Sunday, October 31, 2010

Not Every One Liked The Party

Maybe she doesn't like her mothers camera.

The street was filled happy youngsters.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Friday, October 29, 2010

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Althea Can Now Enjoy Her Garden Once More.


Solomon and Althea Merrick bought the property 100 years ago. There grove thrived and the house was enlarged. The son George started the building of Coral Gables 85 years ago. The Coral Gables Garden Club (also 85 years old) gave the city this statue of Althea Merrick today. Here is another statue of Althea.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Our Ae Ae Bananas Are Ripe


If you live in the Miami area and would like to taste this rare banana just call me and I will tell you where and when.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Sunday, October 24, 2010

It Looks Like A Chrysanthemum

My chrysanthemum relative is a shrub that's 15 feet tall.

Friday, October 22, 2010

It Doesn't Get Any Better Then This


This orchid has bloomed every October for the last 2o years.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Main Entrance Of The University of Miami


These Royal Palms are all the same size and the effect is assume.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

White Bougainvillea


This white bougainvillea is consuming a pergola and it looks like it's headed to the pond. A bougainvillea can be trimmed and kept small, but once it gets out of bounds it can't go back.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

A Coalition Of Bamboo


Bamboo well grow very well in Coral Gables. Unfortunately we see little bamboo around the city. In this picture I can see 4 different clones of bamboo and they are not the regular ones.

Monday, October 18, 2010

The Seersucker Social, On Saturday October 16


The Seersucker Social is a club around the USA. The Miami group peddled to the Coral Gables Museum and then came to the Merrick House for lunch. They ate on the porch or on the lawn. Some played badminton and some played croquet.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

1st Annual Fall Family Festival


Yesterday at our church playground we had a festival. It sure looks like a winner.


And this is the pumpkin patch before the young people got there. All of the pumpkins are the same size. No one can look for the best pumpkin.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Boy Scouts At There Best


The boy scouts planted the 'slow food' vegetable garden at the Merrick House. The Slow Food USA are putting vegetable gardens in many of our schools.

Friday, October 15, 2010

The Tree Has No Ware To Go


This ficus tree was dieing last year due to the white fly. After the cold winter the white fly was killed off and the tree started to grow again.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

It's Fall In Coral Gables


This is Golden Showers, Copper Pod or Yellow Poinciana (Peltophorum pterocarpum). The names Golden Showers and Yellow Poinciana are the names of other trees in our area. This tree grows much further north then most of our trees. The cooper colored seed pods give a tast of fall color.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

It's Finely Blooming


I had 6 Mussaenda with different colors last year. The cold winter killed 4 of them. The 2 that lived are now blooming, 3 to 4 months late.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Plumeria "Pompano Pink"


Our tree is flowering for the first time (only 2 years old). In the yard it looks more like a red

Monday, October 11, 2010

Where Are The People

The Mayor spoke at the museum opening. The air conditioned museum was filled with people. Not too many wanted to sit out side in the hot sun.

Some smart people moved the chairs to the shadow.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

10:10 AM 10, 10, 10


With five 10s the city opened the Coral Gables Museum. The big group well come in the late afternoon.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

This Is One Of Our Older Houses

It looks like it's new. The owners have taken time to keep it in perfect condition.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Pie On The Porch

We were in the pie contest last week. I made the pink one (a mamey pie) and the white one was my wifes pie (avocado).


MAMEY PIE
INGREDIENTS
1 9 inch Graham Cracker crust
1 cup Mamey pulp
¾ cup sugar
1 package Gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 boiling water
2 cups Heavy Whipping cream
½ teaspoon salt


Soak gelatin in cold water, then dissolve in the boiling water. Set aside.
In the food processor, blend Mamey pulp until smooth,gradually mixing sugar and salt with the fruit pulp. Mix the gelatin
mixture in the Mamey. Whip the heavy cream until stiff and fold into Mamey mixture. Pour into chilled Graham cracker
crust and refrigerate until serving. May be frozen also.
Pie Crust
18 squares Graham Crackers
1/4 cup sugar
6 Tablespoons melted butter
Crush Graham crackers, add sugar and melted butter. Mix thoroughly.
Press mixture into a 9 inch pie plate.
Cook in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 10 -12 minutes.

AVOCADO PIE
Ingredients
1 9 inch pie shell
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
½ cup lime juice (Key Lime if available)
1 cup ripe Florida avocado mashed gently
1 tub (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 Tablespoon finely grated lime peel
Pie Shell
18 squares Graham Crackers
1/4/ cup sugar
6 Tablespoons melted butter


Crush Graham crackers in food processor, add sugar and melted butter. Mix thoroughly.
Press mixture into a 9 inch pie plate.
Cook in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 10 -12 minutes.
( Alternate: Mixture may be refrigerated for 3 hours before using.)
Pie Filling
In a mixing bowl, beat together sweetened condensed milk and lime juice with electric mixer on medium speed. Beat
together until smooth and slightly thickened. Add mashed avocado and mix until smooth. Fold in the whipped topping and
the lime peel. Pour mixture into pie shell.
( Save cup of whipped topping to use with decorator bag to pipe a design on the pie.)
Refrigerate the pie for about three hours or until set. Store in refrigerator.

The Slow Food Group Had A Pie Contest Last Saturday

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

It Was A Windy Day

I was weeding around the Ae Ae bananas this afternoon. An hour after cleaning the banana area the wind started to act up. This Ae Ae fell with a crop of fruit.

I will cook them like a plantain. It's not ripe to eat as a fruit.

The corm broke in half. The part that had most of the roots are still in the ground.

Monday, October 4, 2010

These Orchids Have Been In This Flower Bed For 20 Years.

It's easier then putting in petunias every spring.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

One Of The Three Avocado Trees In Our Garden

In a good year we have ripe avocados from July to April. We know that the fruit is ready to eat when the squirrels start eating them.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

I Can See 8 Mamey In Our Tree


We have been eating mamey for the last two months. We still have a lot to pick. Here are 8 that are ready to pick,