SPOTLIGHT STORY- GREG SMITHWICK FROM SO LOCAL PASCO

Hello all,

Today my Spotlight story is about  Greg smithwick. He is the owner of Spare Room Studio Inc., and producer, writer and host of the podcast and blog So Local Pasco. Here is his story:

Greg has worked in radio broadcasting across the Tampa Bay Area, in formats ranging from classical to oldies, to talk radio.  He is an accomplished radio commercial producer, voicing and writing hundreds of original radio ads and promotional spots. He and Joebucsfan.com publisher Steve Isbitts had the first national soccer talk related radio show in the U.S. during the 90s.  Soccer Friendly Radio was heard in 18 cities, from Miami to San Jose.

He works from Spare Room Studio, Inc...Which is LITERALLY a spare room in his home.  His idea was to simplify systems, and create a broadcast quality program with low overhead and an organic, LOCAL feel.  The Studio runs on a seven year old PC, and mostly analog audio gear.  This is what gives the show an authentic feel...That it is being made by an old broadcaster, who knows the tools are less important than the ideas and words.  While he strives for technical excellence, he is learning that sound quality is really only important to OTHER media people. His goal is to create a network of broadcast quality news and information programs for web and streaming distribution.

So Local Pasco is a daily (Mon thru Friday) podcast, usually under 20 minutes in length.  The podcast covers news, culture, events, and music in WEST Pasco County. Greg defines “So Local Pasco” country as county line to county line, from the US41 corridor to Anclote Keys in the Gulf. In its first month, the solocalpasco.com website garnered 1800 page views, which showed that there was a need and desire for a new form of media delivery in West Pasco County.  As of July 28th, 2016, his monthly page views have shot up over 4,000. A result of more directly challenging programs related to local government. Between the website, the subscriptions to the podcast via iTunes and other streaming services, and Facebook and Twitter, So Local Pasco is positioned to be one of the foremost providers of LOCAL content in Pasco County. If you are involved in a charitable effort, or a community service effort, we will cover your efforts. If you are a self promoting band or musician, we will do our best to cover you. If you have a story idea, you can contact him at :



WEB-

www.solocalpasco.com
Facebook:

Greg Smithwick
So Local Pasco page

Phone:

(727)859-8537

E Mail:

gregsmithwick@gmail.

HOW TO MAKE THE WORLD'S BEST BREAD PUDDING RECIPE!

Hello all,

I love sweets, especially desserts. One in particular is bread pudding. I've been searching for a good easy recipe for bread pudding and I think I've found it. I am definitely trying this one out soon!:

BREAD PUDDING WITH SALTED CARAMEL WHISKEY BUTTER SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

(custard)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup Irish whiskey
5 eggs
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
8 slices firm white bread
3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature

(salted caramel whiskey butter sauce)
1/4 cup cubed unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 1/4 cups heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl combine raisins and whiskey, let soak 1 hour. Butter 2 qt. rectangle pan and set aside.
For the custard, in a large bowl whisk together sugar, eggs cream, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla. Generously spread one side of each bread slice with butter, cut each slice in half diagonally. Arrange in rectangle pan, overlapping slices. Drain raisins and save the whiskey. sprinkle them over the bread. Pour custard over bread and let soak in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375. Place uncovered baking dish in a large baking pan. Add hot water halfway up the sides of the dish. Bake 45 minutes until pudding is set and golden brown. Remove baking dish from water bath and let cool.
For the sauce melt butter over medium heat in a 2 qt. pan. Whisk in sugar, salt and cream and 3 tbsp. of the whiskey. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until slightly thickened. Serve warm pudding with sauce and enjoy! Serves 12.

AUSTIN TEXAS IS GOING BATTY!

Hello all,

Austins going batty ! That's right, every year people come from all over to see bat season in Austin. The season runs from March to November. This is when the bats migrate from Mexico to Austin to feed and then give birth. They are Mexican free tail bats.  I would not even of known about this if I hadn't been there visiting my daughter. The phenomenon is very popular among Austinites, as there were hundreds there for the viewing on the night I went. When we were present, they had a table out belonging to the Bat Conservation handing out literature.

You can see the bats come out nightly on the southeast side of the South Congress Bridge. It is the largest urban bat colony in North America. They look like a dense black cloud. You can hear a high pitched chirping noise when you get close enough. Their population is around 750,000  pregnant female bats. They each give birth to one pup in early June. The babies only stay around for this first season. The mother bats always try to return where they gave birth at the year before. The bats live for about 9 years, and will weigh about 9 grams when grown. They eat about 20,000 pounds of bugs nightly.

