AZ Biltmore hosts Mixer

Nothing like Happy Hour at the Arizona Biltmore's new Frankie and Albert's outdoor patio. The setting sun, the large roaring fireplace and wonderful samplings of food. The Phoenix Chamber of Commerce hosts several events throughout the year to it's members. Kay Holcombe and I attended to network with other members and spread the word about the cookbook. It was well received and we made many contacts while we enjoyed the evening. We both thought the Smoked Tomato Bisque made a great presentation looking like a soup shooter topped with sour cream but the taste was too smokey for us. The Caesar Salad made while we watched (including anchovies) was wonderful but the Flatbread appetizers won the prize for best presentation. Topped with a thick red onion, cherry sauce then goat cheese, chicken, watercress and mandarin orange and parsley it was a mouthful. It is a regular entre on the menu but we liked it as an appetizer.

USS Midway Museum Worth a Visit

Can you imagine cooking in this kitchen aboard the USS Midway? This was the captain's galley. The admiral has his own galley and we also visited several other kitchens for the entire crew. It is an amazing ship and well worth the visit if you are in San Diego. I especially appreciated so many volunteers who conducted tours. Most of them are retired navy pilots or had worked on the ship. Our guide, Dave, had 4,000 volunteer hours. They are so informative and really love to share stories about their days at sea.

This plane was the type flown by John McCain.

Historical League Program February 1, 2010

The Streets of Forest Highlands: Stories behind the Names, is a brief history of Flagstaff Pioneers. It is told through the biographies of Forest Highlands Golf community namesakes. Come meet some of Arizona 's most famous and infamous characters.

Author, Cobe Frobes, tips her hat to these by-gone figures and introduces us to the stories behind the street names.Cobe will sign her book. It can be purchased from her for $20.

Dining on San Diego's waterfront

It couldn't get any better than this . . . eating fish on the waterfront. The Fish Market in San Diego had a great Happy Hour with delicious foods. My Shrimp Tower was surprisingly like Tastes & Treasures Seafood Tower, page 18 from The Cottage Place Restaurant in Flagstaff but without the scallops. Either dish is full of flavor.
Our friend, Todd, savoured the oysters while the rest of us declined. Todd did comment that the best oysters he has ever had were in Alaska. Sounds very fresh to me.

January 2010 Old Ned's News

This morning, Mary Parker, editor, dropped off the file copy of the latest Old Ned's News. The newsletter will be in the mail shortly, but meantime check out our online version. Old Ned's News

Breakfast at Torrey Pines

With this kind of view, any breakfast would be great. Our son ordered a Breakfast Burrito to fortify him for 18 holes of golf at the South Course, Torrey Pines. The burrito is very similar to Arizona Inn's Southwestern Breakfast, page 104, in Tastes & Treasures before it is rolled up in the familiar style of a burrito.

Centennial Legacy Project Official

Celebrations are in order as the Historical League now has two officially sanctioned Centennial Projects. The Historymakers Gala will be the official kick off of the Centennial on February 11, 2011. Plans are underway for a truly wonderful event you won't want to miss.

The second project is my favorite - The Legacy Project. Oral histories from all 56 Historymakers will soon be available at www.HistoricalLeague.org containing many wonderful stories and memories from some amazing Arizonans. Thanks to so many volunteers from the Historical League for working so hard on this project.

Zona Lorig and myself continue to work on transferring these stories from paper to digital format. We also share a laugh over "dueling laptops" as we chat about the progress. Joan Robinson-Blumit is the key to this fabulous project with her knowledge of computers and the internet.