FROM THE ARCHIVES - THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY - PART 1

(old photo found at pixabay.com)This is from an old post in May of 2009.  Exhibits may have changed since the last time we visited. Its history hasn't and I hope you will still enjoy the photos. We started our visit looking around the transport section of the museum. Above is the Steam Locomotive Jupiter made in Philadelphia in 1876. Jupiter was the Santa Cruz Railroad's third locomotive. Built for narrow-gauge track (36 inches between rails), Jupiter became obsolete in 1883 when the line switched to standard gauge (56-1/2 inches). Jupiter was sold to Guatemala, where it hauled bananas for more than 60 years. In 1976 it came to the Smithsonian as part of the United States Bicentennial Exhibition (whether it is still there I am not sure but I found this link with some history of Jupiter. It is a fascinating story.)

I am assuming this is a reproduction as according to the website's article, the original was scrapped in the early 1900s. However, another was reproduced in 1975 by the O'Connor Engineering Laboratories of Costa Mesa, California. (I try to remember to take photos of the historical information at each exhibit and read them when I get back home. I remember more this way. That is how I got my information for my post.) 

I enjoyed the sculptures at various exhibits, people dressed as they would have been during that time.

"There's always light after the dark. You have to go through that dark place to get to it but it's there, waiting for you. It's like riding on a train through a dark tunnel. If you get so scared you jump off in the middle of the ride, then you're there, in the tunnel, stuck in the dark. You have to ride the train all the way to the end of the road."

~Han Nolan~

(I didn't get the information on this locomotive at the time, but since catching up I put "old steam train 1401" in the search engine and happily it sent me right to the website I needed. You can read about it here.)

"To travel by train is to see nature and human beings, towns and churches and rivers, in fact, to see life."

~Agatha Christie~

"Nowhere can I think so happily as in a train."

~A. A. Milne~

This photo doesn't show you much as I was more taken with the horse sculpture, but he is pulling a Kramer Farm Wagon from 1925. Farmers wagons served many purposes. They picked up and delivered goods and also served as passenger vehicles when benches of extra wagon seats were added in 1926, despite the growing use of automobiles, more than 200,000 wagons were manufactured, and millions were still in use around the country.

This gentleman is a Pullman Porter. In the 1920's the Pullman Company was the largest single employee of African American men. From the 1870's through the 1960's, tens of thousands worked for Pullman as sleeping-car porters. The feeling of sleeping-car luxury came from the porter. He "made-down' berths at night and "made-up" berths into seating in the morning, helped with luggage and answered passengers calls at any hour. Working 400 hours a month, porters earned wages better than most African Americans, but degrading conditions helped lead to the founding of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in 1925.

The photo below was taken in Salisbury, North Carolina in 1927. In the community, although they were servants on the job, at home they were respected members of their communities. Porters traveled extensively and connected their communities to a wider world. From the 1920's to the 1940's, porters helped southern African Americans migrate by bringing back information on jobs and housing in the North. Porters were also involved in civil rights activity. Pullman Porter E. D. Nixon helped plan the Montgomery-Alabama bus boycott of 1955-56. Union leader A. Philip Randolph pressured Franklyn Roosevelt into issuing Executive Order 8802 in 1941. It barred discrimination in defense industries and created the Fair Employment Practices Committee. Later Randolph was involved in planning the 1963 civil rights march on Washington DC. Peaceful protestors were and are the heart of getting things changed for the better.

The Railroad Conductor's job involved more than collecting tickets. He was the "captain" of the train. He supervised other train crew, looked out for the safety of everyone aboard and made sure every passenger paid the correct fare. The engineer was responsible for signals and speed restrictions enroute, but the conductor determined when a train could safely depart a station and was in charge of emergencies. The conductor's role as chief of the train came from maritime tradition. Many conductors on the first American railroads in the 1830's had been steamboat or coastal packet captains.

The last photo shows Conductor John W. Zimmer greeting a passenger in Burlington, Iowa in 1925.

There are links throughout my post to websites with more information. I will have two more to share from the museum sometime at a later date.

MY USUAL MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST ON TUESDAY - CHEDDAR CORN CHOWDER - 10 TO 12 SERVINGS

Soup weather and we love soups. I found this one at a favorite, Ina Garten at the Barefoot Contessa website, original link for the recipe is here.

