A Couple of Signs

Not much to say about these, I just liked them. The first picture is the sign for the Fat Frog Cafe in Littleton, Colorado. The second is an old 7up sign that is still in use. I wonder what its story is. Looks like it's been around for a few years. Pretty cool old logo, isn't it? Yeah, I remember when it was the current logo!

A Spicy Saturday

December already! 2007 has flown by. It seems time is passing so fast that I could use the hands of a clock for a fan.

Today is a cold, overcast day in the Denver area, but it could be a lot worse. The mountains in the southwest part of the state are getting up to four feet of snow. So far, we have a bit of drizzle, but I would not be surprised if we have a little white accumulation overnight.

Today I went to an interesting little shop in Downtown Littleton. It is a spice shop where they grind and blend custom mixes of spices. You can tell what type of business it is as you open the door, as the aroma of the variety of spices hits the olfactory sensors. It is not overpowering, and is really quite nice.


A big bag of Indonesian Black Pepper

There is a stack of cloth-lined wicker hand baskets stacked by the door for use while shopping. The store is not fancy at all, but it is very attractive. Jars, vials, and pouches of various spices are displayed on shelves, in bins, and even in bread pans. There are several vintage scales where the employees custom blend varieties of spice. If you don't see what you want, they will blend it for you as you watch.


Jars of ground, exotic chili powders on display

In the picture below, one of the "Spice Girls" (no, not those Spice Girls) is using an old balance scale to weigh and mix spices for a customer. She was very gracious in allowing me to take her picture while she worked. She knows her craft well, as you can see the blur of her hands working rapidly to create the particular blend of flavors requested. I am not sure if the lady in the background on the cell phone was watching her, or watching me take a photo.


Blends of spices made to order

As I mentioned, there were several older scales in the shop. Below is one that is reminiscent of those that used to populate the produce sections of supermarkets when I was a child. The produce man would take your paper bag of produce, weigh it, and mark the price on the bag with a big wax crayon.

This particular scale was holding some spice mills, and a couple of mortar and pestle sets. There were more sets on display nearby in the front window of the store.


Old scale, spice mills, and mortar & pestles

We purchased some milling spice, some chai spice, and some other herbs and spices for use in cooking. I can hardly wait for some delicious spiced apple cider. The best part of all is that these fresh spices were less expensive than what you would pay at the typical grocery store. I know this first visit won't be our last.

For a More Joyous Holiday Season

Today is Black Friday, the day after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, when retailers look forward to the potential of the season, and consumers go on a quest for bargains. For many shoppers, it it the thrill of the hunt; modern man's version of the hunting survival instinct that allowed our species to survive its infancy.

As a rationalist, I don't hold any religious or supernatural beliefs as justification for the holiday season. However, I do enjoy the secular benefits; time off work, being with family, and the change of the seasons. That said, I live by a credo that I have mentioned here before; the only sin is causing unnecessary harm or suffering to another. Its that simple. Still, I try to go beyond that in my daily life . . . actually doing my best to make the day a little better for those with whom I come in contact. Not only does this spread cheer and goodwill, you wouldn't believe how much stress goes away just by making a decision to not consider non-urgent things in life urgent, and by truly caring about the people around you. I do this every day, but during the rush of the Christmas shopping period, it could make for a more enjoyable December. Here are some of the things that I try to practice:

• Greet people with a smile and a warm "Hello" or "Good Morning!" It is amazing how this simple act brings smiles to others and lets you make a fleeting connection with someone. The funny thing is, this can start a chain reaction that you will never know about, touching many more people.
• Stop the rush. You will get there when you get there, so enjoy the time out. Whether its a line of traffic, or a line at the checkout stand, being upset won't help. In the car, put on some music you like, be it Christmas carols, classical symphonies, or rock and roll oldies. I find that classical music or some jazz is very de-stressing. You'll find you may be disappointed when you get through the wait, as you have enjoyed the time so much more.
• Let the other guy or gal go first. Now this is counter to our instincts, but it really doesn't hurt. Let that car into the queue. Offer someone with fewer items than you to check out first. It doesn't hurt. Really.
• Don't get upset with a greeting you disagree with, be it "Happy Holidays", "Merry Christmas", or "Happy Channukah". It's the thought behind it that counts. Such greetings are not typically attempts at proselytization. They are simply good wishes. I can use as many of those as I can get.
• If you are fortunate enough to have a job, share a little with those less fortunate. Donate to a food pantry. Give toys to charitable organizations. Coats are always welcome, and can be found inexpensively at clearance stores. If you have the time to do so, volunteer to deliver items, work at a food pantry, or to serve food to those in need.
• Teach children that it isn't all about me, me, me. Instill the joy of simple things, such as the twinkling holiday lights, hot cocoa by the fireplace, time with loved ones. Also, teach the joy of giving and serving others. Let them participate in finding charitable gifts to share.
• Practice those random acts of kindness. Pay the toll for the car behind you. Help someone with packages. Hold the door open for others. Be sure to tip those who serve you and who depend on those tips for their livelihood.
• Shovel the snow off your neighbor's sidewalk.

