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mermaidcamp

Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water

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Phun in Phoenix

December 16, 2013 — 3 Comments

There is an arch rivalry between the cities of Phoenix and Tucson. We Tucsonans know that people outside the state have no way to distinguish the two and often confuse them. Politics aside (which would be impossible for Arizonans), there are extreme differences in the tourism and hospitality styles of these two towns.  Tourists are attracted to the golf tournaments in both Maricopa and Pima Counties.  Baseball spring training has all moved up there, and brings in millions. Bowl games and the Phoenix Suns brighten the economic situation for them too.  The typical Tucson tourist is much less interested in shopping and is more likely to be spending time involved in outdoor sports of all kinds. Scottsdale is not afraid to step up and cover that niche offering the shopper from back east a wester phantasy phree phun time. Phree parking in old town allows these people to leave the car and ride around in a horse-drawn wagon for an exorbitant price. Everyone is excited to be way out west.  The city of Scottsdale hires the trusty horse Dusty and Gary J Sprague, the singing cowboy, to serenade the crowd 1-4 on Saturdays. They are a huge hit.

I am inspired to drive to the Valley of the Sun for the phabulous phood scene.  The AZ Slow Food newsletter informed me recently about the existence of a  special highly rare date variety growing only in Scottsdale known as the Black Sphinx.  The market was established in 1951 selling a date that developed there from seed and was distinct from all others. The extremely thin skin makes it a poor candidate (pun intended) for shipping.  The fresh dates require refrigeration and are extremely delicate.  After shopping the Scottsdale Pharmer’s market where I scored amazing produce and preserved items, we visited the date store, which features Arizona products of high gourmet quality.  Bob bought beers brewed in Arizona, one of which was a stout that contained the dates from the Sphinx Pharm.  We both agree the Black Sphinx is the best date we have ever tasted, and before Bob ate it he told me he does not like dates…a convert.  We also tried a very good date cookie and some chocolate covered Medjools that are scrumptious.  We came home loaded with gourmet groceries and exotic citrus.  We have to admit we had phun.

Posh Dining

December 15, 2013 — 4 Comments

Our first meal at Posh in Scottsdale was so memorable we have wanted to return for more.  The first two weeks of December are low season in tourism the world around, so we made the trip our holiday party.  The menu lists assorted groceries on hand, and the guest indicates any type of meat not desired in the meal.  I am a vegetarian, which is all they need to know about me.  The chef then creates culinary  improvisation around the guest’s wishes.

We like to sit up at the bar because we talk to the chefs and watch while they are cooking the food.  The night started with fresh potato chips with seaweed and drinks.  Each plate was packed with flavor and art.  All the presentations are appealing and imaginative.  Bob enjoyed the exotic boar bacon and perfectly cooked scollops.  The ginger wasabi slaw on top of ramen noodle cakes were a highlight, but all of mine were enjoyable and unusual.  We know when we come to enjoy our dinner at Posh we will be given a sensual treat and be served with impeccable professionalism. It remains on a very high pedestal in my mind.  The experience is superior to regular menu/dining in many ways. I have tried combinations I would not have ordered, but discovered I like.  It is more of an adventure than just a meal.  You can choose as many courses as you care to taste, add extras, and wine pairings a la carte.  When you go home they give you a tiny take home sweet to remind you of what a jewel of  a restaurant it is.

Flaunta, Goddess of Confidence

December 12, 2013 — 2 Comments

Flaunta was the second cousin of the goddess Aphrodite.  She became the goddess of confidence.  Her journey to her vocation to inspire and represent confidence was a story of self discovery. Aphrodite needed no outside assurance to know she was a great beauty.  She exuded it.  The young Flaunta was not convinced of her own powers, but passed through a jealousy of earth women who enjoyed and were confident in their own good looks.  She studied the powerful and confident women, learning their secrets. Eventually her cousin would bestow the title and the powers of confidence goddess on Flaunta.  She is active today in the complicated self image issues women face about appearance and competence.  Being authentic and unique leads to the highest kind of confidence, as Tank Girl can attest. Confident women know:

  • Personal power and charisma are unlocked with confidence
  • Spending lots of time and money on appearance defeats confidence
  • Standing out from the crowd is a fabulous way to be
  • Following fashion can make a monkey out of you
  • Your instincts are worth following
  • Your artistic style has yet to be fully nurtured and developed

Get to know Flaunta, and take her with you next time you need to look something or somebody right in the eye.  Nothing says “I got this” like control of your gaze.  Bluffing or not, the first impression you give will remain strong when you show self assurance.

