Heart Truth's Red Dress Initiative Reception: Feb. 11, White House

I don't even know where to begin. What a grand adventure...it still seems almost surreal that I was there, in the White House, speaking to Laura Bush, meeting many people whom I had been speaking with by phone for the past several months (yes, it got so mundane that I'd see 202 area code on my cell and say, "Oh, it's the White House calling again..." - but my hat's the same size, honest - really...).
This will be the first of probably several posts on this amazing trip. I had to start somewhere, and I figured most of you want to the the "proof", so here we go..

Kathy and I in the Blue Room. I'm not going to do a lot of description on this particular post, there will be more...check out the post following this one, for starters on our touring.

We all treated outselves to new red dresses/suits in honor of the occasion - I've never seen so many red dresses in one room at one time, as we saw in the East Room!

Kathy, Carrie, Courtney, reveling in our moment in time...

The President and First Lady both spoke, we were front and center - our names were on the chairs! I had collaborated with Mrs. Bush's speech writer, Meghan Clyne, on the story of what happened the day of my heart attack and Carrie's part in helping me get to the emergency room, and Mrs.Bush not only used the story in her Feb. 2 radio address, she told it again here and then had us stand up for our moment of fame - the room full of 200 guests and assorted press all applauded - wow. Many came up to us during the reception following the speeches, when we were all invited to have heart healthy refreshments (VERY YUMMY), to congratulate us on our story and being there. It was fun to rub elbows with so many doctors, researchers, fashion designers, models, White House staff, ambassadors, and just plain nice folks like us...
I have to say, she's a doll! I didn't realize she was so tiny, barely to my shoulder. A very personable, gracious and fun lady - I truly felt it was an honor. No matter what the politics are at any given time in the White House, we were there for the White House itself, and the First Lady.
I have to say a word about this circa 1807 couch from France...HARD.

The reception started at 4 pm. By 6:30 it was winding down, Marines were beginning to gently clear visitors from the rooms. Here Carrie, Kathy and Courtney are seated for a reflective moment in the Blue Room (same hard couch). What an incredible day.

Many people made this trip possible for me. You know who you are. Thank you - and again, Thank You. A once-in-a-lifetime memory.

Out and about...in Washington, DC

Somehow, I missed the "How to travel by Metro" part of my education. So of course the main point of the trip to Washington DC was to learn just how this transportation phenom operated, make an evaluation of efficacy, and then do a field experiment to test the theory. Bottom line: it works. That is, if you can figure out the stops you want (four different colors of trip lines, and the writing is teensy tiny for the stops - oh, and you will need a handy tourist map, acquired at the Archives bookstore AFTER you have made your first metro jump...), add up the fees, find the right money slots, avoid the wrong buttons, and so on.
We opted for the conventional tourist approach: look pitiful and bewildered (very easy, trust me), and wait for the Metro cop to come over and say, "could you use some help?". Say "YES, thank you sir", and it's a piece of cake.
Here we are, ready to embark. Courtney (left - Louisiana) and Carrie (middle - Wisconsin) decided to hoof it to a nearby indoor mall (oh to be young again)and experience the joys of Metro travel later after the reception, while Kathy (right - Arizona) and I bravely faced the underground beast. First stop - National Archives, to acquire aforesaid requisite map - and view the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and other documents of freedom. Don't forget to take in the short movies offered in the theater there, very informative and worth the extra 15 minutes. Oh - FYI, you have to go through metal detectors and security checks, in just about any building you enter in DC.

After the Archives, Kathy and I wanted to take in the World War II memorial. Both of our fathers served in the war so this memorial has special meaning for us. Although the day was sunny and bright, there had been a temperature drop from the previous week's 70 degrees to 20 windy degrees for our outing. Everyone kept telling us, it was the coldest day that winter. Of course. We decided to take a cab for the 12 blocks - we wanted to have ears to hear the speeches scheduled for later that afternoon at the reception.

When the memorial was dedicated, letters were sent to families of WW II participants to encourage them to send photos and information for the memorial kiosk display. About a dozen computer screens are available to type in the name of the person you want to see, bringing up the information and photos. This is my dad. He died Feb. 28, 1998 at the age of 80. The men, and women, who served during that war, have dwindled in number to just a handful now.

Before meeting the girls for lunch, Kathy and I went to the White House Visitor's Center, just a block from the White House. It was a wonderful assembly of displays recounting White House history, art, people, etc. I loved this quote from Lady Bird Johnson, among many others. A great prelude to actually going into the White House.

It's only a waterfall if it rains...

The weekend following a substantial rain storm (the runoff filled the rivers for two whole days before they reverted to sandy beds again - we are NOT in the northwest, folks), Kathy and I finally made it outside city limits to take in the sights. We went to White Tank Mountains Park, only about 17 miles out - a nice drive. And my first real closeup of the desert scenery. We had picked a time when there was a hike with park rangers to a waterfall, with fascinating historical rock art along the way. It was only a mile in and a mile back, steeper than we anticipated in places, with Kodak moments every few feet! The two rangers assured us they had just hiked in and checked, and there really was a waterfall - you have to pick your day to see it.

