Hope you’re all having a good month! Great festivities are planned for Wellington’s 4th of July, so check it out. This includes a Patriotic Pool Party, fun activities face painting, bounce houses, food trucks and at 9:15pm, fireworks. Read about it.
Our AW Spotlight story this month is about one of Wellington’s most interesting people…Steve Traynor (pictured above). Denise Marsh interviewed him about his Project Lighthouse, as well as his pizza making skills. Find out more about Steve Traynor by going to “AW Spotlight.”
There are a couple of proposals that went before the Equestrian Preserve Committee a couple weeks ago, plans to build residential housing, golfing and other amenities inside the Equestrian Preserve. Read my interview with an attorney for the Equestrian Preserve Coalition, “The Opposition to Wellington North and Wellington South.”
I’m loving our gardening/ living green tips and I hope you are too. This month Charmaine Peters teaches how to grow ginger in “Living Green.”
Meanwhile, our fearless Supermom Heidi Hess breaks out of the family tradition of always going to Disney World and finds “A New Kind of Magic” in “Mommy Moments.”
Don’t miss Ingrid Webster’s original continuing cartoon series about a boy named Harold. See “Harold’s Universe” and be inspired.
And we never know where he will be, but Mike May is always on the move. This month he takes us to a hidden gem near Portland, Oregon, a floating restaurant called “The Deck.” Check out “On the Move with Mike.”
In “Paws-itive Press,” Tricia Roberts gives 8 solid reasons to adopt when you go looking for your next pet, most importantly the unconditional love that you discover. Read “Reasons to Adopt a Rescue Pet.”
Looking for a great side dish this summer? It’s beautiful, colorful and healthy. Visit “Yummy Treats” and see the recipe for the Summer Vegetable Medley.
For these articles, many more articles, events happening around Wellington and more, please feel free to click around on our site. Thank you as always for being a part of AroundWellington!
Enjoy your 4th of July and the rest of the month! Stay cool, if possible!
DELRAY BEACH – Zen-topia awaits you at Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens. The acclaimed Delray Beach museum will host a private, after-hours Sunset Stroll event on Thursday, July 20, from 5:30-8pm.
Guests are welcome to take a leisurely stroll through Morikami’s six distinct Roji-en gardens. Discover the timeless beauty of shodo, the Japanese art of calligraphy, presented by Kei’s Smile Factory.
Enjoy cheers-worthy libations at the Sake Station as well as delicious hors d’oeuvres for purchase from the Cornell Café. The Museum Store will be open to browse. Head over to the museum’s theater for live taiko drumming performances by Fushu Daiko at 6pm, 6:45pm, and 7:30pm.
Taiko tickets are free and available on a first come, first served basis.
Sunset Stroll pricing is $5 for members, and $8 for the general public. Space is limited.
Upcoming Sunset Stroll dates include Thursday, September 21, 2023.
Sunset Stroll is presented by JM Family Enterprises and Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC.
Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens is located at 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach. For more information, call (561) 495-0233 or visit morikami.org.
Shine on, O moon of summer.
Shine to the leaves of grass, catalpa and oak,
All silver under your rain to-night.
An Italian boy is sending songs to you to-night from an accordion.
A Polish boy is out with his best girl; they marry next month;
to-night they are throwing you kisses.
An old man next door is dreaming over a sheen that sits in a
cherry tree in his back yard.
The clocks say I must go—I stay here sitting on the back porch drinking
white thoughts you rain down.
Shine on, O moon,
Shake out more and more silver changes.
On your next trip to Portland, Oregon, there’s a great restaurant worth visiting for a meal that truly epitomizes the Rose City’s aquatic roots and affiliation. It’s called The Deck Along the Columbia and it’s perched on an expanded, floating dock which sits on the banks of, yes, the Columbia River. But, locals just call it The Deck.
The Deck opened in 2006, but it started out as just a coffee shop for local boaters and people who lived in the marina. Over time, it has slowly expanded and it has been transformed into a full-service restaurant. The days of operation vary every year, but it usually opens somewhere in the vicinity of mid-April to early May and it closes around the last weekend of September. No reservations are required, The Deck is dog-friendly, and you can arrive by boat or by car.
