A Sunset On The Potomac River, Washington DC

My Water Post For Today. (yes, I know I have had several these past few days)

This is from our trip down the Eastern Seaboard, aboard AMTRAK.

We had just left the station and after traveling through a tunnel that goes under the Capitol complex, we came out of the tunnel and rode a few blocks along the back side of the Mall, past The Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial and then onto the bridge that brings the train over the Potomac and into Virginia.

I thought it was a beautiful time of the day to make that crossing. The other roadways are I-395 and one of the subway routes.

I hope you enjoy.

The Battles Of Bull Run (Manassas)

While researching this post, I found out that the 2nd Battle of Bull Run occurred on August 29th and 30th of 1862. That means it was 153 years ago today, that the battle was fought. The first Battle of Bull Run was in July 21st of 1861, so I missed that anniversary, since I was still in New York City at the time.

My first question when I began my research was, why were their 2 battles of Bull Run? What made that area so important?

Well, it ends up that the very mode of transportation that I was riding on, was the reason for the battles, as I read HERE.

Manassas was an important railroad junction. As a matter of fact, the supplies that fed and re-armed the Union Soldiers, came along those tracks from Washington DC.

Both battles were Confederate wins and Union losses, though both sides lost many men.

This is where General Thomas J."Stonewall" Jackson got his name. The story goes like this: "Jackson's nickname was first applied to him at the First Battle of Manassas on July 21, 1861 by Confederate General Bernard Bee. Inspired by Jackson's resolve in the face of the enemy, Bee called out to his men to inspire them: “Look, men! There is Jackson standing like a stone wall!"

Losses were 5,000 in the first battle and 25,000 for the second. That means that 30 thousand men died in this area of the United States, over 3 days of fighting in 2 separate battles.

My family drove through areas of Virginia, while camping and we passed battle fields several times, but children don't feel the history as much as adults, I guess. Honestly, as soon as I saw this sign, I could feel the men and I became very melancholy. More on that, another day...

Today It Is 10 Years & New Orleans Is Not Back To Normal

Even though I have already touched on this subject, I had to revisit it on the 10th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

There are lots of events going on in New Orleans itself and many programs airing on television. ABC in particular had one last Sunday night, that my Husband watched.

With all that going on, I just wanted to acknowledge again, the fact that New Orleans is not back to normal and will probably never be.

The best they can figure, over 100 thousand residents of NOLA never returned to the city. Many of them made Houston their home and who could blame them.

I have a work friend whose family were there and only his brother and another member returned. The remainder are happy in Houston and just go visit occasionally.

It is hard to attempt to rebuild a life, when the city is still so vulnerable to flooding.

The way the residents were treated, was another major thorn in the side of the citizens of New Orleans. The City that care forgot, is one of the names that New Orleans goes by now days.

I am glad that they have brought back much of the city, but so much remains to be done, as I found out first hand and wrote about HERE.

My best to those who have managed to rebuild and I hope some sort of improvements are being made, so that this never happens again.

Photo taken from The French Quarter, looking toward the areas that flooded, including the Lower 9th Ward.

Live From Daryl's House - John Oates

Live From Daryl's House Episode 13-6: Daryl Hall with John Oates

Back when I was on the 5 acre KCET lot, I would listen to music as I worked. I had a narrow and long room and it didn't bother anyone.

Now days, I am in a room that can hold 24 desks and my bosses offices. It is not private and I refuse to listen to things, when my job is to listen to people and contribute, when needed.

A few weeks ago, I went looking for the song Ghost Town performed on Live from Daryl's House and I found out that the show has been removed, along with many others. I happen to like when John Oates performed with Daryl and so I went looking for some of the songs I cared about over on Youtube and found several of them.

I thought I would share them with you, dear readers, since they made some great music together that day.

1000 Miles of Life

Posession Obsession

Ghost Town

Change of Season

Had I known You Better Then

Back Stabbers

Enjoy.

Spheres At MacArthur Park

I had heard about this art project in the LA Times, over the weekend. As soon as I saw it, I wanted to get out to MacArthur Park and take some artsy photos, especially since it won't be officially unveiled until this Saturday. Knowing how creepy MacArthur Park can get, I also wanted to get photos before they get destroyed or something. You just never know in that part of town.

As we came out of the subway, you could see them all around the lake and so after lunch, we walked over there.

