Upside-Down Tomatoes-- Week Thirteen; The First Tomato!!

Monday, 20 July 2009; Grumpy's Castle Grounds --

Another warm sunny day and Grumpy continued daily to monitor the progress of his Upside-Down tomato plants. These were planted way back on the 24th of April. Progress has been slow but persistent; Grumpy has been equally persistent: he was determined that the first tomato that became ripe would be split and shared with the Grand Mother (baker of those delicious, delectable Lemon Meringue Pies). Today was the day!!

Pictured here is that first fruit -- a beautiful, spotless red. Looks just like a good ripe tomato ought to look, right?! Grumpy thought so, so he plucked it from its place on the vine and placed it carefully on the kitchen table where the Grand Mother and Grumpy could admire it.

This tomato vine (on the right in the photo) is believed to be "Early Girl", but Grumpy isn't sure. At any rate, the fruit appear to be on the small side -- this first one (and the others ripening on the vine) are just slightly smaller than a tennis ball -- larger than a golf ball. But it isn't the size that counts; it's the taste, right!?

Next came the sharp knife, which cut cleanly through the center of the tomato revealing its bright red and juicy interior. Well, the core showed some green below the stem. The taste test revealed the truth: this was a sweet, flavorful tomato -- admittedly a little "green" tasting near the core, resulting in the Grand Mother opining that "it could have stayed on the vine a little longer". Grumpy agreed; the next tomato (there are at least two more that should be ready to pick in about 10 days) will wait a couple or three days after it turns "good and red".

Another Bucket of Berries

In the Garden Again; Grumpy's Castle Grounds, WA--

The next afternoon, after Grumpy picked about 3/4 of the row of Raspberries (see Yesterday's post of Friday's activities), Grumpy again ventured forth into the thorny subject of picking Red Raspberries. Starting at the end of the row that didn't get completed Friday morning, Grumpy continued further down the row and up the backside next to the fence. He was surprised to find so many ripe Raspberries on those vines he had already picked over only 30 hours before! Instead of getting about 1/3 to 1/2 of a bucketful, Grumpy found nearly a full bucket of berries!! Notice at right in the photo, some of what was left of Friday's Raspberry pie that the Grand Mother made from the first picking.

One of the interesting items Grumpy found was a double Raspberry, pictured here close-up. The white core, which remained on the vine, consisted of two cores oriented nearly opposite one another. I have never seen such a "Siamese Twin" occurrence in a Raspberry before -- or any other kind of fruit either. The equivalent in a peach, for example, would be a double-lobed fruit with two pits located near the middle of each lobe; or an apple, similarly double-lobed in shape, with two seed cores located near the center of each lobe.

What Thou Sowest, That Shall Ye also Reap--Red Raspberries!

Friday In Grumpy's Garden; Grumpy's Castle WA --

In a previous post, progress was shown in the Upside-Down Tomatoes that Grumpy planted the latter part of May. Today's post is about another more conventional part of Grumpy's Garden: The Red Raspberry Row.

The old next-door neighbors (Paul and Louise Rice) planted and for years nurtured a patch of red raspberry vines. I say a "patch" because they never (in my memory at least) took the time to provide a trellis or wire upon which to string the long new growth upon which the next season's raspberries grow the largest and most profusely. Neither did the Rice's take care to control the spread of these rhizomatic plants. Hence, after a time there arose on Grumpy's Estate a field of raspberry plants.

As Paul and Louise grew older, they decided to eliminate the raspberries from their side of the lot-line. Grumpy decided to nurture the raspberries that he had "inherited" by providing them with an appropriate trellis on which the fruitful vines could be hung. The "trellis" consists of four strands of #20 wire strung between two 6-foot steel conduits planted in cement-filled holes. Each Fall, Grumpy cuts the old stems back to ground level and selects the lustiest and most promising new vines to hang on the wire trellis. I also pull up or dig out any rhizomes that precede the migration of the vine to other parts of the yard, maintaining a more-or-less straight line of vines corresponding to the wire trellis location. By keeping the vines constrained along the trellis, Grumpy has access to both sides of the row, thereby easing the job of finding and picking the ripe berries.

