Happy July 4th!

Blueberries!   Strawberries and Yogurt Covered Raisins!   A big-time dessert put together by one of my graphic design daughters!   Enjoy your day!

Six "Peace" Happy Meal!

My 6 year old grandson was here tonight.   We were "bacheloring" it, and decided to do McDonalds.   So he tells me he wants a 6 piece "Happy Meal".   He wrote a list to make sure I got his order right!!

Love me some grandson!

Uber in London!

Ok!   Here in London visiting my daughter and son-in-law.   Had our first Uber experience!   It was awesome.   Daughter sent in a "request" and two minutes later a driver shows up to take us back to my daughter's apartment and for a really good price!   Gotta try this when I get back home!   Awesome!

41 Years Ago Today!

A Family Album!

Three adult brothers re-enact photos from their childhood.   This should either make you smile or make you laugh (out loud) or both!   I think it's awesome!

This is Sad!

We had our grandson with us the other night.   We had on the local TV news network!   The coverage?   Murder!   Killings!   Hong Kong riots!   ISIS/ISL!   Syrian refugees fleeing to Turkey!

He looked at us and said..."I don't like this".   We asked why?   He said...because this is sad!   He is 5 years old!!!

Happy 5th Birthday Romell!

You are the best!   Much love Mima & Dude!

Mangoes!

The mango is a juicy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees, that are cultivated mostly for edible fruit.   The majority of these species are found in nature as wild mangoes.

These beauties are from my sister/brother-in-laws Florida backyard!   Go check out mango.org for other Mango goodness!

Happy Mother's Day & 40th too!

Happy Mother's Day to my wife and the mother of our two wonderful daughters.   Today marks our 40th wedding anniversary and you are still the "sunshine of my life"!

Much luv...Me!

"Hello...this is American Airlines..."

Thursday, May 8th around noon:

Phone rings.   I don't pick up.   Automatically switches over to our answering machine.

"Hello.   This is American Airlines calling with a flight update.   Unfortunately, American Airlines flight #101 from London's Heathrow to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport is now expected to depart at 11:00am and due to arrive at JFK at 2:15pm.   This call may be recorded."

WTF?   Must be a wrong number?

Around 5:00pm my youngest daughter shows up with our grandson in tow.   As is often the case, he likes to sneak up the stairs and jump into the kitchen and yell...SURPRISE!   Thursday was no exception.   However, a few seconds later, someone else yelled surprise!

Who you might ask?   It was my oldest daughter (who resides in London...DUH)!   She and her sister had planned this surprise over the course of the last week or so!   Needless to say, my wife and I were in a state of shock!   Hugs & kisses and yes...a few tears flowed!

Why the surprise visit?

• My wife (her mother) just retired.
• I had just been released from the hospital after knee surgery.
• Mother's Day!
• Our 40th wedding anniversary!   Just happened to fall on Mother's Day this year!

The 15%!

For the few of you that follow my little space on the blog-o-sphere, you know I've written about inter-racial relationships on an on-going basis.

My wife sent me this link to the "We are the 15%" website.   It's an awesome site that was spawned from the backlash of the infamous Cherrios commercial.

I've posted my thoughts regarding inter-racial relationships here...and here...and here...and here any many more times!   As I've often said, I wish I could be around 20 or 30 years from now to see the (beautiful) offspring of all these inter-racial families and their impact on America, if not the world!   Yes...they are really beautiful children in more ways than you can image...and they will change America and the world!!!

Swiffer and the Rukavinas...Nice!

Wow...loving this ad!

However, similar to the original Cherrios inter-racial ad, the comments on YouTube have been disabled.   Why?   Based on the racist/hatred comments posted on the original Cherrios ad, I'm sure YouTube knew this would/could get ugly responses from the wackos in America!

Below is more background/info on the Rikavina's family.

I've posted other entries about inter-racial couples before and I'm proud to have so many of them within my immediate and extended family and close circle of friends!   I wish I could be around 20 or 30 years from now to see their offspring and witness (hopefully) how America may have changed!

London: One daughter visits another! Awesome!

My younger daughter is visiting her older sister (who resides in London) and below is her latest e-mail to us!   I think this is the epitomy of sisterhood!

"I'm getting comfortable now.   It's felt like home away from home before but now, a full week has passed and we are enjoying every bit of what it means to have family abroad.

Monday we enjoyed the house, some laptop time and a yummy English Chinese takeout lunch.   After a break of trashy tv, we tackled tidying the house and daydreamed about your visit and what you guys might like to do when you come.   My brother-in-law came home and we enjoyed leftover stew and cocktails and more cocktails.   We started to think of crazy day and weekend trips and how we'd take advantage of our childless-sisterly freedom and the amazingly unique opportunity to be here together for the next two weeks.

