Cora and her husband Bill are big fans of Cracker Barrel restaurants. So much so that they regularly drive down to Kingman AZ to visit the closest one! Those drives can be a tad long. Cora & Bill got to talking and came up with an idea for Old Town.
“We thought something similar to the Cracker Barrel theme would work well in Old Town” shares Cora. When the tea house closed they jumped at the chance to make their dream come true.

Hearts Delight, with its cute, colorful and country-style items, has already settled within the old hotel space. Bill & Cora are also moving their delectable meals from the Scoops & Soups location into the other half of the hotel. The new eatery will be known as The Old Hotel Bistro. They will begin serving up home-style meals that they are known for, at the new bistro this weekend! Whew, our head is spinning… or their off their rockers with such a fast turnaround. And those rockers? You may see some on the front porch soon!
Meanwhile we’ll be traipsing our way through Old Town this Saturday on the next Nibbles & Bits of Old Town adventure. We’ve already sold half the spots on the tour but there are a few left… just for you! Click here to get the last tickets and we’ll see YOU Saturday morning.

It would feel like stars reflecting on the ocean

Farther than the eye can see.

It would feel like a soft breeze

And the motion of a slow dance.

It would be a song of having instead of wanting,

Being instead of doing,

And of peace in a world come to its senses.

It would be the sound of the heavens and of home,

A song of truth on wings of light.

It would be the dream become tangible,

The way become effortless,

And the heart knowing at last its delight.   2004

I took another walk around this charming town this morning before heading out. Brigus is so RV friendly that they even provide two free stations for dump out and water fill-up. We have not seen this anywhere else we’ve traveled.

Along our way up the Northern Avalon Peninsula, we visited Cupids Harbour and Cove, the first English Settlement in Canada. The setting is quite striking as a massive rock formation looms above the harbor.

Terrible road conditions caused us to cut across the peninsula rather than explore the northern tip. Heart’s Content was at the other end of the cutoff. This is where the first transcontinental cable from Europe came ashore 146 years ago. Of course they have a museum about the cable and you can actually see the remnants of the rusty cable on the beach. The villages of Heart’s Desire and Heart’s Delight followed, but they are only notable for their names.

We called it a day relatively early at a campground near Whiteway. The site includes 2 large ponds as well as an ocean shore. We got the last site available, which is very private due to surrounding dense forest. We biked and hiked down to and along the shore before dinner.

Tomorrow we will head further west toward the center of “The Rock” and up the Bonavista Peninsula.

Cloudy, foggy, some sun and warm. 63 miles

I was going to write day by day of our time, but it would be too long, so I’ll write the highlights.  Of course a few days before she was to catch her flight here, she managed to twist her ankle on the only pebble on her usual jogging trail.  Which ran along side a train track.  You can imagine the tutting and shaking my head and giggling I done when she tweeted what she had just done, LOL.  I couldn’t help but to laugh.  But I loves ya darling.

Anyway, the kids at this point was out around the bay.  And if you’re from Newfoundland, you’ll understand that.    Denise was at my parents house in New Harbour (yes, that’s the right spelling) and Brett was with Paul’s parents in Heart’s Delight.  It worked out nicely that way, at least when the flight got in, we’d have time to ourselves and could relax,,, sort of.

We got her back to the house, long enough for her to claim Denise’s room for the night, and then it was out for supper (or dinner as most people call it) to City Lights on Topsail Rd.  It was nice, just the 3 of us.  Unwinding after a long day.  Then we headed back home where Paul had planned on taking her for a ride on the quad.  But before they headed off, I brought out the ice cream cake we had for her.  Sorry I forgot to get a picture of it.  But it was decorated with purple trimming, her favorite color.

Whoops, all this time typing and you haven’t a clue who the friend was.   It was Mylene.  For those of you asking the answer is yes.  She’s the very one who my family and I took on a tour of St. John’s last year.  WOW!!!  It’s been a year already.  Geez, time does fly.

