How's the Weather?

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Author Message John Regener, AIA, CCS, CCCA, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: john_regener Post Number: 727 Registered: 04-2002 Posted on Friday, February 06, 2015 - 10:32 am:    Favorite fast food East of he Rockies this winter: Brrritos. Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 1953 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Friday, February 06, 2015 - 10:35 am:    We've had slushies, snow cones, ice cream, and frozen yogurt. (After the brrrritos, of course. wouldn't want to eat dessert first) Curt Norton, CSI, CCS Senior Member Username: curtn Post Number: 199 Registered: 06-2002 Posted on Friday, February 06, 2015 - 10:42 am:    Life is short. East dessert first. ~author unknown John Regener, AIA, CCS, CCCA, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: john_regener Post Number: 728 Registered: 04-2002 Posted on Friday, February 06, 2015 - 04:56 pm:    Near record warm forecast for Southern California. North in Central California, 6-8 inches of rain are forecast; a nice contribution to overcome effects of the drought. Hopefully, SoCal won't experience Shake 'N Bake. John Regener, AIA, CCS, CCCA, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: john_regener Post Number: 732 Registered: 04-2002 Posted on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 - 02:40 pm:    Is there any way to ship the snow from New England to California's mountains. It isn't rainfall that will overcome the drought. It's snow pack, which this year, right now, only has about 30 percent of normal water content. If MA needs a place to put snow the Sierra Nevada mountains have plenty of space. Aferall, ice was shipped from Louisiana to New England when no place could be found to use it after Hurrican Katrina. Surely, FEMA can come up with a solution. Weather forecast today (2/11/15) for Lost Angeles is high in the mid-80s with increasing Santa Ana winds. Jay Leno once said the four seasons in LA are wildfire, flood, riot and earthquake. Orange County is at the forefront in recycling water and desalinization. In Irvine, big bucks were invested 15 years ago in recycled water system. Landscaping has remained lush during he drought. Residential real estate is appreciating at 9%/yr. ken hercenberg Senior Member Username: khercenberg Post Number: 875 Registered: 12-2006 Posted on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 - 03:14 pm:    No wonder the price of produce keeps going up on this side of the divide. Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 1961 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 - 03:58 pm:    The house we bought in 1971 for $20,100 in Woodland Hills is now beyond our reach. Last I checked (about 15 years ago) it was 0.5 mil. Even though the then owners had expanded it (there was room on the lot), that's ridiculous. As to the weather: LA is desert and there's a reason the Native Americans (First Nation) people didn't live there year round. Get out while you still can. Jay Leno is right: all that happened during the first year I lived there. Not sure why I stayed for 10 years. Richard Gonser AIA CSI CCCA SCIP Senior Member Username: rich_gonser Post Number: 93 Registered: 11-2008 Posted on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 - 04:12 pm:    Anyone have an escape route or do I need a golden parachute from the Golden Sate? Richard Gonser AIA CSI CCCA SCIP Senior Member Username: rich_gonser Post Number: 94 Registered: 11-2008 Posted on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 - 04:13 pm:    That $450 mill from the Power Ball Lottery looks pretty good... Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 627 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 - 04:29 pm:    Just sell your California home, and move to somewhere like Waco, tx, where you can buy a nice place for a fraction of the price, and invest the rest, and live off the compounding interest. Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 1962 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 - 04:31 pm:    Or pretty much anywhere in the Midwest, for that matter. Flad's still looking for another spec writer. Margaret G. Chewning FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: presbspec Post Number: 264 Registered: 01-2003 Posted on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 - 05:03 pm:    Even with our yo-yo winter weather, Virginia is a wonderful place. minimum earthquakes, (so says Ed Cayce) and the occasional hurricane. Mouth of the Chesapeake looks good to me. :-) Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 1245 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 - 06:03 pm:    Curt, there used to be a restaurant in La Belle, FL called Flora & Ella's that had been open since 1911, their motto that they had emblazed on their shirts, cookbooks, and aprons was "Life is uncertain, Eat dessert first"...they had some amazing homemade cakes and pies...unfortunately their property was too valuable and the building was sold for re-development. I have fond memories of driving across Florida on State Road 80 and stopping in for a meal, which I usually had to doggie bag, cause their desserts were so big, who could eat the entrees, but their entrees were always amazing, the best meatloaf, fried chicken, lasagna, chicken and dumplings, you name it they had it, it was worth driving 2 hours, I was fortunate to be able to drive on business though, on my way to the west coast. BTW, it was mandatory to eat dessert first here. Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 1246 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 - 06:05 pm:    correction, I just looked at the apron, the restaurant was established in 1933, my mistake. Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 1247 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 - 06:32 pm:    I also found a post from 2006, a review of Flora & Ella's: Pros: Excellent food, Great service, you really feel like you're wanted Cons: None at all. Oh! they are closed on Sunday. The Bottom Line: You can eat fancier or pricier, but you're not likely to eat better. In 1933, two sisters, Flora & Ella opened a simple restaurant in LaBelle. It was a place where families would congregate and eat. It still is. Nothing fancy here (well maybe the pies), just wholesome down home southern cooking in it’s purest form. And although at heart I identify myself as a Connecticut Yankee, I freely admit to feeling oh so at home with deep south country cooking. Comfort food of the highest order. Free of pretense, it’s the kind of cooking that reaches out and touches your soul. That’s what awaits you at Flora & Ella’s. Although Flora and Ella have passed, third and fourth generation family members see to it that their legacy is fulfilled. Located right off Route 80 just a couple of hundred yards from Skeet & Sara's Log Cabin Barbecue it is immediately inviting. Entering through the front door you find yourself in the general store. Looking straight ahead it appears to be a small town diner right out of the 1940’s or 50’s. To the left there’s a dining room just a little more formal but not in the least forbidding. You can almost hear the restaurant whisper, “Come on in and sit a spell.” Corny, huh? But ask yourself, when was the last time you felt so welcomed? The Menu The menu at Flora & Ella’s is simplicity itself. And although there are separate lunch and dinner sections, you can generally order anything on the menu anytime. Just smile and say please. Again, nothing fancy here, just generous portions of really good food. Let me tell you about some of my favorites. Appetizers Fried Green Tomatoes with dipping sauce - $5.95 Remember the movie? Well these are them! And, they are very, very good. If you’ve never, you owe it to yourself. Enjoy. Sweet Potato Fries - $1.95 Done until the outsides crisp and the insides go tender these are a treat. Just don’t fill up on them. Crab Cakes - $5.95 A Flora & Ella specialty, a friend of mine from Maryland couldn’t believe how good these were. Lunch & Dinner Hoppin’ John - $6.95 Oh Lord. This is so good! Black eyed peas, rice, seasoned ground beef topped with tomatoes and onion. Comes with corn bread. This is a big meal. An icon of southern comfort cooking. Chicken and Dumplings – $7.95 A huge portion of boneless chicken stirred into plump made from scratch dumplings. Your choice of two sides. Comes with biscuits. Country Boy Pot Roast - $8.95 A chuck roast slowly cooked in its natural juices until it is fork tender. Comes with mashed potatoes gravy and your choice of sides. I love this dish. Farm Raised Catfish Filets - $7.95 A plate of them fried up and served with French Fries or grits, coleslaw and Hushpuppies. For those of you who have never had catfish, they are sweet and delicate. Crab Cakes - $7.95 Yup, you can order them as an entrée. Served with three sides and corn bread or biscuits. Of course you can order other things. Burgers, Fried Chicken, Chops, Country Fried Steaks, Fried Shrimp. It’s all good and it is so reasonably priced The Pies Still got room for dessert? Well Flora & Ella’s pies are known throughout the area as the finest. My favorites are Blueberry or Peach for $2.50 a slice. A whole pie for $12.00. If you’re just passing through and want to pick up one of these truly incredible pies to take home, be sure to call at least a day in advance. For Peach, as I’ve finally learned it’s best to reserve your pie three days in advance. I’m telling you. These pies are worth the effort! Call them at 863-675-2891. Summing Up There’s no question that you can eat fancier and certainly you can eat more expensively. But nowhere will you find one place where the combination of great food, friendly service, conviviality and just a sense of being home is quite like it is here at Flora & Ella’s. Sometimes progress sucks, the Developer who bought the property never developed it, Flora & Ellas never reopened, only memories remain, and now I need to find some home cooked food, not much luck in that. John Regener, AIA, CCS, CCCA, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: john_regener Post Number: 733 Registered: 04-2002 Posted on Thursday, February 12, 2015 - 02:36 am:    What state now has the most earthquakes? Oklahoma. Buy property on the East side of the Colorado River so you'll have beachfront property when California slips into the Pacific ocean. Or vice versa when Arizona et. al slips into the Atlantic. Curt Norton, CSI, CCS Senior Member Username: curtn Post Number: 204 Registered: 06-2002 Posted on Thursday, February 12, 2015 - 08:25 am:    Jerome - sounds like my kind of place. We are fortunate to have a diner/pie place just blocks from our house. the Cons there are that there is usually a line out the door waiting for a table. Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 1248 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Thursday, February 12, 2015 - 09:06 am:    Curt, the best places with the real food always have lines, you have to eat earlier or later and avoid prime time...now I have a reason to visit your domain, not during winter though...stay warm. James Sandoz, AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA Senior Member Username: jsandoz Post Number: 158 Registered: 06-2005 Posted on Thursday, February 12, 2015 - 09:13 am:    Wow, Jerome, you have me drooling like an old hound dog. There is not one thing on the menu I do not crave. I am a son-of-the-south (I'll bet you thought I was going to write something else. :-) and, to me, food like that is not a meal; it's a sacrament. I travel to Florida regularly but seldom go south of Orlando. It appears that next time I must extend my itinerary. Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 1963 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Thursday, February 12, 2015 - 10:02 am:    Oklahoma earthquakes seem to be a result of the shale fracking going on. Hmmm. Do you think we are having an adverse effect on the planet? Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 1249 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Thursday, February 12, 2015 - 10:21 am:    Unfortunately James that restaurant is long gone...I brought it up because of Curt's query regarding "life is uncertain, eat dessert first" which was their mantra. Property values have been skyrocketing, so many of the mom and pop places are closing due to redevelopment, there are still a few around, like Tom Jenkins for Barbecue in Fort Lauderdale, damn fine catfish, collards, and hushpuppies; or the Georgia Pig, for their amazing fried chicken on Fridays only or their Coconut Cream Pie served until there is no more left; made from scratch restaurants are hard to find these days, unless you are willing to pay for it. I don't recommend visiting SFL these days (too much construction, cranes are everywhere), unless you are passing thru to head down to the Keys, which remains a very relaxing stretch of SFL at its best. Dave Metzger just spent some vacation time in the keys and the everglades, even got to eat gator and frog legs, Florida style, the man knows how to enjoy retirement. I fear that urban crawl is eventually going to take over the Keys as well, its already encroaching on the Everglades. better get down here while you can still enjoy what's left of South Florida wilds. John Bunzick, CCS, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: bunzick Post Number: 1621 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2015 - 02:47 pm:    We just spent 16 days in Key West, during which we missed the first three of Boston's four major storms this season. Had to leave a day early to avoid the first one. We've had about 7.5 feet in three weeks. Keep in mind our normal season total is 44 inches. There is literally (yes, I mean that the way it's defined) hardly anywhere to put more snow. Margaret G. Chewning FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: presbspec Post Number: 266 Registered: 01-2003 Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2015 - 04:00 pm:    I could use some of that Key West right about now. Tidewater VA is usually quite mild, but this week, altho' beautiful blue skies the below freezing weather has created havoc here. Snow only lasts a day here normally which is fine by me. we've still got 6 inches from Monday night with a hard crust. Saturday and Sunday we will be in the 40's and 50's with rain that will take this away. Hope we don't get any more. Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 1254 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2015 - 04:10 pm:    Wow, you all have certainly had a rough winter, here in So FL we are expecting our coldiest tonight, may get down to 37, for me and my gout that is too cold. Stay warm guys. Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 1977 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2015 - 04:22 pm:    We've not got much snow at all, but the temperature right now is a balmy 3 F. It was - 12 F when I got up this morning. The last few nights have all be in negative numbers with wind chills in the negative 20s. On a positive note, it's sunny, the sky is bright blue, and the stars at night where I live are outstanding. At about 6:45 pm tonight, I'll be able to watch the ISS pass overhead. Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 1255 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2015 - 04:33 pm:    My joints can't handle cold weather, I would be on pain meds all the time and never get any work done, SFL works for me, even though spec writing down here is a daily challenge. I was actually born in The Bronx, but have lived in Florida over 50 years. Occasionally in August, I miss cooler weather, but these days other parts of the country are hotter, though it does take a while to get used to the humidity. Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 1256 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2015 - 04:36 pm:    BTW Lynn congrats on your upcoming retirement, I don't expect to ever retire voluntarily, I expect to drop dead in front of my computer while meeting one last deadline. John Bunzick, CCS, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: bunzick Post Number: 1623 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Monday, February 23, 2015 - 11:33 am:    I see David Combs has posted a position in Dallas for a spec writer. That's one way to get out of the cold up north. David R. Combs, Assoc. AIA, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Junior Member Username: davidc Post Number: 2 Registered: 02-2015 Posted on Monday, February 23, 2015 - 11:55 am:    Not today, it's not. Freezing rain and sleet overnight and this morning have made a northeast mess of things. High temps today in the mid-20's will ensure it sticks around until tomorrow.