Rabbit's Bakery, Lake City, Minnesota Field Report

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One the second day of a vacation at Stockholm, Wisconsin, we crossed the border back into Minnesota to visit Rabbit's Bakery in Lake City. We got there just before noon, so that baking for the day was over, but the wood-fired oven was being heated up for the next day's baking.


There were lots of tasting things in case waiting to be chosen. We saw lots of people coming in to buy things or to have lunch at the bakery cafe.


There was some breads of the day on the rack waiting to be taken, a menu for drinks on the wall. You can also see a sign for pizza (lower right), which they currently make once a month.


They have their distinctive sign hanging outside their door.


Here you can see the chimney stack and cinder block addition for their wood-fired oven. It looks like they also added some additional venting.


Just in case you can't find it going by the address, they also have a distinctive sign on the exterior wall of their bakery building.

Everything we bought was good. I'll certainly stop by again if I'm in the area.

D'Amico & Sons, Golden Valley, Minnesota Field Report

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While looking for a place to eat dinner after attending an art exhibition at the Perpich Center for Arts Education I did a "search nearby" and found that there was a D'Amico & Sons location at 7804 Olson Memorial Highway, Golden Valley, MN 55437, about a mile away. Looking at the reviews on Trip Advisor for the restaurant, I saw one where it mentioned "wood fired oven" so that restaurant location seemed worth a try.

This time I didn't have my camera with me, so there are no pictures.

There is a menu that you can download from their page. The actual selections available in the restaurant were a bit broader.

The good news: They really do have and use a wood-fired oven to bake their pizza.

The bad news: They run their oven at a comparatively low 500 degrees or so.

As a result, their wood-fired pizza is just OK.

I ordered their Neapolitan (a highly ironic name considering the temperature of true Neapolitan pizza ovens), which had fresh mozzarella, tomato sauce, and basil. The pizza was thin crust, not overloaded, and had a bit of char on the bottom. It would have definitely benefited from some attention from a bubble popper. A couple of big bubbles had pushed the sauce and cheese away from substantial portions of my pizza.

Even with those problems, it was a pretty tasty pizza, and one I would order again.

Bill's Bread, Vashon, Washington

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A friend on Facebook shared a link to video about a wood-fired bakery on Vashon Island in Washington State named Bill's Bread. The video link is here. Apparently Bill doesn't have a web site. I did find some information on a Manta page.

I also found an older blog post that mentioned Bill's Bread.

His story sounds like a real, down-to-earth guy who discovered his life's work making people's food lives a bit richer.

I'll have to see if I can meet him the next time I'm in Washington.

it's been about a week since I last wrote

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It's been about a week since I last wrote about things. My move is almost complete and starting anew in Hallandale beach. A half mile from the beach.
A comment I wanted to make..did you know we travel agents can generally match any price you see on the internet and give you personalized service too. Fix anything that is wrong. Let the resort know that you are a VIP and just general service that you wouldn't get from booking online. I had someone call me yesterday and ask about a resort. They had already booked using one of the big name online companies but really didn't know much about the resort. I had been there and I tell it like it is usually and after I gave her my honest opinion...she asked, "how can I change my destination?" I said had you booked thru me...a travel professional you wouldn't be in the position you are in because I would have told you not to go there in the first place.
What one person likes...another person might not. You need to tell you agent your likes and dislikes and what you are looking for in a resort. It's your hard earned money you are spending and when you book online you don't know what you are getting because ALL OF THE PHOTOS LOOK FABULOUS!!
I have been there. I am a specialist. I know and I am honest.
And I do want your business

