Mark L. Van Name's Blog, page 201
July 20, 2012
Last night at the beach
I'll keep this short for that reason: It's late on the last night here, and I'm quite tired. The Bobcake is no more; a final photo will appear tomorrow, when my email provider is working again. We swam and ate and laughed and ate and laughed and rested and napped and ate and slept and laughed, and for two weeks I was mostly away from the world. I wish I could do it for two more months.
More tomorrow, after I'm home.
More tomorrow, after I'm home.
July 19, 2012
Of wind and cake
The winds blew hard today, hard enough to change the contours of the dunes that separate our house from the beach. A few of us went for a two-mile walk along the beach during the windiest part of the afternoon, and it was work. We had the wind at our backs for the first half, but we were trudging into it as the rising tide covered much of the available beach on the return. Spray and sand coated my sunglasses so the world was a gauzy, indistinct vision in front of me. Birds fought the winds and frequently failed, their bodies moving sideways as the air swept them along.
How nice it is to have such easy problems as a hard walk on a gorgeous day at the beach.
Our attack on Mt. Bobcake continues, and we are gaining ground. Opinions in the house are mixed as to whether we will eat all of it before we must depart Saturday morning, with one camp convinced it will be no problem, and the other skeptical at best.
Click on the image to see a larger version.
I am in the latter camp, but I am rooting for the former.
How nice it is to have such easy problems as a hard walk on a gorgeous day at the beach.
Our attack on Mt. Bobcake continues, and we are gaining ground. Opinions in the house are mixed as to whether we will eat all of it before we must depart Saturday morning, with one camp convinced it will be no problem, and the other skeptical at best.
Click on the image to see a larger version.I am in the latter camp, but I am rooting for the former.
July 18, 2012
Only at the beach
do we see and do certain things.
For example, only at the beach would we ever consider buying this cake.
As always, click on an image to see a larger version of it.
Here, we not only considered the cake, we bought it and carried it home with us.
Perhaps it is because the ocean's majesty awakens in us an appreciation of power and art that we normally lack. Consider the cake's soulful left eye, with its single tear, the Mona Lisa-like complexity of the left side of its smile, or the mysterious lack of blue icing all around the bottom layer. Clearly, an artist was enticing us with his/her mysteries.
The beach is also the only place where I see chalkboard messages like this one.
Of course, I may simply hang out in all the wrong places.
On the continuing news front, the Bobcake remains standing, though in a decreasingly smaller form.
I don't think we'll finish it tomorrow, but with luck, we will conquer this beast of chocolate goodness before we return home.
For example, only at the beach would we ever consider buying this cake.
As always, click on an image to see a larger version of it.Here, we not only considered the cake, we bought it and carried it home with us.
Perhaps it is because the ocean's majesty awakens in us an appreciation of power and art that we normally lack. Consider the cake's soulful left eye, with its single tear, the Mona Lisa-like complexity of the left side of its smile, or the mysterious lack of blue icing all around the bottom layer. Clearly, an artist was enticing us with his/her mysteries.
The beach is also the only place where I see chalkboard messages like this one.
Of course, I may simply hang out in all the wrong places.
On the continuing news front, the Bobcake remains standing, though in a decreasingly smaller form.
I don't think we'll finish it tomorrow, but with luck, we will conquer this beast of chocolate goodness before we return home.
July 17, 2012
A new dessert item joined the house today. As always, cli...
A new dessert item joined the house today.
As always, click on an image to see a larger version.
Yes, Sarah baked for us a peanut-butter crab cookie with two baby crab friends.
Clearly, we needed more desserts.
Of course, the Bobcake is still fighting the good fight; we have not defeated it yet.
On the other hand, we are clearly gaining on it.
A new combatant, the latest in the beach house's long history of strange visitors, joined us in the battle tonight.
It's not the creepiest member of the creature menagerie we've had over the years, but the longer you stare at it, the more unsettling it is.
I suggest not looking for too long.
As always, click on an image to see a larger version.Yes, Sarah baked for us a peanut-butter crab cookie with two baby crab friends.
Clearly, we needed more desserts.
Of course, the Bobcake is still fighting the good fight; we have not defeated it yet.
On the other hand, we are clearly gaining on it.