No one bothered us as we took our photos, but we definitely cut it short, instead of walking all around the lake.

Still, I think it is quite lovely and I look forward to seeing how it ends up in its final form.

You can read about the project HERE.

My 20th Order From Abundant Harvest Organics

It has been 3 weeks since my last order and my 1 year anniversary passed on the 17th. Here I am in year 2 of getting produce at Abundant Harvest Organics.

First off, I did want to mention a few things from the last box, which you can see, HERE.

Number 1 is that the watermelon that they gave us was almost not edible. My Husband recommended I send them an email and so I did. I never heard back from them, but when I went there on Saturday I was given a bag of some apples that have brown skin on them. I have no idea what flavor they are, but I ate one and they are divine.

Number 2 is I didn't get the Thi Basil going and so it went bad. I still have some in a freezer bag from last year, so I am not too upset.

Number 3 is that I roasted the small peppers with a little olive oil. They got a little bit overdone, but they were excellent. Just the right amount of heat, to pop them in your mouth and enjoy them.

Number 4 is that the pickling cucumbers are in jars and they are hopefully becoming pickles.

Otherwise, everything got eaten.

So here we are, this new box has arrived and this is what I got.

A Bag of Red Grapes

2 Daikon Radishes

2 Eggplants

1 Head of Red and Green Lettuce

2 Onions

5 Bartlet Pears

Bunch of Stevia

2 Summer Squash

2 Tomatoes

1 Watermelon

...and of course, the 5 unnamed apples (they are in front of the watermelon, if you want to hazard a guess at what type they are)

The Stevia is a natural sweeter and I am intrigued with that. We will see what I end up doing.

The tomatoes are beautiful and I am glad they gave me some "normal" ones this time around.

The eggplants are small and I made eggplant parmesan using some of the sauce I made for my Sunday pasta and meatballs and sausage. In the sauce I used the last of my Parsnips from June. It was the largest one and I figured it would get lost in the sauce. I also added some carrot juice that I bought for another recipe and it made the sauce just a little sweet. I added one of the 2 summer squashes, to the sauce itself and I also cut the second one very thin and cooked it like the eggplant. Hopefully the guys won't notice an occasional ringer in the eggplant parmesan. :-)

We opened up the watermelon and (minus the seeds) it is perfect this time. Yay!

The daikon radishes are carrot size and I am not sure I will be able to make chips out of them. Though AHO included a kick a** recipe for zesty radish dip that my Husband and I want to try. So, one way or the other, they radishes will vanish.

That's it, see you again in 3 weeks.

Aubrey Was Her Name

In celebration of the first day of class for the new year, I give you a story that happened on day 1.

I already mentioned the fact that my first class was Human Computer Interaction, but I did not tell you that there were other students in the class, who were psych majors. One of them, just happened to be sitting right next to me. So I ask her if this is the HCI 500 class and she tells me, No. It is a Psych class. Well that totally freaked me out and I was worried that I had messed up, right off the bat. I stuck it out and it all became clear when the teacher arrived and told us exactly the classes he was teaching in that room.

My new friend and I spent the entire semester next to each other and since our teacher loved to break us up into groups of about 4, we were always talking to each other and became friends.

One of the things that friends do...is ask each other their name.

She said it was Aubrey.

Me, being of a certain generation and her being just about my son's age, I asked her the logical question. Did your parents like the singing group Bread?

She gives me a big sigh and says that yes, they were big fans of the song and so they named her Aubrey. (That is her on the far right, in bright red)

Every time I think of my life in that class, this song pops into my head.

In my travels, I found out where the inspiration for the song came from.

"This 1972 Bread hit is a classic example of a David Gates ballad, a song that evokes strong emotion without relying on typical pop ballad techniques. The lyrics to "Aubrey" were sparked by a screening of Breakfast at Tiffany's: Gates used that film's moody feel as the inspiration to create a tale of man who pines over a short-lived romantic encounter that he knows he will never be able to relive."

You can listen to it, HERE.

