My Word with Douglas E. Welch

Information: Listen to Van Nuys Airport Tower Communications

dewelch — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:43:21 +0000

Like the LAPD scanner link I posted week or so ago, this link to LiveATC.com lets you listen in to that is happening at Van Nuys airport as aircraft arrive and depart. Van Nuys is the business general aviation airport in the US, so there is always a lot going on. You can also listen in on what other aircraft, like LAPD, are doing near the airport, as they need to stay in contact whenever working in the Van Nuys airspace. Van Nuys is also the base for LA County Fire Helicopters.

This feed could also be useful if you happen to visit the Van Nuys Airport Observation area off of Woodley Avenue. Using your iPhone or other mobile device, you could listen in on traffic as you watched the planes arrive and depart. When my son was younger, we used to visit here so he could watch the airplanes up close.

Link: Van Nuys Ground and Tower – KVNY radio feed via LiveATC.com

Information: Listen to Van Nuys Airport Tower Communications is a post from My Word with Douglas E. Welch

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Food: Garden flower cookie cutters

dewelch — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:47:01 +0000

I came across these in the Baking Bites blog, which I read via RSS. This posts crosses a couple of my interests. They are cookie cutters, so this post is about food, but they are flower-shaped and other garden shaped cookie cutters, so this crosses in the gardening topic. Oh what to do? Where do I post this? Everywhere, I guess. (SMILE)

These cookie cutters have deep indentations so that they shape the cookie as well as cut it out. You can highlight the design with icing, but I usually just like the plain cookies. The article has some good advice on the best cookie dough to use. You want something that doesn’t spread very much when baked, so that the detail remains in the final product.

Link: Even more cookie cutters from Amazon.com

Garden Cookie Cutters

It may not be time for spring as far as the flowers in your garden are concerned (even during a mild winter), but with this set of Garden Cookie Cutters you can get spring started in the comfort of your kitchen. These cookie cutters are some of the cutest cutters I’ve seen in a long time because the plastic is shaped just like the finished cookies. The cutters punch out very detailed cookies not just the outlines of cookies – in eight different designs, including a rose, daisy, tulip, dahlia, ladybug, butterfly, bumble bee and dragonfly. They’re easy to grip and kids will have just as much fun with them as adults, especially since the plastic handles are more kid-friendly than you’ll find on some cookie cutters.

[…]

Read the entire article on Garden Cookie Cutters from BakingBites.com

Food: Garden flower cookie cutters is a post from My Word with Douglas E. Welch

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Product: Lego-themed Moleskine Journals

dewelch — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:08:58 +0000

Lego-themed Moleskine Journals at Amazon.com.

I came across these new journals from Moleskine via Boing Boing the other day and quickly added them to my Birthday Wish List (Feb 14).

I love Moleskine journals themselves and adding a neat crossover by theming them in Lego makes them a fun addition to the journals I already carry everywhere. they come with a lego on the front cover you can build on as well as stickers to customize it as you wish.

My son is a Lego fanatic and I am sure he would go crazy over these, too.

Product: Lego-themed Moleskine Journals is a post from My Word with Douglas E. Welch

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Food: Sally Lunn’s Buns (and bread), Bath, UK

dewelch — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:40:12 +0000

I noticed this recipe for Sally Lunn Bread from favfamilyrecipes.com pass through my Google+ stream today. It quickly reminded me of our trip to the UK back in 2010. We spent 2 days in Bath and had lunch at Sally Lunn’s. The food was very good, especially the buns. I can’t wait to try this one out here at home.

Here is a photo of my wife, Rosanne, outside the Sally Lunn shop, just before we headed in for lunch.

Click for a larger image

We really loved Bath and want to return there as soon as we can, hopefully with more time to explore more of the city and area. We took a 1/2 day out of town to visit Stonehenge and didn’t really have as much time as we wanted to explore. At least the fairly long drive to Stonehenge gave us a chance to see the surrounding countryside.

You can see all our pictures from Bath and Stonehenge in these two Flickr picture sets.