The bats start flying out around sunset. They usually do this for a few hours. Late July into August is when you can start seeing the baby bats fly out. Then the population increases to 1.5 million.  Austin calls this their peak bat season. They return in the morning to the bridge about 30 minutes before sunrise. They start their migration back to Mexico in November.

If you go they have a parking lot next to the bridge that charges $6 for parking. If you walk 1/4 mile down, you will see a parking lot to park in for free. They even have bat viewing cruises you can take so you can watch it all from the water. Whichever way you go, it definitely is a sight to see!

TOP BEST FLORIDA ZOOS AND AQUARIUMS

Hello all,

Vacation time is upon us and we are all searching for what to do. I have compiled a list of Florida's best zoos and aquariums:

Discovery Cove(Orlando)- At this place you can swim with the dolphins, feed tropical birds, and snorkel through a saltwater reef. This place is pricey. Admission- $269-399 depending on if you want to swim with the dolphins.

Busch Gardens(Tampa)- This place is a lot of fun. Besides having many fun rides, they also have a lot of shows and animals. My favorites are Curiosity Caverns, Myombe Reserve, and Edge of Africa. Admission $79.00 for 3 and older.

Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium(Sarasota)- They have many close-up hands-on animal exhibits here. You cab touch rays at their ref animal exhibit, and sea otters, sea turtle and manatees. they also have a shark encounter where you can prepare and feed sharks brunch with staff during a training session. There is a seperate $45 fee for this. Admission- Adults (13 and older) $19.75. Kids (4-12) $14.75.

Big Cat Rescue(Tampa)- This is one of the largest sanctuaries in the world for abused or abandoned big cats. They have 80+ lions, tiger, bobcats, cougars and others. you'll need to schedule tour for here. Admission Adults $36.00, Kids (10 and under) $19.00.

Florida Aquarium(Tampa)- They have many animal exhibits here where you can view snakes, 30 species of free flying birds, a Goliath Grouper, eels, stingrays and sea horses. For and extra fee you can go on a dolphin cruise, swim or scuba dive with their fish, or a behind the scenes tour or penguin pass. Admission- Adults $24.96,  Kids(3-11) $19.95.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium(Clearwater)- This marine life rescue center is home to Winter the Dolphin from the movies Dolphin Tale 1 and 2. Both movies were filmed here. Here you can see marine animals and sea turtle exhibits. You can feed their stingrays and sharks. You can take a boat tour of the waterways or a trolley to Winters Dolphin Tale Adventure where you can see a museum of props and sets from the movies. Admission-Adults $21.95, Kids $16.95.

Sarasota Jungle Gardens(Sarasota)- They have over 200 animals including parrots, macaws, primates, amphibians, tortoises, reptiles and small animals. About 95% of the animals here are rescues. They have animals here you can touch like flamingos, skunks and snakes. Admission- Adults $17.99, Kids $12.99.

Monkey Jungle(Miami)- Here you can view wildlife like they would be in their natural habitats. Here you can experience unique up close encounter in this 30 acre park. you can see the Java monkey troop that numbers 90 monkeys. They dive into a monkey swimming pools collecting crabs and shellfish. You can also see orangutans and gorillas and take a rain forest adventure tour. . Admission-
$29.95, Kids(3-9) $23.95.

So go take a walk on the wild side and enjoy!

MY RECIPE CORNER- MOUTHWATERING SLOW COOKER MONGOLIAN BEEF

Hello all,

I came across the mouthwatering recipe for slow cooker mongolian beef on All Recipes and wanted to share it.  It looks easy to make and sounds so delicious. I will be having mine with rice. Enjoy:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 pounds beef flank steak
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cut carrots
3 chopped green onions
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp fresh minced ginger


Directions:

Spread cornstarch into a shallow and dredge steak to coat and place in crockpot.
Stir in water, soy sauce, brown sugar, carrots, green onions, oil, garlic and ginger together in a seperate bowl. Add to the crockpot.
Cook on high 2-3 hours, or on low for 4-5 hours.

