Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May peace, happiness, adventures and love be your constant companions.
Oma and Opa came over for our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day feasts. We had a joyous time. We talked to our sons on the phone and enjoyed the tree, the laughter, a fondue dinner on Christmas Eve and duck and latkes on Christmas!

Friday, December 23, 2011

OBX and Sean's Birthday

We are at the beach house in OBX just for an overnight to clean and prepare for 2 weekends of renters.
It is around 60 degrees and bit blustery but not cold at all. The beach is wide and the house is now clean.
It is Sean's birthday today and he is 29!!  I wish we were celebrating with him but we certainly will when we go to Grand Cayman in March.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Monday, December 19, 2011

Scuba and Polish Deli???

HI Everyone,
Yesterday we had our last SCUBA pool practice before we head to Florida for our open water certification test. We purchased our personal gear. I decided pink is powerful and Myron chose red!  So underwater we will be visible and distinguisable!
Next door to the SCUBA shop is a Polish deli! What a treat we purchased some kielbasa and pierogi as well as blintzes and crisp cookies. We were the only people in the place speaking English. I think the area has a few ethnic neighborhoods because last week we enjoyed a yummy Jamaican meal in the same strip.
I love America... SCUBA and great food all within 200 feet!!!
Hope you like the pics.

Loves
Anna and Myron

Monday, December 12, 2011

Holiday Prep Weekend

 This past weekend was pretty darn busy. I started decorating for Christmas and had some major sewing to finish. I made a duvet cover for a feather bed my German Grandmother had purchased for me many many years ago.  My grandmother died in 1957 but she had purchased a feather bed for me prior to her death ... of course I was only 5 years old at the time. The last time I was in Germany ( 2005) my Aunt gave it to me, she had been saving it for many years and remembered to give it to me.  Since our bedroom motif is Japanese, I had purchased Japanese style fabric the last time I was in Japan. Well, I finally finished the Duvet cover for the feather bed. It is so cozy and I now can think of my grandmother when I am warmed by those wonderful German goose feathers! Here are some pictures.














I also put up my Christmas Charles Dickens Christmas Houses by the fireplace.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Senior Seal Team #6!

Friends and Family,

Yesterday was a most interesting day! I had my Ladies League Pistol Shooting 3 hour practice at the range.  I target shot with a Ruger, a Walther, a Smith and Wesson, a Sig Sauer and a Taurus. I loved the Smith and Wesson as it had the best sights and the best feel in my hand. It was reliable and comfortable. I have yet to try out the Browning and the Berretta before I make my decision. My group shots were good at 30 feet! I also shot a magazine out of a 22 Winchester Rifle with sights at 150 feet. I hit all 5 shots through the same hole in the bullseye.  Target shooting is enjoyable and I plan on practicing more in order to try my hand at competition! Myron went to the range as well and did some fancy shooting with very good groupings at 50 feet! All in all we are getting pretty good!!!
Of course right after the range we headed to the Carolina Dive shop to get geared up for our SCUBA class at the pool.  We practiced a variety of SCUBA techniques in the deep pool and did very well underwater. After 2 hours of underwater practice, we emerged wet and cold but very pleased with our SEAL activity. Ren and Myron have dubbed us the Senior Seal Team #6!!!
We will keep you all posted as to our continued trials... maybe the Navy will give us call !!! LOL

Anna and Myron

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Guns and Scuba!

