Breakfast At The Pantry / Another Asian Market

 

Song:  Theme From Midnight Cowboy

Original Composer:  John Barry

The cows usually graze on the grasslands in my community...

from late Spring through Autumn.

This was just after I had left my mountain ridge...

and just shy of the main thoroughfare leading to the main road leading to town.

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I decided to eat a meal at The Pantry in the small mountain town of 

Green Mountain Falls...

just this side of Manitou Springs...

after which I would try a small Korean / Japanese market in Colorado Springs.

On the main thoroughfare leading to the main road...

about halfway there.

I was on my way to the town of Green Mountain Falls to eat.

The town of Green Mountain Falls is just a few minutes down the highway from my

normal shopping spots of Safeway and Walmart in Woodland Park.

I arrived in the small town of Green Mountain Falls...

where one of the restaurants I decided to try today was located.

This is another restaurant I will try in the future...

located in the same parking lot.

The restaurants are located adjacent to my favorite small lake.

This is the same location where they fly the beautiful kinetic art near Autumn.

I had initially sat at a table which had a retracted umbrella.

I later switched to the one in the photo.

The sun...

while not unbearable hot...

would soon sunburn me...

so, when the pictured table opened up...

I switched to it.

The Pantry...

specializes in breakfast and lunch only.

A photo of my old table from my new one.

It was much better under the umbrella.

I love a cool place to eat.

I had ordered a BLT sandwich and Sausage Gravy over Biscuits. 

They made excellent BLTs...

as they make their own bread fresh everyday...

and their bacon was done to perfection...

not overly crisp...

and not undercooked.

It had a smokey goodness which made each bite such a tasty pleasure.

Their sausage and gravy was good and filling.

The view towards the end of the parking lot.

After I had eaten...

I took a little walk around the backside of the lake.

This little park is just so relaxing.

During some days...

they have the lake's fountains going...

which really makes the mood of the park come alive.

I then departed the park...

on my way to Colorado Springs.

I arrived at this small Korean and Japanese market.

Although it was okay...

it was simply too small for my liking.

I just wanted to see what the other Asian markets had to offer

(there are many smaller Asian markets in Colorado Springs).

Although there is another huge Asian market in Denver...

which I will try later...

for the time being...

I will just stick to The Pacific Asian market for now...

as they have many items from so many different Asian cultures...

from Korean and Japanese...

to Chinese...

to so many of the Southeast Asian cultures

(from Thailanese, Vietnamese to Laotian and Cambodian cultures...

and Filipino and Indonesian cultures...

and even from parts of Polynesia)...

and so...

the name...

The Pacific Asian market  :)

I had bought more snacks for my elder sister and her husband's arrival.

(I had initially misunderstood their arrival date.

They will be arriving in a few days).

I especially wanted to try this hot and spicy nori snack from Korea.

On my way home from the depths of Colorado Springs...

and rush hour was nearing.

There is quite a temperature difference between Colorado Springs and my home.

Colorado Springs is at an average elevation of around 5,500 ft (1,656 meters)...

while my home is at 9,650 ft (2,941 meters).

The temperature difference is between 15 - 25 degrees F...

depending on the heat of the day.

Today...

there was a heat wave.

The temperature when I had left home around noon was in the low 60s F...

but in Colorado Springs...

it was in the mid 80s F...

so I had to use the air conditioning as I drove through Colorado Springs.

Now...

it is in the mid 40s F at home.

I just love the mild temperatures of home that my elevation affords.

On my way home driving on the Hwy. near Manitou Springs.

Nearing Woodland Park.

Just leaving Woodland Park.

Continuing my drive home.

I usually do not drive into town in the midday...

as the traffic increases dramatically.

I was in the middle of rush hour in this photo.

Although the traffic was not bad...

especially as compared to most other places...

I am used to driving on almost completely empty roads...

as I pick days and times when they are usually wide open.

But...

as usual...

I still enjoyed my country drive.

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I am unsure as to how long my elder sister and her husband will stay.

Hopefully, it will be at least a couple of weeks...

as there are many places I wish to take them.

Besides places of natural beauty...

there are many restaurants to which I wish to take them.

It should be sometime in the next few days...

as they are driving back this way from the upper East Coast...

and decided to stop for the night in Ohio.

Once they start in the morning...

they will still have another over 1,200 miles (almost 2,000 kilometers)

to go to reach my home...

so...

most likely they will split up that distance with another night in a hotel halfway here.

A Magical Journey Into Yesteryear

Song:  Nostalgia

Artist:  Unknown

The above song is one of the most beautiful songs on the piano I have ever heard...

so much so that I am going to do my own version of it (cover)...sometime in the future.  

I will play the left hand on the piano (the continuous arpeggios)...

and I will layer in the Bass Flute for the right hand melodies.

 

It is so beautifully simple...

and yet...

 so rich in emotion.

