People often wonder why, as you get older, you get cranky and bitter. Well, here’s three reasons why from just yesterday (Tuesday)..
Two. Last year I decided to try Clematis on our “arch” beside the driveway. A previous experiment with honeysuckle had proven to generate a tangled mess that wasn’t quite the delicate presentation I had hoped for. So I hacked away the honeysuckle and planted a more restrained Clematis vine. A little research revealed that you can’t hope for huge success until you’re three or so years into nurturing the little plant. So at the end of last year I wasn’t discouraged that it was pretty sickly and puny in appearance. And, yea verily, with the spring came healthier looking growth and it started to wend its way up the trellis. About a week ago I noticed that one of the tendrils on one leg of the arch was looking kind of sickly, and by the end of last week it had shriveled up and died. Not to worry (much), there was a more hearty looking shoot along side, so hopefully that will thrive. As the dead branch turned browner and browner, I decided that it should be expunged as an eyesore. Both the live and dead shoots were intertwined, and were both about a foot and a half out of the ground. So, I got down on my hands and knees (no small feat these days), and carefully separated the live from the dead, tracing them from the top down. When I was sure, I took the shears and delicately snipped…….the live one. Strike One.
Three…more gardening fun. I supported Historic St. Mary’s City by purchasing this year’s crop of herbs (chives, 2 basil, and 2 (flat leaf) parsley) through their annual plant sale. I picked them up last week, and healthy looking plants they were. I let them harden outdoors for a couple of days, and with the nice warm sun yesterday, I planted them in the pool herb garden. Of course it took me several minutes to locate them just perfectly with measurements and calculations. Eventually all five plants were in the ground, and as a precaution, I put one of my unused “cages” that fit over the bird feeders (to ward off the grackle hoards) over one of the parsleys to ward off any foraging animules. I figured I would cover the other with “something” today. After planting the little gems, we retired to the now tastefully appointed screened in porch to enjoy a DMOTRWAT and a Bombay Gimlet with assorted snacks. After settling down with a refreshed drink I noticed a little bunny emerging from the plant bed, peacefully sauntering to somewhere. Oh…….. ---t! Sprinting to the bed revealed the uncovered parsley plant trimmed to the nub. If it ain’t the ducks, it’s the darn wabbits.. “Dwatted Wabbit”. More depression. Strike two...
One...And all of this occurred after I had arrived home around noon, parked the flutter mobile and strode into the……….warm and humid great room. A check of the thermostat confirmed the body senses, it registered 80 degrees, with a set point of 76, system running like crazy, with no flow from the floor ducts. Compressor outside was running also. Down to the basement to find water dripping from the lines, and a small pool by the unit which was cold to touch. A phone call to the HVAC resulted in a technician showing up at the house within the hour (there are some miracles left). However, a series of troubleshooting this and that revealed no smoking gun and finally it was assumed that some valve deep within the guts of the outside unit “must be at fault”. Too late to get it today, we’ll try tomorrow. A last check of the unit downstairs was underway when he exclaimed “Hey! There’s no expansion valve here!!” A call to the owner of the firm resulted in finding out there is only an orifice on this model (I flunked thermo, so I have no idea what they were talking about), and most likely it was clogged. A softball game called my technician so it was arranged he would show up this morning to clean the little bugger. He did, and nothing was found, although the valve sort of blew out of the fitting. At any rate everything was back together, and it has worked all day today. Strike three, you’re old and bitter!
Each of these in itself isn’t devastating but I think there is an accumulative effect. Each one nicks you just a bit, and a lifetime of them turns you crotchety and paranoid. Yes, I have been accused of being a "glass half empty" guy.
Speaking of a glass, I'm thirsty...
DFD
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Lincoln, Horsies, and Duckies..
What happened? All of a sudden it’s that dreaded Monday again..has anybody figured out where that time goes? please let me know..
The Flutters put in a pretty busy first part of the weekend. After attending the event in Leonardtown Thursday night, we went out to Sotterley Plantation to hear the first lecture in their Summer Lecture program. It was given by Dr. Craig Symonds, who currently is a (Naval) history professor at the Naval Academy. His speech was entitled “Abraham Lincoln and the Navy”, and was built around three incidents in the war involving the Navy, and how Lincoln personally influenced them. That’s a poor description of a fascinating talk that ran for over an hour. The man never looked at a note, had only a few slides (mostly pictures) and recounted dates, places, with ease. He spoke with such ease, worked in a few humorous stories and anecdotes. Very impressive speaker. And in the Q&A that followed, he answered every question with in depth knowledge, more dates, etc. A really great evening. Those lectures are great. and free...
After the program, we opted to NOT go to the concurrent First Friday in Leonardtown because it was a bit late, and frankly First Friday is beginning to have a “been there done that” feel to it. Anyway, we ended up at the Dry Dock for a light snack (bistro mussels for me, and a Margherita Pizza for MFO) and an adult beverage(s). Good food.
Then Saturday, I spent the morning at the Chapel at Historic St. Mary’s City, answering questions and telling about the history of the place, although I really can’t say I had any characters. One person said he was the 12th generation of one of the captains of the Ark or the Dove. As the historian at the City often quips, “if all the people who say their relatives came over on the ships really did, the boats would have sunk”.
