McIntosh-a slice of Victoriana inbetween beaches

What she said!!!!!

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Righteous Cocktails with Steena
An online friend of 12 or 13 years dropped by for a visit yesterday. It was our first meeting in person but we've been friends so long we just took right off chatting like she's here every day (poor Frank... yak yak yak from both sides, no-stop) and no one even thought to take a photo. Dang! (camera in car-oops) We inhaled assorted cocktails, (YUMMY!!!)scarfed up copious amounts of bruschetta and shrimp (MORE YUMMY!!!)and laughed and talked for hours. We didn't have any Jello Shooters (rats, had I know that was an option, I would still be recovering on her couch), but I managed to coerce our guest to drink a Green Apple Martini, a Sparkletini and a rum Mojito. Those Chicago Land gals can hold their liquor.(She's being gracious, I am the worlds lightest lightweight - had I supped one more of her delicious concoctions...see the couch bit)Here's how I made Steena's Sparkletini:Place 3 ounces of ice cold Raspberry Sparkletini in a large martini glass.Shake 1.5 oz. of Vanilla Vodka and 1.5 oz. of Raspberry juice over ice.Strain into tooni glass with SparkletiniGarnish with a red ripe, locally grown winter Strawberry. )(Oh my gawd... they were so TOTALLY sweet and just the perfect softness/firmness and goooooooood...)
Thinking it would make us seem more pious, we walked her around our house and showed her how she could see 4 churches from our yard.(was this the part where I choked on the water???) I don't think it worked but it was a righteous visit. Drop by again soon, Steena!

McIntosh is lovely... oops, Frank says I'm not supposed to tell. It's not what pops into your head when you think of Florida. It really is the middle of horse country... fences, trucks and trailers and all. Huge oak trees obscure the sky, gray Spanish moss hangs from everything-even the Christmas lights. It's been a mild winter so everything is still green green green and blooming while Chicago sits in 20 degrees and icy snow. I hope I remember to get my winter coat off the top of the bookcase before we head for the airport on Sunday...

I know I keep swearing that I won't move to Florida, but after 3 days here, I'm ready to pack again. (Quite a statement considering I just moved and am sick of it for the moment).

I will be visiting the lovely Flaurella again the next time I come down.. a little earlier so as to see more of the marvelous McIntosh and chatter like a magpie again. (ps-thanks for the Silver Springs idea... we went today and got passes and wandered the grounds all afternoon!!! Mom and Dad say 'thanks' also!)

Tomorrow it's over to the coast to goof off... a nice reward for all our hard work!