These Boots Were Made for Walking

     Rizzo is a giver. Every year she gives blood, sweat, and tears to the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer (now re-branded as Avon 39). Avon 39 is a two-day walk held in nine (now eight) cities throughout the United States with the goal of raising money to fight breast cancer. I think is an amazing cause and I’m always so proud to go and cheer Rizzo to the finish line. On Saturday, September 12, Rizzo will be walking in her eight city and I’ll have the privilege of cheering her on for the sixth time in Santa Barbara, California. To prepare you for the inevitable blog on what will not only be participation in the Avon 39 event but also the longest we will have gone away without taking Cece, I thought I’d share a brief history of my experiences at the Avon 39 events. This posting will consist primarily of bullet points and a few pictures from the previous events so I forgive you for not reading if you forgive me for not bringing my usual wit and sarcasm.

Charlotte, NC 2010

• I drove down to Charlotte late on Friday night because I had to work. I was going to be crashing at Vanessa (Rizzo's cousin) and Michael (Rizzo's cousin's husband) De La Rosa. I had never said a word to either of them. Work, traffic, and distance resulted in me arriving at their home between 1am and 2am on Saturday morning. I had to be at the event in about 3 hours. I know, I look well rested in the photo.
• I got to spend a lot of personal time with the Rizzo family. This isn't a big deal now but I'm not very good at meeting and being alone with new people. In fact, what I fear the most is having to be around and talk to new people so this was a big step for me.
• I do like to act like an fool which I learned was going to let me fit right in at these Avon Walk events. It seemed that puns, even graphic puns, were encouraged. T-shirts with slogans such as "Yes they are fake, the real ones tried to kill me", or "Save the boobs so you have something to look at while I'm talking" were everywhere.
• Most of all, I was amazed by the dedication of all the women and men who take the time and effort to complete a very challenging event. We aren't talking about super athletes (not to say some aren't athletic). We are talking about everyday people coming together with a common goal, to end breast cancer. 

Chicago, IL 2011

• The Chicago walk gave Rizzo and I a chance to do lots of sight seeing in addition to lots of eating. Gino's East Pizza is my favorite pizza on Earth. It may be part nostalgia resulting from my visit at a teenager but I think it has more to do with the delicious deep dish goodness. Gino's was our first stop upon arriving. Rizzo didn't even bother to try to Chicago style Pizza. She got a thin crust pizza. She was missing out.
• The walk was beautiful and gave Rizzo lots of views of the City. The streets of Chicago made it a challenge for me to get to as many cheering stations but I did get to walk around a lot myself, visit some museums, and even watch some folks playing a pickup game of cricket in the park
• Rizzo held the banner for the Solo Strutters, a team of walkers that consist of single participants that didn't join the event as a team. Every year Rizzo gets together with the Solo Strutters team.

Rocky Mountains, CO 2012

• This was by far my favorite of all the Avon walk adventures. The sights were beautiful. The route covered many mountain tops and lakes. Not a bad place to be to cheer on a few hundred walkers.
• After the walk was over I took Rizzo to my favorite Mexican restaurant, Casa Bonitas. The food isn't the best in the world but you can't beat the entertainment. There is a waterfall in the middle of the restaurant with cliff divers and guys in gorilla suits swinging from vines. And even though the food isn't the best in the world it is all you can eat. Just raise the flag and some more enchiladas are on the way.
• Oh yeah, I guess I should mention that Rizzo and I got engaged at the finish line, so that was a pretty good day. I got some of the volunteers to take pictures but no one knew what I was going to do until I did it. It was great to be cheered by thousands of spectators while asking Rizzo to be my partner in crime.

Houston, TX 2013

• I think Houston was probably the least memorable trip thus far. Don't get me wrong, the dedication and determination of all the walkers was inspiring. I just wasn't impressed with the city. Houston feels more like a massive suburb than an actual city. It didn't matter we still managed to have fun.
• Rizzo's goal has always been to complete at least 26 of the 39 miles. On day one she tried for the full marathon but could barely walk by mile 24. She was carted back to the medical tent and wrapped in a blanket for a few hours. At the end of the day she was just a bit dehydrated but still nearly unable to walk. On day two, she insisted that she get in two more miles so we walked together backwards from the finish line one mile then back again to make sure she completed her goal. 

New York, NY 2014

"Save the Boobs, I'm Hungry!"

• New York was a memorable trip because Cece got to come along and cheer her Mom on to the finish line. We made sure she was dressed for the part.
• Cece and I got to spend a lot of time together in the hotel room and around New York City while Rizzo was walking. 
• We ended up in a hotel suite by either accident or fate. Let me tell you, if you have to travel with a baby make sure you get a hotel suite that includes a bedroom with a door. It was amazing. Cece slept like a log in the bedroom and Rizzo and I could still relax in the sitting room. It was a wonderful gift.
• New York drivers are assholes. 
• On the drive back from New York City we discovered a small little town in Pennsylvania called Kutztown. It is one of the greatest small towns we have ever run across. There is a brewery, Kutztown Brewery, that makes some wonderful beers. It also has a small university. Rizzo and I have decided that Cece will be attending college at either Louisville or Kutztown.

     This concludes our broadcast day and an introduction to our Avon Walk trips. Be on the lookout for a recap of the adventures in Santa Barbara, CA.  It's not too late to give a few sheckles to a good cause. Just click here to donate to the Avon Foundation and support Rizzo in her walk.

     Update: I've just been informed that Avon 39 is now down to 7 cities. There are no longer walks in the Rocky Mountains or in Charlotte, NC. We were lucky enough to visit those cities before the walks were discontinued.

