Misc. photos

Three-eyed devil jug

More Southern Pottery

Stump Vase by Tim Flinn

Powerful Reads

I've been having a bit of fun on Facebook this Saturday morning with a link to a story from BuzzFeed: 32 Books That Will Actually Change Your Life I agree with most of my friends who have commented that the list is a good one, but we're not sure they're really "life changing."  Which set me to wondering whether I'd claim that any book I've ever read (other than the Holy Bible) actually changed. my. life.

I honestly don't think so.

But some books have definitely influenced my view of life and/or the world.  Some by opening my eyes to new ideas and possibilities.  Some by confirming my already held philosophies and ideals.  Many by giving eloquent voice to my own thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

Here is my list of:

Two Dozen Good Books I'm Glad I Read

1. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
2. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll
3. All the King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren
4. All the President's Men, by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward
5. Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt
6. Animal Farm, by George Orwell
7. Beloved, by Toni Morrison
8. Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
9. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, by Fannie Flagg
10. The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck
11. The Hawk and the Sun, by Byron Herbert Reece
12. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, by Carson McCullers
13. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
14. The Long Home, by William Gay
15. Night, by Elie Wiesel
16. Other Voices, Other Rooms, by Truman Capote
17. Reading Lolita in Tehran, by Azar Nafisi
18. A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens
19. The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien
20. The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell
21. To Dance with the White Dog, by Terry Kay
22. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
23. Why We Can't Wait, by Martin Luther King, Jr.

Oh, Hummingbird......

I finally made Southern Living's famous Hummingbird Cake.  Now we're off to visit a couple of our kids in Tennessee.  Hope this cake is as good as it's supposed to be!

Southern Living's Hummingbird Cake

Yes, It's Chicken Pot Pie Weather

Here's the recipe Edward loves.  I got it from Progressive Farmer, years & years & years ago.  It really is the best chicken pot pie recipe I've ever attempted.

1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup half-n-half
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
4 cups chopped, cooked chicken

Saute onion, celery & carrots in melted butter 10 minutes.  Add flour, stirring well.  Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Combine broth & half-n-half & gradually stir into veggie mixture.  Cook over medium heat until thick & bubbly.  Remove from heat & stir in salt, pepper & chicken.  Pour into shallow 2-quart casserole.  Top with pastry, cut slits in top to allow steam to escape.  Bake 400 degree Fahrenheit for 40 minutes.

Pastry
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening
2 - 3 tablespoons cold water

Combine flour & salt, cut in shortening.  Sprinkle with cold water; stir with fork until all dry ingredients are moistened.  Chill.  Roll to fit casserole dish.

THE Chicken Pot Pie

Caveats/Suggestions:

• I use boxed or canned chicken broth, but I bet it would be even better with a carefully-wrought homemade broth.  Just the water from boiling the chicken isn't rich enough.
• You may need more broth & half-n-half than is called for in the recipe.
• I chop my veggies pretty small.
• I use a regular 9" X 13" glass/Pyrex casserole dish.
• Since I don't make pastry regularly, I'm no star at rolling it out, so I make 1 & 1/2 times the pastry recipe.  And it's always good.  I think the pastry is one of the secrets to this great pie.
• Yes, the pastry recipe calls for shortening & that's all I've ever used.  I don't make this so often that 1/3 cup of shortening a couple times a year is going to kill us.  Anyone figures out a suitable alternative, I'll be glad to hear about it.  (Hmmm, I think I did actually buy some LARD recently.......)
• The main trick is cooking until "thick & bubbly."  How do you know?  I approach my late, great mom on this one and only cooking trick.  I just know.  If you cook the sauce too long, the pie is a little dry.  Next time, you'll know too!

Brumby Pottery Collection Part B

David Morgan bowl, Morgan Pottery, Danielsville, GA

Geoff Pickett vase, Farmington Pottery, Farmington, GA 

Michael DeBerry lidded jar, Tucker, GA

Mark Issenberg vase, Rising Fawn, GA

DeWitt Smith vase, DeWitt Pottery, Watkinsville, GA

Tim Flinn face jug, Flinn Family Pottery, Athens, GA

Stanley Ferguson devil face jug

Wayne Hewell devil face jug

Southern Appalachia is Home

Quilt made by the ladies of Caney Creek, Polk County, TN, 1940's

Novelty Print in Caney Creek Quilt

Brumby Pottery Collection Part A

Yes, we collect Southern Pottery.  I'll blog more about this soon, but I just wanted to get a few photos posted today.

