Cue the music… duunnn dunnn… duuuunnnn duun… duuunnnnnnnn dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnn dunnnn!
I wait every year for this one week in July – SHARK WEEK on Discovery Channel. We live year round with the ocean, so technically every week is shark week but this is special. For seven days we can, I mean the kids can, live, sleep, eat, breathe, all things shark related. We are lucky to have several places here locally that have some fantastic shark events.
One of those places is The Sandoway Discovery Center, at 142 South Ocean Blvd, Delray Beach, FL At first glance it looks like a house across the street from the ocean but I can assure you this is one of the best science/discovery centers we have here in Palm Beach County. Everything ocean is here: touch tanks, shark and sting ray feedings out back and a large collection of sea shells. The aquariums are beautiful and the staff is very friendly. They have dubbed July Shark Month (now we’re talking) and have several shark related classes:
July 7th at 1:30 will have your little ones become “Shark Trackers.”
July 13th at 10:00am the kids go full scientist mode with “The Science of Sharks”.
July 20th at 10:00am it’s time to get messy and make Shark Pudding Slime.
And to wrap up the month, July 28th 1:30 will make us all Shark Researchers while exploring the anatomy and habits of sharks.
Admission is $10 and free for children under three. If you are a member, it’s free! They also have picnic tables outside so bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the ocean breeze. You could make it a whole day.
South Florida summers can feel intense, and staying hydrated is more important than ever. While plain water is great, infused water takes your hydration game to a whole new level. Adding delightful flavors to your water will encourage you to drink more, making it easier to stay hydrated and refreshed on hot summer days.
Adding fruits and herbs to your water is another opportunity to embrace a farm-to-table lifestyle. By choosing locally sourced, seasonal produce, you ensure that your ingredients are fresher, more flavorful, and more sustainable. This not only supports local farmers and reduces your carbon footprint but also enhances the overall enjoyment and health benefits of your infused water.
Here are some tips to create the most flavorful infused water:
Choose Fresh, Seasonal Ingredients
Fruits like mangoes, watermelons, pineapples, lemons, limes, and more are primarily seasonal in South Florida in summer. When fruits are in season, they are naturally sweeter, juicier, more aromatic, and often more affordable because of the abundant supply. Don’t forget to add fresh herbs to add a burst of flavor and aroma. Mint, basil, rosemary, and thyme blend well with fruits. You can easily grow them at home to ensure you get the freshest produce for your hydration regimen.
Combine the Best Flavors
Creating the perfect infused water involves combining the best flavors. Try these winning combinations or create your own to keep your hydration routine exciting and delicious.
Lemon, Mint, Ginger, and Cucumber: Energizing and detoxifying.
Cucumber, Mint, and Lemon: Perfectly refreshing and cooling.
Cucumber, Thyme, and Lime: Soothing and minty.
Lemon, Basil, and Ginger: Bright and spicy.
Pineapple and Mint: Tropical and invigorating.
Watermelon and Rosemary: Sweet with a hint of savory.
Watermelon and Basil: Refreshingly sweet and herbaceous.
Mango and Lime: Exotic and zesty.
Time Your Infusion Right
The length of time you leave the fruits and herbs in your water defines the success of your infusion. Softer fruits such as mangoes, watermelons, and cucumbers only need one to two hours to infuse due to their high-water content and porous nature, allowing them to release flavors quickly. For harder fruits like apples and pears, they can take 12 to 18 hours to fully extract the flavor. Citrus fruits take two to three hours; if squeezed, they can add flavor within minutes. Do a taste test along the way to keep track of the results.
Keep It Simple and Fresh
Less is more. A few well-chosen ingredients can create a beautifully balanced flavor profile. Also, make only as much infused water as you’ll drink in a day or two to ensure it stays fresh. If the water sits for too long, the fruits can start to decompose, affecting the taste and quality of the drink. Keep it in the fridge or icy cold so that it stays crisp, refreshing, and safe to consume.
Drinking water is essential, especially in summer, but the truth is that not everyone enjoys it. Infusing flavors transforms every sip into a delightful experience that everyone can enjoy. Keep it simple, keep it fresh, and choose locally sourced ingredients to embrace a farm-to-table living. Cheers to staying refreshed and hydrated this season, one flavorful sip at a time!
So you’ve been told by people on the internet and your friends to “just set some health and fitness goals” but you still feel lost. You may find yourself asking what those goals might look like or feel like, but there are ideas swirling around your mind at a million miles a minute about what the next steps are.
Timeline
Health and fitness goals should be given deadlines just like work tasks. Start with one month and then you reevaluate. The best way to break down your goals is to start with something short term and grow it from there. It takes away the need for everything to be perfect before you start. You can try one food regime for one month and see how it makes you feel and the progress on the scale if that’s how you chose to measure your successes. You could try an exercise routine for one month before changing to another program.
