Diversions

Campbell Wedding Anniversary
Celebrations: Jim and Debbie Campbell in Venice

Thirty years ago today, on February 24, 1978, Jim and Debbie Campbell were married in Baltimore, Maryland in the home of  Dr. Leonard P. Berger by the Clerk of the Circuit Court Elmer H. Kahline, Jr.  They met while traveling to Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest.  Jim was living in Baltimore, Maryland and was an international tour manager, a builder, developer and real estate broker for his own real estate company, a decorator, and a securities broker.  Debbie, who was living in Jacksonville, Florida, working for a prominent law firm, was traveling on holiday.  They met in September, were engaged in December and married in February.  After a honeymoon in San Juan, Puerto Rico and St. Maarten, they settled into married life in Baltimore, Maryland. 

Within two short years, they moved to Ocean City, Maryland to concentrate on Jim's development projects and real estate business.
Upon Jim's early retirement in 1985, they relocated to Florida settling first in Naples and then in Boca Raton where they have lived for over 20 years.

A graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art, Jim is currently pursuing his passion as an artist.  Debbie is an administrative assistant with Hodgson Russ LLP in its Palm Beach office.
Their two sons and three grandchildren live in Baltimore. 

Jim and Debbie have traveled the world during their 30 years together including trips to Egypt, Russia, Yugoslavia, Tahiti, Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, France, Germany, England, Scotland, Ireland, Holland, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, and a three-week trip to China to celebrate their 25th anniversary.  They will celebrate their 30th anniversary touring Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey.

Jewelry

By David Stern

When Gold Turns Black: Solutions

Does your gold turn black? Does your skin or clothing turn black?
Does your ring finger get scaly?

These are common problems that can easily be solved.  It is not the gold that turns your finger black--it is the alloys added to the gold to make the correct karat,  that turns black.

If your finger turns black, it is probably caused by a chemical reaction between the alloys in the gold and your skin. This happens mainly with 14 kt. as it contains more alloys than 18 kt. But, it can also happen if the ring gets wet and is not dried on the inside which also causes the finger to develop a skin infection. Similar problems can occur on the ears, wrists, and neck.

The solution is to go to your jeweler and ask him to clean and polish the items. Sometimes it is necessary to coat the inside of the jewelry with rhodium or clear nail varnish to stop the contact between skin and jewelry. It may not happen with every piece of jewelry because different companies use different alloys.

To avoid the problem, my advice is to buy only 18kt gold because it contains a lower percentage alloy. To make your finger healthy again use an over-the-counter antiseptic cream and do not wear any jewelry until the infection clears up.

Unfortunately some people are allergic to the gold itself, this is rare but these people should only purchase platinum jewelry. Platinum is pure or 95% pure and will solve this problem.

Lastly, if you clothes turn black, have your jewelry cleaned and if necessary, coated on the back.

David Stern of David Stern Designing Jewelers, Boca Raton, can be reached at 561-994-3330 or david@davidsternjewelry.com.

Art & Antiques

By Dr. Lori

 Boutique Hotels highlight Antiques for Travelers

Art and antiques enthusiasts and discriminating travelers are making tracks to the growing number of “boutique hotels” opening up across North America. From trendy and tasteful to intimate and impressive, boutique hotels pride themselves on offering luxurious accommodations, superior service, and conveniently located historic locations.

Typically located in the heart of the historic districts of major cities, boutique hotels have interesting architectural facades, prestigious histories, themed lobby interiors, meticulously appointed interior suites and restaurants decorated with fine art, antiques, and collectibles related to the hotel’s region. More and more, these hotels are becoming showplaces for antiques and period art work attracting lots of visitors.

Smaller than conventional hotels, boutique hotels have made a significant impact in the hospitality industry since the 1990s. While some remind visitors of historic homes or scaled- down mansion museums, many boutique hotels from Los Angeles to Boston are furnished in a manner consistent with the hotel’s architecture or landmark location.

Boutique hotels like Nashville’s Hotel Preston, The James in Chicago, and Fifteen Beacon in Boston are some examples where art, history, and design merge.

