RSS feedJune, 2011
It’s the real thing…
By Silver Blue | 4 comments
4First off, a note about comments: If you wish to comment (and I welcome them), you have to click on the name of the post, which will open it, and the comment box is at the bottom of the screen.
I like to travel. I love to find old buildings and capture them before the ravages of time cause us to tear them down and “renew”, for the buildings of today have no charm as the buildings of yesteryear did. That’s why when I moved back to Hampton Roads in 1980, I discovered a building that I could not believe. Then, almost overnight, it changed. Abandoned. Sold, repurposed. Altered. Then, that tenant moved out. The building sits, waiting to be destroyed. But, wait! Some of the alterations have come off over time! Quick, to the camera, before it’s gone forever….
Well, you can see SOMETHING has been covered up. But why? Perhaps it was copyrighted? Identifiable with a company or brand?
Why yes! The former Newport News Coca Cola plant, owned by the Brown Family.
Even the other side of the factory has those endcaps covered.
But not the middle! There we go! Precisely what I remember. The stone Coca-Cola bottles. In fact, everything is carved in stone here.
Though, honestly, I don’t know why the windows on this end were closed off. I don’t even know when the plant closed.
You can sort of see the holes that were drilled (look inside the B, between the g and C, and inside the final c on the bottom line) to cover up the identification on the building.
Here, the holes drilled to conceal the logos/ads are far more obvious.
The “holy grail” I was after with the camera. You can see the drill holes where the outer cover (as shown in the first two photos) was attached to conceal. You don’t see stonework like this any more.
Evelyn McCormack Brown, heiress to the local Coca Cola fortune lived in this mansion on Chesapeake Avenue in Hampton until just a few years ago. It had an asking price of about $1.2 million, and I do believe sold for close to that amount. The home is classical in appearance and overlooks the Hampton Roads harbour. (Thanks to the Brown’s Granddaughter for leaving a comment and correcting my faulty memory on Mrs. Brown’s first name!)
Before we close, however, let me show you the only remaining building to the left of the old plant…unique in its own right.
Sure, you see buildings with curves these days, but made out of REAL brick? Most of the facades these days are cast to look like brickwork, but aren’t. This is the real thing. Not sure how much longer IT will be standing, either. (The photos were shot in 2007, and I’ve not been back down there since, so that all may have been torn down already.)
Silver Blue, who is really more of a Dr. Pepper kind of guy.
(N.B.: As of early 2013, when I returned by the old plant, it’s still standing, but the covers on the endcaps (where the bottles were hidden) have finally come off, exposing all the bottles. Maybe I will be able to return to capture the entire building uncovered…. (Updated 3/23/13))
Taste Bud Temptations
By Silver Blue | 2 comments
2First off, a note about comments: If you wish to comment (and I welcome them), you have to click on the name of the post, which will open it, and the comment box is at the bottom of the screen.
I make no apologies for my love of cooking. I love deconstructing recipes to their base flavours and seeing if there are ways to lighten the calorie count without compromising taste or texture.
Whether from the land or sea, food takes many forms that interest me. Here, I present some photos that didn’t make it to The Wannabe Gourmet, and some that did. As I say over there, I’m no food stylist, nor am I a professional photographer. To that end, what you see is what I eat. Most likely within minutes of taking the picture. There are no tricks of the trade (toothpicks, food dye, Photoshop) involved.
Ebelskiver, a pancake puff that can be made savory or sweet. Here, they’re filled with finely diced ham, feather shredded cheese, and sauteed scallions:
3 or 4 of these delicacies, along with a fresh crisp green salad is all that it takes for a filling meal. Of course, you need a specialized pan to make them (Williams Sonoma sells an Ebelskiver Pan, and Bed Bath & Beyond calls it a “Pancake Puff Pan.” You can guess which is cheaper. Ergo, you can also tell which will last you longer and gives you the more consistent results. (Because of the specialty pan, this didn’t make The Wannabe Gourmet.)
