click for pretty larger one
Up at 5:30 am and way busy till after sun goes down. Weekends=chores and recharge mental powers. Repeat.
That being said, the sunrises the boys and I get to experience are world class. The above photograph I snagged early Tuesday morning. I see this site every morning as I slide down the overpass to work. My jaw dropped and grabbed my gear and braved the shaky 18′ ladder to sit on our roof to capture this moment. Then? I looked to the right and saw this.
click on pretty to see biggie
In the immortal words of Bob & Doug Mackenzie, “Beauty, eh?” Yeah, well it was time to climb back down that ladder and get to work. And then? I turned the other direction and grabbed this one.
if you please tap thine gull for a huge one
Fly away gull by the bay! Probably all dark meat anyway.
This one I took this morning, from the same area that most of my cloudy sunrises have been coming from. Looking eastward with Mt. Diablo just a tad to the left. These thick ass cloud/fog was HUGE and it went as far as I could see from right to left. It was an impenetrable wall and really the only time the sun came through was when it popped over the top (or a few little holes). Considering the time of year and California’s central valley lays in that direction, figured it’s Thule Fog? It was HUGE. I have to admit though, 10 minutes previous, when the sun was up but not visible, there was a pink/purple glow, for just a moment, through the bottom of this Wall of cloudy material. It was gone in just a few moments, wished I could have snapped that one.
OH, and what really made this all so neat to me was that THERE WASN’T ANY OTHER CLOUD ANYWHERE TO BE SEEN. Not even over there.
xo, Biggles
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You bad ol’ drain. How come you clog?
.
You bad ol’ drain. I find myself doing major chores here Thanksgiving morning. Last night’s meal needed cleaning up after and the turkey isn’t completely defrosted, yet. We’ve lived here now nearly 8 years and only now you decide to back up on me?
Biggles walks away from the drain, only to turn and say, “Ha !!! I got youuuu! I win! Meathenge Labs isn’t hosting this year!” Clog if you want to, you bad ol’ drain. You don’t bother me!
xo, Biggles
Happy Turkey Day 2007
please click on pretty picture for nice larger version
Well, the sore bones in my face and teeth have finally begun to go away and expect to be 100% in another week or so. Sorry for Meathenge resembling a dead slug withering in the August heat during a drought. Shudder.
What you’re looking at up there is called a “Living Rock”, I don’t know the Latin name. It’s a succulent and it’s blooming!
xo, Biggles
Sunset on November 12th at 4:47pm
Even in Richmond, at the right time of day or night, beauty can be found. One just has to look, really hard. I suggest you spend the time where you are, to do the same. It makes life that much sweeterer.
xo
A jury of 6, no. Um, A trial of 6? No. The mother of all bacon tastings!
This is the cold that never ends,
Yes, it goes on and on my friends
Some people started catching it, not knowing what it was,
And they’ll continue being plagued by it forever just because—
You understand correctly, I’m going over week #2 with this fricken cold. It moved in to my sinus bone last Thursday and creates these wonderful headaches. The pain from the bright sunlight actually makes the pain almost bearable. Then it’s off to the land of aspirin, yay.
Tee hee, Chilebrown goes on a meat spree in Oregon. Asks me if I want to come over Saturday morning (3 weeks ago) and have a tasting!
What do you think my answer was?
Directly from Meathenge Labs – Grilled Chicken Noodle Soup
Disclaimer: I shopped for this meal, I prepped this meal, I cooked this meal and I photographed this meal with a fever, with hacks, coughs and a flowy nose. Expect a few errors, expect some oddities. Just so you know.
Chicken noodle soup is one of those recipes where everyone has their own way of doing it, and it’s the only way. If it’s not their way? Rubbish! Yeah well simmer down now because this recipe is most probably some place you’ve never been. I need you to pay attention because there are some finer point where you’ll go wandering off and not get the expected results. It isn’t just about grilling chicken, then making soup with it, no sir.
Would you like to come play?
Chilebrown’s Ultimate Meat (read here: bacon) Adventure
Let’s have a moment of silence for A&B Meat Market.
Generally speaking most of us get about 2 weeks a year vacation, right? Right. Sometimes we choose to just putter around the house and relax (this is me). But there are many who will want to pack up the truck and spend it driving from destination to destination. These destinations might be the Taco Bell Discovery Science Center or LegoLand or wherever. Not for our plucky heros!
dammit – achoo – dammit – achooo – dammit – snurfle
Tiny E was down last week, Z has been pretty much face down since last Sunday. I started down the slope later Monday. About a month ago Z started having some stomach cramps, came and went. Figured it was lactose, then maybe wheat? Now the cramps are coming inbetween food and yesterday he popped a decent fever. Have an appointment was awesome doctor this morning. Eyes are running, coughing up small furry animals, brain dead, that’s me!
