, I highly recommend taking a trip to Frazier's Ornamental & Architectural Concrete. It's at the corner of 290W (heading to Austin) and Hwy 6 (heading to college station). The place is huge, full of all sorts of statues for your garden.  They seriously have a statue for everything - animals, religious, mythology, fairies, etc. We specifically went to look at bird baths but I couldn't help take pictures of some of the more weird and random options.

The patriotic section

I wonder if the HOA will allow me to put this on our front steps?

Strike a pose!

These remind me of the old school Aunt Jemima syrup bottles

Why would you want a statue of a shoe shine boy?

What the? Very creepy!

Mr. Fox looks stoned

These lamas are very zen

I would be bored too, sitting there all day

I like the look of concern the statue in the background has for Elvis and Mozart

This place totally made me think of weeping angels. Don't blink!

Right down the street is a great farm stand called Dilorio's. They are known in the region for their great local watermelons. Hempstead, TX used to be the top shipper of watermelons to rest of the USA back in the 40s. Dilorio Farms provides all the watermelon snacks for the Watermelon Run for the Fallen in Hempstead, TX. That's where I had my first taste of their delicious watermelon and knew I had to stop by their farm stand since I was in the area.One of my favorite things about living in this region is the great fresh and sweet watermelon.

Lastly, since you will be on 290 heading back to Houston, you may want to make a pit stop at Buc-ee's for a bathroom break. Now, as a Wawa fan, it's just not the same. But Buc-ee's is a Texas favorite with their crazy beaver merchandise, homemade jerky and fudge, and excellent restrooms. The giant Buc-ee's in Waller, TX also has a ton of Texas themed gifts and other merchandise. I've purchased a few things to send to friends up North. But the more I stop at Buc-ee's, the more I miss Wawa - especially the Wawa coffee, breakfast sandwiches, and most of all their hoagies. I'll just have to make another trip back to Philadelphia soon to get my Wawa fix.

Las Vegas!

In February 2014, I went to Las Vegas for the first time. It was an interesting experience for sure. Here's a short rundown of some of the things I did while there.

Vegas sign on Freemont St

First things first. Go for a weekend trip only. I made the mistake of taking the first flight out on Thursday morning and the last flight out on Sunday evening. I was exhausted. And ended up coming down with an awful cold/sinus/allergy bug that eventually turned into bronchitis a few days after the trip. My recommendation for my next trip to Vegas is to fly in Friday afternoon and fly out Sunday afternoon. Pack it all into a short time period. The longer you are there, the more tiring and overwhelming it gets - and more expensive. Plus it didn't help that I am allergic to cigarette smoke so I'm sure that contributed to the overall feeling of meh.

Here's some of my favorite things I did in Vegas:

1. Gordon Ramsey Steakhouse. We decided to book dinner there on Thursday night for my birthday.  We made the mistake of making the reservations at 8pm. After being up since 3am due to an early flight, we were all beat. And it didn't help that they were running behind so it was another 45 minute wait and they were rude about it. I was not happy about that. I liked the decor of the restaurant. However, the waiter was hard to hear and apparently was not happy that we were not big spenders ordering bottle of wine etc. The food we did get was amazing though. We ordered ribeye steak and and side dishes of mushrooms, truffle mac&cheese and mashed potatoes. The best part was the desert of sticky toffee pudding. It was outstanding. I would go back but make an earlier reservation so we could better enjoy the food and atmosphere.

Steak!

Best birthday desert ever!

2. The Qua spa at Caesars palace. I decided to splurge on a massage for my birthday. I went around 8am on Saturday morning which was a good idea because the place got very crowded after 10am. By being there that early, I was able to enjoy the various steam rooms and pools in quiet and peace before my massage. The massage was fantastic, worth every penny. I ended up spending a half day in the facilities, took advantage of the tea and shower facilities. Everything was very neat and well organized. I wish I could go back every month.

