Where I was: Willmar, Minnesota High School.
Mascot: The Cardinals.
What I did: Attended the last day of Sonshine Festival, a festival of christian music.
The Expected: Corn dogs, t-shirt sales, funnel cakes, prayer groups, mosh pits, headbangers, tents, RV's
The Unexpected: A wedding/christening combo. Bride in white dress with baby in tow, harmonica-playing priest. (How someone can make such a mockery of virginity and all the other symbolism of the marriage ceremony is lost on me. But I am being judgemental. I don't have all the facts.) Middle aged people hesitantly jumping up and down during the concerts, imitating their children/grandchildren.
The drive: A couple of peaceful hours past miles of corn, wheat and soybean fields.
Lunch: Classic road food, cup of coffee, potato chips and a doughnut.
Why I went: To catch the last day of an event that has become a big part of the summer for my teenage daughter.
The drive back: There is no place to stop for coffee after midnight between Willmar and Minneapolis.
19 July 2009
16 July 2009
Listen to the pig
Oink.
It's been a long time coming, but things are getting better when it comes to my pork ribs. After pondering this problem for a while, and trying to think like the pig, I'm slowing navigating the maze of rib cookery. I'm ashamed to admit it, but one of my mistakes was a sense of entitlement, that somehow the ribs deserved as much use of the smoker as a brisket or a pork shoulder. This comes from watching too much cspan.
A big cut of meat can handle error. If you start out too hot or too cold you can adjust for it. Ribs are a little piece of meat on a big bone and you must not overcook. 6-8 hours is plenty, not the 12 or so for a shoulder. I've cut way back on the rub. Before, I was using a lot of brown sugar, which would only carmelize and blacken if left in the smoker too long. The result was a few nice specimens but mainly hard blackened sticks of bone that only a dog would tackle. I've found a light rub of salt, pepper, paprika, a little garlic powder, works fine. Heck, just salt and pepper works alright.
Listen to the pig, brother, listen to the pig. The pig has been talkin to me this year and oinkin that less is more when it comes to a dry rub. My stimulus package, well meaning as it was, was too much. I went overboard! I was thinkin about what looked good at the beginning, going into the smoker, rather than what worked coming out. This made sense to me, but not the pig. It took a while, but I finally got it. There's an analogy here to real life but this is more important.
Last weekend I kept them ribs in the smoker about 6 hours at 200-225. I laid a sheet of tin foil over them, not sealed, just a gentle blanket. Like the way you set a newspaper on your head when crossing the street in the rain. I thought this would help capture the smoke flavor without a lot of smoke buildup on the meat. It worked well.
When I took them off I wrapped them in foil with a light mix of apple juice, mustard, a little ketchup. Just enough to get a little nice steam going later. Let them set for a couple of hours, then put them back in the smoker, still wrapped in the foil for two more hours. Not perfect but a lot better than what I was turning out in the past. One of the toughest things about smokin ribs is the multiple pieces to the puzzle. There can be loads of unintended consequences. When I've messed up a batch I know it right away, but usually spend a half day trying to convince myself that "this isn't that bad". Once I come to my senses, figuring our why it's bad can take a while.
It's been a long time coming, but things are getting better when it comes to my pork ribs. After pondering this problem for a while, and trying to think like the pig, I'm slowing navigating the maze of rib cookery. I'm ashamed to admit it, but one of my mistakes was a sense of entitlement, that somehow the ribs deserved as much use of the smoker as a brisket or a pork shoulder. This comes from watching too much cspan.
A big cut of meat can handle error. If you start out too hot or too cold you can adjust for it. Ribs are a little piece of meat on a big bone and you must not overcook. 6-8 hours is plenty, not the 12 or so for a shoulder. I've cut way back on the rub. Before, I was using a lot of brown sugar, which would only carmelize and blacken if left in the smoker too long. The result was a few nice specimens but mainly hard blackened sticks of bone that only a dog would tackle. I've found a light rub of salt, pepper, paprika, a little garlic powder, works fine. Heck, just salt and pepper works alright.
