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Post by tod2 on Dec 28, 2014 6:13:29 GMT
Never mind the flashlight....we still call it a torch here in the bundu You had your camera and made very good use of it! Spectacular photos. Even tho the subject matter was the same in several - the ever changing scene made it all new. You certainly did yourself proud Htmb! Looking at your crab claw dinner reminded me of the first seafood meal we had in Key West. I can still remember ordering stuffed crab claws and the wonderful taste. Also tried conch chowder which was also very good. If you showed me the food photo and said "Where was this taken" I would immediately answer...America! Just because it looks so good and the portion size. Money's worth for sure.
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Post by htmb on Dec 28, 2014 12:13:34 GMT
You can get some great seafood here, that's for sure.
Thanks for your very kind words, Tod.
I'll think of a flashlight as a torch from now on!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2014 20:13:48 GMT
The only kind of local crab I ever had in my birth area was blue crab. I don't think any other kind of crab existed there.
Every now and then in my Chinese supermarket I buy a big bag of crab parts ('Madagascar mud crab'), which pretty much corresponds to the crabs you showed.
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Post by htmb on Dec 28, 2014 20:44:24 GMT
I should mention that only one claw of the stone crab is harvested and a new claw grows back in its place:
From wiki: The Florida stone crab loses its limbs easily to escape from predators or tight spaces, but their limbs will grow back. When a claw is broken such that the diaphragm at the body/claw joint is left intact, the wound will quickly heal itself and very little blood is lost. If, however, the claw is broken in the wrong place, more blood is lost and the crab's chances of survival are much lower. Each time the crab molts, the new claw grows larger.
Most of the stone crab claws I have tasted have been very sweet. I prefer to eat them with a little melted butter mixed with lots of lemon juice. It takes some effort to pry the crab meat from the shells and by the time I had finished I'd made a big mess.
When I was a kid we always spread newspaper on the table top when eating stone crabs or shrimp. At the end of our meal the shells and newspaper were all rolled up together to toss out.
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Post by tod2 on Dec 29, 2014 17:20:47 GMT
All the way from Madagascar....seems too far for me. I will look into the frozen crab we have here. It doesn't look too appetizing....... Think I'll wait for one more trip to Singapore for Chilli Crab at East Coast Lagoon Food Village, Marine Parade, East Coast Parkway.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2014 17:53:28 GMT
Ah, I have been thinking about a quick trip to Singapore myself -- no offense to Cedar Key!
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 29, 2014 18:50:54 GMT
I didn't know that about the crab claws being harvested, Htmb -- most interesting. Re: Kerouac's remark about the blue crabs in the Gulf coast area -- Christiana Seafood on Oak St. in New Orleans used to fly in live Dungeness crabs from California & cook them in Louisiana seafood boil*, the way God meant for crabs to be cooked. Fabulous flavor & easy to pick. This was in the 70s, but I don't know how long they continued the practice. Htmb, your newspaper cleanup remark sure brought back memories for me. Nothing like a kitchen table covered with newspaper to announce that either watermelon or shellfish are being served. And nothing better than sitting around that table getting all messy, helping someone else with the claw cracking technique, and seeing who has the cleanest hands to snag another beer out of the fridge. * that recipe doesn't mention tossing in some quartered lemons, an essential feature.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2014 18:55:12 GMT
Yes, my youth as well involved eating shrimp and crab on newspaper, but we always did that on a table in the back yard, never indoors.
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Post by htmb on Dec 29, 2014 18:57:39 GMT
Would you also agree that water taken from the gulf/ocean is the best for cooking the little shellfish darlings, Bixa? That's how we've always done it.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 29, 2014 19:24:29 GMT
I would agree, Htmb, although I was only able to do that when actually on the Gulf -- otherwise it was inland tap water, for better or for worse.
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Post by lugg on Jan 9, 2015 19:44:39 GMT
This whole thread just reinforces my yen to visit Cedar Key one day. Just beautiful photos of a really stunning place. And !!! My mouth was watering as I looked at the photo of the crab claws. So how long will you have care of the lovely Lily Htmb ... maybe longer than you thought ?
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Post by htmb on Jan 9, 2015 20:11:35 GMT
Thank you, Lugg. Yes, I may have lovely Lilly forever, but definitely until sometime this spring. She's a very good dog; well behaved and very affectionate. She is also fairly intelligent and has learned to follow my routine quite easily. My only two concerns are the wear and tear on my bamboo floors, and my inability to let Lilly out somewhere where she can run off some energy. I'm sure I'll get it all figured out eventually.
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Post by lugg on Jan 10, 2015 18:37:51 GMT
Lilly does look very lovely indeed . I am sure you will figure it all out to the satisfaction of both of you.
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Post by lola on Jan 29, 2015 2:17:06 GMT
I'm flying to Tampa and meeting my brother tomorrow for a bit of a last minute family emergency, and we'll be staying maybe an hour south of there near Weeki Watchee for two days. (Unless I'm misspelling that.) I've never been to FL before. Maybe if there's extra time we can drive up that way.
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Post by htmb on Jan 29, 2015 3:00:09 GMT
Oh. Wow, Lola. PM me if you need any information. Manatees are bound to be in evidence around Crystal River.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2015 6:30:00 GMT
Yes, Crystal River would be a good place to visit. My parents lived about 2 miles from Weeki Wachee the entire time they lived in Florida.
