bobmacliberty

If you're still interested, let me know what email address to use and I'll send you a link to a OneDrive location where you can upload the original. I really wish CC had direct message capability turned on. 😒

Here are a few more versions from which to choose. I pulled the previous version into LightRoom and played with a few things. The first version removes some of the haze and saturates the sky. The second version keeps the sky saturated but actually adds a bit of haze and removes some contrast giving it a "softer" look. The softer look often works well with little girls.

I played with the first one to see if you liked it. If so, I can do the same to the other 2. Photos get reduced in resolution when they get uploaded to CC so if you'd prefer and have a way to do so, you could post the original images in a place where I could download and I could edit the originals. Edit: Looks like Dani replied while I was editing.

I can't find it on any shelves near me. However, there was plenty on the shelf in the Total Wine 45 minutes from me (1 per customer). 🤷‍♂️ I wish bourbon was more like Scotch in that you can more easily find the good stuff...it's just expensive. I'm not a Scotch drinker though.

Mimi - I don't know if I can do any better than the above recipe. Sounds pretty tasty. Was it a frozen drink? It sounds a little like a Miami Vice (half strawberry daquiri, half pina colada) but with some blueberry added.

I think I've said this before but it's great that he's getting into golf at such a young age. And playing as well as he is, beating kids much older, is fantastic and must be tremendous for building self-confidence. Golf is a really good lifelong sport. I was just reading about a guy who is 98, plays 3 days a week, and regularly shoots better than his age...usually by at least 10 strokes. 😲

Very easy and doesn't take long. I went with a semi-rich syrup which is 1.5 cups sugar in 1 cup water. Normal is 1:1 and rich is 2:1. Stir over medium heat (don't boil) until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool. I put the hot sauce pan on a larger pot that had ice in the bottom to cool faster. Transfer to a sealed bottle and refrigerate. The whole process took less than 10 minutes. The good and bad about homemade syrups is that they have no preservatives. Better for you, but they don't last as long. The Demerara syrup will only last a few weeks. Increasing the amount of sugar, or even adding a small amount of vodka, will extend the life.

I use two different Mai Tai recipes, depending on the mood that I'm in and whether or not Micheline is joining me. The original Trader Vic recipe is a little easier to make (if you have the ingredients) but is not what I've seen typically served in Hawaii. The Hawaiian versions have evolved over time to include more fruit juices, since many people prefer that sweeter taste. Micheline does not like the original version so if I'm making a drink for both of us, it's the more modern version. For the original version, I follow this recipe: Trader Vic Mai Tai Cocktail Recipe (allrecipes.com) The 17 year old J. Wray & Nephew Jamaican rum is no longer available so I use Appleton Estate instead. Any Jamaican rum would work so it you're into rums, experiment. I use 1/4 oz of simple syrup rather than the rock candy syrup just to give it a touch of sweetness. It was the more modern version that I did a lot of experimenting to get the juices to match what I remember from Hawaii. I'll usually make a batch of PPOG juice (pineapple, passion fruit, orange, guava) so that it's easy to create and serve several drinks. I then add the rest of the ingredients right before serving. PPOG Juice: 2 oz passionfruit juice 1.5 oz guava juice 1 oz orange juice 1 oz pineapple juice The Goya brand of passion fruit and guava are available in stores near me. You can also order from Amazon. Mix the PPOG juice with 0.5 oz Orgeat syrup and 1.5 oz Jamaican rum in a cocktail shaker with crushed ice and shake well..about 15 seconds. Dump pour into a tiki glass. Add a 0.5 oz dark rum floater on top (I just use Myer's) to give it the layered look. Garnish with a lime wedge and fresh mint. Enjoy!

Looks like you were on I-471 crossing the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge, aka the Big Mac Bridge. Rush hour in Cincinnati doesn't last long but if you catch it just right, and toss in traffic to a Reds game tonight, you would definitely be delayed.

All of this talk about how nobody here really drinks alcohol has made me thirsty. I was by our closest Total Wine, which is about 45 minutes away, and stopped in to shop. They have Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao which I can't find near me, so I picked up a bottle for the original version of a Mai Tai (rum, curacao, lime juice, orgeat syrup...no other fruit juices). I was in the mood for the original version and made one today for happy hour. Very tasty, but it didn't last long. I also made some homemade demerara simple syrup which I used for my second happy hour cocktail...a daiquiri using a twist on the classic recipe...which is just light rum, lime juice, and sugar served up in a chilled coupe glass (i.e. not frozen and no other flavors added). I did however modify the true classic recipe by using Jamaican rum (Appleton Estate 8 year) and semi-rich demerara syrup. Very different from a classic daiquiri but really nice if you like Jamaican rum. I used the Anders Erickson recipe. Once the Daiquiri is gone (sipping it right now), we're off to make homemade pesto to serve over pasta. Yum.

I was able to read the article so it wasn't paywalled. Interesting. Hong Kong is one of my favorite cities. I wish I could have flown into Kai Tak before it closed. Sounds like it was quite an adventure.

Here are the casino status levels and benefits. Choice isn't worth much. Casino Benefits Grid (royalcaribbean.com) Edit: More details here: Casino Cruises Reward Program | Club Royale | Royal Caribbean Cruises

Love the reflection!

I think it would be cheaper to sail in a suite. 😉

Typical cat.

How are the dogs handling this? Any jealousy?

On one of our Royal cruises, when our daughters were with us, we decided to try the Harry Potter trivia. We had read all of the books and seen all of the movies (several more than once) and thought we might have a chance to do well. Not even close. There were some VERY serious fans there and the questions were incredibly detailed...something like what is the name of the highest denomination coin in Gringott's Bank. I think we got one or two answers correct (I think we could name Harry's owl) while there was a tie at the top with a few teams getting every answer correct. Of course there's also the chance that the winning teams were not really serious fans but instead had participated in HP trivia on Royal before and already knew the answers. Gotta get that key chain!

Planes are obviously very different from trains, but I though the National Railway Museum in York was excellent.

Thanks Andrew! I always enjoy your reviews.

Never say never.

That Lego model is amazing. The outside looks great but the cutout view of the inside is just mind blowing. What incredible detail.

Looks don't matter at 1 am. 😉

Is the wave open in the rain?

You win! No snow/freezing temps easily trumps crittters. as far as I'm concerned.

She's doing better every day but it's often 2 steps forward, one step back. She's off pain meds and as of today, off muscle relaxers (even though she still gets an occasional muscle spasm). She was able to walk to the end of our street today. Her 2 week post-op appointment is in 8 days and she's hoping that she'll be feeling "normal" by then, even though the doctor said no serious activity for a month. Patience isn't exactly one of her best qualities. 😁