dr_phil_physics | Entries tagged with fine dining

May the First -- May Day
May the Fourth -- Star Wars Day (May The Fourth Be With You)
May the Fifth -- Cinco de Mayo (May The Fifth)
May the Sixth -- the Anniversary Of The Year Without Summer
May the Eighth -- V-E Day (7 May in Commonwealth, 9 May in former Soviet Union)

May the Sixth is our very own commemoration. May the Sixth was first celebrated in 2014 (DW) (LJ).

It was Monday 6 May 2013 that a wound specialist with Spectrum Home Nursing took one look at my foot and said, "You're going to the ER." I couldn't even get up off the floor, I'd gotten so sick and weak, and the Allendale Fire Department came, put me on a canvas sheet and pulled me through the house, into the garage and onto the gurney from Life Ambulance. I wouldn't be released to go home until 19 October 2013 -- 5½ months later.

Much like Saturday's expedition (DW) (LJ), we decided to avoid Holland and Tulip time. So this year we went out to porto bello in Grand Haven, which we probably haven't been to in at least ten years, maybe longer. I'd forgotten how complicated the small parking lot was, given what street entrances you could get in or out of. (grin) Like I said, it'd been a long time. But, we had a lovely meal:

Calamari
Tender Calamari rings, flash fried, served with marinara

Dr. Phil:
Henry Weinhard's Bottled Root Beer
Fettuccini Alfredo
Fettuccine smothered in rich Parmeasan cheese and cream
With Pesto

Mrs. Dr. Phil:
Seared Tuna
Ahi Tuna steak, pan seared with pine nuts, balsamic vinegar, served on linguini
Recommended served medium rare
Pascual Toso Malbec
Agentine, clean and fruitful with a rich and long finish including accents of vanilla & oak

Entrees come with:
House salad (upgraded to Caesar) and bread

The calimari were light and delightful. Not sure what they were breaded in, or what oil was used. Our fingers ended up lightly oiled, but it wasn't heavy. And they'd come out hot, so I guess they didn't or couldn't drain them any more. We'd forgotten that they'd bring the salads out in a big tulip bowl and plates as a Caesar salad for two. The bread, however, was forgotten until the end -- we used it clean out the dinner plates (grin)

There was a time when I ordered Fettuccini Alfredo a lot, until I finally decided -- 15 or 20 years ago -- that I just didn't need anything that heavy anymore of butter and cream. But I saw some somewhere recently, might have been something that Momcat had at Perredies in Holland, and thought I'd have it once. And adding the Pesto was a really nice transformation from a straight, heavy Alfredo. Very much enjoyed it. Will wait another ten years before I do it again. (big-fat-grin)

Two years since the start of The Year Without A Summer. Of course, last year I had something of a relapse, but we're trying very hard to keep 2015 from being the third year with any hospitalization. So a toast! (Click on photo for larger.)
©2015 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

I didn't bring one of the Nikons, and I hadn't tried a self-portrait with Wendy's Canon A550. For being unable to aim and strongly backlit, not too horrible. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2015 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

A silly shot together. Hey, it's a celebration! (Click on photo for larger.)
©2015 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

After dinner, we decided to wander along Lakeshore to M-45. It was around 7pm now and the sun was coming down. Very hazy afternoon, temps around 80°F. Along Grand Haven Beach, the flat water, boats, sun and sand begged to be photographed. Mrs. Dr. Phil decided she needed some sand to walk barefoot in.

This is Gus. Gus REALLY wanted to play in the water. Gus's mistress didn't want to deal with a wet dog. Gus stayed on dry land. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2015 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

Now, of course, I'm wishing I HAD brought a Nikon. The exposure and the little consumer point-and-shoot are working overtime here to show any blue sky. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2015 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

Last three shots with camera held out the window so I wasn't shooting through the windshield. It wasn't completely the camera -- where sky and lake met was very hard to see. The distant person in the middle is Mrs. Dr. Phil dipping her toes in Lake Michigan. Report: sand lovely and warm, water COLD. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2015 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

And Mrs. Dr. Phil returning from her little adventure. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2015 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

I suppose we'll have to do something to celebrate Freedom From The Year Without A Summer Day come October -- May the Sixth next year. (grin) Ah, traditions...

Dr. Phil

Posted on Dreamwidth
Crossposted on LiveJournal

Nothing says Easter like March Madness. Wisconsin-Duke set for the men. Notre Dame just squeaked out a win against South Carolina by one point -- early on they had led 15-3, were ahead by 12 some seven minutes to go, then they were behind. Maryland about to attempt to go against UConn -- that's one tough road on the women's side.

Mrs. Dr, Phil made up a shared basket for us and had posted some pictures from her Kindle Fire HDX on Facebook.
©2015 Mrs. Dr. Phil (All Rights Reserved)

It's family tradition that one is not only allowed to eat chocolate before noon, it's the law. So we had some Ghirardelli squares -- milk chocolate with little dark chocolate Easter basket medallion inserts. Yum. But can you believe the store DIDN'T have bags of black jelly beans? What is wrong with people?

Amazon Echo has just added Pandora, so Mrs. Dr. Phil had a Pandora channel nattering on in the background while we read the Sunday paper.

We didn't dye any new eggs this year -- didn't need to. We're getting brown eggs from someone at GVSU these days and so already had some pretty brown hard boiled eggs. (grin)

Little permanent egg display on a kitchen shelf.
©2015 Mrs. Dr. Phil (All Rights Reserved)

And then there was dinner:

Braised lamb shanks in Moroccan spices, leeks sauteed with tomatoes and black olives, couscous, garlic. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2015 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

Yum. Hudsonville vanilla ice cream with brandy for dessert.

Meanwhile the peepers out back are roaring up a storm. It was 55°F today. Rains this week. The daffodils at the edge of the garage are poking up their little heads out of the ground, according to Mrs. Dr. Phil. Spring has arrived.

Easter. Rejoice.

Dr. Phil

Posted on Dreamwidth
Crossposted on LiveJournal

Current Music: NCAA Women's Final Four

Those five of you who read my blog know that I love good food. And good stories.

Lawrence Schoen does a weekly blog entry every Monday called Eating Authors, where he gets authors to discuss some memorable meal. I also recently reviewed Ferrett Steinmetz's debut novel Flex (DW). So today's entry is a confluence of all that is good and wonderful.

Ferrett Steinmetz on Eating Authors.

(NOTE: Because I am a gourmand, I do not describe myself as chubby. I am, rather, Ferrett confit.)

