Exploring Arcadia, Florida and New York Cheesecake

A couple of weeks ago, on Saturday morning, August 8th, we decided to take a mini-roadtrip.  About thirty minutes northeast of our home is a historic town called Arcadia which was established in 1886.  We had seen road signs and knew it wasn't too far a drive to see the town.

The road to Arcadia travels past horse and cow pastures plus ranches with gated entries and long driveways that often lead up to large homes.  A citrus grove is tucked in here and there as well.  Eventually the road crosses a narrower portion of the Peace River winding its way along the edge of Arcadia as it meanders southwesterly toward Punta Gorda and the Gulf of America.

Many of the original buildings still stand in Arcadia's downtown area and along nearby residential streets.  The imposing Desoto County Court House built in the Classical Revival Style during 1912 to 1913 stands majestically in town amid oak trees on the appropriately named East Oak Street.  It feels like the entire town is under road construction as we criss-cross the town's residential streets near the court house.  Passing older tin-roofed homes along the way, the historic, frontier settlement nature of the town is evident everywhere.  Arcadia's original growth stemmed from it being an original river landing for shipping goods, running cattle, and moving freight and cut timber along the Peace River.  Real growth came when the railroad arrived in 1886.

Today, there's a converted railroad depot serving as office space.  Mostly antique and thrift stores fill the buildings along the town's original main street, with a hotel flanking a park at one end of the historic district.  The park, called the "Tree of Knowledge Park" has a focal point of an oak tree planted in 1938, which will be one hundred years old in 2027.   It is an interesting place to visit on a lazy Saturday morning for a view of old time Florida.  We'll likely return next year when the road work is projected to be completed and see what the town is like when driving around it should be easier.  We're told there is a worthwhile Farmer's Market to experience there as well, but not until the weather is not quite so hot.  

Thereafter, we drove back to Port Charlotte for lunch at a New York style deli near home called Brentwood Eats.  It was a delicious ending to our drive with a Hero Sandwich that we divided between us, saving room for a piece of New York cheesecake.  Yes, the cheesecake was authentic, decadent, and worth every calorie. 

 

Losses and Gains - Grief and Elation

 

This week has been a rollercoaster of emotions, stress, and elation. 

  

  

Losing Snoopy-our forever friend, family member, and the best cat ever on August 11th, created an absence in our home that will be felt for a long time.  From the moment we met him, and Jim could hold him in his hand at the mere age of eight weeks, to the last minutes we spent with him fourteen and a half years later, he was a delight.  His presence in our lives will be difficult, if not impossible, to replace.  It’s the silence that digs so deeply.  The missing routines that filled the day from beginning to end now cut at our hearts.  It’s the imagined voice when you think he’s calling to you, or the empty chair or bed where he slept, that stop you from whatever you’re doing or thinking for a moment.  Grief is an ugly companion as you make your way through it, knowing that it is like going through a long, dark tunnel in search of any glimpse of light beyond its grasp that you can cling to.  To love deeply is to grieve greatly.  It is only now that I can even begin to form these words a week later without tears.  

Amid the stress of Snoopy’s liver cancer diagnosis and death, was a week of growing anxiety over my impending cataract surgery.  Everyone says it is an easy procedure to get through.  The prospect of someone cutting into my eye only made my imagination run wild.  Intellectually, I could fathom it, but underneath a growing sense of anxiety fought to overcome any rational attempt to hold it at bay.  Yesterday, I went through the operation on my right eye.  Indeed, everything I’d been told was true.  I was nervous about a procedure that turned out to be practically painless and totally endurable.  Perhaps it was the excellent surgeon that made it so.  Certainly it was the very competent staff who guided me through the whole experience with such care.  Most of all, it is the wonderful husband and partner I have in Jim, who has been at my side through it all. 