Friends and Family,It started with Sushi dinner with Zareen and Kevin on Friday night which ignited the beginning of a stimulating weekend. On Saturday we donned our western gear and headed to the Raleigh Gun and Knife show at the State Fairgrounds. We strolled around and handled Walther, Browning, Colt, Ruger, Beretta, and Smith and Wesson pistols. I was looking for the .22 caliber target pistol that fits my hand with sights that I liked for target shootin. I never saw so many pink handled pistols! Women are totin' guns!Then we headed to the Carolina Dive Shop to register for our upcoming Open Water NAUI Dive certification class. We are going to Grand Cayman in March and want to be certified ahead of time.
After that we enjoyed at a great restaurant, Four Square, in Durham with friends Bob and Lil.
Sunday promises some time with Oma and Opa and then back to the grind on Monday.
Love
Anna and Myron

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Oma's 84th Birthday




Oma's birthday weekend started off with a surprise visit from Leslie and Siegi! We went to Il Palio for dinner in Chapel Hill and then spent Saturday on a variety of adventures around the area. Here are some pix of the dinner and the family.
Love
Anna and Myron

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Myron using a Power Tool!

Myron happily at work using our new electric hedge saw to clear the path to the beach from the OBX beach house. He did a good job and didn't cut the electric cord.
Love to all of you

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Fall Weekend Adventures

A rainy start to the weekend but it ended magnificently with sunshine galore and  it was filled with adventures!
On Friday evening we took Oma and Opa out for the evening. I took Oma to see Evita at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium and it was fantastic. Tom, a work acquaintance, couldn't use his 2 tickets so he offered them to me and I jumped at the chance. They were great orchestra seats and the show was terrific. While we were at the show, Myron took Opa to a pool hall and shot some pool and hoisted a few beers. A very nice evening for all.
Myron and I are intent on increasing our  vegetable intake and doing some indoor grilling in order to lose a few extra pounds. So on Saturday we ventured out to buy a good vegetable steamer and a cast iron stove top grille. Then we enjoyed our block party in the cul de sac promptly followed by a drive to Raleigh to attend a Halloween Tango Milonga! Phew...
But Sunday was another gorgeous day and I had read about the health benefits and flavor enhancement of infused oils and balsamic vinegars and we went to Chapel Hill to the Blue Sky Oil and Vinegar Store. It is a new store that specializes in exotic pairings fo flavors with first quality ExtraVirgin Olive Oil from the North and Southern hemisphere depending on when each presses!!! Amazing.
It was  taste delight and we purchased some specialty vinegars and oils to doctor up our vegetables and grilled fishes.
Here is picture of our purchases. It includes: garlic infused oil, lemon infused oil, toasted sesame oil, roasted almond oil, blueberry balsamic, vanilla balsamic and grapefruit balsamic.  There we so many to taste at the store that it was difficult to choose. Tonight we had a Kale Salad with the lemon oil and grapfruit balsamic. We cooked Cod with the garlic oil and blueberry balsamic... Explosive flavors with minimal calories and healthy antioxidants and loads of Vitamin E.

Love ya all
Anna and Myron

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Anniversary Adventure Part 2

Click here to link to the pictures!
A while back I had mentioned that I would be interested in seeing how well I could shoot a gun and Myron's gift to me was an NRA Basic Pistol Shooting Course at the local firearms training center!
The 2 of us arrived at 9am on a beautiful Saturday morning and took the full day class which consisted of about 5 hours of classroom time and 2 hours of shooting practice. The course was very well designed by the NRA with safety being the first and foremost consideration. Exercising 2nd amendment rights of course was the second. The instructors were good, one was from NYC and the other was a self pronounced computer geek who worked in RTP and both loved teaching safe gun handling, shooting and the importance of exercising their rights. There were 16 in the class and of the 16 there were 4 women including me. The instructors spoke proudly of how more and more women were purchasing guns, learning how to use them and blowing the socks of macho men with their ability to shoot more accurately. It was very funny because I was darn anxious when I picked up the unloaded semi-automatic pistol to practice pulling back the slide, working the safety and learning how to aim and squeeze the thing. It was HEAVY and difficult to work!  The women in CSI and NCIS must be definitely using plastic guns in those shows! Anyway after learning how to safely and appropriately grip, handle and manipulate the unloaded gun we donned our glasses and ear protection and entered the range!!!
  
