Happy Birthday Carrie!!

Saturday February 7 and Sunday February 8, 2015
Koreshan State Historic Site
Estero, Florida

 

February 7 Saturday

 

 

Today is an extra special Day!
It’s Carrie’s Birthday!   

 

 

♫   HAPPY  BIRTHDAY CARRIE !!!!!!!!!!!!   ♫

♭♮  YOUR BIRTHDAY IS TODAY!!!!     ♬

HEY!!

 

Happily the weather is going to be  bit warmer today up in Laurel Maryland where she is.  50’s are predicted for the day.  We talk a couple times to her during the day and she says she got both her present and the card on time.  That’s great!  She’s a jewel in our life and we wish we were with her on her birthday.  Now we have to celebrate without her but we miss you Carrie.

Actually since today is Saturday we don’t spend the morning celebrating other than talking to Carrie.  I do the laundry, run the vacuum, make some fresh hummus, call Disney World and make reservations for next January (whoo hoo), call my dad and take a shower.  I’m too busy to notice what David is doing.  He says he put the Wilson Sleek on the roof to see if we’d get a better signal with it there and discovers that the top of our Air Conditioner is actually magnetic so it’s easy to put it up there and it still reaches down to the hot spot without our having to move it.  He fixed his grease gun by putting a flexible fit on it so he can finish Winnona’s grease job, showered and emptied the recycling.    Just a regular chores Saturday Morning.

 

 

 

But at 1:00 we bike over to the Art Building to attend the drumming event.   The crowd is thin but the drummers are very good.  They brought hand percussion instruments for the audience to use and encourage everyone to help expand the sound. 

Those in attendance did and seemed to have a very good time.  Some people even danced.  

Mary is the volunteer who sets up these 1:00 Saturday and Sunday musical performances in the spirit of the Koreshans who did the same.  It’s a big job which she seems to really enjoy.  We thank her afterwards for putting these week-end performances together.  What would our parks do without their volunteers?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back at home, we revisit last night’s tortilla soup and end the evening with 7 rounds of Mexican Train.  I’m ahead 47 to 153.  HA!

 

 

SUNDAY February 8th

 

 

This morning I walk the lovely trail over to the settlement and David rides his bike.  We are going to the Farmer’s Market which runs from 8 to 1pm every Sunday.  We arrive about 8:45.

It’s located on the grand avenue.   We find several vegetable and fruit stands, home made guacamole in an enormous tub, kettle corn, local honey, fresh seafood,  a hot dog stand, some craft and flea market tables and a little gal with an ice tea stand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On my walking to and from the community, I always stop to see the gopher tortoise and today she is right by her door getting a little sun in her front yard.

 

 

Later in the morning we go over to see the baking demonstration.  We both bike and are shocked at the number of cars parked for the market.   We stroll through again while waiting for the streusel to finish and the place is packed.  

 

 

For the baking demonstration they use a 1920’s wood stove that was used here by the Koreshans and has been refurbished.   On Sundays it is fired up and dollar size buckwheat pancakes are made.  Sorghum molasses is provided for a true old timey treat.  Today there is also an apple streusel baking in the oven. 

Wood stove ovens are tricky.  You have to keep checking things to make sure they aren’t too hot or not hot enough and move the food up or down away from the heat and turn it front to back.  This baker has the wood stove knack and the streusel comes out fabulously as we can attest from the tastes provided.  

 

 

They had also made a no knead sourdough bread which was baking in a dutch oven over coals.  The baker had just put the bread in when we got there and later opened it so we could see it inside the kettle.  I wasn’t in the front row for that look.  You can see the lid with coals on it just to the right of the open dutch oven.

Actually the coals were both under the dutch oven and on its lid.  The baker has to check to make sure that the temperature stays perfect by moving the coals around, adding more or removing some.  There is a real art to both the dutch oven baking and the wood stove baking. 

When the bread is finished it looks golden brown.  He slices it and I am able to have the first piece hot out of the kettle.  Boy is it good.  It reminds David and I of what we called English Muffin bread that I used to make at the farm.  Everybody’s favorite.  Remember Carrie?

 

 

 

 

They have a small recipe book, free taste samples of two of the breads in the book as well as mini loaves of them for sale along with the cookbook and an ingredients package for making two loaves.  These volunteers are really working hard to provide extra funds that all stay in the park.  

In Florida, all entry fees and campground fees go to the state to be spread around.  A very popular park probably does not get all the money it takes in.  While a less popular one may well get more than it takes in.  The “friends” organizations of the parks have found very clever ways to bring in funds that stay in the park itself.  Here they do the ghost walks, teas, these demonstrations, guided tours for donation and the musical events for donations.    An amazing group of people are really loving this park and showing it.

 

 

 

We stay at the bread baking talking to the volunteers until time for the musical event back in the Art Hall.  This was a concert mainly of short show tunes played by Debbie Carlsen.  We enjoyed the music but thought she was a bit heavy handed on the gorgeous 1895 Steinway Grand that has just been refurbished.  The $10,000 cost for this was raised by the friends.

Of course we have high standards for piano music.  We’ve been spoiled.  We both commented that the piano coming from our living room as we were cooking dinner when Carrie was playing was much more delicate and beautiful.  It made you want to delay dinner just to hear her play.

 

 

 

 

It’s a beautiful day here with a high of 77 degrees.  Just the way I like to spend my winters!!