Pick a mental goal
After you have established a timeline, it’s time to find a goal for the health part of health and fitness. For me, this means my mind. I can perform best in my physical exercises when my mind is well rested and properly fueled. I chose to meditate to keep my mind sharp. You may not see how this relates to fitness but mental toughness and resilience are built through the way you think and approach the situations you find yourself in throughout life.
Pick a physical goal
After you prioritize yourself mentally, you can address yourself physically. Start with the simple task of moving your body more than you do in your current state. If you do no physical activity in your day to day life, begin by walking 3-4 times a week for a mile. If you do yoga and pilates, start weight training 2-3 times a week. If you weight train but do no mobility work, add that 3-4 times a week. Use your current lifestyle and build upon that. Take it in one month increments and continue to add new goals for the month to find the regiment that delivers to you the results you are looking for.
Pick a learning goal
Lastly, pick a goal that requires you to do research. For me, this is supplements. Learning how I can help aide my body in the recovery process and make sure my hormones are properly balanced without the help of medication are the final pieces in feeling my best. Not only do I like to learn, but I like to feel educated when I am asked about my choices. Currently, I take multivitamins, creatine, magnesium and fish oil. Each of these supplements play a vital role in the process and are the building blocks to helping my body recover.
I didn’t get here in a month or two. My process and goals have changed as drastically in month 4 as they did in month 14 but with each change I get closer to the overall advancement of my health and fitness, and you can do it too!
The Legacy of Liberty Park Honors U.S. Military Heroes
By Mike May
It’s truly better than advertised. That’s one way to summarize what it’s like to visit the Shangri-La Resort — shangrilaok.com; 918-257-4204 — in Monkey Island, Oklahoma. Located in the northeast section of the Sooner State, the Shangri-La Resort is labeled as Oklahoma’s premier waterfront golf and outdoor recreation destination, but it has far more to offer to its visitors. The Shangri-La Resort, featuring 119 guest rooms, can also be described as the ultimate destination for relaxation featuring many indoor and outdoor activities, where access to a set of golf clubs and a spirit of fun will help enhance your Shangri-La experience.
SHANGRI-LA’s ‘PLAYLIST’
While golf is the Shangri-La Resort’s main attraction, which includes a 27-hole championship course and an 18-hole par-three course known as The Battlefield, visitors to the Shangri-La Resort can spend their time boating, fishing, swimming, or parasailing on beautiful Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, lounging by the indoor pool, enjoying a spa treatment, sampling the steam room and sauna, working out in the fitness center, getting a manicure or pedicure, playing tennis, pickleball, basketball, or corn hole. And, spending your time relaxing on the 6,500-square-foot outdoor pool complex — which includes a hot tub, tanning ledge, and a splash pad – is a good idea, too.
There’s even a whiffle ball stadium with an artificial turf field which has a Fenway Park-inspired/’Green Monster’-like left-field wall. If you have ever played whiffle ball, you’ll discover that you have at least one more at-bat left in your athletic arsenal when you arrive at the Shangri-La.
On the 27-hole championship golf layout, where the term championship is a deserving label, there are three nine-hole courses: Heritage, Champions, and Legends. Each course has a unique appeal which allows them to stand apart from the other two.
HONORING A YANKEE LEGEND: #7
Shangri-La’s ‘signature hole’ is the ninth hole on the Legends course. It’s a downhill par-five which is played to an island green. This hole features two separate green complexes separated by a spectacular waterfall. It’s known as “The Mickey Mantle Hole” and is named after the New York Yankees legend who once scored a double-eagle two on this hole. From 1991 until his death in 1995, Mantle hosted his Mickey Mantle Golf Classic charity tournament at the Shangri-La Resort. A metal plaque, affixed to a large stone, is posted behind the ninth green at the Legends course to honor Mantle – nicknamed the Commerce Comet — who grew up in nearby Commerce, Oklahoma.
The Battlefield par-three course – which has an on-course military theme — is an amazing golf creation (pictured below). It’s a brilliant, fair, and a well-conceived layout. It opened in 2023 and is in spectacular condition.
To complement the Battlefield’s military theme, The Legacy of Liberty Park — which opened on May 24, 2024 — has been constructed and sits adjacent to the Battlefield course. It’s an open-air, free-of-charge, walk-through exhibit park featuring historic military moments and a specially selected collection of authentic World War II-era military equipment, vehicles, weaponry, and aircraft such as a Jeep; an ambulance; both a Higgins Boat and a DUK Boat; a 38-caliber Naval Gun; a Sherman tank; M8 and M20 armored cars; and a P-51D Mustang fighter plane. At the center of this park you’ll find a life-size exact replica of the statue of U.S. Marines raising the American flag on Iwo Jima.
