The Joy of Baking.. The Pleasures of Home

In case you were wondering... this is my dear mother Mary Lou (left) who has taught me almost (but not all) I know about cooking and baking. She is a master kolacki maker. My favorite alternates: one year I can't have enough of those with lekvar (prune jelly); the next year it's those made with the nut and pineapple filling. Yum Yum. There's very few things in this world that beat fresh hot kolacki, just out of the oven and sprinkled lightly with powdered sugar.

The second picture shows my lovely and very talented sister Stephanie with our dear friend Siutang (we like to think of him as a second brother; Siutang actually helps us out around home. In fact, he's amazing!). Stephanie is making her award winning "whoopie cushions". Okay, Aunt Pat calls them "whoopies". I forget what Steph calls them. You really have no idea how good marshmellow fluff can taste between two chocolatety cookies.

You know, somedays all I'd like to do is find a reasonably priced house (basically a deal) somewhere picturesque (okay, maybe I'm asking for too much... I'd settle for West Virginia (no offense of course), fix the place up, and open a bed and breakfast. I'd do a fair portion of the cooking and baking. Or better yet, maybe I'd just stick to baking (more my specialty). Given the stressful nature of my current job, I'd sure like to make this more reality than mere fancy. So, if you know of any real estate or want to offer your services let me know. :)

And, here is my family home on Dunham Hill Road, where I grew up, playing Pennsylvania Turnpike in the driveway, and where we were told to run around the house ten or twenty times by Dad when we had too much energy as kids. (Hey, it's a good idea -- I just might use the same trick someday). Ah, to turn back the clock ...

Prague on the mind

If I were Ray Charles (now wouldn't that be interesting?!), I'd change that tune about Georgia to Prague for that city is most definitely on my mind. Right before I left I made a trip at my friend Fal's suggestion to the Kafka museum. Prague and Kafka shared quite the complicated, highly complex relationship. The musuem is a bit of a puzzle, surprising you with it's twists and turns and use of dark, light, straight, narrow, and angles here and sometimes there. The journey through attempts to create a sense of Kafka's wonder and torment mixed in one. Kafka wrote something about Prague stealing your heart; the city takes you in, capturing you, and doesn't let go too easily.

But, I'm finding that there is other beauty and wonder on the other side of the Atlantic pond. Tonight I had the opportunity to take in the Washington monument, with its moonlit reflection upon a small pond in the national mall grounds, and the American flags surrounding the base, blowing in the crisp night wind. As I walked along, I made use of my Christmas present to myself, a Sansae270 mp3 player, listening to U2's "City of Blinding Lights" and for that brief moment took a sigh and could honestly say, "Ah, this is good. This is beautiful. What a gift it is to be here." I still remember my first impressions of DC as a child on a day trip to see the nation's capital, later as an 8th grader on my school's "Spirit of 76" trip, and oh least I forget those 2 trips to the National Spelling Bee at the Capital Hilton. Those were the days, and well, these are the days!