Listen to the pig, brother, listen to the pig. The pig has been talkin to me this year and oinkin that less is more when it comes to a dry rub. My stimulus package, well meaning as it was, was too much. I went overboard! I was thinkin about what looked good at the beginning, going into the smoker, rather than what worked coming out. This made sense to me, but not the pig. It took a while, but I finally got it. There's an analogy here to real life but this is more important.
Last weekend I kept them ribs in the smoker about 6 hours at 200-225. I laid a sheet of tin foil over them, not sealed, just a gentle blanket. Like the way you set a newspaper on your head when crossing the street in the rain. I thought this would help capture the smoke flavor without a lot of smoke buildup on the meat. It worked well.
When I took them off I wrapped them in foil with a light mix of apple juice, mustard, a little ketchup. Just enough to get a little nice steam going later. Let them set for a couple of hours, then put them back in the smoker, still wrapped in the foil for two more hours. Not perfect but a lot better than what I was turning out in the past. One of the toughest things about smokin ribs is the multiple pieces to the puzzle. There can be loads of unintended consequences. When I've messed up a batch I know it right away, but usually spend a half day trying to convince myself that "this isn't that bad". Once I come to my senses, figuring our why it's bad can take a while.
14 July 2009
Baseball at the break
The All-Star break is here. As much as it is maligned, it is the only allstar game in any sport that gets any attention. And since it determines home field for the World Series, actually means something.
This year it's in St. Louis, the very center, the true nexus of the baseball universe. It should be there every year.
The United States' President will be at the game. The United States would be well served if Presidents spent every day of the season in a ball park. Spring training too.
Also worth noting, the astros are the team that every year bedevils the Cardinals. They can be 15 games back during the early season but no matter how bad or injury plagued they happen to be, in any given year they always manage to give the Cards a good scare. This is another such year. Ask me on any given day the team I worry about the most, the answer is always the same, the astros.
At the break....
NL Central
Cardinals
Brewers -2 1/2
Astros -3 1/2
another team -3 1/2
Reds -5
Pirates -9 1/2
This year it's in St. Louis, the very center, the true nexus of the baseball universe. It should be there every year.
The United States' President will be at the game. The United States would be well served if Presidents spent every day of the season in a ball park. Spring training too.
Also worth noting, the astros are the team that every year bedevils the Cardinals. They can be 15 games back during the early season but no matter how bad or injury plagued they happen to be, in any given year they always manage to give the Cards a good scare. This is another such year. Ask me on any given day the team I worry about the most, the answer is always the same, the astros.
At the break....
NL Central
Cardinals
Brewers -2 1/2
Astros -3 1/2
another team -3 1/2
Reds -5
Pirates -9 1/2
12 July 2009
A welcome visit
My mother was here this week. A special time. 81 years old and still teaching her son so many lessons about life and living out the passing of time.
She refuses to let aging get in the way of enjoying every day as much as she can. Her mind is so sharp. She will recall an old story from years past, engage in debate on a political issue, quote a poem from childhood, defend the faith, and on and on. She is frustrated by the things she forgets but this is more than offset by the spirit and purpose she brings to all her days.
In the past few days we've been on walks, drives through the country, a picnic at Lake Minnetonka, a trip to The General Store in Minnetonka, and an excursion to the city for dinner at Amore Victoria. Today we'll go to church, where some of my earliest and best memories of her were formed. She'll ask me questions throughout the morning about our services and little differences between the way yankees worship versus normal people back home. Our church is bigger than hers but we all know this doesn't always translate to better.
We will discuss church a lot today and I'll refrain from cuttiing the grass, though it needs it, and honor the Lord's Day like I should and as she wishes. She is rock solid in her faith and a firm anchor for her children and her grandchildren. The storms of life have never swayed her and never will.