“We can’t do enough to honor the greatest generation of brave men and women who fought without reservation to preserve and protect the freedoms we enjoy as Americans,” said Barry Willingham, President and CEO of Shangri-La Resort.
When it comes to dining, there’s fine dining at The Summit and casual dining at Doc’s Bar and Grill and the Buffalo Bar. There’s also casual dining on weekends at Eddy’s Lakeside Bar.
While the Shangri-La Resort is ideal for family vacations, the 9,000-square feet of versatile meeting and conference space makes this an attractive destination for groups, corporate gatherings, association retreats, and weddings.
The Shangri-La Resort awaits your arrival. When you get there, you’ll quickly see that it’s better than advertised.
A fundraiser was held for former Wellington Mayor Anne Gerwig who is now running as a Republican for State Senate, District 93. The setting was the beautiful Cugini Wine Tasting rooms within the Polo Club in Wellington. Supporters gathered on May 22, 2024 and raised funds for Gerwig’s campaign. For more info, visit https://www.annegerwig.com/
The Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Palm Beach County held an Update from Palm Beach County to DC at Palm Beach State College on Monday May 20, from 12 noon to 1:30 pm. Speakers included Congresswoman Lois Frankel, County Mayor Maria Sachs, Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus McCormick and Palm Beach County Director of Legislative Affairs Kasey Denny. For more information about the Women’s Chamber of Commerce contact them at 561-659-0285 or check out their website at https://womenschamber.biz
Winter is cold-hearted, Spring is yea and nay, Autumn is a weathercock Blown every way: Summer days for me When every leaf is on its tree;
When Robin’s not a beggar, And Jenny Wren’s a bride, And larks hang singing, singing, singing, Over the wheat-fields wide, And anchored lilies ride, And the pendulum spider Swings from side to side,
And blue-black beetles transact business, And gnats fly in a host, And furry caterpillars hasten That no time be lost, And moths grow fat and thrive, And ladybirds arrive.
Before green apples blush, Before green nuts embrown, Why, one day in the country Is worth a month in town; Is worth a day and a year Of the dusty, musty, lag-last fashion That days drone elsewhere.
If you haven’t seen it yet, there is a new movie out called “Inside Out 2”. It’s a must-see. The first film, Inside Out, explores the inner workings of a young girl named Riley. In the film, the viewer sees Riley’s life via the five emotions she experiences: joy, sadness, anger, fear, and disgust. Each emotion Riley feels is represented by an animated figure. This movie was launched in 2015 and quickly gained popularity.
Inside Out 2 was released on June 14, 2024. As with the first film, it is gaining popularity among people of all ages, from children to adults. As someone who frantically ran to purchase a ticket and attended the movie, I thought it was flawlessly produced, and the filmmakers went above and beyond.
Both films are excellent examples of how, as you grow up, you may encounter different emotions. I believe it is a great approach to assist children and teenagers in navigating the ups and downs of life and friendships.
As a teenager going through high school in the age of social media and technology, you have to carry your own joy and optimism in a crowd of hundreds of people to counter the negativity, which can rapidly become overwhelming. The film taught me that, while we should all feel joy, there should also be opportunity for our other emotions to shine through. Even while we all agree that no one should be unhappy all of the time, it is okay to feel sad and cry at times since sadness is a normal emotion, or to experience anger and frustration.
The new film introduces four new emotions as Riley grows into her teens: ennui, anxiety, envy, and embarrassment. When anxiety was introduced in the film, I was impressed by how skillfully they conveyed the emotion. I personally related to this character in my daily life. Many teenagers and children suffer from anxiety on a daily basis, even if they are unaware of it. It can show up as an upset stomach or irritability or many other forms. In one of the film’s last moments, Anxiety is shown causing a storm surrounding the console used to manage Riley’s emotions. In this scenario, Anxiety is desperately attempting to “fix” Riley. From the outside, Riley appears to be suffering a panic attack. Joy intervenes and instructs Anxiety to “let her go,” leading Anxiety to relinquish control, and all of Riley’s emotions collect around her sense of self, and her panic attack subsides.
This moment demonstrates that your sense of self is unique and has its own ups and downs, but how you adjust to them is what is truly important. Anxiety tells joy, “I’m sorry, I was just trying to protect her.” Many people believe that anxiety is a bad feeling, yet it is not intended to do harm. Furthermore, it is there to assist us if we allow it. We may confront anxiety and say, “Thank you, but I’m feeling brave today, so you can take a break.”
The moral of the story is that this film is genuinely outstanding to watch, and Pixar has outdone themselves. If you haven’t watched the film yet, I advise that you should, you might just be surprised at how you too can relate. It can possibly help you work through something you are experiencing right now or some new experience yet to come.
“Emotions they all serve a purpose; they deserve to be felt not fixed.”
