The ABC Life Blog

New activity: Tiny Doors of McKinney

Some years ago, we took a food tour of McKinney and during our walk through the old square our guide pointed out a tiny door at the corner of a store. He explained that there were many around the city and since that time we have been curious as to how that started. Since it is “T” month, this was the perfect time.

As it turns out there are 82 of them! They are about 7 inches tall. Some have functional elements such as doors that open or mailboxes, some represent the store they are in front of. Andrew Jones, the Cultural Director of McKinney’s Cultural District, said that he was inspired by seeing 3 stores that had “fairy doors.”  He and a local artist, Beth Fields, collaborated on the idea. Since it was such a hot day, we didn’t search for all 82 doors but we did see about 16-20. Here is a sampling of some of our favorites.

And of course, after a “hard day’s walk”, we had to frequent one of the tiny door stores, Mary’s Mountain Cookies, to try a Truffle cookie. This store has some of the largest cookies we’ve ever seen so one was just enough for two. Unfortunately, it promised more than it delivered. The crunch was there, the ingredients we liked (caramel, pecans) were there but the flavor was lacking.

National Day: National Tell A Joke Day August16

Since it’s Tell a Joke Day we have to, don’t we?

The postman comes to deliver a package and when the woman of the house opens the door, she is dressed only in a robe with nothing under it. She thanks him and invites him inside where she promptly disrobes and takes him into the bedroom. Afterwards she hands him a dollar bill. The postman asks “what is this for?” and she tells him: “This morning before my husband left for work I asked what I should give the postman for Christmas and he said “F___ him, give him a dollar.”

HAPPY NATIONAL TELL A JOKE DAY

New restaurant: DREAM TACOS

When we go to sleep, we occasionally have dreams. But not about TACOS. However, The Dream Tacos restaurant could soon make an appearance. Their tacos are definitely dream worthy! Chef Chetra is the talent behind the taste, as he has created global fusion tacos from the cuisines of France, Japan, southern BBQ, southern East Asia and Mexico. Barbara had the Beef Wellington Taco and Laura took the recommendation from our waiter who said enthusiastically that the Bulgogi Korean Marinated Taco is his favorite. Both tacos were reasonably priced and truly delicious. Plus, the decor was delightful and added a special touch to a great tasting experience.

After a great meal at Dream Tacos we decided there are so many tempting “T” restaurants that we should start making room for them by going to the gym and spending some time on the treadmill. As tired as we were after not too terribly long at the treadmill, we know we’re on the right “track” to getting in better shape.

But did you know….

LEARNING CENTER

Treadmills were used in muscle-powered machinery since ancient times, and 19th-century English jails used them to punish prisoners. We can see why!

New Activity: Exploring Sculptures Around Town

We’ve been to many art exhibits since we started our ABC Life but not many, if any, were sculpture exhibits. This month we decided to change that. We started with the Art Centre of Plano which was having a Texas Sculpts exhibit. There were several pieces we found interesting, such as the large and colorful piece below which appealed to Barbara and the interesting, pointed hand with tiny little people walking on top of and in the direction of the finger, which we both liked. If you looked carefully, you could see a tiny figure that had fallen off and the title of the piece by Norman Kary was Follow the Leader.

Our positive feelings did not extend to the pieces like the blue pig and the cast iron Hostess Cupcakes which were selling for $200 each!

But what impressed us most were the descriptions written by the artists. We could certainly understand them saying something like Luke Sides who sculpted the pig said, “My work attempts to make a statement about sculpture by approaching craft…..in a new way.” But we quite wanted to barf when someone gets so pretentious as to say, “My aim is to serve as a conduit for collective and individual self-awareness, from which healing and true change in the community can spread like a ripple effect”. Really? From a heart-shaped stone with washers and bullets in it? But we guess that’s what makes the world go ‘round.

DID YOU KNOW that there are more words in the English language that begin with “s” than any other letter? So just as the month ends and we have no more available time to do more “S” activities, so too did the time run out to go to the Nasher Sculpture Center to view more sculptures. Ah well, it’s a good problem to have!

New activity: Salute to the Senses with Spanish Music

When we heard that the Eisemann Theater was presenting a performance of Spanish guitar music and dance, we knew we had to get tickets. After all, it’s “S” month, plus we always enjoy live music events. We were not disappointed. Roni Benisek, best known as Benise, is an American guitarist who has gained a wide following for his shows and the beautiful music, fascinating dancers and staging that enhance the origins of each performance. Plus, the show – “Benise: Fiesta” – was unique in that it included classic songs from such legends as Led Zeppelin, The Eagles and AC/DC and fused them with Spanish guitar and dance. We were treated to music from Spain, Mexico, Cuba and Brazil, often accompanied by African drumming and either flamenco, salsa or samba dancers with gorgeous, swirling dresses. It was truly a feast for one’s eyes and ears and we were very glad we went. 

