Golfing in Lake Placid, NY

Oh My God, I miss golfing sooooooooooooo muuuuuuuuuuuuuuch!!!
Here I was summer 2010 at

Even it was pouring rain for the entire 18 holes, I would give anything right now to be able to play the season. But, unfortunately, my physiotherapist will not allow me due to my accident.

Construction galore

My daily walks have suddenly changed - my neighborhood has become a construction zone! In a less then 1km radius there are 5 new houses being destroyed and getting ready for new buildings. There are bulldozers, trucks and other heavy equipments everywhere. Just on my street there are three houses that are having their roof done all at once! It is very difficult to walk because of my leg injury to start with, imagine when you have to avoid huge cement truck! Tomorrow I will go walk to a different borough in search of greener pasture.

Pineapple

Pineapple is one of my favorite fruits. It tastes very sweet and sourish and its texture is hard, but at the same time the fruit itself is very juicy.
The first time I visited Puerto Rico I was extremely surprised to see the pineapple farm. I was really expecting to see it grow on a tree. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that it grows on a plant.
There are couple of interesting facts about pineapples that I've found:
- Did you know that each pineapple plant only produces just one pineapple per year?
- Would you ever imagine that if they are left to their own devices to grow and not picked up in first two years, they can actually reach up to 9kg (20lbs).
And I don't have to mention how good pineapples are for you when they are served with meat, i.e. as meat tenderizers.

You can visit http://www.howtocutapineapple.com to learn to cut and serve it.

What?! A "Welcoming Home"

Today, while walking in my neighborhood, I saw this magnificent house entrance.

It looks fabulous, what do you think?

Custard apple

Custard apple is my favorite fruit. But! it’s extremely difficult to find it and the reason for it is that commercially it’s a very tough fruit to transport.
To transport it the fruit has to be really green and hard. But the thing is that it doesn’t ripe properly unless it’s getting ripe on a tree. When it gets ripe its skin becomes extremely thin and turns yellow-brownish color. And it's so tender when you pick it ripe that it has to be eaten right away.
Custard apple tastes like a vanilla pudding with maple syrup. It’s a really rich taste that gives you the same sensation as chocolate. But the only way you can try the real ripe custard apple is through finding someone who grows their own custard apple trees and if they don’t like it, you are one lucky person!

And if you happen to have another luck of living in Australia, you can join this Australian Custard Apple Growers Association that I have never imagined would exist even in my wildest dreams and go buffet on it!

Pomegranate

I am not a big fan of pomegranates, but my daughter is. In fact, she loves them so much. It's always a pleasure for me to see her devouring this fruit. She was born in Puerto Rico and we used to grow them there. Perhaps, that's why she likes them so much.

I must admit, we weren't too successful in growing them, though, as we didn't realize that this plant requires very dry soil. I guess, my daily watering them wasn't a good idea after all, heh!

Pomegranates remind me of a juicy cranberry, very tart and acidic, and, yes, you can eat the seeds. 

Pomegranates are superb for eating, cooking and decorating. Mix them with other fruits or flowers to create a dramatic centerpiece; use them to bring life to salads, baked goods and main dishes, or just put them in a bowl by themselves (see one of my masterpieces below:). 

Their deep purple-red, glossy appearance and beautiful shape also makes them a must-have for the holidays.

This flower just made my day!

Since I need to exercise, but I cannot go too hard on myself, I go for these daily walks that keep me in shape and refresh me every day.
I am always fascinated by nature, especially if's flowers, trees or plants. And as I was walking one of these days, I felt like sharing all this beauty that I was seeing around me. So that's when I decided to start a new category about things that I see during my walks.
And this is what I came across today! →