Our drive yesterday left the Twin Cities around 9 and drove through Hastings, MN and down 35 Highway to Stockholm, Wisconsin. It was a beautiful day and the scenes along Lake Pepin were the high point of the drive. Why Stockholm? A few little shops with a mixture of local crafts and salvaged wares from sales at Target or Walmart. It has the Bogus Creek Cafe and Bakery, which is a great bakery but a lousy cafe. In the fall it is our destination to pick apples and see the changing leaves.
Then across the Mississippi back into Minnesota and the town of Red Wing. Had a great lunch at Marie's Casual Dining & Lounge, in the basement of a building at 217 Plum Street. The tab for four of us was 25.55 plus a healthy five bucks to the waitress from Mom. From there we headed home and got back around 2pm.
Today we will have another nice lunch, watch a movie, play a board game. When the Cardinals game comes on this evening she'll watch a few inning with me. They play another national league team, one from Chicago. But the day will be waning by then and hard to say how much she'll stay up for. A day like this is boring fare for some, but for a guy who sees his Mom only a few times a year, a great way to spend a day.
She refuses to let aging get in the way of enjoying every day as much as she can. Her mind is so sharp. She will recall an old story from years past, engage in debate on a political issue, quote a poem from childhood, defend the faith, and on and on. She is frustrated by the things she forgets but this is more than offset by the spirit and purpose she brings to all her days.
In the past few days we've been on walks, drives through the country, a picnic at Lake Minnetonka, a trip to The General Store in Minnetonka, and an excursion to the city for dinner at Amore Victoria. Today we'll go to church, where some of my earliest and best memories of her were formed. She'll ask me questions throughout the morning about our services and little differences between the way yankees worship versus normal people back home. Our church is bigger than hers but we all know this doesn't always translate to better.
We will discuss church a lot today and I'll refrain from cuttiing the grass, though it needs it, and honor the Lord's Day like I should and as she wishes. She is rock solid in her faith and a firm anchor for her children and her grandchildren. The storms of life have never swayed her and never will.
Our drive yesterday left the Twin Cities around 9 and drove through Hastings, MN and down 35 Highway to Stockholm, Wisconsin. It was a beautiful day and the scenes along Lake Pepin were the high point of the drive. Why Stockholm? A few little shops with a mixture of local crafts and salvaged wares from sales at Target or Walmart. It has the Bogus Creek Cafe and Bakery, which is a great bakery but a lousy cafe. In the fall it is our destination to pick apples and see the changing leaves.
Then across the Mississippi back into Minnesota and the town of Red Wing. Had a great lunch at Marie's Casual Dining & Lounge, in the basement of a building at 217 Plum Street. The tab for four of us was 25.55 plus a healthy five bucks to the waitress from Mom. From there we headed home and got back around 2pm.
Today we will have another nice lunch, watch a movie, play a board game. When the Cardinals game comes on this evening she'll watch a few inning with me. They play another national league team, one from Chicago. But the day will be waning by then and hard to say how much she'll stay up for. A day like this is boring fare for some, but for a guy who sees his Mom only a few times a year, a great way to spend a day.
11 July 2009
Addresses
208 Willow Road, Savannah Georgia 1958 to 1962
7754 Massasoit, Oak Lawn, Ill, 1962-1963
5805 Annette, Pensacola Florida 1963-68
627 Barton Ave, Panama City, Florida 1968-1971
910 Everitt Avenue, Panama City, Florida 1971-1974
1835 Oklahoma Ave, NE, St. Petersburg, Florida 1974-1975
228 New Mens Dorm, SBU, Bolivar, Missouri 1975-1977
309 West Jefferson, Bolivar, Missouri 1977-1978
3200 Mary Street, Little Rock, Arkansas 1978-1979
301 West 33rd, Apts 209C and 221F, Pine Bluff, Arkansas 1979-1984
1803 Elm, Pine Bluff, Arkansas 1984-1985
5805 Old Pine Road, Little Rock, Arkansas 1985-1991
109 Orchard Village Court, Manchester, Missouri 1991-1993
738 Spring Hill Farm Drive, Ballwin, Missouri 1993-2004
11061 Bluestem Lane, Eden Prairie, Minnesota 2004-2013
Victoria, Minnesota. 2013-
07 July 2009
Overshadowed
In college, this was on my dorm room wall, though I was never one to hang pictures like this. More likely it was something about stopping a war, fighting the system, rock and roll, bringing down Nixon (long after he had fallen), or a political candidate who had caught my attention. Years later this is the only famous woman I can remember honoring with a spot on my wall.
