Food

Food

Sicilian vineyard

It’s the four little word I really love (besides wine).

I enjoy it. I enjoy great food, wine…and desserts. Probably too much because I can’t see my six-pack anymore. Ok, really I’ve never seen them but anyway there’s hope.

I thought I’d share a list of my favorites (and drinks) from over the years (in no particular order except the top five)!

Texas Cream Pie (it’s just Heaven in a pie pan)

M&M cookies (duh)

German chocolate cake (always on my birthday)

Oreos (Granny Ruby’s cookie jar – always tasted better in that jar)!

Caramel macchiato (Starbucks…period)

Ham and cheese omelet (my kitchen)

Pancakes with "love" (my kitchen)

Dyer’s cheeseburger (Memphis)

Lamb chops (Antalya, Turkey)

Fish (Granduca in Taormina, Sicily)

Pasta (Medusa, Motta St. Anastasia, Sicily)

Sushi (belt sushi under the Yokosuka train station)

Theta Burger (Johnnie’s, OKC)

Hot fudge sundae (Braum’s – anywhere in the south)

Beach ice cream (Big Olaf, Mission Beach, CA)

Mai Tai (Hale Koa Hotel, Waikiki, HI)

Coconut shrimp (Duke’s, Waikiki, HI)

Steak (Ruth Chris’ in Dubai)

Prime Rib (Lawry’s in Dallas, TX)

Cheese from Le Gourmet, Newport

Chicken enchiladas (Ted’s Escondido, OKC)

Hotdogs (ANY street vendor outside Camden Yards and I mean any)!

Fried pickles (Pig and Whistle, Millington, TN)

Donuts (The Spudnut Shop, Plainview, TX)

Egg Rolls (The Far East, Plainview, TX)

Gingerbread Men (The Bakery, Haskell, TX)

Fish and Chips (Sherlock Holmes Pub, London)

Apple Streusel (The Log Haus, New Braunfels, TX)

BBQ platter (Rudy’s, San Antonio, TX)

Vodka (Vladivostok, Russia)

Road food (Love’s Country Stores – anything in the snack aisle)

Singapore Sling (Raffles, Singapore – it’s where it was created)

Belgian waffles (Brussels – any street vendor)

Crepes (Paris – any street vendor)

BBQ Salmon (The O’Club, Newport, RI)

Yakiniku (12 Frogs, Yokosuka, Japan)

Onion Rings (Johnnie’s, OKC)

Subs (City Bites, OKC)

Blackened trout w/apple salsa (USS Blue Ridge, LCC 19, Yokosuka, Japan)

Tapas (Still, Portsmouth, VA)

Well, you have to have sweet tea
with your fries.

Soup and sandwich (Taste, Norfolk, VA)

Tequila shots (any bar in Tijuana, Mexico)

Cheese plate (Le Gourmet, Newport, RI)

Grilled chicken salad (the counter at West’s Pharmacy, Plainview, TX)

French fries (Five Guys, anywhere in North America)

Red wine (Giramondo is the brand, Medusa Restaurant, Sicily)

Escargot (Le Voltaire', Omaha, NE)

Grilled corn (my grill – yes, it’s just that good)

Noel and Jen

Well, that’s a good list so far. Food is meant to be enjoyed and not rushed. To this day, I really don’t “microwave” my food…I really don’t enjoy leftovers

(just ask my mom and my friends from the ship, Jen and Noel).

Food can be a delightful experience and should be enjoyed sharing it with friends.

Enjoy it. Savor it. Eat it!

Vacation

Growing up vacations was a time to go see family. Whether it was in Floydada, Houston, Haskell or Hatch, NM. That’s what we did.

We’d go spend time with mom’s cousins, aunts and uncles, and more. Several times, we’d head to Payson, AZ up at the cabin where I spent most of my time in the creek trying to catch a fish by hand…trust me, it doesn’t work. I remember Aunt Jody making French toast for us for breakfast…to this day, I still don’t like French toast that much!

The best movie of all time!

One vacation to Phoenix, my brothers, Laton and Keith, mom’s cousins and I stood in line to watch a new movie…1977 was the year and Star Wars

was the movie…and I’ve been mesmerized and hooked ever since. That series is Tucker’s fav by the way. I also learned how to play poker…for money on that vacation! I think I took about $20 from mom’s cousin Dennis. Maybe I should go to Vegas!

In Hatch, we’d skinny-dip in the irrigation ditch, play in the barn, run around the house and climb the trees like the days would never end. They didn’t end until someone called us in to get ready for bed. I remember playing the barn while the “adults” prepared the peppers for the market…playing was a lot more fun than working!

