Tag Archives: technique

At Long Last!

I’d never played tennis until I met Ron just over three years ago.  He’s been very patiently teaching me proper technique and fundamentals – I’ve had the benefit of the greatest instruction from the BEST teacher and I was starting to wonder (and I’m sure he was!) if I was ever going to attain a reasonable level of competence.

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I’ve felt a self-imposed pressure to play well so that it reflects well on Ron, who is truly a great instructor.  Ron’s motive has been to get me to a level of proficiency so that I enjoy the game, am able to play with him or anyone else, to play well and to be able to hold my own in both singles and doubles matches.

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At the end of February, we spent just over a week at Ron’s sister and brother-in-law’s magnificent home in Ajijic where they have a beautiful tennis court (thank you so much Mary and John for everything!), followed by ten days in Palm Desert where we played most days at our friend’s club (sincere thanks, Pete!) where he is the Director of Tennis.  After many hours of concentrated tennis on this trip, I finally “got it” and began playing with much greater consistency and competence.  All of those hours that Ron has invested in me are finally starting to pay off.

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I have a long way to go to be a consistently strong player, but I feel that I’m on the road and so much closer.  Thank you, Ron, for not giving up on me.  I love the game and am very excited to continue to progress and become a player that Ron can be proud of and that I now know I can be.

Toasting Spices

Toasting spices is a technique used to deepen and intensify the flavors of spices.  Spices take on enhanced flavor when exposed to heat.

To toast dry spices, heat a small nonstick skillet over medium heat for 1 minute.  Place whole or ground spices in skillet and stir until very fragrant and the color begins to deepen (be careful not to overcook or burn).  Remove from heat and cool.  If using seeds, use a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder to grind into powder.  We generally only toast the spices that we need immediately as the intensity of the flavor diminishes after about 1 week.