Monday, April 30, 2012

Don't Hate the Players, It's Next Week!

The Players Championship

May 7, 2012 to May 13, 2012

Ponte Vedra Beach
TPC Sawgrass, 110 Championship Way, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
 
The game's greatest players compete at TPC Sawgrass THE PLAYERS Stadium Course in Ponte Vedra Beach. THE PLAYERS Championship is recognized by PGA TOUR members as their championship tournament. It features one of the most coveted titles in professional golf, the strongest field of competitors and the richest purse. Previous winners of THE PLAYERS Championship include K.J. Choi in 2011, Tim Clark in 2010, Henrik Stenson in 2009, Sergio Garcia in 2008, Phil Mickelson in 2007, Stephen Ames in 2006, Fred Funk in 2005, and many other greats.

This year's tournament schedule includes Monday through Wednesday, practice rounds, Military Appreciation Day on Wednesday and the main THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP Tournament Thursday through Sunday, which will be broadcast live on the Golf Channel from 1 to 7 p.m. and on NBC on Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 7 p.m. For ticket package information, call 904-285-PUTT or 800-741-3161 or visit www.pgatour.com. http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/r011

And don't feel like you have to stay in Ponte Vedra to see the action--lovely St. Augustine is just 15 minutes away. In fact, I've heard that there are still some very nice rooms at the Bayfront Marin House.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Rhythm and Ribs and Other St. Augustine Tastes

Is there a better feeling than sleeping in on a Saturday? Heck, who cares if it's Saturday, is there any better feeling than sleeping in EVER????

I woke up at 10:45 this morning (!!!), grabbed my suitcase from yesterday (that's why I was so tired--I was up at 3:30am yesterday and then didn't get home until about 11), and started my laundry. That's really all I do at home lately--stumble in, kiss the hub, wash some clothes, then pack another suitcase.

I thought I was still half asleep when--just a few minutes after starting a load of whites--I heard music. Cool, rhythmic music, coming from St. Francis Field (just about two blocks from our house). YES!! Today is the second day of Rhythm and Ribs!! Thank goodness I didn't sleep through that!!

Assuming that you're not still in bed, you should run over for some awesome barbecue (lots of napkins provided) and even awesomer music. As I type this, I can hear Swanky Mo's wrapping up their set, but after they vacate the stage there are six more acts to come (including Eager Beaver, The Committee, Yankee Slickers and JJ Grey & Mofro).

The festival goes til 10 tonight, and 11 til 6 tomorrow. Admission is $5 (and that starts at 3). See more info at http://www.rhythmandribs.net/.

Today is also the Taste of St. Augustine, held at the Amphitheatre from noon til 8. It features tasty morsels from about 20 different restaurants, including Gas, Gypsy Cab, Raintree, Creekside Dinery, and lots of our other favorites. Admission is $5, and food tickets are additional.

Want to park at the garage, but then don't feel like running over to the island? There's a shuttle that runs between the two events, hosted by the Green Trolley. The trolley holds 25 people--so line up early if you want a seat!

I've got a wedding on the beach at 3:00 (look for photos on Facebook later), but I'm going to want to hit both of these events. Good thing I got a lot of sleep, because I could be up late eating ribs!!

Hope to see you there, well rested and well fed.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Mr. Christian, That is Mutiny!!!

One of the hub's favorite movies is Mutiny on the Bounty. He likes all kinds of water movies, and this is a water movie with a good story. His favorite is the 1984 version with Anthony Hopkins and Mel Gibson (this was back when Mel Gibson rocked a mullet and just acted, instead of just acting crazy like he does now). There's a Marlon Brando version from '62, too...he's made me sit through that one at least twice.

Well, this Thursday is the hub's lucky day because the HMS Bounty--built for the Brando movie--is on the high seas and headed to Saint Augustine!! It will be docked at the City Marina (about 100 steps from the Bayfront Marin House, coincidentally) from Thursday, April 26 til Monday, April 30.

The crew will be on hand to answer any questions about the ship, life at sea, and even maritime movies. (Maybe I can convince one of them to do their Brando impression, too!)

There's more information at http://www.tallshipbounty.org/.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Who's Your Farmer?

Feeling hungry? Join us tomorrow from noon til 5:00 for the Tour de Farm, an annual tour of more than 20 farms in Northeast Florida that offer a great look at the food we eat, the farmers who grow it, and the chefs who make culinary magic with it.

Now wait, before I get ahead of myself, I should rephrase that: join us tomorrow to visit *some* of the 20 farms that are open to guests, because there is no way that you can physically visit all 20. You can see the full list of participating growers at www.slowfoodfirstcoast.com. I personally recommend that you go through the list and choose your favorites.

