Southern Blvd.

Here is a view of the main street through Rio Rancho, NM of Southern Blvd. Oddly Southern runs east and west. It is called Southern because it is south of Northern Blvd. Northern is the other main road through town but was only paved about 8 years ago while Southern was paved when we moved here in 1983. Oddly again there is no streets called Eastern or Western. I live off of Southern but several miles to the west of where this photo was taken. I was going to the post office when I noticed a group of beautiful yuccas that needed there photos taken. So I stopped and took some. Albuquerque is mostly to the south and east of where this photo is. You can see the base of the Sandia Mountains or the Foothills as they are known as in the back of the photo.

Grandpa's Candy

The topic for the December 7th installment of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories hosted by Thomas MacEntee is: "Christmas Grab Bag. Author’s choice! Please post from a topic that helps you remember Christmases past!!"

In a previous post, I mentioned that my Grandfather, Rolland Victor Phend, had been an apprentice at a bakery before he enlisted in the Army during WWI. He learned to make the usual pies, cakes and cookies but our favorite, by far, was his candy! He made it year round but Christmas was a time when he was especially busy with the candy making. Most of it he gave away or donated to church bake sales but we got our share too. We so looked forward to this time of year and couldn't hardly wait to get a taste of the caramels, turtles and cashew glace. He also made chocolate fudge, fondant, candy canes and taffy but my preference was always for the caramels, turtles and cashew glace.

Grandpa would "hide" the candy in his closet, which also happened to be the downstairs bathroom. That may sound kind of weird but the bathroom was really just the toilet - no sink or shower (you'd go to the kitchen to wash your hands after using the toilet). It was a very large room and the toilet was on the opposite side from where the candy was kept. The main reason he kept the candy there was because the room was cool. No heating ducts went into that room. It got enough warm air when the door was left open so that it didn't freeze, but it was a bit chilly; no one lingered long in that bathroom! Except when we were looking for the candy, although it wasn't really hidden. He always left some out in plain sight so we could easily grab a few pieces.

One year, I don't remember exactly when - I had graduated from high school and was working in Fort Wayne - I was allowed to "help" him make some caramels and turtles. I did measure out some of the ingredients, but mostly I just watched. Though he did let me dip the caramel-pecan mixture in the chocolate to make the turtles. His basic technique was to measure out all of the ingredients first, putting the dry ingredients on separate pieces of wax paper. Then when the sugar or salt or whatever was needed all he had to do was pick up the wax paper and slip the ingredients into the pan. I thought that was neat. It was convenient and also cut down considerably on the number of dishes that would have to be washed later!

On December 14, 1963 grandpa's talents were highlighted in an article in the Warsaw Times-Union (published in Warsaw, Kosciusko County, Indiana). The pictures below are scans of photocopies from that article so they aren't very good as far as quality goes, but they are all I have. For whatever reason we never took any pictures of grandpa in the kitchen. That's the cashew glace he's holding in the right picture.



Several years ago I made Grandpa's caramels and cashew glace for Christmas presents for my immediate family (mother, brothers, sister, nieces and nephews). They turned out okay, and everyone enjoyed them, but they were not quite the same as I remember Grandpa's. I don't know what happened to his recipes, perhaps one of his daughters or his son has them. These two recipes were published in the 1963 article mentioned above. No substituting allowed!

Grandpa Vic's Vanilla Caramels
In a large heavy pan, combine one cup granulated sugar, one cup light corn syrup, and one cup heavy cream. Stir occasionally, cook to 232 degrees. Add (while stirring constantly) 2 tablespoons butter, ¼ teaspoon salt, 6 tablespoons evaporated milk. Cook to 240 degrees, then take from heat. Add one teaspoon of vanilla and stir only enough to mix. Pour into a greased or buttered baking dish (a standard sized cookie sheet with side walls works quite well). Let this cool then cut into bite size pieces. Wrap the individual pieces in wax paper. Keep in a cool, dry area.

Turtles can be made by pouring the caramel mixture over pecan halves place in the bottom of the baking dish or cookie sheet. After cooling, cut the pecan/caramel mixture into squares, shape into turtles, then dip in melted chocolate. yum-o.

Grandpa Vic's Cashew Glace
In a large heavy pan, combine 2 cups granulated sugar, ½ cup light corn syrup, ½ cup water. Cook together to 270 degrees. Add 2 tablespoons butter, ½ teaspoon of salt. Stirring to keep from sticking until temperature reaches 300 degrees. Take from heat and add 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda and 2 cups of unsalted cashews. Pour into a greased cookie sheet, pressing flat with the spoon or your hands. Let mixture harden, then break apart into pieces. Store in an airtight container, though it won't last long. Enjoy!

