#gerald is tasty

[amajencher-hehe]

Umm Sir...did I do something wrong?...

[thecoolertails]

hey who was it that reblogged a post from me maybe like a week ago and said something about an au where all of shadows memories were fake, and when eggman discovered him that was the first time he left his tube. because i need you to know that i am now completely obsessed with that concept

[oopsarboreal]

Clef will take 2-3 business days to decide whether to help him

Clef and Gerald!

[kingprinceleo]

Vampire Au Master-ish Post

Summary -

Angel Island is the only life Sonic has ever known. Being trapped within the permanent barrier encasing the 8 islands isnt quite his style, so finding a way to destroy it and explore the world below has been his goal for as long as he can remember. Hes got a number of other things keeping him occupied however, trying to prevent the Robotnik family from taking over total control of the islands. 

When he isnt fighting them off, hes hanging out with his friends, living his best life being a vampire both day and night. When he wants to get everyone off his back, and feed from his favorite vampire hater, Shadow, he uses his magic staff to change his appearance into an alter ego, Hoax the "Tenrec.”

–

Vampire au is a generally slice of life episodic style au, mostly focused on being lighthearted and goofy. 

Occasionally plot driven with slightly heavier themes though. (And sometimes I hit the angst button for funsies)

Major Locations-

Angel Island- One main island and 7 smaller islands surrounding it, completely encased by an impenetrable barrier powered by the chaos emeralds. Separated into the Wild Zones and City Zones. 

City Zones are Geralds surveillance state, a massive sprawling city with high tech from Ivo. The second sector of the city, a bit farther out, is Ivos sandbox, filled with casinos and terrible attractions, and many of his bases. Both plan to expand further into the island, they beef a little over who gets what. 

Wild Zones are less developed areas further away from their reach, more community based overgrown homes. Left to nature and the recovery from old ruins. Sonic protects these areas with his life.

Sol- A pocket dimension, a society of majority vampires and mobians living peacefully together. The kingdom of Sol is a deep cave underground, with strange lush vegetation and ceiling so high it mimics the sky. There's massive tree roots buried deep in the canyon, an important food source for the vampires. 

Accessed by a closed gateway hidden deep within Angel Island. Sol is the origin of vampires.

The mainland- the rest of the world outside of Angel Island 

Characters-

Sonic- Bitten by a vampiric Chao around 5 years old, Sonic is a free spirited vampire who likes to live life a day at a time. He's thinks of himself as a smooth charmer, and he's a bit of a dater.

He loves the thrill of any sort of adventure he can dig his claws into on Angel Island, mostly stopping Eggman's onslaught of bots from trying to turn the untouched wild areas of the island into his newest casino. 

He's up both day and night, usually only crashing to take naps, or otherwise being forced to sleep by his friends. Though the sun hurts him, he finds himself always missing the days where he could soak in its rays.

Hoax, Sonics night form, is a purely cosmetic change he shifts into with his star staff, a gift from Amy. He uses it for days when he wants a break from people trying to Get Him 24/7. He used to use it to break into Eggman's bases, where a strange, but tasty artificial blood was being held. More recently it's become a way to secure drinking that blood from the host himself.

Shadow- Shadow is a paranoid mess of a man, with a deep running hatred for vampires, decked out in silver to keep them away. Though he prefers to be left alone, he will take any and all opportunities to kill a vampire if he suspects they want anything to do with him. It is often misguided. During the evening he works as a cook under Knuckles. During the night he heists the Robotniks facilities with Rouge, looking for any goods. 

Whenever he travels out to the city zones, he wears a mask and full outfit designed after a vulture to hide his identity since he's wanted by the city. 

Shadow has a special blood type, artificially made and containing black arms blood, it has strengthening and healing properties and tastes good to vampires ! Shadow tries to protect himself and his blood at all costs. Unfortunately he made a deal with Hoax to feed him. Also has no idea he has chaos control, the power is dormant in his body. Though he can manipulate the energy from Chaos Drives a little bit. He relies on guns and knifes day to day.