Admission to the farms is free, and the activities at each farm vary. There are cooking classes, plant sales, petting zoos, hayrides, and tastings. Just make sure that you register with the volunteer working at each farm so that we can keep a count of attendance--last year, more than 8000 people visited the farms during the five hour event.

There should be lots of seasonal produce to pick up. Here's a list of some of the things in season right now: squash, kale, mustard greens, collards, carrots, cucumbers, radishes, white and sweet potatoes, turnips, yellow and green beans, eggplant, and lettuce and herbs.

See you down on the farm!!

Monday, April 16, 2012

Yum-mo! Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Like any other red-blooded and x-chromosomed American, I like sweets. Love 'em, in fact.

But I also like a little tart. Key lime pie? Bring it on, and don't be shy with the citrus. Lemon squares? You betcha. I like my desserts with a little pucker.

Which is why I love me some spring, and the season-appropriate strawberry rhubarb pie.

The trick, of course, is to make sure that the sugar and the strawberries are sweet enough but not so sweet that they overpower the punch of the rhubarb. The other trick is to make sure that they rhubarb is cooked properly--it shouldn't be just mush, but it can't be too crunchy either.

Life is a balance, and so is strawberry rhubarb pie.

The hub saw rhubarb for sale at the grocer's this week, and he bought the place out (Seriously. My whole freezer is full right now, and we already made three pies!) We used a recipe from the iconic Farm Journal's Country Cookbook--which I snagged from my Mammy's recipe cabinet when she died. The pies turned out awesome--we'll be serving them at the inn later this week, and we'll be sure to let you know what the guests think.


Want to make your own? Here's how:

Strawberry/Rhubarb Pie

Pastry for 2-crust pie
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/3 c. flour
2 c. fresh strawberries
2 c. fresh rhubarb (cut into 1" pieces)
2 Tblsp butter
1 Tblsp sugar

Combine 1 1/4 c. sugar, salt, and flour.

Arrange half of strawberries and rhubard in pastry-lined 9" pie plate. Sprinkle with half of sugar mixture.

Repeat with remaining fruit and sugar mixture; dot with butter.

Add top crust and flute edges. Brush crust with cold water and sprinkle on 1 T sugar. Cut vents.

Bake in oven at 425 for 40 to 50 minutes. Rhubarb will be tender and crust is browned.

The Farm Journal cookbook suggests serving it with sour cream spread on top--but I'm not so sure about that. I recommend a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream--remember, you want some sweet with that tart!!

Enjoy!!!

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Say Cheese! Five Tips to Look Great in Wedding Photos

There are those people who love getting their picture taken. I see them on Top Model--lifting a shoulder, smiling with their eyes, finding their light. Some of them are pretty, and some of them are "interesting" as Tyra says. Some have big ears, a gap between their teeth, a masculine jaw.

It's not that they're all beautiful, but they do all love getting their picture taken.

Then there are those people who hate getting their picture taken. They're in the back of every family picture (they will automatically go to the rear line, even if they're four feet tall and the rest of their family plays for the Knicks). Sometimes, they'll hold a baby in front of them.

Or they're the photographer...finding themselves much more safe behind the camera.

I hate having my photo taken. That's why I first picked up a camera. It's also why I went into marketing. So even if someone else did accidentally take my photo I would have the final say as to whether or not it would be published. (Hint: The answer is always no. If I had a picture of the president smoking crack with a tranny prostitute, but I couldn't crop myself out of it, I would destroy the photo and forgo the millions of dollars I would surely make from it. That's how much I hate looking at photos of myself).

I say that because I'm always cognizant of the fact that when I take pictures during the weddings at the inn, there are clearly some people more comfortable getting their photo taken than others. And I will tell you--sometimes the most beautiful people don't like being in the crosshairs of a 35mm lens, and sometimes the "interesting" people just love it. Want to know who looks awesome in photographs? The people who throw their head back, laugh, and stop worrying if their arms will look fat in the photo.

I have a couple of suggestions for folks who don't like being the center of attention. Because *anyone* can take a good photo. Seriously. You just have to remember a couple of tips:

1. Be comfortable. Forget the camera is there. You're not a model...and you don't have to worry about keeping your neck long or looking like a broken down doll. Make a face at the person standing next to you, laugh a lot, and hope that the photographer gets the shot the second after you *stop* making the face. That's when you're the most beautiful.


The photo below is how one couple "loosened up"...wait until you see the shot that it helped to set up!




2. Wear a striking color, and pick a beautiful background. You may have seen that Saint Augustine was just named one of the 10 Prettiest Towns in America by Forbes Magazine. I have a news flash for you: visitors to Saint Augustine look prettier when they're here, too. I'm serious. It's the light in the ancient city, and the spectacular backgrounds, and the fact that people are so happy here. So if you're going to get married, pick an awesome background. And wear a color that you look great in...imagine how different this would look if the bride had decided to wear ivory. She still would have been beautiful, but she might not have looked so "POW!!!"