A day in York: Bars and walking the York ruin walls

When I am travelling alone I can cover many things quickly mainly because I love walking. When you walk a lot, you see a lot. However, I also tend to spend my late lunches really slow, like at least 2 hours. Another perpetual habit is sitting down in a cafe terrace with a spirit in hand watching the world go by.

Anyway, after visiting the York Minster Cathedral, I went to check out the Roman wall ruins. I was not really sure which part of the city wall ruins to start exploring with, however, I noticed that it doesn’t really matter because all over the city I can find the ‘bars’ connecting the ramparts.

In England, bars are portcullis, a fortified gateway usually made of stone. Nowadays they are a medieval attraction but in the past they served as the city’s defensive stronghold from invaders.

I climbed the portcullis of High Petergate and walked on the stone walls to the rear direction of York Minster. Although I did wander a bit in the gardens of the cathedral I was quite curious what lies behind it. My curiosity was met with a beautiful scenery. I lingered a bit here taking fotos and enjoying the green views. At the end of the fortification I reached the Monk Bar, another portcullis and a famous one in York as well.

The Monk Bar is now a little historical museum. There is a statue of the short-lived King Richard III (King of England 1483-85) wearing black tights. Wow, what can I say, he was a very fashion forward man, considering I am wearing the same thing! Haha

High Petergate.

Walking the stone walls.

Here are the views from the ramparts:

Above foto is the Treasurer's House I believe. Pretty!

Here is the Monk Bar:

Inside the Monk Bar, King Richard III was fashion forward wearing the same black tights I am now wearing. The velvet fabric of the coat is also an all-time classic trend while those shoes, I see lots of teenagers wearing them now.

Monk Bar and Goodramgate.

Noosa with Nate Foster

Location: Boiling Pot - Noosa National Park

Model: Nate Foster

Photos: jjobrienclimbing








I was thinking about Boiling Pot recently. Gritty short cliffs over sensuous worn stones, washed by the sea. I used to climb there when I first started. The place has been photographed to bits in every Noosa coffee table type book but I think there's potential for good bouldering photography.

Here's what Nate and I came up with.
















I think a million people or more visit Noosa National Park every year. There's a constant stream of families with boogie boards and towels colliding with each other on the path, as they migrate from carpark to beach to next beach and back.

Only one or two people visit for the climbing, but the bouldering is quite good and there's trad routes to be had at the southern end of the park.

Being neither a boulderer nor a traddie I only add to the million every few years.









































jj

Loon with baby in morning fog

As you are already well aware (thanks to previous posts on this blog), I've been monitoring and photographing a Loon family for the past few weeks. On Friday, July 1st I discovered a Loon nest completely by accident on a local lake here in Grand Portage. I was with my friend Roger and we were looking for turtles sunning on logs, which is a frequent sight on the same lake. No turtles on that day, but while walking a small part of the shoreline we soon spotted a Loon nest out in the tall grass across a narrow channel of water in a protected corner of the lake. Right then and there we made plans to come back the next day and watch the nest all day in hopes that the chicks would hatch while we were there.




We returned at 9:00 AM the next morning and saw the adult was still sitting on the eggs. This was the beginning of what would end up being almost a two-week stretch of daily checks of the nest. After a week of visiting the nest and still not seeing any babies, I was starting to get a little worried about the eggs and whether or not they would hatch, since most Loon babies are born before mid-July. Finally, when I visited the nest on the morning of July 14th, I noticed right away that one of the babies had been born and was hiding behind the adult on the nest. I watched the nest for part of that day and eventually got some shots of the baby in front of the adult on the nest.




When I returned the next day the other baby had been born and the Loon family was already off the nest and out in the middle of the lake. This was when things got really interesting! Since the 14th I haven't quite been making daily trips to the lake, but almost. Watching the adults interact with their chicks out on the lake has been the most interesting wildlife experience I think I've ever had. It is amazing the care that is given to the chicks by the adults. Most of the time during their first week of life the chicks ride on the backs of the parents. This is done mostly for protection from predators, but also because the chicks get tired easily and need to rest. Now that the chicks are already almost two weeks old they are diving on their own (although their dives only last for a few seconds), they are learning to preen themselves, and soon they will be catching their own food, which consists mostly of minnows (small fish).




These photos were captured this morning just after sunrise, which so far has been the day with the most incredible conditions for photographing the birds during all my days of visiting the lake. We have been having daytime temperatures of almost 90 degrees with very high humidity, but the night of the 18th and early morning of the 19th the temp dropped into the upper 50's which meant that in the morning there was a lot of fog on the lake. The conditions for picture taking were phenomenal to say the least. I hope you enjoy these images from this morning!

