First Things I Needed To Learn About Being A Single Father

First Things I Needed To Learn About Being A Single Father.

My students at DeVry University are learning to blog as part of their English Comp class. This is Benjamin Guerra’s blog. He is a single father learning to raise his beautiful daughter. I thought you would enjoy his posts as he relates the many trials, tribulations and successes of being a single Dad.

Wounded Warriors go Diving with American Diving

American Diving sponsored a fund-raiser for Air Warrior Courage Foundation hosting LCpl Tanner Ivie and Cpl Franklin Powell on a multi-day adventure off South Padre Island exploring the sunken Texas Clipper. Our two star divers, LCpl Ivie and Cpl Powell lost legs in Afghanistan. But, that didn’t slow them down. They set personal best depth records during their underwater expedition.

The mission of the Wounded Warrior Project, founded in 2002, is to “honor and empower wounded warriors” upon their return from the battlefield.

WWP’s purpose is threefold:

• To raise awareness and enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members.
• To help injured service members aid and assist each other.
• To provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members

Please visit the Wounded Warrior Project website for additional information and ways you can assist our men and women coming home.

Fab Placez wishes to thank Tim and Diane O’Leary for their continued support of the Wounded Warrior Project and for inviting Fab Placez to join Dive Week.

NYC Dining Secrets: Stone Street with Kathy Biehl

 

Stone Street is believed to be the first paved street in New York City.

Stone Street patrons enjoy dining al fresco

This narrow, cobblestoned pedestrian street dates back to the original Dutch colonists. Originally called Hoogh (High) Street, it was re-named Duke Street in the 1700s and then, Stone Street.  The area fell into disrepair, but a revitalization effort sparked in the mid-1990s has restored this little alley to a pleasant oasis amid the bustle of the surrounding city canyons.

Lined with chic restaurants and taverns, from April to October the entire street is filled with tables for outdoor dining. Choose from Japanese, Mexican, Scandinavian and other cuisines. Or, opt for the neighborhood appeal of the cozy Stone Street Tavern at 52 Stone Street. Great pub food and a friendly staff.

The Financier Patisserie is a great place to grab a sandwich or an interesting salad like La Mexicaine with arugula, grilled shrimp, roasted corn and black bean relish. Chef Eric Bedoucha takes great pride in his éclairs. You can buy some of the Financier Patisserie’s own brand of cookies or packaged preserves in flavors like apricot & wild cherry.

As you explore Manhattan’s financial district, be sure to forgo noshing so you can totally enjoy the ambience and cuisine of Stone Street.

Copenhagen’s ‘Little Paris’

Gail Bailey is our guest blogger. Gail calls New York City home. However, she is currently on a discovery mission to find wonderful, secret places in Europe. One of her latest “finds” is the gourmet street Værnedamsvej. She shares with us why we must not miss Little Paris on our next trip into Copenhagen.

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One of Copenhagen’s sweetest gems is the tiny street, Værnedamsvej, or better known as ‘Little Paris’. Bordering the neighborhoods of Vesterbro and Frederiksberg, it is lined with charming gourmet specialty shops and restaurants that have the look and feel of a bygone era. Head here to experience the joie de vivre that the Danes are so famous for.

These are some places you simply shouldn’t miss.

• Lagkagehuset Bakery, Værnedamsvej 1

One of the best bakeries in the city. Besides traditional Danish rye bread, Copenhageners come here for the amazing desserts. Most popular are the layered strawberry cream tarts, the kartoffelkage (potato cake filled with cream and covered in marzipan) and, of course, the variety of danishes. Take a number when you walk in.  If there is room, enjoy your desert at the window bar.

Lagkagehuset Bakery

• Le Gourmand, Værnedamsvej 3A

Without exception, every morsel in this petite deli hails from France. The owner takes great pride in his personal relationships with small French producers. He’ll tell you exactly where your chosen delicacy comes from and how it is prepared. The day I went in I sampled a mouth-watering duck rillettes (slowly cooked to the consistency of pâté) and a chunk of hazelnut sausage. Perfect place to stock a picnic basket or takeaway a pre-prepared gourmet meal.

• Summerbird Chokolaterie, Værnedamsvej 9

This chocolate boutique is famous for its flødeboller (translation: snowball). Instead of the ice cold variety, this Danish snowball is covered in chocolate filled with a white creamy filling. Inside you can find a surprise such as apple compote and at the bottom, a nutty base. Simply divine! All of Summerbird’s chocolates are 100% Danish and handmade on the island of Fyn.

• Les Trois Cochon, Værnedamsvej 10

Excellent and inexpensive French food is a rare combination. Les Trois Cochon dishes out a three-course meal for under $50. It has a fixed menu that changes seasonally: think of your favorite French dish (but with a Scandinavian twist). Intimacy is also up for serving. Diners share long oak candle lit tables, which creates a dinner party atmosphere. Book ahead!

There is a lot to sample on this small street, so come with an empty stomach.

Cabo San Lucas Adventure

There’s nothing like an adrenaline rush and where better to make your heart beat faster than Cabo San Lucas! Zip-line with Wild Canyon Adventures, parasail with Natalia Sports Adventure, fish with Pochos Charters or fly like a bird in an ultra-light with Cabo Sky Tours. But, don’t forget to take time to watch the sun rise over the Sea of Cortez.

Hame Castle – Hameenlinna, Finland

An easy one-hour drive from Helsinki is the oldest inland town in Finland…Hameenlinna. In 1260, the Swedes built Hame Castle as a protective fortress against Russia. The most distinctive feature of the castle are the two red-bricked towers that rise above a beautiful lake. Inside the fortress walls are dining halls, bed chambers and military watch stations. Originally, the structure was located on an island, but the waters receded leaving the castle vulnerable to attack. So, it was back to the drawing board for the construction of more protective walls.