Click to see Bath Day 1 slideshow on Flickr

Click to see Bath Day 2 slideshow on Flickr

Food: Sally Lunn’s Buns (and bread), Bath, UK is a post from My Word with Douglas E. Welch

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Food: Soda Pop Ice Cream

dewelch — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:46:11 +0000

I have been on an ice cream kick lately. Although this would have a lot of sugar in it, it might be worth trying once. Basically you combine any soda with sweetened condensed milk and then freeze as you would any ice cream. Simple.

I like the idea of the Orange Crush Ice Cream and maybe a root beer one, too. You wouldn’t want to have it everyday, but it could be a beat Summer treat every once and a while. I wonder if you could make it with diet soda to cut some of the calories?

Soda Pop Ice Cream (original Source)
Recipe is far down page. Search for Ice Cream to jump to it

Discovered on Pinterest.com

Source: familyoffarmers.blogspot.com via Douglas on Pinterest

Food: Soda Pop Ice Cream is a post from My Word with Douglas E. Welch

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Information: Listen to LAPD Radio Scanner via the web

dewelch — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:25:00 +0000

Living in a big city like Los Angeles, you can see and hear a lot. In such a large city, helicopter activity is nearly constant. Nearly every day I hear an LAPD helicopter orbiting overhead covering some police activity.

In the past I have often found myself wondering what was happening. Recently, though, I stepped up my search for access to radio scanner audio via the web. I had been to RadioReference.com before, but hadn’t located a scanner feed that delivered the best information. On this visit, though, I found the scanner feed labelled, “LAPD – Code 3/Hot Shots, Air/K9 and Van Nuys/Valley Traffic“. (Click to Listen)

In the last few days, this audio has proven very useful in discovering where a police incident was happening and also learning a bit about what was happening. Whenever I heard the chopper overhead, I would tune in listen for a few minutes. The quick mention of an address what usually all I needed to understand how the incident might impact me and in nearly every case, move on with my day. One of the biggest reasons for wanting to know the location of an incident is simply to avoid the location so as not to get involved in the incident itself, but more importantly for Los Angeles, not get involved in any traffic jam that might be caused.

RadioReference.com has scanner links for many metropolitan areas, so even if you don’t live in Los Angeles, you might find something useful there.

Information: Listen to LAPD Radio Scanner via the web is a post from My Word with Douglas E. Welch

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Food: Nutella Ice Cream

dewelch — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:26:10 +0000

I have been on a bit of an ice cream kick lately since I picked up the ice cream freezer attachment for my KitchenAid Mixer. This is essentially a big bowl that you freeze overnight and then attach it to the mixer which agitates the ice cream mix and helps it freezer in very small, smooth crystals.

We have made a gelato, a granita and some great vanilla ice cream with it, but I am always on the lookout for new things to try.

While it might be a little expensive to use this much Nutella, this recipe certainly sounds worth a try. We love Nutella and are currently nursing a huge bottle of Italian Nutella we brought back from our last trip visiting family in Sicily. Here in America, all the Nutella is made in Canada and, some say, has a slightly different flavor. Still, I think this could be great even using an off-brand of hazelnut-chocolate spread.

I first saw this recipe on Pinterest.com, which is exploding as the next great social media, link sharing site on the Internet. You can follow all my shared items on Pinterest by visiting my personal page.

Super Simple Nutella Ice Cream

Source: chocolateandzucchini.com via Douglas on Pinterest

Food: Nutella Ice Cream is a post from My Word with Douglas E. Welch

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Cool Friend: Brian McCarthy – Brian McCarthy Associates

dewelch — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:37:52 +0000

Waaaaaaay back in the 1996 we were looking for a contractor to do some small work on the house we had just bought. Being a tech guy, I headed over to the Internet to see what I could find. Brian had an AOL web page that came up in a search, we contacted him and hired him for this small job and several larger jobs over the years.

He is GREAT to work with — professional with a great crew. In every case, he was able to clearly see what we wanted, offer great advice, and make it happen.