The food at The Deck is first-class, especially the seafood.
“Our fish tacos with our coleslaw sauce are definitely our best seller right next to the fish ‘n chips,” said owner Jack Janaszek. “Our locals always get the (clam) chowder. We’ve had many people tell us it’s the best they’ve ever had.”
Other popular seafood items are the Oregon Bay shrimp cocktail, calamari, steamer clams, coconut shrimp basket, and the Oregon Bay shrimp salad. For landlubbers, popular selections include the deck burger, Wisconsin cheese curds, steak bites, chicken quesadillas, cheeseburger sliders, and Philly cheesesteak sandwich.
The Deck has plenty of room, as there are roughly 180 dining seats with 70 of them being on the outer deck, which is the age 21+ area. There are also another 20 Adirondack chairs and barstools out in front of the restaurant.
One thing which The Deck doesn’t have is live music, but that doesn’t keep customers away. Instead, customers seem to enjoy the natural ambiance of being alongside the water.
“We, unfortunately, aren’t able to do live bands or music down in the marina due to regulations set by the marina owners,” added Janaszek. “But, most of our customers seem to really enjoy just the atmosphere of being directly on the water and having no TVs, with just some faint background music plus the river sounds and sights. People love to watch boaters and jet skis pull up for food. Guests also enjoy watching the Tuesday and Thursday Sailboat Racing around the harbor which we overlook.”
Just like the popular television show Cheers, there are many people that visit The Deck on a steady basis whom Janaszek knows on a first-name basis.
“We have many regulars at The Deck, which is a shout out to P.A.M (Paul, Allen, and Michael), Jeff and Keith,” noted Janaszek. “Our workers put a bottle of Pinot Grigio on ice every time we see them walk in the door. Many regulars visit us all the time, sometimes multiple times a week. We have locals that pull up every weekend via boat, and we have a ton of lovely regulars who come down during our slow weekday lunch hours and they tend to be elderly people.”
Not only do paying customers enjoy having a drink or a meal at The Deck, but employees loves working at The Deck.
“I’m retired from responsibility. It’s fun working here at The Deck,” said Jeff Friesen, one of the waiters at The Deck. “Look at the view. Everybody is in a good mood here.”
There is a blue sign inside the restaurant that truly epitomizes the appeal and attraction of The Deck. It reads “The Deck Is My Happy Place.”
The one unique aspect of The Deck is that the closing time changes daily.
“We close at sunset every night,” said Janaszek. “So our closing time changes. In early May, closing time is around 8:00 pm. On June 21, the longest day of the year, we stay open until around 9:00 pm. In September, it’s around 7:00 pm.”
The Deck Along the Columbia – www.TheDeckPDX.com — awaits your arrival. Again, you can arrive by boat or by car.
Who is Steve Traynor? If you have ever had one of his mouth-watering pizzas at Village Music’s Trivia Night, then you know they cannot be beat! But, there’s more than just the “toppings” with this guy! Let’s dig right in …
AW: Who inspired you to cook?
ST:My family has always been sort of a “foodie” family. In high school I worked as a dishwasher at a French restaurant near my home. I worked my way up to prep, then desserts and appetizers. I learned a lot. I guess you could say that’s where I first learned to really cook. Before that I sort of experimented in the kitchen. The restaurant gave me a good foundation to keep learning.
AW:How did you get involved with the Pizza business (one of my favorite foods, being a New Yorker)?
ST: I love pizza. It’s really a universal force for good (LOL!) I first got started with the pizza oven. I found a startup company called “UUNI” on Kickstarter and they were selling pizza ovens for the home, and it was affordable. I dabbled with that a bit, but really got serious during the pandemic. With no place to go, and a shortage of bread, I started making my own and started working on the pizza skills. As I started getting better and better at it, it seemed that this might become something that I could do for a hobby. I made pizza for a friend of mine over at the Polo club and he convinced me that there was a business model in there somewhere. The entire pizza restaurant is portable, so a popup was a perfect fit. We then started thinking where we could do the initial popup, and Village Music came to mind. They weren’t open on Mondays, so this was a great way to drive additional revenue for them and for me to sell pizza. That’s also when I started to tie the pizza names into a music theme. It was fun to get creative and run with it. From there, the rest is history.
