• Candid Portraits,  clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  People/Portraits,  photographers

    Visitors

    Tom and Kathy Dills with breakfast smiles at the Chicken Coop

    No landscape images this morning. Instead I’m going to post a couple of images of Tom and Kathy Dills from the short visit we had.  Pretty impressive smiles from both of them considering the road miles they have put in. Driving from North Carolina to the northwest coast and back is not the same as a jaunt to the grocery store. And, include a pandemic and the fact most of the west coast seems to be on fire and you can understand the task they took on. This was yesterday morning at the newly opened Chicken Coop, a American Mexican restaurant nearby.

    Kathy checking out the uncomfortable rock

    They arrived Sunday afternoon. After connecting up we drove to the Pineridge Natural Area and then to Reservoir Ridge Natural Area where we took a short walk to the rock. This is a location I enjoy because of the quiet and solitude I can experience. At the present time it’s not as quiet because they’re using the open field south of the natural area as a staging area for the helicopters battling the Cameron Peak fire. Kathy tried sitting on the uncomfortable rock and agreed it’s purpose is not long term sitting. They left yesterday morning and expect to arrive in Charlotte on Thursday. It was a short visit but hopefully there will be more opportunities.

     

  • Candid Portraits,  lifestyles

    The Girls at Sebago

    The Girls

    I enjoy eating out and I’ve done a lot of it since taking this job as a flight attendant, as my increased girth shows it. This image was taken while in Portland, ME at a restaurant called Sabago. Sebago is a brewery and restaurant with 4 locations and have a fifth one coming soon. I went to the one in Scarborough near the Maine Mall where these beautiful young ladies met me at the door with their wonderful smiles. With my camera always around me neck they asked if I was a photographer, I answered yes and of course needed to prove it.  They moved in close together while I shot this at 1/13th second at ISO 3200, handheld.

    And, what was the restaurant experience like? Well, my waiters name was Ben, did a great job and earned a substantial tip from this poor man. The food was awesome. I splurged and ordered the evening special:  shrimp and scallops in a creamy red/white sauce with mashed potatoes and glazed carrots.  I also added a cup of clam chowder. Almost licked the sauce off the plate but kept my cool and didn’t embarrass myself.  Needless to say I had no room for dessert. But, I can go back for that.

  • Photography

    edamame: sushi and grill

    edamame

    I enjoy sushi although I do not eat it very often. So when a friend suggest a sushi bar to me a couple of weeks ago I pretty much shrugged it off. I also felt that with my tight budget I felt I couldn’t afford it. A couple of weeks ago I happen to be driving near the restaurant and remembered her suggestion. It was after the noon rush so I figured it may be a good time to check it out. The name is edamame, which is a large-seeded, green soybean harvested before maturity, and typically prepared by boiling in salted water.  Often served in its pod as a snack with beer or sake, and renowned for its links to health and vitality.

    The decor was very interesting using a green color as the theme which gives it a fresh and bright feel. On the ground floor there are a couple of nooks settled back into the walls for privacy. They have two mezzanines located at both the front and rear of the restaurant. You can see the second floor eating area located in the rear of the restaurant. The second floor located in the front is identical. As thier wesbiste says, “… truly unique experience that is certain to satisfy all your dining needs.”

    I’ve eaten there twice now all within a week. Thanks, Tracy! My first sushi roll was the Edamame which is made with tuna, salmon, whitefish, cucumber, avocado, masago, radish sprout, unagi sauce, spicy mayo, soy wrap. Loved that spicy mayo sauce. My second visit included another sushi roll called Fire Crunch and is a California roll, topped with: spicy tuna,  unagi sauce, tempura crumbs. And for me they are reasonably priced and will not break my bank. Wonder what I’ll have next week?

  • Photography,  Travel

    Rainbow of Hats

    Rainbow of Hats
    Rainbow of Hats

    New York City offers some wonderful restaurants. While visiting a couple of days ago Kirsten and I discovered this great little Szechwan and Chinese cuisine restaurant called Ginger’s. We ordered two plates, a vegetarian dish of Shiitake Mushroom with Shanghai Bok Choy and the other was Chicken Pad Thai. Both were wonderful but the brown sauce on the mushrooms and Bok Choy was amazing. We found both of us licking the sauce without any embarrassment. I will need to return there for more.

    New York City is also a great place for photography as it provides an amazing array of lights and colors vying for your attention. Somewhere near Times Square I found this stack of hats creating a rainbow of colors and patterns. Anyone for a new hat?