Scallops, two ways:
Baked scallops (topped with fresh breadcrumbs and fresh grated Parmesan cheese) along with sauteed veggies. Sweet as a nut, and so very tasty. Step up the class (and calorie count), and lower the amount you can comfortably consume with Coquilles St. Jacques:
Enrobed in a Bechemel sauce (a white sauce made of a roux (flour and butter) and cream), sauteed scallops and scallions are topped with finely shredded cheese and placed under the broiler just long enough to brown the cheese. A dish this size (a standard soup bowl) could feed two or even three comfortably when served with veggies, a salad, or even fruit.
Another dish that didn’t make it to The Wannabe Gourmet was this simplistic Chorizo based pasta sauce with steamed broccoli and fruit cup. The thing I loved about this photo is the glass the fruit cup is in. There’s no liquid in it. I merely chilled it before placing the fruit in it, and the condensation on the inside of the glass gave it an awesome look. Why didn’t it make the cut? The only recipe would for a pasta sauce (with sliced Chorizo). Angel hair pasta (fresh or dried), steamed broccoli, and a fruit cup need no recipes.
Finally, we need a dessert. Something light. Meringue is a classic light dessert, and when served with a whipped cream and fruit, becomes a Pavlova:
The hardest thing about this dish is finding the non-humid, non-rainy day to make it. They are so very tasty, however. 🙂
I’ve not even begun to scratch the surface with the food photos however…but we have lots of time ahead of us…no need in attempting to do it all in one sitting!
Silver Blue, who is in need of a good cup of tea.
The little things make me happy
By Silver Blue
Especially the fact that Mother Nature, in all her heat and discontent, still hasn’t stopped my roses from blooming.
I’m also happy with the fact that, as I’ve said I’m an audiophile, that I’ve now acquired a widget on the right of the screen “The Audiophile In Me” — while it doesn’t read the ID3 tags in the files (that’s coming in a later version), at least you’ll be able to hear some of the music I may (or may not) be listening to at the current time. If you want to know what a track is, just ask.
Silver Blue, back to work.
In The Garden
By Silver Blue
Hello, and Welcome! I’m Jonathan Everyday, or John Barker, or Silver Blue depending on how you arrived here. This all feels a bit comforting to me, and alien at the same time. I used to be Hampton Roads most prolific blogger (The Ramblings of Silver Blue) from 2003 until I walked away from it in 2008. Since that time, I’ve developed (I’d like to think) in my photography ability, and in my culinary passion as well.
The Eyes of Silver Blue is a way for me to share some of my photos with you. (For Food, visit The Wannabe Gourmet – I don’t update it as often as I should, but some of the best of the best dishes and their respective recipes appear there.)
Let me introduce you to the 2011 garden:
The upper left plant is known as Cinnamon Basil. The other three are your standard Basil.
Sage. One needs not be a sage to tell that the herbs I grow go well in Italian cooking, even though I am not Italian.
Depending on what part of the world you’re from, this is either slow-bolting Cilantro, or slow-bolting Coriander. Also known as the “parsley of the Latin American cuisine.”
Take time for Thyme. Wonderful with pork, and really, REALLY good when used to infuse vinegar for salad dressings.
Two different types of rosemary. (Notice the only herb missing is Parsley, as I have Sage, Rosemary and Thyme…) Both of these rosemarys have the same flavour profile, so it doesn’t matter which I use in my cooking.
Finally, more regular basil, and in the lower right, a “boxwood basil”. Same scent, different leaf structure. I love making pesto, and that is why I grow such a plethora of basil.
Finally, every garden needs a guardian:
Saint Francis of Assisi, (or as I’ve been known to call him, Saint Francis who’s a sissy). The statuary was a kind gift from my friend (and coworker), Vijay Kalburgi.
You might ask why I have a container garden when my house is situated on a vast plot of land. The answer is: ease of watering, harvesting, and maintaining.
Silver Blue, over and out.
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