Amy- A half vampire seedrian witch. She's full of life and a bit quirky. She is learning to incorporate magic into all aspects of her life. A lot of attempts tend to cause chaos but she's always learning something new! She has a little bit of a crush on Sonic and has always dreamed of proposing to him with a ring that would protect him from the sun, though she isn't skilled enough to create it yet. Being a seedrian vampire means the flowers on her head need to photosynthesize under the moonlight to eat rather than drink blood. Though she does have a deep and instinctual urge to kill plants.

Tails- a lonely engineer, working on the edge of the city. New to teenagehood, he's edgy and grumpy all the time. He's very distant from his friends, incredibly insistent he's all grown up and needs no one but himself. 

Knuckles- a hard working farmer out in the wilds, using his produce to supply his pizza food truck, which recently upgraded to a brick and mortar restaurant. In his free time he goes around Angel Island to treasure hunt and learn about the history of the island, littered with many ruins of ages past. 

Rouge- a sneaky vampire who lives off the grid, completely unknown to the surveillance state of the city. Shadow lives with her in her home carved inside of a mountain to hide both of them. Huge fan of bat and blood themed decor. Shadow does Not know she's a vampire. Vampirism enhanced her bat features, incredibly good hearing to the point she needs to constantly wear noise canceling earbuds, and a massive wingspan.

She likes to rob the city, and exchange those goods for information from her shady dealers about gemstone hotspots on the island. Eventually she smooth talks her way into a position of power working under Queen Blaze of Sol to spy on Gerald.

Blaze- Queen of the pocket dimension Sol. A few gateways exist on Mobius, one residing on Angel Island, though it has been cut off for years until Rouge reactivated it. A cold but caring ruler, she controls the artificial sun in their kingdom, keeping all of her vampiric subjects safe and happy. Rarely ever makes time for herself. 

Silver- Blazes best friend who lives with her in the castle. (Need to add more for him :(). Works with Rouge and Mephiles dealing with matters on Angel Island. Eventually gets shark teeth from fusing with Mephiles too often.

Mephiles - Blazes comically evil advisor, she keeps him around because he's an old family friend, and an Ancient Vampire with vast power. Has no mouth to drink blood with, so he needs to possess the bodies of others. Silver willingly lets mephiles fuse with him, to feed, and to grant silver a power boost.

Gerald- after losing Maria he became very unwell, spending years accumulating power and taking control of the city. He's lost himself. Shadow was stolen from him years ago. He's still looking for him.

Black Doom- Doom wed that old man. Visited the day the barrier went up, now he's stuck here. Now that he's no longer able to take over the galaxy, his next evil plan was to become a landlord. Terrorizing people who live in the city. 

Maria- Died in a targeted mob attack on Angel Island, Chaos and Tikal pitied her and let her have a spot in the master emerald ghost club. 

Random lil plot stuff- 

Sonic is a regular at Knuckles pizza place, likes to be annoying. One day they Will make him a chili dog pizza. Knuckles hopes he explodes but Shadow actually wants to kill him. He's not allowed to jump Sonic on the clock or else his pay gets docked </3

Random little bits about Sonic trying to steal from the claw machine and getting stuck, and trying to get a “delivered in under 30 minutes or free” pizza from the restaurant.

Sonic started a trend of extreme gear racing in Hydro City. He can also do a bunch of little party tricks with his star staff and knows nothing useful.

Shadow has massive gaps in his memory due to repression, he barely knows anything about his life before 16 (present day he's 19).

Knuckles and Shadow are close, knuckles being the first to find him. Since Shadow can't buy anything under his own name, Knuckles got him a hover motorcycle for deliveries.

When Shadow tells Knuckles about his deal with Hoax for the first time, Knuckles punches hoax so hard it turns him back into Sonic, making Knuckles the first to learn his identity outside of Amy, who helped him create the form.