Rock, Paper, Paperwhite

December 11, 2013 — 1 Comment

I am a recovering reading addict. I will probably be an over-reader for the rest of my days, so the question is where why and how to read. I received my Kindle Paperwhite yesterday and am very pleased with it.  It has a very adjustable screen that allows you to fine tune the font and the backlight to suit all situations.  It is light and I find it is much easier to hold than an iPad, where my first Kindle books resided.  There has been much thought and design work put into this creation.  It is for reading, without distraction.  It is a noticeable upgrade from paper.

People used to hold newspapers up to read, and some still do.  This is a kind of space divider that lets others know (or think) that we are busy reading, learning and becoming more informed.  I used to read the Wall Street Journal almost every day with the small print and big ads.  If you hold that paper up to read at the Starbucks you are making a statement about your interests.  I used to read Architectural Digest and Yoga Journal all the time.  I still have  subscription to The Week  magazine which I am much more likely to read in the digital version, while the paper one sits around unopened.  I just cleared out years of them from my magazine rack, most with almost no pages read.  I bought a 5 year subscription, and I do love the reporting/curation because it features articles from journalists around the world rather than an American only perspective. While Newsweek is returning to print for subscribers only, my involvement with paper publications is dwindling. If I have a burning news question I ask twitter what is happening. My conversion to digital makes my life easier and better because:

  • The Paperwhite and it’s cover fit nicely into my purse
  • The entire Amazon Prime lending library is available to me on it
  • The advanced comfort and ease of the adjustable settings is stellar
  • I can store books in it for reading with no Wi-Fi
  • I have nothing to return to the library or eliminate if I don’t like the book
  • The screen stays on for recipe use, which is a problem with iPad
  • It has a super long better life so I can read for days without recharging

In the kitchen or on the go, the Paperwhite is the tiny portable but unlimited library I always wanted.  I am sure I will return some day to the Pima County Library, but for now I am perfectly happy to have my library in the cloud.

Winter Traditions Unplugged

December 10, 2013


The ancient world was more highly aware of the seasons than we are today because they had to make fire to stay warm or see at night. Religion, tradition, and regional provincialism are woven together at the winter solstice time.  We have a food and drink festival that imitates Saturnalia and a birthday the resembles the birth of Mithra.  I believe I have inherited some feelings for Christmas from the way my ancestors behaved.  I have had the good fortune to be in other countries to celebrate the season, which opened my eyes to the wide variety and regional roots of the holiday practices.  I choose the part I like and feel no pressure to perform now that my ancestors are all dead.  I see the end of the year as a fun break before tax organization season, and a good excuse to party with friends.  We give few gifts, but like to share extra food and drink with friends.  I like to embrace it as an upside down time, a season for preparation and clearing.  Spring will be right around the corner, when the harvest cycle can begin once more.  For now, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen; it is time to party.

William Gifford of Sandwich, MA

December 7, 2013

My 9th great-grandfather was one of the Quakers of Sandwich plantation who were heavily persecuted by the Pilgrims of Plymouth.  He owned property when he died in New Jersey, which was controlled by the Dutch.