Sunday Funday

     When I was a kid, my Dad, the venerable David Earl Clark (pictured attempting to "Michael Jackson" his granddaughter) would make a family breakfast most Sunday mornings. The three things I remember most about these family breakfast events were (1) some good family time ensued with some good natured ribbing and general hanging out; (2) pancakes were always served; (3) I never ate the pancakes, instead I had a bowl or three of Kix. I wish I could remember a specific day or a specific event that occurred that made me love the Sunday mornings so much, but I can't. All I really remember is loving those Sunday mornings and not eating the pancakes.

     These weekly family breakfasts ingrained in me the joy of making breakfast. It's ironic since I don't really like breakfast foods (as I'm sure you already know) but there is nothing in the world I love to do more than to belly up to the stove and flip a few hundred flapjacks for family and friends. It isn't always pancakes since I do like to experiment a bit. I've made spinach and ricotta fritattas; chorizo omelets with farm fresh sorrel, garlic scapes, and basil; and even a classic filet mignon with farm fresh eggs and home fries (if you don't believe me ask Rizzo). I hardly ate any of these fine dishes, with the exception of the filet mignon) but I love making them. But no matter what I end up making, Sunday seems to always fall back on the old, reliable pancakes.

     To get the morning started, I always put on our Sunday morning record, Welcome to the Club by Nat "King" Cole. This was one of the first records I got when we purchased our turntable. Nothing really gets your day started better than Nat Cole crooning about life and love. OK, some of the lyrics may be a little sexist (in I Want a Little Girl, Nat sings " I want a little girl, she may not look, Like the kind in a picture book But if she can cook she'll suit me to a T") but it was 1959 and the dude could sing. Nat King Cole has become the soundtrack to our Sunday mornings.

     

     As I'm sure you have read previously since you are a devout follower of the Green Bean Conspiracy and have memorized all previous blogs, shared them with your friends, and printed them to bind and create your own coffee table book, you know that we try to eat naturally, locally, and organically without being to crazy about it. That is why our pancakes are made from Bob's Red Mill Pancake and Waffle mix. For a time I would make a pancake mix from scratch until I discovered Bob's Red Mill. Unlike your usual off-the-shelf pancake mix that include vast amounts of preservatives and other chemicals, Bob's mix is basically a combination of the ingredients you would use at home less the milk, egg, and oil needed to finish it up. Using Bob's mix saves time, is healthy, and produces a high quality pancake.

     Pancakes are nothing unless you are cooking with the right equipment. For years I utilized an electric griddle that Rizzo's Dad gave her as a gift. It worked well but I desired the more nostalgic feeling of a cook in the kitchen in 1950. My parents were happy to oblige and for my 35th birthday gave me the gift that every 35-year-old male clamors for; a cast iron skillet. That is not a joke. I toss this 20ish pound piece of iron up on my gas range, rock the back burner at about half power, the front at about 42% power (it is a "power" burner) and then let it ride for 10-12 minutes. After the allotted time you have a cooking service that is evenly heated to the perfect temperature and will push out three pancakes every 4 to 7 minutes at a perfectly golden brown. Not only that, once you are done all you have to do is slather a little oil over that bad boy and you're all finished. Don't you dare use water to clean your cast iron unless you enjoy the taste of rust.

     But Wesley, what do you serve on the side of your pancakes? Thank you for asking imaginary voice in my head that for some reason sounds like Bob Sagat. No Sunday morning breakfast is complete without some delicious Meat Guy sausage. Meat Guy's sausage comes from our local farmer's market (I've already made his meat famous in Saturday Morning Cartoons) and is made from the highest quality pork. This is a recent addition to the Sunday morning ritual. Just in the past two weeks I discovered that one package of Meat Guy sausage can be separated and frozen to provide three weeks worth of breakfasts for Rizzo, Cece and myself.

     Since I have mentioned at least 16 or 17 times during the life of this blog, I don't like breakfast food so I had to find a way to make this meal delicious for me but somehow disgust the remainder of the Western world. I achieve that goal by combining my typical breakfast fare in an atypical combination. Wesley's Sunday breakfast sandwich consists of the following: (1) two pancakes that comprise the bread portion of this sandwich, (2) two mouthwatering Meat Guy sausages, (3) one fried egg that is filled with more red pepper flakes than is reasonable, and (4) raspberry preserves. I'm sure I had you until the raspberry preserves but I'll tell you what, the combination of the of spicy red pepper flakes and sweet raspberry preserves will knock your socks off.

     This Sunday breakfast ritual is a family affair. Rizzo has pancakes, eggs, and sausage. Cece has pancakes, an egg, and sausage. I have pancakes, an egg, and sausage (and preserves). We even give Ellie (our dog) a pancake. Ellie has come to love her Sunday treat so much that she will sit in the kitchen and watch me cook just to make sure that she gets her Sunday pancake. I added this short paragraph for no other reason than to give me an excuse to put up a picture of Ellie eating a pancake.

     Sunday is a time to relax with family and friends and hopefully take some time to break away from the rigors of everyday life. I choose to use Sunday to make some breakfast. If you ever want to stop by to join us for Sunday morning breakfast please do. There is always plenty of pancakes and red pepper flakes to go around.

     P.S. I wanted to make a make a joke along the lines of "I take my pancakes like I take my women: hot, round, and beautifully browned" but my woman isn't round at all. I was going to stick that word in because it rhymed with browned. Rizzo is slim, trim, and beautifully browned, but that doesn't rhyme.

     P.P.S. If I ever start up my own butcher shop (I won't) it will clearly be named Meat Guy Meats. Just tell it like it is. No need for some clever reference to charcuterie or other hidden meanings. If you walk down the street and see my shop, you will know what I sell. Nothing but delicious meats.