There was something about her at that age and this picture. Perfect hair, teeth, eyes, everything. Even the name, Farrah Fawcett. Not before or since have I known a Farrah. It must have been hard to be a teenage girl in the 70's knowing you had to compete with this image and with the magical name that rolled off the tongue so easily.
Over the years whenever dinner conversation turned to movies or famous people, this poster was always mentioned when her name came up. There was Charlie's Angels and the poster. She continued to act into the eighties and nineties, but despite great performances, such as in "The Apostle", it always came back to the poster and "Angels". In a way very similar to the Betty Grable picture of WWII, this was the image of her burned into our minds. I can not name anything Betty Grable ever did or said or any movie she was in, but I know she showed off those legs for the troops in that famous picture of the 40's.
Farrah was overshadowed this week by the funeral of the guy who was not Billie Jean's lover. It happens often. Denied that final spotlight. Perhaps it is fitting. Her passing was more common, more normal. The painful agony of a long illness. We've all had loved ones go through it. Her death was the type most adults can relate to and pray they do not experience themselves. His was a little out of the ordinary.
When I think about college, I always think of my dorm room. Accounting textbooks, ragged jeans, coffee urn, overflowing ashtrays, can of tennis balls, Uriah Heep and Pink Floyd albums, a few quarters for laundry..... and that smile.
21 June 2009
A couple of observations in Amsterdam
Touring the Anne Frank house on Saturday. A sign posted outside welcomes visitors and explains the hours, admission price, and rules of entry. It is in French, Dutch, English, Spanish, but not in German.
Walking back from the Anne Frank house to Central Station I cross Dam Square around 10am. A trumpeter is playing a decent rendition of the theme from "The Godfather".
Walking back from the Anne Frank house to Central Station I cross Dam Square around 10am. A trumpeter is playing a decent rendition of the theme from "The Godfather".
More thoughts on Greece
Athens is about the past, our past, all of us. Were it not for the antiquities there would be little reason for anyone to go there, unless for a business deal or something government related. Along with Mexico City, it's one of the ugliest places I have been. Graffitti is everywhere. Not surprising in a big city, but there's no sign that any effort has been made to hide it, no paintovers, etc. It's as though the city ran out of paper and pens and communicates with spraypaint. No evidence the city cares or is even aware. What an eyesore.
So, the city thrives on the packaging and marketing of the past. A lot could be written about how the constructors of the Parthenon were creating a structure that would feed and employ Greeks for centuries, from the tourguides to the little shops that sell Parthenon kitchen magnets. If a city today wants to thrive in the future all it has to do is hire great architects, stay intact for a thousand years, and the tourists of the future will keep your distant offspring employed for the following thousand.
The antiquities are everywhere. So many that I saw a junkpile behind a museum with random rubble, ancient pedestals, arms, legs, with no place to go. The refuse of ancient Greece has yet to be cleaned up.
Athens does give one a different view of time. In my country any building older than 200 years is deserving of museum status. But, it's not really old, just older than most of the other stuff around us. We have no buildings that predate the printing press, gunpowder, eyeglasses, or even the microscope.
Athens reminded me that despite all our claims of progress, we are still the same as this ancient folk in many ways. We trade with other peoples. We marry. We pass on what we've learned to our children. We try and leave marks in the world that people will remember us by. We worship many gods, all false, save one. We build large buildings as monuments to our society. We like to think that we'll be remembered here, but eventually all of us are forgotten. What matters is not if we are known in this world, but whether we are known in the next, and by the architect of both.
