Bye Bye Buffalo

If you haven’t ever visited Buffalo New York, you really should.  Not this week as it is bitter cold but go most any other (Chicago is colder and you’d go there…). No really, I mean it! The park system was designed by Olmstead (same guy that sculpted and landscaped Central Park, NYC).  He also designed the grounds around the old mental asylum made from Medina red sandstone built by architect HH Richardson; it will knock your socks off.  Explore the Albright Knox/Burchfield Penney ART Museum area or try ice bicycling on the Erie Canal in downtown (or kayak in the summer). Study Tiffany stain glass windows in our churches, learn the history of making Carrousel horses at the Herschell Museum, or tour one of several Frank Lloyd Wright designed homes in the area.  Niagara Falls is a quick 30 minutes north; try the jet boat ride up the lower rapids in the summer.  Feast at any of the many places Diners, Drive Ins and Dives has visited, eat Lake Effect ice cream, or go to the home of the original chicken wing, the Anchor Bar (some natives like Duff’s better– let me know which you think is best).  Come celebrate Dyngus Day, tour Millionaire Mansion row decked out for the holidays, or sip your way through one of the many pub crawls.

To all of this, our family says a fond farewell.  Our friends here are exceptional.  We will miss you so very much.  The moving van is loading, blowing snow and frigid cold and all.

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Our next adventure begins in the new state of …. well, that’s a post yet to come.

But first, COFFEE!

Um.  Essential to life.  Right?  What’s not to love about coffee?  As I paid homage to tea, I felt it necessary to compliment my other hot beverage of choice.  The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch koffie, borrowed from the Turkish kahve, in turn borrowed from the Arabic qahwa, a truncation of qahhwat al-bun ‘wine of the bean’.

Here’s how the cookies for my caffeine-addicted friend turned out.

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Not all cookies make the grade. To prove the point, here are some ideas that I played around with that did not turn out as I had hoped.  Whomp whomp.  Please try to remember only the ones that made the grade. 🙂

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TEArrific

I was invited to go over to a friend’s house for tea, which made me think of a tea party (all proper with pinkies extended), and then Boston, and then the yellow flag with a snake that says “don’t tread on me”, and then all of the possible mutations of “T”, tee, tea, bag, etc?  My mind works in mysterious ways. And “works” is a questionable categorization.  These are but a few of the possibilities:

(PS: Thanks to the magnificent Arty McGoo for allowing me to personify her on a tea bag cookie.  With utter jaw-dropping talent and a playful nature, Liz has the whole package; I am ever grateful for her inspiration and hysterical sense of humor.)

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Happy New Year 2015

Again with the small bites for many people.  I’m hoping to spread cookie kindness like confetti tonight.  Lots of food will be offered so these little guys will fit the grazing mentality.  Here’s to a delectable and delightful start to 2015!  Cheers!

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