Amy likes to follow Sonic on dates sometimes and mildly inconveniences them with her magic. Sonic usually finds this game more fun than the actual date

Maria and Tikal haunt the pizza place. They can eat pizza . They crave it. They also feed it to Chaos. Maria tries to talk to Shadow but he doesn't know who she is.

When making the blood deal with Shadow, Hoax had no idea Shadow was the guy under the vulture mask. He would have thought twice if he knew. Shadow also cut Hoaxs right hand during their first fight, its a permanent scar. Shadow says hed do it again.

Hoax slowly realizes how deeply unwell this little freak is. 

Right when they kinda start getting comfortable with each other, a weird artifact that knuckles finds allows them a glimpse into the future. Sonic and Shadow are married. Hoax has to play it cool while Shadow starts loading his guns. This haunts the rest of their relationship development.

Amy delves into dark magic when she starts getting desperate about how slow she's progressing with her magic skill. It has adverse effects on beings created by her magic once she goes too far.

Mephiles lives in a comically evil wizard tower in the Sol castle. Mephiles can also shapeshift after drinking peoples blood, he can only shift as long as the blood is in his system.

Silver really wants Shadow to explode for trying to kill vampires, his friends and family.

(Things are still in rework state and also im forgetting things rn so more will probably be added)

[copperbadge]

Cleaning out my Google Drive archive, I happened to stumble across the original spec Hallmark Movie script that Fete For A King was based on -- not that I had lost it, I'd just kind of forgotten about it. And it occurred to me you guys might enjoy seeing a scene or two from it.

I wrote Fete basically from the script -- I made a copy of the script and rewrote it into prose as I went, then did a second pass to make it less Scripty, so most of it would be very familiar. The plot came through basically intact. The one thing I significantly altered was Jerry and Alanna's subplot -- in the script, as often happens with Hallmark films, the supporting characters also have a love storyline. I took that out of the book because it didn't need the padding, and it allowed me to give them a book of their own later, but the script scenes were pretty fun. :D

(In this version Jerry still attends the Agricultural Cabinet meeting for Gregory, but mentions this fact to Michaelis, which gets Gregory in trouble for blowing it off.)

ALANNA, spying on the lunch meeting through the door to the Prince's office, leans back behind a column or wall. DUKE GERALD (JERRY), looking apologetic, winces.

ALANNA: How could you, Jerry?

JERRY: I told you, I didn't mean to! I thought if I told the king I stepped in for Gregory, it would show I'm taking an interest. Turning over a new leaf.

ALANNA: Nobody asked you to take an interest.

JERRY: Least of all me. But I was interested, really, Alanna. We could be doing so much more with olives. I didn't know crop planning was such a precise science.

ALANNA: And that's great, but you could have just said you went WITH Greg to the meeting.

JERRY: Why would I go with Greg to an agricultural meeting? Anyway, I would have but I didn't think of it. Don't be mad at me.

ALANNA: It's not me you have to worry about.

JERRY: But Greg knows I wouldn't sabotage him. Besides, uncle Mike would have heard about it eventually anyway. Everyone in town was talking about the Prince coming to try that cheese shop with the social media chef guy.

ALANNA: He's under a lot of pressure.

JERRY: I know.

ALANNA: And now unless that cheese REALLY impresses the king, he's going to start following Greg around everywhere and trying to offer his opinion.

JERRY: He's been king for forty years. His opinion's probably useful.

ALANNA: Not if the prince wants to make his own way.

JERRY: Well, what do you want me to do? I can't make uncle Mike like cheese.

ALANNA: I want you to keep an eye on them and keep the king distracted. Can't you do something mildly embarrassing?

JERRY: More or less embarrassing than visiting a cheese shop in a "Truly Tasty" hat?

ALANNA: Fix it, Jerry!

JERRY: Fine, I'll do my best. But I want you to make Greg make me his vizier when he's king.

ALANNA: We haven't had a vizier in a hundred years. What does a vizier even do?

JERRY: Nothing, but with drama.

ALANNA: Fine. I have meetings. Stay here, keep spying, report back when they leave.