Aubrey

And Aubrey was her name
A not so very ordinary girl or name
But who's to blame?
For a love that wouldn't bloom
For the hearts that never played in tune
Like a lovely melody that everyone can sing
Take away the words that rhyme, it doesn't mean a thing

And Aubrey was her name
We tripped the light and danced together to the moon
But where was June?
No, it never came around
If it did it never made a sound
Maybe I was absent or was listening too fast
Catching all the words but then the meaning going past

But God I miss the girl
And I'd go a thousand times around the world just to be
Closer to her than to me

And Aubrey was her name
I never knew her but I loved her just the same
I loved her name
Wish that I had found the way
And the reasons that would make her stay
I have learned to lead a life apart from all the rest
If I can't have the one I want, I'll do without the best

But how I miss the girl
And I'd go a million times around the world just to say
She had been mine for a day

Oil In The Bayou

My Water Post For Today.

All the water in this area of Bayou Country is muddy, sorry about that.

This water is by the Atchafalaya River, a huge river in the area and it has many tributaries, including this one, called the Yellow Bayou. It is located in Calmet, which is just to the west of Morgan City, Louisiana.

The 4 pipes are what made me take this photo. They send these pipelines (they could contain either oil or gas) way up in the air to make sure they don't get washed out to sea. This land is part of the flood control of the Mississippi River and thus, gets flooded out once in a while. The last time was in 2011, via the Morganza Spillway (opened to divert Mississippi River water, from the cities of Baton Rouge and New Orleans). My best guess is that keeping the pipes in the air, somehow saves them from damage in major events.

It's a totally different world than what I am used to, that's for sure.

I hope you enjoy.

Money For Nothing

The Concert for Monserrat, was a charity event at the Royal Albert Hall, in 1997. The musicians (all who had recorded on the Caribbean island at one time) came together to raise funds for Montserrat, after a major volcanic eruption by the Soufrière Hills volcano earlier that year left the island, including its capital of Plymouth, devastated.

The Performance of "Money for Nothing", included not only Mark Knopfler (from Dire Straits), but Sting (who originally sang the "I want my MTV" line on the CD), Eric Clapton (on rhythm guitar) and Phil Collins (on drums).

From what I read, the DVD is still available, but some have audio problems. No matter what, it was a fun watch.

You can see it HERE.

Enjoy.

Amos Moses

As best I can figure it, this is Bayou Ramos, just before we got to Morgan City, Louisiana.

Yes, it is water, but I have lots to say and so you get it on a Saturday. :-)

I clearly remember taking this photo, because if you look close, you can see there are 2 men in boats under the bridge in the photo.

Having just left New Orleans, I knew it was already hot and humid and they were getting shade, where they could.

If I had any doubts regarding the location of where we were traveling, this was my first hint that I was in Cajun Country...the Louisiana Bayou.

A song came to me, out of the blue and I decided to post it here. As it ended up, we went by the town mentioned in the song. Thibadoux (pronounced to-ba-dough).

The song, written and performed by Jerry Reed, is HERE, if you want to listen it.

Amos Moses

Now, Amos Moses was a Cajun
He lived by his self in the swamp
He hunted alligator for livin'
He just knocked 'em in the head with a stump

Louisiana law gonna get you Amos
It ain't legal huntin' alligators down in the swamp boy
Now, everybody blamed his old man
For makin' him mean as a snake

When Amos Moses was a boy
His daddy'd use him for alligator bait
Tie a rope around his neck and throw him in the swamp
Alligator bait in the Louisiana bayou

About forty-five minutes south east of Thibadoux Louisiana
Lived a cat named Doc Mill South, his pretty wife Hanna
Well, they raised up a son that could eat up his weight in groceries
Named him after a man of the cloth, called him Amos Moses

Everybody in south Louisiana said Amos was a helluva man
He could trap the biggest, the meanest alligator and just use one hand
That's all he got left 'cause a alligator bit it
Left arm gone clean up to the elbow

Well, the Sheriff caught wind of Amos
In the swamp trappin' alligator skins
So he snuck in the swamp, gonna getcha boy
But he never come out again

I wonder where the Louisiana Sheriff went to
You can sure get lost in the Louisiana Bayou

About forty-five minutes south east of Thibadoux Louisiana
Lived a cat named Doc Mill South, his pretty wife Hanna
Well, they raised up a son that could eat up his weight in groceries
Named him after a man of the cloth, called him Amos Moses

Sugar Cane Fields

Almost as soon as New Orleans was in our train's rear view mirror, we crossed over into Louisiana Bayou Country.

We passed lots of waterways, which spoke of the fact that this area is mostly swamp land.

One of the things that started appearing in our window, were sugar cane fields.

