December 24, 2021

Christmas eve, we really didn’t get a chance to play. We exchanged Christmas presents. I got to see Colleen in real life! She really does exist :).

Storytime. This isn’t really a Christmas story but a Halloween one and I want to tell it before I forget it. It is one of my favorite stories from our adventures before we made the blog. We went to Westfield home of the creator of the Addams family. Colleen had seen on tv that there was a big Addams family festival in Westfield for the Halloween weekend. Most of the festivities were happening on the weekend, but we could at least see the Addams family house that someone made to resemble the Addam’s family house from the show.

First I must tell you that Colleen LOVES her iPhone. She relies on it for almost everything. The phone has managed to get us to almost every destination (except when it decided not to tell us anything when we were going to Luna Parc). So we arrived in the town center of Westfield. There was a small park, next to the police station. Stores to the left and right. The park was centered around a pond, and in the center of the pond was a small wooden replica of the Addam’s family house. We are excited! Colleen puts the directions in her phone for Addam’s family house. We go to the right of the park. We pass many storefronts with Halloween-themed windows. We walk a couple of blocks. “How much closer,” I ask Colleen. She tells me “It’s close”. We walk another block. She then tells me it is further away. This can’t be right, we go back to the park. We walk around a block of residential houses. This can’t be right, we go back to the park. We go to the left of the park. We walk a couple of blocks. “Are we close”, I ask. “Not yet” Colleen responds, “let’s walk a few more blocks”. We walk a couple of more blocks. “Are we there yet?” I ask. “It says we are further” Colleen responds. “If we are further away, we should go back,” I say. Colleen responds, “Let’s walk a couple more blocks.” We walk another block. “If it says we are going further there is no sense in keeping on walking,” I say. We go back to the park.

We stand in front of the park for a long time. Staring at the wooden cutout of the Addam’s family house, it occurs to me that this is what we are looking for. “Is this the replica of the Addam’s family house?” I ask. “No it was life-size, I saw it on tv,” Colleen responds. I tell her that it was a good thing a bird didn’t land in the shot, it would’ve ruined the illusion. We see a policeman. Colleen asks, “Is this Addam’s family house?” After a long pause, he responds, “sort of”. I tell Colleen her phone is now fired for walking directions. It was a nice drive and at least we got some exercise.

Upon looking up the Westfield Addam’s family house, there is a house upon which the show’s house was influenced. Maybe one day, we can go into the real world and see it.

March 20, 2020

This Friday we practiced social distancing. We played together on the phone and internet.

We used our phones to communicate and play Fibbage and Yahtzee. With fibbage, the game gives fill in the blank and you put in an answer that you think the other person or persons would pick. After everyone makes their answer, the game will show you the answers plus the real answer. I tried to lure Colleen in with the elephant answer, but she didn’t fall for it :(. She countered with a bunny answer, I was tempted but I knew better. I won!!! Best 2 out of 3 games. Sadness then struck, when we played Yahtzee. Colleen won the best 2 out of 3 games:(. Even if we didn’t get to leave the house, it was still a nice break to stop thinking about the Corona Virus and remember that fun can still be had even in bad times.

March 13, 2020

This is not Friday Funday. With the virus spreading, we both stayed home. Better not to take chances, hopefully, this will be over soon. I told the story of how we met, now I will tell the story of how we became friends.

We met through our daughters, who became friends. We live close to Great Adventure, maybe an half hour away. In the summer we would meet at the fountain at 1 p.m. While our daughters would go on rides, we would talk. At the time, I did not know Colleen would become a lifelong friend. We found we both had trouble with weight (who doesn’t, I know some people can’t keep it on and they take great joy in telling you). So we ditched our daughters and I would meet her at her house and we would go for walks. As we talked we became closer, and soon Friday meetings began at my house. We would go for walks to the restaurants near my house and return to watch TV and play video games. There was one problem, Colleen walks ridiculously fast and I had a hard time keeping up. So I had to come up with a solution. I made the plan to insist to pay for lunch and she could repay me by carrying the lunch home. Holding lunches and not spilling or keeping them upright did the trick.:)

I hope this pandemic ends soon, we can go back to our lives. It’s funny how the life we thought may have needed improvement, now becomes the life we want desperately back.