Anyway, Paul and Mylene got all geared up with helmets, boots and jackets for her trip up to see our cabin/shack.  Yes I have a picture of that, but sorry, it’s not going public.  I think I’ll have it blown up though and framed for the main wall upstairs, LOL

While they were gone, I straightened up the house a bit.  Though, the majority of it was done,, just a few odds and ends left to do.  By the time they got back, it was time enough for a cuppa tea or coffee, and a piece of the ice cream cake and a chat before we headed off to bed.

The next morning, Paul made us breakfast while I finished packing our clothes for the trip.  Our first stop for the day was at my parents house.  Because we had to pop in to pick up Denise, Mom suggested that we come out for dinner (or lunch as some may call it).  So we packed up the truck with our suitcases, Angel and Hame (typically it’s spelled Hammie, but Hame is how Denise spells it) and we were off.

Oh, I almost forgot, we had the official WWF belt with us.  Before their name changed to WWE.  Bret The Hitman Hart and Kevin Nash (Diesel) were here in Torbay on tour and the General Manager of the Delta Hotel was in attendance.  They had a prize for the lucky person who’s name they drew out of a bag.  And you guessed it, he won it.  Well, he gave us the belt on loan to take to the camp with us.  For the kids to enjoy getting their picture with it.  And it was a huge hit.  Not only with the kids, but even with some of the dads.  Although, I couldn’t help but to walk around with it draping over my shoulder.

Though, before reaching mom’s, I just had to tell Paul to pull over and get a picture of Mylene with the Dildo sign.  Yes, it’s a name of a community not far from where I grew up, LOL.

Anyway, after our moose soup at mom’s and some pictures that mom and Mylene were taking, it was time to head down to Paul’s parents house for the night.  Unfortunately dad wasn’t home while we were there, so I told mom to pop down the shore so dad could meet Mylene.  We packed up Denise and headed off.

As we were entering Cavendish, I asked Paul to pull over on the other side of the road from the house I actually grew up in.  The house in New Harbour is new, I never grew up there.  So he stopped and I pointed to Mylene what room the windows belonged to in the front.  We didn’t stop there long, and it wasn’t until after we had drove off again that I realized that I didn’t introduce Mylene to Jason.  He’s a friend of mine I grew up with and who bought my house.  That’s another story in itself, lol.  Anyway, sorry about that Mylene,

We got to Paul’s parents house and when Brett realized who was with us, he gave her a hug.  I’m not sure she was expecting that.  Not sure any of us were to be honest.  But Brett certainly has grown.  And I don’t mean in height, although he’s way taller then I am now.  But I mean in words and being more aware of his surroundings.  This was the summer where Brett was going to shock and surprise us all.

After the sleeping arrangements were taking care of, Paul and I took Mylene to meet his grandmother.  We weren’t there that long before Paul’s aunt and uncle popped by.  And it wasn’t long after that when Paul got a call that my parents were there.  So we said our good-byes and headed back to the house.

It doesn’t happen that often when we get both sets of grandparents in the same house, but when it does, you can bet there’ll be laughter.  Especially with Wayne’s jokes.  They are not that funny, but you laugh because he’s cracking up laughing at his own jokes. LOL.  I’m not sure how long my parents were there for, but I know it was a great time.

Well, after they were gone, it was time to hit the bunks as well.  We wanted to get on the road as early as possible.  Mainly cause we wanted to make a few stops along the way.  We said our good-byes to the in-laws, made sure Hame (Hammie) was settled into the room for the while we were gone.  Yeah, we had Paul’s parents look after the pets while we were at camp.  We were staying inside this time as we had the camper sold, it was much easier this way.

Next morning….

After we helped clean up from breakfast, I started handing Paul the suitcases to be packed in the back of the truck so we could head off.  It was supposed to rain that day,, more like drizzle here and there, so Paul had to put all our suitcases in individual garbage bags to keep dry.  As well as cover it all with a tarp.  With all 5 of us aboard the truck, we said our byes and headed off.

We were making good timing.  We were able to make a couple of stops.  One was Goobies, the other was Gambo.  Our last stop before the camp was to Gander.  Typically we go to Mary Brown’s for some chicken, but we were hoping to meet up with a couple of other friends at McDonalds.  I know, I know.  Trust me, I’d much rather have gone to Mary Brown’s.  Anyway, after our late lunch, we headed to a liquor store to pick up some goodies for camp.  Friday and Saturday nights are reserved for partying.  Especially after the kids are in their beds.  And as I’m the Camp DJ, I was all pumped in getting the party started.