AW: Do you cater private events or have your own restaurant?
ST: I don’t have a brick and mortar, and probably never will. I believe that the key to the business is the ability to move around to different venues. The freedom that the smaller, lighter oven gives me allows me to setup and break down quickly. I do plan on catering in the future, but I must get the trailer built and hire some additional people. Right now, I am my own bottleneck with my regular job.
AW: Is cooking something you take very seriously or more of a hobby?
ST: I take it very seriously. I am always trying to learn more. I believe that the more we keep learning, the happier we are. There is always something new to learn that helps you get better at something. This constant growth is what keeps me happy. I don’t think I would ever want to stop learning.
AW: Are there any future plans for opening up a pizza place? Perhaps…a place that serves by the slice?Okay. I will stop with the hints. One can dream!
ST: LOL! Not for now. I like the small 12” pizza format. I am considering how to turn some of them into calzones however. The Brick and Mortar concept seems risky today with the way rent is skyrocketing. I would like to prep and serve at several locations per day a few days a week with a small, dedicated crew.
AW: I understand that you are very passionate about another project you have initiated that will enrich the lives of Wellington residents as well as its surrounding areas. Can you please tell us more about Project Lighthouse ?
ST: Project Lighthouse is an amazing group of dedicated and talented people. I have learned so much about the performing arts and the tremendous talent we have in our own Village. We believe that a performing arts center would be a very positive addition to our Village and bring in not only more revenue for the Village, but more importantly, provide a space to enjoy the arts, not just performances, but artwork from our local artists. We managed to find a developer who is working with us to build it at zero cost to the Village. An Architect firm also volunteered their skills to help render the initial designs. We believe that we can have this facility run perpetually with no impact to the Village budget, which makes this even more attractive.
AW: Can people who are not Wellington residents still get involved and participate in Project Lighthouse? What can they do to show their interest and support?
ST: We have a Facebook page called “Project Lighthouse – Community Vision” where we share the latest news on the project and discuss the performing arts. Join the page and share your vision on the performing arts! We have a tremendous amount of very talented people who have all expressed an interest in participating. While the initial phase of getting the funding and approvals are being handled by a smaller local team, when this project gets moving into the building phase, we will call upon the experience and talent of the entire group to help craft a world class theater with quality programming and content. So, get involved! We need you!
AW: What are a few of the high points of this project where you definitely felt rewarded?
ST: The Village Council graciously gave us a 90- day period to develop our proposal, and the day we were approved to move forward, a 5-0 vote, we were over the moon. It was wonderful to get that first nod from our Council to move forward. I would say that was by far one of the most rewarding moments.
AW: What are some of the challenges you might be encountering with a budget?
ST: We won’t really have a challenge with the budget because the developer will invest directly in the project themselves and finance the construction. Where we see a challenge is in the changes that will be coming to the mall area. There are a few options that were presented by the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council (TCRPC) about how to redevelop the area. The sky is really the limit. Project Lighthouse is a sort of catalyst to jumpstart the mall redevelopment. I foresee a lot of discussion in the Village Council meetings about what could be done. In the end, I believe we will have a fantastic redevelopment that will benefit the entire Village. Project Lighthouse would complement any redevelopment nicely.
Above: The Project Lighthouse Group
AW: Do you have a background in public speaking or business administration? In coming to a few meetings for Project Lighthouse, I have noticed that you are a very charismatic and knowledgeable public speaker. Have you had other roles in the Wellington community to give you experience with building or organizing a major landmark?
ST: No! Honestly, I have had to do a lot of learning! I am in a sales role for a large software company, so public speaking isn’t new to me. I even did summer stock theater as a kid in high school. I am lucky to be surrounded by some very knowledgeable people in Project Lighthouse. Aside from the developer and the architect, we have people that run businesses, work in real estate, marketing, the press as well as tremendous talent in the performing arts. All of them have really helped me make these presentations effective. It’s been a team effort. If I look good up on stage, it’s because I have a great team supporting me.
