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APTBS Tour Diary by The Photoladies

A nice collection of photos taken during the APTBS spring tour by a variety of talented photographers. A Place to Bury Strangers Tour Diary

4.24.17 – Cleveland, OH – Beachtend Tavern - Judie Vegh

4.25.17 – Louisville, KY – Zanzabar - Emily May

5.2.17 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel - Em Grey

5.6.17 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall - Joanna Glezakos

5.11.17 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall - Kris Fuentes Cortes

5/18 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall - Violeta Alvarez

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View du jour. May 1, 2016

viewdujourJune12016 A picture taken at the Fredericksburg Farmers Market on the first day of June. Spring crops have been available for a few weeks and some summer crops are coming in. These are , obviously, purple turnips – the spring ones that are sweeter and more tender than the ones available in the fall. These are from Blenheim Gardens an organic farm near George Washington’s Birthplace, about 30 or so miles from Fredericksburg. We know the family. They are really nice and their produce is great too. I chose this photo because of the predominance of light colors with a touch of green that is in contrast to eh black background of the sign. The colors of the lettering are similar to the colors of the produce.

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View du Jour. May 28 2016

View du jour May 28, 2016 May is a beautiful time in this part of Virginia. The weather is often very pleasant and the garden is in great shape. Here is a shot of the blooms on one of our rose bushes. This one is a hybrid, very common and blooms until it gets a good freeze.  It has a little fragrance and adds a nice touch to the garden.

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View du Jour. November 17 2016

More leaves! This morning I went into our back yard to enjoy the weather and the light. Took several photos. View du Jour Nov 17 2016This is the one I selected for the View du Jour. I think it treats the variety of colors and textures nicely.

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View du Jour – November 15, 2016

View du jour Leaves on our beechSoon after waking up this morning I thought it would be a good day to take pictures from our deck.  But the weather soon turned cloudy and very damp.  That didn’t deter me from taking several photos from and of our deck. The composition was almost automatic. The leaves  on our beech tree were beautiful and it helped that I lowered the camera to waist height.

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Trip to Barcelona 2016

Early this past summer Iceland Air had a sale on flights to select cities. There were some good deals for travel in the Fall. We had only three days to decide since I had heard about the sale at the end its time period of availability. We picked out some dates and I wrote to Oliver and Karl asking them if there was a conflict with any thing they might like to have us around for. I  also off-handedly mentioned that they were welcome to join us. We never took advantage of that sale but Oliver said he was up for vacationing with us! Karl was perhaps interested but the cities in the Iceland Air sale were all cities we had visited, except for one or two. I began thinking about traveling in mid-October and visiting a city where the weather had a chance of being good. Barcelona seemed like a good choice and so we decided to travel to Barcelona for two weeks from October 18 until November 1. Oliver said he and Heather would join us and Karl & Eun-Ha said they would meet up with us during our trip. Unfortunately it ended up that Heather couldn’t get away.

We traveled to Barcelona leaving the evening of October 18 and arriving early in the morning of October 19. We stayed in Barcelona until Friday, October 28,  spent 3 nights in Valencia, and then the day and night of October 31 in Barcelona. 29974313104_46af31a5c0_m Oliver joined us on Monday, October 24, and Karl & Eun-Ha joined us on Wednesday October 26. They all left on Friday October 28. 30571425382_723b121fa2_mIt was really nice traveling and enjoying Barcelona with them. An excellent trip all around.

Arrival

Our non-stop flight from IAD arrived at BCN on schedule,  about 7:45 am. After easily passing through immigration we found the Aeropuerto AutoBus that took us to its last stop Placa de Catalunya in downtown Barcelona. The trip cost about 5 euros per person, took about 40 minutes, with wifi on the bus.  Placa de Catalunya was about 5 or 10 minutes form our first lodging.

Where we stayed

We rented a small one bedroom apartment via AirBnB for our first seven nights. It was very conveniently located in the old city at Carrer de n’ Amargos 2. A few turns off of a main street, across the street from a local cafe/bar, a few blocks from the Cathedral de Barcelona, and an easy walk to many parts of the city. The apartment was on the second floor, it was clean, and the bed was comfortable. The people who rented it to us were accommodating and helpful.  Oliver joined us for two nights at the place and when Karl & Eun-ha arrived at the Placa de Catalunya form the airport we all went back to our place to store their luggage for a bit and wash some of their clothes.

After Karl & Eun-Ha arrived we spent two nights at Hotel Andante. About 15 minute walk from our apartment. A very lovely place near Las Ramblas, La Bouqueria market, and the Para-lel metro stop. The hotels bills itself as a “responsible and sustainable hotel.” I think that is accurate. The rooms were modern, quiet, clean, completely functional. The hotel has a small infinity pool on the 11th floor with spectacular views of the city. Really wonderful.