3. Do something unexpected. Don't pose; be yourself. If that means that you would jump up on a ledge and start walking like you're on the balance beam in the London Summer Olympics, do it. If you want to play with a passing dog, or pet a horse while you're walking around town with your photographer, do it. Jump in a hammock, smell a low-hanging flower, bite your new spouse on the ear. The best shots are the ones that you look most like yourself, and the ones that look most like yourself are the ones where you forget that you're a bride and groom, and for a second you're just a boy and a girl (or a boy and a boy, or a girl and a girl). Just a couple in love, and having fun. And everyone looks awesome when they're having fun.




 
4. Kiss your new spouse as often as possible. This isn't hard advice, is it? Really, though, kissing your spouse reminds you why you did this in the first place...and everyone looks good when they're getting kissed (plus, you don't have to worry about blinking as the flash goes off). But remember: no tongue. Never. Save it for the honeymoon.





5. Study the Kardashian swivel. If only Kim had spent as much time working on her wedding as she spent perfecting a stance that would make her hips look shapely and her waist look smaller. Obviously, you care much more about your wedding than she did, but it doesn't hurt to spend 15 minutes (no more!) thinking about how to stand. Put one foot slightly in front of your other (or even cross them; it's a cute look!), turn your shoulder slightly towards the camera, lean into your new hubby, and smile like you've never been happier in your life. Because, hopefully, that's the truth!!





     

Enjoy your beautiful photos!!!

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Who's that Lady??

When Mike and I bought our first house, I decided I wanted a statue in the corner of one of my flowerbeds.

Somehow, I convinced him that he should go shopping with me to pick it out (clearly, we were newly married).

After about 25 minutes of looking at angels, babies, baby angels, and little boys peeing into basins of water, Mike turned to me and said "Don't they have something sexier?"

Ever since, whenever I see a beautiful female statue, I think to myself, "Yes, it's nice. But she could be a little sexier."

Last week I bought a statue for the back bed at the inn. I went by myself (because we've now been married for 18 years, and there was no way I could talk him into joining me).


I got her because I wanted to decorate her for weddings, and I thought it would be cool to hang a sign from her for special occasions. Seriously. Plus, nothing really grows in that corner anyway.

This little girl weighs over 200 pounds, and she stands about 4 feet tall. It took four guys to pull her out of the back of the Jeep. "God, she's heavy," said one of the guys. I told him that was a mean comment; she's simply big boned.

Big cement boned.

Anyway, I used her at the wedding today, and I think she worked out perfectly. Just like I pictured.

And--good news for the hub--she does it all while looking pretty sexy, too.

Egg-Citing Plans for Easter!!

Easter is this Sunday and the Easter Festival Committee is ready.

The big push is at 3 p.m. April 8, when the Easter Parade makes its way through downtown St. Augustine.

Bands, floats and Easter bonnets are the drawing card for this annual event, begun in 1959. What’s special is that the holiday hats are worn by horses pulling the sightseeing carriages in this oldest city.
The parade begins at the Mission of Nombre de Dios on San Marco Avenue and follows along to Avenida Menendez.

Easter promenade
Also on tap Easter Day is the annual promenade in the Plaza de la Constitucion, between King Street and Cathedral Place. The free event begins at 12:30 p.m. with visitors and residents strolling through the Plaza dressed in their Easter best. Prizes are awarded for Easter finery ranging from the group traveling the farthest from home to the oldest city to the best Easter dress and most original hat.

Other festivities
This year’s Easter Festival concludes at 2 p.m. April 15 with the Fromajardis Serenade at the Spanish Bakery on North St. George Street; and the 3 p.m. Royal Family Tea, which follows at the bakery. There is no charge for either event.

Presiding over the Easter Festival is the Royal Family, portraying the ruling family in Spain in 1672, year construction was begun on St. Augustine’s fort, Castillo de San Marcos.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Flower of the Day: Yellow Roses and Peeps

It seems odd, not having any weddings this weekend.

But our beautiful gazebo needed some quick reinforcing (we don't want anyone to literally "take the plunge"!) and so we blocked it off for events yesterday and today.

Of course, just because there aren't any weddings, that doesn't mean that there aren't any flowers! In fact, spring is in full bloom here in Florida--we've got snapdragons, carnations, bougainvilla, pentas, and even my oleander have thrown out some blooms.

But my favorite flowers today are the bouquet that I just made. The most stunning yellow roses (I just got back from a work trip to San Antonio, Texas, and I was inspired), vibrant pink carnations, and of course--Easter peeps!!

Enjoy the final product, peeps!