LEARNING CENTER

In keeping with a musical theme, we learned that during some sand avalanches, desert dunes vibrate loudly, like musical instruments. Scientists call this phenomenon “singing sand.” Most often the notes “played” by the dunes are in the keys of G, E, or F. Thank you again Encyclopedia Brittanica!

We’ve always liked the idea of a coffee shop in which you can also sit and read or buy books so when we heard about SPIN COFFEE AND VINYL we were looking forward to seeing how it was. Instead of books they sell vinyl record albums, which young people today – including Barbara’s son – have started getting into. Any time the current generation “discovers” something like vinyl albums or bell bottom pants, it makes us chuckle. We were a little disappointed, though, because by the time we got there in the afternoon, there was basically none of their advertised desserts or sandwiches to be had so the visit was a bit of a bust. We will say, though, that the place’s seats were full so it definitely has a customer base and we’re glad when we see an niche place like this doing well.

New series: SUPER PUMPED

Barbara: “Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber” on Netflix is a series worth watching. Who of us hasn’t taken an Uber? This show is the story of how Uber got started and portrays its CEO, Travis Kalanick, played expertly by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as a very innovative but extremely driven and unethical man who was eventually forced to resign. Unfortunately, his bad behavior paid off as he sold off about 90% of his shares for a profit of about $2.5 billion. I’d definitely recommend watching the series.

LEARNING CENTER

Speaking of someone who came up with a profitable idea, we learned how the SLINKY toy was created. According to the Encyclopedia Brittanica, in 1943 Richard James was trying to create a set of springs that would stabilize maritime instruments during rough weather. He inadvertently knocked some of them off a shelf and watched them “walk”. This inspired the creation of the Slinky. We were probably playing with a Slinky while our brother listened to his vinyl records!

The ABC sisters always love lists, monthly challenges, and taste comparisons so this month we decided to do two food samplings.

New activity: S Named Ice Creams

Well, this was a no-brainer. Sample ice cream flavors?
We’re in! We sampled four flavors beginning with the letter S. We began at
Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream and Yogurt. Laura sampled the Smores ice
cream which was graham cracker ice cream with marshmallow ripple, chocolate
chips and mini marshmallows. She loved it despite the fact she’s not a big
marshmallow fan. Barbara chose the Salted Caramel Truffle. This was
salted caramel ice cream with chocolate truffles filled with salted caramel. A
big hit! A few days later we went to Baskin and Robbins. Laura chose their Smores
with Oreos to see how it compared to the other (a comparison within a
comparison) and it was so-so. Barbara had the Strawberry Cheesecake which
reinforced the fact that she doesn’t like when ice cream has pieces of cake in
it, but she did think the strawberry flavor was quite good. We know it’s a
hardship, but we may have to compare every alphabetical flavor ice cream during
the year!

New activity: Smoothie Sampling

Barbara: Since Laura had already gone through a smoothie phase, this particular sample tasting was only for me. I’ve always wondered how people could drink those awful looking green smoothies but have read about how healthy they are. I started out easy with a non-green smoothie at Jamba Juice which was made just of two fruits. It was good but basically just tasted like a citrus drink and I could not see myself replacing my breakfast with that drink. Then Laura gave me her smoothie book and I started making green smoothies. I was actually shocked at how good they tasted, filled me up and didn’t leave me longing for a regular meal. Each one had spinach so I’m proud of myself for doing this and went way past the three-smoothie limit. I’m now having one green smoothie a day, either as my breakfast or lunch, and we’ll see how long I continue.

New activity: NATIONAL SIDEWALK FRY AN EGG DAY – July 4th

It was the Fourth of July so what better way to celebrate than with a National Holiday. We had never tested out the old saying “it’s hot enough to fry an egg”, so this was the perfect day to do it. Unfortunately as you can see below, although it was very hot outside, the 114 degree cement was just not hot enough to do the job. Happy for Barbara’s dog, Sassy – she got the job of cleanup!

WISHING EVERYONE A WONDERFUL JULY 4th HOLIDAY

New activity: Back to the Kittrell Rifkind Fine Arts/Southwest Art Gallery

These are two of our favorite art galleries to visit, especially since they are connected and always seem to have interesting and beautiful art works. This month we went to see art by two “R” artists: JM Rizzi and Bette Ridgeway.

Rizzi was born in Brooklyn so perhaps that is why we really loved his paintings with their vibrant colors and swirls. Laura’s favorite was the orange background picture between the two round ones entitled “Terra Cotta Silhouette” and Barbara’s the black and white triptych called “3 The Hard Way.”

The second artist was Bette Ridgeway. She painted beautifully colorful designs that seemed to be floating over the canvas. 