HAUNTED FLORIDA

Hello all,

Florida is home to many places claiming to be haunted. I have compiled a list of those places that keep popping up on many sites I've seen:

St. Augustine Lighthouse- 3 children were killed here while it was being built. Many visitors report hearing children's laughter and feeling their clothing being tugged on. People have said they smelled cigar smoke when no one was around. Some have reported seeing images of former lighthouse keepers, and of one of their daughters who had slipped on the rocks below and died. You can also hear the sound of footsteps and see lights flickering going on and off. When we visited this place we witnessed a light going on and then off in an empty room. We also heard noises that couldn't be explained.

The Old Jail in St. Augustine-  Tour guides and visitors here have reported feeling cold spots and hearing the sounds of shuffling feet and shouts and wails. Some have reported seeing a large shadowy figure standing in a cell who is believed to be Sheriff Perry. It has been featured in many paranormal investigations. Many have gotten strange pictures inside and out of orbs, streaks of light, and shadows.

The Pritchard House in Titusville- People have observed strange noises,disembodies voices, objects moving, and a broken grandfather clock still sounding. Some say one of the ghosts who haunts this place is Lola Pauline Smith Pritchard. When she was alive, she hated people visiting her home.

Ma barker's house in Ocklawaha- Ma Barker who at one time was listed as the #1 most wanted fugitive in the U.S. died here. Her and son Freddy were killed in a shootout. It is said 2000 bullets were used that day. It is said there spirits haunt the home.

Belleview Biltmore Hotel in Clearwater- One couple who stayed at the hotel caught a picture of a ghost. In the picture there is a mist that resembles a person standing at the top of a staircase. One ghost hunter who was doing an investigation here reported seeing a misty figure of a woman in 1930's era clothing. He also heard a female voice saying "Don't go up there, they're mad at me."

Hamburger Mary's Orlando-  The building dates back to the 1800's and was originally a hardware store. Staff have reported seeing the ghost of a young girl dressed in Victorian era clothes. You can see her late at night, skipping around, waving at people and tapping on windows.

There were hundreds of haunted places to choose from for this story. I chose the ones with the most sightings. Any one you choose I'm sure you'll have a hauntingly good time!

FUN AT THE OLDEST CITY IN THE U.S.

Hello all,

Florida has a lot of places to see and visit and one of my favorite places is St. Augustine. It lays claim to being the oldest city in the U.S.  It is known as the Ancient City. It was founded 42 years before Jamestown. and 55 years before the Pilgrims arrived. St Augustine was founded by the Spanish explorer and admiral, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés in 1565. It still has a historic district lined with cobblestone streets that today are bustling with shops , delicious restaurants, and Inns.

 It is home to the Ponce De Leon's Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park. At the park there is a small fountain they say they believe was his fountain of youth and you can purchase bottles of water from the fountain. The park has many recreated Spanish and Tucuman Indian buildings you can walk in and explore. They also have guides dressed in period costumes that will tell you tales of life back then.  When we were there they had a demonstration with an ancient canon. A very nice place to visit.

 The city is home to the  Castillo De San Marcos, which is the oldest masonry fort in North America and the only one in the continental U.S. from the 17th century still standing. It is constructed of coquina rock and took 23 years to build. It has guarded St. Augustine for 300 years and is very well preserved and open to the public. This place is huge.

The city is also home to the worlds oldest Ripley's Believe it or Not that opened in 1950. It can also boast being home to the nations oldest wooden school house built in 1716. The school house has a small museum inside. Also there is the St. Augustine Lighthouse Tower that was built in 1874. It houses a maritime museum and is believed to be very haunted. When we were there we did notice a few strange noises and saw things like a light coming on in another room In fact, St. Augustine is reputedly one of the most haunted places in the country. You can take one of many ghost tours, or stay at its very own haunted St. Francis Inn. . St. Augustine is also home to the Potter Wax Museum, which is the oldest museum in the U.S. and has over 160 figures. Then there is one of Florida's oldest attraction St. Augustine  Alligator Farm and Zoological Park which opened in 1893.

 This city is so rich in history. But lets not forget its beautiful beaches, it is after all Florida. Its beaches stretch for more than 20 miles. Its most popular is Vilano Beach, which offers a fishing pier, para sailing sea do rentals, picnic shelters and outside showers. Vehicles are even permitted on this beach. There are also the Ponte Vedra Beac,. Crescent Beach, Anastasia State Park Beach, and St. Augustine Beach to name a few.

There's plenty to do and whatever you choose. you'll have a lot of fun visiting St. Augustine.