"35th Annual St. Demerios Greek Festival in Tucson"

As the Greeks say, kayi orexi-good appetite-and pame na glendisoume-let's celebrate at the Greek festival. For this past weekend, the St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church open their arms and invited all Tucsonians and Arizonians to share in their culture.

There was so much to enjoy at the Tucson Greek Festival this weekend. There were live bands, dancing and exquisite food. There were also cooking demonstrations, lectures and classes for one to watch and learn the dances of Greece.

As a participant each year, I also looked forward to the wonderful deserts like Baklava, which is a Phyllo pastery layered with walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and topped with honey syrup. Another favorite is the Kouramibedes which is like shortbread buttered cookie dusted with powered sugar. Still another are the delicious Loukounades, which are deep fried and doughnut liked, and then dipped in honey. For the more adventuresome, their is the Ouzo cake, which is a lightly spiced walnut cake flavored with Ouzo Liquor. All very good!

"Roasting Green Chilies, A Southwest Tradition!"

This past weekend, a Chili Fest was held at a local Farmers Market not far from my home. While there was the normal vegetable produce stalls one would expect on a Saturday morning, this day was special in that Chilies were being roasted, a three piece band was playing, pony rides were provided for the kids and many artisans were showing their wares. Everything was very festive, and also very well attended.

The Green Chili that is used in the roasting is a cross between a bell pepper and a jalapeno and is about 6" in length, with a flavor that can range from mild to hot.

The roasting of the Chili is done within a large metal cage that goes around and around over medium high flame until the peppers begin to blister. Once this happens, the skin is peeled back exposing the delicious green flesh of the chili pod. About 50 pounds of chilies are done at a time.

"Beautiful Summer Sunsets in Arizona"

Sunsets in Arizona can be so spectacular! Someone once said, that "Nature is painting for us.... day after day....pictures of infinite beauty" and that is certainly the case.

"Piano Man celebrates his 11th birthday with a Kindle"

Today, our family celebrated Piano Man's 11th birthday. Being the voracious reader he is, Piano Man's greatest desire was to receive a Kindle for his birthday. Upon opening his gift, Piano Man was absolutely on cloud nine when he discovered that his fondest wish had come true. Once opened, Piano Man amazed us all, by being on line and downloading books within a half an hour. During this process, Baby Iris looked on with great amusement, while entertaining us all with her own special personality.

"Some more Caribou Coffee Musings"

While on my recent trip to Minnesota, I stopped into a Caribou Coffee Cafe, which is similar to a Starbuck's, to have my morning coffee. What I noticed on each cup was a number of interesting quotes, some of which I share here.

"Don't wait till New Year's to make a resolution!"

"Spend time with your kids, tomorrow they're a day older!"

"Spin the globe and then pack your bags!"

"Grow older without ever growing up!"

"Be the first to apologize!"

"Continue more conversations offline!"

"Be the first to apologize!"

"Only look back if it makes you smile!"

"Do it for love, not for profit!"

"Thank a teacher!"

"Laugh so hard that you cry!"

"Be a hero, but without the dorky cape!"

"Some more Caribou Coffee Musings"

"The Barrel Cactus commonly called the Fishhook Cactus"

On the three acres around my home, there are a number of Barrel Cactus which are now flowering. This particular cactus is usually the last to flower during the summer. The flowers are yellow to orange in color are up to 3 inches wide and grow around a ring around the top. In one of my photos, you'll see a multi-head Barrel Cactus, which is rather unusual. The name Fishhook comes from the fish like spines that are found on the cactus. These cacti are very hardy, and can live up to 130 years and can go without water for an extended period of time, because of the large amount of water the cactus can store. In fact there is one report of one barrel cactus surviving 6 years after being taken out of the ground!