All this for a buck? Really?

Here's another menu from the Royal Savage Inn.

Plattsburgh Daily Press - May 4, 1940

This was a great restaurant.  I remember going to it a few times when I was younger.  It is no longer in business.  And I just read that the Keith's daughter, Tarley Jill Keith passed away a few weeks ago.

The restaurant was named after the American schooner of 1776.

Our Flag - George Henry Preble

Royal Savage links:

• Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
• Lake Champlain Maritime Museum
• My Revolutionary War

Royal Savage Inn - Thanksgiving, 1935

Plattsburgh Daily Press - November 25, 1935

Plattsburgh Daily Press - November 27, 1935

The earliest reference that I found for the Royal Savage Inn was from the classified section of the Plattsburgh Daily Press, 1930.

Images from the Northern New York Library Network

Good Food in Nashville

Sometimes pictures just say things more clearly than words. But I'll add captions. They don't count.

Noshville. Our favorite eating joint in the Nashville area.

Monte Cristo. Mark.

Hamburger. Plain. Caroline. (or, as she calls it, Hurburger.)

Reuben. Angie.

Tennessee Club. Edison.

Knish. Angie.

GiGi's Cupcakes.

Girl's gotta have a grill

Bought a new grill last night...Lots of shiny stainless steel. It was on sale at Lowes. Tonight we grill.

I'm back

The trip to the North Country was nice.  Grammy's death was final, but not sudden.  The love that our family (both real relatives and family friends) showed was overwhelming.

The weather wasn't as bad as I thought it might be.

I won't take you day by day or meal by meal, but the days were long and the meals were good, from Rambach's Bakery to The Great Adirondack Soup Kitchen.

I saw Kite Skiing and Maple Sugaring.  I enjoyed laughter and endured tears.  I was with my family and I missed my family.


I know why I miss the North Country.  I also know why I'll probably never live there again.

But it was good to be there.  For many reasons.

I love my wife

On the 30th of December we celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary.  

Monday afternoon we ditched the kids with Grandma and Grandpa and headed to Gatlinburg.  After a bit of sorting out some miscommunication about the hotel, we headed to Olive Garden for dinner.  It was not to be as the wait was about 45 minutes.  Not after thinking I messed up the hotel.  Relief was at Damon's Grill.  All you can eat ribs was the special of the evening.  After filling up we headed to the actual hotel, River Terrace.

On Tuesday we went to Pigeon Forge, to a little pancake restaurant just before the spur.  They were kind enough to give me real butter pats instead of whipped margarine.  We did some shopping in Pigeon Forge and then headed back to Gatlinburg.  There was a youth conference in town, so many teenagers were roaming the streets and shops of the mountain towns.  We headed out for a bite for lunch, ending up at McDonald's.  Not great, but better than waiting for some unspecified time for a table at some nondescript Chinese joint.  Then we found a popcorn shop that didn't understand the words, "No, stop.  That's enough of the cheese popcorn.  You can add some carmel corn now.  Stop.  Really.  Stop."

We wandered the Gatlinburg Mountain Mall where we saw an old friend at his photoshop.  Angie suggested that we might find a smashed penny machine.  She was right.

Back to the room where I took a nap, but not before our friend Andrea came and showered us with amenities that are found in the honeymoon suite.  Rose petals (strewn about the room and bed), chocolate kisses, sparkling cider, bath salts, that sort of thing.  We ate dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe.  Angie had the fajitas and I had a California Chick Club.  Both were good.  We got to see several fun guitars and other memorabilia.  Pictures later.

Back at the room, Angie beat me at Five Crowns and then Cribbage.  I need to stop playing games with her.

Wednesday morning we checked out and headed back towards home.  A few stops for shopping and then Angie "called my bluff" when I suggested that we eat at Tony Gore's restaurant.  We enjoyed some good BBQ sandwiches.

The best part of the whole time was that I got to spend it with Angie.  I'm the luckiest guy there is.

Bits and Pieces

This summer I have had occasion to encounter some interesting things.

I present them here, without commentary...

Catch Up

If your thought process is like mine when it comes to blogging, then I have pity on you.