A new combatant, the latest in the beach house's long history of strange visitors, joined us in the battle tonight.
It's not the creepiest member of the creature menagerie we've had over the years, but the longer you stare at it, the more unsettling it is.
I suggest not looking for too long.
July 16, 2012
Think twice about product names
You don't have to spend much time in a beach town before certain lessons become clear. One of those hit me again today at a small local store: think twice before you try to be too clever with a product's name.
As always, click on a picture to see a larger version.
In news of the Bobcake, we contain to gain ground on it, though our efforts flagged a bit today.
For those who've noted that most of these short blog entries are about food, that's because I'm on vacation, the food stuff is easy, and, hey, I'm on vacation. I've actually been pondering whether to continue this blog, because its readership is relatively small and it does take time every day. That said, I'm keeping it going, at least for now, and I won't make any decisions on anything significant until well after my vacation.
For now, to bed.
As always, click on a picture to see a larger version.In news of the Bobcake, we contain to gain ground on it, though our efforts flagged a bit today.
For those who've noted that most of these short blog entries are about food, that's because I'm on vacation, the food stuff is easy, and, hey, I'm on vacation. I've actually been pondering whether to continue this blog, because its readership is relatively small and it does take time every day. That said, I'm keeping it going, at least for now, and I won't make any decisions on anything significant until well after my vacation.
For now, to bed.
July 15, 2012
Tiger blood, Bobcake, and bad movies
So we're driving down the road, returning from an afternoon of eating bad food and exploring a nearby beach community, when we pass the roadside, weekend-only market one of whose vendors sells shaved ice with the tiger blood flavor. Kyle ponders the sweet redness of tiger blood and finally decides that he must indeed have some. We pull a hard right, drive over some dirt, and out of the car he goes.
When he returns, he brings this.
As always, click on a picture to see a larger version.
As we continue the ride home, Kyle enjoys its sticky-sweet goodness.
He finishes it well before we reach the beach house. One of the costs of playing with tiger blood is what it does to his tongue.
Of course, it is a price Kyle pays gladly.
In other food developments, the Bobcake continues to stand strong despite our repeated attacks on it.
I am confident, though, that the end is now in sight for the giant monster of cakey deliciousness--assuming, of course, that we do not all first die of chocolate overdose.
Like Kyle, we weigh these potential costs and decide to risk them.
When he returns, he brings this.
As always, click on a picture to see a larger version.As we continue the ride home, Kyle enjoys its sticky-sweet goodness.
He finishes it well before we reach the beach house. One of the costs of playing with tiger blood is what it does to his tongue.
Of course, it is a price Kyle pays gladly.
In other food developments, the Bobcake continues to stand strong despite our repeated attacks on it.
I am confident, though, that the end is now in sight for the giant monster of cakey deliciousness--assuming, of course, that we do not all first die of chocolate overdose.
Like Kyle, we weigh these potential costs and decide to risk them.
July 14, 2012
News from the beach
Not much goes on here. That's the whole point of the beach, really, so I have little to report.
That said, I do have food news, as I promised: the CaBobcake is no more.
As always, click on a photo to see a larger version of it.
The crumbs that remain in this photo found their way into mouths before I managed to throw away the disposable base on which the once proud CaBobcake once sat.
The Bobcake, however, continues to exist despite our many attempts to consume it. With another 24 hours behind us, it is still larger than most cakes we see during the year.
In other food updates, Kyle decided that tonight's pasta dish, which Sarah prepared using a recipe from Italy, was so good that no normal bowl would suffice to hold its gloriousness.
Okay, he was just polishing off the small amount of remaining pasta, which was indeed delicious.
That said, I do have food news, as I promised: the CaBobcake is no more.
As always, click on a photo to see a larger version of it.The crumbs that remain in this photo found their way into mouths before I managed to throw away the disposable base on which the once proud CaBobcake once sat.
The Bobcake, however, continues to exist despite our many attempts to consume it. With another 24 hours behind us, it is still larger than most cakes we see during the year.
In other food updates, Kyle decided that tonight's pasta dish, which Sarah prepared using a recipe from Italy, was so good that no normal bowl would suffice to hold its gloriousness.
Okay, he was just polishing off the small amount of remaining pasta, which was indeed delicious.