In the afternoon, we got Dressed For the Derby, and drove back out to Sotterley and the annual Hospice Kentucky Derby Party. I made a prediction to MFO that there would be more hats this year due to the influence of “the wedding”, and I was correct. Big floppy ones, feathers, bows, quite fun. They do pose a little problem if you want to say hello to somebody wearing one with a buss on the cheek, as you kind of have to duck under the brim or feathers.. Expressions catered the event, and did a pretty good job. They bowed to the Derby with Kentucky Burgoo, pimento spread (my recipe is much better, sorry) and I think maybe lemon squares although I missed those. They had only beef at the carvery station, and I didn’t see any Henry Bain Sauce. Tisk, tisk… Mint Juleps were available, and after the first couple it was “just give me the damn bourbon on the rocks”. Good fun.
Sunday
Yesterday we celebrated Mother’s Day by cleaning off the screened in back porch which accumulated dirt and pollen all winter. Task isn't fun, but when it's done the benefit is that cocktails out there are very pleasant. So after our hard day’s work, the deck furniture is off the porch and on the pool deck, awaiting the uncovering of the gray lagoon.
And, we are not the only ones awaiting the uncovering of the pool. Capistrano has its swallows, Hawk Point has its Buzzards, and we have “The Mallards”. Like clockwork the creatures appear out of the sky, plopping into the back yard, just waiting for their personal watering hole (and bathroom) to open. Meanwhile they gather around under the bird feeders, rooting up the grass for missed seeds (they have no shame) and generally make a mess of things. And then the annual ritual ensues.
From their point of view it runs something like this:
Ahh, this seed is good, although a refreshing dip would be nice.
Oops, here comes the human idiot out of the house screaming and waving his arms in the air like a fool. Think he’s trying to fly?
Okay, we’ll waddle over here to the edge of the hill and if he gets any closer……
Drat, he is, so we have to take to wing, and then go sit in the river for a bit until he goes in the house.
This gets repeated several times a day for most of the summer, with the only change after the pool is open that there is a ten minute washing off the pool deck portion after their visit, if you get my drift. Ahhhh, the joys of pool ownership.
Indeed ducks DO NOT
DFD
The Flutters put in a pretty busy first part of the weekend. After attending the event in Leonardtown Thursday night, we went out to Sotterley Plantation to hear the first lecture in their Summer Lecture program. It was given by Dr. Craig Symonds, who currently is a (Naval) history professor at the Naval Academy. His speech was entitled “Abraham Lincoln and the Navy”, and was built around three incidents in the war involving the Navy, and how Lincoln personally influenced them. That’s a poor description of a fascinating talk that ran for over an hour. The man never looked at a note, had only a few slides (mostly pictures) and recounted dates, places, with ease. He spoke with such ease, worked in a few humorous stories and anecdotes. Very impressive speaker. And in the Q&A that followed, he answered every question with in depth knowledge, more dates, etc. A really great evening. Those lectures are great. and free...
After the program, we opted to NOT go to the concurrent First Friday in Leonardtown because it was a bit late, and frankly First Friday is beginning to have a “been there done that” feel to it. Anyway, we ended up at the Dry Dock for a light snack (bistro mussels for me, and a Margherita Pizza for MFO) and an adult beverage(s). Good food.
Then Saturday, I spent the morning at the Chapel at Historic St. Mary’s City, answering questions and telling about the history of the place, although I really can’t say I had any characters. One person said he was the 12th generation of one of the captains of the Ark or the Dove. As the historian at the City often quips, “if all the people who say their relatives came over on the ships really did, the boats would have sunk”.
In the afternoon, we got Dressed For the Derby, and drove back out to Sotterley and the annual Hospice Kentucky Derby Party. I made a prediction to MFO that there would be more hats this year due to the influence of “the wedding”, and I was correct. Big floppy ones, feathers, bows, quite fun. They do pose a little problem if you want to say hello to somebody wearing one with a buss on the cheek, as you kind of have to duck under the brim or feathers.. Expressions catered the event, and did a pretty good job. They bowed to the Derby with Kentucky Burgoo, pimento spread (my recipe is much better, sorry) and I think maybe lemon squares although I missed those. They had only beef at the carvery station, and I didn’t see any Henry Bain Sauce. Tisk, tisk… Mint Juleps were available, and after the first couple it was “just give me the damn bourbon on the rocks”. Good fun.
Sunday
Yesterday we celebrated Mother’s Day by cleaning off the screened in back porch which accumulated dirt and pollen all winter. Task isn't fun, but when it's done the benefit is that cocktails out there are very pleasant. So after our hard day’s work, the deck furniture is off the porch and on the pool deck, awaiting the uncovering of the gray lagoon.
And, we are not the only ones awaiting the uncovering of the pool. Capistrano has its swallows, Hawk Point has its Buzzards, and we have “The Mallards”. Like clockwork the creatures appear out of the sky, plopping into the back yard, just waiting for their personal watering hole (and bathroom) to open. Meanwhile they gather around under the bird feeders, rooting up the grass for missed seeds (they have no shame) and generally make a mess of things. And then the annual ritual ensues.
From their point of view it runs something like this:
Ahh, this seed is good, although a refreshing dip would be nice.
Oops, here comes the human idiot out of the house screaming and waving his arms in the air like a fool. Think he’s trying to fly?
Okay, we’ll waddle over here to the edge of the hill and if he gets any closer……
Drat, he is, so we have to take to wing, and then go sit in the river for a bit until he goes in the house.
This gets repeated several times a day for most of the summer, with the only change after the pool is open that there is a ten minute washing off the pool deck portion after their visit, if you get my drift. Ahhhh, the joys of pool ownership.
Indeed ducks DO NOT
DFD
Friday, May 6, 2011
Whips, Spurs, and other Sports....
First it’s Monday, and then a blur occurs and here we are at Friday.