We always drove on vacation…I can remember only once that we flew. Driving in the station wagon or Dad’s favorite, International Travelall (yes, it was a Jeep-want-to-be) was the 70’s-way to travel. We’d “camp” out in the back to stretch out. Amazingly, three boys can fit side-by-side in the back of one and keep from the long arms of mom and dad when we were misbehaving (which we never did). We would pack lunches or stuff to eat along the way and we would make frequent stops at the little rest stops along the way.

We didn’t have video games to keep our attention. We didn’t have seat belts. We didn’t have much but we had each other…playing catch or playing cowboys & Indians…it passed the time away.

Kids at the Excalibur Lake
(we didn't see the Lady there!)

Taking vacation with my kids is an adventure…as little Curry’s keeping their attention was difficult at best. These days as a dad to two teenagers, they are eager to venture off but they also need their “down” time.

Kids at Paddington Station, London

We’ve taking vacations to Paris, London, Dallas, Disneyworld, Garmisch, and most notably Dublin 

for St. Patrick’s Day…which was fun beyond belief. I still want to a dress kilt…don’t know why, I just want one. Taking the kids to the Munich and Rome zoos was an adventure. In Rome, Tucker was just four and didn’t like to walk much but once at the zoo, there was no stopping those two little feet from running all over the place! He wore us out.

So back in April, I asked the kids what they wanted to do this year for vacation. I gave them the option of Disneyland in LA or Colorado…they surprisingly chose Colorado. They would rather chill and go fishing than spending hours in lines to get on a ride.

The cabin of adventure in South Fork, CO

When you plan on vacations, ask your kids…sometimes they would rather spend time with you instead of going someplace “you” think they want to go.

Spending time with my kids is a blessing. I don’t get to spend very much time with them but when I do, I try to make the most of it.

Friends

Friends…

We all had friends growing up. Some were better than others. Some were considered “best” while others were just “pals.” I had my little circle of friends: Bryan, Rod, Joe, Malcolm, Rico, Dan and more…I remember them all with great fun and admiration. Playing outside was what my friends and I did...all of the time. We had black and white TVs, baseball, trees to climb...we had it all. We never had a problem drinking out of the water hose or just hanging...we didn't have computer games, Wii or anything else...we just had each other.

As you get older, you lose track of your friends. Regrettably, I did so when I left Plainview for the Navy some 31 years ago. Some I’ve kept in contact with…sadly, others I have not. As an adult and with moving all over the world, I have had pockets of friends scattered everywhere.

Bryan was my best man at my wedding…we’ve stayed in touch and even had dinner with him and Jon in DC while the kids and I were there for New Years. We grew up in Plainview and went to the same church. We did things growing up that Mom still doesn’t know about…no, Mom, I will not go there.

Tim, my golfing buddy, confidant and prayer-warrior is my dear friend that I met in Sicily. He’s a Navy chaplain and I admire him and his family…they have adopted me per se and we hang out whenever we can. We are finally stationed together where we can just go over and chill. I'd say he is my closest friend at this time in my life since I know I can call him up and just chat...off-the-record, unconditional, and any time.

Sadly, this week, one of my dearest childhood friends, Rod Fennell, passed away in Dallas due to a sudden illness.

I don’t know why it happened and I don’t understand it.

I first met Rod in kindergarten at St. Mark’s Episcopal School near the 7^th Street Park in Plainview. His dad, Romey, Jr., and mine, Frank were friends, so of course, like dads, sons became friends as well.

Rod was smart, funny and a great friend. We had a fort on the roof of his parent’s garage (which his dad wasn’t too happy about us nailing a 2x4 ladder on the side of the garage but we did it anyway). We would go up there and just hang out and talk…we would watch the world pass us by. We would sleep over at each other’s house all of the time…his parents were my second parents. I still call her Mama Fennell. His dad could grill like no one I’ve ever known.

He played the trombone in high school and also played football. With me being the scrawny kid, he was the muscle. Fast. Strong. Always a perfectionist…he definitely practiced his music more than me! He was also a better student than me…but I won’t go there!

After high school, I left for the Navy and he went to Tech…occasionally running into each other over the years but the last time I saw him was at my Dad’s funeral. Mama Fennell and Rod came and we shared hugs, laughs and memories. It was so good to see him and he hadn’t changed a bit.

Rod was a great man and friend. Rod, you will be missed.

Sometimes in life, we spend more time spinning our wheels and not cherishing the moments we have with each other.

Cherish the friendships you have both past and present.

Cherish the memories of those friendships.

Life-long friends are made a day at a time.