We Heart Coffee

We drink coffee every morning. It’s a nice way to start the day.

Honey adds Splenda and a splash of cream. I prefer mine black. But here’s what we do agree on: We like our coffee strong.

We get the whole bean variety and grind it just before brewing. For years we bought Starbucks or Seattle’s Best. However, we recently picked up a mondo-size bag of Kirkland coffee at Costco and it was fantastic! Not to mention that it was waaaay less expensive than what we’ve been buying. We're sold on the stuff.

My passion for strong coffee probably comes from my Nana. You could practically stand a spoon up in her coffee. She made it in a counter-top percolator. The whole house had the aroma of coffee when she made it.

Do you heart coffee?

Welcome Ava

Ladies and gentlemen: Meet Ava.

She’s my newest niece, the daughter of my brother Tom and sister-in-law Monica back in Michigan. Isn’t she beautiful?

Ava has an older sister, Isabella. This, as you know, makes it difficult to find an appropriate welcome gift. The girl came into the world already up to her eyeballs in baby clothes, toys and all the various pieces of equipment infants require.

So I did what I always do – delayed doing anything. The poor kid was born in May, but it wasn’t until early July when I thought, “Eureka! I’ll send her a personalized lullaby CD!” These CDs insert the baby’s name into the lyrics of an array of lullabies.

I got mine here, but they’re all over the Internet. I mention this in case you ever find yourself in a similar predicament.

By the way, did I mention that she’s beautiful?

It's The Real Thing

Somehow while driving home the other day my old Coca-Cola bell bottoms popped into my head. Don’t ask why.

I loved them - and my matching Coca-Cola floppy hat. They were the envy of all my friends back in the 70s. I was quite the vision, if I do say so myself. Particularly on days when it was chilly outside and I slipped my plaid CPO jacket on over the white blouse I wore with them.

So when I got home I googled them and discovered there still some in circulation. These are the exact pants.

Groovy.

Rest Well, Tigger

Randy Pausch died today.

You know who I'm talking about - the cancer-stricken Carnegie Mellon professor who delivered a life lesson in the form of a lecture to students and fellow faculty members.

Several months ago I bought “The Last Lecture,” the book based on his stirring presentation. In it he talks a lot about achieving your childhood dreams, being optimistic and devoting the precious time you have on this earth to things that really matter.

But the other lesson – the one he didn’t really tackle as directly on those pages – was just as inspiring. It was about facing a bleak future with grace and dignity.

One of Pausch’s most famous quotes is also the one I like best:

"I mean I don't know how to not have fun. I'm dying and I'm having fun. And I'm going to keep having fun every day I have left. Because there's no other way to play it. You just have to decide if you're a Tigger or an Eeyore. I think I'm clear where I stand on the great Tigger/Eeyore debate. Never lose the childlike wonder. It's just too important. It's what drives us."

I was going to add a link to his blog as part of this post but the site was crashed when I tried to get to it – probably due to excessive traffic.

I’m not surprised.

It's A Black And Tan, Man

Welcome back to Friday Happy Hour. This week I want to share a drink Honey and I order often – a black and tan.

No, it’s not just beer – it’s artistry and precision in a glass. You see, the really neat thing about a black and tan is the way it’s poured.

You probably already know the basics but in case you don’t, a black and tan is half Guinness Draught and half Bass or Harp. First fill the glass half full with the lighter beer, then carefully – usually with the help of a spoon or special black and tan tool – pour the Guinness slowly, using the tool to guide it into the glass. If poured correctly, the two beers don’t mix.

Another great thing about a black and tan is that the taste changes as you drink it. It's a bit Guinnissesque, shall I say, at the beginning but it mellows after a couple of sips as the two beers blend.

My brother John actually gave us a black and tan spoon like this one on his last visit. Pretty nice of him, eh?

And if you watch this I think you’ll be as impressed as I was. It looks like there’s a pane of glass or something separating the layers. Where the heck did he get that tool? I’ve looked around the Internet since first seeing this video and haven’t stumbled across one like it.