The first shooting stance was the benchrest .  This is where you sit and rest your wrists on a raised plastic armrest holding the gun aimed at the target which is 15 feet in front of you. The target was a paper plate. The goal of course is to get all your rounds into the paper plate clustered in the center.
I was in the first group up and Myron and the second group was waiting 10 feet back. We were to load only one live round for the first try because the instructors wanted to make sure we weren't going to kill anyone and wanted to monitor our safety.  I loaded the magazine, pulled back the slide,  popped it in, pushed the safety and was ready to fire. Don't I sound like a pro? :-)   When the instructors told us we could fire, I aimed carefully focusing my left dominant eye on the front sight lined up with the rear sight and the center of the plate on the sight, took a breath, let it out, held it and squeezed the trigger very slowly and evenly with the pad of my index finger and.... I HIT THE PLATE! We reloaded with I hit the plate again. And we reloaded with 5 rounds and I popped off the 5 and hit the plate every time getting them grouped!  I was doing just swell.
Myron got his turn next and did just as well with the benchrest stance!

Then I went up to do the 2 handed standing stance. I kept all the instructions in my head and remembered that to steady the grip on the pistol, you have to push out with the left hand and pull in with the right. This tension reduces movement on the pistol. I shot 15 rounds and they all were in a group on my plate and I had the best plate in the class!!! Woo hoo... watch out... Annie Oakley rides again.

Myron completed his 2 handed stance as well and got all his rounds in the plate as well. But the instructor warned him never to piss me off!!!

This was a terrific adventure and I will probably join the Ladies League at the range and join the NRA!
We are looking forward to testing different guns and purchasing one for target practice.

Thank you Myron for a perfect adventure!
Love
Anna and Myron

Monday, October 17, 2011

Zipline Anniversary Adventure


We celebrated our 3rd Anniversary this past week. We prefer to provide each other adventures as opposed to things because memories last a lifetime.
I gave Myron a Zipline adventure, with an overnight stay at a  B and B and a nice dinner in Fayetteville!
The weather was spectacular! Sunny, warm in the high 70's and fresh clean air provided us the perfect day for zipping through the canopies of 200 foot trees, crossing rope bridges and climbing spiral staircases high above the pine needle carpeted ground.  The drive was less than 90 minutes to get to the destination. www.zipquest.com is a relatively new ecological zipline in a forest with a waterfall in the Sandhills of North Carolina. Our guides reminded us of Jeff...fun, enthusiastic, athletic and humorous. After a short ground lesson we started off on our 8 zips, 3 suspension bridges and 2 spiral staircases through the dappled forest. Our group was an interesting group of people and we all had a terrific time.
The speeds on the zip were around 40 mph between 50 and 150 feet above the ground. I recommend it highly.
Our B and B was run by Gloria and she was a terrific hostess and a superb massage therapist. 
But the adventure doesn't end here. On our drive back we stopped at the NC State Fair, strolled and gawked and I ate some Fried Dough ( yummy).

Love 
Anna and Myron

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Birds at our Feeder

We hung a squirrel-proof bird feeder off the back deck that Sean built and we get birds feeding all day.
Myron took some nice images of the North Carolina State Bird, the cardinal and a pileated woodpecker that is so large he makes the other birds wait their turns.


Lovin' North Carolina and the backyard!
Anna and Myron

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Vanity Plate for Myron

So.. you know that our beach house is called TangoOBX and you know we are Tango enthusiasts.
Myron got his new vanity plate for his  NC License plate for his car.
I don't need one on my car because I have an official OBX plate because I use the OBX address as my driver's license address so I can get on the island if there is a hurricane and they only allow residents.
Thought you would enjoy it as much as we got a kick out of it.
Love
Anna and Myron

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Gone Country!!!