3. Park on Freemont is this great little local restaurant in old part of Vegas. We sat in the cute little outdoor patio and enjoyed locally sourced dishes. The place had a bit of an eclectic hipster vibe to it - completely catering to the cool local crowd and not really the tourists looking for cheap casinos and drinks down the street. I loved it. Get the mac&cheese balls, chilaquiles, and the Texas tuxedo bloody mary. It was a nice change of pace from the overly touristy restaurants.

The quirkiness of Park on Freemont

4. If you need a quick snack, stop by Payard Patisserie in Caesars Palace. Some of the best almond croissants I've ever eaten.

5. Another great snack place is Cocolini's gelato in the Venetian. I got a single scoop in a cup and it was yummy to eat while wandering around the casino.

6. Cirque du Soleil Michael Jackson One show was fantastic. I love Michael Jackson's music. And I've never been to a Cirque show before. I loved seeing all the acrobatics and dancing choreographed to Michael's music. It was really well done and made me want to listen to all his albums again.
And speaking of Michael Jackson - that was our favorite slot machine. If you won, it played his music and he would dance on the screen. It was fun. That's where I spent most of my money :)

7. I loved watching the fountains at the Bellagio. I could watch that water show every day for a year and still not get tired of it. Plus the Bellagio did a great job decorating the inside for Chinese New York and I loved the Chuly glass exhibit. 

Bellagio celebrating Chinese New Year - Year of the Horse

Bellagio Fountains

Chuly glass exhibit

Since it was my first trip to Vegas, I was a little overwhelmed with the size of the place and all the options of what to do, where to eat etc. I didn't understand how crowded it would be and that it takes forever to get anywhere or you have to wait 45 minutes to eat breakfast or wait in line for 2 hours to try to go dancing. We spent a lot of time walking around and people watching which was good fun. Now that I understand the layout and feel of Vegas better, I feel the next trip will be more enjoyable. 

Slot machines at the airport

Room with a view

The New York rollercoaster, the Trump casino, and the airport

New York New York hotel

Vegas sunset

Exploring East Texas

I took a few days off the last weekend of June to explore east Texas. I moved to Texas almost 3 years ago and have slowly been trying to explore this giant state. We ended up staying at Holly Lake Ranch resort which is about an hour north of Tyler, Texas.  This resort is in the middle of nowhere, surrounding by country roads, little ranches, and small towns trying to make a living through antique stores.  It was nice to get off the beaten path. 

East Texas is very different from the surrounding Houston areas. First thing you notice are the pine trees. Super tall pine trees. Everything is very forested and green. Luckily our resort had a few walking trails to explore some of the nature. I recommend taking the scenic route and drive on all the country roads to get to East Texas because you get a feel off how the scenery changes. Another thing to note is that cell phone service is very poor in the area, so do not plan on having a lot of contact with the outside world.

The big thing to do in Holly Lake Ranch is Saturday night bingo at the fire hall. This place was packed. Only $2 a card that was reusable the whole night, 50cents for hotdogs and homemade cake - this was a good deal. We ended up winning $8 and broke even. A good night had by all. 

The great thing about the area are all the little towns trying to revitalize itself through revamping their "Main Street America" look and all the little antique stores devoted to this image. We ended up going to Mineola, TX which was about a 20 minute drive from Holly Lake Ranch. Unfortunately we got there after 5pm and all the stores were closed but it still provided many great opportunities for picture taking. 

The best and most random find happened to be this old fire truck with all sorts of plants growing around it. We decided to stop at the Dairy Queen at the end of Mineola, TX and the fire truck was located in the back of the parking lot. If I didn't have the urge for a dipped cone, I would have never seen it. This is the great thing about driving around the countryside and exploring because you never know what you'll find. 

On our last night in the area, we happened to drive past this young kid selling watermelons on the side of the road. I thought his sign was adorable so we stopped. Ended up being he was the younger brother helping out his older brother sell watermelons so he can save some money for college. The younger brother was helping out because his older brother was having some health issues and was going to have some sort of surgery the next day. The kid was very sweet and excited to be selling watermelons. We bought two and they ended up being fantastic. Fresh picked that morning and so sweet. 

I am looking forward to going back and spending more time exploring; hopefully when the weather is cooler and the bugs are not out in full force.