Peggy Pitts, Cone Ten Pottery, Watkinsville, GA

Michael DeBerry, Tucker, GA

David Meaders, GA

Marie Rogers, Jugtown Potters, Upson & Pike Counties, GA

Furniture by J. N. Poe

Donna's great grandfather, James Nugan Poe, died before I was born.  My mom told me a bit about him over the years.  He was a minister.  He liked target shooting with pistols in a dueling style.  He made homemade wine which he doled out in shot glass amounts on special occasions.  He was a stern sort of man.  And he was, wonderfully, a self-taught fine cabinetmaker.  He studied antiques in books and magazines and made faithful reproductions completely by hand.  No electric machinery.  He made his own hand planes.  He worked almost exclusively in Cuban mahogany and built most of his furniture in Chattanooga, Tennessee in the late 1920's and into the 1930's.  Some of his furniture was purchased by well-to-do residents on Lookout Mountain.  He marked a lot of his work by stamping his name (J. N.

Poe) and the date into the wood.  Here are our examples of his handiwork:

Compelled to Collect

 The Asheville Citizen once published a story about Edward and me collecting stuff (books, comic books, Bugs Bunnies, UT football cards, David Winter Cottages.....).  Space and funds finally dictated a reduction in collecting.  I decided to collect something inexpensive, small, and not that easy to find: miniature chamber pots.  Why?  I had one little chamber pot that belonged to my Aunt Lucille, who died at twelve years old, even before her youngest brother, my dad, was born.  It is a little china pot from Germany.  Along the outside it says "Attend to your own business," and inside, in the bottom, there is a painting of an eye.  The next little chamber pot I ever saw was many, many years later in my hometown (Blue Ridge, GA).  It had a little doggy or piggy or kitty or something peeking out.  I was hooked.  Along came ebay to build my collection, but it's still nice to have something small and relatively inexpensive to look for whenever we cruise through antique malls.  I don't try to collected duplicates.  We ran up to Brazelton today and I found three new ones!

Aunt Lucille's little chamber pot

Donna's collection #1

Donna's collection #2 (forgive the pun!)

Mrs. Brumby Cocktail

2 oz. Jack Daniel's Wiskey
1 oz. Dubonnet Rouge
2 or 3 dashes Angostura Bitters
ice
1 large cocktail cherry with stem (preferably homemade!)

Combine liquids in small pitcher or mixing glass with ice.  Stir (shaking would cloud the whiskey).  Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with cherry.  Sit down with the glass, sip and relax.

Hot & Hot Tomato Salad: First Attempt

Salad Copy #1

The only heirlooms Edward could find were small, so no multi-colored slices.  But the lima-looking local peas were delicious and the applewood bacon was tasty.  House-made creme fraiche too!  This first attempt at copying Hot and Hot Fish Club's Tomato Salad wasn't nearly as pretty as the prototype, but we sure gobbled it up!

Foodie/History Safari Part II: Nashville, TN, DAY 2

The next day we toured the Ryman, the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Parthenon.  On Broadway we stopped in at Hatch Show Print and Ernest Tubb Record Shop for souvenirs. 

The Mother Church of Country Music

Bill Monroe's Mandolin

Nashville's Parthenon

I grew up on country music, so finally entering the Ryman was special for me.  I was amazed at the character of the building.  The floorboards around the pews are gloriously worn.  The exhibits at the Country Music Hall of Fame are really excellently curated. There was a lot to see and good music to hear.  I was born in Tennessee, but I'd never seen the Parthenon in person.  Truly stunning. 

In the middle of the day we tried lunch at a spot our waitress at City House suggested, Arnold's Country Kitchen.  Oh my.  This is where we finally did ourselves in.  Good, but TOO MUCH LUNCH after too much other rich food!

Arnold's

Too Much Lunch

 






































Woof.  Edward had barbeque on a cornbread tortilla thingy, a cornbread muffin, fried green tomatoes, greens, mac and cheese AND strawberry pie.  I had fried catfish and hushpuppies, fried green tomatoes and mac and cheese.  This mid-day massacre humbled us at last.  We had to return to the hotel for a nap!


