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Presentation for an Italian Cooking Contest

In the heart of the kitchen, where flame meets finesse and old-world flavor finds new form, we unveil a dish that dances between the rustic hills of Tuscany and the lush forests where mushrooms whisper their secrets.  Tender lollipop racks of lamb, kissed with a symphony of rosemary, garlic, and red pepper, are bathed in yogurt, dusted with cotija and parmesan, then seared to golden promise before a gentle rest in the oven’s warm embrace. Alongside them rises a risotto, creamy as moonlight, each grain of arborio rice steeped in wine, love, and the earthy soul of shiitake and porcini. A drizzle of truffle, a flutter of chives, and a crown of wild blueberries simmered into sweet contrast swirl the plate into poetry.  Every element, from cast iron to squeeze bottles, from shallot to sugar, becomes a brushstroke in this culinary canvas. This is not just a dish, it’s a story told in flavor, plated with precision, and served with passion. (This dish won the Top Chef Islanders compet...

INSPIRED WRIGHTINGS

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Golden Sunshine landed on a branch today

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  Golden Sunshine landed on a branch today Singing happy songs   Waterville CCC Camp, Washington State 2021

Inner Self

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  Amongst the confusion and terror   A small inner self exists   Colorful and vibrant our self, glows From doubt to elation from cornflower to sweet pink A happy child's box of 64 Used and explored

Still Waters, Open Skies

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I kept it simple, steady, and true, Dust on my boots, sun burnin’ through, Windows down, wind howling free Movin’ slow, like a midnight sea. Didn’t holler, didn’t raise no fuss When things broke down, I fixed the rust. A fence, a pipe, a friend in need, Got ‘em fixed before the night took speed. Fishin’ with Lir on Laguna’s shore, Waitin’ on the big ones, legends and lore, Talkin’ ‘bout the miles and the weight they bring, Laughin’ loud, letting memories sing. When the wind screamed, I’d set that kite, Cutting sharp through fading light, Like a wild boy chasing the sky, Free as the breeze that’s never shy. The river called; I stepped right in, With cold river grace that cleanses sin. A friendly preacher came to free, Washing me beneath the mesquite tree. Now I’m gone where the wild winds blow, Fish still bitin’, kites still throw Their shadows ‘cross the Corpus coast, Where still waters whisper soft and close. In Memory of Terry McGovern Robinson November 13, 1952 – July 25, 2025

We Released a Sea Turtle Today

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In Memory of Michael Joseph Westergren We released a sea turtle today. It did not hurry. The waves waited. It moved with slow resolve, across sand  that burned underfoot, toward a home  it never stopped carrying inside itself. Not once did it turn back. It breathed the air, as all sea turtles must. Like a promise held  too long, then finally, let go. We watched the tide claim it one breath,  its shape folding into water, as if  it had never been anything else. They say Kemp’s Ridleys nearly disappeared, strangled by nets they couldn’t see, forgotten  by systems they trusted. Still, they returned. Still, they nested. Still, they swam. So did Mike, a man with a heart, opened, twice once by scalpel, once by grief and closed again only after it had poured out everything. He knew the way back: to Corpus, to family, to sand and sky and song. He breathed deeply  when he could, and fiercely when he couldn’t. He wore no armor but a bowtie, spoke plainly, and ju...

A good woman's love

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  with a good woman’s love he left                     that life behind        and died                     an honorable death in the bedroom                     that was mine