AW: In terms of Project Lighthouse, will this be a permanent project? Translation: Once everything is “off the ground” and running, what will be your level of involvement?
ST: Project Lighthouse will continue to be a part of this project for as long as the theater exists. We are not going to run the development or the facility, but we believe that our role as advisors could continue indefinitely. We have so many people with great ideas and backgrounds in the performing arts. Many people with a history on Broadway have joined the group. That talent should be leveraged whenever it can be. I believe that my role will come to an end once the project is running. I believe that leadership must involve many people and change in leadership is healthy. I will always be there to support the group.
AW: How can you incorporate your passion for cooking and Project Lighthouse? I bet YOU could make it happen!
ST: I’m not sure about that yet, but I like the idea! Cooking involves bringing the right ingredients and methods together to create something that is greater than the sum of its parts. I believe Project Lighthouse is the same in that respect. We have a great recipe for success, we have the very best ingredients in terms of people and talent. Together it will help create something wonderful for our Village to enjoy for generations. I bet you’re thinking, “now I want some PIZZA”! Don’t be shy, come to Trivia Night at Village Music on Mondays at 7pm. The pizza starts baking at 6:30! In addition, you can find out more about Project Lighthouse by going on the Facebook page, “Project Lighthouse – Community Vision.”
I was ready. I had on my red sparkly Mickey ears with lipstick to match. I had polished off my Mickey Vans. Like I said – I was ready… and this was just to make the reservations for Walt Disney World.
What can I say? We haven’t been there since December 2019 and that’s a long time for us. We all sat at the table discussing our plans and I was met with opposition. The teenage angst hung heavy in the air and their apathy towards what used to be one of their favorite places was palpable. Wait… what? You don’t want to go to the happiest place on earth?? Is the magic gone??
What do we do when our kids outgrow Magic Kingdom? We move on to Universal Orlando. The rollercoasters are faster, the cues are better and there’s more for adults to do there.
You get two theme parks for the price of one – Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. And the annual passes are cheaper compared to Disney.
They have things that will appeal to the younger crowd. Seuss Landing, a Dr.Seuss themed section of Islands of Adventure, is adorable. Do not miss the carousel, One Fish Two Fish and the Cat in The Hat ride. Their attention to detail here is really on point.
If your older kids aren’t quite sure about major rollercoasters like The Hulk (my personal favorite) or Velocicoaster there are good “starter coasters” – Hagrids Motorbike, The Mummy and Flight of the Hippogriff.
For our in-between-aged kids, Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley and Hogsmead can not be missed. I could spend the day in just these two sections, perusing the stores, watching people trying to cast spells with their wands (yes, you too can get your OWN wand) all while drinking Butter Beer (there’s no alcohol in it so it’s safe for the kids and completely delicious).
I could go on and on about Universal but you should really experience it for yourself. It’s light years better than Disney.
Have I mentioned that even for counter service meals you are seated at a table by a host or hostess instead of battling strollers and cranky mums trying to feed their kids. AND you can order right at your table and the food is brought over to you. I’ve always been of the mindset that meals times should be relaxing and Universal double- downs on that.
So, can a family with older kids still do theme parks? Is the magic lost? Nope. You just have to find a new kind of magic.
With its versatile and bold flavor, ginger is a beloved spice used in various global cuisines. Packed with numerous health benefits, it makes for a perfect addition to a variety of dishes and drinks, from stir-fries and soups to teas and marinades.
Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a beginner, cultivating ginger is a breeze, thanks to its resilience and year-round growth. Whether you start from scratch or replant a cutting from the grocery store, this beloved spice thrives in warm climates and grows year-round, so you can enjoy it no matter the season.
The best way to start your ginger-growing journey is to understand how the plant works. Unlike what most people think, ginger is not actually a root. Ginger is grown from rhizomes, which are fleshy stems that spread underground and have several growing points. The rhizomes are planted underground and sprout up like bamboo while the ginger grows below. In colder climates, ginger should be planted in the early spring, but because of the warm climate in Florida, gardeners can feel great knowing that their ginger can grow from January to December.