JERRY gives her a thumbs up and watches her leave, then turns to spying on the meeting.

***

And then Alanna has a realization....

ALANNA is still leading JERRY away from the picnic.

JERRY: I thought you wanted me to keep Uncle Mike off Greg's case.

ALANNA: Not tonight. Eddie's pitching his new high-concept for the coronation feast, so they've got to be there together.

JERRY: Well, I wish someone would make up their mind around here.

ALANNA: You could set a trend.

JERRY: What's that supposed to mean?

ALANNA: You're not interested in olives, Jerry.

JERRY: Of course I am.

ALANNA: You're interested in the fact that my dad heads the cabinet board that supervises the olive harvest.

JERRY: Olives are very interesting to me. (deflating) And I wanted to impress your dad.

ALANNA: He's known you since we were kids running around the palace together.

JERRY: Is that good?

ALANNA: My father has literally watched you fall out of multiple trees you were trying to climb.

JERRY: Failing to climb, mostly.

ALANNA: So why are you trying to impress him now?

JERRY: Well, isn't it obvious?

They stare at each other.

ALANNA: I cannot go on a date with you.

JERRY looks crestfallen. ALANNA pulls out her phone.

ALANNA: There's too much to do, Jerry. Between now and the coronation every hour I'm awake is booked. The best I can give you is three weeks from Tuesday.

JERRY: What?

ALANNA: Three weeks from Tuesday. Does that work for you? Never mind, your calendar's on my phone. I'm booking us in. Dinner okay?

JERRY: Uh. Yes.

ALANNA: Good. I'll send you a calendar invite, you pick the place.

She walks off, still typing in her phone.

JERRY: What just happened?

[oopsarboreal]

I bet he has a knocks-into-someone-and-drops-his-papers meetcute like 7 times a day

Da ger

Smth for our Gerald (fun fact he goes by Riley as his first name :3 )

[kale-smoothies]

Thanks to Shadow Generations I have a headcanon in mind:

Consider Anti Shadow have Doom powers or whatever alien race he gets mixed up with.

Consider how Anarchy Energy is unstable and has detrimental effects to the host. If Gerald had intentions to make him the ultimate weapon then you must use the most harmful and powerful energy known to man, host be damned.

If he changed his mind at the last second then he must’ve created some support for Anti-Shadow to not experience these dreadful effects. It’s possible it breaks at some point post morph.

What if this ‘sweet’ hedgehog gets more drained and closer to death each time he morphs or suffers mutations beyond repair?

dude I need you to put initials at the end of these asks so I remember and thank you.

OKAY, you know what I’m considering is that Anti-Shadow would have more alien characteristics than Shadow. Extra eyes, those suction cups for octopuses or something I DONT KNOW ABOUT HOW HE WOULD LOOK I’m dying

Anyway, I like your idea. Originally, he would’ve been MUCH more alienlike than hedgehog, but overtime began to look less like an alien due to morphing.

Personally, I feel like he would be much more royal-like and chatty? Apparently Anti-Maria would’ve been evil and a bad influence. So perhaps, Anti Maria would’ve been bitter and sad, still suffering from a disease. She would’ve used Anti-Shadow’s admiration for her so he could reign havoc and destroy humanity. Like what Shadow thought Maria’s wish for him was, except there was no Memory alteration. Anti-Maria’s wish would’ve been SA2 Gerald’s wish.

Anti-Gerald probably schooled Anti-Shadow on good morals, so there would’ve been a battle of morals in the future.

ALSO, I think Anti-Shadow probably went on a rampage on the Arc, causing him to be contained for (woah) 50 years, only to be released and wanting to destroy the world.

Kinda like the SA2 plot, but instead of Scourge saying “Hey, let’s not destroy the world, you can be better.” (Like whatever sonic said) and instead says. “Listen, you’re powerful and destructive. But why destroy world when you can RULE it? Work with me here.”