Grumpy placed a 25-foot piece of "soaker hose" (pervious hose designed to allow slow seepage of water through its many pores) along the length of the raspberry row and has maintained a windrow of composted chipped/shredded garden waste along the length of the row. The composted material helps to evenly spread the water emanating from the soaker hose and also minimizes evaporation of the water from the soil, besides adding the nutrients from the compost back into the soil.

When Grumpy left on 18 June for the now-infamous "4-Day Trek to Florida", he pleaded with those who remained behind at his Castle to harvest the berries when they became ripe, which he thought would be about 28 June. Having no committment from anyone that the harvest would take place as desired, Grumpy anticipated that his Red Raspberry Row would be rife with shrunken or bird-pecked fruit. Much to his pleasant surprise, when he went to examine it on Friday, it was loaded with prime-to-harvest fruit!!

Grumpy picked enough fresh raspberries to make two pies (about four cups each). Grumpy immediately partook of some of the berries to perk up his morning oatmeal (low fat, high-fiber and healthy fruit!). The Grand Mother cached enough for one pie in the deep freezer for another time, and made a super-delicious looking pie for Grumpy with the rest. The sheer beauty of the pie suggests that it would be good to eat. Subsequent "taste testing" proved that "looks do not deceive". Of course, Grumpy would say, "If the Grand Mother makes it, it will be good!!" With the pie still warm from the oven and a dollop of ice cream, the Grand Mother and Grumpy had a tasty before-bedtime snack. Healthy too; all that fresh fruit, you know!

Upside-Down Tomatoes-- Week Ten

9 July 2009; At Home Again--

When Grumpy left for the 4-day trek across the USA (and through St. Louis MO) with Son Ward, he left the fate of the Upside-Down Tomatoes in the hands of son-in-law Adolfo. The necessary task was to pour about half a gallon of water each week into the funnel at the top of each upside-down planter. The depth of soil above the base of the tomatoes assures that there will then be sufficient water for the plant for the coming week.

When Grumpy left, he noted one little tomato beginning to take shape on the "Early Girl". Now, nearly four weeks later, the reader may count 15 tomatoes on this vine (on the right in this photo)! The "Glacier" plant to the left in this photo, has five tomatoes today. With a few more warm days, Grumpy is anticipating a garden-fresh tomato in his salad or sandwich from the Early Girl vine! The taste will be the test!!

From the other planter hangs the "Yellow Pear" (photo below, curving outward on the left, with two tomatoes evident; the larger one -- about midway along the main stalk -- taking a distinctive pear shape), and a very lusty "Sun Gold" vine (curving to the right and "leaning" on the stone facia, with no tomatoes in evidence). [Does anyone know a good recipe using "Sun Gold" tomato vine!?] But Grumpy is patient -- after all, he has yet to raise any tomatoes in his yard here at his Castle. This year looks promising -- so far!!

Fishing in Florida; A Story of Miss-Casts

A Retrospective on Certain Fishing in Florida --
On one of the sight-seeing tours Son Ward took us on, we chanced upon a lazy stream. No stream in Florida is in a hurry. The land is so flat that Grumpy believes they flow upstream or downstream depending on the tidal effect of the Sun and Moon! But the allure of this particular stream was that it "might" hold an Alligator or three!

Anyway, this stream was spanned by a concrete bridge with excellent viewing of a good span of water wherein might lurk the wily Alligator. So we stopped and got out to look over the situation. Grumpy peered intently into the smooth, brownish water emanating in both directions from under the bridge, hoping to spy a big 'Gator; meanwhile, Son Ward spied the strange assortment of fishing lures dangling from the power line spanning the stream above.

This cropped image highlights the several lures left stranded there by no-doubt several frustrated fisherman! One can only imagine the color(s) of the air that must have further polluted this quiet place when the fisherman-owners of these lures first realized the "lure" that this overhead wire held for their fishing lures.

