Remember that Family of Deer?

Just a short walk from my Apartment through the wooded area... Here were that Deer Family I have been following all spring and summer... lying quite camouflaged on the leaf covered ground, with their ears perked tall in anticipation of my arrival.

Warm November Sunday

It is 63 F or 17C as I write this on this Sunday Afternoon...

We have had quite a mild November this year; usually Rochester is known for its snow by now. But nothing yet...

This Sunday mornng....

A Rant: A time of thanksgiving... or the almighty dollar

Seems I sense much change in the 3 Thanksgivings I have been living abroad.

This past Friday was the so-called Black Friday", a day when shoppers all across American can NOT part with their money fast enough through seeking out one of a kind deals to get them into stores as early as possible.. Black Friday has been this way for many years...but, now... stores are opening just past Midnight... to lure away the dollars from eagar shoppers..

Saturday, has just been christened "Small Business Saturday", where one is suppose go out and purchase, in a frenzied way, "things" from only Local Small Businesses, in an effort to support the local economy, in a similar fashion, businesses hope, as in what "Black Friday" has become.

Sunday, perhaps really is a day of rest, for tomorrow, Monday, is now called "Cyber Monday". This has been appointed THE day to shop online and online stores are jumping into the frenzied fray of Capitalism.

...so the focus on this weekend post Thanksgiving, is on nothing other than SHOP, BUY and DEALs related to the Almighty Dollar.

Interestingly, rarely a word was spoken this past week about being thankful for what one has...or much about Thanksgiving Day. Seems most verbiage hardly even mentioned Thanksgiving and it's meaning.. All focus was on spending, Black Friday, purchasing...and Capitalistic Greed.

yes, America is changing, though not necessarily for the better.

The Nutcracker Ballet

Last evening I went into the City of Rochester, to The Eastman School of Music's, Eastman Theatre to enjoy the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the Rochester City Ballet in their annual Holiday performance of The Nutcracker Ballet. It is really a nice and fitting way to start the Christmas Holiday season.

I liked the imaginative interpretation of this production by its Director. This was my first performance in the newly refurbished and downsized Eastman Theatre as well. Now there are box seats along both sides in compartments of 2 or 4 clustered seats, that were totally new to me.

I sat in the front row center section of the Mezzanine and it was perfect., a great view of the stage. Enjoyable.

But I could not help but think many times throughout the evening of just sitting in Prague's 'gold leafed adorned' National Theatre just One year ago, watching The Nutcracker Ballet on a cold rainy evening, with really nice company. Hezky.

Thanksgivng Day

Thursday was Thanksgiving in the US. and this is the Tom Turkey I cook for the occasion... 20 pounds, almost 10 kgs. I had 11 people around the table but one person had to sit next to the table, as I couldn't fit anyone else around the table comfortably. My father choose that 'honor'.

In typical American fashion; too much food. For my friends in Prague, here was the menu in addition to the turkey: mashed potatoes and gravy, hubbard squash, sausage dressing, Brussel sprouts with bacon and pecans, cranberry relish, roasted pear chuntney, green bean casserole, rolls, and several different wine varietals( pinot gris, chardonney, pinot noir, merlot) and I made my Friend Eva's recipe for Svařák, the Czech version of Mulled wine that I grew to love while living in Prague and this time of year, it is a perfect drink.

so there you have it...

and by the way, that turkey was done perfectly. A crispy skin and very tender, after 6.5 hours cooking in a slow oven. Mnam.

almost forgot: for dessert, Coffee from Vescovi caffe in Prague ( ;-) ), Apple, Pumpkin and Shoofly Pies. The last one is an Amish specialty that I thought I might try, after seeing it made on a cooking show.

Happy Birthday Daughter....

Hard to beleive 26 years ago you were born. A wonderful Day. Have a fabulous day today and.....Happy 26th Birthday!!

Last evenings Beaujolais "fest"

I had seen an advertisement in the paper for a Wine Event downtown at one of the nicer hotels, billed as "Welcoming in the Beaujolais Noveau"... Alas, It just did not live up to my expectations...a downside to living in Prague for so long, I guess.

