Mood:
coolReason #10 to come to Penguin Winter Carnival, February 4-6, 2005 in Tampa, Florida:
SHELLFISH! Including...
Blue Crab: Found along Florida's Gulf and Atlantic coasts, it is served in both its hard and (more commonly) soft shell state.
Florida lobster: known as the spiny lobster, it has no claws like the Maine variety. The tails are broiled and served with melted butter. Delicious!
Scallops: sweet, succulent meat that is actually the muscle between two shells. Scallops are found in Gulf waters and along the east coast of Florida. Scallops are served lightly breaded and sauteed, grilled, broiled, in soups and served on salads.
Gulf shrimp: About a third of a billion pounds of shrimp are caught by shrimpers across the nation each year. At $1.50 to two dollars a pound dockside, the nation?s annual shrimp harvest puts a half billion dollars in the pockets of U.S. fishermen. The nation?s most productive shrimp fishery is the Gulf of Mexico where fishermen from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida harvested 438 million pounds of brown, white and pink shrimp in 1995 and 1996 combined, worth over $838 million dockside according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Florida Hoppers: Hoppers are Pink Shrimp caught along the northern Gulf and Atlantic coasts of Florida. As a species, Pink Shrimp are like chameleons- they change color to match their surroundings. Along the panhandle, and around Cape Canaveral, the sands are golden brown, and so are the hoppers.
Gulf Whites: Gulf Whites are the kings of the shrimp world, and are the standard against which all other shrimp are measured. In the days before farm-raised shrimp, when the big cities of the Northeast and the Midwest wanted shrimp, they wanted Gulf Whites. Chances are, if you fell in love with shrimp as a kid, you were eating Gulf Whites.
Crawdads. Beth Terry says: "I think Yankees may call them crayfish. We boil them, peel them, eat the tails, then suck the heads. Cold beer is the condiment of choice."
And not only is most shellfish tasty, it's also (depending on the preparation) high in protein, low in fat, and GOOD for you! :) Why not sample some while you're in Tampa?
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The fourth in a series of introductions to the members of the people who are taking the Penguin Winter Carnival from crackpot idea to reality:
The Penguin Winter Carnival Organizing Committee Members:
Meet Nancy Toby!
Nancy Toby started the new millenium as an overweight couch potato - and since becoming part of the penguin community, has been transformed to an active (albeit still overweight) adult-onset athlete. Formerly a university assistant professor and researcher, then a government employee, she had a solid decade of inactivity under her belt (literally) before learning of the penguins in January, 2000. They encouraged her in countless ways and demonstrated to her what "The Courage To Start" was really all about - the personal connections that helps one get out there each day despite feeling like you really don't want to. As an internet junkie for years, she was drawn naturally to the interactions taking place on the penguin email lists - and joined several of them.
She began walking down to the corner and back, and worked up to the 5K distance at the Shamrock Sportsfest in March 2000, alternately walking and jogging. Somehow, with the help of her fellow penguins, she stuck with it this time and worked up to doing the Kiawah Half Marathon by the end of the year.
She kept going. While she had run a bit in college, that was long ago. This "sticking to it" had never happened before.
The next year she completed four marathons: Myrtle Beach, Maui (two days after she got married), Marine Corps, and Kiawah.
In 2002 she concentrated on half marathons, completing them in 12 states, plus the Rock and Roll Half Marathon at the Penguin World Conference in Toronto, Canada. She even tried a couple of sprint triathlons. However, late in 2002 she was diagnosed with a stress fracture in her foot, which put her in an air cast for 7 weeks. Then while beginning her walking rehabilitation, she got pregnant. With triplets. At age 45. Although the exercise of the past 3 years had put her in much better health than she otherwise would have been, this was a very high risk pregnancy.
She was hospitalized for a month in May of 2003 at week 26 of her pregnancy - and while totally confined to a hospital bed, still was helped along by communications with the penguin community via a laptop - and many kind cards and letters sent from caring penguins. Sadly, her daughter Anna only survived six months due to the complications of extreme prematurity. Another daughter, Elisabeth, required open heart surgery at five months of age. Her third daughter, Catherine, also had a slow start, but was fortunately in good health from the beginning.
In October 2004 Nancy is being joined by a number of fantastic penguin friends who are participating in the Chicago Marathon and "Waddling for Anna" in remembrance. Toddlers Catherine and Elisabeth will stay home with Dad, but are doing great. (Photos of the girls can be seen at http://home.comcast.net/~nancytoby/photos.htm).
She hopes to give back a small part of the support and good cheer the penguin community has freely given her through the years by working on the organization of the Penguin Winter Carnival - and hopes to see many old friends and make many new penguin friends in Tampa next February.
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This is one of a series of newsletters about the PENGUIN WINTER CARNIVAL, FEBRUARY 4-6, 2005 in Tampa, Florida.
Penguin Winter Carnival is a fun social meeting of runners, walkers, friends, and family attending the Run Tampa 2005 events, and will include special Friday morning workshops and get-togethers throughout the weekend. We welcome participants of all speeds! Race options include your selection of 5K, 15K, half marathon, and marathon distances over two days, plus special challenge awards for those intrepid (i.e., crazy) folks who would like to tackle a 5K, a 15K, *and* a half-marathon or marathon within two days; or a relay of three members, with one each completing a 5K, 15K, and half marathon.
For complete details and periodic updates, bookmark these websites:
Penguin Winter Carnival website:
https://www.angelfire.com/ult/pwc2005/
Penguin Winter Carnival news:
Join the Penguin Winter Carnival email discussion group:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/PenguinWinterCarnival/?yguid=103428986
Online registration for the Penguin Winter Carnival is at http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1163969
Calling all snowbirds! Fly south in 2005 to join the flock for fun, friends, and frolic! All are welcome!
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