Despite the protection, Russia conquered Finland in 1809. The castle was converted into a jail and remained such until the 1980’s when the last prisoners were released. The structure was renovated and opened to the public in 1991.

While you’re in the area: Close to Hame Castle is an artillery museum, Tykistomuseo. There are several buildings displaying WWII military vehicles and weapons. The information about Finland’s participation in the war is well presented and well worth the 6 Euro price of admission.

2010 in review

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Fresher than ever.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 5,100 times in 2010. That’s about 12 full 747s.

 

In 2010, there were 20 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 41 posts. There were 257 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 5gb. That’s about 5 pictures per week.

The busiest day of the year was June 29th with 45 views. The most popular post that day was Interesting Places Around London.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, mail.live.com, obama-scandal-exposed.co.cc, android-vs-ipad.co.cc, and mail.yahoo.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for olympic stadium london, london 2012 olympic stadium, 2012 olympics, london olympic stadium, and london 2012.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

Interesting Places Around London June 2010

2

London 2012 Olympics Goes Green: Sustainability at the Right Time August 2009
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3

Yippie-Yi-Yay, Joe Gish’s Old West Museum November 2009
3 comments

4

New York City’s PRIDEfest: Birth of Modern Gay Rights Movement June 2009

5

A Well Kept NYC Restaurant Secret: Sanur Restaurant – Indonesia and Malaysia Food June 2009
5 comments

Elle’s Grand Adventure – the mature woman’s travel guide

Have you ever felt unsure of yourself? Ever shied away from tackling a project just because you didn’t know how?

Meet Elle! Heroine of Elle’s Grand Adventure.

Cover of Elle's Grand Adventure

Elle is 63, recently widowed and taking a hard look at her life. She sits in front of the Travel Channel and dreams of being a participant instead of a spectator in all those adventures.  But, Elle doesn’t know where to begin. Her best friend, Mary Ann, scolds her for having such outrageous travel ideas: “There are terrorists out there!”

Frustrated, Elle gives up…until Sheila, her biker-chick alter-ego, materializes on the scene. Tattoos blazing, cigarette smoking, beer guzzling Sheila steps in to help Elle satisfy her life long travel dreams.

Elle Meets Sheila

Elle’s begining:

Elle came to life in the early 2000’s when I was flying one of those numbingly long flights to Asia. I began watching people struggle with every aspect of travel from security to luggage to passports. Elle’s story was born. People, mature women specifically, have flight issues. Impossibly heavy luggage. The maze of passport application. Clothing…always an issue.
Because there is nothing that tells a story better than pictures, I opted for a graphic novel format instead of the printed word. I contacted a friend of mine, John Palamidy, cartoonist extraordinaire. He immediately liked Elle and agreed to transform my words into pictures.  Once accomplished, we called upon Linda Stiefler, talented graphic artist, to make Elle the colorful character we all envisioned.

So, if you or someone you know wants to travel, but is a bit confused by all the travel mumbo-jumbo, here’s the perfect gift. When she turns that last page of Elle’s story, you won’t be able to keep her home.

For a mere $10.95, here’s a solution to at least some of your holiday shopping needs.

Click here to purchase your copy from Amazon.com.  Happy traveling!

Chelsea’s Physic Garden

Why is everyone flocking to Chelsea’s Physic Garden? Might be to get up close and personal with Bella Donna, the poisonous berry that “ladies of the evening” would put a little of the juice in their eyes to dilate their pupils and make them more attractive. Or, maybe to sit al fresco at the Tangerine Dream Cafe to enjoy a delightful range of fresh, homemade food and the best afternoon tea in London.

Whatever the reason, the Physic Garden is the second oldest botanical garden in England. Oxford’s plantings slightly predate Chelsea.

Philanthropist Hans Sloane bought four acres of land near the River Thames from Charles Cheyne. In 1673, he leased this land to the Society of Apothecaries for £5 a year in perpetuity. The garden was established for the study and cultivation of medicinal plants.

Under Philip Miller’s direction, the Chelsea Physic Garden became world famous and, besides preserving plants from around the world, initiated the seed exchange program to other nations and organizations. For example, cottonseed, sent to the colonies, was the beginning of the American cotton industry.

School children enjoy field trips to discover pond life while adults enjoy finding a favorite plant variety.

Open from April – October, Wednesdays-Sundays from 12-6 p.m. Admission is £8 for adults.

Hampton Court – day tripping from London

Hampton Court, the residence of British royalty since the 16th century.  Watch as David Ingham and Annie Coburn, co-authors of Walk London, walk you through this magnificent palace just 12 miles outside of the center of London.

David explains the architecture, the history and why this is such an important part of English culture.

Hampton Court has two contrasting architectural styles: Perpendicular Gothic and Renaissance style. Giovannie da Maiano’s relief busts of Roman emperors were set in the Tudor brickwork.

After Cardinal Wolsey fell out of favor with Henry VIII, the king began an expansion of Hampton because he had a court that exceeded 1,000 people. He quadrupled the kitchens and demanded day/night construction on the Great Hall which has one of the most impressive carved hammer-beam roofs in existence.

In 1689, when French King Louis XIV moved his court to Versailles, royalty everywhere attempted to meet the standard of this opulent residence. Hampton Court was no exception. William and Mary commenced a huge building project. Sir Christopher Wren was commissioned to redesign the palace – out with the Tudor and in with the Baroque.

The two King George’s (I and II) were the last royal sovereigns to reside at Hampton Court. Thanks to Queen Victoria, 1796, Henry VIII’s Great Hall was restored and the palace was opened to the public.

Info:    Open from March 28 – October 30

Time:  10:00 – 6:00 Monday – Sunday

Tickets:  About 15 GBP