Because we had to be rested up for that night's reservations at the Bluebird Cafe!  Once we were slightly recovered from lunch, we knew we couldn't do justice to Capitol Grill, so we opted to sample it instead by ordering a couple of appetizers in the Oak Bar.  Good decision.  What did Edward have?  I've forgotten.  But my fried chicken livers were keen and just the right amount to tide me over for the evening.  And what a GREAT evening it turned out to be.  I thoroughly enjoyed the In the Round performance by Thom Schuyler, Fred Knobloch, Tony Arata and Jelly Roll Johnson.  Schuyler is a great songwriter with lots of hits: "16th Avenue" by Lacy J. Dalton; "A Long Line of Love" by Michael Martin Murphy and "Years After You" by John Conlee to name only a few.  I loved Fred Knobloch's Mississippi Delta bluesy sound.  And Tony Arata wrote a little ditty called "The Dance."  I think some guy called Garth recorded that song.  I've always said that Charlie McCoy is the best harmonica player in the world, but now I know Jelly Roll Johnson gives Charlie a run for his money.  I do NOT know how these musicians can sit together and play together this well.  There was a young kid visiting who got to sing one song.  I couldn't believe the way the others backed him up.  It was absolutely recordable!  I'm so glad I got to go to the Bluebird Cafe.  I wish Athens had a spot like this where adults could go and LISTEN to good music without getting amped-up eardrum damage.  I do miss real country music, but Nashville's still about the music and the songs.

Schuyler & Johnson

That's about it for Nashville, but I do want to share one little scene, a display of paper cranes outside a church door on a downtown street.  Some people disparage demonstrations such as this as meaningless.  I appreciate any time anyone spends focusing on peace.  There are many different kinds of heroes.

A Time for Peace

Two more stops on the 2011 Foodie/History Safari!


Back in 2006 Edward and I thoroughly enjoyed a Wiskey Tour of several bourbon distilleries in Kentucky, along with a tour of Jack Daniel's in Tennessee.  At that time we stopped by George Dickel, but didn't have time for a tour, so we made a point of returning to Casade Hollow on this trip.  Now that we've toured the Dickel facility, I wished we'd done it the same day as Jack Daniel's, because the juxtaposition would have been interesting.  Jack Daniel's is big-time production, including computerized plant management.  There's not a lot of high tech going on in Casade Hollow.  George Dickel has, including the touring staff, only about 35 employees.  But they produce an incredible amount of whisky (Dickel spells it without the "e").  If you've never visited a whiskey distillery and you're in the least interested in the process, I'd sure recommend a tour of at least one.  I find the whole business and its history fascinating and many of the distilleries are in beautiful settings.  At Dickel you won't get to share in the angels' share; you don't get to tour the barrel houses there, but it's a cool, free attraction.

Dickel Tour Guide Wearing Their New Slogan

Edward in Cascade Hollow

Are we finally hungry again?  After further navigational spats, we ended up eating lunch at a neat little spot in Tullahoma, Tennessee, Gondola Pizza and Steak House.  Edward had a Greek salad and shish kebob and I had a calzone.  This is exactly the kind of place (other than BBQ) we like to find for lunch when we're on the road.  Nothing fancy, outrageously hideous decor, and the waitress was of the bullish throw-it-in-front-of-you school of service, but there was a guy smoking briskets and ribs out in the parking lot.  If we'd been closer to home we'd have invested in a rack of ribs.  

Old-Fashioned Eats

The Old Bailey was glad for Edward and Donna to get home.  So was I.  I'm not a great traveler, but I sure appreciate being able to travel freely, discovering new food adventures and visiting interesting, historical venues.  Wonder where our next trip will take us? 

Foodie/History Safari Part II: Nashville, TN, DAY 1

It was still overcast as we rolled out of Birmingham on our way to Nashville, but it had at least warmed up a bit.