To start the process, you will need to make a trip to your local grocery store or farmers market and pick up some ginger. When purchasing the rhizomes, look for ginger that is light in color with thin skin and several nodules or “fingers”. Cut the ginger into 2–3-inch pieces and allow the cut ends to dry and heal over with thin skin. It should take anywhere between 24-48 hours for the ginger to dry.
Now it’s time to prepare your garden for planting. You’ll want to plant the roots in a spot that gets enough shade and a garden or pot with damp, rich, and well-drained soil. Keep the pH of your soil on the acidic side for ginger. Combine your soil with nutrient-rich compost to make sure your ginger rhizomes grow successfully. This environment emulates the tropical climate that ginger loves.
Plant two inches deep with the rhizomes with the nodules facing towards the top of the soil and space each section around eight inches apart in your garden bed. Once you plant, don’t forget to water the plant properly, keeping the topsoil moist. After about one week, you’ll start to see leaves sprouting.
After eight to ten months, you’ll notice the ginger stems will start to die back and it will finally be ready to harvest! Dig up the shoots and you’ll find your fresh, homegrown ginger. The longer you wait to harvest your ginger, the stronger it will taste, so time it wisely based on your preferences. Scrub your roots under water to wash as much dirt off as possible, dry it with a towel, and you’re ready to go!
Now, with your very own ginger, you can start cooking, pickling, and drinking this incredible spice all year long. You can also save some pieces to replant for the next year, so you’ll always be able to enjoy the wonderful tastes and aromas fresh ginger can bring.
Every year, countless animals find themselves in shelters in need of a new home. They’ve either been abandoned or surrendered and are waiting for someone to give them a second chance at life. Deciding whether or not to adopt a pet from a shelter is an important decision, and the rewards far outweigh the concerns. If you’re stuck between the decision of shopping or adopting a new pet, here are some reasons to choose adoption.
You save more than one life
It goes without saying that when you adopt a shelter pet, you’re saving a life. By adopting a pet in a rescue facility, you are also making room for another animal in need and giving them the opportunity to find a loving forever home.
2. Unconditional Love
Many people think it will be challenging to connect to a rescue pet, but usually it’s the opposite. Shelter pets have so much love to give. Once you let them into your heart, they won’t ever stop loving you.
3. A Second Chance
Beyond helping an animal in need, you’re giving a rescue an opportunity to be themselves and become a dog beyond the four walls of a shelter. You’re giving them the chance to start life anew where second chances are often hard to come by.
4. An opportunity to stay active
A new four-legged friend gives you a reason to get outdoors more and stretch your legs. Since your new pet is likely to be older and up-to-date on all of their vaccines, you won’t have to wait to get out to enjoy trails and parks as you would with a puppy.
5. Someone new to shop for
It’s always fun to spoil your pets. Adopting a new furry family member gives you a reason to do just that. You can enjoy retail therapy while making sure your new pet is living a luxurious life. Since adopting is generally lest costly than purchasing a puppy or kitten, you can use some of those saved dollars to really pamper your pet.
6. fighting back against cruel breeding
There are many reputable and animal-focused breeders out there. However, puppies and kittens purchased at pet stores often come from cruel breeding facilities where animals are confined to small, dirty spaces and receive little to no veterinary care. By adopting from your local shelter, you are giving back to your community instead of aiding an unethical breeder.
7. Training included
Most shelter dogs are past the puppy stage. This means they often know simple commands like sit, stay and come. There’s a chance they’ll even know more than that. If they don’t, though, that’s ok. You most definitely can teach an old dog new tricks.
8. That means house training too
Say goodbye to the potty-training process. Many shelter dogs have been surrendered, so they’re probably house trained. Also, shelter cats will already be familiar with a littler box.
Life with a rescue pet will bring big changes, as will life with any new pet. The reward of knowing you saved a pet who was truly in need will make it much easier to adapt to those big changes.