So, the city thrives on the packaging and marketing of the past. A lot could be written about how the constructors of the Parthenon were creating a structure that would feed and employ Greeks for centuries, from the tourguides to the little shops that sell Parthenon kitchen magnets. If a city today wants to thrive in the future all it has to do is hire great architects, stay intact for a thousand years, and the tourists of the future will keep your distant offspring employed for the following thousand.
The antiquities are everywhere. So many that I saw a junkpile behind a museum with random rubble, ancient pedestals, arms, legs, with no place to go. The refuse of ancient Greece has yet to be cleaned up.
Athens does give one a different view of time. In my country any building older than 200 years is deserving of museum status. But, it's not really old, just older than most of the other stuff around us. We have no buildings that predate the printing press, gunpowder, eyeglasses, or even the microscope.
Athens reminded me that despite all our claims of progress, we are still the same as this ancient folk in many ways. We trade with other peoples. We marry. We pass on what we've learned to our children. We try and leave marks in the world that people will remember us by. We worship many gods, all false, save one. We build large buildings as monuments to our society. We like to think that we'll be remembered here, but eventually all of us are forgotten. What matters is not if we are known in this world, but whether we are known in the next, and by the architect of both.
19 June 2009
Cruise the Greek Isles
Where do I start? On the one hand I should not complain one bit since I am in Greece with my wife of 30 years, its a very special trip for us and I am lucky she's stuck with me all this time.
On the other hand, if you ever get the idea that €98 for a day trip to 3 islands is a great deal, here are some questions to ask. If the tour company is ChatTours, the answer to each will be yes.
1. Do you make each announcement in at least six languages?
2. Do you play the soundtrack from "saturday night fever" and tony bennett tunes to make the americans feel at home?
3. Is the bottled water served at room temp?
4. Is there a "no wake" rule in the middle of the sea that forces you to go especially slow?
5. Do members of your crew dress like a rastafarian and chase passengers with a water gun?
6. Do you close the tour with a live saxophone seranade of "Auld Lang Syne"?
On the other hand, if you ever get the idea that €98 for a day trip to 3 islands is a great deal, here are some questions to ask. If the tour company is ChatTours, the answer to each will be yes.
1. Do you make each announcement in at least six languages?
2. Do you play the soundtrack from "saturday night fever" and tony bennett tunes to make the americans feel at home?
3. Is the bottled water served at room temp?
4. Is there a "no wake" rule in the middle of the sea that forces you to go especially slow?
5. Do members of your crew dress like a rastafarian and chase passengers with a water gun?
6. Do you close the tour with a live saxophone seranade of "Auld Lang Syne"?
These weird things and more happened on our "three island" cruise, with at time seemed like we were stuck in an episode of the twilight zone. Best part of the trip was our stay at the island of Hydra, a truly beautiful spot with waters unbelievably clear.This would be a wonderful place to spend a summer or two, or even a life.
Packing my bags, another half day here then heading home. Much to write about this trip but limits to what I can type out on a blackberry.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Packing my bags, another half day here then heading home. Much to write about this trip but limits to what I can type out on a blackberry.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
05 June 2009
Leaving Mumbai
A world emerging. Hard not to be optimistic about the human condition when you walk the streets of this city. It is full of misery and full of determination and willing itself out of the mud and out of the mire. Even the servants, who seemed to always surround me, had this look in their eye. "The tables are turning my friend", they seemed to say.
01 June 2009
Add this to the list of things I never expected to see....
Teenager - Hong Kong airport - t shirt with the slogan, " A watched pot never boils"
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Hong Kong 11pm
Good flight, hit tokyo just right for a 90 min layover. Slept too much though, will be up all night. Service at the Mandarin Oriental is amazing, as though they've been waiting all day for my arrival.
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