 

This song had come up on my playlist as I was leaving home on my way to fulfill

a mad craving I had for some BBQ in Woodland Park.

 

And the inwards journey I took as I drove there and back...

was fueled by the music by which I was transported to a place and time which was...

for me...

pure magic. 

 

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This BBQ restaurant is famous for a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere...

along with a special style of BBQ.

 

Their BBQ has a mild taste...

which appeals to many people.

 

 

 

I almost always choose off days or hours to eat. 

 

 

I ordered a BBQ pork sandwich, with a side of potato salad...

 

 

...and a half rack of BBQ pork ribs...

and a peach cobbler for dessert. 

 

 

I took some of the ribs back so Bandi could also enjoy them. 

 

 

As I headed back...

I again played the included deeply moving song over and over...

as I enjoyed the country drive home. 

 

 

Cows are often used to keep the grass Mooed (terrible joke)...Mowed...sorry  :) 

 

I was just minutes away from my mountain ridge turnoff in this photo. 

 

 

I love seeing happy animals. 

 

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 As the morning had earlier been softly accented with a beautiful Spring rain...

and as the temperature was a perfect 53 F (11.6 C)... 

as I drove to town with all of the windows down...

which allowed the always refreshing country air to flow freely throughout the car...

and with this absolutely beautiful song playing over and over...

my mind went to some of my favorite memories in life.

 

To be in a melancholy mood...

is not one of a depressed state (I have never known depression)...

but one of a sweet and deep reminiscing of truly magical times experienced...

and is to have cataloged a rich source of the most breathtaking times of the past...

of which may be freely retrieved and relived to make the present 

as exquisite as were those magnificent moments permanently emblazoned upon the soul

(Not mere thoughts...but the deep emotional feelings which had initially wrung the heart).

 

I often alternate between being highly enthusiastic and energetic in life...

to that of being in a deeply reflective mood...

a highly creative mood...

of being in a serene world of heart swelling emotion that enriches life

to a degree that erases any past pain...

and fills any void with intense and profound sensations

of which give life its rich and savory flavors...

and sates the yearning for something more in life...

for in those moments...

there is nothing that is more ethereal and enchanting....

so acutely and sublimely felt...

that all of life takes on an awe inspiring grandeur...

in memory...in the present...and in the projected future.

 

 

 Nothing in life...

stimulates my deeply treasured and sacred times of melancholy more...

than does beautiful music (especially the above song)...

and that of a magnificent display of colors in the sky...

or that of dark clouds with a whispering of rain or fog...

especially while experiencing a country drive with a refreshing breeze caressing my face... 

and flowing through my hair. 

 

It is to be as an eagle soaring at 15,000 feet...

amidst amber and pink hued clouds...

the mist cool upon my face as I fly through them

as I see the faces and actions of people with whom I had shared laughter  

and times of true happiness...

and for whom I had deep affection...

all the while knowing that our limited time together made it all the more special...

and all buffered by the knowledge that while they would soon become

a ghost of the past...

the cherished memories would be forever...

hauntingly beautiful as I remembered them in times of ever sweet melancholy. 

 

--------- 

 

Always embrace your emotions...

and know what stimulates them.

 

They are the richness of life...

and are what spur you into positive action...

which then leads you to your ultimate destination of complete and utter happiness.

 

Control of the self...

in body, mind, and emotions...

 independent of others...

is the ultimate freedom in life. 

 

 I love life so much...

and...

yes...

I am still in a deeply rich and sweet melancholy mood...

 one of life's great experiences.

 

Asian Market Snacks / Indian Food

 

Song:  Rio

Group:  Duran Duran

Today was another beautiful day.

It stayed at 60 F (15.5 C) for most of the day.

Since my elder sister and her husband are going to arrive in the middle of next week...

I decided to go to the Asian market to pick up more kimchi...

and a ton of snacks

(I am going to make them kimchi stew).

I left a little after noon...

and as I was driving...

the above song (Rio) had come on over my car speakers from my playlist.

It had perfectly reflected the mood I was in...

as I was feeling very upbeat...

in not only enjoying the scenery along the way...

but I was looking forward to eating at a highly rated Indian restaurant on the way back.

I love clouds...

probably because as most of my childhood memories started when we lived in Japan...

and as I used to spend hours just looking at the beautiful cumulous clouds set against 

an almost impossibly blue sky (early to mid 60s) in Northern Japan...

it must bring back those happy times.

I was in Woodland Park on the way to Colorado Springs to shop at the Asian market.

I picked out the largest kimchi container they had.

I then went to their snack isles to pick out a variety of snacks.

On the way home...

I stopped in at a highly rated Indian restaurant in old town Manitou Springs.

I was impressed with the decor and the service...

and I was looking forward to a great meal.

I had ordered two orders of vegetable samosas.