If you find one let me know where I can get one too, will ya?

Tray Chic

I love trays.

One of the indisputable laws of the universe is that darn near everything looks better when it’s on a tray. Not only that, but if you’ve got a mish-mash of items sitting on a counter or a dresser they instantly look more cohesive, more organized and just plain prettier when you place them on a tray.

Another bonus: Trays are practical. Served dinner for four on the patio? You can make quick work of the clean-up by stacking dishes on a tray to bring them inside.

I bought this striped tray just recently. It's now found a home on the kitchen table playing host to a trio of squatty glass candle holders. I like it because it’s bold and cheerful. I have several trays and I love them all.

Here are a few cool trays I found poking around online tonight:

Virtually Traveling

We had hoped to vacation in Washington D.C. this year, but it just didn’t work out. Too much going on. The economy stinks. Gas is ridiculous.

But you know what’s cool? You can visit a lot of D.C.’s greatest landmarks and attractions right from your keyboard. Many of their Web sites go out of their way to promote distance learning. You can take virtual tours of the White House, Ford’s Theatre and the U.S. Capitol, to name a few. The Holocaust Museum offers online exhibits.

Did you know that Grover and Frances Cleveland’s daughter Esther was the only child of a president ever to be born in the White House? Or that the presidential box at Ford’s Theatre offered a mediocre view of the stage but was placed in that location because it provided the audience with a fine view of the president and his guests?

My 2008 virtual vacation was actually a lot of fun. I could almost smell the cherry blossoms.

Flag Day

The thought of buying a garden flag wasn’t even on my radar when I got up this morning, but I couldn’t resist this one when I stumbled across it at Lowe's.

It wasn’t the splashy colors that sold me. It wasn’t the cheery message, either. I fell in love with it when I saw that it was MARKED DOWN FROM $8.48 TO $2.12!!!

How cool is that?

Funny how a find like that can make the day special.

Botti Language

If I’ve had a bad day – or even if I haven’t – Chris Botti makes everything right.

His music is luxurious and relaxing. The songs he plays are timeless.

We throw in his DVD often if we have friends over. It’s a perfect backdrop to great conversation. We listen to him as well when we’re home alone just hanging out.

My absolute favorite is his duet of “My One And Only Love” with Paula Cole. That song was already dear to me. The guy who did our wedding video set part of it to the Louis Armstrong version.

And here’s some Chris Botti gossip trivia. Did you know he’s had an on-again, off-again relationship with Katie Couric since 2004? More gossip trivia: He’s five years her junior. You go, girl!

You can click here to see a video of the dreamy Botti/Cole rendition of “My One And Only Love.”

Chocolate Raspberry Martinis

Welcome to my regular feature: Friday Happy Hour!!!

Today we’re going to make chocolate raspberry martinis.

There are a zillion ways to make these things. I’ve tried several but this is the recipe I like the most.

Before we get started, let’s talk garnish. Chocolate martinis are often jazzed up with some sort of decoration. Sometimes the rim is dipped in sugar and chocolate powder. Sometimes chocolate syrup is swirled around the interior of the glass before the martini is poured in it.

Personally, I put adornments like these in the “looks pretty but” category. The powder/sugar combo can be messy and stick to your lips. The syrup can melt and turn the martini muddy if you’re a slow sipper like me. Besides – the barely there pink of these martinis needs no help to look stunning.

Here’s the recipe – which is actually about as easy as it gets.

One part chocolate vodka

One part vanilla vodka

One part clear crème de cocoa
A splash of Chambord.

I like these things icy cold, so the ingredients are poured into a shaker and mixed vigorously, then poured into martini glasses and enjoyed.

They’re like liquid dessert.

Embracing The Mess

I cringe when I look into the bedroom of Son Four. He’s the last one with us. His room smells like sweaty socks. It looks like a landfill.

I hate everything about it – except for the fact that he sleeps there.

Being that we’ve gone through this before I know it won’t be long before he moves on. I’ll have the room. I’ll be able to shuffle things around, make use of the closet space. It will be clean.

