In Search Of The Perfect Cuban Sandwich

     Four years ago, while taking a shared van ride to Logan Airport in Boston, we were talking with a woman also riding who was going home to Chicago.  When she found out we were on our way to Miami, heading out to our first cruise, she was excited to tell us about getting the best Cuban Sandwich there.  She said it was so delicious that she got one in Miami and carried it back home on the plane for later.  I never heard of a Cuban Sandwich, but if it is this good, then I knew that I had to find one for myself!
     So, after arriving at the hotel, we needed to find some supper, and decided that maybe we could find this Cuban sandwich.  As we walked towards what looked like the right place, we passed the Miami Heat basketball arena, which was pretty exciting.  Further down, we found this small strip mall, including this small deli. We asked if they could make us Cuban sandwiches, and the woman pulled out this huge loaf of bread, the just had deli ham there and I thought, "I don't want to eat a loaf of bread and some ham", so we, politely (hopefully), told her we changed our minds.  I was so discouraged, we were leaving Miami the next day for the cruise and there was no chance to find this wonderful food.
      So, what is the significance of the picture above, since it is not a Cuban Sandwich?  It is the tall glass souvenir I took home from Bubba Gump Shrimp Co Restaurant and Market that we found just around the corner!  It was fantastic and alot of fun!  "Run, Forrest, Run!!"  I'm on a quest, keep reading!
Bubba Gump Shrimp Co Restaurant and Market

Sketching At Logan Airport, Boston, Massachusetts

Last December I flew again to Chicago in honor of my late brother's birthday.  Again, I was ready to sketch as I waited.  It was quite early, I started with the woman below, but then I was getting too tired to do details of a face, so I moved onto someone's boots! I really enjoy doing this, and no one suspects anything!

Woman Waiting For The Plane

Woman Wearing Boots

Sketching While Flying From Chicago

Equipped with sketch pad, pencils, eraser and sharpener, I discreetly drew pictures of the people near me in the plane flying home from Chicago last September. The picture above was of an older gentleman across the aisle, who was very busy reading his newspaper. This picture has smudged a little because it is the first page rubbing against the cover. The picture to the right was the gentleman sitting next to me, who was very busy doing Sudoku puzzles.  I had great fun sketching these two!  I tried my best to keep my head facing forward and turning my eyes only, then if I needed to measure, I put the end of pencil up by the corner of my eye and moved my thumb nail down the side of the pencil. No one knew I was doing this! I did show my neighbor before we landed, he liked it. I never did get his name.  I have sketched more, keep watching!

The President Bought My Bean Bags!

     Blogging is making me think about what I will write about next and my mind will go from one subject to another and bringing back memories.  What I am writing about today is a really old memory, going way back to when I was a student nurse in a large metropolitan hospital.  It came to me this morning while traveling north again to work (and, yes, I stayed in the middle lane, see blog 4/12/11); it warmed my heart to think about this!
     In my way back days of being a student nurse, we would on occasion have bake sales as fund raisers for something for our class.  With this particular bake sale, we also had hand crafted items.  This was right up my alley, since I looked for any opportunity to make something.  At that time I had a McCall's Needlework magazine and had already knitted one animal bean bag that I gave as a gift and was very pleased with the results, so I decided to make both the mouse and the frog.  I kept my fingers very busy knitting these two adorable creatures, bought the dried beans at the grocery store and filled them.  They were the traditional colors, the mouse was brown, the frog was green. They were given the price of $1.00 and they were added to the table.
     There we were all in our blue and white uniforms with our nurses caps on our heads, standing behind the table outside the cafeteria in the hospital at lunchtime.  It was great fun, watching everyone come to our table, looking at things, buying our cookies, breads and things we made.  Then I saw him!  Over came the hospital President, standing tall in his suit, always commanding respect.  I kept my eyes on him to see what he looked at as his eyes scanned the table. Then, I held my breath!  He picked up my bean bags and looked at them, then he said to my class mate, "I'll take these", and he took out his $2.00 and paid for them.  I was so thrilled! I said nothing to him, I never claimed that I made them, I was so shy back then!  But all I could think is that if the President of the hospital is a pretty important and special person, then he should know all about things that were important and special, and he chose my bean bags and nothing else, thereby making my mouse and frog bean bags important and special, too!
     He must have chosen them for some lucky child, I hope these toys were loved and enjoyed.  I have not thought about this for so long and it brought back that happy feeling that I had that day, I just had to tell my story.  I wish I had that pattern, I think now and then to contact McCalls to see if they can dig it up for me.  If I get the pattern, I will surely make my bean bags again and write a blog about it. They were wonderfully adorable!

What I Learned From Driving To Work Today

     Today I traveled North to my work site.  I keep my GPS on since this is an area that I am not familiar with and I don't want to make a mistake.  As I approach my exit to get off the highway, my GPS voice announces "in point 2 miles take exit on right", but at that same time there is an an entrance ramp on the right the brings in merging traffic and becomes one more lane.  The first time I came to this section of the road, I felt the need to get to the right as soon as possible, so I put on my directional, looked over my shoulder and navigated my car through the merging traffic, until I was on the right and was able to turn.  Then what I noticed is that this new road, plus the original right hand lane disappeared by the time I reached the exit.  I thought to myself, "did I really have to put myself at risk if the middle lane actually becomes the right lane at the exit?"  But, no matter what, every time, I would put on the directional and move over to the right just feeling secure that I would be there and not risk missing the exit.
     Yesterday I traveled North but to a different site that meant I traveled one additional exit further.  So, what I did was stay in the middle lane and just paid attention to how it felt as the road narrowed and what I found was that I easily found myself where I belonged in the path of the exit.  So, today I needed to get off at my usual exit and what I did was stay in the middle lane, no matter how tempted I was to move to the right, (and I was tempted!) and I discovered I had no problem getting off the highway.  There is a moral to this story, just bear with me!
     So, the wisdom I have learned is to put trust into the path I am taking, no matter how much I feel the urge to leave it for what I believe is a better path, this other path actually may have dangers and risks in it and may prove to be harmful to me. By following my present path, I find myself actually  in the right path, I just have to trust and it will be shown to me to be true. Thank you for reading today!

Plaster Casting: My Hand

 I enjoy making plaster casts and this is a casting I made of my own hand holding a pen, but it could be a paint brush or a flag, whatever I want. I found this ring with a giant gem which I knew would be perfect for me to wear. I have given myself a bracelet to wear.  I was inspired to do this after seeing the plaster cast hand of Chopin in a museum in Amsterdam.  It intrigued me to look at the detail of his hand, and to be so close to someone so famous and brilliant, and who is no longer with us at the same time.
    I call my casting "My Helping Hand".  I have done more, I will show them at a later time.
Cast of Chopin's Hand

More Doodles

     This is a doodle that I did while working several years ago. I really liked this one and brought home to keep. (There are doodles that get thrown away!) My job then was at an acute ambulatory care department and they would rotate me to the phones.  At times the calls coming would slow down, so I would just pass a few minutes by doing sketches and doodles.  My doodles often time just start out with scribbles and I honestly don't know what the outcome will be for awhile, until I suddenly see something recognizable, then I add to it.
     This sketch started out being my beloved long-haired miniature Dachshund named Jasmine.  I gave her a halo because she is my doggie angel.  Somehow in my sketching and scribbling, cats appeared.  I did have some cats, but not these 3 cuties.  I found this picture recently when sorting out stuff in that side room with art in it, and I am glad to share it with you.