There are many others. Be creative. Come up with other ideas. Not only will these brighten the holiday season, but can be practiced year round. We're all in this life together. Let's make the journey better for everyone. Love your neighbor.

Happy Holidays to all!

A White House Pardon

I saw a headline today that read President Bush Pardons Turkey. I thought he had pardoned himself, but no. It was the White House Thanksgiving Turkey that got a presidential reprieve.

Time & Technology Marches On

Human beings are clever little apes. We have walked on the earth's nearest neighbor in space and mapped our own genome. We have harnessed the power of the atom and sent our surrogate eyes and ears into the interstellar void. We have conquered many dread diseases and yet our ultimate individual demise remains a certainty.

Even our more simple technology, while remaining somewhat the same externally, continues incremental evolution over time. The cars of today look and operate much the same as those built 70 years ago. But the automobiles of today are much better than those of the past. Tires rarely go flat, engines are much more fuel efficient and put out less pollutants, and safety features like air bags and seatbelts make for a much less dangerous ride. The engine is controlled by a computer, and reliable electronic ignitions and fuel injection have replaced points and carburetors.

Television is another example. In the 1950s and 1960s, television sets as they were called, worked on vacuum tubes. Like the similar incadescent light bulb, vacuum tubes burn out. TVs of the time would take a few seconds to "warm up" before you could watch. Typically, the sound came on first, followed by a picture appearing on the black and white picture tube. Then when turned off, the picture would shrink to a bright spot that remained on the tube for a few seconds.

It was standard procedure that when a TV started to malfunction, the owner's first task would be to unplug the set, remove the back of the TV, and start pulling out all the tubes. The symptom could be the picture shrinking, or no sound or picture at all. But almost all the time, the problem was a tube gone bad.

Once the tubes were removed and their location in the set noted, a trip to a local grocery or convenience store was next. How well I remember the tube tester at 7-11 where I accompanied my dad with a bag of tubes on many occasions. The tube tester had a panel of tube sockets on top. The procedure was to use a guide book to see how to set the dials, plug the tube into the proper socket, and push a "test" button. A light and gauge indicated if a tube was good or bad. Once the bad tube or tubes were identified, a replacement could be procured from the lower part of the cabinet that held the tube tester, and you would buy the ones you need and head home. Hopefully, once the tubes were back in place, the TV would work fine.

The weird thing is that I remember one particular tube that seemed to go out often on our old Emerson black and white console TV. That tube was 6KE8. That TV was in a blond wood cabinet with two doors that closed to hide the picture tube (screen) when not in use. The speakers were in the bottom half of the cabinet, and in those days there was no remote control. Well, we kids were actually the remote, as we heard "Could one of you kids switch the TV to Channel 11 please?" There was a volume knob and a channel selector knob that let you choose from channels 2-13. That was it. No UHF. And there were 3 channels we had back then via rabbit ear antenna. They were KPRC-TV 2 (NBC), KGUL (Now KHOU) 11 (CBS), and KTRK 13 (ABC). The other channels were all static.

Today, I get a couple of hundred channels, and still not much worth watching. Yet if I were to get in a time machine and bring that old Emerson into 2007, it would still work. That is until early 2009, when the United States shuts off analog television and makes the move to all digital. Now each channel will be capable of high definition and multiple programs over a single station, all in widescreen, color glory, and all without the need for tubes. And even past that date, if the old TV were hooked up to a converter box, cable or satellite receiver, and it would still show programs. That is until that 6KE8 burned out again. I doubt the 7-11 clerk of today would even know what the heck I was talking about.

As for now, my current TV still has one tube...the CRT. This is a plain, standard definition color TV of 7 year vintage, but it looks so good that I see no reason to spend more to go to HD just yet. Someday, I will make the change, but I can't see spending the money for it right now. I guess the days of my being an early adopter of technology are long gone.