So when I discuss the best meal I’ve ever had, should I talk about eating the gold-encrusted salad I had at the two-Michelin star restaurant Sixteen? Or the life-changing agnolotti I had at Joe Bastianich’s Babbo? Or even the greasiest, cheapest, most delicious egg-and-bacon sandwich you can get at Cleveland’s very own Old Fashion Hot Dogs, where you can stuff three people full of perfectly-grilled “dawgs” for under ten dollars?

No. The first fine meal I had was the greatest fine meal, and cannot be surpassed. Because of my Uncle Tommy.

Come for the food, stay for the good cry.

Dr. Phil

Posted on Dreamwidth
Crossposted on LiveJournal

Current Music: Touch Me In The Morning / Diana Ross

GVSU has Spring Break this week -- WMU has Spring Break next week. And Friday 6 March 2015 is also Spirit Day at Western, the only university I know of which shows its school spirit by declaring it an early start to Spring Break and having the students leave. (grin) Mrs. Dr. Phil took Thursday and Friday off, and naturally spent part of yesterday working on an online course for work and this morning having a committee meeting on the downtown campus.

Given that, however, we decided finally that if she really could finish the meeting at 11am, we could race out to Celebration North for a movie, then lunch at Twisted Rooster after 2pm -- a place we've never gotten into because its lot is always jammed for lunch and dinner when we go by on Beltline.

For just an hour meeting, I figured I'd just stay in the Blazer and work from there. Besides, it gave me a chance to test whether I really could log into the eduroam WiFi (DW) on GVSU's campus using my WMU .edu e-mail account. Mmmm, not so fast. I tried several times and kept getting Authorization failure messages on my Kindle Fire HD. Okay, but I had my cellphone and I had WMU's Help Desk on speed dial -- so I called down to Kalamazoo. They determined that indeed, authorization had been granted. But after a brief Connect, we realized that the parking lot outside of Eberhard and Kennedy wasn't getting a strong signal. Between either dropping the signal in the middle of the transaction or timing out, the authorization wasn't going well. But I did get it to work.

Yay. Next time I'm in a GVSU building, I should be able to do Internet same as in my office. Cool.

As for the Twisted Rooster, we'd been to their second restaurant the Crooked Goose in Standale by Meijers once -- the latter features Campbell's tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches amongst its signature items, while the latter does macaroni and cheese. As a huge fan of mac & cheese, I've been wanting to try Twisted Rooster for a couple of years. Didn't want to go all out, so we each had a Mid West salad -- which turned out huge -- and split a regular Home Made mac & cheese, rather than splurge on the Lobster mac & cheese or one of the others. Very pleased and we will go back sometime and sample some of other goodies. Ooh, they do calamari.

Twisted Rooster is right next to an Appleby's -- I don't know why anyone bothers with the latter when TR is right there. But I suppose lots of people go for the boring name brands, and it may be that Appleby's is cheaper.

In between all this, we went to the movies...

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel [PG]

Celebration North Theatre 13, 11:40am, 2×$8.50

This is a sequel to Memorial Day 2012's surprise and delightful The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for the Elderly and Beautiful (DW) -- which itself was based on the 2004 novel These Foolish Things by Deborah Moggach. The new movie merely says it is based on characters by Moggach. And everybody's here, except for Tom Wilkinson, of course.

A review on the formerly-known-as-Roger-Ebert website calls it dull, listless and I suppose, without heart. Look, both movies are British comedies which have to tread a narrow line between drama and comedy, and spend a lot of time making fun of everyone's age and hijinks ensue as the inevitable culture clashes and misunderstandings occur.

Rotten Tomatoes says, "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is about as original as its title — but with a cast this talented and effortlessly charming, that hardly matters."

Predictable? Perhaps. But how many sequels are truly original and not predictable? The first movie made a decent $137 million and employed a whole lot of beloved actors -- Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Celia Imrie, Penelope Wilton, Ronald Pickup, Diana Hardcastle, Tamsin Greig, Lillete Dubey -- plus our desperate hero Dev Patel and his fiance Tena Desae, and adding in David Strathairn and Richard Gere to the mix.

Speaking of Richard Gere, he may be one actor who is getting better looking and has more sincerity as he gets older. We've thought that since we saw him as the superstar chef in Autumn in New York.

India is, of course, showcased here and gets much better showcasing than in the first movie -- these British seniors are no longer such fish out of water, so we don't have to see the gravest culture shocks. But India has a vibrant and growing economy, one which our Hero is desperate to be a part of. That these grandiose plans are thwarted at every turn, plus throwing in the full-bore Indian wedding to his fiance in the middle of all this -- I can see how some would rebel. For those people, 122 minutes of this is probably too much.

And yet... much like the first one, it is the mix of miscommunications and feelings and a bit of pathos, which still has its charm. Maybe because we aren't kids ourselves, two hours was a fair play for us. And remember, we are not your typical comedy audience. Indeed some of the scenes induce a feeling of wanting to flee in me, but that's always been the case. Oh, and the best fish-out-of-water scene in Second is in the opening, where our Hero takes Maggie Smith to America to try to secure the financing to create the titular Second hotel.

Others might have pieced things together themselves, but the way this is all resolved at the end is not anything I had seen coming, though the clues were all there. Our Hero gets his triumph and the girl AND the wonderful Bollywood wedding dance. This is not exactly spoiler material, given the heart of both movies, it could not end any other way. And we knew Dev Patel could dance with joy, having seen him in the wonderful train platform number tacked on to the end of Slumdog Millionaire.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (If you enjoyed the first movie.)

Trailers: For the West Michigan crowd, two Christian films: An Easter release from part of The Bible series done the other year. And Do You Believe?, which cynically looks like a story about a guy who gets people to carry around these small but thick crosses and hold them up, possibly in lieu of say, good works, to prove your faith and show that God loves you and not those other people. Among other trailers, were one we've seen before, Woman in Gold with Helen Mirren trying to get back Gustav Klimt's Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer -- the painting of her aunt which was stolen by the Nazis. And Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd gets a remake.

Dr. Phil

Posted on Dreamwidth
Crossposted on LiveJournal

May the First -- May Day
May the Fourth -- Star Wars Day (May The Fourth Be With You)
May the Fifth -- Cinco de Mayo (May The Fifth)

To all these celebrations, we now add:

May the Sixth -- the Anniversary Of The Year Without Summer

It was Monday 6 May 2013 that a wound specialist with Spectrum Home Nursing took one look at my foot and said, "You're going to the ER." I couldn't even get up off the floor, I'd gotten so sick and weak, and the Allendale Fire Department came, put me on a canvas sheet and pulled me through the house, into the garage and onto the gurney from Life Ambulance. I wouldn't be released to go home until 19 October 2013 -- 5½ months later.