It was more like a "wedding" reception, than a wine tasting. and more of an advertising event for one brand of wine as well.

...longing for Strasnice Culturni dum again.

Beaujolais has been released...

On the stroke of midnight on the third Thursday of November each year, (this year, the 17th, TODAY!) Beaujolais Nouveau is celebrated by drinking the wine from grapes harvested this past summer. This is the third really high quality vintage in a row!

Beaujolais Nouveau is a young red wine made from handpicked Gamay grapes grown in the Beaujolais region of France, where the beverage accounts for half of the region's production. While most red wines improve with age, Beaujolais Nouveau is all about freshness.

Under French law, the wine may be released at 12:01 a.m. on the third Thursday of November, just weeks after the wine's grapes have been harvested. Fermentation is so short that the resulting wine exhibits fruity flavors and light tannins. Beaujolais Nouveau should be consumed right away (or within a year of being made), and is best served slightly cooled.

So Worldwide, this years Beaujolais, as of today, has been released for consumption. And tonight I have a ticket to attend such a "release party" in downtown Rochester. Am looking forward to enjoying, this, my favorite wine.

During July and mid August the vineyards enjoyed fair weather with a mix of very nice sunny periods and light rain, perfect weather for the Gamay grapes, which make up this wine. It was said, that the grapes for this year's Beaujolais were healthy with thick skins and dark fruit, with a good balance sugar-acidity, similar to the 2009 which was quite a good year.

A very nice crop was expected, which had a good yield similar to the 2010 vintage.
The harvest began in mid-August this year and was over by the 26th of September, earlier than expected.

Time of Raking leaves...

This weekend was filled with just about everyone outside was raking leaves off their lawns and into piles along the roads. Soon, large vacuum-cleaner trucks will traverse each street and road in the village and county and suck up all these leaves...usually and hopefully, all before the first snow falls.

St. Martin's Wine - The Czech Beaujolais

St. Martin's wine is the Czech equivalent of the French Beaujolais. Today is St. Marin's Day in the Czech Republic when Svatomartinské wines are first sold for consumption. They are indeed the first wines of the new year, just a week before Beaujolais are released for world consumption. The most typical Svatomartinské varieties are Müller Thurgau, Veltlínské červené rané, Muškát moravský, Modrý Portugal and Svatovavřinecké. And as this St. Martin's days is in full swing in the Czech Republic, A traditional goose dinner often accompanies Svatomartinské and it's wines. Unfortunately, you will not find any Svatomartinské wines here in the Rochester area... but, next week on the 17th, French Beaujolais will make its appearance.

11-11-11

almost as good as 1-11-11 while I was living in Prague last January...

but am here now, and this is good.

From last weekend

We finally had a "killing" frost last Friday night, and the leaves have been falling in Bunches, as one can see here...

Election Day in the US

Ineptocracy (in-ep-toc-ra-cy)

- a system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain
themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers.

So today we elect more baffoons, who have promised us they will do things better, and make our country/county/city a better place for "we the people", but who once in office, will only work for themselves and focus only on getting re-elected 4 years from now, just as they did 4 years ago.

and a neighbor

This has a 6 car garage... and who knows how many bedrooms.

...almost done.

One of the last nice weekends....

got up to 60F ( 16 c ) On this beautiful Sunday afternoon. Just a gorgeous day on this side of the Atlantic...

I noted Prague looked equally nice weather-wise today as well.

...and another

Yesterday

These are the Hills just across the street from where I grew up. When I was a teen, these hill in the foreground were tree-less.

I hiked these hills and in winter, sledded and tobogganed down them.. As you can see in the 45 years since I did that, hundreds of trees(the yellow ones and the bares trees in front of them) have sprouted and grown tall, where, once, the smooth hills and sledding paths used to be.

Barn

Fairport, along the canal

All Souls Day

11-1-11

One One-One-One One