Been workin' and playin' real hard .......

and it's pretty obvious that we have been neglecting our blog here lately......

Since the last time we dropped by, we have been working hard, putting in alot of hours. That's pretty much Robert and my motto, "Work hard, play hard." Robert has worked so much throughout the year, that his boss actually had to force him to take three weeks of vacation this summer. Whew! That's also a little dangerous, because he may be tempted to become an "International Man of Leisure" if we're not careful! (ha-ha!)

So what have we really been doing? Well, a couple of performances with the Fried Flamingo Queens and the A1A Jimmy Buffet Tribute Band, some open jams (blues & jazz), entertaining all four of Robert's daughter's here in Hotlanta and taking a trip to Boston for the Drum Corp International Championship........ Oh yes, and working here and there between......

I will try my best to catch up on individual posts so that we can adequately cover all of the shenanigans properly.......... (and yes, we took some pix to document the moments!)

Tom, Dick and .....

Harry! Harry's is just about the coolest store Robert and I have ever shopped! If you ever come to visit us, you simply must make a trip to Harry's. Harry's, also known as Whole Food Market, is an upscale Farmer's market with variety that will make even a Chef's head spin.....

The first time Robert and I visited, he appeared to have 'died and gone to heaven'. I tried to keep up with him as I was pushing the cart to no avail. I just parked it and watched him go from item to item in the Produce department like a kid in a candy store.

As you enter Harry's the first thing you will encounter is the live plant area. Beautiful orchids and bonsai trees are just a couple of the wonderful choices. Enter into the Produce department. Fruits and vegetables in abundance at great prices. Guava, papaya, sugar cane, fresh chantrel mushrooms, tamarind and cactus leaves are on displays among hundreds of other choices.

There must be 20 kinds of olive oil, 200 kinds of dressings, and the list goes on.
Each of the aisles is dedicated to an ethnic food type. Exotic brands from overseas are oh so interesting. The really cool part is that Robert actually knows how to prepare most of what one can find there. The sample trays are all over the store. Everything from fruit, vegetables, chips with humus or salsa, cheeses and breads. If you're not careful, you may not even be hungry by the time you leave!

A whole wall of generically packaged spices, candies, trail mixes and nuts are available at a very reasonable price. No more paying $4 for a small jar of spice, when you can pay $2 for a 6oz container. Rice is available in 10, 25 and 50 pound bags, whew!

The meat department offers at least 15 different flavors of sausage, next to every other imaginable choice of meats. The Fish Market also offers a wide variety of fresh seafood, with a tank for the live lobster. This past week when we visited, a large crate of blue crab were for sale. I kept watching people walk up, take the tongs in hand and put them in the bag. Robert and I walked over, only for me to ask a stupid question like this, "Do they try to get away?" Not being able to pass this one up, he replies "No, they hold on" as he demonstrates. The crab is holding for dear life, but is trying to get away at the same time. Hmmmm.....

Continuing the journey through the store, you will find a large selection of wine and brews to your left with the all important chocolate on the right. Around the corner, the bakery! Smells great and there they are again, the samples! Coffee beans of every flavor are available to grind and smell just heavenly. The olive bar, selection of cheeses and deli meats are impressive as well.

le Crueset pans and kitchen utensils are available as well as many unique food preparation items. Now hold on, because if you got all the way through and decided you are too tired to cook, there is a buffet, soup and salad bar. They even have sushi.

And finally my favorite part, fresh flowers. Robert has a habit of bringing me flowers from Harry's and I admit I love it.

They even offer cooking classes with a Chef on the weekends, but I have never gone, because I have my very own right here at home!

And that my friend, is Harry's!

Dennis the Menace comes to .....

Hotlanta! Who would've thought that Atlanta would be so severely impacted by Hurricane Dennis?

The Corporate Command Center at my place of employment is staffed to help our associates in their time of need, as well as provide supplies to our customers. We stay pretty much in tune with the hurricane warnings so that we can anticipate the impact and react quickly. Even through all of this, I don't think anyone expected Dennis to hit so hard.

