Day 3875: XinXin and Sugar Cream Pie.

Ukraine art by Pawel Kuczynski

Want music?

Click here: Peter Frampton, Baby I Love

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2GN2S ...

Mexico's 'forgotten panda.' 

Xin Xin, lounges in her habitat at the Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City

She's the last of her kind. Her name is Xin Xin, and she's one of only three pandas in the world not owned by China. But these may be the final day's of Mexico's half-century panda love affair.

 Xin Xin is the granddaughter of two pandas given to Mexico as a gift in 1975. Today, she's the only panda in Latin America and among the last in the world that doesn't belong to China. The lineage of Mexican pandas ends with Xin Xin, who never reproduced.

 

Do You Know Wicks Sugar Cream Pies?

Mrs Wick's Pies have been producing top quality pies and pie shells for over 50 years and are famous for their Sugar Cream Pie. A staple in Indiana, you can be sure when bringing a dessert to an event, there is always several sugar cream pies. It’s similar in taste to that of a crème brûlée; lightly sweet, smooth like a custard, and sure to be a family favorite.

 

An original farmhouse recipe, this pie contains only the finest ingredients including cream, sugar, and nutmeg. Wick built his business on Sugar Cream Pie over 70 years ago, and it remains a Hoosier favorite! It’s similar in taste to that of a crème brûlée; lightly sweet, smooth like a custard, and sure to be a family favorite.

 

Back in 1944, Duane "Wick’’ Wickersham opened a small cafe inside an Indiana factory to serve lunch to its employees.  Wick’s Restaurant is just north of the Wick’s commercial bakery at 100 Cherry Street, Winchester, Indiana. He relied on many of his grandmother’s recipes, including one for a classic Indiana specialty, Sugar Cream Pie. A full-service restaurant soon followed, within four years he was selling 300 of his pies every day, and Wick’s Pies was on its way to becoming one of Indiana’s most beloved pie makers. Wick’s pies are still made according to those same family recipes, and the Wickersham family still runs the company to this day.

              

That would be the end of it, but when WonderWoman was just 3, I got the hair-brained idea that it would be fun for us to both bake a sugar cream pie together. I had the Wicks recipe and all the ingredients, so before I could think it through, we started.

 

 I wanted to show you how young this pie maker was, two pigtails and a smile. It was my first pie too. Lil'WW was already dressed in her favorite navy sailor suit, repeat, navy! I don't know what I wore, but when Lil'WW's Dad came home we were both covered with flower. The pie was pretty good but getting there was messy.

 

They do ship pies now ...

 

 

 

 

A funny 1+minute video, Doris, here.

 

Just because ...

  

Jacana   (check the feet)

 

Smiles for Sunday ...

  

 

  

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

                             Thanks for coming by today ...

 

 

Day 3874: Shade and MP4

"Defoliation": photo, collage, digital.

 

Want music?

Click here: Justin Timberlake, Can't Stop

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Throwback Thursday ...

   

First Day of School, Villa Park, 2009

(Young Grandhunks # 2,1,3 left-right, they are still crazy)

 

2GN2S ...

Heron ’casts shade’ to hunt ... 

 

  This elegant African wading bird uses its wings to lure unsuspecting prey into ‘safe’ cover. The black heron, a jet-black bird found in southern Africa and Madagascar, has devised a devilishly clever way to catch its prey. When hunting for small fish in shallow water, the black heron uses its wings like an umbrella to create a patch of shade beneath it.

Scientists believe that this behavior, known as canopy feeding, helps the birds hunt by making their prey easier to see. In the same way as wearing polarized sunglasses helps fishermen peer past the water’s surface, creating a personal patch of shade may help these birds get a better look at their prey. Shrouding themselves in a cloak of darkness may also prevent the herons' prey from seeing them, experts say.

   But that’s not all. Scientists also theorize that the shade created by these birds may attract fish who are looking for a place to hide. While it remains to be seen if one or all of these theories are true, canopy feeding certainly works well for the black heron. 

Terrific video, here

 

This is really special video, Four Seasons,  4 min. but so worth your time. 

 

 

 

An amazing 3-minute video, bravery, here.

 

Just because ...

 

Capped Heron

 

Smiles for Sunday ...

  

  

   

 

 

  

 

                             Thanks for coming by today ...

 

 

Day 3873: A student and thoughts.

 

"Constant Chaos": drawing, collage & digital.

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Click here: Hall & Oats, Still in Love

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2GN2S ...

Oteshima (pop. 34),

remote island in Japan's Inland Sea,    

and is home to Akiko Imanaka, the sole student from the island's elementary and junior high. Last week, the entire town showed up for her graduation. 

She explained, It's usually just me, so there are times when I feel lonely. But I got to serve as student body president and visited a lot of places as the school representative, so it was a good experience.

Random thoughts from the plane Monday. I have flown since I was 5, but now at the far end of this life I was feeling so grateful for the many luxuries I enjoy but don't always show gratitude. When a freshman in college, I was amazed at how many changes my Grandma (Dad's Mom, 4'10"and all heart) had seen in her lifetime. From horse and buggy to an airplane, from radio to television, black and white, then color! But I have recently realized that you and I have seen even more, with discoveries and improvements.

  I was thinking what a trusting person the first one to board a big, metal, cigar that surely weighed too much to leave the ground, let alone stay up? And just a 35 minute flight from Las Vegas airport to Santa Ana. On the way as I looked out the window I saw12 different solar farms. Nevada has open land and lots of solar.

 Once we had flown over the desert and mountains, we

could see Monopoly size house laid out in various designs. Then I started looking at schools, then at commercial areas. Before I knew it, the Pacific Ocean was in view. I think we had a hot rod pilot. I noticed we went faster approaching the runway, there was just one bump on contact, then smooth and fast to the JSX (Jet Suite) hanger. Grandhunk #1 was there to meet me and take me home. He put my suitcase on my bed and we talked more, then he was off to workout. 

He sometimes posts his workout stats ...

 

 

I am very grateful to have gone and to return home. 

   

 

 

 

A  4-minute video, Fly w/eagle, here.

 

Just because ...

     

Whiskered Auklet

 

Smiles for Wednesday ...

      

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

                             Thanks for coming by today ...