Tag Archives: barbecue

The Hotel Project, Day 4

5
Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, impediments, Inspiration, Personal goals, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

September 28, 2020, Dallas-

We will now send clients’ laundry out, for professional service, if they so choose. There are always considerations, these days- such as sensitivity to detergents and scents. There is also the fear, sometimes founded, of commercial laundries losing items, but that happens when washing machines and dryers “eat” clothing items as well.

I have now enjoyed the “Big 3” of North Dallas food items-Barbecue, Gourmet burgers and Poke; but wait, there’s Pho! I will get together with Aram and Yunhee, most likely this weekend-and enjoy Korean and Vietnamese fare. Another friend will likely be a dining companion, before I leave Dallas and the likely choice will be more poke.

I am getting the hang of this hotel project, and manage to keep actively serving. The source of amusement is that I carry two boxes at a time, when restocking the snack bag table. Others choose to carry one-but I think it really depends on each one’s condition- no judgment.

The 2018 Road, Day 36: A Tennessee Nirvana

14
Posted by on in Family, Hiking and Nature, Personal Values, Social, Travel

June 30, 2018, Crossville-

I relaxed last night away, binge watching some True Crime series with my host, Chuck.  Being of a similar age and temperament, we get along very well.  His wife, Laureen, who invited me in the first place, was not far away, but was busy with some prep for today’s pool party and barbecue.

As it happened, the event was  attended  by two of  L’s siblings, her sister’s cute friend and the friend’s elderly father.  We splashed around, ate our fill of Chuck’s grilled treats, and various salads and casseroles served up by the ladies.  It was low key, but just the sort of thing that my peripatetic soul needed, after resuming a headlong itinerary, between Spring Hill and here.

The setting was divine.  The ladies, including the comely friend, preferred to either not be photographed or that the photos remain off social media.  As always, I comply with this request.  The property, though, is salubrious, and I am grateful to Laureen and Chuck for greeting me so warmly.  Crossville thus becomes yet another link in my cross-country chain of homes.

Here are some views of the Tennessee Nirvana (my term).

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURESSAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

A party does not have to be huge, to be joyful or memorable.

NEXT UP:  Memphis, for Lovers and Fighters

Sixty-Six, for Sixty Six, Part LVI: Return to Down East, Part 1- Green Acre

7
Posted by on in Education, Inspiration, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

July 16, 2017, Eliot, ME-

I had anticipated visiting relatives, outside the immediate family, today.  I just was not sure which ones.  Last night, I got a message from a long-lost cousin, saying that he couldn’t meet with me this time around, but would I please consider visiting his mother, my paternal aunt, on her birthday.

It’s been 28 years, since I last set foot in the State of Maine.  My last visit there didn’t go very smoothly, and I have been embarrassed to return to the last place I stayed.  This time, though, I was determined to make it a good day.

I started out at Green Acre Baha’i School, located  in Eliot, just over the Piscataqua River from Portsmouth, NH.  The property, once owned by a spiritualist, was deeded to the Baha’i Faith by Sarah Farmer, after ‘Abdu’l-Baha visited the property, in 1912, and told Ms. Farmer that he foresaw a great center of learning rising there.

It is, at present, a vibrant place of spiritual education, and Green Acre has forged strong ties with the surrounding communities.  I spent about two hours there, before heading up to York.  A high point is always visiting the room where ‘Abdu’l-Baha stayed, during his visit.

Here are some scenes of Green Acre:

The first building that greets the visitor is a large classroom center.

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

The administration building and registrar’s office is located diagonally across the street.

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

The administrator’s residence is next to the registrar’s office.

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

Overlooking it all is the majestic Sarah Farmer Inn.  Students in the various programs, which are generally a week or two in length, stay in this Victorian establishment.

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

One may walk down to the banks of the Piscataqua River, across which is Portsmouth, New Hampshire’s only seaport

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

The Great Lawn offers a sweeping view of the campus.

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

Back in the Sarah Farmer Inn, I recalled having sat and meditated in the parlour, on a previous visit.

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

Upstairs, one may pray and meditate in the room where ‘Abdu’l-Baha stayed.  After  I had done so, with three other people praying in the room, it was most prudent to take this photo, from outside the room itself.

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

Upon leaving the Sarah Farmer Inn, I was informed that there was a picnic and barbecue outside, which I promptly joined.  A pleasant meal of chicken and several vegetarian dishes, and a chance meeting with friends from Arizona made for a fine ending to this short visit.

I had gathered both nutritional and spiritual sustenance, which would carry me safely onward, eventually back to Arizona.  This day, however, would bring further joys into view: Stonewall Kitchen, where my aunt works; Old York; York Harbor and the Mason Preserve, and a nice little gathering, in auntie’s honour.  Stay tuned.

 

Extended Family, Reno & Carson, Days 3 &4: Tides of Transition

5
Posted by on in children, Family, Hiking and Nature, Personal Values, Social

May 31-June 1, 2016, Carson City- 

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

Sundial, Carson City

We spent the past two days intermittently going through boxes, tending to errands in Reno, watching days 2 &3 of the new version of “Roots” and enjoying a fantastic barbecue, at the Sandoval residence.  Above is Veronica’s sundial, which keeps watch over her little swimming pool.  Uncle Gary, of course, had to get splashed, show her how to toss water at the far fence and discuss the meaning of an episode of “My Little Ponies”- which does have more intellectual fiber, for the minds of 3-5 year-olds, than we older ones might think.