We went to Valencia for three days returning for our last night before leaving. We spent the night at Hotel Colon, a very nice hotel facing the Barcelona Cathedral. 30575106482_829b134216_m
The hotel had all the accouterments and personnel representing of what you’d expect in a well-run European hotel. They also had a roof deck with great views of the cathedral. 30394969680_e66201dd91_m Two are posted  here.

 

 

 

Eating

Barcelona has a reputation for good food and dining experiences from restaurants, to neighborhood bars or cafes, to tapas bars, to the bars and stands in La Bouqueria.

Places we ate included:

Merce Vins 1982 – Right across the street from our apartment in the old city. Very comfortable, very local, very good food. We had breakfast there several days. This quote from captures its spirit. Merce Vins: Home Away from Office “Mercè Vins is exactly between two worlds, located on the quiet, narrow and dark Carrer d’Amargós, close to the shopping area of Portal de l’Àngel, near the Cathedral and Plaça de Sant Jaume, and on the border between the Barrio Gótico and Born neighborhoods, where there are numerous offices and public institutions, filled with employees looking for a breakfast that goes beyond a sad, ersatz “croissant” or for a lunch that approximates the kind of meal they would get if they were able to sneak back home.”

Hofmann Pasteleria – A shop with excellent pastries and candies. The pastries were the most original I’ve seen and tasted.

Ciudad Contal – Tapas, breakfast, excellent selection.

Mil Gritos – Restaurant with modern, imaginative dishes.

Casa Lolela. We ate there several times. One of favorites was the orz rissoto with black truffles. WE also had Mojama de Tuna twice. Solid, good food. Well prepared. Excellent sangria. I’ve found the sangria for sale in Fredericksburg at the Old Towne Butcher!

Amelie. A really nice restaurant in Gracia district in a square away form the hustle/bustle of the streets. Owned and operated by our friend.

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Trip to Valencia 2016

In October 2016 we visited Barcelona, Spain. Oliver, Karl and Eun-Ha joined us for a few days there. On the day they left, October 28 we took a  train to Valencia and spent 3 nights there.

valenciafountainatnightValencia is a beautiful city.

It has a  large green space created from a riverbed. That space is filled with trails, museums, a concert hall, and places to relax.

The beach! A large public beach on the Mediterranean. Great restaurants and loads of public spaces.

We stayed at the Hotel Ad Hoc Monumental just between the old city and the green space. A great location. The hotel was clean, comfortable, and the staff was very accommodating and helpful. When I made the reservation I asked for a room with a terrace or balcony, on the advice of another traveler. We were upgraded to a ‘superior’ room with a terrace on the top floor. The terrace was tile with decent views and enough furniture for several people. What a nice touch!  The clerk, Antonio, said that we got that room because we asked and that the hotel was booked and no one had reserved a superior room.

Right after arriving, about 5 minutes before the restaurant closed,  the desk clerk arranged for us to have lunch at the restaurant associated with the hotel, Boix Quatre Restaurant. 

Other places we ate wee

  • La Perla .. on the beach. Excellent roasted pepper and cod salad, and an excellent grilled sea bas.
  • Rincon 33 … for dinner. Was OK.
  • A’Pergrina Restaurante Gallego .. dinner the last night. Nice, quiet setting. Galician cuisine. Good food.

We  spent one day walking from our hotel along the green space.  Along the way we visited  Palau de la Musica the concert hall of Valencia. cityartsandsciencesvalencia2016 Then down to the City of Arts and Sciences. Fantastic architecture, beautiful setting.   Then we walked to the beach  which was full. Lynn took off her shoes and waded into the sea. I was feeling pretty sick – cold or flu symptoms – and just walked along.  After lunch we walked to a restaurant and then eventually took a  bus back to our place. When we went to the cathedral square, a platform was set up with folk dancers. Another morning we went to the Museum of Fine Arts in Valencia, about a 10 minute walk from our hotel. Two floors of several rooms of paintings and religious artifacts primarily from Valencia and Spain. Excellent collection and display.   We had a very nice time in Valencia.

On the morning of October 31 we took a train back to Barcelona. First class with a meal included.

 

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Lemon-Garlic Roast Salmon on New Potatoes

Rooftops near Sorbonne, Paris, FranceI should have included this recipe in webliminalblog long ago. Went looking for the recipe tonight. Made it and it was, always, delicious. Used any sort of white potatoes, not just new potatoes. I’ve modified the recipe to reflect what we did tonight.

Lemon-Garlic Roast Salmon on New Potatoes
Copyright 2007 Lynne Rossetto Kasper. All Rights Reserved.

Serves 4 generously and multiplies easily

For this Greek-inspired roast dish, all you’ll need on hand is some boiled potatoes. Before putting the salmon in the oven, look at the tips after
the recipe to help with timing.

