Galveston Island Re-Birth Day Celebration!

When	Saturday, May 30, 2009, 12 – 8pm
Where	Throughout Downtown
Contact	(888)GAL-ISLE
Details	Downtown Galveston will celebrate its return with a Re-Birth-Day Celebration on Saturday, May 30. The festivities will include street entertainers, live music, Radio Disney, and tours of The Tremont House. Activities will begin with live music and sidewalk art and entertainment on the 21st to 23rd blocks of Postoffice Street from noon - 2 p.m. The party will move to the 23rd block of Ship’s Mechanic Row in front of The Tremont House from 2 – 4 p.m. for a mini-street party with live entertainment and tours of hotel. Next Radio Disney will broadcast live from 4 – 6 p.m. at Saengerfest Park, 23rd and Strand. Radio Disney will also treat visitors to games and giveaways. Finally, the celebration will move to nearby Pier 21 with live entertainment featuring Greek music and belly dancers on the new deck of Olympia at Pier 21. All areas will be decorated in a birthday theme. Galveston’s KGBC 1540 AM will broadcast live from the festivities. The Tremont House will reopen to the public in June. Located in the 1879 Leon H. Blum Building in the heart of historic downtown Galveston, the hotel sustained flooding on its first floor following Hurricane Ike’s impact on Sept. 13, 2008. The hotel’s restored lobby and Toujouse Bar area will continue to reflect a European-style hotel. A new stylish cafe featuring Starbucks coffee, a pizza oven and light fare will serve guests. In the evenings, it will transform into a chic wine bar. Hurricane Ike caused flooding of upward of eight to ten feet of water in downtown Galveston. Once known as the “Wall Street of the Southwest,” Galveston’s famed avenue, The Strand, anchors the historic downtown. Recognized today as a National Historic Landmark for its outstanding collection of 19th century architecture, The Strand is the heart of a vibrant downtown and waterfront offering shopping, dining, museums, entertainment, accommodations and nightlife. This 70-plus block historic downtown includes tree-lined Postoffice Street, home of The Grand 1894 Opera House, art galleries, boutiques, bars, restaurants, and live theater. Visitors also will find an eclectic mix of shops and warehouse galleries along 25th Street. Downtown Galveston’s Re-Birth-Day Celebration Schedule: • Postoffice Party Zone, 12 – 2 p.m., 21st – 23rd blocks of Postoffice Street • Mechanic Party Zone, 2 – 4 p.m., 2300 Ship’s Mechanic Row • Saengerfest Party Zone, 4 – 6 p.m., 23rd and Strand • Pier 21 Party Zone, 6 – 8 p.m., Pier 21 off Harborside Drive The Re-Birth-Day Celebration is sponsored by the Galveston Island Convention & Visitors Bureau, Historic Downtown Galveston Partnership and Mitchell Historic Properties. For more information on the Re-Birth-Day Celebration, call (888) GAL-ISLE or visit the website: www.galveston.com.

Tried a New Recipe Today

One of the many reasons I enjoy repeat guests is because I can try out new recipes on them and (hopefully) they will be honest enough to tell me what they think. I tried this last week and it went over well, so this week I tried it again and managed to take a picture before serving it. I always wondered if the people who get those perfect shots of food just throw it away after? I could have messed with this plate a thousand different ways to get the perfect picture, but it would have been cold by the time I got it to the table. And I really have better things to do than to make a beautiful entree just for a picture! Eat it, you say? Uh...no. My breakfasts are rarely healthy. Outstandingly good, but not necessarily good for you. There's a reason most of my guests skip lunch!

Anyway, here's the recipe. It really makes a nice moist pancake and the bananas are outstanding!

Nutella Pancakes with Carmelized Bananas

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup Nutella
• 1 & 1/2 cups milk
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 bananas, sliced
• 1/4 cup maple syrup

Whisk eggs in a bowl with Nutella until smooth; add milk and oil, whisking until combined. In a separate bowl, mix flour and baking powder. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients; allow batter to rest for 5 minutes. Spoon batter onto hot griddle; cook both sides until golden brown. In the meantime, make topping by melting butter in skillet over medium heat; add sugar and cook, stirring until mixture becomes slightly browned - watch carefully so as not to burn. Add bananas, cooking until softened, about 2 minutes. Add maple syrup and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and spoon onto pancakes. If desired, serve with extra maple syrup on the side.
Yield: Approximately 15 pancakes

The Beauty of Morning

For twelve long years before becoming a B&B owner, I worked swingshift. My hours were 3 PM to 11 PM, and I got to sleep in as late as my little heart desired. Most days, it desired to sleep until noon. Maybe it's the getting older thing, or the responsibility of owning my own business, but my body can't do that anymore. 6 AM rolls around, and much as I try to force myself to go back to sleep, I can't do it.

So recently, I've tried to embrace the morning by going outside to work in the yard. I know that others have long ago realized that morning is the best time to have a few quiet moments to yourself. I've always been a bit slow to realize anything, and this is no exception. But the peace and beauty and sounds and light and smells in the morning are something to carry with you all day and help you get through anything thrown in your way. The birds and the squirrels have all been busy for hours, and while they don't appreciate my intrusion, I have work to do also. This morning it was weed pulling and putting in some Mexican Heather that my neighbor brought me (I have the best neighbors!) Since Hurricane Ike, the yard has been a struggle and a wallet buster. So many things needed replacement, and the weeds that were brought in with the salt water have been the strangest looking things. Two hours out there, and there is still much to be done.

Tomorrow is a new day and when that one eyeball peeks at the clock at 6 AM, I hope the other eyeball will open without too much effort!

The Ten Commandments of Human Relations

1) Speak to people. There is nothing so nice as a cheerful word of greeting.

2) Smile at people. It takes 72 muscles to frown, only 14 to smile.

3) Call people by name. The sweetest music to anyone's ears is the sound of his own name.

4) Be friendly and helpful. If you want friends, you must be one.

5) Be cordial. Speak and act as if everything you do is a joy to you.

6) Be genuinely interested in people. You can like almost everybody if you try.

7) Be generous with praise and cautious with criticism.

8) Be considerate with the feelings of others. There are usually three sides to a controversy; Yours, the other fellow's and the right side.

9) Be eager to lend a helping hand. Often it is appreciated more than you know. What counts most in life is what we do for others.

10) Add to this a good sense of humor, a huge dose of patience and a dash of humility. This combination will open many doors and the rewards will be enormous.

The Value of a B&B Stay

Have you ever stopped to think about how much money you are saving when you choose to stay at a bed and breakfast versus a hotel? I did a quick calculation of a two night stay for two people, and the dollars really added up! The majority of people that come to Galveston come here for the beach, so using that as a example, here's what I came up with:

• Complimentary full, delicious home cooked breakfast every day of your stay $50
• Complimentary bottled water, soft drinks, coffee, tea and snacks $20
  
• Complimentary movies for your room $10
• Free parking $10
• Use of beach chairs, umbrella, boogie boards (versus renting) $20
• Use of bicycles (versus renting) $40
• Skipping lunch because you're still full from breakfast! $50
  
• No tax on any of the above items $20

These add up to over a $200 savings for a two day stay! If you are coming to Galveston for a cruise, add $50 to that savings for the free cruise parking that we offer for the entire length of your cruise.

Staying at a bed and breakfast versus a hotel just makes cents (and dollars)!