Boo

I don’t know why we like to scare each other. I wonder if it’s a southern thing or does everyone, everywhere like a good scare? I wonder if other countries celebrate Halloween by scaring each other? I don’t think so.

In China, Halloween is called Tend Chiech. In Hong Kong it is called Yue Lan, it is know as the festival of the hungry ghost. In Mexico Halloween is known as “El Dia de los Muertos” it is a joyous day, a day to remember those pasted. Hell, France doesn’t even celebrate any holiday like Halloween. Most countries celebrate Halloween as some kind of nod towards the dead. Down here in my south, we get drunk and scare little kids.

It’s been happening for a few years now. It started small, Stacey and I, well just I, got board just handing out candy one Halloween and took it to the next level. I put on this old man mask I had and hid in the bushes. The rest is history.

And tonight we plan on making more history. Stacey has got a few new toys for us to use to scare anyone dumb enough to come to our front door. She bought a fog machine, a ghost that runs up and down a line between two trees and a really scary witch that screams and dances and lights up. I will take a photo and post it tomorrow.

This has gotten to be an event and we don’t even have to invite friends, they just show up for the show. Lots of guys now come dressed up and ready to help. They are rewarded with a beer and a bowl of homemade gumbo, if they do a good job!

So whatever you do tonight- DON’T SHOW UP AT MY HOUSE!

Southern Fried

I love to have a Martini, but I can only have one at the most, cause after two I’m under the table and after three I’m breaking in to my neighbors house!

So, Stacey and I are sitting out on the front porch having a cocktail. It’s about dark and like any good southern I’m on my third martini by then. All the sudden we hear a fuss coming from somewhere close. It’s coming from across the street and it sounded angry. Shit, goddamn, motherfucker, you no good yellow-belly sap sucker! We quickly realized it was our neighbors pet-sitter, and she was having trouble getting in the house. She is also so our pet-sitter and my friend. So, naturally I asked if she was o.k. Well, actually, Stacey asked her if all was o.k.

Anyway, next thing I know, I’m explaining to my neighbors neighbor that it is in fact o.k. if we break into this guys house because she, my friend, is the pet-sitter and she is locked out.

Of course I have called my neighbor, the guy who owned the house I was about to break into. He informed me that the sitter had left a few messages that had transgressed from pleads to threats of murder, if he didn’t answer his “goddamn”. phone, and tell her where the “fucking” keys were. He asked me to please help the sitter get in and that there was only one window to get in. He further explained that his new 50″ plasma TV was hanging on the wall right under this window. Please, oh god please, he begged, don’t jump on my TV.

Like I said, I love to have a martini, but after three, can ya really expect me to be able to climb a ladder, open a window and jump in the window and miss the the TV directly under the window ?

It was my neighbors lucky day!

Last of the Southern Bohemins

O.K. so we went to Mobile Friday night to see a movie. It was a documentary on the life and times of Eugene Walter. Like I said a few post back, the name of this film is The Last of the Bohemians by Robert Clem. It was a pretty good film. I met Mr. Clem afterwards and spoke with him. I ask him how he chose to do a film on Eugene, his reply was that he had written a movie based on a autobiographical novel by Alabama native William March. Both the book and film are called Company K and they are a graphic account of a soldiers experience of World War I. He said during that project he learned of Eugene and decided he wanted him to be his next project.

This was the first showing of the film. I believe Clem will do a little more work on it and then fully release it. I doubt it will play in a theater, but I bet when it is released you can get it on Amazon.com.

Stacey did a little photo shoot of downtown Mobile Friday night during their ARTS!ALIVE evening. Enjoy!

There was an iron pour in the streets.

Finding My Religion, Southern Style

I have always thought, Religion, Buddhist, Tibetan Monk whenever I heard the words Dalai Lama. Those two words actually mean “Ocean of Wisdom”. But I have always thought the Dalai Lama was all about Religion, I never new of his political position in the world. I grew up as a Catholic and was never exposed to other Religions of the world, well there were the Southern Baptist and all I really knew about them was that they were not supposed to dance, drink or gamble.

