Lights On

The lights are illuminated even though it's a bright sunny day at UB Stadium on the University of Buffalo campus.  This isn't the first time I've experienced this, but it was the first time it triggered me to find out why.  The numerous reasons are detailed at the link below, and while a few seem a bit of a reach, having them on to assist the television broadcast cameras in delivering high-quality video, having consistent light levels during partly cloudy days, and getting players to get used to them being on makes sense to me.  

https://medium.com/@wosenlight/why-are-stadium-lights-on-during-the-day-e85c910481d#

Valet Living

One of Valet Living's services is a once-a-day trash pickup, so you can avoid trips to your apartment complex's central garbage dumpsters.  I have never lived in an apartment complex so big that this would be valuable, but the can shown below is from the Buffalo, New York area where snow, cold, and dark make that evaluation much different.

https://www.valetliving.com

In Five Seconds

I have an Amazon Alexa-controlled smart switch on a lamp in the basement so I can say "Alexa, turn on (or off) the basement light."  The only problem is that after dark the basement is very dark and I need that light to safely see my way to the stairs.  I used to walk part of the way up the stairs before issuing the "off" command, but recently, on a whim, deciding to try "Alexa, in five seconds turn off the basement light."  To my surprise that worked!  I've searched several times for a document showing this feature exists, but so far I've come up with nothing.

Street Corn Dip

This Street Corn Dip is delicious whether you serve it up hot or cold, making it the perfect tailgate dish.  Don't let the twelve ingredients fool you into thinking this is a hard recipe to make, it's mostly slicing, dicing, and measuring with a little stirring thrown in.  If I've created a recipe card like the one below for a dish, it's both easy (because the prep fits in 90 words or less) and delicious (have to trust me on that).

Blood Orange Tom Collins

The hot afternoon on Hilton Head Island, SC, last month was the perfect time to have the Blood Orange Tom Collins shown below.  It's a simple concoction of 2 oz blood orange gin, 1 oz lemon juice, and 3/4 oz simple syrup that's shaken with ice and topped with club soda.  The venue was the Hilton Head Distillery found on the northeast side of the island.  Tours are available for those interested, but give me a bar seat and a bartender and I'm a happy guy.

https://www.hiltonheaddistillery.com

But I Gotta Go

I apologize for the blurry picture below but I had to share this sign along I-90 in New York.  A parking area one mile ahead is advertised as a "text stop" but without any "bathrooms".  Given the choice of which one I need the most on a long drive, I'll take the "bathrooms", or at least the cover of some thick bushes, cause when you gotta go, you gotta go.  I guess knowing there's a telephone available (as if we don't all carry one) is some sort of relief, just not the kind I need. 

Come on New York, get real!

Knot On Call

People name their boats creatively and personally, like the "Knot On Call" shown below.  Another cute name, also found at LumberJack's Patio Grill on the Niagara River just north of Buffalo, New York, was "Sea E O".  Check out the link below for some more chuckle-worthy boat names like "She Got the House" and "What’s Up Dock?".

https://www.veranda.com/luxury-lifestyle/a41001953/best-boat-names

Niagara Falls

The picture below is of the American Falls on the Niagara River, the second-largest of the three falls that move water from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.   While you can see the largest, Horseshoe Falls, from the American side it's not nearly as impressive as the view from the Canadian side.  We drove to Niagara Falls State Park (free admission, but pay for parking) located on Goat Island, and walked to views of all three falls (Bridal Falls being the third) where getting caught in the mist is part of the fun.  A poncho is a good idea.

One thing we learned, as detailed in the link below, is that water is diverted from the falls at night to provide for more hydroelectricity generation and even more than that in the winter off-season.  

https://www.niagarafallstourism.com/blog/do-they-shut-off-the-falls-at-night

Homemade Arepas

Shown below is my first attempt to make arepas at home.  The corn pocket was made using warm water, salt, and precooked white cornmeal as detailed in the YouTube video at the link below.  It's formed by hands coated in oil and water to minimize sticking, shaped into a circle to the diameter and thickness you desire, and fried for a short time in a frying pan to get some color.  They are finished by baking them in a 350-degree oven for about 10 minutes.  When cool enough to handle, they are sliced horizontally and filled with whatever strikes your fancy, in the case below some leftovers from last night's dinner at Jorrge's.

The only difficulty in this recipe is finding the precooked white cornmeal.  I found a package of the brand Pan at La Raza in West Carrollton, a small Mexican store and restaurant at 2175 Imperial Road, which was a bit challenging as I don't speak a lick of Spanish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbvh5XaBpJk

Copa Di Vino

I appreciate unique packaging like the Copa Di Vino hourglass-shaped beauty shown below. Holding about 6.3 fluid ounces, it comes filled with one of several kinds of wine. Its splash-proof cap is perfect if you're on the move or just want to keep the bugs out. Gourmet Chef, Elaine, and I agree that drinking from a glass (i.e., made of real glass like these) is the best (i.e. only) way to enjoy a beverage.

I plan to buy several of their white wine varieties.  I can't speak to the quality of their red wine selections, but in my experience, they tend to vary all over the place where white choices are generally at least OK.   I will refill them with some of our better wines or cocktails for our next tailgate party. 

https://copadivino.com