William Gifford arrived in New England after 1643, as he does not appear among those able to bear arms in that year. The first record of him is in the list of debts due on the inventory of Joseph Holiway of Sandwich dated 4 December 1647: “dew from Willi Gifford” 3s. 4d. On 4 June 1650 he served on the Grand Enquest. The original deed for the Sandwich plantation was executed by Governor William Bradford 22 May 1651. It ordered that Goodman (Thomas) Tupper, Goodman (Thomas) Burges, Sr., Nathaniel Willis, and William Gifford have the power to call a town meeting.Both Brown, and Daniels & McLean say that by 1651 he was married and had a family; that he probably married in England, and children John, Patience and Hannaniah were probably born in England. Birth records are available for only the last four of his nine children; the birth dates of the older children are estimated based upon the birth dates of their first children. There is a sizeable gap in these estimated dates between Hannaniah and William, suggesting William, Robert, Christopher and Mary may have been by a second wife. Only the last wife, Mary Mills, is of record; she is the mother of the last two children, Jonathan and James.
There is a record in England of a “Guilielm Gifford” (i.e., William Gifford) who married Elizabeth Grant on 11 February 1635 in St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London. Also, the London Merchant Taylors’ Guild shows a record: “William Gifford, son of Anthi (sic) Gifford of Dublin in the kingdom of Ireland, gentleman, apprenticed to Thomas Southerne of New Exchange, London, for a period of seven years from 7 December 1628.” Apprentices were forbidden to marry, so this would mean the apprenticed William Gifford would have been given his freedom 7 December 1635, in perfect time to be the one who married 11 February 1635/1636. Also, the records of St. Martin-in-the-Fields show that an Ananias Gifford married Maria Read on 18 November 1621. Ananias (also spelled Hananias, Hannaniah and Annaniah) is a relatively rare name. William named one of his sons Hannaniah, and the name has been carried down in the family. Also, the name occurs in the Giffords of Dry Drayton, county Cambridge, England. But it cannot be proven that these English records apply to the family of William Gifford of Sandwich.
Nor can the English ancestry of William Gifford of Sandwich be proven, according to Daniels & McLean. “English Giffords can be traced back to Normandy at the time of William the Conqueror when most branches usually spelled the name Giffard. Inevitably the temptation to connect the Sandwich Giffords with these celebrated families has produced a rash of printed accounts in which the connection is stated as fact but without solid references. (Cutter’s “Genealogical History of Western New York,” 2:901; “History of Bristol County, Mass.;” “Vineland (N.J.) Historical Magazine,” 3:32; “Seabury-Gifford Families,” Hartford (Conn.) 1941) In view of the fact that highly skilled professional genealogists have found no proof as yet of such connections, it can only be said that evidence has yet to be found to confirm these wishful thoughts.”
William Gifford of Sandwich was a Quaker, and as such, suffered persecution for his faith. “Little Compton Families” says “It is supposed that he was the William Gifford who in 1647 or earlier was ordered by the court at Stanford to be whipped and banished.” On 1 June 1658, he was one of a dozen men who “all of Sandwich were summoned, appeared to give a reason for theire refusing to take the Oath of Fidelitie to this government and unto the State of England, which again being tendered them in open court, they refused, saying they held it unlawful to take any oath att all.” At the court held 2 October 1658, they were fined L5 each. At the court held 1 March 1658/1659 George Barlow, Marshall for Sandwich, Barnstable and Yarmouth, complained against William Gifford and Edward Perry in an action of defamation, asking damages of L100, in saying he took a false oath. The defendants were ordered to pay 50s and make their acknowledgement publically, or else be fined L5 plus costs. As Quakers, they could not accept the verdict, and at the 2 October court William Gifford and 11 other Friends were fined L5 for refusing to take the Oath of Fidelitie. At the June 1660 court Gifford was again summoned to take the oath, again refused, and was again fined L5. In October 1660, for persisting in his refusal and for attending Quaker meeting, he was fined L57 — an enormous sum for those times. At this point he disappears from the records, and may have left Plymouth colony, but where he went is unknown. It has been suggested that he went to New Jersey which, like New Amsterdam, was then under the control of the Dutch. On 8 April 1665 William Gifford was one of the signers of the Monmouth (NJ) Patent, but there is no evidence he actually settled there; his sons Christopher and Hannaniah did, however. In a deed by his son Christopher William was described as a tailor.
On 10 November 1670 Mr. Gifford bought from mistress Sarah Warren of Plymouth, widow of Richard Warren, one half her share in the land at Dartmouth, which he gave equally to his sons Christopher and Robert by deed dated 6 May 1683. In 1673 William Gifford purchased land in Suckanesset (Falmouth) from the Indian Sachem, Job Noantico. Gifford continued to appear in Sandwich town records and in records of the Sandwich Friends meeting, and he married Mary Mills, also of Sandwich, at the Friends Meeting of 16 day 5 mo: 1683. Thirty witnesses signed the certificate, but none of William Gifford’s children signed the document, nor did James Mills, Mary’s brother.

