The Long Course....

Hammerhead Aquatics Masters Swim Club uses two pools. A 25 yard pool in Fort Lauderdale at Sunrise Middle School and the pool at Pompano Beach  Aquatics Center. The Pompano Beach  Aquatics Center rotates the lane's through out the year. For the next month the course is set to Long Course. 
Long Course  is set to 50 meters or 54.680 yards.  With the long course, there is less "hanging-off the wall", and it is more of a workout, or so it seems. Up and back is 100 meters. Swimming experts believe that long course swimming requires 15-20% more energy compared to short course.

Initially, I bemoan and loathe the course, but after a few days it does grow on me. There is a zen like feel with 50 meters. Swimming is more streamlined with less turns, and there is less rest. Swimming becomes more rhythmic, like a metronome on a piano.

Essentials for the long course are: goggles, pull-buoy, kick-board, and my new Speedo training paddles that Coach John Grzeszczak insist I use to break my bad stroke habits. The paddles look like the would be fun to use, but in fact they are harder. The paddles break bad habits by making you push your stroke deeper into the water.....

The best part of the long course is how I feel after the workout!

Swimmers, Monty & Kerry after swim practice. Coach John gave Monty a challenge of finishing his last 100 meters in 1:35 seconds, and Monty achieved the challenge!

Hammerheads, Kerry & Monty

Gluten Free Expo-West Palm Beach

This past week I went to the Gluten Free Expo that was in West Palm Beach FL.
According to Webster's Dictionary: Gluten is a tenacious elastic protein especially of wheat flour that give cohesiveness to dough. Gluten is the common name for ALL the proteins in specific grains that are harmful to people with Celiac Disease. According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, 1 out of 133 people are affected by this autoimmune inherited condition.

I am one of the 1 in 133 people that has this autoimmune condition. I also have a sister that has this condition. I love food, and was raised on Italian food, pasta, cookies, cakes, and many things that are made from wheat, barley, rye and other components of these grains.  In this modern world, so much processed food is derived from wheat. Things like: soy sauce, salad dressings, non-stick oil spray (Pam), barbecue sauces all have processed gluten. Giving up gluten is just not giving up bread or pasta; it is a lot more involved. Being gluten fee is always on my mind when I travel or dine out.

Admission was $5, and there were 85 vendors displaying, sampling their products with over 3,000 attendants. There was a variety of  products from breads, pastas, mixes for cookies and brownies. Also featured were prepared foods like: frozen pizza and microwavable meals.

I enjoyed sampling and tasting virtually all of the vendor's samples. It was quite a joy to be able to enjoy food without questioning or checking the label! It was also nice to meet other kindred spirits that share a similar passion for healthy living. One such subject as Dr Ira Gulker, who was one of the sponsor's of the event.

I love soups and chowder, however so many soups have gluten in them. Living in Maine we are KNOWN for our chowder. To my surprise I sampled some clam chowder that was remarkably delicious! The brand was Kettle Cuisine and they are out of Boston, MA.

Many of the products at the expo were from small "Mom & Pop" start-up companies. Many of these people that started these companies are gluten free and could not find products, so they made their own and now sell them. There was also bigger named vendors like Jone's Sausage, Udi's Bread, and Hodgson Mill. These products are readily available at most supermarkets in north America.

I have compiled a list of some of the samples, and products I've tasted along with their websites in no particular order:

Gluten Free Resources
Kettle Cuisine www.kettlecuisine.com 1.800.969.SOUP Great tasting soups and clam chowder!

Jones Dairy Farm Certified GF products. http://www.jonesdairyfarm.com/home.aspx.
Celiac  Disease Foundation of Florida http://www.cdfsouthflorida.org/ good resource.
Bloomfield Farms Bakin Mixes I tried their brownie mix; it was good www.thebloomfieldfarms.com.
Caesar's Pasta Specialties. Wheat free lasagna, manicotti, stuffed shells. My favorite: gnocchi www.caesarspasta.com 1.856.227.2585.
Black Bean Chips (yes, there is such a thing) Beanitos www.beanitos.com Delicious!
Hodgson Mill, a natural fmaily owned company with a line of Gluten Free mixes, pastas and products.  http://www.hodgsonmill.com/
Pizza Gluten Free by Beverly. This was the best pizza I sampled. Located in Florida. www.glutenfreebybeverly.com 941.554.7300.
With a name like Belly Hugs I had to try their products  www.bellyhugs.com 954.322.829.

Power Bars by Nogii http://www.nogii.com/ This energy bar is actually good, it's made by Elisabeth Hasselbeck. I really find Elisabeth Hasselbeck incredibly annoying and whiny and wish that there was a different vendor to purchase these from. The bars are incredibly expensive.

Glutino Products, www.glutino.com sold at most grocery stores. Crackers, frozen meals, baking mixes. I find the prices to be expensive for this line.

Mina's Purely Divine mixes. Nice assortment of pancakes, brownie and pizza crust mixes. Order on-line www.minasGF.com 404.508.6222 ( free shipping on all orders over $18) Very nice people.
My friend Eileen, has a great blog with recipes, gluten free and paleo food ideas.
http://eileensfoodforthought.blogspot.com.
There is also a magazine that specializes in gluten free recipes that was at the expo. Delight Gluten Free  http://delightglutenfree.com/ yearly magazine subscription $18

Ogunquit artist, Joseph Davol

Ogunquit has long been known as an art colony discovered by Charles Woodbury in the late 1800's. The rugged coastline with the bright light shimmering against the cool Atlantic waters has been a constant subject for countless artists for over 120 years.

One lesser known Ogunquit artist, is  Joseph B. Davol (Aug 25, 1864 - June 15, 1923). Mr Davol was a painter, architect and teacher. He was also a student of Charles Woodbury's Ogunquit Art School in Perkins Cove.

Mr Davol was born in Chicago, studied in Paris at the Academie Julian. He then moved to Ogunquit with his mother, and studied with Woodbury. In Ogunquit he remained a "bachelor", according to an article in  the Lewiston Evening Journal ( Dec 1, 1911).

Davol lived year round in Ogunquit and many of his works depict the four distinct seasons.
His winter paintings capture the nuances of light as it touches the snowy seascape and land.

His paintings display a certain uniqueness that depicts the Maine flora and fauna. Trees have a Dr Suess likeness. Shadows casts winter colors glowing on the snow.

(October Idyl, October 1910, Ogunquit River Estuary, Collection of Ogunquit Beach Inn)

 

(Ogunquit Beach 1915)

Winter sea 1911

Joseph Davol's paintings are part of the Ogunquit Museum of Art's Colletion, Ogunquit Library, Farnsworth Museum and private collectors.