Before launching into Friday matters, we’ll wrap up yesterday. MFO and I attended the Patuxent Habitat for Humanity event at the Front Porch in Leonardtown. Sitting on the real front porch at the Front Porch can be a very pleasant experience. It was especially pleasant yesterday as we met some good friends, and pretty soon a nice young man brought me a very pleasant “up” martini glass (there is something elegantly classic about that) containing decent sized olives and Gray Goose Martini, “dirty”. Talking, sitting, sipping, and observing the passing scene is quite pleasant. (okay, quotient of “pleasant” reached, it was done for effect). The passing scene in this case was the growing amount of people attending the “Whip and Spur” gathering. I had been wondering all week from where and what the heck that title arose from, and come to find out Wente Bros. Winery (Livermore, CA) has bottled a white and a red by that name, and at the moment I don’t remember which was which. Which may give you a little indication of my impression of the wines.
Anyway, for your ticket (going to a good cause) you got to taste each, and then go get a full glass of your choice. The white was a blend of five or six (!) grapes, including an orange Muscat, and the red a blend of at least four. My taste of the white was not properly chilled and I think that was to the detriment of the wine. Slightly sweet and perfumy, I didn’t care much for it. The red was better (which turned into my full glass by default) but I thought a little lacking in any distinct character. You could buy a bottle of either, and it would be signed by Karl Wente the 5th generation wine maker (which I must have heard 10 times). Karl (who arrived in a limousine) also was part of the entertainment. A string quartet from Cosmic was the first musical group and they gave their usual accomplished performance. Turns out that Karl also plays the guitar, and he was the next entertainment, ably backed up by a local bass player. To be generous, I am hopeful Karl will pursue a career in winemaking, not music.
As part of the entertainment, they had little quizzes and stuff to hand out Winery shotzkies, and MFO and I got a nice cookbook as a result of our long marriage. We won by a pretty good margin.
The passed appetizers coming from the kitchen were varied and quite nice. I was attracted to a horseradish stuffed shrimp wrapped in bacon. They were quite tasty, although it of course left you with that always difficult situation of “Shrimp Tail in hand”. While sitting on the porch I resisted lobbing one at friends. Good thing I didn’t have that second Martini.
I am enthused that the Front Porch seems to be interested in hosting these local community events. They have a wonderful venue for this sort of thing, and it’s good to see they are pursuing using it (as in the recent Easter Egg Hunt). Hope they keep it up.
Partially fumbled football:
After the event, we found that the shrimp (and chicken skewers, and phyllo, and..) didn’t quite fill the void in the stomach so upon a thought from a friend, we stopped at the Gridiron Grill in Callaway. The Feeder has had the place on the list for quite some time, so a visit there would satisfy both short term and longer term objectives. We traversed Rte. 5 and pulled in the little shopping center and located the Grill. We knew it was a “sports bar” (duhhhhh) and indeed that’s exactly what you get. Probably about 15 wooden tables, some high, some are regular and there is a long bar. In further sports bar fashion there are 8 or so flat screens on the wall of varying sizes. Each of course is showing a different event, and all on “mute”, so if you’re interested in one particular thing, you have to guess at any verbal content. But, mostly games can be absorbed by looking (“you can see a lot just by looking”), so that’s understandable. The place is mostly decorated with dark paint (I suppose to facilitate the viewing).
When we arrived it was maybe 50% occupied, mostly by groups. It obviously is a gathering spot for “locals” as there were many groups, who knew most everybody in the place. Everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves with lots of give and take with the staff. Coming from the event, we were much more DFD’d than anybody in the place (of course to be expected), and may have also set the upper age limit. We were greeted by a server with menus, and asked if we would like something to drink while considering them. MFO took some Iced Tea, and I inquired what beers were available. I was surprised at the lack of selection (unless I missed something) as it was mostly Bud, Bud Light, Coors, Coors Light, and I think a Blue Moon. Yuengling was the most “exotic” (I am not a blue moon fan – sissy beer), so I took that. Turning to the menus we found everything you would expect in a sports bar. Nachos, crab dip, fries, rings, fried pickles (!), chicken fingers, soups, chili, salads (including a “signature” Greek salad) and a special category for wings. Then there is the normal selection of sandwiches and Pizzas, then some Dinners (ribs, steak, “signature” crab cakes – is there any restaurant that doesn’t have “signature” crab cakes?). We sort of honed in on the sandwiches, because of a recommendation of our friend. I chose the “classic” Reuben with your choice of corned beef or turkey. At this point I will not debate using the terms “Reuben, Classic, and Turkey” in the same menu item. MFO chose a burger (medium rare) with various adornments, and both baskets were accompanied by their house made chips (also a recommendation).
While waiting for our food, we observed that they serve the pizzas on one of those pedestals I remembered from college – flashback! Anyway, our basketed food arrived in the appropriate plastic baskets lined with the wax paper. There was a fairly large serving of the chips, and they were tasty, but needing an application of salt. Some were more crisp than others, obviously freshly cooked. My sandwich was served on rye bread, but in normal sandwich cut, not like those oval loaves of rye you see, and wasn’t terribly toasted. There was a good quantity of kraut, and the corned beef was pretty thinly sliced, reminding me of “deli” products. Had fairly good taste, and we were hungry. MFO’s burger was served on an almost Kaiser Roll with nice lettuce and a tomato slice that was nice and red throughout. What was not nice and red throughout was the burger itself. It was not a hard gray, but light one, probably just past what I would call “medium”. Not and uncommon occurrence these days, and being hungry she just ate it as was. When the server first checked we chickened out and answered with an unenthusiastic “it’s okay”. More bites of the burger never found any shade of pink, and so when we were almost done, and the server checked again, I pointed out the burger and said it certainly was not medium rare. She looked at the gray couple of bites, and dispassionately said, well, was it good? And left. And to be (somewhat) fair MFO said it did have some beef flavor, and indeed ate the whole serving.