William Gifford (1615 – 1687)
is your 9th great grandfather
John Gifford (1640 – 1708)
son of William Gifford
Yelverton Gifford (1676 – 1772)
son of John Gifford
Ann Gifford (1715 – 1795)
daughter of Yelverton Gifford
Frances Congdon (1738 – 1755)
daughter of Ann Gifford
Thomas Sweet (1759 – 1844)
son of Frances Congdon
Valentine Sweet (1791 – 1858)
son of Thomas Sweet
Sarah LaVina Sweet (1840 – 1923)
daughter of Valentine Sweet
Jason A Morse (1862 – 1932)
son of Sarah LaVina Sweet
Ernest Abner Morse (1890 – 1965)
son of Jason A Morse
Richard Arden Morse (1920 – 2004)
son of Ernest Abner Morse
Pamela Morse
I am the daughter of Richard Arden Morse

Maker House in Tucson

December 5, 2013

I have been hearing a lot about the Maker House downtown, so today I dropped off some of my old Christmas decorations and took a tour of the space with Lisa. What a fabulous space!!!! I plan to go  back over the weekend for the tree trimming party. I want to learn how to use the programmed sewing machines and the 3D printers. This is exactly the kind of development that will make downtown vibrant and economically sustainable.  I enjoyed a very tasty cappuccino before I left, then came right home and joined on line.  I think this is just what the fun doctor ordered.  I always like old and well designed buildings.  It is great that this one has opened to the public.

Sugar Plums

December 4, 2013


Dancing in our heads in December are sugar plums, even if we don’t know what they are.  I started making them years ago after I looked them up in a cookbook. I mix and match any dried fruits and nuts for the desired texture.  I am not a fan of fennel or anise, so I never use those spices.  You can choose the ones you prefer.  I like the drunk ladies’ addition of the orange peel, and I plan to incorporate it this year.  I am also stalking an exotic date found only in Scottsdale, the Black Sphinx.  I am going up soon on a visit and will bring these delicate beauties home for an extra special batch of sugar plums.  Dates are extra sticky and sweet, and lend themselves well to this treat.  If you have not tried to make this, it is almost impossible to fail, so give it a whirl.  They are universally liked by all ages.

Aguinaldos for Christmas

December 4, 2013


In the tropical part of the world Christmas is celebrated differently. Aguinaldos are songs that people sing during the season.  The man above is playing an instrument I have not seen, the Puerto Rican cuatro ( which seems to have 8 strings and be pretty big).  The traditions differ, but where I lived in Venezuela, the parranda, or band of musical merry makers, went from house to house singing, drinking and then taking the family with them along to the next house.  Unlike Christmas caroling, this parranda gets bigger and more spirited as the night continues.  They usually came to my house last because my dad was their boss (everyone who lived in the petroleum camp) and it was fitting that he supply the alcohol for the majority of the evening. They came with harps and cuatros, guitars and furucos, cramming into our large central courtyard and rushing the bar.  They made up improvisational songs about our house and our family, a la calypso (which comes from neighbor Trinidad).  Many of the songs were funny and had nothing to do with Jesus.  Some people think of Christmas and snow, and that is fine, but there is more to December than sleighs and gluttony.  Here are some religious Venezuelan aguinaldos. I do like to hear the Mormans ripping a Hallelujah Chorus or two, but I am also very nostalgic about the memory of my tropical Christmas fun. Feliz Navidad!

Trickster Timeline for December

December 3, 2013

When our parents told us about Santa they may have introduced the trickster archetype. They meant to transcend stuffy conventional behavior by using a character who rides in a reindeer sleigh.  They created a fairy tale about being good little girls and boys in order to influence us.  They fooled us, some more, some less.  I remember finding the matching Ginny doll ( she was before Barbie, and younger with flat feet) dress my mother was sewing hidden in a drawer before Christmas.  I knew it was going to become a surprise from Santa, and I instantly activated my own trickster archetype in order to make my parents keep up the heavy duty gifting.  The double tricking, which was probably known to all, lasted until I felt the need to tell them I had busted them and was no longer in need of a Santa Claus.

Kids in other cultures are taught different stories about Christmas.  Traditional celebrations  frequently predate Christianity, but have blended now with church practices.  Krampus, aka Shmutzli, is the dark, scary-hairy dude who travels with St. Nicholas on Dec 6.  They have the job of scaring all the children into good behavior for the following three weeks.  Only the well behaved kids will be gifted by the baby Jesus on the night before Christmas when he flies around and enters their windows with presents.  Advent is typically a big deal in Europe, as is Three Kings Day.  They spread it out over a longer period, not so much focus on 25 Dec and buying all the goods in the world.  December 6th is officially Krampus Day in Austria, which they enjoy with much costuming and scary monster gear, like torches.  I was once in Vienna on Krampus Day and came upon one in the night..they jump out and shock the bejezuz out of you.  Krampus is much more popular in Austria than Santa, I think because he is more exciting.  He is often seen hanging from rear view mirrors in December in Austria.