The annual UHY Cares Texas Holdem charity fundraiser took place on February 7th at Petruzzello's Banquet Center in Rochester, Michigan. Although the weather was cold and snowy, the event was another huge success. Thank you to Steve McCarty and the entire UHY Cares team who put forward this great event, and to all the sponsors and players who always show up for the great annual event.
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Well, Super Bowl 59 was played and I am pretty sure if the Lions were in the game, they would have beat either team.  But the Philadelphia Eagles did beat the Kansas City Chiefs in a lopsided game. Congrats to our season 14 winner, Champ, who came from 2nd place and ended up winning the whole thing by only 2 points. We had 58 players during the season, and 55 who qualified for the playoffs. Thank you to our players for taking time the last 5 months to play along this year. I really appreciated it, and it's nice to see we had more players this year than ever before! Check out the final standings on the Pigskin Pickem page at http://www.mccartymetro.com/pickem.html.

Chuck & Jane left Boston for Ecuador on February 6^th but didn’t get to the Galapagos until the 8^th. Ecuador is obsessive about keeping exotic and invasive species, and deadly pathogens, out of the islands, so the restrictions and inspections for getting there almost make it like a separate country within the country. We did a land tour, not a cruise, and stayed on Isabela, the largest island, and Santa Cruz, the most populous. We also took a day trip to Bartolomé Island. We left on the 16^th, arriving home on the 17^th.

Our most exciting experiences were our encounters with the wildlife—the land tortoises and the sea turtles, the amazing tropical sea life, including rays, colorful parrot fish and clown fish, sharks, lobsters, seahorses, and huge, iridescent schools of who-knows-what?  The birds were also a treat, especially the blue footed boobies and the penguins. The sea lions were everywhere, but mostly on the docks and the benches at bus stops. (Do they get a discount fare?) We think these photos will give you an idea of what we saw, but they only scratch the surface.

View from the top of Bartolome - Jane, Chuck, and friends

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Chuck swims with a sea turtle - And the turtle swims off

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Jane snorkeling - We pose by a tortoise

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Chuck & Jane with a sea lion - Marine iguana

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Blue footed boobies - Sea lions up close and personal

Here are some recent travel destinations from our readers...

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Did you travel recently? Send us your destination and pictures to mccartymetro@gmail.com

Dear Editor: Recently I found myself to be a passenger in a Chevy Trax. I was surprised to find that the passenger seat does not have an armrest for the passenger, yet it does have an armrest for the driver. Seeing as you are a Trax owner, is the lack of an armrest a space issue as there seemed to be no significant space between the driver and passenger? -Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty I'm free at last

ED NOTE: I always say that the Trax is small but roomy! It is quite possible they try to make it more spacious inside by not including a passenger arm rest. My British friend who is a rather large man with a bit of a potty mouth also owns a Chevy Trax. He must also think it is really-really small inside because I asked him about his Trax and what he uses it for, he just shakes his head and says in his British accent, "It drives me nuts!"

For those that do not speak the language, Le' Food is French for "The Food"! Here you can find some of our Metro family favorite recipe and tips.

Readers, email me at mccartymetro@gmail.com to submit your favorite recipe for inclusion in an upcoming issue.

Taco Stew (super quick & easy) Submitted by Donna Ingredients: Angus Ground Beef - 1 lb. Corn - 1 can Black Beans - 1 can Taco Seasoning - 1 envelope Tortilla Chips - 1 bag Directions:  Brown a pound of Angus. Dump in a can of corn & a can of black beans (including liquid). Rinse cans with a half inch of water each, dump in with one envelope taco seasoning. Bring to a boil, stir until thickened, about five minutes. Great with tortilla chips!

Cucumber Squares (everyone loves them) Submitted by Kitty Ingredients: Cream Cheese - 8 oz 'Good Seasoning Italian Salad Dressing' - 1 envelope Hellmann's Mayonnaise - 2 tablespoons Garlic - Just a dash Cucumber - sliced Directions:  Mix all the ingredients together. Spread this on tiny pumpernickle or rye snack bread. Top with a slice of cucumber. Everyone loves them, even those that don't necessarily like cucumbers.