Thankfully, no fee

I read recently that Cape Elizabeth residents had voted, 3,145 – 1,951, to reject charging non-residents fees at Fort Williams Park. It was a resounding defeat. It would have cost non-residents $5 a day, or $25 a season, to use the park. Buses would have had to pay $20 a day, or $100 for a seasonal pass. Cape residents would park free when displaying a recycling center car decal.

The park has a nice walking path to the Portland Head Light lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse on the Maine coast (1791), overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. There are a museum and gift shop there, too. There are also many parking spaces, and picnic tables on the lawns, as well as benches along the path.

It is a beautiful place to take your summer guests, with an outstanding view of the islands in the bay beyond.

An upbeat end to the year

The famous and successful golfer, Tiger Woods, ended 2006 as the PGA’s Player of the Year for the seventh time. He had a sad loss in the death of his father, in May. They had been very close. The Boston Herald’s Dec. 18 article had a good report on his wins this year – the Torrey Pines, at the Buick Invitational match in early 2006, and Dec. 7 at the Target World Challenge tournament in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Tiger is a respected athlete, even by some of us who have never played golf, and that sport is much pleasanter to watch than many of the football games I occasionally see on TV.

Big loser a big winner

Pictures of Erik Chopin of West Islip, N.Y., in the Dec. 16 Boston Herald were amazing: Before, 407 pounds, and after, down to 193 pounds.

He was prepared to go for gastric band surgery to slim down before he was chosen for a weight-loss competition. Instead, he went to a weight-loss ranch in California, with 49 other contestants, to film the reality show, “The Biggest Losers.” He won the title, and the $250,000 grand prize.

The brief article didn’t tell how long he was in the program, or his age. He appears to be in his early 40s. It is a remarkable story. Let’s hope he can stay on a sensible diet from now on.

Not for Erik Chopin

One of my Christmas gifts was a new cookbook, the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library “Employees’ Association Cookbook,” 2005. Here is a recipe from that book, submitted by Anne Heimes.

KUGEL (NOODLE PUDDING)

1/4 pound medium egg noodles

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup raisins

4 apples (large size) grated

1/4 pound margarine, melted

3 eggs, whole

Cook and drain noodles. Put noodles and all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Grease a rectangular baking pan; put noodle mixture in pan and bake at 350 degrees for 3/4 hour or until brown.