Cheddar Corn Chowder - 10 to 12 servings

8 ounces bacon, chopped

1/4 cup good olive oil

6 cups chopped yellow onions (4 large onions)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

12 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade

6 cups medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (2 pounds)

10 cups corn kernels, fresh (10 ears) or frozen (3 pounds)

2 cups half-and-half

1/2 pound sharp white Cheddar cheese, grated

In a large stockpot on medium-high heat, cook the bacon and olive oil until the bacon is crisp, about five minutes.

Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. 

Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions and butter to the fat. Cook for 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent.

Stir in the flour, salt, pepper and turmeric. Cook for three minutes. 

Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cobs and blanch the kernels for 3 minutes in boiling, salted water. Drain (if you are using frozen corn you can skip the above step.)

If using frozen corn, add it to the soup, then add the half-and-half and Cheddar cheese.

Cook for 5 more minutes until the cheese is melted.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve hot with a garnish of bacon.

Our verdict was that this was an excellent soup. In the photo above, I went overboard on the bacon but it still tasted great. I left bacon off the second night and liked it just as much, maybe even a little more.

 I have never added turmeric to anything but keep 

hearing good things about it and now have a few recipes where it is used, mostly in beverages at the moment. 

People add it to soups for both its flavor and its health benefits. It is said that it provides a warm, earthy and slightly peppery taste, and a vibrant golden color. Additionally, it is prized for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, with its active compound of curcumin being enhanced when combined with black pepper. Anyway, it had a pleasant flavor I've never tasted before, hard for me to describe as it was in the background, but I wouldn't hesitate to use it again.

I thought maybe next time I would reduce the amount of whole corn kernels and add an extra can of cream-style instead. This is just for our personal preference.

We served it with a crusty roll which was very good. 

We have lots and lots of leftovers so I won't be cooking for the next few days. Our main meal is set but we may end up freezing a few portions for another day.

We didn't make any changes as we had everything on the list of the ingredients. 

I wanted to show you what it looked like before the pepper. I added a good sprinkling as there are times I feel like it and other times not. Apparently, freshly ground black pepper activates the good properties in the turmeric. I have to read more on the subject.

The full address for this soup is below, just in case you prefer to copy and paste rather than click on the link at the beginning.

https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/cheddar-corn-chowder

Thanks for dropping by and I hope 

your day is a great one.

Bon appétit!

I'M BACK FROM MY BLOG BREAK

 Happy December!

It's good to be back and I have missed visiting you. It will take me a few days to catch up but I am looking forward to seeing what you've all been sharing.

As you may know by now, I have fun playing with my collage app and I have shared these ornaments before. I haven't bought any new ornaments this year, except for one advent calendar that holds small glass ornaments, so there are those. I should say I haven't bought any individual ornaments. Anyhow, it seemed with the first day of December, this would be a good time to share two of my favorite frames (put together last year but didn't get to publish them).

It is great to be back!

(I will be posting a recipe tomorrow instead of my usual Monday morning)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

 for those who are celebrating…

and for everyone else, 

I hope you also have a wonderful day.

I am not back yet. I put these on here ahead of time as I wanted to let you know I am thinking of you all and miss you. Looking forward to catching up probably when December arrives. 

Comments are still off. 

(The top image is a jigsaw puzzle completed on my iPad) 

ONE LAST POST FOR A WHILE BEFORE TAKING A BLOG BREAK.

We went over to our place where we can view the planes coming in, which didn’t work out quite the way we planned. More on that later as I thought I would share a shortened version of what we did last week.

Top left on the way home! The clouds were outstanding. I am a cloud watcher, the beauty of them drew me in. The same with the airplane snap in the middle on the right. One of my neighbors is top right. These are the people who go all out for their seasonal decorations and they are very impressive. There is already a Tom Turkey on display for Thanksgiving. They add things the closer we get. The yellow flowers were blooming in profusion at Green Spring Gardens. I didn’t even get out of the parking lot this time but was happy with the few flowers taken. More on those later also.  Below the yellow flowers is where Ann’s card will spend Thanksgiving.  It’s right above me on the shelf  where I do all my blogging, and will stay there until it’s time to store it in the box of Ann’s cards where it will join all the others she has sent me. Favorite coffee with the pretty design ordered when we went to what is now our favorite bakery and coffee place, Chateau de Chantilly. We join the young ‘uns there. We were the oldest in the place until a lady the same age walked by and acknowledged us with a smile. The connectivity of our age brought us together I told my dear other half and yes, I am joking. Above the coffee I share a tree with changing leaves in one of the parking lots while running errands. I think that’s it as I continue on to when we saw those magnificent flying machines.