Mrs. Dr. Phil, whose summer was equally long and did heroic duty holding everything together AND visiting me nearly every day, proposed we go to this Mexican place she found last summer, near the one hospital, have dinner and thumb our noses at the hospital. I proposed that we go to Baldwin Street and Bangkok Taste in Jenison MI -- she'd just talked about needing a run there to get the seafood dish she gets nearly every time we go there. I get duck nearly every time.

It wasn't a hard sell.

Dr. Phil celebrating May The Sixth NOT in the hospital. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

Mrs. Dr. Phil celebrating May The Sixth by NOT having Dr. Phil in the hospital. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

Our feast:

A5 CRAB RAGOON (5)
Cream cheese and crabmeat wrapped with wonton skin, served with sweet sauce.

SP3 NOODLE SOUP (with vegetables)
Noodles, bean sprout, onions, lime juice, beef flavor, black pepper, hoisin sauce and chili paste.

SF1PLA DOOK PAD PED
Crispy catfish slice topped with green peppers, onions, mushrooms, eggplant and coconut milk in a red curry.

D2 PED YANG
Half duck Thai style barbequed, served with Thai special sauce.

The innocent sounding Noodle Soup, medium hot, was spectacular and HOT. They had us at lime juice -- and there really was a strong lime flavor, especially the mushrooms.

The fish and the duck always change, but the BBQ Thai special sauce was lovely and the duck slid off the bones. I would normally try some of Mrs. Dr. Phil's fish, but the soup was a huge soup for two and we both had two bowls. So we were full.

Our main courses... I killed the built-in flash and jumped up to ISO 1600 to make it look more like food. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

Just as I started to back up the Bravada after dinner, the Low Fuel light came on, so when we got to Allendale we stopped for gas. Now Friday gas was $3.63.9/gal. And it was $3.42.0/gal this morning at 9am -- so what the hell happened that it was $3.78.9/gal at 7pm?

Still, I got a nice shot of the pink flowering trees we pased this morning. Of course they were backlit this morning. (grin) You shoot with what you've got. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

It was a lovely day for driving around, though the thunderstorms have just hit at 2am. But all in all, a fine May The Sixth celebration. A new tradition in our household. Y'all are free to celebrate May The Sixth, too, hospital stay optional.

Dr. Phil

Posted on Dreamwidth
Crossposted on LiveJournal

We Gather Together In U.P.-like Snowfall...

For the last couple of years the local Michigan Tech alumni have gathered on a Sunday in January when Marie Catrib's opens special for us and we eat and eat amongst friends. Sunday 26 January 2014 was our day. Alas, seven months ago Marie passed (DW), but her son continues the tradition, for which we are all grateful.

I made our reservations early, because they asked for the numbers to be limited to the available seating in the main room -- last year we were at one of several tables in the deli counter area.

Steady bands of lake effect snow were falling when we got up. Overnight there had been numerous slideoffs and crashes through the area, and the roads were still slippery. Still, it looked like we'd get a break in the new snow and the winds for a couple of hours, and I figured we'd make it.

It was 6°F in Allendale as we drove east -- up to 12°F on the way home -- and as I expected, there'd been plowing and scraping of the roads so the church crowds could go to/fro. Most of the way I kept it to 40 mph or less. At Warner and 68th I started braking early, but before the part they'd sanded, so the stopping didn't start out so good. And one part of M-45 was a little squirrely. Plus the idiot who refused to comprehend the Yield part of Merge onto I-196 and I had to bail into the fortunately clear left lane so he didn't plow into me.

Warner and M-45 were both plowed fully wide. And going through Standale, I commented that this was the first time in years that the snowbanks along the road were higher than the Bravada window sills. Not quite the U.P., but closer than usual -- and just the other day there were no snow banks.

The side streets in Grand Rapids were choked with chewed up deep snow, but things weren't bad on the routes I took. This was the first outing with my new Dunham Winslow (New Balance) shoes in 10½ 6E and their more aggressive tread did well in the snowy parking lot.

Marie's!

Last year I shot the event with the infrared D100R (DW). This year, I also had a brand-new-to-me Nikon D100 Christmas present, but this one is of the more normal ROYGBIV visible light persuasion.

Class of 2003 and 1963, I believe, at our table. Geophysics and EE. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

Seven month old Liam and his really cool folding high chair. Sort of like a camp stool. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

Far side of the dining room. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

Sorry, ate the first round before I thought to take a picture. The pasty looking thing behind the most excellent cinnamon roll is a date-filled Finnish cookie. We also had two kinds of roasted potatoes and quiche, with and without meat, other lovely savories, a Finnish pancake, sort of like a thick flan with strawberry preserves, and thin slices of lox rolled up with cream cheese, capers and onion. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

The near side of the room. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

I believe this is Marie's son. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

Just part of the spread. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2014 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

Naturally, it is only now that I realize I didn't hand the camera to someone else to get our picture. (grin) Typical photographer.

Lovely, lovely event. Still haven't won a new hat in the raffle. Of course, the Alumni Office didn't send any hats, though three people will be a little warmer with two scarves and some gloves.

One Small Nit

Twice I tried to get the emcee to pause a moment for Marie, the first time he didn't hear me, though many of the alums murmured their assent. The second time he said in an aside, "That was last year." Maybe he meant they acknowledged her passing at another West Michigan Michigan Tech Alum event -- I was in the hospital. And maybe I misremembered that I had posted the news here while I was in the hospital.

I didn't push it, and dammit, now I am annoyed with myself. Yes, Marie Catrib died last year, but this was the first alumni Sunday brunch without her and they did open up again for us. So I think it would've been nice.

Still, the food and camaraderie were lovely, and ever the wonderful hostess Marie couldn't have wanted a better memorial.

Dr. Phil

Of Cabbages and Kings

Last Sunday, back on the 10th and the last day of Spring Break, we made my family's sweet cabbage soup. Cabbage salad later in the week. Then this Sunday is St. Patrick's Day, so Mrs. Dr. Phil made her boiled dinner. Later in the week we'll turn some of the corned beef into Reuben sandwiches with sauerkraut.

The only cabbage we're missing is some decent kimchee -- and if we went out to an Asian grocery, we could add that in the mix, too. (grin)

Serious yum.

Boiled cabbage, potatoes and corned beef. With Coleman's Mustard, horseradish sauce and ground horseradish. And the amazing Guiness brownies. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2013 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

The Merge of Spring and Winter

We still have most of the pine trees that once made these several properties a Christmas tree farm of sorts. The neighbors on either side cut down their trees to make lawns. Alas, the neighbors to the east I don't think did anything to build up the ground and so right now from the property line to their driveway is a vast lake. We get a little flooding in amongst the trees.