I am elated to report that already today, my vision is remarkable.  For the first time since the age of about 14 years old, I maneuvered through my day without glasses.  Yes, there’s still recovery time and improving vision to anticipate, but even today I could read and see items across a room without any glasses.  The world is lighter and brighter and oh-so-white with my new lens.  It’s absolutely remarkable.  Now I am looking forward to getting the second eye done as soon as they proclaim I can be scheduled.      

No one ever said life would be easy.  And it isn’t.  But today I am thankful.  I have loved, I have survived, and most of all, I am so very blessed by all that I have been given to experience.  

 August 11, 2026

"Nothing you love is ever lost. Not really. People, pets, things-they always go away, sooner or later. You can't hold them, any more than you can hold moonlight. But if they've touched you, if they're inside you, then they're always still yours. The only things you ever really have are the ones you hold inside your heart."

Rest in peace, Snoopy… 9/6/12 - 8/11/26

you will always be in our hearts.

 

New Hobbies to Pursue

 

With space at a premium in a condominium, Jim and I have found new spaces to tackle our hobbies, and new hobbies to pursue.  Jim has a view of the water beyond our condo from his table, and I have a view of the kitchen from the granite breakfast bar with superb lighting so it works well for art work.  

For us, going to the Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda has been inspiring.  I have learned a new art technique called "Alcohol Ink Painting", and Jim is tackling wood carving after acquiring a small wood carving in their gift shop.  Both new endeavors have proven to be interesting challenges.

With only a few new acquisitions required for each of those tasks, hours of entertainment have evolved.  When the weather's hot, air conditioned inside activities are definitely desirable.   Jim's hobby requires lots of patience and very small cuts of the wood to achieve a figure's shape, followed by some sanding.  The little figures are prepped for paint with a coating of linseed oil, then waxed.  Lastly, as I understand it, will come the acrylic paint.  Jim's watched a multitude of You Tube videos describing the process.  I am excited to see how the finished product comes out.

Typically, I like to play with watercolor.  But with special paper, or even a plain white tile, the alcohol ink can be used to create interesting patterns of an impressionistic nature, or with some stamps or freehand drawings more of a watercolor illusion.  This requires special "alcohol inks", more alcohol and a blending solution to work the ink into patterns, and later a clear coat covering sprayed over the work to preserve the results.  The multiple steps made it a bit tedious compared to watercolor, but then watercolor takes a lot of time to create the various color effects too.  Here are a few examples of what the process looks like below on a tile, with a stamp design, and with a drawing I made of a heron.

           

I think it will be fun to make some cards from the results eventually when I get more adept working with the alcohol ink.  It dries so quickly, even with the slowing process of the blending solution that one needs to work rapidly to achieve a desired design.  A small, manual air blower device, or even a brush, helps to maneuver the ink quickly over the tile or paper.  Another hobby trick I learned about at the class for this is using puppy training pads for protecting the countertop.  They're absorbent on one side and waterproof (in this case ink proof) for preserving spotless granite (or a table top) underneath.

 

A Project Completed

Today we (primarily Jim) completed a project we have had on our agenda since moving into our condominium.   Upon the arrival of our moving pods, we discovered that our front loading washing machine was too wide from front to back for the laundry space's doors to close properly.  

We removed the folding doors and have operated the washer and dryer since without them.  All and all that's fine, except for the view of all things laundry related and everything else stored on the shelves above the machines constantly reminding us that we had a project to do.  As projects go, some planning was required as to how we were going to create a couple more inches of space to the front in a closet that left little space for maneuvering.  After much contemplation, Jim came up with a solution and today we proved it worked.  

Jim was able to move the track out for the folding doors to the very edge of the door opening.  The hardest part was moving the fasteners on the floor to accommodate the new position of the doors.  A bit of floor molding stood in the way.  It wasn't an easy task, as the tile floor had been installed after the wood molding and tile grout had virtually cemented the molding to the floor.  Undaunted, Jim carefully freed it.  Moving a bit of hardware followed thereafter.