Cigar Sitting Room
The famous Don Vicente Inn is a quintessential boutique hotel loaded with art and antiques which is located in Ybor City, near Tampa, Florida. Ybor City was the largest cigar manufacturing center by the early 20th Century. Ybor City’s immigrant population consisted of Spanish, Italian, and Cuban workers who produced cigars in some of the city’s 140 factories. Named for the city’s founder Don Vicente Martinez Ybor, the Don Vicente Inn was constructed in 1895 and has been lovingly restored. The Inn’s distinctively classical flair and tropical feel is evident from its bright white/pink stucco façade and Spanish inspired balconies. The late 19th Century converted gas chandeliers, Victoriana furnishings complete with stained glass lamps, coiffered ceilings, and detailed wood paneling are only some of the southern European-inspired aspects that accessorize the Don Vicente Inn’s lobby.

Spanish Revival Stuff
The renewed interest in the objects associated with the Spanish revival is apparent in the world of art and antiques collecting today. Many people collect objects of a particular region close to home or from a beloved, far-off travel locale. For snow birds visiting sunny Florida or homebodies living in the Sunshine state, Floridiana objects from sights as diverse as Orlando’s DisneyWorld or Sarasota’s circus stronghold are superb collectibles with strength in the secondary antiques market.

With art and antiques in your dreams, a boutique hotel may be just the place to rest your head. These superb hotels attract visitors with artistic amenities such as four poster beds, and other period furnishings that keep art and antiques lovers coming back. No matter where you visit, boutique hotels remain true to an area’s flair for the historic and demonstrate a love for a region’s special art and antiques.  

As seen on WFLA’s DayTime show, Comedy Central, and the Fine Living Network, Dr. Lori is an art and antiques appraiser with the Ph.D. in art history. For information, visit www.DrLoriV.com or call (888) 431-1010.

Cruises

By Michael Coleman

Alaska, Caribbean cruises tops in 2008

Alaska is hot according to a new survey.

The 49th state has not only become a staple among cruise lines in recent years it is now expected to become the most popular 2008 cruise ship destination in the world.

“Alaska is a bright spot in the travel landscape - particularly for cruising,’’ said Roger Block, executive vice president of the Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associate Division.

Black was referring to results gleaned from the company’s Travel Trends survey, an annual poll of some 500 travel agents from across the nation.

What’s hot? What’s not? Some of the results might be surprising to the savviest of cruise travelers, including the fact that Alaska is projected to be the year’s top cruise destination.

“For the first time ever,’’ said Block. “Alaska ranks as the top cruise destination being booked so far for the new year, beating out its Caribbean competitors."

Almost 30 per cent of agents polled pegged Alaska for the top spot. Western Caribbean voyages came in second (20.5 per cent), Eastern Caribbean third (15.5 per cent) and Mediterranean sailings fourth (8.7 per cent). Rounding out the top five were trips to the Southern Caribbean (6.3 per cent).

In terms of the most popular international destinations, cruising or otherwise, agents listed Caribbean cruising at number one (70.8 per cent). Trips to Cancun, Mexico (68.6); Riviera Maya, Mexico (32.4 per cent); Rome, Italy (31.4); and Mediterranean cruising (24.3 per cent) rounded out the top five projections.

Anyone who has cruised the Mediterranean in recent years should not be surprised by the revelation that such trips are so appealing. Mediterranean cruising previously ranked #15 in Carlson’s international destinations category in 2004 and #10 in 2007, beating out traditional, land-based favorites such as London; Montego Bay, Jamaica; and several Mexican destinations.

Carlson said in a statement that "not only is there greater [Mediterranean cruise] inventory than ever before, many U.S. travelers are finding this is the way to travel to Europe in order to get the most for their money as possible."

Added one Carlson’s travel agent: "With the dollar performing so poorly, we have been encouraging clients who might have steered away from an expensive European vacation to book a Mediterranean cruise - where your accommodations and meals are fixed pricing and you can still visit major tourist attractions throughout most of Europe while traveling with ease on the ship." 

The Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associate network is part of the Carlson family of businesses, a global leader in the travel and hospitality industry that includes, among a host of companies, Regent International Hotels, Regent Seven Seas Cruise, Radisson Hotels & Resorts and T.G.I. Friday's.