You'd think we'd never be hungry again, but a few miles on up the road we stopped for lunch in Franklin, Tennessee, at Riff Burgers and Fries.  This is a burger joint sort of a la Five Guys.  They grind their own meat and serve beef, lamb, salmon and turkey burgers with trendy toppings.  We both opted for the classic beef burger though.  I was excited to see "skinny fries" on the menu, but was disappointed that they were the dark, limp kind I'm not that crazy about.  Edward's onion rings were really good.  How does he always end up ordering better food than I?  I enjoyed eating here because it's in an old Gulf service station.  Can't ever see that orange and blue sign without sweet memories of my dad.

That Good Gulf Gasoline

Riff burger and skinny fries

Awhile back I read, thoroughly enjoyed and recommend The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks.  Hicks did a masterful job with this novel based on the life of Carrie McGavock and the Civil War Battle of Franklin that was fought in her back yard on November 30, 1864, the bloodiest single-day battle of that horrible, bloody war.  The battle lasted about five hours, with around 9,500 casualities and/or MIAs.  Almost 7,000 were Confederate troops, who were mowed down as they charged across McGavock's Carnton Plantation.  Many of the wounded and dying were carried to the McGavock's home.  The next morning, the bodies of four Confederate generals, Patrick R. Cleburne, Hiram B. Granbury, John Adams and Otho F. Strahl, were laid out on Carrie's back porch.  By 1866, the hundreds of field graves around Franklin were neglected, deteriorating and/or being destroyed.  John and Carrie McGavock, recalling the tragedy of the Battle of Franklin, designated two acres at Carnton as a Confederate cemetery and set about removing remains from around Franklin to a final resting spot on their plantation, where Carrie McGavock would watch over them for the rest of her life.  I had to see this place.

Carnton's Back Porch

Carrie McGavock's Tombstone

War is such a tremendous waste of our God-given opportunity on this earth.  I'm afraid we'll never, ever learn.  And our children will continue to pay for our stubborn human pride.

Leaving this solemn spot behind, Edward and I ventured on into Nashville.  I won't bore you with all our navigational spats, but we finally arrived at our next lodging place, the superb Hermitage Hotel in downtown Nashville. 

Hermitage Hotel

The Hermitage Hotel has been awarded the AAA Five Diamond Award eight years in a row and the Forbes Travel Guide Five Star Award five years in a row; it's currently the only hotel in Tennessee to hold either award.  Let me tell you, 5-stars mean something.  We were treated as if we were royalty.  Check their website if you're interested in details on the up-and-down-and-up history of this hotel: http://www.thehermitagehotel.com/homepage.aspx, but I will mention that Gene Autry AND Champion were both guests here in the past (we stayed on the top floor, so I guess we didn't get Champion's room).  Superior service starts with a doorman in tails and a top hat and just keeps going from there.  Everybody knows you by name.  If there's anything you want, all you have to do is look like you might ask for it.  Fresh cherries and strawberries and fancy glass-bottled spring water in your room.  A little basket you can place outside your door with your shoes inside and an hour later they'll come back to you shined.  Free Wi-Fi.  A fresh rosebud on the desk.  A stack of cool magazines in your room, and a TV Guide in a special notebook.  Luxurious robes of course, and an umbrella.  Turndown service includes homemade cookies, fresh bedroom slippers and little mats next to the bed in case you don't want your bare toes to touch the carpet.  Really.  And get this, personalized printed hotel stationery.  And that's just the stuff.  As I said, what really shines is the personal service and attention to every detail.

The Hermitage Hotel is also home to an excellent, award-winning restaurant, The Capitol Grill, and we were tempted, but after two FINE dining evenings, we were ready to try out one of Chris Hastings' recommendations and after cocktails in the hotel's beautiful Oak Bar, we made our way to City House for supper.  Good recommendation, Chef Hastings!  But I must have had an extra manhattan at the Oak Bar (yes, I did, and they served hot boiled peanuts and spicy popcorn as bar snacks!), because I can't recall exactly what I ate at City House.  It was a special that evening, so it's not on their online menu.  It was pasta, just the way I love it, shells with a garlicky, no tomato sauce.  I think Edward had the House Made Sausage with green tomato agrodolce and Abbey Ale mustard, but I wouldn't swear to that either. I do know we had the trip's best bottle of wine, a 2007 Elyse Nero Misto.  I love Elyse wines and tried to abscond with the winery dog when we visited there back in 2007.

Whew, two more days to go.  I'm getting full.  Let's let Day 2 be its own post.