Today was a strange perfect.   We woke up to a delicious breakfast at a small local restaurant and plotted on our plans for the day.   Of course between giggles, we became excited about how similar our desires were.   Back at home we fixed some small but big to-dos.   Feeling overly accomplished, we set out to the Tate Museum and St. Paul's Cathedral.   So cool and perfect and effortless are all under statements.   Perusing through famous works of art, we found the upstairs cafe to be our final resting place.   Perfection!   Overlooking the river and London skyline, we talked art and design and vacationy plans.   Tea and scone as we watched people and river boats pass.

Now we're waiting on Indian food and basking in the simple pleasures of the day."

"Today was amazing!"

"I've never been in a place like this or in weather like this."
My daughter's words from Bessheim, Norway.   I think the photo above (of my son-in-law) captures it all!   Yes...amazing!

A belated Happy Valentines! Wash the huevos!

I had a lot on my plate of "to dos" yesterday.   Run to the cleaners.   Go to the paint store.   Pick up a Valentines Day gift for the Mrs., take a shower...and a few other chores.   It was about two in the afternoon and I was running out of time!   My thirty-some year old daughter was here and I asked her to help me prioritize my "to dos".   Her response (and top priority) was "Dad wash the huevos!"   Huevos?   What?   "Dad...wash the huevos" (eggs in Spanish)...aka balls!   I cracked up and went upstairs and jumped in the shower!   You gotta luv her!   I do!   A belated Happy Valentines Day from the washed huevos!

Pipcorn is still Poppin'!

Just ask Oprah!   Pipcorn was one of her favorite things back in 2012 and it's back again in 2013!

"One of my favorite snacks is popcorn sprinkled with truffle oil, so I'm thrilled that Sabatino has created this dream kit.   It contains Pipcorn (hulless popcorn, one of last year's Favorite Things), black and white truffle oils, and truffle salt."

Check out Pipcorn at this years' Oprah's Favorite Things!

Once a cook! Now a Chef!

OK...everyone who knows him...knows this boy can cook!   He's one of my sons-in-law and he can cook his *ss off!   I'm talking serious eats here folks!   Now the boy has gone to this exclusive culinary academy in London, and among other things, threw these desserts together!   Goodbye cook!   Hello Chef!

Iced praline and white chocolate parfait, tempura fig beignet, cardamom and port syrup.

Grilled pineapple, yogurt crackle ice cream, black pepper and pine nut tuille, aged balsamic, toasted pine nuts.

Hope to visit my "chef" son-in-law and my daughter in London next spring and I will make sure that he has these on the table!

Dean & Deluca is doin' da' Pipcorn!

OK folks...I've been tellin' y'all 'bout Pipcorn.

You betta' get you some!.   It's over the top!   Here's what Dean & Deluca has to say about Pipcorn!

"This all-natural, preservative-free, hulless popcorn is popped in small batches with olive oil and seasoned by hand. Because the popcorn has virtually no hulls it has a delicate crunch, is easy to digest, kind to the teeth, and is a trendy spin on a traditional favorite. An artisan wooden crate comes filled with four fabulous flavors: Sea Salt Pipcorn, Signature Rosemary Pipcorn, Sweet and Salty Pipcorn, seaside spicy-ish Crabby Pipcorn."

Take it from me...it's awesome!   Rosemary is my favorite!

We are building a better world!

Today was my grandson's "Spring Concert" at pre-school.   It was awesome...but, then again, what grandfather would say that it wasn't awesome regardless of the outcome/performance?   20+ 3-to-5 year-olds sang about 5 or 6 songs...and they knew the words!   Yes...they knew the words!   Blew me away.   I was expecting 2 songs at most!

The finale was a song titled "We are building a better world".   Given the diversity captured in the picture above...yes...it's gonna be a better world!   And the lyrics are:

We're building a better world,
We're building a better world,
We're building a better world,
One person at a time.

REFRAIN:
And the world goes round and round
The world goes round and round and round!

We're building a better world with LOVE (repeat 3 times)
One person at a time. (refrain)

We're building a better world with PEACE (repeat 3 times)
One person at a time. (refrain)

We're building a better world with FRIENDS (repeat 3 times)
One person at a time. (refrain)

We are building a better world...

Epilog:
Half way thru this...a lot of parents (and grandparents) were holding back the tears!   Like I said, it was awesome!

I started this blog on the day he was born, almost four years ago!   He's an amazing kid (the one in the light blue shirt).   Again, what else would a grandfather say!!!

Question...what does he call his grandfather (me)?
Answer...DUDE!

It's gonna be a better world indeed!

Forbes Magazine is Pimpin' Pipcorn too!

"Pipcorn of Brooklyn is another new-style popcorn company selling mini popcorn made from hull-less kernels.   It comes in hand-stamped, simple paper bags."
Source - Forbes Magazine:

Things are always popping at Pipcorn and Pipsnacks!