Highlights of Our Week's Vacation in Florida

June 29th to July 6th 2009; via Satellite from Florida --

The Grand Mother (aka, First Wife) and Grumpy (aka, Grumpy old man) spent a memorable week here visiting our oldest son One-Eyed Jack (aka, Popeye, Harry, also Son Ward) and his wife Peggie with grandson Joe (the Geek). This post will present photos representing the highlights during our time here.

The Grand Mother chose to fly down here to Florida rather than enjoy the adventure of riding the 3,100 miles in an UNairconditioned pickup, driven by two men who, together could claim three eyes and three ears. But before going to the airport to meet the Grand Mother, Grumpy had to undergo a transformation which would "purify" him from the smell of fishes and other accumulations which seem to thrive on a Grumpy old man who is away for a time from the "civilizing influence" of his First Wife:

Yes, before becoming "suitable" for greeting the Grand Mother, Grumpy had to endure a cold-water torture, administered by a fully-loaded garden hose gleefully aimed by Peggie, in One-Eye's back yard! This short, unedited slide show reveals the truth.

June 29th: The Grand Mother arrives! After her happy, surprised expression in spotting Peggie, she looked Grumpy's way and gave him a big smile. As he drew closer for a welcome kiss, she said, "Pee-yew!! You have a beard!" Grumpy later gave a "lame excuse" about "forgetting his razor" -- it didn't pass muster.

June 30th: Breakfast at the Waffle House! The unique nomenclature for each egg and hash browns combination is half the fun in coming to a Waffle House. Grumpy had his two eggs over easy with "regular hash browns, scattered, smothered, and capped" (spread out with onions and mushrooms).

Early evening, June 30th: The "Trumpet Flower" only blooms at night. This photo was taken in the early evening just as the flower was beginning to open. Grand Mother's hand, holding the flower for better view and size comparison shows how huge this flower is!

July 1st: Old St. Augustine. The day-long walking tour (autos are forbidden!) in Old St. Augustine was made pleasurable by the Grand Mother being saved from the torture of walking by riding in a wheelchair. Grumpy and One-Eyed Jack got their exercise this day by being the motive power. Peggie and her sister, Gwennie, also took turns.

July 2nd: Dining at "Clark's Fish Camp". This was an unforgettable experience, not to be missed!!

July 3rd: A quiet day during which Grumpy was able to update this BLOG as well as finally getting his long-missed afternoon nap!

July 4th: The One-Eyed one fired up the old barbeque and prepared a delicious feast of steaks like the which no one else can fix. Peggie and the Grand Mother slaved away in Peggie's kitchen putting together accompaniments, including Peggie's potato salad, a cucumber and onion salad, and a fresh-fruit salad. The day's eating was topped off with a dessert of hot Apple Crisp served ala mode.

July 5th: One-Eyed Jack took us for a ride in the country to go Alligator hunting. We spotted no Alligators, but we saw some beautiful flowers and one rare, old turtle who obliged by posing for his (her?) portrait. He(she?) is a "Florida Gopher Tortoise", an endangered species of an unusually large size and probably an advanced age (they live 60-100 years!).

July 6th: Our last day in Florida, we did some last-minute shopping for things we might need on our flight back to Seattle (snacks on the airplane, souvenir post cards, etc) and then had an early lunch at "Chick-fil-A", a fast food place that serves real lemonade and where someone comes around near the end to ask how everything was, handing out moist cleanser pads to dry-clean our fingers and faces after the delicious repast.

And then, on the way back to the Retirement Castle on the Hill, we spotted this stork standing nonchalantly beside a local storm-water holding pond! We first cautiously took some pictures through the open window of the car, but then decided to "take our chances" on an even better shot without the obstructions of a chain-link fence. This final shot was taken with the camera lens poking through the opening in the chain-link; the stork was totally nonplussed!!

And now to bed; we must get up and be on the road at 0400 tomorrow morning for the 150 mile drive to Orlando International Airport for our flight home.