You'll notice there is no picture of a waterfall. Once there, having clambered up stone steps into the canyon nook, the elusive waterfall was beyond some huge boulders, which I could not climb, around a steep-walled corner, which I'd have to be a lizard to suction onto in order to get around said corner, and not having brought my waders I couldn't get through the pool produced by the invisable -but audible- waterfall. Well, if you've seen one waterfall you've seen 'em all, right? But a desert waterfall...I'm sure I missed something special. Rats.
The desert has a unique beauty, it really grows on you.


Laden with water bottles, binoculars, camera, sunglasses, hat and hiking shoes, we had a great time! I scored three more life birds - Canyon Towhee, Costa hummingbird, and ta-da! a Phainopepla!

I'll save the history talk for when I see you - very interesting, honest!



A day well-spent, we'll be making more trips to the White Tanks!

Chef Larry

If you haven't watched the movie "Bucket List" with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, give your self a treat! We enjoyed it so much we now have bucket lists ... I'll share some of mine another time. Larry didn't waste any time getting started on his - learning to cook beyond scrambled eggs and George Foreman!
He made his list (of spices and basic pantry items), checked it twice and went shopping, then produced a tasty dinner for us - a very yummy Chicken Ramen Salad! Nice!!

Man, I wish Candy had written this a little bigger...is that TOAST the nuts? If it's done in a frying pan, aren't they FRIED nuts?
Oh well - in they go...

Eat your heart out, Emeril!
Just to prove he wasn't a one-dish chef, he then tackled dessert - Apple Cobbler ala Larry. He looks very Rachael Ray-ish, doesn't he?
If you've never made this, add it to your list of Potluck quickies and Summer Salads.

Chicken Ramen Salad

Mix: 1 pkg. cole slaw or broccoli slaw

6-8 green onions, sliced

4 chicken breast halves, cooked, cooled, shredded or cubed

2 pkgs ramen noodles, crushed

Toast in dry skillet med. heat:

1 sm. pkg. sliced almonds

3 T. sesame seeds

Toss with salad mix. To make dressing, shake or wisk:

1/2 c. veg. oil (safflower or canola is best)

2 T. sugar

3 T. rice vinegar (apple vinegar is OK)

1 or 2 packets ramen noodle seasoning

Toss dressing and salad thoroughly.

Serve immediately for crunchier salad.

Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight for softer noodles.

Apple Cobbler (quick from the pantry)

Pour 1 can apple pie filling into pie plate or 8x8 baking pan.

Topping: Mix to crumbles -

1/2 c. butter (real)

1/2 c. oatmeal (reg. or quick)

1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. brown sugar

cinnamon

Sprinkle over apple filling. Bake 350 degrees, 30 minutes.

The desert blooms like a rose...

We've discovered, that anything that's green here has thorns. At least these beauties are more approachable than the preceding post subjects!

The rain again helped collaborate for some photo ops.



Another plant that takes to this climate like a duck to water (somehow that sounds all wrong - this is the desert, after all...) is rosemary - one of my very favorite herbs. A favorite with the honey bees, too.

The big squeeze!

Remember that cute little orange tree in the back yard? Much to my dismay, it had to be harvested, or lose the oranges to gradual rot or drying up, which ever hit first -so while friends were visiting from the Las Vegas area, the harvest commenced!


Good thing the tree isn't one of the tall ones like so many in neighboring yards. It only took one cinder block to reach the highest oranges. And a biggggggg stretch!


Not counting all the oranges I had already eaten, we figured about 50 pounds. Multiply that by about a million trees planted in Phoenix area yards, and they better hope they don't have an earthquake - the place would be awash in orange juice.

Things NOT to hug

In the previous post I mentioned being a "tree hugger" - cacti are NOT trees, thank you very much. These photos are all specimens from the yards here in the resort, taken during my daily walks.
The Teddy Bear Cholla should have warning signs, if you get to close it becomes "jumping cholla" and grabs you. Oh, that's pronouned "choy - ya".

I got this fun shot by very, very carefully extending my camera, on super close-up mode, to capture rain drops in the morning sunlight. It does actually rain here, cloudburst style.
The furry brown topknots on this cactus will produce gorgeous flowers in about another 6 weeks.
I think this was the Fishhook cactus in Kathy's yard. Then again, it might be one of the MIB visitors....
Aha! Here's one you should know! But did you know they make jelly and preserves from Prickly Pear cacti?

A walk around the block

I take a walk every day, usually with camera in hand. As a "tree hugger", I find the different types of trees, shrubs and flowers fun to figure out, with help from library books. It didn't take long to discover that no one who lives here knows what anything is in the plant world around them, other than grass and orange trees!
So this is the quiz for the day: Name that palm!

Courtyard ala Arizona

My days tend to revolve around 2 o'clock water aerobics with several ladies who live here in the resort. Pam, who is 60 and a flight attendent, leads us in an hour of delightful stretches, resistance and cardio exercises - then we retire to the big jacuzzi pool for 10 minutes of chat while our muscles soak up the heat - which tends to prevent any soreness setting in. I've noticed an increase in my overall stamina and strength, not to mention tan lines!




I could sure get used to this - until about the middle of May, when it gets way to warm for this northwest girl!