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The First Margarita And The Salt Rimmed Glass...

Posted by Kevin Nye on May 25, 2009 at 5:00pm
The First MargaritaIn the The Way It Was blog, Marylou Peters said;"the first time I had a margarita was in Underground Atlanta. Who ever thought about the salt-rimmed glass?"Actually, the first time the salt rimmed glass was used was down in Tijuana, Mexico in 1923. Pedro Gonzalez, originally from Monterrey, Mexico, was up visiting his grandfather Alejandro Gonzalez in Tijuana for the Cinco De Mayo celebracion'. As it turned out, Pedro's grandmother, Consuelo Margarita Conchita Gonzalez, made up some iced drinks for this family celebration. She had thought to her self that a concoction of lime juice, heavily fortified with sugar, with some strong agave (tequila) added to it would be most excellent to sip during the hot afternoon as they headed into the evening's celebracion'. Being a very wealthy Tijuana family, they had the means to purchase ice, and she had concluded after her first sip of this first time recipe, that she had stumbled upon something very "especial’ indeed! And so, as the guests began to arrive, she got out the family crystal goblet style wine glasses, filled them with the chipped up ice from the huge ice block (imported from Minnesota) on the counter in the "cocina" (kitchen), poured in some of the sugared lime juice, and topped it off with generous amounts of tequila. As she worked however, Consuelo continued to take nips off of a mason jar glass of the concoction that she had first tested her new recipe in. It was so delicious that could hardly stop herself from drinking it! And as she continued to make glasses of the concoction for her guests and getting more and more inebriated, she knocked one of the fine crystal glasses off of the counter! "A terrible disaster!" she thought initially, because the Family Crystal had come all the way from the Old Country where the Family had originated in Barcelona, Spain!With dread in her heart and eyes squeezed tight, she waited for the sound of the breaking crystal on the hacienda's hard wood floor. But no breaking glass sound came! And when she opened her eyes, she discovered why: The glass had fallen into the barrel of crushed pickling salt and had landed upside down. To Consuelo's great relief, and after many exclamations of "Madre' De Dios!", she bent down and picked up the glass from the salt barrel. And there, on the rim of the expensive family heirloom was the ground salt adhering to the rim because the glass had been wet. "Muchos gracias Padre' Celestial!" She exclaimed as she crossed herself in thankfulness. She placed the salted glass on the counter...And so, Consuelo Margarita Conchita Gonzalez took another long pull from the pickling jar that held the original mix of ice, tequila, and sugared lime juice, and continued to fill the glasses with her new drink in order to put them on a tray to serve her guests. When she finally had the two trays filled with the drinks for her guests, one for each of the 12 visiting guests and family members, she took one last pull from her mason jar, and even though a bit unsteady, managed to navigate the Great Room, and served everyone, much to their delight! Her new drink was a smash hit! Ole'!! And as everyone was sipping them and marveling at the refreshing taste, her devoted husband, Alejandro, Enrique' Martinez Gonzalez, spoke loudly and said; "My wife! And where is YOUR delicious lime and tequila drink?" And to this, she responded that she was only thinking of the guests, but, if you think it's okay for me to have just a "little tequila" I too will have some. I will be back.And everyone cheered Consuelo Margarita Conchita Gonzalez as she went to the cocina for her "first" glass of that lovely lime and tequila concoction. As soon as she entered the kitchen, she went straight for her original mason jar and downed her drink. And then, with a conspiratorial grin, she took the last wine glass/goblet and poured herself a stiff one. However, drunk as she already was, she failed to notice the salt rimmed glass as she headed back into the Great Room with her Family and guests. And when she took her first sip, she marveled at the flavor that the salt added to mix! Upon noticing this, she asked her husband to sip her drink to see if he liked it, and, he did! And so he said; "Ahhhh! Margarita (his pet name for her), I think we shall name this drink after you!" And then, in the wink of an eye, her clothes just fell off!And thus, the Margarita was invented, with the salt being a Providential mistake...
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a memorial day story