There is a road and a pull-off we have parked many times with others, to watch the planes in line with the runway as they fly low over us to land. It was fun to see but this time there was a policeman. At first, we thought it was just one side of the road that we couldn't park. We saw the police car on the median and as there were no other cars nearer to where he was parked, we made a u-turn at the next available turn, so that we could join the line of a few cars already parked. 

I managed to get a few snaps before the police officer got out of the car. I had my head turned in the other direction watching the planes in the distance approaching, but Gregg could see him making motions that we should move on, his words lost in the noise of the aircraft. His body language was very polite but we got the gist. We couldn't park there either. Everyone has been doing this for a long time, and we have never had a problem before. We will check again, maybe this is temporary. There were no 'no-parking' signs that we could see, maybe one tiddly little one near a locked airport gate used by maintenance people, and no one ever parked near there. Ah well, it was nice while it lasted. I have a feeling new security precautions are being put into place. I remember a while ago someone had been flying a drone near the airport and that gives one the shivers.  

At Reagan National Airport just across the river from Washington DC., there is a parking lot right next to the airport where people see them even lower than this place as the airplanes land. You can actually see the pilots sitting in the cockpit. We will go check that sometime and take a car picnic. There are usually a couple of hundred cars or more, with people making it their entertainment, and they've been doing that for years, ever since as far back as I can remember. However, that may no longer be, but we’ll drive down there and check sometime. 

We were here on Saturday the 8th, and those skies were amazing! We were hoping to stay for sunset pictures...

but that wouldn't be today.

So glad we could get these before we were moved on. It was almost like the officer was waiting for us to get our photographs done before he gave us the word. Probably not but it was a nice thought and we were grateful! There were a few more cars in front of us, and we all left at the same time.

We treated ourselves to a small ice cream sundae at the Milwaukee Custard shop on the way home. No photos of those though! From airplanes to ice cream to trees. We admired the trimming skills of the person who cut this tree while waiting for the traffic light to turn green. It was much taller than the building and perfectly shaped. The photographer, however, was a little tilted.

And so one day we swept all the leaves, pine needles and pinecones up, and that night we had the windiest weather. Not any pine needles this time but plenty of pinecones and crepe myrtle leaves. We looked over the deck to the garden below and oh my! Mother Nature sure is having some fun with us. There will be more sweeping up tomorrow. I have been collecting the pinecones and putting them in old boxes. Thinking of offering some to the neighbors for outside decoration. I also thought I would fill several with birdseed and hang them from the trees. I don’t ever remember seeing this many pinecones before. These photos were after I had picked up a couple of dozen or so. There are plenty of pine trees in Virginia of course, but in our immediate vicinity we seem to have the only pine tree. It was planted before we move in about 35 years ago and quite small. It stayed that way for many years until its roots reached the water table. Now it’s huge and reaching up to the sky. 

 Thanks for looking. I am not sure how long a blog break I will be taking this time, but I will be catching up with you all when I can. In the meantime take good care of yourselves and happy blogging.

 

VETERANS DAY 2025

 

No words of gratitude will ever be enough, but

thank you to all our Veterans.

Forever grateful!

(Comments are off for today)

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - NO-KNEAD ARTISAN BREAD - SERVES 4

I found my recipe from ‘The Recipes of Home’ hosted by Lauren. I don’t bake bread very often but this was delicious. The original recipe can be found here. I am happy to say it was a 10 out of 10 and thank you Lauren for this no-need recipe. 

Easy Dutch Oven No Knead Bread - serves 4

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp active dry yeast

1 ½ tsp sea salt

1 ½ cups warm water (around 105°F)

 

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, active dry yeast, and sea salt. Stir the dry ingredients together, then slowly add the warm water.

Use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to mix everything together until it forms a rough, sticky dough ball. Don’t worry if it is shaggy as this is exactly how it should look.

Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly greased bowl.

Cover it loosely with plastic wrap, then place a moistened kitchen towel over the top.

Let the dough rise at room temperature in a draft-free area for 18 to 24 hours.

By the end of this slow rise, the dough should have doubled in size and be filled with small air bubbles—this is the secret to its chewy, airy texture.