That's not mostly snow, but the white is a reflection off the water. This shot is from Tuesday, the neighbor's yard in the background is all water now. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2013 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

Oh, and the Kliban cat with the basketball? It's NCAA Selection Day for the big dance. March Madness, baby...

Dr. Phil

Current Mood: bouncy

Whatta Meal!

Just over 29 years ago we moved up to Laurium in Michigan's U.P. Yes, we moved to the Lake Superior snow belt in January. And yes, it was -10°F and they had to use a front end loader to carve out a parking space on the front lawn of the house we rented. We were at Michigan Tech from 1984-1991. At some point a woman named Marie opened a Middle Eastern deli in downtown Houghton and a Tech legend was born.

After we moved down to West Michigan, we heard that there was an amazing new place to eat at Lake and Diamond in Grand Rapids -- and it was Marie Catrib's. For the last couple of years the local Michigan Tech alumni have gathered on a Sunday in January when Marie opens her place special for us and we eat and eat amongst friends.

Today was that day.

Best new dish? There was a black bean and banana in a filo dough empanada. And a bread pudding with almonds. Savory muffins with sausage and cheese, or spinach and feta. And... and... and...

Families, friends... an alum who was signed up to Tech by his dad while he was on Midway in WWII... Thank goodness that the weather was suitable for driving!

A Different View

I grabbed a camera, but I wanted to take snow pictures with my new infrared converted Nikon D100. And what could be geekier than IR pictures at a Tech alum event?

Used onboard flash to shoot Mrs. Dr. Phil. Eyes are a little creepy. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2013 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

We were seated over at the deli counter section, just three tables, but a lot of room -- and quiet. Here's the people at the next table. One of the couples overlapped with our time at MTU. Gentleman at the right and I had a discussion about near versus far infrared (past 1000nm), which the CCD doesn't really cover. On the other hand, I don't have to cool the camera in liquid nitrogen either. (double-exposure-grin) (Click on photo for larger.)
©2013 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

The main seating area. I hoped to win a new Tech hat in the raffle, but alas, we struck out. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2013 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

On the way out, I shot my driveway -- base exposure was a little off. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2013 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

Much better exposure of some piled up snow in the near infrared. (Click on photo for larger.)
©2013 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)

Still playing with the type of false color -- or even just drained of color to black & white -- that I like.

Dr. Phil

Current Mood: happy

Christmas Eve

We have a long tradition of sometimes having big holiday meals on days other than their holidays. This year we chose to have our Christmas dinner a day early, so we could run off to the movies on Christmas afternoon. (grin) By choosing little Cornish hens, we got two great meals on the 24th and 25th.

Too small to stuff, the stuffing had to be done outside the birds in a casserole. The Cornish hens didn't come with giblets, so no broth. The gravy started with bouillon and beer -- very yummy. Mrs. Dr. Phil has done mixed root vegetables in a covered foil roasting pan for a number of years. But she found a recipe that actually roasts carrots and parsnips, instead of covering and letting them steam in the oven -- very successful and tasty. Salad, cranberry relish and sweet potato casserole rounded out the dinner. Pumpkin pie, which we'd started on the night before, for dessert.

©2012 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)
And Our Christmas Eve chef. (Click on photo for larger.)

Christmas

We had a 3pm movie date in Holland, a reprise of our fabulous holiday dinner at home, and a surprise evening of The West Wing on Netflix. Saving Mrs. Dr. Phil's stollen for later, we'd gotten another Dresden Christstollen from her friend in Germany, which we paired with some clementines, bananas and... excellent kielbasa from the Allendale Meat Market along with some fresh ground horseradish that Mrs. Dr. Phil had made the other week for a late breakfast. The Christmas morning chocolate fix was provided by a small packet of Godiva milk chocolate covered cashews. (grin)

©2012 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)
The meat market's kielbasa doesn't has as much garlic as my father's, but it otherwise tastes right. (Click on photo for larger.)

I remember the original Yule Log TV program from WPIX, both the Gracie Mansion film and the improved one. At one point we had a VHS tape of the latter. I found two one-hour videos on Netflix streaming and the second one includes instrumental Christmas music. We ran through the fire twice.

©2012 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)
Nothing like the warm glow of a crackling good fire -- from a cold LCD HDTV screen. (grin) (Click on photo for larger.)

Pat decided that Mrs. Dr. Phil needed a new tea kettle. When Mrs. Dr. Phil went off to Library School, she bought a number of housewares items at the World's Largest Garage Sale in the downtown parking structure in Evanston IL, including an avocado green singing tea kettle. Some time in Laurium MI, the whistling cap broke off and we acquired a Revereware Tea Kettle to match our other Revereware pots and pans. Over twenty-plus years it has gotten a little cruddy on the outside -- and cleaning hasn't helped. The new one is not only nice and shiny, but turns out to be a larger size, too.

©2012 Dr. Philip Edward Kaldon (All Rights Reserved)
The new versus old Revereware Tea Kettles. (Click on photo for larger.)

Boxing Day

Having pretty much managed to avoid all the shopping malls and stores during the run up to Christmas, we'll pass on the day-after-Christmas madness of bargain seekers and gift returns.

Hope you had a wonderful holiday of whatever persuasion. Merry Christmas and Good Night!

Dr. Phil

Current Mood: accomplished

I Have Arrived

Yeah, I know it's been a couple of weeks since WindyCon, but I did take a lot of pictures and I was on a lot of panels, so I am going to cover this. (And get back to covering the WorldCon, too.)

I had hoped to get out of the office straight after my 1pm class. But... I had some paperwork that needed to be done, getting quizzes together for my graders. So by the time I left, I knew that I'd not arrive in Lombard in time for the Opening Ceremonies at 7pm CST, durn it, but by the time I arrived, checked in, got a bellman to haul my gear to my room and go through Registration and get my badge -- there was still time to see part of:

Fri 8pm SpaceTime Theater
The SpaceTime Theater comedy/improv troupe returns to the Windycon stage with Rook and Archer: Private Investigators, a show that combines a scripted murder mystery with an occult twist, and their usual hilarious brand of SF/Fantasy improvisation. It's fun for the whole family and you never know what will happen next.
B. Roper, G. Roper, S. Paris, B. Jones, J. Corrigan, S. Salaba, D. Kuczwara
Junior Ballroom BC

I believe this skit, which involved calling "opposites" from time to time, involved a princess in Mordor -- the creature at the right is the closest thing to a horse they could find for her. A "h'orc", of course. (Smells ba-aaaad.) (Click on photo for larger.)

And yes, I really am working on a humorous short story entitled "A Princess of Mordor" -- how could I not after watching this?

