Churchill garden party

Churchillians recently enjoyed the company of Pam and Ed and the friendly surroundings of their cottage garden.

Nominally designed as a send-off for Barry's Grand Titon adventure, the Saturday evening gathering a fortnight ago was a roaring success.

We convened under a tent, surrounded by green and flowers and soothed by the sounds of Pam's hand-made water fountain. Tiny white lights twinkled in a nearby tree.

Pam regaled us with stories of the first visit to a new foodie hangout in Palm Beach - Market Salamander. We had no idea that she was such a gourmand!

Ed had everyone in stitches with the recollections of a simpler time on Churchill Road - when the disoriented pizza delivery man tried to drop off a pie at their bathroom window.

And the days have flown since then - and Barry has come and gone from her grand adventure. Your loyal correspondent even spotted her most recent hiking picture on the wall of the neighborhood gym!

ANOTHER GOOD RESTAURANT NEAR CHURCHILL

(Photo by Churchillian)


A colorful atmosphere and good Mexican food is a short walk away for Churchillians.
The Montezuma Restaurant is on the west side of Dixie Highway, in the Pizza de Roma strip shopping center about a block north of Churchill. The place doesn't look like much from the outside.
But step inside, and the smell of sauteeing vegetables and sight of bright-colored walls make a cheerful atmosphere.
On a recent Friday night, we were quickly greeted by a friendly waitress who had no problem switching from the Spanish to English. She brought a bowl of warm chips and cold, lively salsa, which were excellent and set a relaxed tone.
Pina coladas, margaritas and sangria are available. We had a Mexican beer and margarita and relaxed before ordering.
The inside walls are splashed with the bright green, white and red of the Mexican flag. There is a small bar with a half-dozen stools, and maybe a dozen tables with intricately designed tile tops. The floor is shiny red Mexican tile. We liked the fact the tables are not crunched together. The music was just right, not too loud.
My chimichanga was a mix of three burrito styles -- rice, chicken and steak. The red and green peppers and onions were all softly sauteed, and the meat was cooked just right and just spicy enough. Combined with the black beans and rice, it was a colorful, authentic-tasting meal.
My dining companion's chicken burrito was not as good. The chicken chunks inside were spicy and well cooked. But the pastry wrapping was a little too much. On a second visit, I ended up just eating the innards and leaving the pastry.
We had the burrito, chimichanga, three beers and two margaritas. The total bill -- before the tip -- was $28.

ANOTHER GREAT DAY ON THE LIGHT MAYO!

Tom and brother Paul have been haulin' em in since they bought the yellow and white boat last month.
Both are fishermen from way back growing up in Minnesota.
Besides the wahoo (pictured) the two -- and skipper Noah -- have been coming in with dolphin and grouper.
But catching fish ain't everything.
Tom says he's been thrilled by hooking a few sailfish, watching the bluish muscle fish dance on their tails.

The results are in

WEST PALM BEACH - After a rollicking election night -- at one point because of an election office screw-up both candidates thought they had won! -- the West Palm Beach mayor is...

Lois Frankel.

A Palm Beach Post breakdown of the precinct by precinct results showed that challenger Al Zucaro won most votes on the south end of town. Our neighborhood.

That would explain all the Zucaro signs dotting Churchill.

As the defeated candidate said in his concession note this afternoon: Time to heal.

GOING, GOING...GONE

The big machines did their job today, and the house at 203 Churchill Road (east of Olive) is no more.



Amazing how long it takes to build a house. And in just a few hours, it's nothing all over again.



There's got to be something profound in there, somewhere.


(Photos by Churchillian)

Kiss that Mini good bye :(

Churchillians gathered along the street Saturday afternoon and the subject of yet another car accident just up the road came up.

Little did we know that our neighbor (and Carolyn's sister) Cheri was the latest motorist involved in a wreck on Dixie Highway.

Cheri was heading south on Dixie, just two blocks south of Churchill (near Colonial) when she signalled for a left turn. One car whizzed around her and then the next car rear-ended her and her cute white Mini Cooper with the black top.

Cheri was taken out of the Mini through the roof and an ambulance brought her to Good Sam. Fortunately, her injuries weren't serious and she was able to come home the same day.

The Mini was not so lucky. It was totaled. The other driver, by the way, was cited for the accident.

LATEST FORECAST: DRILLING AND HAMMERING

With a slow real estate market, the owner of 203 Churchill Road is tearing down the single-story house and replacing it with a two-story building.
The red-trimmed house with the new landscaping has been for sale for about a year.
The demolition team was ripping out the trees today. Daves Sikes, who owns the company, said the trees were too pretty to throw away and would be saved and used somewhere else.
The crew plans to return tomorrow (Tuesday) and finish ripping down the house and detached garage.
"This house'll be gone by the end of the day tomorrow," said Sikes, a Loxahatchee resident.



(Photos by Churchillian)

IS CHURCHILL ROAD A CRYSTAL BALL?

If election signs on Churchill Road are any indication, Al Zucaro wins tomorrow in a landslide.


Only one lonely yellow Lois! sign is perched on Churchill on election eve, stuck in the green grass on the northwest corner of Flagler Drive and Churchill.


(Photos by Churchillian)


Head west, and there's eight blue and white Zucaro signs before you get to Dixie Highway.

MINOR ACCIDENT ON CHURCHILL

(Photo by Churchillian)


One driver reported slight back injuries Friday night when two white pickup trucks collided at Dixie Highway and Churchill Road, across from Carvel Ice Cream.
The driver of the first pickup was travelling south on Dixie about 7 P.M. When he turned left onto Churchill, another pickup travelling north slammed into the passenger side of the southbound pickup, a police officer at the scene said. Both trucks ended up off Dixie, along the sidewak on the northeast corner of Dixie and Churchill.
No lanes were closed. A Sheehan's truck towed the southbound pickup. The other truck was able to drive away. Neither driver required hospitalization, police said.
"Compared to most accidents on Dixie, this was an easy one," said the police officer as he watched to tow truck driver sweep up the broken glass and load the pickup.