Pic Today 11/30/10

MISSOURI'S BLACK GOLD

There's black gold in "them thar' hills"

. . . in Missouri hills, that is.

No, not OIL black gold . . .

BLACK WALNUT trees!

Black walnut is considered by many

the finest wood in the world, and

Missouri is the #1 state in black walnut production.

Demand for this valuable hardwood

has never been greater, which means

the price has been going up, up, up.

Black walnut timber has been prized

for furniture, veneer, gun stocks (and bowls)

since colonial days, not to mention its nuts.

The dark tight-grained inner wood

shrinks and swells less than any other wood.

Tall, straight mature trees with no knots

are bringing $800/MBF and up.

(MBF = 1-inch x 1-foot x 1,000-feet board)

The 3 logs pictured here would easily fetch $2,000.

(Grab the chain saw, Honey!)

Pic Today 11/29/10

SECRET IN THE WOODS?

The mystery of the 'circle and X'

in the middle of the winter woods.

"Go to the winter woods:

listen, look, watch;

the 'dead months' will reveal

a subtler secret than any

you have yet found in the forest."

-- Fiona Macleod,

Where The Forest Murmurs

Pic Today 11/28/10

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS ARE

GOING UP

. . . throughout the neighborhood

and "hung with great care,

in hopes that St. Nicholas soon

would be there."

-- with posthumous liberties taken

from Clement Clarke Moore (1822)

Pic Today 11/27/10

THE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING SEASON

IS UNDERWAY

Stores, shops and malls

didn't waste any time . . .

Woosh!

Shoppers were standing in line,

some at midnight after Thanksgiving,

looking for discounts and sales at area stores.

They wanted to be "first" when doors opened.

If the economy is bad,

you wouldn't know it.

(This obsession with selling and buying

may be missing the point

during the holiday season.)

Let's stay home

and enjoy each other!

Pic Today 11/26/10

THANKSGIVING

FAMILY FEAST

The only thing better than

a beautiful table at Thanksgiving . . .

is having your family sitting around it.

"Any thing is worthwhile

that brings a family together.

The happiest moments of my life

have been the few which I have spent at home

in the bosom of my family."

-- Thomas Jefferson

Pic Today 11/25/10

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

In America, we celebrate the holiday

of Thanksgiving . . .

a day when we feast as the pilgrims did

(on roast turkey and pumpkin pie),

give thanks for our blessings,

and most importantly,

share time with our family.

From start to finish,

here's wishing you a day

when you can be thankful

and share time with your loved ones.

Pic Today 11/24/10

COLOMBIA EN LA NOCHE

Throughout Colombia,

the streets are alive at night . . .

holiday lights, inside and out,

musicians and vendors,

fresh hot food on every street;

(Colombians love to eat through the night.)

Corn-on-the-cob con queso, hot off the grill . . .

fried empanadas and chicharron (pork skins) . . .

bowls of fresh limes, raw coconut and

sweet uchuvas (goose berries).

And it's not uncommon to find a crowd gathered

to listen to tales of days-gone-by

from veteranos sabios (wise old timers).

The nights are alive in Colombia.

Pic Today 11/23/10

FORGOTTEN SHRINE

. . . in the village of Garzon,

Huila region, southern Colombia.

Known as the "soul of Huila",

Garzon is proud of its religious and cultural heritage.

Strange then that this street shrine,

once occupied, is now abandoned.

Pic Today 11/22/10

NO, THEY'RE NOT BANANAS!

They're plantains (platanos),

and they're not just in South America anymore.

In fact, you can find them in most

international grocery markets these days.

They're not eaten raw as a sweet fruit, like bananas.

And they're absolutely delicious when cooked,

especially fried as "chips."

Here's an easy recipe worth a try:

1. Get 3-4 large plantains; let them ripen.

2. Peel and slice into 1/4" oval rounds.

3. Deep fry them in 2" hot oil (350˚)

until golden brown. Turn once.

4. Drain and cool on paper towels.

5. Press and flatten each round.

6. Deep fry again, until crisp.

7. Drain, cool and serve.

Serve with spicy salsa or mole.

Muy delicioso!

Pic Today 11/21/10

SHAMANS, COCA & COLOMBIA

The cultivation and use of coca in Colombia

is part of an ancient culture and tradition.

Coca has been used by chieftans and shamans

for thousands of years, and continues to be used

in prediction rituals, curing the sick and sacred offerings.

The shaman's treasured ceremonial vessel was the "poporo",

a container (often made of solid gold) which held

powdered lime, made from ground and heated sea shells.

The shaman would chew coca leaves during religious ceremonies,

and dip a stick into the poporo adding a small amount of lime

increasing the effect it had in activating the powers

of concentration, memory and spiritual vision.

The most treasured symbol of Colombia's

indigenous pre-Colombian culture is the famous

"Poporo de Quimbaya" (300 A.D.),

a solid gold lime vessel in the shape of a gourd

with 4 rounded globes, now owned by the

Republic Bank of Colombia.

Today's shamans continue to respect the

power and spiritual use of coca in their religion.

Pic Today 11/20/10

PILGRIMAGE TO MONSERRATE

On a mountain top, far above Bogota,

lies the Sanctuary of Monserrate, built in 1657,

and a popular pilgrimage destination for

thousands of Colombians and foreigners alike.

For over 4 centuries, faithful and devoted believers

mount with devotion the narrow, rustic steps

to the sanctuary and chapel at the summit

as a penitential act . . . including athletes,

foreigners and curious tourists.

For those who make it (at nearly 2-miles elevation)

Monserrate is a destination for thousands each year

who search for peace and forgiveness,

with a priest's personal blessing on each forehead.

For those less fit, there's a cable car to the top.

(Whew!)

Pic Today 11/19/10

THE COLOMBIAN JUNGLE

Closer to the equator, southern Colombia

is warmer with lower elevations

and dense, verdant jungle.

Wild orchids, enormous ferns and palms,

thorny vines and trees you'd never climb,

plus tropical fruits for the picking . . .

like these bananas and sweet achachuras.

Pic Today 11/18/10

FRUTAS DE COLOMBIA

The fruits of Colombia are the

culinary bounty and "medicine chest" of South America.

The varieties and flavors of these tropical foods

are extraordinarily delicious and nutritious.

Some are exported, but most are not.

The best of Colombian fruits include:

Mangoes

Papayas

Pitahayas

Granadillas

Guanabana

Mandarinas

Passion Fruit

Zapotes

and 100 more!

Aside from their mouthwatering taste,

many of the local fruits have medicinal and curative benefits.

For example, the kiwi like flesh of the pitahaya fruit

is eaten with its crunchy seeds to lower blood sugar

in type-2 diabetics, and naturally excretes toxic

heavy metals from the blood.

University research in Colombia confirms the

anti-cancer benefits of the giant guanabana,

a 30-pound football shaped fruit

covered with spikes. (Ouch.) (But yummy.)

And sweet mandarinas, whose juice starts the day

for so many Colombians, are supercharged with

Vitamin C and anti-oxidants.