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Post by htmb on Jan 29, 2015 11:53:44 GMT
And they never took you there, Kerouac? They probably figured you'd laugh yourself silly. 34F at Crystal River at almost 7 this morning. The manatees are bound to be huddled in the warmer waters around Crystal River and Homosassa.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2015 12:17:20 GMT
I think they might even have a heater at Homosassa.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2015 12:19:49 GMT
And they never took you there, Kerouac? They probably figured you'd laugh yourself silly. For some reason, I am the only member of the family who was never taken there. My grandmother went, my brother and his wife went, my nephews went... I think that after a few years they probably forgot that I had never been there, and I wasn't about to utter the magic words "How about going to..... ?"
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Post by htmb on Jan 29, 2015 12:26:52 GMT
"........see a bunch of heavily made up women with fish tails cavorting in a deep water pit while you are sitting in a crowded tourist-packed underwater dungeon?"
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Post by lola on Jan 29, 2015 13:52:39 GMT
Love it. Thank you both. I'm off to the airport soon. My brother and I will certainly go there if we possibly can.
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Post by lola on Feb 1, 2015 18:18:49 GMT
Back, after a lightning fast but emotionally rewarding trip. I may post a short essay after the statute of limitations expires.
I didn't get your cavorting fishtail reference until just now, htmb. For convenience my brother and I stayed, funnily enough, at the Motel 6 across the street from Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, home of the mermaid shows and, next weekend, site of the Mermaid Beauty Pageant (open to all ages). Motel 6 was clean, with comfortable beds, thin towels, no shampoo or kleenex, and pretty bad complimentary AM coffee. Comfy bare bones. There's a pool that was open and sparkling, a shuffleboard court lighted at all hours, palm trees, azaleas blooming and a couple of sandhill cranes strutting around the grounds. Also my first sight of Spanish moss.
We were booked up most of the time, but were able to drive to Pine Island, at the end of Cortez Blvd through the wildlife reguge, in time to watch the sun set over the Gulf. We paid $2 to park (valid all day), walked barefoot in the sand, smelled the salt air. Sandpipers and a multitude of gulls. My brother got the bright, well-meaning idea of coming up beside me while I was reporting to my other brother by cell phone, and throwing Fritos to the gulls; within seconds it was like one of my least favorite Hitchcock movies.
We stopped at one of the seafood shacks on the way back from Pine Island just to check out the atmosphere, but had neither time nor appetite to order anything. Our rewarding eating was at La Teresita's on Columbus Ave in Tampa, on recommendation of the rental car shuttle driver. We sat in the diner part and loved it. On the way back to the airport yesterday we stopped in again for lunch and got to chat with an elderly Cuban-American, ask his opinion of recent political developments.
We just by chance ran into one of my brother's childhood friends who has a place at Homosassa, and he said the manatees are thick there just now.
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Post by htmb on Feb 1, 2015 23:17:34 GMT
I'm glad your trip was productive and you got to see a little bit of Florida at the same time. I've never been to Pine Island. Maybe one day you'll be able to share the story. We certainly know all about statutes of limitations. I can't understand why you didn't hang around until next weekend to photograph the mermaid beauty pageant.
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Post by htmb on Nov 23, 2015 20:00:19 GMT
I started this thread a year ago and, since I'm back at Cedar Key to enjoy a few days and visit with a friend before Thanksgiving Day, I though I'd just add some pictures here rather than start a new thread. Weather-wise, it's been a bit of everything, from hot enough to swim weather with rain, to clear skies and temperatures almost to freezing. I've been delighted to see what a difference three weeks has made in regards to the bird populations. I've seen many more birds this trip than I saw the end of October.
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Post by htmb on Nov 23, 2015 20:05:33 GMT
Are the photos in the last series too big? Since Flickr changed on me a couple months ago I can post pictures the size above, or a scrawnier size. There's nothing in between when I use my tablet. I'll post the smaller size next and wait to hear a verdict.
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Post by htmb on Nov 23, 2015 20:16:00 GMT
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Post by tod2 on Nov 24, 2015 4:39:44 GMT
Great shots. I like the one with the guy taking photos of the pelicans - they seemed to expectantly wait for a fish...
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 24, 2015 6:29:38 GMT
Stunning series, Htmb! You have surpassed even yourself with this group. The only thing is, it made me realize how much I miss seeing pelicans. The two shots of them grooming are fabulous. And of course your photos of the roseate spoonbills are a special treat. Are the photos in the last series too big? Since Flickr changed on me a couple months ago I can post pictures the size above, or a scrawnier size. There's nothing in between when I use my tablet. I'll post the smaller size next and wait to hear a verdict. I recently realized that our former size limit of 800x700 no longer filled up the message box the way it did in V4. I don't know what your options are on the tablet, but in my Trapani thread I started (at the Erice part) to post BIG pictures -- 1024x683. In the Hagia Sophia thread I posted all of them that big. On my 15.6 laptop they look fine, with some space on either side of each pic, although on my 7" tablet I sometimes have to move the slider to see the whole photo. I see that your latest group is that same 1024x683 and they look GREAT. Really, good camera, super photos, lots of detail -- it's wonderful to be able to post them that big, I think.
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Post by htmb on Nov 24, 2015 13:13:31 GMT
Thank you both very much!
The photos in reply 85 are 640x427, while 1024x683 is my bigger choice. I'll go with the bigger size then. Thanks.
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Post by htmb on Nov 24, 2015 13:41:39 GMT
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