As we received our bill, what turned out to be the owner visited the table, and said he’d heard the burger wasn’t to our satisfaction. Yes, it was overcooked. He apologized and said they tried to make things as ordered. I also mentioned the “lunch meat” appearance of the Reuben, and he replied they like to slice it thin.. He then said that he would remove the beer and the tea from the bill, since we did eat the burger. Fair enough.
I appreciated his visit, it was the right thing to do. I am sure if we made a fuss up front, another attempt probably would have been made. So due to his interest, instead of crossing the place off the list (yes, one time, one night, yadda yadda) I would put it on the “go back sometime” list, and maybe try cheesesteak or a pizza.. I do like those pedestals..
Gosh, this was long! Apologies.
Fortunately the “to do list” this weekend is a little shorter than normal.
Lecture at Sotterley this evening, first Friday in Leonardtown, a Kentucky Derby event at Sotterley tomorrow for Hospice.
We’ll be
DFD(erby)!
Before launching into Friday matters, we’ll wrap up yesterday. MFO and I attended the Patuxent Habitat for Humanity event at the Front Porch in Leonardtown. Sitting on the real front porch at the Front Porch can be a very pleasant experience. It was especially pleasant yesterday as we met some good friends, and pretty soon a nice young man brought me a very pleasant “up” martini glass (there is something elegantly classic about that) containing decent sized olives and Gray Goose Martini, “dirty”. Talking, sitting, sipping, and observing the passing scene is quite pleasant. (okay, quotient of “pleasant” reached, it was done for effect). The passing scene in this case was the growing amount of people attending the “Whip and Spur” gathering. I had been wondering all week from where and what the heck that title arose from, and come to find out Wente Bros. Winery (Livermore, CA) has bottled a white and a red by that name, and at the moment I don’t remember which was which. Which may give you a little indication of my impression of the wines.
Anyway, for your ticket (going to a good cause) you got to taste each, and then go get a full glass of your choice. The white was a blend of five or six (!) grapes, including an orange Muscat, and the red a blend of at least four. My taste of the white was not properly chilled and I think that was to the detriment of the wine. Slightly sweet and perfumy, I didn’t care much for it. The red was better (which turned into my full glass by default) but I thought a little lacking in any distinct character. You could buy a bottle of either, and it would be signed by Karl Wente the 5th generation wine maker (which I must have heard 10 times). Karl (who arrived in a limousine) also was part of the entertainment. A string quartet from Cosmic was the first musical group and they gave their usual accomplished performance. Turns out that Karl also plays the guitar, and he was the next entertainment, ably backed up by a local bass player. To be generous, I am hopeful Karl will pursue a career in winemaking, not music.
As part of the entertainment, they had little quizzes and stuff to hand out Winery shotzkies, and MFO and I got a nice cookbook as a result of our long marriage. We won by a pretty good margin.
The passed appetizers coming from the kitchen were varied and quite nice. I was attracted to a horseradish stuffed shrimp wrapped in bacon. They were quite tasty, although it of course left you with that always difficult situation of “Shrimp Tail in hand”. While sitting on the porch I resisted lobbing one at friends. Good thing I didn’t have that second Martini.
I am enthused that the Front Porch seems to be interested in hosting these local community events. They have a wonderful venue for this sort of thing, and it’s good to see they are pursuing using it (as in the recent Easter Egg Hunt). Hope they keep it up.
Partially fumbled football:
After the event, we found that the shrimp (and chicken skewers, and phyllo, and..) didn’t quite fill the void in the stomach so upon a thought from a friend, we stopped at the Gridiron Grill in Callaway. The Feeder has had the place on the list for quite some time, so a visit there would satisfy both short term and longer term objectives. We traversed Rte. 5 and pulled in the little shopping center and located the Grill. We knew it was a “sports bar” (duhhhhh) and indeed that’s exactly what you get. Probably about 15 wooden tables, some high, some are regular and there is a long bar. In further sports bar fashion there are 8 or so flat screens on the wall of varying sizes. Each of course is showing a different event, and all on “mute”, so if you’re interested in one particular thing, you have to guess at any verbal content. But, mostly games can be absorbed by looking (“you can see a lot just by looking”), so that’s understandable. The place is mostly decorated with dark paint (I suppose to facilitate the viewing).
When we arrived it was maybe 50% occupied, mostly by groups. It obviously is a gathering spot for “locals” as there were many groups, who knew most everybody in the place. Everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves with lots of give and take with the staff. Coming from the event, we were much more DFD’d than anybody in the place (of course to be expected), and may have also set the upper age limit. We were greeted by a server with menus, and asked if we would like something to drink while considering them. MFO took some Iced Tea, and I inquired what beers were available. I was surprised at the lack of selection (unless I missed something) as it was mostly Bud, Bud Light, Coors, Coors Light, and I think a Blue Moon. Yuengling was the most “exotic” (I am not a blue moon fan – sissy beer), so I took that. Turning to the menus we found everything you would expect in a sports bar. Nachos, crab dip, fries, rings, fried pickles (!), chicken fingers, soups, chili, salads (including a “signature” Greek salad) and a special category for wings. Then there is the normal selection of sandwiches and Pizzas, then some Dinners (ribs, steak, “signature” crab cakes – is there any restaurant that doesn’t have “signature” crab cakes?). We sort of honed in on the sandwiches, because of a recommendation of our friend. I chose the “classic” Reuben with your choice of corned beef or turkey. At this point I will not debate using the terms “Reuben, Classic, and Turkey” in the same menu item. MFO chose a burger (medium rare) with various adornments, and both baskets were accompanied by their house made chips (also a recommendation).
