Papa Mario - The Best!

Papa and me

He loved his red wine!

Mia Cracking Papa Up!

There are many things that remind me of my Papa Mario.  I have taken to drinking his favorite boxed wine since he passed away as a sort of tribute to him.  I have felt his absence these past few days for some reason.  Maybe because this was always the time of year when we used to set up our weekly family dinners on one night a week, and all get to see each other.  I remember one night not too long ago we had Papa and my parents over to the house.  He used to love to eat all kind of crazy shit.  This night he brought over pickled pigs feet. 

A True Clasicc

He actually got my meathead daugher Ailey to try one of the nasty things!  I did too.  I even pretended to like it to please my grandfather.  Ailey didn't!  He just thought eating that stuff in front of everyone was so fun!  I miss the old guy like hell.  I just wanted to post a few photos of him tonight to help me keep his memory fresh in my mind.  Damn he was a funny and good guy!  I will also include our favorite video of Papa Mario - His take on Heaven - or the hereafter as he called it.  Papa didn't believe in heaven - but to hear him tell it was just priceless.  If anyone deserved to make it there it was him.  I know he was standing in front of the pearly gates saying to himself - oh damn I have some explaining to do!  If anyone else had a grandfather that you just loved I would certainly love to hear about him!  


Other Papa Posts
http://www.wackydads.com/2011/01/papa-mario-on-american-chop-suey.html
http://www.wackydads.com/2010/12/papa-mario-on-heaven-hereafter.html




Love From Your Grandson,


Eric

Wordless Wednesday- Natural Beauty!

Wacky Mushrooms!

Mia and Ailey with the "Signorita".  This is one of the fool
proof four!

I know what your thinking!  No I am not doing any funny shrooms!  It is that time of year again when the kids and I get out in the woods and hunt down a couple of our favorite wild mushrooms.  The kids really get into this.  Yesterday we found a nice "Signorita" or Sulphur Shelf.  This is one of the most delicious mushrooms, wild or domestic that I have ever eaten.  My wife drools for the things whenever I get it.  It would be a great mushroom for a vegetarian because it's texture is very much like meat.  It is also one of the foolproof edible mushrooms which are the only ones I go after because I enjoy living!  There are some truly deadly mushrooms out there, such as amanitas, so it is nothing to screw around with.  If you don't know what your doing then go to a class or go shrooming with someone who does know.  Otherwise you can read incessantly like me and find out which mushrooms are actually foolproof to find.  Another mushroom that we love is called the hen of the woods, and it actually appears a bit like a feathered bird.  

Hen Of The Woods

Giant Puffball

Here is a photo of a Hen.  This is not one of the foolproof four, but it is a very distinctive looking mushroom that once you've seen it, is hard to miss.  These are really delicious, and I loved serving it with the pheasant that I cooked last fall.  These are usually found at the base of oak trees or stumps.

Chanterelles
Photo by http://www.saveourskills.com

Morels

The other 3 mushrooms that are in the foolproof four are the following.  Morels, Giant Puffball, and Chanterelles.  The Puffballs are easy to find and are all edible, but young aminitas can look like puffballs so stick to the giants.  Honestly I have never found any morels or Chanterelles so I don't know a whole lot about them except that they are supposed to be tasty!   

The thing that I like most about mushrooming is that it gets me and the girls out in the woods together and we really have a great time looking for these tasty treats.  We even serenade the signoritas at the top of our lungs, and it actually seems to increase our luck.  We call out at the top of our lungs "Ohhhhhhhh Signorita" and laugh like hell.  Give mushrooming a try sometime.  Even if you don't take anything home you will have a great time trying to identify mushrooms with a field guide and the kids will get some great exercise, as well as learn something about this world we live in.  Yesterday we climbed a huge rock that is in our favorite mushroom spot.  The kids love this, and it has become a yearly tradition to get a picture of them sitting on the rock during mushroom season.  Yesterdays shots are above.  Abby is missing because she was at a birthday party. 

This is a termite eaten tree that we found along the route that got knocked down by the recent hurricane. The kids got a kick out of seeing just how powerful those little bugs can be.  If you love being out in the woods this activity is definitely a must try!  



Happy Shrooming!

Wacky Dad
    

10 Wacky Clues I'm Getting Old!

I am approaching 40 in a year and a half and age has started to creep up on me.  I can still kick ass with the best of them, don't get me wrong, but I definitely pay for it a bit more afterwards.  Here are 10 clues that I'm getting old.

Ok that is not me!  What the hell!

1.  There is gray hair growing out of my nose and ears.  I look like a deranged scrub brush with a big ass nose.


2.  I can ride my bike 2000 miles in a summer and still get fatter.


3.  My head glistens in the sunlight, and it ain't from highlights.


4.  I can't make the 10 minute ride to the office after drinking 2 cups of coffee in the morning without almost pissing myself.  My fathers answer to this, carry a wide mouth bottle with you in the car.  I'm not there yet but am starting to see the wisdom in it!






5.  There are more parts on my body that are broken then there are that are whole.

Sweet relief after 100 on the bike!

6.  I have used Preparation H.  Only after long bicycle rides but still!

7.  Kids call me Mr. Costantino.  What the hell!  I always tell them that's my fathers name, and I stole that line from him!


8.  My oldest daughter is tall enough to reach the top cabinets with no stool.


9.  I look at minivans fondly.  Lord!!


10.  Well shit, I can't think of number 10 so maybe I'm not all that old yet!  I am still a lean, mean, fighting machine!  Or maybe I'm too damned old to count that high.  Whatever!  


Geriatrically,


Wacky Dad

What Makes Your Cancer Different?

 The question is – Is My Cancer Different?  Well first of all as my readers know I don’t have cancer, but I am however a cancer fighter.  I started my fight against pancreatic cancer about 15 months ago after losing a close family friend to the disease.  Since then I have been actively seeking a cure by fundraising and raising awareness of pancreatic cancer.  Here is what is different about pancreatic cancer.

1.  It is the 4^th largest cancer killer

2.  Of the major cancer killers it has the lowest survival rate at 6%.

3.  Unfortunately pancreatic cancer receives the lowest amount of government funding of research out of all the major cancers.  Here are some graphs to demonstrate this inequity.

The point of this new website www.ismycancerdifferent.com is not really how pancreatic cancer is different than breast cancer or lung cancer. It is about raising cancer patients awareness that there are most likely differences on a molecular level between two people who are battling the same cancer. It is important for patients and doctors both to realize that each patient should be receiving an individualized treatment plan based on the type of cancer they have, and also the way it is presenting to them as an individual. I don’t pretend to be an expert on cancer, only one who wishes to defeat it in every way. What I do pretend to understand something about is common sense, and my common sense tells me that every cancer patient needs to be looked at from a molecular standpoint and have a tailor made treatment plan built for them based on their own particular situation. Visit www.ismycancerdifferent.com to learn more about this great new approach.


Sincerely,

Wacky Dad