February 21, 2020

This Friday, we were delighted to have Colleen’s mom join us. Her mom is so cute!!! We went to the Spanish Tavern in Mountainside. After we went to the Christmas Tree Shop, where I got some new (victims), cough cough….I mean plants. I know my picture is going to be posted at all nurseries, as a Plant Murderer. There was a lady who was kind enough to give me her coupon and saved me ten dollars! Thank you!

Pea Beef Noodle Soup
A man goes around gives everyone a bowl soup. It is really good with many complex flavors. We all loved it.

Day Boat Scallops Spanish Tavern Style
We shared our meal. This was excellent!

Paellla Valencia
We shared this, too. This was my first time having Paella, it was really good!! I’m pretty sure this restaurant will make our top ten this year. From the outside you would not guess what was inside. The service, the food and the decor are excellent. Really, we couldn’t ask for anything more.

If you read this blog, you may have noticed we have an obsession with soup. For many years, if you asked if I wanted soup, I would’ve said no. I thought of it as water with salt and some noodles. It wasn’t until I tasted the Soupman’s (of Seinfeld fame) vegetable soup, that I became a fan. In our nearby mall, the Soupman had opened a soup stand. He was expanding his soup across the state. The first time I tried the soup it was love at first bite. I would get the vegetable soup and half a sandwich with homemade lemonade and Lindt chocolate. He converted me into a soup fan. I introduced Colleen to the vegetable soup and soon she was a fan too. The recession hit and soon many of his soup stores closed. There was one last in our area in Red Bank. It just so happened that on Wednesdays my daughter and Colleen’s daughter had classes in the area. Every Wednesday night we would meet and the owner would have the vegetable soup waiting for us! I loved the little Brussels sprouts and the broth was so full of flavor. YUM! Sadly that restaurant has closed too. Now I feel like I’m on the search for something as delicious or even better. I guess you can say I’m a soup junkie. 🙂

January 31, 2020

This Friday we went to Liberty State Park and ate at the Liberty House in Jersey City. The lovely Val joined us. Colleen surprised me for my birthday. She kept me guessing where we’re going. She kept trying to throw me off the trail, but even if she told me, I have never been here. Lucky us, it was restaurant week!

New York City in the background.
It looks so small from here.

Butternut Squash Soup
We all had the soup. It had pomegranates and creme fraiche. Some of the herbs were a little big, and I feel there was two many pomegranates seeds. I’m really nitpicking because it was excellent and I would definitely get it again.

Lobster Roll
Val had the lobster roll. She said it was really good.

Pan Seared Atlantic Salmon | Chorizo & Sweet Pepper Ragout, Fingerling Potatoes, Leek Coulis
Colleen had the salmon. She really enjoyed it. She said the sauces were really good.

Pappardelle with Pork Bolognese | Ragout of Mushrooms, Crushed Tomatoes, Grana Padana Cheese, Spinach Bell Peppers, Brandy & Cream
This was excellent, it is close to my favorite dish from 618. The noodles were so tender, I ate them all up! Yum! The sauce was excellent with just a hint of spice. It was like eating a hug!

On our way to the restaurant, we traveled on the turnpike. I know that the president turned back a lot of the environmental laws, but why did it take so fast for the companies to stop using the environmental equipment that was already in place. Before this the town of Elizabeth stop smelling, now it smells again. It was a cloudy day and giant plumes of smoke were filling the sky. It was hard to tell which were clouds and which were pollution. There was a brown hue to the sky. If this is so visible, what is happening that we can’t see? What are they dumping into our water and earth? Are we going to have a new river on fire, as was the case in the Cuyahoga River Fire in Ohio in 1969? I don’t understand the people behind the big corporations, they live here too. I know some people don’t believe in global warming but I don’t remember 60 degrees in January. I am afraid of what the summer will bring. Will it be 120 degrees? I remember on 9/11 New Jersey’s former governor and then head of the EPA Christine Todd Whitman declared the air safe. Now many of the brave Police and Firemen are coming down with cancer and other illnesses. The toll is tragic, for the brave first responders and their families. For what, to save from the cost of few hazmat suits and air masks? Why are we so short-sighted?

January 3, 2020

Real life took over again, while I had this:

Colleen was busy coming back from sunny Florida.

We decided to have a top ten list of our favorite restaurants. This year we will try to revisit the top ten and every year after, to see if they hold up.