I try to come up with a theme. Or something that might interest my readers. So, I concoct grandiose ideas, only to start to type them and realize that although a good idea, they fall rather flat when one reads both sentences.

So, I've abandoned that and figured I'd just start typing and see what comes out.

We were visited by friends of ours from the Chicago area this weekend. We used to attend church with Steve and Char. We went out to dinner with them Friday evening and then had them over to the house after church on Sunday. Steve and I looked at some of his Dutch ancestry and talked genealogy while Angie and Char talked of crafts and quilts and such things. I gave Steve a tour of KnoxVegas and we went to BestBuy and bought a GPS. Well, I bought the GPS. Then he and I went to Buddy's Bar-B-Q for dinner.

After they left, I played a bit with the GPS, finding voices that I liked and got interested in the possibilities of adding my own Points of Interest set. And no, I didn't pay full MSRP for the unit.

Mom sent me a great story about a switch pitcher in the minor leagues. There's also a CBS produced YouTube video about him. Not from that news story, but just about him.

So there. Not a stellar post, but it caught you up on what has been happening. What more could you ask for? A mojito? Sorry, I don't have one. But if I did drink, this one looks good.

Peter's Chocolate

From St. Nicholas magazine, Oct. 1904.

Thank you

It is the day to give thanks. But we should give thanks at all times and in all things. So, what am I thankful for this year? Hmm, where to start?

* I've got good friends, both real and virtual (read: online)
* I've got a new house (read: home)
* I've got a great family (read: family)

I could go on and on, but then I'd never get to the photos...

Comment on the food: Nhami (or for you English speaking peoples: Yummy)

Some of the 45 dozen or so cookies that were made the last few days...


Breakfast at Chez Aubrey...


My dad's plate at formal dinner...


And so you don't think that it is all about food, here's my folks...


And my brother and his wife...


And then me, my loving wife and kids...

Sure, there were other family at the dinner this afternoon/evening, but if I added them here, what would Angie blog about?

What did we do today? We ate. Read the paper. Watched the parades on TV. Played Thanksgiving Day Parade Bingo. Did laundry. Watched Football (American, for my foreign readers). Played Thanksgiving Day Football Bingo. Ate more. Ran to the store. Read some. Lazed around. Went to Angie's aunt and uncle's for dinner. Ate more. Played cards (Hearts, not Skat. Yes, it is a real game. See more info by reading Foster's Skat Manual). Came home. Taped CSI and then a rerun of The Office. Talked with folks about the punishments that they inflicted on my brother and I growing up. Laughed. Wanted to eat some more but couldn't. It was a good day.

Tomorrow we go shopping. Then put up the Christmas tree. Raking leaves will happen sometime over the weekend, I've been assured of that.

Saturday, out to the big bookstore in Knoxvegas. Then, celebrate Christmas while the family is all together.

Sunday will be church, then lazing around, watching football, eating, playing games, that sort of stuff.

Monday will include going back to work, school and home for our parents and brother (and his wife).

No Bake Cookies

The other day, Angie made some No Bake Cookies. They were the best batch that she made in quite a while. Just the right consistency. Fantastic.

My Life is Good.

Thanks, Angie.

I love you.

The good old days, when Cornflakes were new...

While looking for some genealogy information in an old newspaper (circa 1910), I came across this advertisement...

Genealogy Humor and Animal Crackers

Yeah, that should catch your eye.

Years ago, I found a great parody piece of The Empire Strikes Back. The Modern Humorist site produced it. Very funny. And not edgy.

Warning ... some of the other humor at the Modern Humorist site is quite edgy (read: rude). I gave you fair warning.

And now to the Animal Crackers. Caroline (and Angie and I) have taken quite a liking to Stauffer's Animal Crackers. My aunt Shirley sent a container of the mini crackers. Caroline will say, "Baby Crackers, Baby Crackers!" We indulge her.

Some Food That I've Loved...

I love food. I like the way it tastes, the way it is presented, the way it smells. I don't gorge myself on it, I just like food. I like the food that Angie makes. I like the food that my Mom makes. I like comfort food. I like some restaurant food. So, I'd like to share a few photos of food and perhaps a few comments about them. No fancy alignment for the photos, just some good food.