Ok... so Myron and I are going to see Brad Paisley, the country singer, in concert on Sept 25th! We got awesome seats and plan on some good ole' country tunes.So in honor of our being North Carolinians for 4 years today`(definitely below the Mason Dixon line) and our debut at a Country Western concert, we decided to get decked out in the appropriate gear. We purchased original Stetson and Resistol hats, Nocona and Lucchese boots, a western shirt and dress ....all`made in the US of A because we have GONE COUNTRY! Wait till we post pix of us in our new duds.

Yee Haa!!
Love ya'll Anna and Myron

Post Hurricane Irene at OBX!





Well, Irene did lots of damage from OBX all the way to Vermont. The new beach enhancement of 400 new feet of sand saved many houses and did what it was supposed to do. Luckily our house in Nags Head suffered not at all except for the Albermarle Sound flood waters, mud, algae and seaweed that came under the house with debris. The house was without electricity for 4 days but when we got there, we simply had a day of cleanup under the house and in the shed. There was real swampy smell that got to Myron and his allergy attack was rather fierce, but we scraped, hosed and bleached and now it is pristine. We had no loss of anything of value at all even though stuff in the shed was totally water logged. A day in the sun, bleach and hose was all that was needed. Then we were able to enjoy spectacular weather and warm waves. Our Outer Banks Pier withstood the onslaught of Irene and we enjoyed shrimp and plenty of beer. We even enjoyed a neighbor's hot tub !! I love OBX . However, we were grieved to hear of the devastation in Vermont with the loss of historic covered bridges, homes and lives. None of my family or friends were in any way harmed or had loss of any kind. Vermonters are resilient and neighborly and will come through this stronger! Love Anna and Myron

Sunday, August 14, 2011

OBX 2011 Awesome Vacation!

Dear Family and Friends
We had a most terrific time for the last 2 weeks at OBX. Words can not begin to tell.
The weather was phenomenal, the water warm, the sun shone, the crabs yummy and the love of family and friends inspiring.
We loved every minute.
Thank you for everything : sons, Paul, Sean and Jeff; lovely girlfriends, Liz and Dariya; and long lasting friends, Jim and Lynne!
We love you all.
Anna and Myron

Enjoy the pix in the badge on the right.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Canyoneering in Moab


Friends and Family,

The pix from our canyoneering adventure have arrived!

http://s204.photobucket.com/albums/bb202/myronfeinstein/Moab-Canyoneering/

We hiked a ton and rappelled down a 105 foot slot canyon and a 95 foot vertical and exposed face under Morning Glory Arch. It was fantastic.