But he'll be living somewhere else.

That’s what makes it easier to tolerate this chaos in the meantime.

Let There Be Memories

See this lamp? I’ve eaten dinner under it since I was about 9 years old.

Under this lamp I fed my vegetables to the dog when nobody was looking. Under this lamp my mother rolled out hundreds thousands of Christmas cookies every year. Under this lamp my dad spread out newspapers to shine his shoes in the evening. Under this lamp my brother Bill got his “If we didn’t know you were capable of doing better we wouldn’t expect you to do better,” lecture every time report cards came out.

So when my mom ended up moving to a new place a few years ago I was thrilled when she offered it to me. These days it’s hanging over my kitchen table overseeing memories for another generation.

Folding 101

Son Three attends college and works at a swanky 5th Avenue South restaurant in nearby Naples.

He does many things well but the talent of which I'm probably most envious is his ability to fold napkins in an array of fancy-dancy ways. Whenever we have a dinner party I ask him to pop over ahead of time and work his magic. A beautifully folded napkin always makes the table look tres chic. It's like adding jewelry to an outfit.

This is a napkin I actually folded all by myself today after learning how to do it here.

I don't think I'll tell Son Three about this. I like having an excuse to ask him to stop by.

Karaoke, Anyone?

We have a serious addiction to love of karaoke at our house.

We may not drive the fanciest cars or dine in the finest restaurants, but our karaoke machine is cruise ship quality. We have our own microphone stands. Laser lights. Strobes. A fogger. A library of music.

And I’m proud to say that we’ve hosted several charity karaoke parties at our place, usually raking in about $2,000 each time for a worthy cause. Not bad for a little old house party, eh?

Here’s where we get most of our music. This store is only a couple of miles from our house so we stop by often. When Honey walks in the door it’s kind of like Norm walking into Cheers.

Fireside Chats

Without a doubt, our best times happen almost magically on our patio when we sit around our Florida version of a fireplace with family and friends.

There's something about the orange flickering flame, the crackling wood and background music courtesy of a couple of outdoor speakers that promotes quality conversation.

A few cocktails don't hurt either, of course.

My Dream

We all have dreams. Some of us want fancy cars or hilltop mansions. Some of us want fame.

My dream is to one day live in a house with a combo laundry/gift-wrapping room.

Can you imagine? The fresh scent of clean laundry. The dryer humming in the background. Me at the counter creating beautifully wrapped packages with colorful ribbons and bows - the kind that make the recipient feel special.

Here, by the way, are some of the most gorgous giftwraps, ribbons and accessories I've seen.

This picture is a version of the room I've got in mind.

What's your dream?

From Two Plus Two To Four

Probably the coolest things in our lives are our kids. When we got married 11 years ago we each had two boys. Mine were seven and nine and Honey's were 11 and 14.

For years I was careful to say, "two sons and two stepsons" when people asked how many kids I had. That response was mostly out of respect for the older boys and their mother.

I don't know exactly when it happened, but at some point it changed to a very comfortable and natural, "We have four sons."

We couldn't be more proud of them. Here they are today in order of age:

What's In A Name?

You may be wondering: why "my bridge blog" as a name? Why the beautiful Monet of a bridge displayed so prominently on the page?

It was Honey who taught me the significance of the bridge in life. An optimist by nature, whenever we've been faced with a challenge he promises "there's gonna be a bridge." It's what Oddball (Donald Sutherland) kept trying to tell Moriarty (Gavin McCloud) in "Kelly's Heroes."

"Hey, Moriarty, why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? There's gonna be a bridge. Have a little faith, baby" Honey says whenever life throws us a curve.

And he's been right. A bridge has always somehow materialized and we've been able to cross over to easier terrain.

Someday I've gotta sit down and watch that movie.

From Blog Envier To Blog Creator

Welcome to my little cyber home. This is where I plan to share observations about family, life, friendships and anything else that catches my fancy.

This post is going to be a short one - just a little something to get me going.