While waiting for our food, we observed that they serve the pizzas on one of those pedestals I remembered from college – flashback! Anyway, our basketed food arrived in the appropriate plastic baskets lined with the wax paper. There was a fairly large serving of the chips, and they were tasty, but needing an application of salt. Some were more crisp than others, obviously freshly cooked. My sandwich was served on rye bread, but in normal sandwich cut, not like those oval loaves of rye you see, and wasn’t terribly toasted. There was a good quantity of kraut, and the corned beef was pretty thinly sliced, reminding me of “deli” products. Had fairly good taste, and we were hungry. MFO’s burger was served on an almost Kaiser Roll with nice lettuce and a tomato slice that was nice and red throughout. What was not nice and red throughout was the burger itself. It was not a hard gray, but light one, probably just past what I would call “medium”. Not and uncommon occurrence these days, and being hungry she just ate it as was. When the server first checked we chickened out and answered with an unenthusiastic “it’s okay”. More bites of the burger never found any shade of pink, and so when we were almost done, and the server checked again, I pointed out the burger and said it certainly was not medium rare. She looked at the gray couple of bites, and dispassionately said, well, was it good? And left. And to be (somewhat) fair MFO said it did have some beef flavor, and indeed ate the whole serving.
As we received our bill, what turned out to be the owner visited the table, and said he’d heard the burger wasn’t to our satisfaction. Yes, it was overcooked. He apologized and said they tried to make things as ordered. I also mentioned the “lunch meat” appearance of the Reuben, and he replied they like to slice it thin.. He then said that he would remove the beer and the tea from the bill, since we did eat the burger. Fair enough.
I appreciated his visit, it was the right thing to do. I am sure if we made a fuss up front, another attempt probably would have been made. So due to his interest, instead of crossing the place off the list (yes, one time, one night, yadda yadda) I would put it on the “go back sometime” list, and maybe try cheesesteak or a pizza.. I do like those pedestals..
Gosh, this was long! Apologies.
Fortunately the “to do list” this weekend is a little shorter than normal.
Lecture at Sotterley this evening, first Friday in Leonardtown, a Kentucky Derby event at Sotterley tomorrow for Hospice.
We’ll be
DFD(erby)!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Weighty Wednesday
A little more substance than usually finds its way to print on Wednesday
For years, a few of us intrepid “docents” at Historic St. Mary’s City have spent part of our weekends frying, freezing, or soaking wet in front of the reconstructed Brick Chapel, originally built about 1667. At first (~2002) we had a foundation to talk about, then over the next few years the walls gradually grew up, a roof was put on, the interior plastered, and today it is “completed” except for the alter area. It is an impressive building, as close to the original as history and archeology can determine. Come see it if you haven’t.
Over those years of explaining the history of the colony, the chapel, it’s construction, and general questions “Will this ever be a real church?” to museum visitors (no, it is an exhibit on State owned ground), us “Chapvols” (chapel volunteers) have sort of grown to feel some sense of ownership and pride in the building. There have been various activities at the Chapel, such as the “unlocking” last year, but so far not a real “event” inside the building.
So, when I heard there was to be a concert by the St. Mary’s College Chamber Singers in the Chapel Sunday night, I had to go. Despite being weary from that weekend convention in Ellicott City, MFO and I got in the flutter mobile and went on down to the “City”. Of course anytime you get to hear those singers or the full choir under the direction of Larry Vote, you should go wherever, they are such a great talent. The Chapel was filled with chairs, there are no pews (nor was there ever).
I think I’ve mentioned someplace before that the echoes within the Chapel make it miserable for the spoken voice and with several groups of visitors (or screaming kids), you can hardly hear yourself think. But, you put music in there, such as violins, it’s wonderful. An early indication of that was one time a group (~15) of Mennonites showed up and asked me if they could sing. “Of course”. And, sing they did, from music they brought. It was just great. So, the chance to hear the Chamber Singers was eagerly anticipated.
When we were seated and looked at the program we were pleased to see that Jeff Silberschlag and son Zach were going to play the trumpet, and there was also a gorgeous Harpsichord and a bassoon. Larry thanked Historic St. Mary’s City for the use of the Chapel, and had carefully selected the first piece to be a 17th Century Madrigal, such as might have been heard in the original Chapel. My (personal) speculation was that there never would have been the quality of music we were treated to. When Monteverdi’s “La bocca onde” began, the whole place just filled with the voices of the singers and you would think you were in a Basilica (or something like that) as those echoes reinforced the music so well..It almost (and I am mixing history here) sounded medieval…
What followed were several more pieces of varying historical periods, and the trumpets were like you might expect in heaven. Well, that’s a little poetic license, but they were beautiful. All in all it was a great event with great music performed by a great group of performers. We’re so lucky. To repeat what I said in a little note to the other Chapvols, I’m sure the remains of the early Marylanders who have slumbered under the floor of the Chapel for over three centuries were stirred, and probably said “It’s about time!”. It's so wonderful that the Chapel can serve as a venue for music (hopefully!) for all.. What a great place to live.