it's been a while

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It's been a long while since my last post. But I am back and ready to tell you everything you need to know about travel.
I will tell you a story. I had a call from a past customer telling me that the upcoming trip they had booked was a destination wedding and the travel agent the bride had chosen had held no rooms for the guests. In my mind, that is unheard of..but without knowing who the agent was, I made phone calls to find out if any rooms were being held by this agent. The answer was no. The mother of the bride, the maid of honor and many guest were not going to be able to go to the resort. The resort was sold out. The agent they had used was inept.
Did I mention that this was a Sandals resort and when I checked there were absolutely no rooms available. So I did what I do best..I work for the customer..my customers who chose the wrong travel agent for their special day.
I was not going to let them pay for it by having this wedding turn into a disaster.
I was able to find 5 rooms for these customers and they considered me their savior. I am no savior; I am just a knowledeable travel professional who knows what I am doing.
Be careful when planning a very special destination event. Make sure the travel agent knows what she is doing. Make sure you get everything confirmed ..do not take the agent's word for it, or you do can have a disaster in the making.
Hopefully the upcoming wedding will be perfect...
Congratulations to the bride and groom

SEGD to Hold Accessibility Webinar January 10

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 Washington, DC, USA -- Two months after the release of the SEGD 2012 ADA White Paper Update, SEGD is continuing its Accessibility webinar series with a focus on the White Paper and Signage Requirements in the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design. Join the chief authors of the 2012 ADA White Paper Update—Ken Ethridge, Chris Calori, and Teresa Cox—at 2 p.m. Thursday, January 10, for a discussion of the primary changes to the previous accessibility guidelines. This webinar will focus on the three remaining sections of the document: Calculations, FAQs, and Appendix (Acceptable Typefaces).

Fees
SEGD Members $75
Non-Members $200

To register for the webinar on Thursday, January 10, click here.
To download the SEGD 2012 ADA White Paper Update, click here.
Sponsored by Nova Polymers.

Wet 'n' Wild Las Vegas Announces Senior Management

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 Las Vegas, NV, USA -- Two amusement and water park industry experts have joined the Wet ‘n’ Wild Las Vegas management team.Takuya Ohki has been named general manager, and Rick Belhumeur is director of operations and maintenance. Both are highly regarded managers at Village Roadshow Theme Parks, a part of Village Roadshow Limited, internationally recognized as one of the largest and most diverse entertainment companies in the world.

Ohki was the general manager of Wet ‘n’ Wild Hawaii in Oahu following its 2008 acquisition by Village Roadshow Theme Parks when it was Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park. His responsibilities covered revenue generation, marketing, sales, finance, guest satisfaction, operations and maintenance, park safety and human resources, and he managed the $8 million capital transformation and rebranding of the park to its current name. In 1999, Ohki joined Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park – then a new start-up tourism venture – and worked in all facets of park operations in positions of increasing responsibility.

Ohki has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Brigham Young University-Hawaii.

Belhumeur will oversee Wet ‘n’ Wild Las Vegas’ aquatics, loss prevention, facilities and park services departments. He joined Village Roadshow Theme Park in 2009 during construction of its second U.S. water park in Phoenix and was a vital member of the park’s start-up management team, helping create and implement many of the company’s standard operating procedures and policies. Additionally Belhumeur oversaw the construction of unique products including the world’s first Constrictor water slide and the two-acre expansion of Wet ‘n’ Wild JR, the park’s children’s area.

Belhumeur’s experience includes operations and construction management positions at several Paramount Park theme parks and the Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

He has a degree in applied social science fromJ. Sergeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond, Va., and is a Jeff Ellis & Associates Lifeguard Instructor, National Aquatic Safety Company Instructor-Trainer and Certified Pool Operator.

About Wet ‘n’ WildLas Vegas
Wet ‘n’ Wild Las Vegas will be Nevada’s largest water park and home to more than 25 exhilarating slides and attractions. It is expected to open in May 2013 with attractions ranging from extreme water slides, including the first-of-its-kind in North America three-person Rattler, to family friendly interactive play areas. Valued at more than $50 million, the 41-acre park is ideally located in southwestLas Vegas near the I-215 and Sunset Road at7055 S. Fort Apache Rd.,Las Vegas, NV 89148 on a parcel of land leased from The Howard Hughes Corporation. Project investors include Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, Dr. Steven and Karen Thomas of the Thomas and Mack family of Las Vegas, Roger and Scott Bulloch of SPB Partners and Australian entertainment conglomerate Village Roadshow Limited which also will manage the park along with holding a 51 percent ownership. For more information, visit www.WetnWildLasVegas.com.