Here We Go Into the Icebox

Well, here we go into a new work week. It's Monday. I know a lot of people dread Mondays, but I try to enjoy every day. After all, we spend 1/7 of our life on Monday, so why go around upset about it? I wish everyone a wonderful Monday today.

This will be a beautiful Monday here along the Colorado Front Range. Sunny skies and a high predicted to reach 70 degrees Fahrenheit. But it isn't going to last. By Wednesday, our next cold front will pass by, making the high for that day only 25 degrees...a drop of 45 degrees! YIKES!

I suppose I can give my new snow boots a little more use, as that system is expected to drop at least 8 inches of snow. This Indian Summer is coming to a screeching halt, just before the Turkey Day Holiday. I guess that is what is meant by going "Cold Turkey"!

Have a terrific week, everyone!

Yes, This is the Right Place!

Don't let the mods to the page header throw you...this is still my blog!

I'll admit it... I am a bit too lazy to dig in and create my own template, so this is, and has always been, a standard Blogger design. But being either too lazy or too busy to create a custom design only gets you so far. So, I decided to at least add a custom header image. The photo on the header is from WV 279, but it could be anywhere, so I'll use it to illustrate life's highway from whence I post.

Maybe someday I'll be more ambitious about this. For now, this will have to hold you.

Roadside Comfort Food

One of my favorite special series on Food Network is Alton Brown's Feasting on Asphalt, where Alton and his crew trek across America on motorcycles with the express purpose of avoiding the Interstates and sampling the regional culinary delights at small, usually family-owned restaurants along the way. During the trip to West Virginia, I tried out a place that Alton needs to visit on a future show.

Just four days before I stopped in, the Stagecoach Family Restaurant #5 had opened for business. This family-operated eatery along US 50 advertises "Home Cooked Food" on its signboard, so who'd want to miss that?


The signs beckon the hungry traveler on US 50 near Grafton

This particular afternoon, the lovely spouse, her lovely mother, and I were out running an errand, and decided it was time for lunch. So we decided to try out the Stagecoach to see if the food was a roadside hit or a roadside dud. So into the unpaved parking lot we go, crowded as it was. We pull the rented Chrysler Pacifica into a spot and head toward the door to the restaurant's austere roadside building.


Lunch inside! The Stagecoach Family Restaurant, simple and functional

As we walked inside, a spartan salad and soup bar was positioned to our left. The ingredients appeared fresh, but what drew my eye was the largest pot of hot broth and noodles I have seen anywhere. There was also an equally big pot of chili, steaming and emitting a wonderful aroma.

The dining room was simply furnished and the walls were paneled in a rough, light-colored wood. A table in the middle had been prepared for a larger party which was to enter shortly.


The main dining area of the Stagecoach

The placemats were simple, laminated affairs, covered with advertisements for local businesses, including two for the local hospital and one for a company that sells tombstones. My hope was that I would not be needing the services of either of these fine companies after eating at the Stagecoach! As it turns out, that is not likely to happen here.

The portions coming out of the kitchen appeared to be significantly generous, so I took it easy at the soup & salad bar. I had to try some of the noodles & chicken broth, so I selected just a little lettuce, bell peppers, cheese and dressing for my salad. As I love noodles, this made a great appetizer.


The simple salad and bowl of noodles & broth I ate. Tasty!

Perusing the menu was an appetizing exercise by itself. There were so many home style delights from which to choose, that it wasn't an easy choice. Since they are a small operation, the specials run out quickly. Much to my dismay, one that I had my eye on was the honey-dipped fried chicken. However, the lovely spouse wanted that, so I told her to get it and just let me have a bite. The waitress went back to the kitchen and found they had one serving left, so that went to the "LS", who did give me the drumstick. Oh my goodness! That is some of the best tasting fried chicken anywhere. Colonel Sanders, you are a pretender!


The Stagecoach's honey-dipped fried chicken

Since we wanted to sample different dishes, my mother-in-law went for the hot roast beef sandwich lunch. WOW! All I can say is she chose wisely. I only wish the taste of these yummy items could be posted online for all to sample.


There was nothing to beef about in regards to the hot roast beef sandwich

Since it is autumn, I felt like a real holiday-style dinner. Therefore, I selected the turkey and dressing plate. Let me tell you, it is delicious. The mashed potatoes were made from scratch, the glazed carrots I chose were perfectly cooked and coated with a wonderful glaze. A thick slab of homestyle dressing and good pieces of tender turkey breast were also in attendance, and covered with a generous amount of gravy. Some may not like that much gravy, but it was just right for me.


