A Man's Favorite Shoes

My husband Bob has a favorite pair of winter garage shoes. He loves puttering in the garage on the weekends and inevitably he will slip on his favorite garage shoes. Bob's Garage is his man cave and he enjoys spending time with our two cats, Button and Louie. He refers to Louie as his Garage Cat. Louie lays on his work bench as Bob tinkers. Bob will slip on his favorite shoes and disappear for hours. The shoes are broken down, stretched out, the suede is scuffed off and the insoles will be discussed later in this story. 

Many, many years ago the shoes were discovered at Becker's Surfboards in Hermosa Beach. It was love at first site as he slipped them on and exclaimed...these shoes are really comfortable. Occasionally the comfy shoes would disappear and I would forget they existed. Suddenly they would appear again to be worn for a few more months. The shoes began to break down and as we cleaned out our closets I always assumed they had been donated to Goodwill. I was wrong, they would appear year after year. 

Now you need to understand how Bob wears these shoes. He doesn't slip his foot completely into the shoe and instead he smashes down the backs and walks with the back of the shoe under the heel. It looks uncomfortable to me but Bob seems happy. About three years ago, the shoes reappeared and this time with new insoles. Bob had taken the old insoles out of a run down pair of Nike running shoes. The insoles were custom fit by cutting them with an exacto knife and scissors. In no time at all the shoes now had new insoles. 

Recently, I was cleaning out the trunk of the car and I found the shoes again. I noticed a new change. Apparently the running shoe insoles had broken down. They were not replaced but enhanced with packing foam. The foam is thin and the type that is wrapped around a really nice piece of crystal or ceramic. Apparently I received a nice gift and the packing foam was salvaged. The shoes now sport three insoles...the original broken down insole, the custom running shoe insole and the new perfectly cut packing foam insole. 

We used to travel quite a lot when we were first married. Bob would frequently pack an older pair of shoes that barely survived the trip but were always comfortable. We would leave the old shoes in hotels, on balconies, in parking lots and we began to take a picture of the abandoned vacation shoes that signaled the end of our trip. I suspect the Garage shoes will remain in our lives forever and will be rebuilt year after year.  I would love to travel again and leave them on the last day of the trip. We'll take a final photo to say goodbye. Who knows maybe another guy will slip on the shoes and exclaim. Hey, these are a "Man's Favorite Shoes!"

Beautiful El Segundo Beach Venue

Last night the El Segundo Chamber of Commerce installed the 2012 Board of Directors at the Dockweiler Youth Center. The venue is a hidden treasure with a beautiful building, nice clean modern furniture and a gorgeous view of the bay.

El Segundo has not had a beach to call their own for years. I started noticing an improvement at the El Segundo Grand Beach a few years ago. Residents don't consider El Segundo a beach city, but a trip down Grand Avenue will change your mind. A new lifeguard station and restroom is under construction. Parking is available and volleyball nets await players.

I enjoy walking on the beach and usually make the short journey to 42nd Street in El Porto. It's all about parking at the beach and you can typically park in El Porto. If I walk from home, I head down Grand Avenue then South to 42nd Street...a habit from my teenage years. "UP & DOWN Grand" is tough but a great workout and you will encounter lots of walkers and bikers.

I never walk to the North and missed the Youth Center and huge parking lot. Next time you decide to spend a day at the beach, head to El Segundo Grand Beach. Who knows, you might see the elusive El Segundo Blue Butterfly.

Cook's Illustrated

My Favorite Cooking Magazine

I'm a fan of "Cook's Illustrated" magazine. I don't measure when I cook and sometimes the finished product is inconsistent. Lately, I have been trying to be more disciplined in my preparation and follow recipes. The recipes and techniques in Cook's are well tested and accurate. I have found my cooking skills have improved and my family is benefitting from the use of that foreign kitchen utensil... measuring spoons.

The magazine has a companion show "America's Test Kitchen". I watch the show and search my back issues of Cook's and frequently find the recipe. I prefer the hard copy of the magazine, but an online version is available. If you would like to improve your cooking techniques it's a good resource.

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/

http://www.americastestkitchen.com/

Silly Polka Dot Chickens

I live in an urban setting. Living quarters are close and my kitchen window faces my neighbors. I have great neighbors and we frequently wave hello. We decorate our kitchen windows for all the holidays and it's fun to see the neighbors creativity.

Last summer a local store had polka dot ceramic chickens for sale. They were chubby faceless cute chickens. My neighbor and I dashed to the store and bought the chickens in black and red. The chickens are moved around our windows surrounded by plants, platters and other decor. They make me smile as I cook and wave to my neighbors.