About 30 minutes before you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C).

Place your Dutch oven (with the lid on) into the oven while it preheats. This ensures the pot is piping hot, which gives the bread its beautiful crust.

This is a photo of a Dutch Oven similar to the one I have had for many years.

Flour your countertop generously and gently turn out the dough onto the surface.

With floured hands, shape the dough into a loose ball.

Don’t over-handle it—this dough loves to be treated gently.

Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven (use oven mitts as it is obviously extremely hot).

Gently place the dough into the pot.

Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes.

Then, remove the lid and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until the top is a deep golden brown and the crust sounds hollow when tapped.

I have added several of Lauren’s tips for success:

Water temperature matters:

Ensure the water is warm, not hot. Around 105°F is perfect to activate the yeast without killing it.

Use parchment paper for easy transfer:

Place the dough on a sheet of parchment paper before lowering it into the Dutch oven. This prevents sticking and makes cleanup easier. (Denise’s note: Mine slightly overlapped and it was easier to take the bread out to put on the cooling rack, using great care to prevent burning fingers. I have oven mitts that look like a thick pair of gloves.)

No Dutch Oven? You can use a heavy oven-safe pot with a lid, though a true cast iron Dutch oven gives the best results.

Store: once cooled, wrap the bread in a clean kitchen towel or store in a paper bag. Avoid plastic wrap, which can soften the crust.

Best enjoyed within 2 to 3 days.

Reheat: to revive the crust, place slices in a 350°F oven for 5–7 minutes or toast in a skillet.

More notes from Lauren:

Baking bread at home doesn’t have to be intimidating. With this Easy Dutch Oven No Knead Bread, you get the satisfaction of homemade artisan bread without the effort of kneading or fancy equipment. It’s rustic, hearty, and soul-warming—the kind of loaf you’ll want to make again and again.

Serve it with a pat of butter, a bowl of soup, or just on its own. However you slice it, this bread is a timeless classic that brings comfort to your table all year round.

Bake crusty, no-knead bread in a Dutch oven! Just 4 ingredients for a simple, hearty artisan loaf.

My notes: I was delighted that it turned out but have to admit, after only four hours rising time. It had doubled in size and I decided to go ahead and bake it. I will follow the recipe exactly next time (let rise for the 18 hours). I am curious if that will make such a big difference as the result of this loaf was great.

One night we cut 2 slices to use for cheese toast. We found one slice cut into two pieces was enough for each of us as each slice is quite large. To those we  added a mixture of grated Gruyere and Mozzarella. It was what we had left from other recipes and thought it would be a good idea to see what this bread would be like toasted. It didn't disappoint. Very yummy! Sometimes we have cheese toast with tomato soup for supper. That seems to be a combination that many of us enjoy.

I served it with the ground beef stew which I shared on last Monday’s recipe post at this link. They went very well together. Coming back into the house after stepping outside, we were greeted with this most amazing aroma.

Full address for the bread recipe is below, for those who prefer to copy and paste instead of using the link above.

https://recipesofhome.com/easy-dutch-oven-no-knead-bread/#google_vignette

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day everyone.

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - ANN'S THANKSGIVING CARD

 It's another lovely card Ann, thank you so much!

You can visit Ann at Ann's Snap Edit Scrap. She does all kinds of wonderfully creative things for you to see. Her link is here.

Thanks again Ann for putting those much-needed smiles on our faces.

And thank you for visiting everyone.

Happy Sunday!

SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER - ALL ABOUT MIGRATING

The Dark-eyed Junco has returned.

The little House Finch had a few words.

The Chipmunk wasn't feeling it somehow, but one of the Froggies 3 was being kind. The other two were still confused.

The male House Finch decided to join in as a show of support.

And that's how it goes on a Saturday Morning at the Bird Feeder.

Thanks for flying in and listening to this week's groaners.

Have a great weekend!

For our international friends to translate.

1st Photo:

"Hello, I'm back. It took me ages to fly here. Would anyone like to hear my great joke?

"No? Did you get it. Would anyone like to hear 'migrate' joke?"

2nd Photo:

"Oh boy! That bird is a real chirp off the old block."

3rd Photo:

"There's no talon what I can do. I can keep this up all day."

4th Photo: 

"Please don't!"

"???"

"I like them."

"???"

5th Photo:

"Egrets...he has a few..."

"but I flew in my way."