100% would exploit his powers

also (IM SRILL THINKINF WAIT) there could be a parasitic relationship between them? Anti-Shadow would be a bit unstable when using, for example, anarchy (chaos) blast or chaos control. I see him as he would absorb others of their energy, while Shadow has a constant flowing energy, Anti would need to constantly resupply. Using up all of his energy would kill him, but also using too much in one go would. So, he carries around some anarchy beryl for his own good.

I think he thinks Chaos Energy is tasty, much much better than the bitterness of the Anarchy.

also he’s probably insane at sometimes due to the negatives of the anarchy beryl so he’s alot more violent than Shadow

[ccelestialfox]

blood, blood, gallons of the stuff i gave you all that you can drink and it has never been enough-

day 8 of gerald highway hauntings

mm tasty :}

[demon-blood-youths]

"H-Happy Halloween, guys...!" In his hands, he clutches a basket, filled to the top and overflowing all sorts of different ramens - of differing flavours and brands - almost every brand and every flavour you could think of, could probably be found here in this basket! Grunting he hands over the basket as he proudly proclaims. "I didn't want anyone to be left out, so I got you all a shitton of ramen! I tried to include as many brands and flavours as I could so when you finally get through 'em all, you gotta tell me your favourites, okay...?!" He moves in for a group hug, pulling each of them in close. "Happy Halloween to the best pals I could ever ask for!"

"Woah!" Fosh widens his eyes to see a basket of different ramen. Variety of flavors and brands. It was a great gift basket for Halloween. Navarro can't believe this, "Holy shit! You brought all this for us?" He surprised at this.

"Is this supposed to be our trick n' trick, Ryuji?" Asked Sai who found it intriguing. Rust looks at the ramen brands, "Wow! There's even a Carbonara one! Dude, we should eat ramen together!" He pats him on the shoulder.

Taz and Gerald take the ones that had the funny mascot on it. Hellmare smiles, "This one looks tasty. Thank you for the treat, Ryuji! We owe you one!"

"I'm taking the spicy one! This one looks good!" Maggie said. "Thanks!"The pyromancer thanks the blond.

"That's crazy! We also brought you ramen as well in exchange plus other goodies!"

"Like ice cream and chocolate!!" Ink grins, she tells Ryuji, handing a cooler of ice cream flavors. "Plus we added some meat in there between the ice cream to keep more cool! Jaron had it sectioned away from them." Ink points to Jaron who nods,

"Yeah! Also, you should join us for the party! We would love to have you there." Jaron tells him.

"We also got like ramen noodles." Oblivion added. "And candy" Ophelia offers. "It might sound cliche but I think it's great if you join us. We got a found footage movie marathon."

"Yes! Come and join us, Ryuji!" Ink tells him as she takes his hand.

@electricea

[andreolifelipe]

Indulge in these delightful gluten-free oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookies that are perfect for a tasty snack or dessert. Made with wholesome ingredients, they are a treat for everyone to enjoy.

Ingredients: 1 cups gluten-free rolled oats. cup almond flour. cup raisins. cup dairy-free chocolate chips. teaspoon baking soda. teaspoon ground cinnamon. teaspoon salt. cup coconut oil, melted. cup maple syrup. 1 large egg, beaten or flax egg for vegan. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350F 175C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, combine the gluten-free rolled oats, almond flour, raisins, chocolate chips, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, beaten egg or flax egg, and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until well combined, forming a cookie dough. Using a spoon or cookie scoop, drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them apart. Gently flatten each cookie slightly with the back of the spoon or your fingers. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown around the edges. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, enjoy these delicious gluten-free oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookies!

Gerald Cook

[stumpleaf]

Tender grilled chicken breasts marinated in a flavorful blend of tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and spices, creating a deliciously unique dish.

Ingredients: 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. 1/4 cup tahini. 2 tablespoons lemon juice. 2 cloves garlic, minced. 2 tablespoons olive oil. 1 teaspoon ground cumin. 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Salt and pepper to taste. Fresh parsley for garnish.