Afterward, I wandered over to the ConSuite. I ate on the road to Chicago, but there's always time to have the traditional white bread, peanut butter and jelly ConSuite Sandwich™. The jelly was in little prepackaged tubs and there weren't any utensils around, but they were flexible enough and the commercially processed jelly jelled enough to push it out from the bottom. Nearby was a cooler with jugs of milk. Yup -- totally terrible and just hit the spot. (grin)

Almost never does anyone ever think to bring a long handled, heavy duty and non-breakable/non-flexible serving device for peanut butter -- or jelly if it's in a jar. Somehow I managed to make my sandwich without gooking up my hands with peanut butter. (Click on photo for larger.)

Up "Early"

Though my first panel on Saturday was for 11am, I got up early to make sure I could get to:

Sat 10am Firefly Wedding
No power in the Verse ...
Can stop these two souls ...
Not the Alliance, Not Reavers, and Definitely NOT Zombies ...
From uniting their crews and hearts this day
Come and watch Alex and Tracy get married in Firefly style.
Junior Ballroom BC

Not that I know this particular couple, but come on -- it's a Firefly wedding (for reals) at WindyCon. These are my people, so to speak, so I felt an obligation to witness their union. First time I attended a wedding at a con, though I know there have been some others at cons I've been at.

The ceremony was a mix of genres, Firefly with some Star Wars and Star Trek thrown in. But the wedding party was all dressed in Firefly. (Click on photo for larger.)

The vows took a while. Things like "Will you annoy your spouse?" "Probably." "Is that your intent?" "Nope." Which actually, was rather sweet. Too many wedding vows are sickly sweet aphorisms and don't deal with the real issues of two people getting onto each other cases and surviving for better or poorer, in sickness or health, etc. (Click on photo for larger.)

I had another camera person stand up and so missed the actual clench. But this is rather nice anyway. (Click on photo for larger.)

The armed guards at the back of the ballroom to keep the groom from running were a nice touch. (grin) (Click on photo for larger.)

Next... on to the serious programming.

Dr. Phil

Current Mood: amused

The New Usual

We used to do our Thanksgiving dinner as we had grown up -- big meal on Thursday. But for a long time we've moved the cooking to Friday or Saturday, and chosen to go to the movies on Thanksgiving Day itself.

This year we got to the movies on Wednesday, so decided to stay home for a change. A lazy, warming and partly sunny day with temps near 60°F. Used the TV remote's Jump button to flip between the NFL games and a 13-hour Castle marathon on TNT. We are way behind on that series, as we'd only seen a few Season 1 episodes and then had conflicts at that time slot. Wendy would've approved -- she adored the show and we had fun.

The Thanksgiving Word of the Day is Spatchcocking

We didn't spatchcock a turkey, but it came up with our research on Alton Brown's site.

Actually what Mrs. Dr. Phil was looking up was how to brine a turkey. We've heard about good results from people who had brined their turkey before roasting, both in terms of flavors and keeping it moist. Alas, we realized that while our big canning kettle was probably big enough to immerse a turkey, we didn't have a cold place to store while brining, so it wasn't worth it to unearth the canning kettle from a packing box, which we haven't used in probably 25 years.

Instead, I pointed out that since we prefer dark meat, why didn't we just see if we could buy drumsticks and thighs and brine those? We ended up with a couple of turkey wings and some six turkey thighs -- those drumsticks are too full of tendons to be as much fun as thighs. The cook made half a batch of the brine, which was split between our Revereware stockpot and a similar sized pressure cooker, both of which easily fit in a bed of ice in our big cooler.

For cooking, one group of thighs went into a roasting pan filled with stuffing, the other thighs and the wings went onto a Revereware roasting pan with some chicken broth in the pan below so that the drippings would make gravy. Then 70 minutes or so in the oven.

Brilliant

The brined turkey thighs on a bed of stuffing fresh out of the oven. (Click on photo for larger.)

Our Thanksgiving spread of turkey, stuffing, root vegetables and two kinds of cranberries. (Click on photo for larger.)

Thankful for Mrs. Dr. Phil who built this feast for us. (And yummy leftovers for days to come!) (Click on photo for larger.)

And of course there's pie. Pumpkin pie. (Click on photo for larger.)

The Day After

We'd planned on going back out to the movies to see Lincoln today, but the cold front roared through last night and so we had high winds and snows today. Nothing that was going to likely stick, but with the temp falling to around freezing and all those silly people running out to the so-called Black Friday shopping, we didn't need to involve ourselves with their inabilities to remember how to drive on slippery roads.

Instead, a year after Mrs. Dr. Phil got a Kindle Fire, we decided to abandon Hulu+ and reactivate our Netflix account as a streaming account and connect up with out Internet/WiFi enabled Blu-Ray player. MUCH, much easier to negotiate and better response. More on Netflix streaming anon.

Dr. Phil

Current Mood: accomplished

So Was It Windy At WindyCon?

Actually, yes. I finished up my last panel at 2pm CST on Sunday, and when I eventually made it out to Level 2 of the parking structure, the wind was blowing something fierce. But other that having the 1996 Blazer pushed around on the road a bit like a flying billboard, the drive home was unexceptional. There was a Bears game Sunday night, so just in case the hardcore tailgaters were slowing things down, I skipped leaving via Lake Shore Drive and took the Damn Ryan instead. Big heavy traffic -- going the other way, as usual.

The expected rain didn't even start until I was nearly to M-45 Lake Michigan Drive, and even then it was just spitting. 24 hours later the temps had dropped by more than thirty degrees and the spitting was flakeage. (grin)

Lunch

Of course Saturday night was my Zombie Steakpunk Dinner (DW) -- and I ate all alone. But Sunday I met up with my friend Jeff Karp, in the hour between my two Sunday panels.

As we did three years ago, had a pleasant lunch at Holy Mackerel, the more casual side of the Harry Caray restaurant -- which is also open for breakfast and lunch. I had a terrific turkey club sandwich and we caught up on things. Or at least swapped stories until I had to run to my last panel. Thanks for lunch, Jeff!

A nice picture of Jeff, looking much more relaxed than in 2009 (DW). (Click on photo for larger.)

Handed the D1H over to Jeff who took this shot of me. The wide angle lens didn't do me any favors of making me look any better, but it's who I am. (grin) It's a nice shot, too -- amazingly I don't look too tired after a long and busy weekend. (Click on photo for larger.)

A Very Good Weekend

I've got some decent pictures I should post, as well as talking about my panels, which were well attended. Of course I haven't finished posting my WorldCon stuff either, so don't hold your breath. (grin)

With WorldCon in Chicago just two months before, a number of my usual suspects weren't at WindyCon. But I was very glad to get away and help out.

