Johnny Ad's Drive In


Stopped by Johnny Ad's Drive In in Old Saybrook for dinner the other night. The lobster bisque was so rich and buttery - maybe too rich!


The lobster roll, on the other hand, was not as buttery as some, so you could really taste the lobster.


The waffle fries were absolutely delicious - some of the best we've had. The cheese sauce they serve on the side is unnecessary.


The codfish tacos were also good. P.S. We took some of this home - it was a lot to eat! There is no skimping on the portions.

 
Will they make it into the next edition of Insiders' Guide? They are certainly a great candidate!

Newport Tower


Also known as the Touro Tower, the Stone Tower, etc. It is one of the great mysteries of early America. It was possibly built by Benedict Arnold the first, governor of Rhode Island, in the 1670s. However, it could be much older. It bears similarity to various Norse round towers and churches, and could have once sported a conical roof and a 'skirt' area. It has astronomical oddities that would make it unlikely to be a simple windmill, and a "Norman estate" is mentioned in Verrazano's observations of the area, long before Arnold and his ilk.


We had a chance to check it out recently, and it is definitely odd. If it was 17th century architecture it was nearly unique. The large stones near the base of the pillars are bizarre and not exactly smart, unless they were originally underground, or if there were flying buttress-like attachments to the rest holding it up.


In some ways it is slipshod and uneven, and in others so precise and astronomically centered, that it is hard NOT to be suspicious that Viking mariners built it long before the arrival of the pilgrims. I am no expert, but I understand why this strange building is at the heart of so many bizarre theories.


Skipper's, Niantic


Amy and I stopped in at Skipper's Seafood in Niantic on our way to the fabled Book Barn last weekend.


It bugs me that I never stopped in there before in all my trips to the book barn, because it serves a solid meal of New England seafood. The clam fritters (above) were particularly yummy.


Better yet, the prices were quite reasonable. The hot lobster roll was only 13.99, which is about right for one served in a hot dog roll. I've seen them at 17.99, and if it is served in a large sub roll that is fine, but for this amount of lobster that price is correct. Thanks, Skipper's!

Tom Thumb at the Middleborough Historical Association


Over the weekend I gave the first lecture for Becoming Tom Thumb at the Middleborough Historical Association. They are the proud curators of the Tom Thumb Museum, which has one of the largest collections of objects related to Charles Stratton and Lavinia Warren in the world. It was my privilege to fill in some of the gaps in their story.

Saving a Tree



Today my friend Ryan, his son Hawk, and I used a rope to pull down a tree that had fallen into another, saving the live beech tree in my yard.

 
Then we sawed the tree into three portions and carried them up to the house for later chainsawing.
 
 
Hawk is a little young (5) to be able to help more than a little. But it was good to show him this sort of work. Now that his family has moved back from New Zealand I hope we can teach him more forest work. It connects us to the land and to our home. Which are the same.
 


Roia


Tried Roia the other day in New Haven. It moved into the old bank at the Taft Hotel/Apartments, a space previously occupied by Hot Tomatoes, etc.



The food was scrumptious, and the atmosphere in there is really stellar (if dark for taking photos).



Amy and I would like a few more "interesting" or unique dishes on the menu, but the ones they have are delicious.


Apples and Bacon


In our Native American cookbook, one of the best dishes I've come across is apples and bacon. First, fry the bacon, take it out, and drain it. Then fry the apples in the bacon fat. Then, combine them for a delicious breakfast.

The irony is, of course, that both ingredients were brought by Europeans.

Splitting Wood with a Wedge


Used a maul and my grandfather's wedge yesterday for the first time. We had a bunch of beech tree sections that are just a little too big for the wood stove, and I finally got around to trying out the splitter. It worked great.


Of course, it took me a while to get used to the motion, swinging down from the top only to save energy, while sliding my right hand down the shaft and bending my legs down to prevent backswing and hit the wedge from a nearly horizontal position. (I'm too tall to get it to work as well as some could.)


But I got used to it, and began hitting the wedge correctly more often (not every time!) and hearing that wonderful bell-like sound when the maul and the wedge connect perfectly. Many times the wedge ended up driven into the ground, as in the photo above.


I even tried it with some non-round pieces of wood and it worked fairly well there, too. It was a good day. The transformation of knowledge into practice is always satisfying.