A little research, to prove our eyes were not deceiving us, shows that there are 11 sugarcane refining plants in Louisiana and that they produce 1.4 million tons of raw sugar each year.

In case you forgot, the Sugar Bowl is played in the New Orleans Superbowl. :-)

The plants seemed to be small, so it was not even close to harvest time yet...at least according to me.

I read that oil and gas have given the people who live in the bayou, new opportunities and so less of the residents work with the sugar cane. Most have gravitated to the much more lucrative jobs in the oil industry.

In good things for our trip, the sugar looked very lovely, growing in the fields.

Our Final Amtrak Meal

This photo was taken by our dining companion. It was our last meal, which just happened to be dinner, the night before our train arrived in Los Angeles.

We don't usually ask people to take our photo, but I am so glad we did this one.

First off, my Husband is wearing his brand new NCIS New Orleans tee shirt that I got him for Father's Day!

I thought it was so perfect for this trip and though he wore it several times, it was not worn on the day we did tourist around the City. Just the luck of the draw, as we were constantly washing clothes, during our stay. :-)

Behind us in the photo, was our waiter. He rode the same Metrolink Train as us, after his shift. We had found out that he lives just a few miles away from us, in Santa Clarita.

I have several photos that I have been getting ready to post, but many of them have water in them. So it is going to take a bit of time for you to see.

Hopefully you will enjoy them all.

A Server Upgrade For The Angel House

My son is always asking to spend more money on electronics.

This is his latest project.

He had a very large amount of stuff in his room, but he decided that he could not attach our computer to it.

In order to do that, he needed to buy another box to hold everything.

This was the result.

It actually keeps his room cooler, since we relocated this new unit into our Den. He does not have his stuff running in there and we are supposed to be automatically backed up onto the expanded server space of the new unit.

Or something like that.

It's all Geek to me...

Pasta Frittata With Mushrooms And Cheese

I saw this recipe on America's Test Kitchen yesterday and being I had a dozen eggs and some bacon, mushrooms, scallions and cheddar cheese, I decided to try to make it, so we have a bit more food in the house. I cook and it disappears... :-)

Thanks to KCET Food, you have the recipe down here.

Pasta Frittata with Mushrooms and Gorgonzola

Serves 4 to 6

8 large eggs
4 scallions, sliced thin
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
Salt and pepper
2 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
3 cups water
6 ounces angel hair pasta, broken in half

Whisk eggs, scallions, olive oil, sage, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in large bowl until egg is even yellow color. Stir in Gorgonzola and set aside.

Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms and 1/8 teaspoon salt, cover, and cook until mushrooms release liquid, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove lid and continue to cook until liquid evaporates and mushrooms turn golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Remove skillet from heat. Transfer mushrooms to bowl with egg mixture and wipe out skillet.

Bring water, pasta, remaining 7 teaspoons vegetable oil, and 3/4 teaspoon salt to boil in now-empty skillet over high heat, stirring occasionally. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender, water has evaporated, and pasta starts to sizzle in oil, 8 to 12 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook pasta, swirling pan and scraping under edge of pasta with rubber spatula frequently (do not stir), until bottom turns golden and starts to crisp, 5 to 7 minutes.

Using spatula, push some pasta up sides of skillet so entire pan surface is covered with pasta. Pour egg mixture over pasta. Using tongs, lift up loose strands of pasta to allow egg to flow toward pan, being careful not to pull up crispy bottom crust. Cover skillet and continue to cook over medium heat until bottom crust turns golden brown and top of frittata is just set (egg below very top will still be raw), 5 to 8 minutes. Slide frittata onto large plate. Invert frittata onto second large plate and slide it browned side up back into skillet. Tuck edges of frittata into skillet with rubber spatula. Continue to cook second side of frittata until light brown, 2 to 4 minutes longer.

Remove skillet from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Using your hand or pan lid, invert frittata onto cutting board. Cut into wedges and serve.

The Rio Grande River

My Water Post For Today.

I mentioned that our train crossed the Rio Grande, just outside of El Paso, Texas.

Mostly, the river is pretty small, but this spot is wide.

What I found out in my research, is that there is a dam right in that area called the American Diversion Dam.

The dam allows Mexico to receive their percentage of water, from the Rio Grande. The US keeps the remainder.

I enjoyed seeing a river as a river, instead of a concrete canal.

I hope you enjoy.