Saturday evening, between my Reading For None and the Zombie Steakpunk Dinner for One, I sat in the main open space and watched people slowly show up in costumes. This one gaggle of furries, with big bushy tails and heads with eyes that lit up, camped up at the end of the corridor. I balanced the D1H on my messenger bag on a table and shot a couple of shots at low shutter speeds -- like half a second -- and then the lights came up and I was able to get a better shot. (Click on photo for larger.)

See ya next year!

Dr. Phil

Current Mood: accomplished

I'm Here

Arrived Friday night and checked in. Saturday was my busy day, with three panels and a reading.

Actually I'm rather impressed with this self-portrait -- centered and all. This is the second shot -- the first had a grim looking face as I concentrated on lining up the lens and... forgot to smile. Yeah, that's a little wry grin. (Click on photo for larger.)

About That Reading

I did read my zombie murder mystery police procedural... (Click on photo for larger.)

... to an empty room. (Click on photo for larger.)

I expected this, or at least anticipated it. Readings were scheduled late and weren't in the Program book -- and I'm not a Mike Resnick, whose 4pm reading sounded pretty full. (The door was shut.) There was no 5pm reading, so I couldn't even watch an audience file out on me. (grin)

And for the record I DID read my story. Found two missing words, so it wasn't totally unproductive.

The Zombie Steakpunk Dinner

The three people I'd expected for dinner couldn't make it, but I'd made a reservation at Harry Caray's for four at 7:30pm anyway. But without an audience I couldn't even invite anyone -- still I wasn't going to miss my steak dinner. I can dine alone.

Half order of calamari (part of their secret is that they marinate the calamari the day before), 9 oz. filet encrusted with Gorgonzola, asparagus. First two... perfect. Alas the asparagus was grilled and I didn't like it. Wasn't going to have dessert, but they had key lime pie. Came with candied shavings of lime peel -- really intense flavor. And the manager bought it for me, as I'd been "stood up". (grin)

Y'all missed a great steak dinner.

Dr. Phil

Current Mood: accomplished

WindyCon 39: Zombies
November 9-11, 2012
Lombard Westin

This coming weekend, WindyCon 39 opens at the Lombard IL Westin. Weather looks to be in the 50-60s in Chicago. Barring any last minute emergencies, I should be there from Friday night to Sunday afternoon.

I have five panels -- moderating two -- plus a reading:

Saturday, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon: Choosing the Right Technology for You
Lilac C
Every few months, the newest, best, and shiniest new gadget is introduced to the market, but how do you determine which is right for you? Is it better to have the latest bells and whistles or a simpler device that does just what you need it to do? How do you separate the hype from the chaff?
P. Kaldon (M), F. Salvatini, R. Martinek

Saturday, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.: Living in the Post Scientific Era
Lilac D
Polls show that increasing numbers of Americans are scientifically illiterate. What does this mean for the future? For science fiction?
J. Helfers, P. Kaldon, J. Plaxco, D. Burkhard, K. Strait

Saturday, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.: What Everybody Knows Is Wrong
Lilac A
We all have preconceived ideas about science, but often what we know is wrong. Not just on the big things, but on the little things too. Sometimes this is caused by oversimplifications presented to the laity, and other times it is because knowledge has changed since we learned it.
P. Kaldon, J. Nikitow (M), R. Martinek, R. Garfinkle

Saturday, 6:00 - 7:00 p.m: Reading
Walnut Room
Dr. Phil will be reading from his zombie murder mystery police procedural short story that's been making the rounds. I just got the nicest rejection letter for this particular story over the weekend. (grin) This will be followed by the Zombie Steakpunk Dinner at 7:30 at Harry Caray's Steakhouse in the Westin Hotel.

Sunday, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon: Is the Internet Making Us Dumber?
Lilac C
As more knowledge and information are available online, are we thinking less? Some studies indicate that the Internet may be shrinking our attention span, and our ability to create and follow complicated logical thoughts. Is this true? Or is it developing different parts of our brain that we didn't use 100 years ago?
K. Hughes, N. Rest (M), P. Kaldon, R. Martinek

Sunday, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.: Why Is Your Protagonist a Straight White Male?
Lilac C
Writers, fans, and readers have so often bought into a common default that they don't even realize there is a question to ask.
P. Kaldon (M), M. Ryan, D. Burkhard, R. Martinek, E. Hull

Zombie Steakpunk

So back in 2009, I arranged Steakpunk at the Westin's Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse (DW), following my Saturday reading.

I have to say, the steaks I've had at Harry Caray's have been some of the best I've had anywhere -- and the kitchen can accommodate a wide range of dietary issues if you ask.

I plan on getting a 7:30pm dinner reservation for this Saturday night -- if you're at WindyCon, or even just in Chicago, and want to join me, let me know.

Dr. Phil

Current Mood: excited

WindyCon 39: Zombies
November 9-11, 2012
Lombard Westin

In just two weeks, WindyCon 39 opens at the Lombard IL Westin. And this year, barring any new disasters, I should be able to go. It's not as big as a WorldCon, but it's a decent con. And the theme this year is Zombies, so bring your cricket bats.

Anyway, got my preliminary schedule the other day for panels. There was a lot of crossover between the people running Chicon 7 and WindyCon, so they got a late start. (grin) Still have to schedule readings.

So I have five panels -- and moderating two:

Saturday, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon: Choosing the Right Technology for You
Lilac C
Every few months, the newest, best, and shiniest new gadget is introduced to the market, but how do you determine which is right for you? Is it better to have the latest bells and whistles or a simpler device that does just what you need it to do? How do you separate the hype from the chaff?
P. Kaldon (M), F. Salvatini, R. Martinek

Saturday, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.: Living in the Post Scientific Era
Lilac D
Polls show that increasing numbers of Americans are scientifically illiterate. What does this mean for the future? For science fiction?
J. Helfers, P. Kaldon, J. Plaxco, D. Burkhard, K. Strait

Saturday, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.: What Everybody Knows Is Wrong
Lilac A
We all have preconceived ideas about science, but often what we know is wrong. Not just on the big things, but on the little things too. Sometimes this is caused by oversimplifications presented to the laity, and other times it is because knowledge has changed since we learned it.
P. Kaldon, J. Nikitow (M), R. Martinek, R. Garfinkle

Sunday, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon: Is the Internet Making Us Dumber?
Lilac C
As more knowledge and information are available online, are we thinking less? Some studies indicate that the Internet may be shrinking our attention span, and our ability to create and follow complicated logical thoughts. Is this true? Or is it developing different parts of our brain that we didn't use 100 years ago?
K. Hughes, N. Rest (M), P. Kaldon, R. Martinek

Sunday, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.: Why Is Your Protagonist a Straight White Male?
Lilac C
Writers, fans, and readers have so often bought into a common default that they don't even realize there is a question to ask.
P. Kaldon (M), M. Ryan, D. Burkhard, R. Martinek, E. Hull

Zombie Steakpunk

So back in 2009, I arranged Steakpunk at the Westin's Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse (DW), following my Saturday reading. I hope to arrange a similar dinner assuming I get a 5 or 6pm Saturday reading for my Zombie murder police procedural I've been working on for a while.