If you need a contractor for your project — large or small — give Brian a call. I think you will be as happy as we have been with his work over the years.

Brian McCarthy Associates

Licensed and insured general contractor in Southern California – License no. 668801

We specialize in residential remodeling and room additions, and we’ve done everything from fixing a chair to building a house. We’ve also done many select commercial/hospitality jobs. I personally designed many of our projects and have worked with some of the most talented architects and designers in the business.

You can see examples of Brian’s work on the web site linked above and also on these additional sites.

Tell him the Douglas and Rosanne sent you!

Blog | Brian on Houzz

Cool Friend: Brian McCarthy – Brian McCarthy Associates is a post from My Word with Douglas E. Welch

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Drink: Maple Syrup Toddy

dewelch — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:53:00 +0000

I am a sucker for a cocktail, especially a nice warm cocktail for the cool Winter nights. Add to that my love for all things maple and this cocktail jumped out at me when I first saw the recipe. Blame my love for maple syrup on my Ohio childhood. We had a few folks who used to “sugar” around our small town and it was always such a treat when the syrup started to appear at roadside stands.

I don’t normally keep vermouth in the house, but thanks to the relatives from Sicily, I do have some Amaro sitting about. I don’t really like it straight, but mixed into this sweet cocktail I think the bitter would be a unique twist. I would probably add a but more maple syrup to my cup, just to make sure it wasn’t masked by everything else.

Click through for the complete recipe via Pinterest.

Source: chroniclebooks.com via Christine on Pinterest

Drink: Maple Syrup Toddy is a post from My Word with Douglas E. Welch

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I Like This for January 23, 2012

dewelch — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:23:59 +0000

A few interesting items I shared over the last two weeks…

Pallet trellis…perfect for squash http://t.co/SpJepbsN
What I’m Reading…Fermentation is your friend http://t.co/v6ZHNUNN
DIY Shapeable Ice Pack. Interesting to try next time I need one. http://t.co/aZmj3wW5
Hollywood Film Editor Gives Detailed Explanation For Why Hollywood Shouldn’t Support SOPA/PIPA http://t.co/LjYRVE8l
Google+ Gets Video Status Updates http://t.co/bD25eoAr
Video: Sensors tune the Singing House http://t.co/45y5qECv
Re-Inventing the Lamington 2012 Day Two: Chocolate Fudge Brownie Lamingtons http://t.co/aXfDtOjQ
What I’m Reading…Presentation Zen http://t.co/vNtHJRbs
Compost fence http://t.co/4C56YQlr
Look! Waterhog Floor Mats in the Kitchen http://t.co/ClpcXwgG
MindNode Is a Mind Mapping App that Makes Brainstorming Simple and Easy [Mac Downloads] http://t.co/dgGZrkKC
Baked Apple Pie Donuts http://t.co/TtEsX62C
Homemade Ciabatta Rolls http://t.co/EIj53PUa
What I’m Reading…Percy Jackson: The Son of Neptune http://t.co/UFiOkUw0
YouTube video http://t.co/WZt53Caj Homemade Synthesizer – KITCHEN MUSIC by Stephen J Anderson
Interactive animation and drawing - http://t.co/6z6wP8dd
Store Olive Oil in an Enamel Coffee Pot for Easy Pouring [Clever Uses] http://t.co/xvLY00P9
Plan Your Free Online Education – http://t.co/VvdqaZu7
Baked Apple Gingerbread Pancake. http://t.co/d0tyv9MR
Wine Crate Gardening http://t.co/R5ng4atX
DIY shade finder tool takes the tedium out of solar surveys http://t.co/84ljJU4O
Blue Microphones outs Tiki, Spark Digital and Mikey Digital; looks to feed your mobile recording habit http://t.co/njZTD7sh
HOW TO PROPAGATE LAVENDER FROM CUTTINGS – Works with rosemary also http://t.co/K1ecCR7F
100 books about the world around us: Nature, science, math, and applied crafts. http://t.co/8WGVsKST

I Like This for January 23, 2012 is a post from My Word with Douglas E. Welch

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