We found the store, which is attached to Dominion (grocery store), because I had to pick up a few things for Brett.  Then Paul caught up with me.  He wanted to get a cod’s head.  Our plan was to screech in Mylene.   Unfortunately, they didn’t have any, so we had to settle for a salmon’s head instead.  It still served it’s purpose.

Then we were off again.  And no sooner were we on the dirt road headed to the camp, when Paul put on the brakes,,, unexpectedly I may add.  It wasn’t until he started backing back that we realized why.  MOOSE!!!!

Yep, a real one.  It was young though, but still very cool.  Paul gently got out of the truck, and I hit the button to put down the window for Mylene in the back seat to get some pictures,, and videos.  I’m surprised she had room on her camera by the time she left to go home again, LOL

We got to the camp and gave a look around to see what other vehicles were here.  Of course right away, the kids headed to the playground.  Which was fine, gave us time to look for Doreen, the lady in charge   We did meet up with another parent though, but she hadn’t seen Doreen.  So we started to unload the truck to the usual rooms we claim every year.  The best part was that we were the only ones in that section.  Which was great, it gave us some extra privacy.

Well the whole weekend was amazing.  Mylene was enjoying her time with the families, especially the kids, LOL.  And the best of all was the fact that Brett was very social this time.  A parent seen Brett walking about and said “Hi Brett.”  With his shock, Brett answered back “Hi.”  We weren’t there to see or hear this, the parent told Paul after the fact.  But hearing that, it was a WOW moment.

Compared to last year where all he wanted to do was to stay in the TV room off the cafeteria, every announcement of a craft, he had no problems in leaving what he was doing and join in this time.  And especially if someone changed the channel on him.  He would have been very pissed off that the only way to calm him down was to put the show back on that he was watching.  This year, if someone came in and changed the channel, it was like ‘oh well’, and he’d be found on the merry-go-round.  Well there or the swings.  Like I said,, Brett has changed so much this past year.  We’re not sure if it’s cause he’s getting older and thus more mature, or if it was for the fact that Mylene was there experiencing his camp with him.  We’re going to say it’s cause of Mylene,

It’s hard to figure out with Brett who he’s going to latch onto, but when he first met her last year, he would smile when we’d mention her name.  Even showing him pictures and asking him who it is, he’d smile and say her name.  And correctly at that. 

Besides Brett’s transformation, we also screeched in Mylene.  That was so much fun trying to get everything ready for it on the sly, lol.  But we managed to pull it off.  She was so overwhelmed with what we were doing that she started to fill up.  Of course I felt my eyes getting a little teary, but I managed to wipe the tears away without anyone seeing me, I hope.  It was an awesome time, one that I’m sure I’ll tell over and over to whoever will listen,

But, I’m sorry to say I don’t have any pictures.  I know, my bad.  I’ll get some from Mylene when I chat with her again.  Lord knows she’s took enough, LOL  And you can pretty much bet that she’ll have some up on her blog.  The only picture I was able to get was of Brett showing off the WWF Championship Belt.

I probably missed some things, and if I did, I’ll make notes for another blog.  But for now, I’ll end it right here.

To Mylene; I want to tell you how much I enjoyed having you share our holiday with you.  Our first meeting last year was nothing compared to this one.  Taking the time out of your schedule to join us on our annual camping trip meant everything to me, especially the kids.  You’re an awesome friend, one I’ll treasure forever.  So this video is for you.  I’m getting there with accepting compliments, and I think this video says it all.  Thank you Mylene, for being you,

K, xoxo

Michael is in Washington D.C. today for the Heart’s Delight Wine Tasting & Auction with master winemakers, chefs and distinguished guests who will play and bid in the Nation’s Capital to benefit the American Heart Association. Chef’s friend and first Harry’s pop-up victim Gabrielle Hamilton has participated for the past four years and this weekend joins new Chicago contingent Paul Kahan, Graham Elliot, and Stephanie Izard, as well as Boston’s Jamie Bissonette, David Myer from Los Angeles… You get the picture.