I have to say, the steaks I've had at Harry Caray's have been some of the best I've had anywhere -- and the kitchen can accommodate a wide range of dietary issues if you ask.

This time, though, I'll make a reservation -- so let me know if you want to have dinner 6:30-7:30-ish on Saturday 10 November 2012. That's the Marine Corps birthday, by the way, so a toast to the Corps is always in order. (I've an uncle who's a retired Marine colonel.)

Dr. Phil

Current Mood: accomplished

Sunday Paper

Article in the Grand Rapids Press about a new restaurant in Holland -- right on 8th Street in downtown -- called Crust54. Always looking for new restaurants, but they had me at the words "Chicago Deep Dish Pizza". Especially as the photograph looked more like a stuffed pizza than just deep dish. After the loss of Joe Chicago's and Stromboli's (DW), we were down two pizza places, including the one which made a proper Chicago stuffed pizza. (sigh)

Stock photo from Crust54's website.

Wednesday Errands

So I had to hit Holland before 5pm on an errand this afternoon -- perfect for ordering a pizza to pick up for our dinner. Medium (12"), Chicago stuffed, sausage, mushrooms, green peppers and black olives. Couldn't get a parking spot, so I sort of double-parked and called them back and they brought it out to me. Nice service. (grin)

Oh my. Yum.

A good Chicago stuffed pizza is dense anyway, but this one is also firm. The sauce wasn't loose or watery. The ingredients had some real composition to them -- the sausage and the lovely serious black olives especially -- and a serious and tasty crust.

We will definitely be back for more. They also claim to do New York pizza, which has its own merits. If they channel New York as well as they channel Chicago, that could be pretty great.

Ah, pizza. And relief at no longer being abandoned. (double-stuffed-grin)

Dr. Phil

Current Mood: excited

WorldCon Report Pending

One more partial day at WorldCon for us and then back home. We'll write up about WorldCon and the Wendy Wake at WorldCon later. But since the latter featured what was probably the largest physical space meat-up in UCF history -- 9 members in attendance -- I thought I'd drop a line about our second dinner on Saturday 1 September 2012.

I tried. I tried to explain that there isn't just ONE kind of Chicago pizza. That it's something of a religious war. That deep dish and stuffed pizza are not the same thing. And that Gino's/Gino's East was likely to be mobbed on a Saturday night on Labor Day weekend. At not too long a distance from the Hyatt, I of course lobbied for Giordano's, as opposed to Edwardo's. And was -- sigh -- overruled or overlooked. Gino's East at 162 East Superior it was. They don't take reservations for less than sixteen or something like that.

There were eight of us, no nine (later), who headed off from the hotel -- five UCFers and three spouses of UCFers. Most walked, but with my leg I took a cab, along with the Incomparable Anne, who didn't want to walk in her shoes and long dress. Naturally we in the cab got there first, only to find a HUGE line that went around the corner and into the alley. Sigh. Forty-five minutes was the estimated wait time for a table.

Still, it turned out there were some chairs outside so I could actually sit down rather than stand, and also there was a second, shorter line for large groups. And eight qualified. So in around 25 minutes we got sent up to the third floor.

5 UCFers and 3 spice at Gino's East. (Click on photo for larger.)

Including Dr. Phil -- along with the Incomparable Anne. (Click on photo for larger.)

Ooh, look! A late addition. (Click on photo for larger.)

And the pizza was pretty good. (grin)

Dr. Phil

Current Mood: cheerful

Different Company, Same Dinner

Last night did Pereddies once again in Holland with Momcat and Joe -- and I had my usual lasagna with meatballs. And I had the lovely key lime pie. Because we had a play, we had an early 5:30 reservation which was just lovely. Before we left the house, the weather map showed that Chicago was about to get clobbered by heavy storms -- I guess Lolapalooza down in Grant Park was suspended for a time as they had to evacuate -- and by the time we were done the thunder was rumbling on the way over to Hope College. But we didn't get wet.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Hope College, DeWitt Theatre, 8:00pm

This is actually our second Hope Summer Repertory Theatre show for 2012. And such a fine show. The kids who make it to Washington DC for real seem very nice on TV, but this is a comedic musical, so everyone is major geeky. Best character was actually Mitch, a black man in dreadlocks and jeans riding low, who was serving as The Comfort Councillor to the losers as part of his community service on parole. He did much more than hand out hugs and juice boxes. Longtime HSRT Equity actor Chip Duford was perfect as the assistant principal running the event.

Going back to the play's roots in improv, they had some ringers from the audience. One guy turned out afterward to be the dad of one of the cast members, and when he got the word he was scheduled to go out on, he was immediately called back to spell some impossible Welsh town name. (wicked g-r-i-n)

The show seemed to have a lot of heart when we saw bits on the Tony awards a few years ago, and I haven't laughed out loud so much in years.

Good show!

S-A-M-A-R-I-T-A-N

Funny how things work out. When we got to the parking lot there was a distraught older woman who'd left the lights of her minivan on and her cellphone at home where her husband has Alzheimer's and now she needed a jump... The good well-scrubbed family values Hollanders were more interested in jockeying to get out of the lot faster, than to either help this woman or even be prepared and have jumper cables. Thankfully the storm had hit while we were all at the play.

Guess who stayed behind to help.

I'd run into this trick before -- after the battery is low the car alarm goes off and you can't start the vehicle until the battery is charged enough above dead to allow the alarm to shut off. Added only time and to the level of distraughtness on the part of the woman. But, we got it done and I think she was able to get home okay. The battery seemed to work adequately once we got it started again.

Oh, and 18-foot jumper cables are so much better than the 6-footers I had years ago. (third-rail-grin)

Dr. Phil

Current Mood: amused

New Restaurant in Standale

After the rash of closings and the fire I've noted earlier (DW), it's nice to find out about a new local place, down the road in Standale. The Crooked Goose is the second restaurant in the Grand Rapids area with this outfit, their Twisted Rooster is over by Celebration North and is always packed. The Crooked Goose website is just a placeholder, but they have a blog.

Meritage Hospitality Group is one of the nation's premiere restaurant operators, overseeing 86 Wendy's restaurants along with our uniquely pioneered dining concepts- Twisted Rooster & Crooked Goose.