July 13, 2012
The beach food report
Dinner tonight took us to the best of the local Mexican-food joints, where we enjoyed chips, cheese dip, and a wide variety of entrees. Kyle's burrito drew special attention due to its enormous size.
As always, click on an image to see a larger version.
Yes, it really was roughly the size of his forearm.
In other news of the edible, the house has nearly beaten the CaBobcake.
I predict that it will not survive the next twenty-four hours.
The Bobcake, on the other hand, has weathered a furious assault and is still standing more than two-thirds intacts.
Still, we are a determined group, so in the end, it will fall.
As always, click on an image to see a larger version.Yes, it really was roughly the size of his forearm.
In other news of the edible, the house has nearly beaten the CaBobcake.
I predict that it will not survive the next twenty-four hours.
The Bobcake, on the other hand, has weathered a furious assault and is still standing more than two-thirds intacts.
Still, we are a determined group, so in the end, it will fall.
July 12, 2012
The Bobcake report: 24 hours in
Earlier today, we hit twenty-four hours since the first slice of Bobcake and CaBobcake headed toward a hungry mouth. For a day, our contest has pitted twenty hungry eaters vs. two massive cakes.
The results are mixed.
On the one hand, the people are definitely gaining on the CaBobcake, as you can see.
As always, click on an image to see a larger version.
Yes, we're nearly halfway through this massive cylinder of carroty deliciousness. I believe that in no time we will have polished off the denser but smaller CaBobcake.
The Bobcake, on the other hand, as always stands strong. Our many slices have left its one side battered but largely intact.
Perhaps when all of our attentions focus squarely on the Bobcake--well, on it and on the 19 remaining pints (down from 28) of ice cream, four trays of bars, and two key lime pies--we will gain more ground against its massiveness.
Time will tell, and your loyal reporter will chronicle the tale.
The results are mixed.
On the one hand, the people are definitely gaining on the CaBobcake, as you can see.
As always, click on an image to see a larger version.Yes, we're nearly halfway through this massive cylinder of carroty deliciousness. I believe that in no time we will have polished off the denser but smaller CaBobcake.
The Bobcake, on the other hand, as always stands strong. Our many slices have left its one side battered but largely intact.
Perhaps when all of our attentions focus squarely on the Bobcake--well, on it and on the 19 remaining pints (down from 28) of ice cream, four trays of bars, and two key lime pies--we will gain more ground against its massiveness.
Time will tell, and your loyal reporter will chronicle the tale.
July 11, 2012
The beach house vs. the Bobcakes
Yes, the fabulously rich, dense, chocolate cake from Bob is back, and we brave souls in the beach house are planning to tackle it.
Here it is, sitting on a table and the slab of reinforced cardboard necessary to support its weight. Note the pen for scale.
As always, click on an image to see a larger version.
This year, though, we decided that one Bobcake was not enough. We have proven we can vanquish a single Bobcake, but what if there were two? As good fortune would have it, Bob makes a second delicious dessert, a carrot spice cake with cream cheese icing, that Rose says she likes even more than the Bobcake itself.
Our choice was clear: we had to have one.
Thus, enter the CaBobcake.
Though you cannot, of course, tell from looking at it, the CaBobcake weighs nearly as much as the larger Bobcake.
The two cakes fill an entire shelf in a full-size refrigerator.
We are looking forward to delicious experimentation as we face these twin menaces! I hope to chronicle the battle over the coming days.
Here it is, sitting on a table and the slab of reinforced cardboard necessary to support its weight. Note the pen for scale.
As always, click on an image to see a larger version.This year, though, we decided that one Bobcake was not enough. We have proven we can vanquish a single Bobcake, but what if there were two? As good fortune would have it, Bob makes a second delicious dessert, a carrot spice cake with cream cheese icing, that Rose says she likes even more than the Bobcake itself.
Our choice was clear: we had to have one.
Thus, enter the CaBobcake.
Though you cannot, of course, tell from looking at it, the CaBobcake weighs nearly as much as the larger Bobcake.
The two cakes fill an entire shelf in a full-size refrigerator.
We are looking forward to delicious experimentation as we face these twin menaces! I hope to chronicle the battle over the coming days.