Last Day in Florida

Monday 6 July 2009; via Satellite from Florida--

Today was to be our last full day in Florida; what surprises did our hosts have in store? 'Twas a ride through the country-side around Green Cove Springs [Grumpy has finally gotten used to calling it that instead of Green Cove Acres!].

The day began, though with "Rat Pancakes" stirred up by none other than Old One-Eye himself, using the Grand Mother's old family recipe which has now been handed down for three generations. Grumpy thought they were delicious -- not as good as the Grand Mother mixed up the day before, of course, but still pretty darn good. They were apparently so good that Grumpy caught the Grand Mother, perhaps in a fit of jealously, "hitting the bottle" -- (so early in the morning, too! Tsk! tsk!).

Then off we went to do some last-minute shopping for "supplies" to sustain us on that 5-hour flight to Seattle -- in the interest of ticket price competition, the airlines no longer offer complimentary meals. That's okay, the meals they served weren't that spectacular any more anyway.

After the shopping was done (and a gully-washer of a rain storm had passed so we could get to the car without getting drenched!) we went to "Chick-A-Fila" for a delicious lunch of -- what else, Chicken. This chain, which is headquartered in South Carolina, is recommended for those who like chicken. Not as greasy as KFC, and always prepared fresh when you order it.

On our way back to the Retirement Castle on the Hill, we spotted three Great White Egrets and a stork lolling on the edge of a storm-water holding pond. The egrets flew away before we could get a photo of them (although Grumpy took several wing "shots" as they arose from the pond and disappeared), but the stork was totally nonplussed and remained standing on one leg as Grumpy cautiously walked up to the chain-link fence surrounding the pond and poked his lens through an opening to get this unobstructed photo, complete with the stork's reflection! Click on the photo for a larger size view.

This post would not be complete without showing some of the flowers that graced the yard around the Retirement Castle on the Hill. The red-colored flower cluster is a typical Crape (or Crepe) Myrtle (this Myrtle comes in several colors and shades, including white, lavender and pink; further, it will grow in the Pacific Northwest!!).

The deep-golden yellow Hibiscus had two big flowers on it this day, but another day it had seven flowers open! Curiously, the flowers are pointing away from the sun in this mid-afternoon shot.

In addition to the flowers shown, there were miniature and standard Tea Roses along the walkway into the house. Also around the house and yard was a "Bottle Brush" (a red flowering bush whose flower resembles a baby-bottle brush!), a Wisteria vine (clamoring to "escape" into other trees!), and a night-blooming Jasmine, claimed to give off a downright intoxicating aroma! Grumpy missed getting a photo of the one Wisteria flower-bunch and the Jasmine is still a "youngster" and not ready to bloom.

The Alligator Hunt

Out and About; via Satellite from Florida --

After a late breakfast this Sunday, One-Eyed Jack took us all for a ride down US-17 to the town of Palatka where we saw gasoline priced 10 cents a gallon less than in Jacksonville a couple days before. We also had lunch in a local Wendy's -- the pubs were all closed since it was Sunday!

Then we went looking for Alligators. With the trusty "Gretchen Garmin" at our aid, we soon got lost on a dead-end road. (Really, can you believe it is a Dead End road when the centerline is painted and you can see four miles down to a curve with no end in sight?!) Besides, Gretchen showed another road that would lead us back to the main highway. Lo and behold, when we got to the end of the paved, centerline-marked highway, the "road" that Gretchen showed on her pretty (pink?) screen was blocked by a chained gate. Well, the road didn't look all that good either -- it was just a two-track trail in the sandy soil that they call "dirt" down here in Northeast Florida. This pretty red swamp flower made the long trip worth our while, however. We also spotted three smallish white wading birds that looked like egrets, but they had some yellow-brown feathers on their breasts and along the crown of their heads and tails. We were unsuccessful in getting any good pictures of these shy birds.

After a frantic call to Peggie's brother Glenn, we were directed back down this Dead End road to nearly its beginning where we found the small, green sign that pointed the way to "Williams Park" -- the locale for serious Alligator hunting.