This ain't no Wendy's, I assure you. Fun place. Packed and on a Thursday night yet. Their specialty seems to be big burgers and exotic grilled cheese sandwiches -- available with a cup of Campbell's Tomato Soup -- but that's not what we had.

We started with a cheesy crab and tortilla appetizer. Then I had the Michigan Fried Bologna Sandwich -- Ebels Bologna (Falmouth, MI), Pan Fried with Melted Swiss Cheese, Maple Mustard Slaw, Crisp Fried Onions & Mrs. Dogs Mustard on a Sesame Seed Bun with Sweet Pickle Potato Salad.

This is from their website.

What's a fried bologna sandwich? Well, if you fry a thin slice of bologna in a pan, you'll get these crispy little half domes. But if you cut a thick slice of bologna from a real deli bologna, say ½" to ¾", it makes a really nice cooked meat for BBQ. We used to do this a lot in the summer when I was growing up and I've done it every now and then myself.

The Old Family Fried Bologna BBQ Sauce

molasses
with enough cider vinegar so it will brush
squirt of yellow mustard

Yup -- that's it.

Note: Cut the bologna slices in half, so when grilled, the 
expanding meat will have room to spread on the cut edge.  
Baste all around and keep flipping.

It's Taken Us Three Years Or So...

... since we first noticed that there was a mobile BBQ stand / food truck in Allendale during the summer. It parks next to a party store and ice cream joint, just north of M-45 on 68th Avenue. So we finally decided that if it was still here, then they couldn't have killed all their customers, because Allendale just ain't that large.

Saturday the end of June we pulled up around 5pm and found that they were down to three pulled pork sandwiches and cleared out of everything else. Since we had our own pulled pork BBQ either just made or about to be made, we passed. But we did have them reserve a full rack of ribs for the next day -- and my they were good.

Mrs. Dr. Phil at Ed 'n Pat's Smokehouse BBQ food truck, finding out they were pretty much cleared out on 30 June 2012. (Click on photo for larger.)

So when Mrs. Dr. Phil's stepmother Pat came by this weekend, we got three half chickens from the shack -- we got two great meals out of 'em. Very pleased with this local operation. Much prefer their sauce than Bono's, the Southern style BBQ place that went out of business and became the Mexican restaurant that burned down. And they cook their meat beautifully.

The Rest Of The Visit

We also went to one of our favorites -- Pereddies in Holland MI. For once, we passed on both appetizers and desserts. I had my usual lasagna with meatballs. As for dessert, we had blueberry rhubarb crisp at home. For that, I was willing to give up key lime pie. (grin) And of course we did Sunday brunch at Grand Coney in Allendale. Managed to get in after barely waiting a few minutes for a table!

Pat and Mrs. Dr. Phil. (Click on photo for larger.)

As long as I had the Nikon D1 out and Pat was there, I had her snap a picture of us -- I rarely show up in pictures, because I'm on the other side of the lens. (grin) Aren't we a cute couple? (Click on photo for larger.)

Dr. Phil

Current Mood: accomplished

All In A Day's Work

Just about exactly two years ago, Mrs. Dr. Phil did a day trip to Chicago (DW) and I got a couple of train pictures out of it.

Well, Mrs. Dr. Phil had a chance to visit with her same grade school friend, and I had an opportunity to (a) shoot trains and (b) visit with a college friend -- so we jumped at it!

This time the plan was to drive to Michigan City IN, backtrack to South Haven MI, then pick up Mrs. Dr. Phil and drive home. (grin)

The morning run from Michigan City to Chicago, crossing over from the South Shore yard to the station track. (Click on photo for larger.)

Mrs. Dr. Phil boarding. Why does SHE get to ride all these trains? Oh, because I'm taking the pictures. Duh. (Click on photo for larger.)

The fairly nice and new, but low-level platform. There is a building, but the ticket machines are on the outside. It's like $8.50 each way for about a two-hour train ride to the Windy City. (Click on photo for larger.)

It took a little monkeying around in Ulead PhotoImpact, but I managed to tease Mrs. Dr. Phil out of the glare of the window as the train rolled by. (Click on photo for larger.)

And off they go. (Click on photo for larger.)

I had about 15-20 minutes before the evening train arrived. A pair of orange South Short EMD GP-38-2 diesels were switching some cars around against the late bright sun. (Click on photo for larger.)

From my platform bench seat, I noticed this large expansion gap where a switch connected to the mainline. Interesting that the gap is so large in the summer and that only two bolts are holding it in place. After peak temperatures of 104°F just the other day up in West Michigan, Sunday afternoon it was just in the 80s and there was a pleasant breeze under the brilliant sunshine. I'll use this picture when I talk about expansion joints in my Fall class... (Click on photo for larger.)

Now arriving... (Click on photo for larger.)

I just had enough time to walk back to my camera bags and swap the D1X and 70-300mm zoom for the D1 and the 12-24mm wide angle zoom. I normally use motor drives on Single frame, but in order to get the older D1 to buffer multiple images, I had preset it for Continuous, and it rattled off three shots at 4.5fps. This is the last shot, heavily backlit, and the best one. Good anticipation! (Click on photo for larger.)

Here she is! Back from a visit and a Chicago River boat architectural tour. (Click on photo for larger.)

A fun time was had by all. I had lunch at the Thirsty Perch in South Haven MI with Cole and John -- and because they had all sorts of lovely spicy offerings, dinner with Mrs. Dr. Phil at the Thirsty Perch in South Haven MI on the way home. Funny Thing 1: I had the same waitress, who was delighted to have a repeat customer on the same day. Funny Thing 2: As we exited the restaurant at about 9:45pm EDT (the Michigan City IN trains run on CDT), Mrs. Dr. Phil practically walked into someone she knew from graduate school the other year. None of us actually live in South Haven IN. (grin)

The world can be a very small place at times.

Dr. Phil

Current Mood: happy

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Dr. Phil's Dreamwidth Journal

Those Who Lie In Wait, Dream Deep

Entries tagged with fine dining

May The Sixth

Easter Sunday

In Celebration Of Fine Dining

2nd Best

ONE YEAR

Michigan Tech January Sunday Brunch

Two Weeks of Cabbages

Michigan Tech January Sunday Brunch

A Very Merry Christmas

More WindyCon Fri-Nite Sat-Morn

Alt Thanksgiving

Back From WindyCon

WindyCon 39 -- The Reality

WindyCon and Zombie Steakpunk Dinner

WindyCon Preliminary Schedule

A Pleasant Surprise - 1

The UCF Meeting in Chicago

Ah, Summer Plays

New And Old And Favorites

Double Play Days