Baseball and Hot Dogs

This is Day 11 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is The best stadium food you ever ate. Please visit the other participants for more delicious posts.

Most of us have fond memories of food from our childhood. Whether it was our mom's homemade lasagna or a memorable chocolate birthday cake, food has a way of transporting us back to the past. - Homaro Cantu

I have no recollection of ever having eaten stadium food, at least as I suspect is being referred to in this prompt. I have grabbed a quick snack at a concession stand before a concert, but that was never anything to brag about.

Image Source: Dennis Wilkinson

So I will tell you a little about what I think the perfect stadium food would have been. My aunt and uncle lived in New Hampshire, about 50 or so miles outside of Boston, the home of the Boston Red Sox. The games were watched religiously, and if not televised then listened to on the radio. 

This was back in the day of Carl Yastrzemski and Carlton Fisk, among others. Now as far as I know they never actually went to the games, but were avid fans, nonetheless.

How does that relate to stadium food? Back in the day, there were these delicious hot dogs that I knew as New Hampshire Provisions. They don't exist now, at least not like they were back then. Even the last time I had them, they were not the same. But back then they were the "best hot dogs ever". The flavor and texture were great and they used natural casings so their was a slight pop when you bit into them. Pair that with the classic New England butter-grilled buns and it was an absolute delight. Just thinking about this takes me back to those summer visits, eating hot dogs and watching the Red Sox.


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Jenna's Misfortune

This is Day 10 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Misfortune. Please visit the other participants for more interesting views on this topic.

Sitting there in the pub, Alex listened quietly as Charlie shared what was known up to that point.

Image Source: Dave Newman

"It seems this photographer took a picture of Jenna during the SWAT rescue and associated her with the mob, and then some whack job gets it in his fool head that she is some sort of mafia princess and kidnapped her. He is holding her for a $1 million ransom. He's obviously not blessed in the brains department. The kicker is that the mob leaders don't know or care who she is or what happens to her. That makes her useless to him if he figures it out, and him a target of the mob just because...they've offed people for less.

"So it seems she had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time...again" stated Alex solemnly. 

"Well" said Charlie, she does have a habit of dating the mafia."

"That could change...when we get her back" replied Alex. "I guess we're off to New York. What was she doing in New York anyway? Wait a minute, she said something about auditioning for a part in a play but I didn't think she was serious. That'll give us a place to start. We'll hit the theaters, show her picture around and see if anyone has seen her."

Charlie agreed and called for the jet. "It's 9:30 now, we can be there in two hours. Do you have your go-bag with you?"

"Always! I'll meet you at the hangar."

"Touchdown at 11:30, Agent Shore" said the pilot as they boarded the plane. 

"Thanks!" Charlie checked his messages and called Kim, their liaison in New York, to get rooms reserved, contact information and a list of all the theaters.

"Hey Charlie, I always figured to go the theater when I was in New York, but this isn't what I had in mind" stated Alex wryly. "So where are we staying?"

"The Hyatt Midtown. It's not The Plaza, but it'll do. I just hope you don't snore this time. This is New York City, we get one room and I've got first dibs on the shower" said Charlie looking over his glasses at Alex.

When they arrived in the city, they had their list of theaters and contacts. "What are the chances we can find anyone to talk to tonight?" questioned Alex, eager to get started.

"I get your impatience, Alex, but the last performances began around 8 p.m. It's almost midnight so the theaters are probably closed now. I got a text from Kim and she has arranged space for us at the Midtown South PD, so we'll go there first and meet with the officer on duty. We want everyone on the same page," said Charlie as they climbed into their standard black SUV rental.

For more adventures of Charlie and Alex:

Risky Business

Aliens, Really?
The Colombians
The Key
Stranded
The Last Laugh
The Morning After

Bears, Beans and Beer

Kidnapped

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Out of Luck

This is Day 9 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Slim Pickings. Please visit the other participants for more interesting views on this topic.

Have you ever gone to a potluck and find you were just out of luck instead?  There is a local event that I have attended a couple times. The decorations are tropical and the atmosphere is festive. There is music playing as people stream in to find a seat - friends and strangers sitting together at the many tables, each adorned with a centerpiece and a label. 

That label, my friends, is important. You must take note and pay attention. Each label on each table is an island name such as Oahu or Maui. To get to the food that each of you has lovingly prepared (or bought on the way) and carefully placed on the long serving tables, you must now wait for your island to be called. 

And wait...and wait...until all the other islands have been called and yours is the only table left sitting and there are three tables worth of people still in line ahead of you. By the time you inch your way to the front of the line, what looked like food for an army is now slim pickings indeed!

Now don't get me wrong it is a fun, hugely attended event and the staff goes out of their way to ensure everyone has good time...you just might not want to go hungry. In all fairness, my table wasn't always last - once it was next to the last.



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Vitamin Nature

This is Day 8 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is A dose of Vitamin N. Please visit the other participants for more interesting views on this topic.

What is Vitamin N? The answer is simple. It is Nature. You may be wondering why nature is now classified as a Vitamin.

Let's look at it this way. Think about how you feel after a walk in the park, a picnic by the lake, a visit to the zoo, or a camping trip. Okay so all camping trips aren't great, particularly when Mother Nature is not cooperating, e.g. rain. But still, you are out in the wide open spaces, building fires, playing ball, or whatever gets your nature-related groove on. You get the idea - you just feel better.

We are connected to the earth, grass, trees, sky and water. All of these are things we, as humans, are hard wired to love. It's in our DNA so to speak, and we can actually suffer from withdrawal when we are deprived. Our connection with nature helps reduce the stress that builds up in our technologically-powered lives.

Being one with nature is also good for the brain. While getting some exercise outdoors in the fresh air, we breathe more deeply thus supplying our brain with an abundance of oxygen. Did you know that your brain uses 20% of body's oxygen supply? Studies have even shown there to be a connection between ADHD and the lack of vitamin N. Children across the board respond to nature therapy with a reduction in symptoms.

There is even a term for the lack of nature in our lives. It is called Nature Deficiency Disorder? The good news is that it is totally curable.

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and get yourself a big dose of Vitamin N, the ultimate natural vitamin.



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What Is That Scent?

This is Day 7 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Summer Rain. Please visit the other participants for more interesting views on this topic.

Do you ever step out the door, sniff the air and say, yep it's gonna rain today? Do you wonder why you know this? I'll tell you. It is called petrichor, and is often used to describe the scent of rain in the air. More specifically, it is an oil from the earth that is released into the air just before a rainfall. 

It is a smell that most people are familiar with, whether or not they know why. It is suggested that we find this scent pleasing because we inherited our fondness for it from our ancestors who relied heavily on rain for their survival.

Right before a rain there is increased humidity which penetrates the rocks and soil and is just enough moisture to release the petrichor. This is even more evident when the rain actually begins to fall and the scent is carried on the wind. I notice this earthy fragrance most during an early Summer rain. 

Check out this video to see how this happens.

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