Warning Signs…
Acting on a tip from MFO, I stopped in at the McKay’s grocery store on Great Mills road yesterday. She occasionally stops there on her way up from the Archives at Historic St. Mary’s City to pick up dinner, like fried chicken. Sure enough, the shelves were beginning to be less populated. It looked like they were not replacing anything that came off them. Like scattered cans of soup or salad dressings. Hmmmmm. I went over to the Deli counter to get some bologna for my lunch, and the selection there was quite limited as well. I asked for my half pound of Boar’s Head beef bologna, and after rummaging around under the case, she had to come to my side and remove the one on display. And then I noticed little signs on most everything: “On Sale – only $X.XX/Lb”, or “Special – three bags of chips for $5”. Hmmmmm again. Given that they had to “close” Woodburn’s on the Solomons side, I am wondering if this place is next. Just a thought.
To Do:
Since this won’t wait till Friday, a notice that the Patuxent Habitat for Humanity will hold a fund raiser at the Front Porch over in Leonardtown tomorrow afternoon/evening. For only $20 to go to a great cause, your benefit will be that you get to taste some wines from Murrieta’s Well (with I think a rep from the winery), have some “paired” snacks, and listen to music from the COSMIC string quartet, Karl Wente on guitar, and closing by Wild Irish Rose. It all starts at 5:30 and runs for two hours. The name of the event is: “Whip and Spur”. Although a million snappy one liners come to mind, maybe it’s best left to the imagination of the reader…
And, speaking of “to do” alert readers will recall that I often refer to the area as “the land of nothing to do” emphasizing that there is PLENTY to do. Well, I just happened to notice that in today’s Enterprise (our local newspaper) in the upper left hand box on the front page, there is a little blurb drawing attention to their special insert of summer activities. The catch line in bold print is: “What do you mean there’s nothing to do?”. Coincidence? Maybe, or maybe not. You never know who reads the feeder (but the shadow do…)
How you dress for the Whip and Spur is up to you, but the Feeder and MFO will be
DFD
For years, a few of us intrepid “docents” at Historic St. Mary’s City have spent part of our weekends frying, freezing, or soaking wet in front of the reconstructed Brick Chapel, originally built about 1667. At first (~2002) we had a foundation to talk about, then over the next few years the walls gradually grew up, a roof was put on, the interior plastered, and today it is “completed” except for the alter area. It is an impressive building, as close to the original as history and archeology can determine. Come see it if you haven’t.
Over those years of explaining the history of the colony, the chapel, it’s construction, and general questions “Will this ever be a real church?” to museum visitors (no, it is an exhibit on State owned ground), us “Chapvols” (chapel volunteers) have sort of grown to feel some sense of ownership and pride in the building. There have been various activities at the Chapel, such as the “unlocking” last year, but so far not a real “event” inside the building.
So, when I heard there was to be a concert by the St. Mary’s College Chamber Singers in the Chapel Sunday night, I had to go. Despite being weary from that weekend convention in Ellicott City, MFO and I got in the flutter mobile and went on down to the “City”. Of course anytime you get to hear those singers or the full choir under the direction of Larry Vote, you should go wherever, they are such a great talent. The Chapel was filled with chairs, there are no pews (nor was there ever).
I think I’ve mentioned someplace before that the echoes within the Chapel make it miserable for the spoken voice and with several groups of visitors (or screaming kids), you can hardly hear yourself think. But, you put music in there, such as violins, it’s wonderful. An early indication of that was one time a group (~15) of Mennonites showed up and asked me if they could sing. “Of course”. And, sing they did, from music they brought. It was just great. So, the chance to hear the Chamber Singers was eagerly anticipated.
When we were seated and looked at the program we were pleased to see that Jeff Silberschlag and son Zach were going to play the trumpet, and there was also a gorgeous Harpsichord and a bassoon. Larry thanked Historic St. Mary’s City for the use of the Chapel, and had carefully selected the first piece to be a 17th Century Madrigal, such as might have been heard in the original Chapel. My (personal) speculation was that there never would have been the quality of music we were treated to. When Monteverdi’s “La bocca onde” began, the whole place just filled with the voices of the singers and you would think you were in a Basilica (or something like that) as those echoes reinforced the music so well..It almost (and I am mixing history here) sounded medieval…
What followed were several more pieces of varying historical periods, and the trumpets were like you might expect in heaven. Well, that’s a little poetic license, but they were beautiful. All in all it was a great event with great music performed by a great group of performers. We’re so lucky. To repeat what I said in a little note to the other Chapvols, I’m sure the remains of the early Marylanders who have slumbered under the floor of the Chapel for over three centuries were stirred, and probably said “It’s about time!”. It's so wonderful that the Chapel can serve as a venue for music (hopefully!) for all.. What a great place to live.
Warning Signs…
Acting on a tip from MFO, I stopped in at the McKay’s grocery store on Great Mills road yesterday. She occasionally stops there on her way up from the Archives at Historic St. Mary’s City to pick up dinner, like fried chicken. Sure enough, the shelves were beginning to be less populated. It looked like they were not replacing anything that came off them. Like scattered cans of soup or salad dressings. Hmmmmm. I went over to the Deli counter to get some bologna for my lunch, and the selection there was quite limited as well. I asked for my half pound of Boar’s Head beef bologna, and after rummaging around under the case, she had to come to my side and remove the one on display. And then I noticed little signs on most everything: “On Sale – only $X.XX/Lb”, or “Special – three bags of chips for $5”. Hmmmmm again. Given that they had to “close” Woodburn’s on the Solomons side, I am wondering if this place is next. Just a thought.
