Carmen's Chronicles

Saturday, August 06, 2011

Pink Saturday - Pink Proteus - August 6, 2011

This is another beautiful flower from the San Francisco Botanical Garden, a

treasure trove of plants and flowers from all parts of the world. The proteus

is native to South Africa. The king proteus is their national flower.

I am participating in Barbara's Pink Saturday -

check out the site and add your pink photo to join in the fun!

Friday, August 05, 2011

Friday Flash 55 - Vanished in Venice - August 5, 2011

She'd found herself the perfect mask,

And donned her sexy gown,

Thanks to her daily exercise,

She'd vie for prettiest in town!

She gondoliered from ball to ball,

And flirted without shame!

Dancing with a hundred men,

And consuming much champagne.

And when the night drew to a close,

Where she disappeared, no one knows.

Carmen Henesy

I am participating in the Friday Flash 55, the meme of that

dashing and debonair, Mr. KnowItAll, alias Mr. G-Man.

Check out the site and join in the fun!

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Ruby Tuesday - How About Strawberry Shortcake? - August 2, 2011

Though Tuesday is now almost over here on the Pacific West Coast, I

thought I'd post a picture from my Barcelona files - this beautiful display

of strawberries at La Boqueria!

I'm taking part in Ruby Tuesday - check out the site and join in the fun!

Monday, August 01, 2011

Mellow Yellow Monday #132 - Barcelona Seafood from Medulio - August 1, 2011

After posting about Bacelona yesterday, I've been thinking about that great
city all day. On my first visit there, I chanced upon a wonderful restaurant
called Medulio. My friend, Patty, had flown out that morning but I was in
town a couple more days and it was recommended to me by my hotel. I
went over by myself and had an incredible meal of grilled vegetables and
grilled seafood. The owner, Jose Luis Lopez Fraga, was so kind to me and
we became friends over the years. I never missed eating at Medulio when
I was in Barcelona - I usually emailed Jose when I was going to be in town
and I sent friends to dine there when they were headed to Barcelona.
Sadly, when I was there for my 65th birthday, Jose did not respond to my
email and, when I tried to call the restaurant, there was no answer. I
finally took a taxi over and found it boarded up. I was really concerned
and was so happy when I finally got an email from him, saying he was
no longer in Barcelona, having lost his lease after 25 years. Now we stay
in touch on Facebook!!

The yellow lemons make this qualify for my "Mellow Yellow" post! I can

not even begin to describe how wonderful this seafood dish was. I ate this

every time I dined at Medulio. Besides this, we also had a couple of

appetizers and a wonderful grilled vegetable plate.

This is all that remained after the four of us were done! Just looking at it

has me salivating!

This is my dear friend, Sherry, with whom I've traveled many places in the

world ( England, Switzerland, Japan, Hawaii, and many places in the U. S. ),

Jose Luis, Medulio owner, and his great chef.

This is Steve and Jenny Clark. They live in England but flew over to

spend the weekend with Sherry and me in Barcelona. I met them in 1997

on a cruise in southeast Asia. They were tablemates for the 12 day cruise

and we have now been friends for fourteen years. I've been to their home

in England on several occasions, they have been to California twice and

this was the second time they met me in Barcelona. I have been so

blessed in meeting friends in my travels who have been with me the rest

of my life!

I am participating in Mellow Yellow Monday #132 -

check out the site and add your photo to join in the fun!

Sunday, July 31, 2011

The Weekend in Black and White - Barcelona Scenes - July 31, 2011

Barcelona is one of my favorite cities in the world - beautiful scenery,
an area rich in history and culture, activities to fill every minute of your
day and night, wide avenues to stroll, lovely plazas, warm and friendly
people, delicious food and wine, including Mediterranean seafood of
incredible variety. Very different from the rest of Spain, Catalonia is
a treasure that should not be missed. Now that I have retired, I don't
know if I will ever be able to return but memories of past visits are
never far from my mind.

Barcelona has so many beautiful buildings with wrought iron trimmings.

Gaudi's famous Sagrada Familia, a work in progress.

One of the many stalls at La Boqueria, the fabulous La Rambla market.

One of the many sights one sees on La Rambla.

I am participating in The Weekend in Black and White - check

out the site and add your own post to join in the fun!

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Camera Critters #173 - The Granddogs - July 30, 2011

A couple of weeks ago, when my friend, Meaux, was visiting from New
Orleans, we went up to West Sacramento to see my son, Alex, and his
lovely wife, Laura and my two wonderful granddogs, Bucky and Taffy.
I just love those dogs. Both are shelter dogs that they've had for almost
two years now.

Taffy was the first granddog. She was so shy, Alex and Laura decided
she should have a more rambunctious partner to keep her company.
Bucky came on the scene a couple of months later. He is definitely not
shy and he is a bundle of energy. While Taffy is happy just to lie close
and snuggle, Bucky will snuggle only so long, then he'll go in search of
his rings for a game of tug of war.