I had found them to be a bit too salty.

I had also ordered Tandoori Chicken...

and plain Naan.

Although the chicken was very juicy...

again...

it was over spiced.

The rice was also a little dry.

But...

the real killer of this meal was the Naan.

I have always loved Naan at all of the other Indian restaurants at which I had eaten.

However...

this Naan was too thin...

which resulted in it being almost cracker like...

and not the thicker, moist and chewy goodness of other Naans I have had.

The search for an excellent Indian restaurant continues...

for I will never be going back to this one.

I hate being disappointed by restaurants.

It just so happened that after the song Rio...

of which I had been playing continuously during my whole drive...

Chicago's song...I've Been Searching...began playing.

The more melancholy mood of the song just seemed right in the moment...

as I was momentarily in a disappointed mood.

But...

after hearing it play a couple of times...

I laughed at myself...

as if a small disappointment could throw me off my previously exuberant mood...

because if such a small matter is what I had considered to be a problem...

then I really had no problems at all.

I am comfortably retired in a paradise...

with no real problems in life...

especially as compared to most other people in the world...

and so...

I put back on 'Rio'...

and I felt back within my metaphorical heaven once again.

I ended up air drumming to the driving percussions of this song...

as my knees bobbed up and down to the syncopated synthesizer...

and as my head rocked left and right to the intermittent rhythm striking of the guitar...

and yes...

with the spastic and positively dorky pausing between the guitar strikes.

But...

then again...

I don't care what others may think...

even though...

I am grateful that they couldn't hear my slightly out of tune singing...

as I drove on down the highway...

because that would have been embarrassing  :)

Just leaving Woodland Park...

and yes...

I know I so often take the same location shot as I am leaving Woodland Park...

but...but...

the snow patterns and the clouds are different each time  :)

Going home.

I am still 15 to 20 or so minutes from home here.

These are the snacks I had bought for my elder sister and her husband's arrival next week.

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I had written about my food disappointment to illustrate a state of mind...

of which is ultimately...

under our control.

Although I am naturally a light hearted and very happy person...

and of whom really has no right to ever be unhappy

(as part of a group of similar people...speaking in third person perspective about myself)...

even I, sometimes, get momentarily frustrated by the smallest of things.

Although I never really harbor negative feelings...

I do, sometimes, shut down for a few seconds to prevent myself

from melting down like a toddler throwing a tantrum...

or doing something far worse.

However...

and this is important...

I take positive action...

or I, at least, alter my future course to ensure my path is clear 

of a similar circumstance from re-emerging.

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We...

and no one else...

are the masters of our destiny.

We must master ourselves if we are to master happiness in life.

It is all about a state of mind...

which then becomes a state of being (habit).

And...

it is our state of being that dictates how we perceive the world around us...

and so...

how we choose to interact with it.

---------

To have reached my present state of living such a blissful and happy life...

where I really have no worries...

and have everything in the world in which to look forwards...

was not the difficult part.

Ensuring I had enough self mastery to prevent my dreams from being derailed...

by my own impulsiveness...

was.

Although I love the old adage:

Say the things which should be said.

Do the things which should be done.

What this also implies...

is that one should...

 never:

Say things which shouldn't be said.

Do things which shouldn't be done.

There are certain lines which must not ever be crossed...

for they can never be uncrossed.

I have seen far too many men throw their lives away

(figuratively...as well as...literally)...

because of an impulsive action...

or set of actions...

whereupon they had embarked on an ultimately destructive path they had refused to forsake...

because of their own short sightedness.

It is the Yin / Yang of life.

And, if one is to prosper...

the inner Tiger must always defeat the inner Dragon.

(In the general scheme...Deferred Gratification must always conquer Immediate Gratification).

While I am fairly impulsive by nature...

and it is the source of much of my creativity and feeling of freedom and happiness...

it is also the source of my greatest weakness...

and of my greatest fear (myself).

It takes but a split second to destroy a carefully laid out life...

with but a mere moment spent in the throes of a destructive impulse.

I have been...

 more than once...

on the brink of a life altering precipice...

where, had I given in to a natural and morally justified impulse...

my dreams would have vanished forever.

However...

what has always kept me from taking that destructive path...

was that my dream for a beautiful future was always stronger.

People without a guiding dream...

are directionless...

and soon become destructive to society...

and to themselves.

Dream the dream...

and forever walk the path laid out before you.

By giving you the positive actions to take...

and by automatically keeping you off the destructive path...

it then becomes the one and only path to take.

And...

by walking this path...

you will have immediately gained serenity...

for you will have no doubt as to your correct path in life...

and in doing so...

you will have gained immediate happiness by being able to enjoy the moment...

in all of the great simple pleasures in life.

It is a win-win scenario.

Life only has the meaning you give it...

and continually walk.

And that is what life is all about.