Line cook Keith Kalmanowicz is sitting shotgun as Chef serves attendees Pan Roasted Confit of Lamb with fava beans, mint & onion sauce. But what should they be eating while they’re in town?

We asked our esteemed brand/PR intern to spill the beans, Victoria Calleja currently of Georgetown University and as of May 21, our 39th street office for her second summer with The Genuine Hospitality Group.  She delivered the goods with the above camera phone gallery depicting the following trustworthy hit list (left to right) any #foodcrazy can appreciate.  Trust us, and so should Schwartz!

- This is my favorite shrimp burger from Proof: Proof Shrimp Burger, jalapeno, shaved cucumber, cilantro, pickled daikon & carrots
- The lobster risotto is from Graffiato
- The dumplings (spring vegetable dumpling, but I can’t find the description anywhere!) are from The Source

One Life to Live

Delight in the day
Enjoy the moment
For you have only one life to live
Savor the special times
Relax in God’s love
Offer heart and hands, always give
Bask in the beauty
Appreciate the little things
Let go of wrongs done and forgive
Welcome the trials
Pray through the tribulations
Allow God to work through and revive
Value lessons learned
Reflect the journey past
For you have only have one life to live

So thankful for another day to live.  Yes, there are trials, there are tribulations, there are even tough decisions to make that may hurt others or offend, but still I have life.  I am blessed with breath.   I am blessed with eyes that see the beauty of a rose in bloom and trees with sparkling buds of life springing forth.  I am blessed with ears to hear the laughter of children echo through the playground and the singing of birds celebrating the warmer weather.   I am blessed with family and friends who love me, though it is imperfect, they still love.  I am blessed to have a home in which to sleep, a  bed with cozy covers to keep me from the cold nights.  I am blessed with food to eat, even if I gain weight when I do.  I am blessed with fresh water to drink, chlorine or other oddities may be there, but they do not make me sick nor does it have parasites.  I am indeed blessed.  In 1 Chronicles 4:10, “Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.”  I am Jabez today, realizing the potential that God has to fulfill all that I need, my wishes, my desires…all that lines up with His plan for my life.  God has granted my request and I am indeed blessed.  I pray that you will tap into all God has for you.  Ask Him to keep His hand upon you, to protect you, to enlarge your life with His ministries, to bless you indeed.  See where it will take you and bask in the eternal glory that is only from God.  May you be at peace, may you find joy amidst life, may you be blessed indeed.  All my love.

I’m running, Jesus… are You running with me?

Hmmm… what it SHOULD have said is this:  You’re running Jesus… let me run with You!

Most recently I was again confronted with this skewed perspective in my own life.  I have been praying fervently for a new job.  I’ve been deeply dissatisfied with my work and simply wanted out.  I was figuratively pounding on the doors of heaven for “my” answer.  I received an answer;  not exactly the one I was searching and praying for.  God chose to transform my current job in a miraculous way.  Not what I was expecting… but certainly an answer to prayer.  I realized I have a new job, only not in the way I expected.

I re-read the scripture in Psalm 37:4  Take delight in the LORD,  and he will give you your heart’s desires.

What resonated in me is this simple truth.  If we take delight in the Lord, HE becomes our heart’s delight… and He generously gives us more of Himself.  Lord help me to keep YOU at the center of my life… help me to find my delight in You.  Help me to put my will aside and instead look for Your will in each and every situation.  I want to join what You are doing…   AMEN!

So tonight The Berry (Laurelyn) and I are going to Heart’s Delight to take make good on its namesake. Flower, wine, roses, and romantic dinner is planned. We are finally taking advantage of our own Valentine’s Special that we spent so much time promoting!