While it took a good portion of the afternoon, plus some cleanup as we progressed, soon the doors were rehung.  They look amazing and operate perfectly.

And the view in the hallway is decidedly better.  Hurray!  It was a great day.

 

Baked Zucchini for Two

 

This time of the year, zucchini is abundant and alternative cooking options to the standard steamed vegetables on our plates seems to be a desirable option.  So here you go... my version of baked zucchini.  Brush a baking dish with olive oil.  Trim the ends of the zucchini and slice lengthwise in half and place in your prepared dish.  I used two small baking dishes-using one for each half.

Slice a tomato into thick slices and place over the zucchini in one layer.  Then cover with a layer of grated Italian blend shredded cheese.  Sprinkle some oregano over the cheese.

  

Place dishes in an air fryer and "air roast" at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.  Check after 20 minutes and if the cheese is browning too much, cover the dishes tightly with aluminum foil and continue cooking until zucchini has reached your desired softness when pierced with a fork. 

Alternatively if you wish to avoid watching closely for over browning of the cheese, brush the zucchini with a bit of olive oil and then sprinkle the zucchini with the oregano and place in the air fryer.  Wait until twenty minutes into the cooking process to add the cheese.  Continue cooking for five to 10 minutes longer until cheese melts and browns to the level you desire. 

   

  

Serve in the same baking dish, or transfer baked zucchini to individual dinner plates.  Enjoy!

 

Milestone Achieved - 75 years of Phenomenal

On July 10th, I celebrated my 75th Birthday.  It has been a phenomenal journey if you consider I was born two months premature, and only survived because incubators for babies had been invented.  But in spite of the odds against me, with incredible parents who never gave up on their dream to have children, I thrived and I am here all these years later.  Sometimes, it feels incredible that I have been given this amazing life, and even more so during the past twenty years shared with my dear husband, Jimmy.  God surely saved the best for the latter years of my existence.  Being seventy-five years old isn't so bad.  I can still think, and do most activities I wish to do-well almost all of them!  Anyway, here's how we spent the day...

There is a restaurant near us called "Skillets" that serves breakfast and lunch, and I have wanted to try it for some time.  The atmosphere is bright, fresh, and inviting.  The staff is attentive.  The food turned out to be yummy, and beautifully presented.  Happy kickoff to the day-no cooking, no dishes, and out with my guy!

 

 

 

 

From there we traveled south on I-75 across the Peace River to Punta Gorda to a gallery called the Visual Arts Center.  Not only is there a gallery and gift shop here, there are also a number of class rooms where classes are given for a wide variety of artistic endeavors.  The gift shop displays the products of those classrooms for artists desiring to sell their work, and includes multiple options from jewelry, pottery, wood carvings, stained glass, and every medium of artwork you would expect-watercolor, pastels, acrylic, and oil renderings.  Between the gallery rooms and the gift shop, we spent considerable time taking in the entire venue.  Lovely, inspiring, cool (air conditioning), and a totally relaxing experience evolved out of this trip.  (Jim was motivated to take up wood carving since, and I may try an entirely new medium called alcohol ink painting.  More on both of those in a later blog.)

 

We continued the day with dinner at Olive Garden, arriving during the start of a heavy downpour of rain, laced with loud thunder and flashing lightning.  It was a relief to get inside the restaurant.  Being one of our favorite restaurants, we opted for our usual selections-Eggplant Parmesan for me and Tour of Italy for Jim.  The inclement weather continued throughout our meal in a total downpour with wind pushing the rain horizontally across the parking lot and into the restaurant's windows.  So a shared tiramisu dessert and coffee completed the meal before we braved the walk to the car.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And what's a birthday without a birthday cake?  Jimmy had gone out early in the morning before I awoke, and hid a beautiful cake in the refrigerator unbeknown to me.  This surprise finished up a beautiful day spent leisurely and memorably in honor of my 75th birthday.  I couldn't have asked for, nor planned, anything better.