As I’ve written before finding something to watch on Netflix has been proving to be more of a challenge than it’s worth. The tedious scrolling through titles of little interest has chased me to some of the stranger and more obscure channels available on the Roku. While surfing, I found the curio that I am writing about today.
This is the perfect Sunday morning breakfast cake – not too sweet, and loaded with New Jersey blueberries. It’s a quick cake to throw together, and feeds a crowd of 8 to 10. Continue reading
When we bought our house, we were thrilled that it came with a park at the end of the block with trees, benches, and a bocce ball court. Down the road, we discovered that it also came with a group of retired men who kept watch over the park and our street. One of which was Lenny, the previous owner of our house. It was not unusual to see Lenny’s Cadillac parked on the street, you knew he was occupying a bench with the guys. Sometimes there was a card game, or a coffee klatch catching up on the news of the neighborhood. One of the constant figures of the park, always there to say hello to on my way to the market. Recently, we found out that one of the members passed away. Frankie ran a small print shop around the corner on 11th Street. On Wednesday, his sister was clearing out his shop, offering a fax machine, Christmas ornaments, and assorted canning jars. I passed, but did pick up this metal box to use in my studio to remember one of the guardians of the park.
I’ve always been a fan of Netflix and I’ve been a customer of theirs since 1999 back when they were DVD-by-mail only and had but one distribution center on the West Coast. Joining Netflix was a no-brainer back then considering the outrageous prices, paltry selections and, worst of all, late fees that were the hallmarks of brick-and-mortar video and rental chains. When Netflix started their streaming library service, it was all over for the big sloppy chains. Netflix’s DVD-by-mail service mortally wounded the rental chains, and the streaming service buried them.
But that was then…. Continue reading
It’s peach season, and this easy, single crust tart is the perfect way to showcase these beauties! Even easier, is a method of dropping ripe peaches in boiling water for a few seconds, then to an ice bath, and their skins slip off – no knife needed! It really makes quick work of putting this tart together – but be warned, naked peaches are slippery! Continue reading
The Boy is all about eating meat off of bones – he is a true carnivore who loves chicken wings and turkey legs. So when I was planning my menu for the fourth, I decided on baby back ribs with a dry rub and barbecue sauce, needless to say it was a huge hit! Continue reading
Celebrate America!
More of the restoration process of the Train Shed on Broad and Carpenter Streets. Additional photos under the cut. Continue reading
A book cover I did for a new novella available for Kindle by J.L. Curtis.
A year after Calexit, the last US bases in Southern California are under siege, with their power and water cut off. Their perimeters are under constant probes by a now hostile nation. There is intelligence the government of California is planning a final all-out action to overwhelm the last bases and claim the spoils of victory for their own…
But the men and women in uniform aren’t going to let their bases be overrun, especially after the murder of their dependents. This is their story, a novella of the last military withdrawal from California. And if there’s one thing the Sailors and Marines are not going to do, it’s go quietly!
It’s available here!
I decided to set aside my toothy Canson XL Mixed Media sketchbook for a smaller, inexplicably smoother Canson XL Mixed Media sketchbook to sketch the toothy beast above. The newer sketchbook was purchased at a local Walmart strangely enough and is the same brand and make as a 7-inch by 10-inch pad and the halved sketchbook, but it feels noticeably different. The smoother texture seems to take the water soluble graphite pencils a lot better. I don’t know if Canson’s stock varies that much or if Walmart gets irregular lots. Whatever the case, I may be stocking up on sketchbooks at Walmart.
This is a nice, light salad for a hot summer night that goes well with burgers or grilled chicken. Just three ingredients tossed with oil and fresh lemon juice and seasoned with salt and pepper – this salad will be on permanent rotation around these parts! Continue reading
