LB Cedar Hill Cemetery CT

We saw an Event listed that we knew we would have a grand time at. A Scavenger Hunt in a cemetery. *nodding* Cedar Hill Cemetery in CT to be exact, to be hosted by the ever so sweet Brandy. A beautiful cemetery, just beautiful & so well landscaped! This was especially sweet for me as I have relatives 1/2 an hour away & gave us a chance to spend the weekend together!

The picture above is just one of the lovely markers found here.

There are many famous people resting here.

This is the marker for Samuel Colt ... Colt as in the Colt 45 pistol - not the beer, folks -

Katherine Hepburn also rests here with her family. I will not show her marker, however. Let's just say it was elegantly simple, as one would expect. I also hope that maybe you are interested enough to go for yourself.
Back to the Scavenger hunt, my team came in DEAD last! Although, I really did try to misdirect CritterLiz & her team, but they would have nothing to do with my "advice". We also did not solve the mystery correctly, either. *sigh, but not surprised*
We had such a lovely time wandering about exchanging with other LBer's, dumping & receiving cooties & collecting some great carved stamps at other markers, after the hunt ended.


Did get a few boxes outside the cemetery as well. My cuzin, a noxer & CT State Trooper, was kind enough to escort us around. On the way to one box we saw a simple cardboard sign on the road -- MISSING CHAINSAW PLEASE CALL 555-555-5555 IF FOUND" - my cuzin mutters under his breathe, as only he can do - "ohhh you fool, it's not "missing", it's been stolen, good luck to you getting it back."
The next two boxes we got were at a park. I know my cuzin understands why we box after he watched my boys in action that morning - 1st there was the game of "only walk on the stones- don't touch the earth or you are out"; then there was first one to the top of that boulder is King-Of-The-Mountain; then look for a turtle, see any fish?; Aunt Andrea watch out for that spider - etc. etc.
The strangest part for my sister & I was when a guy walked by us with a pistol out in the open on his hip. Both of our mouths just dropped! Sister says to Cuzin "Aren't you going to do something?" His response, "Nope, he has a permit, don't worry. We worry more about the concealed weapons." I should mention my sister did not see Cuzin take his gun & bullets out of his safe at home before we left the house that morning. It is just a world unfamiliar to us...we did not grow up with any guns in our house; our dad was not a hunter.

Brandy - Thank you so much for giving us a chance to create the great memories we did over the weekend - time with family & boxing! Hope you can arrange for us to do it all over again next summer!

Elusive Mango Fruit

Now, just so you all know - I have a background in Food. I went to college for Restaurant Management & doubled in Hotel Technology. I had worked in a local (Northern New York) restaurant doing dishes & worked my way up to cook & assisted the owner with managerial duties before I left my hometown. Then I went to Maine for a summer - had the best Chocoate cake ever there (soaked in Grande Marne) & the best Lobster Bisque; then to Marco Island in Florida for some time & then got pulled in Jersey. The latter part of my career in Food was spent in Garde Mange - loved working with cold food - making beautiful "eye candy" platters of fruit, cheese, meat, canapes, finger sandwiches, etc. - You all know you DO really eat with your EYES not your stomach, right? *wink wink*
Well, The Blonde Frogger has been on a mango kick. He went to soccer camp for 3 weeks & the first week he was there one of the other kids had mango. It was "DEEEElicios" according to Blonde Frogger. So what is a loving mom to do, but try to please child by sending him with his favorite foods - especially fruit - for lunch during soccer camp.
HOLY MOLY!!! I have to say as a food handler...mango would not be one of my favorites!!! Not sure how to handle this fruit. NEVER EVER was it in any grocery store in NNY while I was growing up & it was not in Florida while I working there, either - (yup, probably dating myself now). So I've had to learn to deal with this fruit on my own & not very successfully, either, IMHO.
I don't know - there just seems to be a lot of waste associated with this fruit or I am just serving it wrong - not sure. First I peel the skin with a potato peeler; after that I am lost. I tried cutting it half & trying to take the core out - can someone please tell me where the heck the core IS? Then I went to the "cut the sides off & hope you don't get any "core" (?) within the slices" style. Lots of wasted fruit that way.
Now, I can cut apples, cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, kiwi, pineapple, strawberries (my friends look at me like I am crazy because they have never seen a mom cut fruit the way I do - well, let me tell you if they had worked for the same Chef I did in Marco, they'd all cut fruit the way I do - as he allowed no waste what so ever :-)) & have hardly any waste of fruit, but this mango is really getting to me! Arggg!!
Open for suggestions. How do you serve this fruit?

Thanks for any input...

Maple Leaf Red