Sunday, Stacey and I went to hear the Dalai Lama speak, here in Atlanta. It was billed as the “First Emory Summit on Religion, Conflict, and Peace-building”. Yea, that’s what I said, “what”? In a nutshell it brought together five of the most knowledgeable people in the world on different Religions. Jews, Hindus, Catholics, Muslims and Buddhist were each represented by some of the leading thinkers of their faith.

I didn’t know what to expect and someone made the comment that they did not think it would that big of a deal, they were there because someone in their family had invited them. Well I wonder if that person was as impressed with the event as I was.

The panel was made up of Rabbi David Rosen, he was a very good speaker, rather long winded but I liked what he had to say. Dr. An-na’im represented Muslims, of course, His Holiness the Dalai Lama represented Buddhist and Professor Rajmohan Gandhi, the grandson of the Mahatma Gandhi represented Hindus. Sister Joan Chittister spoke for Catholics. This lady was awesome. She is a well known activist for women in the church and in society.

H H Dalai Lama didn’t speak the most, as I thought would be the case. He started the conversation out with some thoughts on our mission in life. Then each of the other speakers was to give comments on this subject form their faiths perspective. What they all agreed on was this, no one faith is the only way to God. They also all agreed wars must not be fought in the name of religion and we must all, always show reasonable compassion to everyone. It’s that simple, now get on with it!

Southern Bohemian

So it’s today and this is where we are. Three days behind and trying to get out of town for the weekend. Friday night in Mobile, a film about Eugene Walter will be screened at an very old temple. I am not sure if it was a Masonic Temple or what and I have never really been in the main part of the building. Stacey and I want to see this film so we are just gonna go to Mobile for about 24 hours. My back is almost 100% better, but I need to get back and get things done. I need to finish two custom paintings, one is a pair of dogs and the other a wedding themed piece. I also have to build a full size bed, two twin bed swings, a coffee table, using an old Ford pickup truck tailgate for the top and a pedestal for a piece of art. All of this by Thanksgiving. No prob!

In Mobile we plan to see a film about Eugene Walter like I said. The film is by Robert Clem, it is named Last of the Bohemians. I have no idea what to expect, but looking forward.

It is also the semi annual event ART! ALIVE. Check out this page and read all about whats happen Friday night in downtown Mobile. I wish I could stay and enjoy it all, but this has to be a quick trip.

Pain in my Southern side.

Sorry, I really want to write something witty and insightful for you guys, but I hurt my back yesterday. I was in the middle of the tough task of picking a piece of paper up off the floor and BAM! I was also in the middle of writting a little something on our visit with the Dalai Lama Sunday. It will have to wait as I have NO pain pills and sitting at computer hurts like hell! Thanks and feel free to feel sorry for me.

PIG I IS

Last night I went out back to turn the shop lights off, it must have been about 1 a.m. Well just as I hit the switch something hit me. I must have been out cold, when I came to I looked like this and Stacey looked like that! It could mean only one thing, we were in France !

More on Eugene Walter

There is so much info out there about Eugene it is staggering. I picked up one of the books I had been looking at while writing about him the other day and quickly remembered what a great read it is. The book is Milking The Moon, A Southerner’s Story of Life on This Planet. It was written by Katherine Clark as told to her by Eugene. How lucky was she, getting to hear all those stories first hand from Eugene. They are great stories and this is a great book. If you don’t have it get it. If you have it read it. If you have read it, reread it.

I am gonna keep writing about Eugene for a while. There is to much to ignore, and it is all such rich material. I ordered the cook book he did for the Time Life series about southern cooking. It is from 1971, I can’t wait to get it and check out Eugene’s work.

This is from the forward of the Milking the Moon book.

The Monkey was his favorite animal. The highest accolade he pressed on the girls around the Cafe Tournon, across from the Hotel Helvetia where he lived, was that they were just a step or two below being “Queen of the Monkeys.” They adored him. He invited them in for candlelit suppers in his tiny one-room apartment, the light reflecting on the gold stars he had pasted on the walls. He knew a lot about Southern culinary delights, gumbos, and so forth, but he was poor, and so for all the intended elegance of these little suppers, he did miracles with no more than an onion, a carrot or so, and some oysters. A remarkable stew would come of this, not much of it for sure; one truly learned that taste was far more important than volume.