After we looked at our “R” paintings we did our favorite thing in a museum which is to go from room to room picking the painting in each room that we would buy if we had to choose one, after which Barbara could not resist going into the Kittrell Rifkind Fine Arts section and buying a lovely pair of earrings designed by Heather Trimlett, a flameworking artist.

By this time we had built up an appetite so it was time to Renew our acquaintance with Ramen. We started off at Oni Ramen but the place was so noisy that we left before ordering. We then went closer to home to try Nishki Ramen, partly because we love the word “nishki” but alas, it hadn’t opened yet so we crossed the street to yet a third ramen restaurant but this one had closed an hour ahead of their posted time. Three’s a charm? We think not. But lucky for “Q” there was a Quiznos next door and the sandwich was great so no harm, no foul.

On to “S” month!

New Book: “Q” IS FOR QUARRY

Laura: Back in the 1980s, I became acquainted with Sue Grafton’s alphabet mystery series (“A” is for Alibi, etc.). I remember enjoying the books of hers that I read so I decided to once again enter the alphabet mystery realm with “Q” is for Quarry.” Unfortunately I did not care for this book as much as I remember liking the first few ones I read. But the experience was expanded in that I learned a few things from reading about the author – and they were (1) sad, (2) interesting and (3) disturbing! The sad fact was that Ms. Grafton made it through “Y” is for Yesterday but then died before writing her “Z” book. How unfortunate! The interesting fact was that she had always been fascinated by series that followed themes, such Harry Kemelman’s Rabbi Small series, which included a day of the week in each book, and by John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee series, which had a color in the title. But the disturbing fact – outrageous really – was that there is a picture book with an alphabetized list of ways for children to die. Naturally I had to see what this was about so I looked up Edward Gorey’s The Gashlycrumb Tinies on Amazon. It’s a picture book that rhymes so it’s not quite as ghastly as I had imagined but still!

New Restaurant: DILLA’S

We both love Quesadillas, so how fitting that we found Dilla’s – a great place for primo quesadillas. With nine varieties and custom-made choices, you can’t go wrong with getting a Quality meal at a great price – a regular portion plus a small drink typically costs less than $10. The food was delicious. We shared one Gordo (ground beef, bacon, fries, pico de gallo, cheese blend and ranch dip) and one vegetarian Bluebonnet (portobello mushrooms, zucchini, roasted peppers and onions, spinach, cheese blend and creamy churri) and were stuffed! But they were worth every calorie. We will definitely be returning!

New movie – Radioactive: The Women of Three Mile Island

Laura: Lately I find myself gravitating towards documentaries. They can offer so much: enlightenment, education, amusement, opposing points of view – on just about any subject. So, for “R” month, one of the movies I was drawn to was “Radioactive: The Women of Three Mile Island.” What an eye-opener! This is the recounting of the stories of four concerned mothers, a two-woman legal team and a reporter who had much to say about the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant accident in 1979 – the worst commercial nuclear reactor meltdown in U.S. history. The myriad cover-ups, criminal actions and lies from the nuclear industry and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will shock you – I know they left me angry and paranoid. For example, residents were purposely lied to by telling them there was no danger. It took 24 hours of radiation exposure before the company released a warning of possible harm – yet scientists state that length of exposure was equivalent to up to 100,000 x-rays.  The film won several awards and although it was not a pleasant experience to watch it, I’m glad I am more aware of what happened 45 years ago when I was pregnant and fortunate not to be living in Pennsylvania.

New restaurant – ROOSTER ROADHOUSE

To get the awful taste of the coverup out of our mouths, we decided to drive to Denton for lunch at the Rooster Roadhouse. The menu really tickled our funny bones. Their tag line was “Redneck, White Trash, Blue Collar.” Since neither of us was in the mood to get dolled up, we think we fit the “white trash” moniker. We opted to share two of the dishes whose asterisk indicated they were the restaurant favorites: the patty melt that came garnished with caramelized onions and bacon jam and the brisket sandwich. We substituted the Rooster Tails (batter fried onions) for the homemade potato chips on one of the sandwiches. Boy was the food good, our faves being the brisket and rooster tails. We wished we had some kids with us just to be able to order something off the Little Peckerwoods Menu. The atmosphere was fun with things hanging upside down from the ceiling. Altogether an outing well worth the drive.

LEARNING CENTER:

Speaking of roosters and poultry in general, did you know:

Roosters’ crows are about 130 decibels, roughly the same loudness measured near a jet taking off. The auditory canals in a rooster’s head partially close when its beak is open. This prevents roosters from going deaf from their own crowing.

And to give some credit to their pals, the chickens, chickens that see another chicken bleeding will tend to attack it. In the early 1900s rose-tinted chicken glasses were marketed to farmers to keep hens from recognizing blood. Millions were sold. So next time you decide to look at things through rose colored glasses, have a chicken wing on us!