Major thorough fares here in Atlanta were shut down due to flooding from rain and overflowing tributaries. Two of my friends and one of my co-workers had their basement flood. Robert and I are fortunate to live in a complex situated on the 'high' road and more importantly on the second floor. This is one time when we don't really mind the steps.

The weather bureau has forecast an active hurricane season, so batten down the hatch and try to stay dry!

The award for "Most Whimsical Float" ....

goes to the Fried Flamingo's of Marietta!

Many hours of prep time during the weeks prior and waking early to get properly feathered for the Fourth of July parade paid off! Six Fried Flamingo Queens and their Drambuie Boys, along with The Body Handler strutted their stuff on an 18 foot long pink feathered float pulled by Tacoma down the streets of Marietta cheered by on-lookers.

Robert and I were discussing afterwards how long it had been the last time we were in a parade. For him, with his girls in Hawaii and for me, high school! The funny part is, this is the second one this year, with at least two more to go........

We all settled down in the park only to be approached constantly by others wanting their pictures with us. Our group also passed out sequined tiaras to the young princesses and pin wheels to the young princes.

• One little girl asks, "Is that your hair?" to which I answer, "Of course, I bought it!"
  
• Another princess wants to know if I get to keep all of that jewelry and if I want to see her perform her baton twirling routine. Yes, and yes I reply as I applaud her showmanship.
• The children are mesmerized by the bubble machines on the float, trying to catch them before they float away.

Two of my favorite moments of the day are the when we all had our pix taken with two, more experienced queens. Their silver hair and sparkly eyes really tell a story..... Deep down, we are all Queens and just want to have fun!

As the afternoon progressed, the FFQs and their respective Drambuie Boys departed two by two. Robert and I took Tacoma back home for an afternoon nap, only to return for fireworks later that evening.

Happy Independence Day! We are proud to be Americans!

Hot fun in the ....

summer time in Hotlanta! Whew, it sure it hot, but we are lovin' it, especially since Robert is on vacation this coming week!

We began the weekend dining with our favorite server Sergio at La Parilla on the South 120 Loop. A couple of weeks later he still remembers us, and even what we had to eat. Wow! What a memory. He was comical, the way that he kept coming by the table and saying, "Me again, everything OK?" We really like this guy! Also, a guitarist named Gil Caro was playing. He has a very clear and pleasing voice. We bought one of his CDs & really enjoy it. Nice start.

Oops, a little stretch here, Robert did work on Saturday and I joined my fellow Fried Flamingo's in beginning to prepare the float for the Fourth of July parade. Hot, hot, hot and alot of humidity would adequately describe the weather. The nine foot long and nine foot wide cape that I made for Darlene, the eight foot tall flamingo fit perfectly and even looks good. We glued pink feathers like there was no tomorrow. After about four hours, all ten of us were very hot and sweaty, ready to call it a night. After Robert comes home, we make our way to try out a new restaurant, Nick's Back Porch. Hmmm..., decent food, terrible service - probably will not go back unless one of our friends is singing there. Now, off to Crystal's on the Square - the Salsa Brothers , oops, I mean Santos Brothers are playing. They're OK, so we have a drink and sit out on the walk in the nice cool summer breeze.

Today, we sleep in, then I serve Robert breakfast in bed. (He really deserves it!) I spend the morning making six red, white and blue head dresses for the Fried Flamingos. They turned out rather well, if I do say so myself. Robert spent the morning preparing his Fantasy Football League (he's the commissioner you know!)

Then, we take Tacoma (our baby) to see Darlene (the flamingo float. ) We put the finishing touches on Darlene and set Tacoma up with the speakers and stereo. I think we're all ready to go tomorrow morning at 6:30am. If you are at the Marietta Square tomorrow morning about 9:30 - 10:00am, you just might see the Fabulous Fried Flamingos of Marietta and the Drambuie Boys in the parade. Don't worry if you miss it, because I will be sure to put the pix on line.

Now, we are off to Kennesaw Billiards to the Open Jam night hosted by the Larry Griffith Band. Robert will play his bass, and I just may take some pictures.

Till tomorrow.,.....