The turkey dinner was also a good choice

The Stagecoach also offers homemade pies and cake, but by the time we ate our lunch, there was no room left for dessert. Of course, that required us to stop in again a couple of days later just to sample the pie and coffee.

So the bottom line is this: If you enjoy home style comfort foods and are traveling on US 50 through West Virginia, I would recommend stopping by the Stagecoach. You won't be disappointed. It is located on the south side of the highway on the west end of Grafton.

One more thing . . . you might want to slow down for a different reason. Just about every time I passed the place, there were Taylor County Sheriff Department vehicles parked out front, with the officers themselves inside enjoying a hot meal. You don't want to be the cause of making one of them mad for having to get up from the table and go after you!

More From Valley Falls

The CSX Railroad goes under a bridge at Valley Falls, WV

Let's take a look at a couple of more photos from my trek to Valley Falls last week. These two came out pretty nice I think.

The photo above is the CSX (formerly B&O) railroad that runs through the area. You can tell a train has gone by, because you can see its tracks (hardee har har). The picture is looking north, as the railroad makes its journey to the north paralleling the Tygart Valley River. Notice the new ties lying along the right of way on the far side of the tracks. It appears that this stretch of line will be undergoing some maintenance soon.


Lichen on a tree

Our next picture shows some interesting lichen growing on the bark of a tree. I purposely put the falls and autumn foiliage in the background into soft focus by using a narrow depth of field. I think maybe I went a little too soft on it, but it still makes a decent picture.

Eerie Old House

Last week, I took this picture last week in Grafton, and in fact, the color version of it is in a previous post. Something about this house intrigues me. It is interesting and eerie at the same time. I decided to play around in Photoshop a bit. First, I converted it to black and white, added a slight sepia tint and a film grain texture. To see the effect better, click the picture to see a larger version. I kind of like it. What do you think?

Oklahoma's Centennial

Today, November 16, 2007 is the centennial for the state of Oklahoma. One hundred years ago, the Sooner State was admitted to the United States as a full and equal partner. Forty-five years and a couple of months or so later, I would breathe my first lungful of air in Oklahoma City. Yep, I've been alive now for over half the length of time that Oklahoma has been a state. Sobering thought!

In any case, it is time to say Happy 100th Birthday to the Great State of Oklahoma.

Oklahoma! OK!

Roadgeekin' in the Alleghenies - Part II

Yesterday it was back to the Pittsburgh International Airport for the flight back to Denver. Since we got a few shots from Pittsburgh to Morgantown on the way in, seems only fitting to get a few on the way back. As always, click the photo to see a larger version.


WVDOT loves big highway shields!


Mismatched Interstate shields. The I-68 has a big number font and no state name, while the I-79 uses a thinner, smaller font and includes the state name.


Driving west on I-68, approaching the end of the highway where you can go either north or south onto I-79.


There is no END Interstate 68 sign, but this is it! West end of 68.


Now we are northbound on I-79. That change in pavement is where WVDOT maintenance ends and PaDOT takes over...in other words the state line. This is also the Mason-Dixon Line that demarcates the borders between southern Pennsylvania and West Virginia; Pennsylvania and Maryland; and where it turns southward, the border between Maryland and Delaware. The defining of the line also finally settled for good the issue of dispute in Cresap's War, a shooting war in the early 1700s between Maryland and Pennsylvania.

I also call this picture, "Welcome to Pennsylvania, Land of Lots O' Signs".


Buckle up for safety!


Slow down partner! PA maximum speed limit is 65, instead of the 70 we could legally travel in West Virginia.


Finally! Pennsylvania sees fit to welcome me a few hundred feet into the state.


Nearing Washington, PA, we see where we will join I-70 for a short duplex of the two highways through town.


Clearview font in view.


La la la...just drivin' along.


Told you we were on a duplexed stretch of road! So there!


Interesting coincidence...Exit 19 is US Highway 19.


End of the duplex. I was tempted to keep going on I-70 on to Denver, but alas, I had a rental car that had to be returned to the good folks at Thrifty at Pittsburgh International. Oh well! Onto the ramp we go to continue up I-79 North.


Wow, I didn't know I was this close to Houston! The other town mentioned on this sign, Eighty Four, PA is famous as the namesake of 84 Lumber.