Marinade:

1/2 cup good tasting extra-virgin olive oil
5 large cloves garlic
Juice of 1 large lemon
Salt and fresh ground black pepper taste

The Fish:

1 1-lb wild caught Alaskan king salmon filet
4-5  medium sized, unpeeled potatoes, microwaved to barely tender and cooled
2 generous teaspoons pickled capers, rinsed

1. About a half hour before cooking, heat oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor, puree together the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and salt and
pepper to taste. Pour over the salmon steaks and refrigerate 20 to 30 minutes.

2. Have a shallow baking dish that can hold the salmon with some room to spare. Sprinkle in a little olive oil to coat the bottom. Peel and
thin slice the potatoes, then overlap slices to cover the bottom of the dish.

3. Moisten the potatoes with a little of the marinade and sprinkle with half the capers. Top with the filet and the rest of the marinade and capers.
Bake the salmon 10 to 15 minutes, or until the center  is no longer raw looking (make a small cut to see). If the fish was cold when it went
into the oven, it could take 4 to 6 minutes longer to cook.

Variations:

Chutney Roast Fish: Make the marinade, but reduce the oil to 1/4 cup and add 1/4 to 1/3 cup fruit chutney after everything is pureed. Mixture should
be chunky. Finish the recipe as directed, but do not use the capers.

Coconut-Chile Fish Pan Roast: Instead of olive oil, lemon and garlic, marinate and roast the fish in a blend of 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1/2 teaspoon
fish sauce, a generous tablespoon each minced ginger and garlic, and fresh hot chile to taste. Top the finished dish with fresh lime juice and
chopped fresh Thai or sweet basil, or fresh coriander.

LYNNE’S TIPS FOR COOKING FISH

Fish needs some attention and a little fiddling. Once you have the knack, success will come. It’s all about timing.

Start with the standard rule of 10 minutes cooking time per inch of thickness of the fish. Because of variables like how cold the fish is when it
goes into the oven, how high your oven temperature is, and whether or not your oven is properly calibrated (most are not), I suggest you start
testing the fish after 8 minutes to the inch.

Test by pressing the fish gently; properly done fish is almost firm. When you think you are close, make a small slit in the center of one steak and
check for doneness. There should be no sign of raw fish — you want flesh that is opaque, but it should not flake. Fish that flakes is overcooked. If
you have any doubt, better to slightly undercook and let the fish stand 10 minutes before serving. It will continue cooking and will be perfectly
done.

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Katydid on Basil

katydid on basil, front garden, homeMost days I spend some time in the morning checking on the plants and vegetables in our  garden. Seeing what is doing well, what needs attention, what might be ready to harvest, pick or cut,  and occasionally taking some pictures. The light is usually very good between 7 and 8 AM. The sun is rising and its light is cutting across the trees, flowers, and plants. Often putting them in a stark light.

I noticed what I thought was a grasshopper jumping from one plant to another. It landed on a basil leaf and I took a few shots, one of which is shown here, with the camera on my phone a Samsung Galaxy S4. I also posted the pic to facebook with the title “View du jour” that I often use. I think the saturation of green in the pic and the insect on the leaf got a fair amount of reaction. The discussion centered on whether the insect was a grasshopper, as i thought, or a katydid. LisaBeth correctly identified it as a katydid and explained why that was the case.

I like this photo and have been enlightened as to the difference between a katydid and a grasshopper.

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Suicide Survivors Support Groups

Rooftops near Sorbonne, Paris, FranceSuicide survivors support groups. MHAF facilitates several support groups. One is titled SOS Survivors of Suicide. As part of a marketing effort to publicize this group I’ve been looking at similar groups and related articles on the Web.

  • Alliance of Hope The Alliance of Hope for Suicide Loss Survivors provides healing support for people coping with the shock, excruciating grief and complex emotions that accompany the loss of a loved one to suicide.
  • Survivors of Suicide – Lost someone to suicide?‎  Learn about survivor of suicide services, helpful ways to heal and cope with your loss and if you’ve attempted suicide, learning ways to survive and thrive.
  • Survivors of Suicide Loss   Our goal is to give survivors a place where they can be comfortable expressing themselves, a place to find support, comfort, resources and hope in a judgment-free environment. This organization appears to be located in San Diego and contains links to similar organizations in California.
  • Suicide Loss Survivors.  Books and Resources for Survivors. Links to handbooks, videos, support information.
  • Understanding Survivors of Suicide Loss. An article by Deborah Serani, Psy. D., in Psychology Today.  “Suicide, however, has been described as a death like no other … and it truly is. Death by suicide stuns with soul-crushing surprise, leaving family and friends not only grieving the unexpected death, but confused and lost by this haunting loss.”

Many other resources on Google.

 

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