My list:

10. Aunt Butchie’s: Best Chicken Soup

9. Turning Point: I have loved this dish for a long time

8. Casablanca: The food was really good

7. Chowda House: The seafood is always fresh here.

6. Greek Festival: Home made Greek food, need I say more.

5. El Guacamole: Worth going back for the soup alone!

4. Juanitos: Some of the best Mexican food I’ve ever had.

3. Peking Pavilion: Some the best Chinese food I’ve ever had.

2. Heirloom Kitchen: Really good freshly prepared food.

618: My favorite meal. If they ask what three foods would you like if you lived on a deserted island, this is number one.

Colleen’s List

10. Melting Pot: Fun and good food

9. Comfi: Colleen says best breakfast

8. El Guacamole: Best Appetizers

7. 618: Best Meatballs

Granny’s Meatballs
Best meatballs we’ve ever had they are really light.

6. Juanito’s: Best Mexican food.

5. Blue Water Cafe: Best Seafood, all their seafood is excellent!

New England Clam Chowder
There is a reason this has won awards!

4.Heirloom Kitchen: A really good experience and food

3. Greek Festival: Colleen loves their gyros, she compares everyone else’s to theirs.

2.Casablanca: She loves not only the delicious food but the atmosphere.

1. Thanksgiving Leftovers: It’s a black Friday tradition.

Colleen, also wants to mention losers of the year (makes Great Adventure seem like a 5 star restaurant.

2. Soul Sandwich-still can’t get the horrible mushroom soup taste out of my mouth. (Sad because this was once a favorite soup place)

Jerry and Harvey’s – worst service award (They actually screamed at us for trying to sit down)

This year I hope we can discover new places to have fun and to feast! It is always fun to find a new adventure and try new foods. All my life I have wanted to learn and expand my horizons, I hope that I never loose the sense of adventure. The world is big and I feel like I’ve known so little of it.

December 20, 2019

This Friday we went to the Brick House and the outlet mall in Neptune.

Zucchini Curls
The zucchini was nice and crunchy. The sauce had just a touch of heat. It was really good.

Chicken Pot Pie
We both had the Chicken Pot Pie. It was really good. The chicken was shredded with peas, carrots and potatoes. The crust was very light with some yummy cheese on top. This wasn’t heavy like most pot pies.

The annual Christmas debate, Colleen’s daughter Tina says it’s officially Christmas when we have this debate. It is over the song “Do They Know It’s Christmas Time”. There is a line that says ” Well tonight thank God it’s them instead of you ” Colleen says that is an awful line because she says that you shouldn’t wish it on anyone. She says that you should wish it would never happen. I say it means “There but the grace of God go I” To me, it means that you should be grateful that you are not in that position and you should help those who are, because you were lucky enough not to be born in those circumstances. There will always be those less fortunate. In this season of excess, it would be nice if treated those less fortunate with some kindness.

We want to wish everyone the joy and happiness of the holiday season.

December 6, 2019

This Friday we went to a tree trimming party at World Market in Shrewsbury and Queso in Lincroft. The tree trimming party was advertised as an event where you got to help decorate a tree with refreshments. There was a tree? I think….it was a small fake tree with no signage, so I’m not sure? The refreshments were pieces of cookies and one dixie cup of hot chocolate. We should be mad but we found a cute store with lots of items I never saw anywhere else. There were gifts at all different price points and lots of sales. We both got some Christmas shopping done with a discount and got a free ornament to take home!

Queso
This restaurant had very good Mexican food reasonably priced.

Shrimp Enchilada Special
Colleen got the shrimp enchilada. She remembered after we ordered that we both like the ground beef the best here.

Chicken Enchilada Special
The chicken enchilada was yummy! The chicken was very good but I really like the way the chicken is cooked Qdoba.

What I didn’t take a picture of was the extra rice and beans, we seemingly ordered. I had remembered that previously, we ordered the burritos and forgot to add the combo. I remembered this time not knowing that it was included in special. I don’t understand why the cashier didn’t say that it was included. I have found that happens more and more, I’m not sure why. I wonder if it because computers have made it so that you don’t have to think or even problem solve. The problem with relying on computers is that you don’t know when something is wrong. Being able to add, you have an idea how much something is going to cost. I like to pay in cash. I often have the money ready to pay and when something comes out $9.03, rather than getting 97 cents back, I will tell the cashier I have the 3 cents after they put in the $10. Often their heads explode. They will often ignore me and pretend they didn’t hear me. I took an accounting class in the local community college. My professor was very animated and made accounting fun. He once told a story about a bank employee. This employee had figured out a way to take the .9% of interest from customers and funnel it into his bank account. He figured that no one would notice a .9% missing. He was wrong. A military fellow who liked everything very precise noticed the .9% missing from his account. He went to the bank and they found out what the employee had done. I wonder if he would get caught today?