Love
Anna and Myron

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Moab July 4th Weekend


Friends and Family,

Here is a slide show of our pix

What a terrific collection of adventures we had over a long 4th of July weekend in Moab, Utah.
We flew out of RDU on June 30th to Dallas and then on to Grand Junction, Colorado to rent a car and drive the 114 miles to Moab where Jeffrey is working as an river raft guide intern for Splore. Splore is a non-profit organization that organizes outdoor adventures for disabled people. Our plan was to join Jeff on a 2 night overnight camping and rafting adventure on the Colorado River. Jeff was working when we arrived and had not yet returned from a rafting trip with some young boys. We decided to go for a hike and after checking in at the Apache Motel ( where John Wayne stayed ... really!) we went to the information center and got some hiking guides. It was HOT but dry! :-) at 100 degrees with 17% relative humidity so off we went to hike the 2.4 mile Negro Bill Trail that led to Morning Glory Arch. We were warned of the plentiful poison ivy under the arch and also warned to carry plenty of water. We were prepared because I had purchased 3 liter Camelbacks, headlamps and river shoes for this trip. I gave them to Myron for Father's Day as a hint to what adventures I had in store for us.
Since we started late in the day at 2:30 we didn't quite make it to the end before it was time to turn around. The 2 hour time change and the heat gave us a hint that it was time to turn around, meet up with Jeff and head out to dinner. We had a great dinner at Jeffrey Steak House ( funny) and then hit the sack. Jeff had to get up early to start preparing for the 2 day camp out on the river which we were joining him on. He expected 37 people, many of whom were disabled, volunteers and the river guides themselves. He had to plan meals, prepare coolers, rig rafts and load the trucks with the rafts in readiness to drive the 25 miles to the put-in / camp area . Our plan was to head to the Dewey Bridge put in at around 5pm. With that plan, Myron and I had the day to explore so we decided to hike the Arches National Park and especially hike out to Delicate Arch. We must have hiked for 6 hours over the course of the day and viewed spectacular arches up close and personal, drank 3 liters a piece of water, and were enthralled with the silence.
Once we returned to the Apache for a quick shower and backpack packing, we headed up to Splore and drove with Jeff to the put in. Jeff drove the handicapped bus and we followed the trucks with the rafts.
Once we got to the put in, the difficult and time consuming work began of setting up camp, inflating rafts, unloading supplies and preparing dinner! We met many of these adventurous less than abled people and were impressed with their positive outlooks and adventurous spirits. It was a most touching adventure. At dusk the mosquitoes arrived with a vengeance and despite DEET, Myron was a choice meal for them. We quickly put up our tent which Jeff provided for us and laid down our thin pads and sleeping bags. With our headlamps on we headed to the river for a quick teeth brushing and hand washing and then returned to our tent for the opportunity to view the stars without becoming a meal for the mosquitoes.
We awoke in the morning, a little stiff , and headed to the river for a wash up. We broke down and packed our tent and enjoyed a bagel/cream cheese, fruit and great camp coffee for breakfast. We chatted with the people and helped the guides set up the boats. Jared, one of the disabled, was a 20 year old quadriplegic from South Africa who with his mother, was in Salt Lake City for 6 months getting rehabilitation. He was a competitive dirt bike racer in South Africa and was on the national and international circuit when he had an accident and broke his neck.South Africa lacks the rehab facilities and advancement that we have here in the States and he and his Mum came to take advantage of the USA medical system. They heard about SPLORE and he was thrilled to have this adventure. He was to be on our raft. Jeff was on the oars in our raft and a specially rigged chair was strapped down in the raft to hold Jared. I was simply in awe of how hard Jeff worked and how wonderful he was with all the people. I am very proud of him! The members of this trip included a deaf woman, some people with cerebral palsy and some boys with autism. It was a real joy to see how well adjusted and adventurous they all were. The day trip on the river ended with camping at a beach and enjoying keeping cool in the river. I even hiked with Jeff and some others up river a ways and then floated down with the current with our life jackets on and our feet up ready hoping not to swept downstream of our camp!!! It was fun but a little anxiety producing. Jeff cooked up dinner in a Dutch oven on a campstove to feed 37 people! It was great too: chicken, onions and potatoes with a huge salad.
After another night in our tent we awoke to a fabulous breakfast of banana chocolate chip pancakes, sausage and fresh cantaloupe. I kept wondering how this little set up kitchen could feed so many people so very well.
One thing I have to discuss however, is the Groover! Mind you we were in a campsite along the river in BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land. No facilities exist and what you bring in with you must also leave with you. That of course includes ...waste! The Groover is basically an ammo box with a toilet seat on it. Before putting on the toilet seat, the Groover used to put grooves in your butt when you had to use it and hence the name Groover. Anyway, we had to use the Groover for defecation but we could pee in the river. We took deep breaths and did what we had to do along with the other 35 other people in our group. That's all I am going to say about that.
Once again we headed down the river with Jeff at the oars of our boat and Jared in his special seat. We were going to go through Class 3 rapids on this leg of the trip and it was exciting for all of us. Jeff was an excellent oarsman and Myron held on at the back of the raft and Sandy ( Jared's Mom) and I sat next to Jared in the front. We had some great rides.
At the end of the day, we had tons to do to get all the gear back on the trucks and head back into town. Myron and I helped a bunch and once we got back gave Jeff a big hug and said we were going back to the Apache for a much needed shower. I had planned on Canyoneering the next morning and would pick Jeff up at 7:30 am for another adventure on his day off. Myron and I took long hot showers, went out to eat a very nice restaurant and fell asleep at 8:30 between clean crisp sheets on a nice soft mattress.
At 6:00am we got up and got ready for our canyoneering adventure. We were going with Jeff and a guide to slot canyons to climb and rappel down. It was a first for us but Jeff had done it before. We had 3 guides and another family of 4 with us. We hiked over Slickrock Mountain bike trail to the canyon which would bring us to Morning Glory Arch . The first rappel was 105 feet down! It was fantastic. Hanging from the rope and in control of your descent was a thrill. I enjoyed it immensely . Myron did a good job getting down but scraped his arm on an overhanging rock. We walked through the slotted canyon to another descent. This one was quite different because it was very exposed and after a few feet rappeling with feet against the vertical face, you were hanging free due to the long overhang. At that point you are dangling under a magnificent arch! What a wild rappel down that was! Once on the ground again, we had a 2.4 mile hike out of the canyon. I had run out of water in my Camelback and it was as hot as blazes. Myron and I finished the rest of his Camelback just before the end of the hike. There were streams to wade in and lots of climbs and descents. The water was a pleasure and we would scoop it up in our hats to douse ourselves with it. The evaporation was almost instantaneous. The family we were with took lots of photos because my camera broke. They will send us a link to their pictures so stay tuned for the the pix from the rappel.
The remainder of this last day in Moab was enjoying a good lunch, hanging by the pool, and then having a last dinner with Jeff and his friend Scott.
It was an amazing adventure.
I look forward to canyoneering and rafting again.