This is a Michigan and fries from The Homestead Restaurant in Chazy, NY. I was up in Clinton County two years ago with Mom and Dad, Steve and Bettie (brother and sister-in-law). What's a Michigan? Here's the answer. Toot and Tellums, Nitzi's, Clare and Carl's. Those were the places to go to get a Michigan. I remember Toot 'n Tellums having a great selection of pies. The Homestead Restaurant also has some good ones. Mom had the lemon meringue. I think that I had chocolate pie. Someone else had butterscotch. Bettie?

We went to Arnie's Restaurant in Plattsburgh, with Jack and Janet for some pizza. I ordered bacon and onions. Too much onion.

Here's Steve getting a slice.

Then it was to Jack and Janet's for an evening of stories and ice cream.

We also got some apple pie from Rulfs Orchard. I've got photos, but so do they. We shared it with my grandmother. She like it. She also made some great Michigan sauce. Angie's learned from my mom. Three generations of great sauce makers. Can't beat that. My grandmother was a great cook. Actually, both of them were, but we lived closer to Grammy Aubrey, so we ate more of her food.

Then it was time to fly home from Burlington, VT. The folks took us over and we ate at the Parkway Diner. A real diner.

We had lunch and breakfast for the noontime meal. The Blueberry pancakes and bacon are mine. Mom had soup and a sandwich. Dad had pancakes and a malt or a shake. He always gets a malt or a shake (if they don't have a malt). If the spoon can't stand up, then it doesn't get full points on the George-ometer.

They were having a jazz festival while we were there. I found a hole in the wall place that served gyros. Very good. I don't have photos of the food handy, but it was very good. Another diner the next morning because storms on the east coast shut down airports, so we had to stay for the night.

All that, and more, two years ago. I still remember the sights, sounds, tastes and conversations.

But it was good to get home.

Noshville

NOTE: original text has been edited and photos added.

So, since this is now an edited version, I can get it to look better and tell you what we ate and why we like Noshville.

Angie and I are in the greater Nashville area for the Tennessee State Down syndrome Conference. We are representing the Down Syndrome Awareness Group of East Tennessee. For dinner we went to one of our favorite Nashville restaurants, Noshville. Since pictures are worth a thousand words and I'm tired, here are some photos. And no, we didn't eat any desert.

In 2004, Caroline had to go to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital for heart surgery. It was a very long three weeks. Angie spent most of her time with Caroline. I, being the lover of all things medical, spent much of my time away from the hospital, but did come up to see them every few hours or so. That's a story for another time. When you're in Nashville for three weeks, and you want to stay close to your daughter, you eat at the Subway in the hospital food court. While staying at the Ronald McDonald House, you eat spaghetti for the third time that week. Then you find a pizza joint down the street. Then KFC looks good at 11pm. Then you venture out and find a Turkish restaurant with rose jelly. Then you find Noshville.

I think, in reality, that Angie had found this place before I went out in search of food. She took me to it. Actually, I think that the night that I drove over with my folks and Edison, there were many people that took me to it. During our stay, we went to it with Debbie and Nancy, two women from our church small group that came over to visit. What I remember from when they came over was the fluorescent green garlic dill pickles that they serve up, like bread sticks, almost. I think that I tried one that day. Just to say that I did it. I don't remember. Dill and I don't go together. They gather the pickles from a big tub and what you don't eat, goes back in. Yum.
This night, Angie had the Reuben and I had a BLT. My sandwich must have had a 1/2 pound of bacon. I couldn't finish it. I had the chocolate malt (see above). That I did finish.


The fries are wonderful. Just enough crisp to bite into and just enough mush to feel good. Very tasty.

One other time that we went there, we saw Jackie Mason. Yeah, Harry Hartounian from "The Jerk." He was in town doing his act. If it's good enough for Jackie...

Their deserts are wonderful. Normally they have cheesecake from some deli in New York City. They didn't have them while we were there. Very good, though. We had some when we went back for Caroline's post surgery visit. I walked over to Noshville. Angie got a Reuben. I got a tuna salad sandwich. And cheesecake.

So, enough about the food, already. When you visit Nashville, you must go to Noshville.