Maybe tomorrow we’ll see if Clifford George will take us out for one of his famous sleigh rides:

vdaysleigh

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In the case mentioned above, the many to many, like in Kingdom under Fire, or in the MG one Lord of the Ring I. It looks like complicated but as a matter of fact, it is less complicated. Whenever it is a solo PC, all enemies look to the one and only target, the solo PC. When it is not, the design can shift around the targetting of enemies making things easier. The shifting is done with good underlying fundamental rule usually, which is, “whenever PC is close enough to a particular enemy during battle, the targetting starts”. So, they would target others, ie. PC’s allied team-mates if PC keeps out running away keeping a distance, occasionally takes out some easy pick ones, ie. less complicated job actually. And this is where the MG one’s MG PC becomes more favourable to be played, ie. quite a loser/MG in the otherwise cases without enough upgrades. This, i think, open up some. Design can make more good ones in future after seeing my analysis here. Ppl. can differentiate, whether PC is garbage, or “themselves”. And i definitely would like to see some better complicated jobs happened in some upcoming games. Never to do another simple quadratic equation solving for me metaphorically. Done seeing soo many combos without seeing those efficiency demanding requirements scenarios in some better designs, without that so-called by me “derivative” thing say in Kingdom under Fire, etc.etc.etc. Yeah, those were some of the keys to make jobs complicate. Never to make redundancy too far, like that too many combos none increase in complicated jobs problem in the xbox 360 Spiderman game of mine. The design of the MG one ie. Lord of the Ring I was right, ie. upgrades should be felt as, indispensable, never to be redundant. See, this is some fundamental guideline for design to follow. Am i really good or what? I think certainty is me again.

for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

Trust in the LORD and do good;

dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. –Psalm 37:1-4

Delight in the Lord

Let us search out and examine our ways
Seek the answers to the questions of the heart
Let us seek the Lord everyday
Submitting our will to Him

We have rebelled and fallen short
Relying on self to guide us through
Come back to the Creator who beckons
Come home to worship Him

Delight in His ways and let the Spirit consume
Be not ashamed to fall on your knees
To raise your hands or even shout
Lift Him in glory for all to see

Choose luxury.
4-1/2 star Heart’s Delight Cottages on secluded Long Point Cove >>

Ocean Delight Cottages - Long  Point Cove, Heart's Delight

Enjoy delightful comfort.
3-star Whiteway Cottages in the picturesque fishing community of Whiteway > >

Ocean Delight Cottages & Guest Suite - Whiteway

Either way, everything you need is provided for, all with spectacular, ocean views and all the natural charms of rural Newfoundland.

Gracious God, help _____ discover Your words and devour them. 

May Your words be _____’s joy and his/her heart’s delight;

may _____ bear Your name, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.  ~Amen (Jeremiah 15:16 NLT)

~~Praying Scripture: One moment, One prayer, One life changed by the power of God’s Word~~

My eyes delight in seeing you,

My ears in hearing your voice.

My soul is relieved when you are well,

My heart seems to rejoice.

You brought the sun into my life,

And magnified it’s light.

And even now when you are gone,

You are my heart’s delight.

Your death has darkened all around me,

And has made the going hard.

I do not know these shadowed surroundings,

My heart is fallen apart.

You brought the moon into my life,

And focused all my light.

And even when I’m left behind you,

You are my heart’s delight.

I know now without a doubt,

That I was right.

In bringing you close and calling you,

My Heart’s Delight.

Heart's Delight Apricots

“What has happened to the land of heart’s delight?” As blossoming fruit orchards were razed by bulldozers and fertile crop land was paved over, farmers in the prosperous Santa Clara Valley found themselves asking this. San Jose was a rapidly growing city with a burgeoning population. Without strict zoning, the flat agricultural lands around it were easy targets for development. With no consideration for schools or other infrastructure, miles of housing were built along the quiet country roads. As the demand for housing grew, homes sprawled outward over the fruitful valley floor and  farmers were pushed out of the area. In ten short years, the valley of “heart’s delight” was gone.

San Jose continues to grow rapidly. Here are some photos showing the changes in San Jose in thirty years: then (1976) and now (2006).

I was visiting some of my commenters’ blogs and I came across this lovely heart-shaped Valentine dessert recipe posted by Melanie at Monday Through Sunday.

The picture looks good enough to eat and Melanie says it’s real simple to make, so if you’re in need of just that this Valentine’s Day, go take a look at the recipe.

Do you have any simple but special recipes fit for your Valentine?