A Custom Rivendell Roadbike

Some time ago I got the chance to try a custom Rivendell, built for local cyclist and bicycle mechanic Jim A. I had been eying this beautiful bicycle in Jim's corner at Harris Cyclery for a couple of years now and did not have the nerve to ride it. But as my curiosity grew and my bike handling skills improved, the stars finally aligned and it all culminated in a test ride.





As far as Rivendells go, this one is both iconic and unique. The lugwork and color scheme look quintessentially Rivendellian, but the frame was built by Roland Della Santa in 2000, whereas today theircustom frames are usually built by Mark Nobilette. Of course being custom it was also built according to Jim's proportions and specifications, in particular to accommodate his long legs and a short torso.





As far as lugwork, there are some special touches such as the double-plated fork crown,





the elegant seat cluster,





and the filigreed lugs framing the contrasting head tube panel. Of course I love the sage green and cream color scheme. If I were to get a custom Rivendellthis is pretty much what it would look like.





Jim has this bicycle set up with Nitto Noodle handlebars, bar-end shifters, a compact drivetrain,PanaracerPasela28mm tires, and a green BrooksB17 saddle. The frame was built for short reach brakes, and will fit a 28mm tire with fender.





The frame size is 54cm x 53.5cm. With its standard diameter tubing, level top tube, and road geometry, this bicycle resembles a classic roadbike more so than Rivendell's currently produced models - which was one reason I was interested in trying it.






I rode the bicycle for a 5-8 mile loop through the suburbs with some hills. While I did not put the bike "through the paces" (I was still pretty nervous about marring its pristine condition), I did get a basic sense for its handling and speed. And... my main impression was that it handled similarly to my Mercian - to a freewheel, geared version of it, that is. The acceleration, the turning, and just the general feel of the Rivendell felt so similar that it was as if I was riding a different version of my own bike. With the handlebars set up for Jim but the saddle lowered for me, I was more upright than I wanted to be, and also there was some toe overlap with the front wheel, so on my own bike the specs would be a little different. But otherwise it felt comfortable, while also being lighter and more responsive than the stockRivendellSam Hillborne I own.






It is hard to believe that 2000 was 12 years ago, but time does fly. Since they opened shop in 1994, Rivendell's philosophy has been shifting consistently in the direction of wider tires, hardier tubing, upright handlebars, greater off-road capacity, and reinforced frames (double top tubes, diagonal tubes, etc.). But in the past they did offer more roadish models that were essentially classic lugged steel road-to-trail bikes with decent tire clearances - nothing fancier or more eccentric than that. Trying a custom bicycle from this period was a treat, and has helped me understand the company's history. Many thanks to Jim A. for allowing me to ride his bike and to share these pictures.

More About the Lipizzan Horses

There is so much to talk about with these horses, that it is hard for me to know where to begin. Their history is fascinating. Their performance is intriguing. Their beauty is breathtaking.



I guess I will begin where we began. To visit these horses and see their free performance of their winter training, you visit the 400 acre ranch. The ranch is in Myakka City, which feels as if it is in the middle of nowhere. It's one of those you drive and drive and wonder if this is right locations. I drove past it before I realized we were there. Once you are there, they welcome you in and help you park. You park on what appears to be their lawn and then sit in the stadium area.

Both times we have visited, it has been a full crowd. While they perform, they do a great job of explaining the history of the family and the horses. The horses are the rarest breed in the world. The family has a history linked to this breed dating back to assisting General Patton's mission to save the horses when they were captured during World War II.It is a wonderful thing to see the carry on their traditions both for their family's sake and for the horses' sake.

The show is full of demonstrations of the different ways the horses were used in battle. From their website:All Airs Above the Ground, originally outlined by Xenophon the Greek, derive from defensive horsemanship created for war and predated-dated the birth of Christ by some 400 years. These spectacular leaps and plunges were originally meant for use by mounted riders to inspire terror in the hearts of foot soldiers.



That this nearly lost art remains alive, is due in very large part, to the commitment of Colonel Herrmann, scion of the Herrmann family, and historically among the world's greatest trainers of this rare breed. In a lively and informative narrative throughout the presentation of his remarkable stallions, the history, evolution and contemporary application of this most sophisticated horse and rider training is recounted. It is repeatedly noted that extreme patience and, most particularly, love are the requisites to such highly schooled animals. Herrmann epitomized the master of classical European equitation.

The horses and riders also perform some beautiful dances together. Both are amazing to watch.

As incredible as all of this is, while I was sitting there, I found myself wanting to spend hours upon hours just capturing the beauty of the horses. I took so many shots of them, I think I'm going to sneak them into the next few week's blog posts just to share them all.Living the life in Florida!