Posted by Michael Prahm on May 24, 2009 at 4:32pm
I met Joe Doskus while we were on our annual military training(war games with the Marines) At China lake in Cal. He and about 30 other Seabee's had been mergeg into Naval Mobile Construction Battlion Three, from NMCB-10, when they had disbanded the outfit. It was shortly after Vietnam, and every unit in all the armed forces were cutting back, but this was not the case with NMCB-10.Joe had been a driver for a commander in Vietnam. The commander liked to drink, and Joe was his driver, and they were in Sagion. They got popped up one night, and some Viet Cong decided this commander would make a great prisoner. They both had side arms and shot there way out, and kept on celebrating. The commander by the time Joe was in NMCB-10 had made the rank of Admiral. Joe is on Guam. He and some of the boys decide to steal a Jap submarine, mounted on a pedastal at the Naval station Guam. They get a crane, and a truck, and a diversion, and get the sub on the truck.(it was one of those two man jobs, small) But where do you hide a sub? Within hours they are caught, thrown into the brig. There is brass(high ranking officers) pissed from one end of Guam to the other. Stealing government property with stolen government property. When Joe gets his phone call, He calls this Admiral. Joe and his buddies are released, no charges were filed. Once at a full blues dress inspection, with medals this Admiral is one of the inspecting officers, He gets to Joe and ask what he thinks, Joe replies in front of our brass, "is it too early to open the enlisted mens club" The admiral got the bar opened for us at 9:30 in the morning. That was the end of the inspection. But I digress. back to Guam.One payday one of the members of NMCB-10, was shot and robbed outside a typical dive bar along the ocean. He bled to death. The next evening a group of gentlemen from NMCB-10 Loaded two bulldozers on lowboys and drove over to the bar and pushed it into the ocean while it was open. The only injuries sustained by the patrons of the establishment were from the beatings administered by the Seabees. I guess the guy who owned the bar was related to some influential people. pressure was applied to the situation that a congressional hearing was called. Members of 10 were interviewed one by one by congressmen, and the horde of lawyers that follow such an affair. No one talked. Master chiefs were forced to retire. Officers were sent off to the best hell holes the navy brass could find. Naval Mobile Construction battlion 10 was disbanded. The boys who defended the honor of a comrade were dispensed into the remaining Battlions, The boys that did not buckle under to pressure from Congress. But that's the way it was for servicemen during this time. The uniform of this country was not esteemed at home or abroad.Years later, I'm living in Minnesota, 10th corps, cleaning windows, and I am working with a believer who is going through a distressful time. His wife has a brain tumor. He has three children. Over lunch I noticed he had a Navy ring on. I asked him if he had been in the service. he said no. "It was my best friends, he was shot and killed on Guam". "Was he a Seabee"? I asked. "Yes, his mother gave me the ring at the funeral". "Did you know what happened afterwards"? "No". I recounted the story, the details, and I as I drove home that evening I was amazed at what comfort that had brought to his heart. he did not know that men cared for his friend as much as he had.About three years ago I ran into a member of NMCB-10, asked him if he knew Joe Doskus. He said yes. I bought him a beer and asked about that night. he would not answer. I told him about the friend of the fallen Seabee I met.I told him what I knew, and Joe ran one of the bulldozer's. he confirmed it.Remember our men and women in the service this memorial day, and each day and pray for their safetyCmcn Michael H. Prahm 3rd rifleman, 2nd squad, third platoon, alpha co. NMCB-3
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Tidbits of Truth - 7