To Do:
Since this won’t wait till Friday, a notice that the Patuxent Habitat for Humanity will hold a fund raiser at the Front Porch over in Leonardtown tomorrow afternoon/evening. For only $20 to go to a great cause, your benefit will be that you get to taste some wines from Murrieta’s Well (with I think a rep from the winery), have some “paired” snacks, and listen to music from the COSMIC string quartet, Karl Wente on guitar, and closing by Wild Irish Rose. It all starts at 5:30 and runs for two hours. The name of the event is: “Whip and Spur”. Although a million snappy one liners come to mind, maybe it’s best left to the imagination of the reader…
And, speaking of “to do” alert readers will recall that I often refer to the area as “the land of nothing to do” emphasizing that there is PLENTY to do. Well, I just happened to notice that in today’s Enterprise (our local newspaper) in the upper left hand box on the front page, there is a little blurb drawing attention to their special insert of summer activities. The catch line in bold print is: “What do you mean there’s nothing to do?”. Coincidence? Maybe, or maybe not. You never know who reads the feeder (but the shadow do…)
How you dress for the Whip and Spur is up to you, but the Feeder and MFO will be
DFD
Monday, May 2, 2011
Conventional Wisdom..
If you can remember way last Friday, we noted in these pages that ye olde editor would be attending a convention in Ellicott City near Baltimore. And, as advertised, there was a dark period for the feeder during that time. But, with the trusty Canon along with the little leather notebook, some notes and images were recorded that might be of interest to the highly discriminating readership of the Feeder.
So, right away we can ditch any notion of boring you with reports of the many meetings and breakout sessions attended and just hit the cultural and culinary highlights.
Our conference was held at the Turf Valley Inn, a resort style facility, with golf courses surrounding the main building. Somehow my room got a fairly nice view of the course.
Fast forwarding past the first day of meetings, one of the things you do at these things is to host “hospitality suites”, where you feature various things to eat, and of course drink. There were “chocolate fantasy” rooms, “dessert heavens”, that sort of thing. Being as our club was from Southern Maryland, what would you think we might offer? You got it..Bivalves
And, you still got it, libations
We are famous for our Mai Tai’s which explains the tropical theme. Don’t ask me about pairing oysters with that drink.
Anyway, after happy hour in the hospitality suites, there was a dinner for an evening plenary session. We will not waste any of our mutual time discussing the hotel food. It was almost classic hotel food. Sustaining at best. But another highlight was the evening’s entertainment. The Show Choir from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts put on a performance for us. Reading the program before attending the dinner (and blissfully ignorant of said school) I thought, oh, geez, a night of show tunes. Wrong, wrong, wrong, oh Bottom Feeder. What followed was a riveting performance by a group of highly talented students that didn’t stop for over an hour.
It was exciting stuff. Never ceases to amaze me what ability is out there. Great show.
The next day, I signed up for an extracurricular tour of Historic Ellicott City along with a “gourmet lunch” at a local restaurant. Thinking I couldn’t do much worse than the hotel offerings again, I decided to skip a meeting or two (shame, shame) and see what Ellicott City was about.
Ellicott City was founded in 1771 by a three Quaker brothers from Pennsylvania, named… Ellicott. They were attracted by the lush countryside and the fast flowing Patapsco River. So they built a mill, and eventually the town grew up around them. At one time Ellicott City was the terminus of a railroad from Baltimore, and the start of the first toll road to Frederick, Maryland. At one point in their history, you came to Ellicott City for wild weekend. It also played a little part in the Civil War.
Now, like other towns conscious of their history, they are seeking to attract Tourism by emphasizing the history and a collection of galleries, restaurants, and drinking establishments. Our tour started with a tasting in “The Wine Bin” a little wine store that had a nice selection of wines and beers.
We tasted a rose and a white which didn’t do too much for me
After sampling those we went (literally) down the street to a restaurant called Tersiguel’s, a French Country Restaurant located in a 19th century home.
We were led up a series of stairs into a pleasant room with a few tables
Done in soft greens with wine related script on the walls, and gee, can you imagine?....white table cloths. We were greeted by a server in white shirt, black pants, and a black vest. Our lunch was a pre-arranged menu of three courses with paired wines. Water glasses filled, crusty country French bread with creamy butter, portended a great lunch. Bingo..
The first course was
A house cured Gravlax with arugula in a light vinaigrette (note edible violets) and that ring of delectable tarragon hollandaise. Each bit was a joy. It was paired with a ’04 white Burgundy that showed its age with a deep golden color and honeyed flavor.
Next we were treated to a Boeuf Bourguignon
Slowly braised flavorful beef until fork tender, and how many vegetables can you count in there? Brussels sprouts, carrots, haricot verte, pearl and spring onions, mushrooms, potatoes at least. And you know what? it wasn’t the mushy all taste alike “steamed vegetables” so common these days, you could close your eyes and pick out each one by its flavor. A dish of each would be great. And that grilled bread? Sopping!! For this course a Syrah loaded Cotes du Rhone was served with great nose and lots of fruit. It was an ’03! How many times do you get that in a restaurant.
We forced ourselves to eat the dessert course:
A strawberry was sliced, placed on a pastry cup, filled with a white ganache, and reconstructed. The little cup contained a rich chocolate mousse and more of the ganache. That glass presented a late harvest Chenin Blanc, that wasn’t quite as sweet as a Sauternes or a dessert Riesling. Very nice. Oh, did I mention that each dish was described upon service and new glasses were served with each wine? And that other tables who were served wine by the glass were done so out of the bottle? Not just a glass brought to the table. How it should be done.
After that, we did a little walking tour of the town with a great guide who pointed out buildings and their significance
After returned to the hotel sort of sated, no time for a nap, into the duds to DFD for the main banquet for the conference. Although I swore I would never eat again, I did manage to do pretty well by a filet that was really not too bad.