November 29, 2019

Sadness struck, but that was later. It’s Black Friday, unfortunately store hours have changed since we first went. Now stores start on Thanksgiving Day, I miss waking in the middle of the night to go shopping. It felt strange and exciting like you were doing something naughty. Colleen refuses to shop on Thanksgiving night. So, we got up early and went out. We bought some items. I got what for the most part what I really wanted. Some of the things were sold out. We also went to Great Adventure.

Great Adventure
Later we went to Great Adventure, where I can become victorious on the Justice League Ride!

Broad Street Donuts
We stopped for a bite to eat. Yummy!

Pile of food
Thanksgiving leftovers. I should’ve arranged it prettier, but hungry.

Some of the scenery at Great Adventure, Colleen’s daughter Caroline joined us. Tragedy struck here. So much sadness, I came in last place on the Justice League ride. I even checked the other people in our group, I didn’t even beat the little one. I was not victorious. 😦

It’s Christmas time, the time of year where we think of our family and friends. The world stops for that one day. Even during World War One, there was the Christmas truce, where the British and German soldiers laid down their arms and sang Christmas Carols. It is a magical time of year. We put so much effort into that one day, to show each other our love. We try every year to make it perfect. My goal is to be done Christmas shopping by Thanksgiving so that I can take in all the holiday fun. I have never met my goal. Some people turn into little children again, others hate the hustle and bustle and they turn very grumpy. Try and take time to enjoy something magical, something small you once looked upon with wonder as a child. Maybe closely notice a snowflake, or take a ride to just enjoy Christmas lights, or make hot chocolate from scratch. My wish is that everyone has a safe and joyful holiday, full of magical moments.

November 15 and 16, 2019

A two-day Funday! Actually, we went to the same places both days. We didn’t have enough time on Friday to do what we wanted because of a bad waiter. Both days we went to Harrold’s Deli and the Sugarloaf Craft fair in Edison.

At Harrold’s deli the portion size is gigantic. Nothing makes people as happy as ridiculous sizes of food. It looks like they are serving giants!

This was our first time to the deli and our waiter wasn’t helpful at all. Not to mention we waited over an hour for the bill and for him to take our order. We were there for two hours. He, also, forgot Colleen’s soup, which apparently I forgot to take a picture of. Colleen had the soup of the day, which was Mushroom Barley. She did not enjoy it.

The deserts are gigantic! A lady next to us got a slice of cake for her birthday, it was much larger than any whole cake. She was offering the whole section we were in a piece and still had a lot to take home.

Lunch Special Turkey Paninni
Unfortunately I don’t have the menu for it. She said the turkey was good. The french fries were very good.

New York’s Best Corned Beef
The Corned beef was good. I don’t know if it’s the best I’ve ever had, but it is very tasty. The Cole slaw, though was excellent. The bread too, is really good. If you put it all together; the corned beef, Cole slaw, bread and Russian dressing by far one of the best corned beef sandwiches I’ve ever had. You get the pickle bar with your meal. Pickles aren’t that exciting.

Single Blueberry Pancake
We had breakfast the next day! The pancake was the size of a large pizza. I don’t know how they flipped it. It was a very good pancake too!

Two Eggs any style with Ham
We both wanted eggs with our pancakes and Colleen wanted home fries too. The waiter suggested we get the meal instead. He was a very good waiter. I wish we had him the first day.

We went to Sugarloaf craft fair both days, it is supposed to be one of the top 50 craft fairs in the country. Craft fairs attract many different types of crafters. There are those who’ve honed their skills over many years and those that just slap things together trying to make extra cash. There are those who’ve come up with a brilliant idea and those that stole a brilliant idea. People whose prices are ridiculously high and those that are a bargain. People who market towards everyone and those only to select few. It’s fun and interesting. You are sure to see things you haven’t seen before. We both managed to get some Christmas shopping done.