Posted by Gary Cendroski on May 24, 2009 at 11:19am
Hey all you wonderful people!I've been told you shouldn't discuss religion or politics in polite society. But hey, this is the Way Corps site!When it comes to being subject to "the higher powers" of Romans 13, in the time of the Apostle Paul, it was the Roman government. I'll forgo spending time arguing that it wasn't church leadership. A study of the secular and governmental terms used in that chapter will more than convince anyone who really wants to know. And Paul wasn't telling anyone to kiss the hind parts of the Emperor there. As he said in not so many words in that passage, one with a guilty "conscience" has a hard time being a witness and ambassador as a believer since our works speak louder than our words. You can't run around breaking every law on the books relating to common sense and decency and expect to be taken seriously when you tell people about how God changed your life from darkness to light!I'd rather focus on who "the higher powers" are in the USA. Is it the civil government, the president, the Federal Reserve, or the United Nations?The preamble to the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, THE founding documents of our nation, give us the answer."We, the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."According to the preamble, we, the people, ordain and establish the Constitution, thereby delegating authority, or powers, to the government. One cannot legally authorize or empower another to do anything unless one is a higher authority or power than another."We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness - That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed...."According to the Declaration, governments, including ours, derive their powers from the consent of the governed. One cannot give consent to empower another unless one is a higher authority or power than another.So "the higher powers," when it comes to the USA, is "we, the people"! I believe Abraham Lincoln called it "government of the people, by the people, and for the people." We, as Americans, truly have a unique situation in the history of mankind.And if you contend that the Founding Fathers were in the wrong (as some Christians do) because they usurped "the higher powers" of the throne in England to establish this country, then every government before that must have done the same thing in succession throughout time or there would be only one governmental system on earth. If you follow that out, we have to go all the way back to the first king and original government after the flood, Nimrod's kingdom (Genesis 10:8-10), and subject ourselves to that standard. He led his subjects to reach up to the "heavens" and become the first humans to invite demonic possession to gain knowlege, power, and influence from the evil spirit realm. With that government and one world mentality, the Messiah would never have been born. Didn't God Himself overthrow it? And what about all the nations Israel destroyed at God's command when they moved into the Promised Land? I guess not every government that establishes itself is okay with Him, and some deserve to be judged and replaced.So what do we do with this knowledge? Realize we need not be subject to the Devil's men who run the world and attempt to run our country (II Corinthians 4:4 & Ephesians 4:14) in order to fulfill the Romans 13 directive. Live lives pleasing to God and a blessing to men (Luke 2:52). John Adams wrote that our Constitution was only fit for a moral and religious people anyway. Don't be paralyzed by the roar of the Lion (I Peter 5:8 & 9) as he tries to usurp our authority. Occupy until Christ comes (Luke 19:13) by standing our ground regarding who we are according to God's word and the law of our land - retreat is not an option. And, if you don't want to worry yourself sick about our country going down the drain, pray (I Timothy 2:1-4), act (Matthew 5:16), and resolve that our first allegiance is to the King of Kings and his everlasting Kingdom (I Timothy 6:12-15).If our government officials, elected or appointed, from president to dog catcher, had respect to "the higher powers," they would be representing us ("we, the people") instead of those who paid and pulled strings to get them in office and those who will reward them for doing their bidding once they leave office. While we follow the biblical command to honor them because of their position, they would follow their oaths of office and honor us as those they serve because of our position!As I speak of figureheads and puppets, let's not forget who the supreme mutinous captain and puppet-master is in the spiritual realm, and fight the good fight of faith with the spiritual weapons of warfare, realizing that the biblical prophecies will be fulfilled, and that it will take Christ's return to ultimately throw the bums out.While the civil authority in our country absolutely plays a vital role in a peaceful, orderly and protected society, we should see those involved in government as fellow citizens working by the side of those they serve, and not use the Bible to put them on a pedestal that our Founders never intended and God does not require. Remember, God didn't even want Israel to have a king. If I may paraphrase George Washington: "Government is not compassion, and it is not reason. Government is force. And like fire, it can be a useful servant, or a fearful master." I would spare any believer who deems himself or herself an American patriot, from embracing that fire into their bossom as their "higher power."
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Happy Birthday to me 05/15

Posted by Billy Britt on May 14, 2009 at 5:00am
As is our custom on the occasion of my birthday I wanted to extend an offering, a gift of sorts.Perhaps not one that will be enjoyed by all or even one that is worthy of any but it is all I have to give for now.From time to time I have heard various people say that they have lived their lives with no regrets. This notion has always boggled my mind and left me wondering if it were really possible to live this way.There are days when I can’t even make it out of bed without having a twinge of regret.So, I can’t fathom an entire life without remorse, at least not for me.To me it would seem an impossible challenge to look down the corridor of remembrance without seeing the mistakes, heartaches and carnality that has been a part of my life.Do I see grace and mercy? Yes, surely and it is in that soil that I plant the root of my life, but it would be foolish to believe that my earthly being has not also been lived among the thorn and thistle.And so for me my regrets are the lesions of learning that while healed by God’s grace and mercy are reminders of my own imperfection.No, I do not beat myself or like Dominicus Loricatus who once repeated the entire Psalter twenty times in one week, accompanying each psalm with a hundred lash-strokes to his back, punish myself with anything more than acknowledgment and awareness of the weakness of my flesh.Naturally, mistakes are a part of everyone’s life, for me I would rather live mine making them than doing nothing at all.So, it is that when I am defeated by my errors I try to use them as an opportunity to grow and possibly change.It is said that every time you look at the night sky, you travel back in time. This is perhaps true in the sense that when you look at a star which is 100 000 light-years away, you see it as it was 100 000 years ago and not as it is today.Sometimes in life we look back and see what could have been; I think that these are orographic clouds that should after a moment be blown away by a gentle focus on the goodness that is.Some scientist think that all the theoretical mechanics for travel back in time are available. If so where would you go?I have regrets but with all my regrets I would say that I would do it all again, mistakes and all, because this is life, it is the rough gift I have been given and I will take credit and blame for all it was, is and will be.When my mother was going into one of her many heart surgeries that ultimately led to her death, she held my hand and said, “It is easy to criticize, it is easy to find fault in others, and easier still to lay blame, but great people look for the good in others and themselves. Look for answers and solutions, seek to be better and wiser not because it is easier but because it is right. Be great, son.”I am trying.Also let me say thank you to all of you here that I call friend, it is more than I deserve.
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My new cd and website

Posted by ed bulmer on May 12, 2009 at 12:00am
I have left uploaded a song on my page for all to use. It is from my new cd called "Happy Hour". It is music primarily directed towards the boating community but anyone interested in Tropical type music may enjoy it. Also I would love for anyone to check out my other songs by going to my website at www.edbulmer.com. I would love to hear any comments.
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