Instructions: Put tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Mix them together to make a marinade. Put the chicken breasts in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over them. Make sure the chicken is covered all over. Put it in the fridge with the lid on for at least 30 minutes, or overnight for the best taste. Set the grill or grill pan over medium-high heat to heat it up. Take the chicken out of the marinade and throw away the extra marinade. Grill the chicken for about six to seven minutes on each side, or until it's fully cooked and the middle is no longer pink. Before serving, sprinkle with fresh parsley. Have fun with your tasty Tahini Chicken!

Prep Time: 35 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Gerald Cook

[a-wild-mooshroom-appears]

These easy and tasty recipes will teach you 4 different ways to make a fruit smoothie. There is a smoothie for everyone, from those who like a classic strawberry-banana to those who like a cool tropical treat.

Ingredients: 1 cup of strawberries. 1 banana. 1/2 cup of blueberries. 1/2 cup of spinach. 1/2 cup of yogurt. 1 tablespoon of honey. 1/2 cup of orange juice.

Instructions: For the Strawberry-Banana Smoothie, blend together 1 cup of strawberries, 1 banana, and 1/2 cup of yogurt until smooth. For the Blueberry-Spinach Smoothie, blend together 1/2 cup of blueberries, 1/2 cup of spinach, 1/2 cup of yogurt, and 1 tablespoon of honey until smooth. For the Triple Berry Smoothie, blend together 1/2 cup of strawberries, 1/4 cup of blueberries, 1/4 cup of raspberries, 1/2 cup of yogurt, and 1 tablespoon of honey until smooth. For the Tropical Delight Smoothie, blend together 1/2 cup of banana, 1/2 cup of mango chunks, and 1/2 cup of orange juice until smooth. Enjoy each smoothie variation as a healthy and delicious snack or breakfast option.

Gerald C

[souhailbog]

These popsicles are the perfect mix of rich coffee and chocolate flavors. They're great for hot summer days or any time you want a tasty frozen treat.

Ingredients: 1 cups brewed coffee, cooled. ? cup milk. 2 tablespoons cocoa powder. 2 tablespoons sugar. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. cup chocolate chips, melted. Popsicle molds.

Instructions: In a mixing bowl, combine cooled brewed coffee, milk, cocoa powder, sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined. Pour the mixture into popsicle molds, leaving a little space at the top for expansion. Insert popsicle sticks into the molds. Place the molds in the freezer and let them freeze for about 4-6 hours, or until completely frozen. Once the popsicles are frozen, remove them from the molds. Dip each popsicle into the melted chocolate, allowing the excess chocolate to drip off. Place the chocolate-dipped popsicles on a parchment-lined baking sheet and return them to the freezer to set. Once the chocolate coating is set, your Chocolate-Dipped Mocha Iced Coffee Popsicles are ready to enjoy!

Gerald C

[cokesnlfan]

Indulge in the rich flavors of a chocolate torte as delicious cookies. These cookies are decadently chocolaty, with just the right amount of softness and crunch from the nuts.

Ingredients: 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips. 1/2 cup unsalted butter. 3/4 cup granulated sugar. 2 large eggs. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. 1/2 cup all-purpose flour. 1/4 cup cocoa powder. 1/4 teaspoon salt. 1/2 cup chopped nuts walnuts or hazelnuts.

Instructions: Warm the oven up to 350F 175C and put parchment paper on a baking sheet. For 20 seconds at a time, melt the chocolate chips and butter together in a bowl that can go in the microwave. Stir the mixture until it is smooth. Whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract together in a different bowl until they are well mixed. Slowly add the melted chocolate mixture to the egg mixture while stirring all the time. Add the cocoa powder, salt, and flour all at once. Don't mix any further than that. Add the chopped nuts and mix them in. Using a spoon or cookie scoop, place dough balls on the baking sheet that has been prepared, leaving a few inches between each one. Put it in an oven that has already been heated for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are set but the middle is still a little soft. After taking the cookies out of the oven, let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a wire rack to cool all the way. Enjoy these tasty chocolate torte cookies after they've cooled down!