This year’s District Governor for our organization is of Indian heritage and for the entertainment we were treated to a performance of Classical Southern Indian Dances.
So that was the weekend. I returned home late Sunday afternoon, but forced myself to attend the inaugural vocal concert in the Chapel at Historic St. Mary’s City. But, if you’re still reading you’ll be glad to know that we’ll postpone that for a day..(known in the trade as a "tease"
A fun filled weekend (capped off by the Concert). If you're ever in Ellicott City, please try to dine at Tersiguels's. It's the real deal.. one of those little gems.. and yes, dear friends, thoughout the weekend, I was
DFD
So, right away we can ditch any notion of boring you with reports of the many meetings and breakout sessions attended and just hit the cultural and culinary highlights.
Our conference was held at the Turf Valley Inn, a resort style facility, with golf courses surrounding the main building. Somehow my room got a fairly nice view of the course.
Fast forwarding past the first day of meetings, one of the things you do at these things is to host “hospitality suites”, where you feature various things to eat, and of course drink. There were “chocolate fantasy” rooms, “dessert heavens”, that sort of thing. Being as our club was from Southern Maryland, what would you think we might offer? You got it..Bivalves
And, you still got it, libations
We are famous for our Mai Tai’s which explains the tropical theme. Don’t ask me about pairing oysters with that drink.
Anyway, after happy hour in the hospitality suites, there was a dinner for an evening plenary session. We will not waste any of our mutual time discussing the hotel food. It was almost classic hotel food. Sustaining at best. But another highlight was the evening’s entertainment. The Show Choir from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts put on a performance for us. Reading the program before attending the dinner (and blissfully ignorant of said school) I thought, oh, geez, a night of show tunes. Wrong, wrong, wrong, oh Bottom Feeder. What followed was a riveting performance by a group of highly talented students that didn’t stop for over an hour.
It was exciting stuff. Never ceases to amaze me what ability is out there. Great show.
The next day, I signed up for an extracurricular tour of Historic Ellicott City along with a “gourmet lunch” at a local restaurant. Thinking I couldn’t do much worse than the hotel offerings again, I decided to skip a meeting or two (shame, shame) and see what Ellicott City was about.
Ellicott City was founded in 1771 by a three Quaker brothers from Pennsylvania, named… Ellicott. They were attracted by the lush countryside and the fast flowing Patapsco River. So they built a mill, and eventually the town grew up around them. At one time Ellicott City was the terminus of a railroad from Baltimore, and the start of the first toll road to Frederick, Maryland. At one point in their history, you came to Ellicott City for wild weekend. It also played a little part in the Civil War.
Now, like other towns conscious of their history, they are seeking to attract Tourism by emphasizing the history and a collection of galleries, restaurants, and drinking establishments. Our tour started with a tasting in “The Wine Bin” a little wine store that had a nice selection of wines and beers.
We tasted a rose and a white which didn’t do too much for me
After sampling those we went (literally) down the street to a restaurant called Tersiguel’s, a French Country Restaurant located in a 19th century home.
We were led up a series of stairs into a pleasant room with a few tables
Done in soft greens with wine related script on the walls, and gee, can you imagine?....white table cloths. We were greeted by a server in white shirt, black pants, and a black vest. Our lunch was a pre-arranged menu of three courses with paired wines. Water glasses filled, crusty country French bread with creamy butter, portended a great lunch. Bingo..
The first course was
A house cured Gravlax with arugula in a light vinaigrette (note edible violets) and that ring of delectable tarragon hollandaise. Each bit was a joy. It was paired with a ’04 white Burgundy that showed its age with a deep golden color and honeyed flavor.
Next we were treated to a Boeuf Bourguignon
Slowly braised flavorful beef until fork tender, and how many vegetables can you count in there? Brussels sprouts, carrots, haricot verte, pearl and spring onions, mushrooms, potatoes at least. And you know what? it wasn’t the mushy all taste alike “steamed vegetables” so common these days, you could close your eyes and pick out each one by its flavor. A dish of each would be great. And that grilled bread? Sopping!! For this course a Syrah loaded Cotes du Rhone was served with great nose and lots of fruit. It was an ’03! How many times do you get that in a restaurant.
We forced ourselves to eat the dessert course:
A strawberry was sliced, placed on a pastry cup, filled with a white ganache, and reconstructed. The little cup contained a rich chocolate mousse and more of the ganache. That glass presented a late harvest Chenin Blanc, that wasn’t quite as sweet as a Sauternes or a dessert Riesling. Very nice. Oh, did I mention that each dish was described upon service and new glasses were served with each wine? And that other tables who were served wine by the glass were done so out of the bottle? Not just a glass brought to the table. How it should be done.
After that, we did a little walking tour of the town with a great guide who pointed out buildings and their significance
After returned to the hotel sort of sated, no time for a nap, into the duds to DFD for the main banquet for the conference. Although I swore I would never eat again, I did manage to do pretty well by a filet that was really not too bad.
This year’s District Governor for our organization is of Indian heritage and for the entertainment we were treated to a performance of Classical Southern Indian Dances.
So that was the weekend. I returned home late Sunday afternoon, but forced myself to attend the inaugural vocal concert in the Chapel at Historic St. Mary’s City. But, if you’re still reading you’ll be glad to know that we’ll postpone that for a day..(known in the trade as a "tease"
A fun filled weekend (capped off by the Concert). If you're ever in Ellicott City, please try to dine at Tersiguels's. It's the real deal.. one of those little gems.. and yes, dear friends, thoughout the weekend, I was
DFD
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