Love
Anna and Myron

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Horses and Mexican food... a great day in NC


Our friends, Tim and Sara, bought Spotted Saddle Horses. They have a gait like Tennessee Walking Horses. They are beautiful, smart and spirited. Myron and I rode Cochise, Sara's horse, in the ring and he an amazing horse. Cochise followed the rein leads so well and was a joy to ride.
Bojangles, Tim's horse, is bigger and even more spirited and Tim, an exceptional horseman, is challenged to keep Bojangles in control.

It was another perfect day in North Carolina. The sun was shining, 77 degrees, and only a light breeze. Following our time with the horses, we had a fabulous Mexican meal at a real Mexican cantina. Everyone in Chapel Hill raves about this hole in the wall, and they were correct. Terrific food and served with a smile!
When we got home later in the evening, our block was having a block party and we joined in the celebration. What a great day!!!

Love
Anna and Myron

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Why we have an obesity issue!

Friends and Family,

As a nurse and a nutrition educator, I have for years railed against drinking sodas and consuming fructose made from corn syrup in all kinds of processed foods. My sons can attest to this!

Please view this video and understand the ramifications of con
suming soft drinks and consuming this culprit.





Love
Anna

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Dominican Republic March 2011







What a great vacation with Paul, Sean, Jeff, Chris and Liz. It was spectacular in every way.
The weather was fantastic, the villa gorgeous, our private pool impressive, the ocean turquoise and the pina coladas delicious.
We enjoyed every minute and every activity. We swam, drank, lounged, partied and took excursions. The sons and Liz went on a moped tour of the countryside. Myron, Anna and Paul went horseback riding on the beach and through a sugar cane plantation. We even swam with a horse !
Please enjoy the pictures. More to come in a badge.

Love
Anna and Myron

Monday, January 17, 2011

Japan New Year's Trip


Myron and I celebrated the New Year and had a fabulous time in Japan.
We enjoyed the company, the food, the visits, the children!
Here I am with Riku and Chikage! They loved watching the Shinkansen ( Bullet Train) on You Tube! We of course rode it to the Onsen Ryokan
( hot springs Japanese Inn) in the mountains south of Mt Fuji!
Please check out the images in the badge to the right of this post. Everything was just an adventure!!!

Love
Anna and Myron