Gerald Cook

[travelingtheusa]

MICHIGAN

2024 Aug 24 (Sat) – We drove around a lot today – 175 miles – checking out venues and campgrounds.  There was a visit to the Allegan County Fairgrounds.  Folks were in the middle of setting up for a big antiques market tomorrow.  We met with the Executive Director, gathered information, and toured the grounds.  It looks possible.  The campground only has electric and water with a dump station.  The price is right - $35 a night. Unfortunately, their refund policy is one-half paid a month or two out and no refunds.  Period.  That’s a tough policy.  Especially with a group where folks have to drop out for either RV problems or health issues.

      We drove into Grand Rapids and stopped at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. There was no one there to speak with but the clerk at the register gave me a business card for the event coordinator.  The museum is huge and we think the group will enjoy the tour.

       We drove to Coopersville to check out a train ride.  No one was around to ask for details.  Right down the street were two places of interest: The Farm Museum and the Historical Museum.  If we can get something going with a train ride, we would come in early, explore these two places, break for lunch, then go on the train.  I have to try to reach someone by email.

      One of our stops included South Haven where there is a Maritime Museum.  It looked like a very interesting place.  There was an old sloop out in the harbor loaded with visitors and another boat that was also giving rides.  The town looks like a cute little place to explore.  We are doing a much bigger and more interesting maritime museum in UPI so I’m not sure we would include this in the itinerary.  Probably tell people about it so they can go on their own if they want.

2024 Aug 23 (Fri) – We left the Great Lakes Naval Station campground at 8:30 a.m.  It was a very long drive to Zeeland (in the Holland Township).  We took a quick ride up here to check out this campground and area for next year’s caravan.  We only have electric and water hookup and they charged 99.45 for 2 nights!  Things have gotten so damned expensive out here.  The campground is spread among trees with another section sitting out in the open (that’s where we are).  The roads are dirt.  Campsites are grass.  There is a large pool.  The bathrooms look ultra modern and super clean.  The laundry room has 3 washers and 3 dryers; all new and clean.

      After set up, we went out for a late lunch at Farmhouse Restaurant.  I ordered a chicken bake and got a bowl with mashed potatoes, corn, chicken and crispy onion rings crushed on top.  It was an interesting and tasty meal. 

      After lunch, we drove into Holland to look at the Holland Princess boat where we plan to take the group on a dinner cruise.  It was 5:15 p.m. and folks were starting to line up for their cruise.  Guess they load at 5:30 and sail at 6 p.m.  There was no one to talk to about a group tour but I have been corresponding by email already.  We walked down the pier and back.  There were some big piles of goose poop along the pier.  Disgusting.

      We drove around the town, looking at various possibilities for the group.  The wooden shoe factory is small and won’t take more than an hour. 

[auuo]

The Grilled Tomato Basil Burgers are a tasty change from the usual burger. You can taste the fresh basil and tomatoes as they are grilled at your summer cookout. It's great for a quick and tasty meal.

Ingredients: 1 lb ground beef. 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped. 2 large tomatoes, sliced. 4 hamburger buns. 4 slices of mozzarella cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Olive oil for grilling. Lettuce leaves for garnish.

Instructions: Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. In a mixing bowl, combine the ground beef and chopped basil. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Divide the beef mixture into 4 equal portions and shape them into burger patties. Brush the tomato slices with olive oil and season them with salt and pepper. Grill the burger patties and tomato slices for about 4-5 minutes per side or until the burgers are cooked to your desired level of doneness and the tomatoes are slightly charred. During the last minute of grilling, place a slice of mozzarella cheese on each burger patty and let it melt. Toast the hamburger buns on the grill for a minute or until lightly browned. Assemble the burgers by placing a lettuce leaf on the bottom bun, followed by the grilled burger patty, a slice of grilled tomato, and the top bun. Serve the Grilled Tomato Basil Burgers hot with your favorite condiments and enjoy!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Gerald C