Recipe

Lattice Salmon with Tomato Coulis and Spinach Sauce

A beautiful salmon presentation.

Tomato Coulis
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large shallots, finely chopped
2 teaspoons tomato paste
11/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste

Spinach Sauce
2 cups heavy cream
1 (10-ounce) package fresh spinach
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Salmon
4 pounds salmon fillets
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter

For the coulis, melt the butter with the olive oil in a heavy medium saucepan. Add the shallots and sauté for 3 minutes or until they begin to brown. Stir in the tomato paste. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the tomatoes for garnish. Add the remaining tomatoes and coulis ingredients to the saucepan. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Discard the garlic and bay leaf. Process the mixture in a blender until smooth. Return to the saucepan and heat over medium heat until thickened to the desired consistency. Adjust the seasoning.

For the spinach, cook the cream in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat until slightly thickened and reduced. Reserve several small spinach leaves for garnish. Add the remaining spinach and garlic to the cream. Cook for 3 minutes or until the spinach is wilted and the cream coats the back of the spoon. Process the mixture in a blender until smooth. Return to the saucepan and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

For the salmon, cut the fillets into forty-eight 1/2x4-inch strips. Season with salt and pepper. Line a broiler pan with foil and grease the foil.

Weave 6 strips at a time into a lattice on the foil, using 3 strips horizontally and 3 strips vertically. Trim the ends even and secure the intersections with wooden picks that have been soaked in water. Brush with the melted butter. Broil without turning for 6 to 8 minutes or until cooked through.

To serve, spoon 2 tablespoons of the coulis on 1 side of each serving plate and 2 tablespoons of the spinach sauce on the other. Tip the plates to coat half with green, half with red. Lift each salmon lattice carefully with a wide spatula, blot on a paper towel and place in the center of each plate, discarding the wooden picks. Garnish with the reserved spinach leaves and chopped tomatoes.

Serves eight

WINE

By Monty & Sarah Preiser

Image: Traditional corks on New World wines

Screw caps or Corks?
Some may say that the recent surge in screw cap closures in this country means we are becoming less and less sophisticated. We, on the other hand, might argue that it means the drinking public is showing an increased awareness of possible faults that can be caused by natural and manufactured wine corks. Once savvy to the cause of that wet-dog- in-a-dank-basement cork taint, even casual wine collectors begin to worry each time they pull a natural cork. Corks made from ground cork particles reduce the chance of taint, but may release unpleasant odors and/or flavors from the glue that holds them together.  And don't get us started on synthetic corks - they can destroy a good corkscrew and are difficult to reinsert; some also allow early oxidation.  

So why not use screw tops? They are convenient, eliminate loss to cork taint, and usually allow you to store the left-over wine in the refrigerator since they easily form a tighter seal than a used cork.  Of course, wines age more slowly (or perhaps, not at all) with a totally airtight closure, but in young fruity wines that one intends to drink within a year or so, this might be a good thing.  One huge benefit to screw caps is that without exposure to air wine in the bottle changes very little. That’s a plus when you seek to retain those fresh fruity flavors, but tannins that never soften with age are not so enticing. Thus, many contend you need the air a live cork permits in order for the wine to mature gracefully.

What is the perfect wine closure?  Some suggest crown caps (like used for beer and soda), or even a bladder in a box. You can even purchase some big name sparkling wines in aluminum cans.  Each has its good points - and also its deterrent factors.  New to the American wine scene is a product - Vino Seal - which employs a glass stopper that is both attractive, and has some tactile appeal.  We have not found any studies to indicate how wines age with glass in glass, and this solution is expensive - so it may take some time for it to catch on. 

 With over six billion gallons of wine produced world-wide each year creating an annual $4 billion market for wine bottle closures, the search for the "perfect" closure will not end soon.  Inventors, vintners and multi national conglomerates are experimenting with devices designed to alleviate the loss of wines from cork taint and other issues.

But the cork producers and advocates have two advantages that they may never lose. The first is practical – corks allow a wine to age as it has for centuries. The second is more preferential – removing a cork from a wine meant for two will always be more romantic than cracking a screw top. Either is a pretty powerful argument to be overcome.