Guess where I'm writing this column from? Ocean City, Md. Hooray! I'm on the front porch of our hotel on the boardwalk. There are six of us here. Our apartment is on the fourth floor looking right straight at the ocean. It's a beautiful apartment - well stocked with everything. It even has a bookcase with 42 books you can choose from to read. What I love is watching the ocean waves and right now the many many dolphins swimming back and forth. What is a major plus for me is the convenient path from the boardwalk down to the ocean. So easy to walk on when you have a bum foot.

Our family has been coming to Ocean City since 1962. My Auburn family and friends would meet my family who live in Washington. Sometimes there would be enough to fill two apartments, at least 12 to 16 of us. Believe me, we had so much fun - the ocean, the boardwalk, the game rooms. I must say our kids not only loved it but behaved so beautifully because there was always so many different things to do that none of them were ever bored. The friends that came with us as children so many years ago still talk about it as adults.

A couple weeks ago, I was up very early and the lights at Springside were on. It was 5 a.m. and the banquet room was lit up. In the many years I worked there, sometimes it would be 2 a.m. before I got home, but I never had to be at work before 5 a.m. When I headed downtown and passed the high school, the parking lot was jammed full. I still didn't know only until I read the article written that week in this paper about the Bon Ton Roulet Finger Lakes Bike race. The racers were eating breakfast at the inn. There were many many people actually from around here and several states who tour the Finger Lakes on bicycles. What an ambitious group they were to pedal for miles sightseeing. I love reading about things like that, but, of course, I couldn't do that. When we left Auburn to come to Ocean City, they still hadn't returned and there were 480 of them.

Here in Ocean City no one is swimming yet this morning but people are bicycling on the boardwalk. There are a lot of bicycles and some little carts with four people pedaling. It's a fun thing to do. It's very quiet this morning, but at night, the boardwalk is packed and very, very noisy.

There were several good events in Auburn last week. Options for Independence had a really great turnout for its conference to celebrate 18 years since the American Disabilities Act was passed. A wonderful, wonderful thing to have. That wasn't around when our generation was growing up.

The other fundraiser held was for the Cayuga/Seneca Community Action Agency. That was a great event. There were samples of wine and foods from 18 businesses donated from Cayuga and Seneca counties. More than 500 people attended.

Several class reunions were held on the weekend - including mine and my sisters. Those are fun.

The Italian American club had its annual picnic. Everyone brought a dish to pass. The food is always amazing.

Well after my dip in the ocean, I am going to the Greek Festival with my son and his family, who live here. Talk about good food. I love that festival. I wonder why?

This is a great start for fun things to do for the next three or four weeks. I hope everyone has a pleasant, healthy August.

My ethnic recipe this week is Greek (aren't you surprised?). My other recipe is for crab quiche.

Today's blooper

Having your family for dinner is a better way to deal with a blooper. My friend was making Jell-O and grabbed two packages. One was orange flavored and one was grape. She refrigerated the bowl and, when she took it out to serve, she didn't pay attention to it.

She put it at the table. Her family said “ugh” in unison and refused to try it. It had turned out to be a terrible shade of gray.

Diana Sobus, of Auburn, specializes in making ethnic foods.

Paximadi (Biscotti)

1/2 pound butter

2 cups sugar

6 eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

4 teaspoons baking powder

4 1/2 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar.

Add beaten eggs, vanilla and almond extract.

Sift baking powder and flour together and add to butter/egg mixture.

Refrigerate for an hour or two.

Flour hands well and shape dough into three long and narrow loaves. Place on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake in a 350 degree oven until almost done. Remove from oven and cut diagonal slices.

Turn cut sides up on baking sheet, and bake until lightly brown and crisp.

Crab Quiche

Makes 5-6 servings

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons onions, chopped

6 ounces fresh crabmeat

1 9-inch pie shell partially baked

1 tablespoon parmesan cheese, grated

2 cups swiss cheese, grated

4 large eggs

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

Dash of cayenne pepper

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a skillet, heat butter and saute onion until tender. Add crabmeat and heat through.

Sprinkle bottom of pie shell with parmesan cheese. Place onion and crabmeat mixture in pie shell. Then cover with grated swiss cheese.

Mix eggs, cream, salt and cayenne pepper, and slowly pour mixture over ingredients in pie shell.

Bake on top rack of oven for 25 minutes.

Let cool before slicing and serving.