Tuesday was busy, but peaceful here, roiling back at home base (Prescott) and generally a day that brought some enjoyment (see below), but which I was glad to see over. By bedtime on Wednesday, though, all was calm again.

We had a pleasant lunch at Mel’s Diner, in Reno, served by one of the most effervescent young women I have ever met.  Diner food is one of my guilty pleasures, anyway, so it didn’t take much to get me to agree to stop there, after Michele’s walk-through at her old apartment.

On the way back to Carson, we drove through Washoe Lake State Park, between Reno and Carson City.  The serenity of this place is reminiscent of several similar places in the Prescott area.

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

Bridge along Hwy. 395, Washoe Valley, NV.  Mt. Rose is in background.

The bridge over Washoe Valley is remarkable for its length.  Mount Rose calls out to be hiked, but that is an item for another year’s agenda.  The Valley itself is stunning, as a place to unwind for many, and as a redoubt for the well-to-do.

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

Deer, resting near irrigation sprinkler, Washoe Valley, NV

A herd of deer were roaming near this irrigation pipe, an excellent way to beat the mid-day heat.

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

Beagle Rock, Washoe Lake State Park, NV

This rock was painted, by person or persons unknown, about ten years ago.

The crowning event of the day was Veronica’s tae-kwon-do session.  Watch out, world!

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

Veronica gets ready to chop.

Watching my little angels grow has been a joy, for thirty six years and counting.  I thank the Lord this will be ongoing.  The session took me back to the late ’90’s, when my son was learning this martial art form.

The time here was capped with the above-mentioned barbecue.  The Sandovals pulled out all the stops, and presented us with everything from the usual hot dogs and burgers to carne asada and grilled pineapple.  Freshly baked  pan dulce capped the meal.  It was one of those “No more food for a month” affairs, which is what happens, in a loving environment.

Now, it’s time to head on down  to the next important event:  A 35th Anniversary Reunion of those who opened the Native American Baha’i Institute, in Burntwater, Arizona.

NEXT UP:  The highway that was once “America’s loneliest”.

 

The Road to 65, Mile 76: Happiness Is A Hot Wheels Tattoo

2
Posted by on in Social, Travel

February 12, 2015, Marianna to Sylacauga-  Today was a day of few photographs.  The central purpose of my drive up to Sylacauga, midway between Montgomery and Birmingham, on the Beeline (U.S. 231), was to lend a listening ear to a young friend.  Alabama has lots to offer the visitor, but for this journey- it was enough to visit the Welcome Center at Madrid, enjoy a couple of barbecue meals (lunch at Smokin’s, in Wetumpka and dinner at Larry’s, in Ozark, where I spent the night), and sit conversing with my friend, while her toddler alternated between playing in the McDonald’s rumpus area and coming over to get our attention.  That’s what 3-5 year-olds have to do, to make sense of their slowly unfolding world.

I began the day in Marianna, about an hour west of Tallahassee.  I had spent the night there, at Best Value Motel, and did my laundry at a nearby coin-op.  I had an interesting conversation with the owner of the laundromat and one of the other patrons. The owner was a native of Marianna, and has watched it go through several changes.  To him, having grown up and stuck with the city’s West Side as home, the gradual deterioration of family values and increase in crime and dysfunction were not things he foresaw.  On the surface, things in that area look quite peaceful, but he advised me not to walk around much, at that hour of the night (It was 8:30).  I only had to walk next door, so it was no problem.

This morning, I took a walk around downtown Marianna, after breakfast at Bobbie’s Waffle Iron.  The mood in the breakfast spot was a bit colder than that at Jim’s Buffet, the night before.  I was pretty much served quickly and expected to eat and leave quickly- with some men at the other end of the place muttering about “stranger over there”.    No one bothered me, though, so I just went on about my exploration.

I checked out some of the noteworthy buildings and an obelisk commemorating the Confederate Veterans.  I noted the difference between First Baptist and First Methodist.

SAM_4016

SAM_4018

The Confederate Obelisk stands in front of an apartment building, in the center of Marianna.

SAM_4021

Leaving Marianna around 10 AM, I made good time along the Beeline.  Here are some scenes from the Madrid, AL Welcome Center.  Composting is done with watermelon rinds, by shredding them.

SAM_4023

This Army helicopter is a reminder of Alabama’s strong military presence.  Fort Rucker is not far away, and the regional airport is named for Igor Sikorsky, the inventor of the chopper.

SAM_4024

Alabama has welcomed me nicely, each time I have passed through.

SAM_4025

I didn’t take any photos of Sylacauga or of my friend, Christy and her son.  The mood didn’t feel right.  Little man was quite tired, it being mid-afternoon and all. He was, however, quite proud to show me his Hot Wheels tattoo, so I know a bond was starting to form.  His mom and I talked for a short while about things that concerned her, and I think she felt a bit better afterward.  That is time well-spent.

I headed back downstate, and took a room at Ozark Motel, 3 miles north of the town of Ozark- close enough, so that I would be on track for Friday’s two meet-ups, in Panama City.  Time grooves on.