Upon arriving at the Park, we found this flower, which we ask the readers more skilled in Botany that any of us, to identify. It's petals are very leathery and the habitat where it was found was wet -- it may have come from a lily-pad or other aquatic plant, possibly uprooted by the denizens of this area, the Alligator.

Also found at the park were these Cypress trees with their curious up-rising root nubs. What function these root nubs perform is anybody's guess. The Spanish moss hanging from the trees above was picturesque, to say the least.

Not finding any Alligators to harass was somewhat of a disappointment to Grumpy. He had to be content with the one he saw at Clark's Fish Camp (the place with the alligator tail appetizers).

On the return trip away from the water (river side), this beautiful Magnolia flower! The aroma ascending from this flower was almost intoxicating! Grumpy would have picked it, but the owner might have been spotted sitting on his front porch with a double-barrelled shotgun across his knees.

As we drove back to the Retirement Castle on the Hill, a turtle was spotted by the roadside. Some in the car wanted to go back and put the turtle in the back seat (with Peggie, who said she wanted it for a pet!). One-Eyed Jack patiently turned around and drove back to where the turtle had been sighted; we all got out and took pictures. Surfing the INTERNET after we got back to the Castle, we discovered that the turtle was a Florida Gopher Tortoise, an endangered species! Further, since it was agreed by those who saw him(her?) that the size of this guy was over 12 inches -- maybe as much as 15 or 16 -- that this was indeed an extremely rare sighting!! Gopher Tortoises mature in about 12-15 years at a length of about 8-9 inches. The record size is reported as 15 inches. Had we realized what a rare event this was, we would have taken more photos and a measurement or three!

A Dining-out Experience of a Lifetime!

Alligator Alley; via Satellite from Florida --

Last night (Thursday 2 July), the Grand Mother and Grumpy were treated to the dining experience of our lives! Son Ward took us on a 25-mile ride up US-17, across the St. John's River on I-95 and finally down a narrow country lane to a non-descript shack with the name, "Clark's Fish Camp". It looked exactly like you would expect a group of batchelors would jury-rig together to provide the minimal necessities for enjoying each other's company, drinking beer, and maybe doing a little fishing, too. The roof was corrugated steel, once galvanized but now generally rusty; the outer walls looked to be constructed using second-hand lumber from old barns and such; the floors inside were undulating and spongy in some places, suggesting that one might find himself falling through and becoming alligator dinner.

As we arrived, we walked down a short wooden pier where we spotted a 5-6 foot alligator feasting on tid-bits thrown in the water by some of the earlier diners. Two 18-inch snapping turtles were also sharing in the feast, totally undeterred by the small alligator.

Soon we were seated at a window table and our waiter took our orders for "appetizers", including fried dill pickles, fried green tomatoes, fried vegetable mix (squash, broccoli, mushrooms, onion rings, Brussell sprouts, zucchini, cauliflower), and the piece d' resistance; fried alligator tail! Everybody (and that includes the Grand Mother!) tried everything; the consensus was that the alligator tail tasted like pork chop -- but Grumpy would add that it "chewed like boiled gizzard". [Grumpy slept fitfully last night -- he thinks it was due to overindulgence in fried alligator tail -- or maybe it was just overindulgence!]

Our friendly waiter took our picture after we had happily feasted on the appetizers. As you can see, everyone enjoyed this unique site, the food and the company.

The ceiling area in the room we were seated was adorned with taxidermy samples of a Bison head, a leaping lion (just out of view in this photo), a perching monkey and numerous other wild animals. The hallway through which we walked to get to our table was adorned by a huge collection of collector plates picturing various colorful fish.

As darkness descended on this colorful place, little blips of rain soon turned into another Florida late afternoon downpour. We drove back to the Retirement Castle on the Hill and Grumpy was quick to crawl into bed, taking two TUMS to ease the digestive rumblings he knew would visit his otherwise uninterrupted slumber.