Food? Any food we have is slowly rotting in the fridge. For dinner was chicken noodle soup and I had nalley’s chili. I went all out and put the chili in a bowl this time instead of eating it out of the pot. Ugh! Dishes have been in the sink for usually 2 days before I get to them. COUGH.
xo, Biggles
Cloudhenge – Wildfire Sunrise
Wildfires & humans rarely mix well. We’re 300+ miles away and our air smells like the arse end of a city bus. Nature loves its mechanism for rebirth, it’ll still look like hell for a while though. But damn man! Look what wildfires do for sunrises!
Course you have to be up at sunrise to catch it, this is why you have me. You’re welcome.
xo, Biggles
Addition later on that same day.
Okay, so I’m going through the 20 some odd shots I knocked off this morning and found more worth posting. Man, oh man oh man oh man.
Now this one, this one, wow. Just take a moment with the picture enlarged and check out the detail and contrast and colors in those clouds. To the right first, then to the sun itself. I want to walk around and look at these every second of the day.
Biggles
It’s a Champion – Juicer that is!
Biggles spent the workday at his computer, didn’t pull away. He’d finally figured out a few things while he was htmmelling and was running late to get out of there. Off went the two 21″ tube monitors, camera bag in hand and off he flew. Out and down the hallway, keep going and make a left through the machine shop. Ever so quietly he tossed the deadbolt to the side and slipped out in to daylight. Biggles cursed, “Owie, that orb burns.” As he approached his shiny blue wagon, he noticed something huge and mechanical on the ground at the driver’s door.
Creepy E said, “Here’s your juicer, foo.”
Meathenge Rules! – The Cutting Board
Awesome Z (my 12 year old boy) started middle school this year. Wahoo, for several reasons. I believe one of his favorite things is that he doesn’t spend the entire day of school in one classroom. Every hour or two he’s off to another class, neat eh? Yeah well, one of those classes is something called Woodshop. Yup, you know the one. Uh huh, you’re getting the idea now. One of his projects was to make a cutting board, a really nice one too. And as you can see, this woodshop is sportin’ some fancy ass … thing that allows one to put pretty letters in to wood. My chest is out at least 3′ feet today, am so proud.
Biggles
Poor little porky chops of love, or are they?
It was a sunny, yet brisk Thursday afternoon. We hadn’t had high roasted chicken in quite some time, my mind turned towards gravy. Chicken fat, translucent minced shallot, flour, broffs & a dollup of creme fraiche. Oh yeah baby, chicken and gravy for dinner!
After hairs cut, off to El Cerrito Natural for some Rocky Jr. feel good chicken bodies. Tiny E wanted to come in too, he’s a come-with kinda boy. At the meat counter he asked what was for dinner, roasted chicken of course. “Oh Papa, can’t we have delicious pork chops instead?” Even at $10.50 a pound, I conceded.
Tell me why my heart sank when I saw these chops in the butcher’s case?
Biggles
Beef Brisket – Pulled an all nighter
Saturday morning found Biggles thumbing through a few cookbooks. He ran across a recipe wherein the roast was cooked all night at 250 degrees F. With a nod, some rustlin’s, and note taking, he was off.
Please read on and find out why he’s never going to do that again.
Head Colds & I’m in love with clouds
Hi everyone and happy October! I’m on the trail ends of a dumb head cold and am still wacked out on cold medicine. My food related inspiration doesn’t exist at the moment and I have nothing in this arena to offer. I need to get muh stremfs back and choose a path to wander down. And then?
I’ve lived in the San Francisco Bay Area my entire life and I don’t remember seeing clouds like the ones I’ve seen for the last few months. The air here seems to be tons clearer than years past. The blues are bluer and the contrast, textures captivate me. Oh sure I’ve seen amazing clouds before. I’ve driven through Oklahoma in tornado weather, Kansas in the same. One year in Montana I was able to spend an entire July with daily thunderstorms. We just don’t get weather and clouds like that here. But I have to say, we’re kicking some serious cloud ass these days.
Want another?
Do you see what I’m talking about here?
I’m seeing this stuff nearly every morning. As I’m driving out to lunch I have my nose pressed up against my wagon’s front window in total and complete awe. And yesterday as a rainstorm was heading in, I was getting images like this at 2:20 in the afternoon!
I love clouds.
Biggles
ps – And oh by the way …
Knife Sharpening Class with Eric E. Weiss
Monday, October 15, 2007
6:30pm – 8:30pm $65.00
Paulding & Company, A Creative Kitchen
1410 D 62nd St., Emeryville, 94608
You will be taught to sharpen and hone your knives to perfection by hand. The sharpening stone and honing oil is included in the price of this class. Bring your quality chef’s knife and paring knife plus any others you wish to learn to sharpen. Should you want Eric to bring your knives back to life, you may arrange that during class.
Eric’s sharpening experience spans 30 years. Born in England, raised in Germany, his love affair with all things sharp began in boyhood, grew with him through military service to the Queen, and comes to fruition at Bay Area Farmer’s Markets, restaurants, catering companies, retail and private homes. During this unique hands-on class Eric gladly shares his true wealth of historical, cultural, and scientific knowledge about the blade.
Class details/registration at
www.pauldingandco.com
510-594-1104