These are the words of George Plimpton, referring to his contemporary, and his dear friend Eugene Walter.

Cesar Salad Southern Style

Tonight we had a Seizure Salad, not to be confused with a Cesar Salad. This is the turbo charged version. We found this recipe years ago in a Wine X magazine. The magazine was pretty cool, but it struggled and I’m not sure it’s still around.

This is a really good salad and easy to prepare, it is not for those afraid of bold flavors. I like the way you use the salt and pepper and a bowl with a rough surface to help grind all of the ingredients into a dressing. To make it Southern style, try using the Piggly Wiggly brand Olive Oil !

3 thick slices of slightly stale sourdough or rustic style bread cut into cubes
3 T olive oil
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2) Place bread cubes in a large bowl and add olive oil. Toss until the oil is evenly absorbed.
3) Place croutons on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Salad
1/4 t salt
1 t coarsely ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 t anchovy paste
2 t Dijon mustard
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 t red wine vinegar
1 LARGE head romaine lettuce, thoroughly dried
Croutons (see recipe)
1/2 cup grated Italian Parmegiano-Reggiano
1) Add salt and pepper to the salad bowl. Grind garlic (with back of spoon) against the wall of the bowl until it becomes a paste.

Follow same procedure - add anchovies, grind, add the Dijon, egg yolk, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce one at a time.

Make sure that each ingredient is blended into a paste with the previous ingredients before adding next.
2) Add oil and vinegar. Blend well.
3) Tear or slice lettuce leaves into bite-sized pieces and add to the salad bowl. Toss thoroughly with dressing.
4) Add croutons and cheese, toss again, then serve immediately.

That’s it. It is not difficult. Just use the best cheese you can find. Also use Anchovy paste, it is not hard to find, and is worth the effort.

A Southerners’ Southerner

I wish Ken Burns would have picked someone other then the women he did to represent the deep south on his show about the war. I wish Eugene Walters was alive and could have done it. He probably had the same slow, molasses coated voice that she had.

He ’s the kind of person I want to be my spokesperson for the deep south. He was a real mans man, no pun intended. The guy did everything, went everywhere, embraced his southerness and wrote many books about his south.

He was born in Mobile, Alabama in 1921. He was in the army, stationed in the Arctic Circle. He lived in NYC, in Greenwich Village, in the 40’s. Can you imagine the Village in the 40’s? All the Hipsters, Bohemians, Poets and Artist setting the stage for the 50’s and 60’s. Blazing the trail for the Beatniks and the Hippies.

He also helped George Plimpton, who started the Paris Review, get it off the ground and going. This was in the 50’s, he lived in Paris and one can only imagine who he hung out with and the parties they had. Paris in the 50’s was wide open and jazz musicians from all over the world were living there.

Then he took his Southerness to Rome. Italy that is. He was known to always have an herb garden where ever he lived. He loved to cook and entertain, and he love to prepare southern dishes for his high minded, international friends. A cook book he wrote, American Cooking: Southern Style, was a best seller for the Time Life book series.

In Rome, he worked for a guy named Federico Fellini. He did set design on most all of Fellini’s movies and was in a few. He played the “tacky American journalist who keeps pestering Marcello Mastroianni”, in Fellini’s 8 1/2. He said he was in over 100 hundred films while in Italy. He stayed in Rome 23 years, then returned to Mobile, Kingdom of the Monkeys.

Look, I have read the books and seen the movie, so to speak, and this guy was the real deal. The above dosn’t even scratch the surface. He did so much, knew so many and made a real difference. I hear his name often here in Atlanta and he is a real inspiration to groups like the Southern Foodways Alliance. I am sure in the near future he will be celebrated more and more, and I am very glad of this. I would not mind if he’s the kind of guy that comes to mind when people think about Southerners.

Monday Report

Stayed in Atlanta this weekend, for what seems like the first weekend in a long time. Saturday I did the Organic Farmers Market. The weather is changing and I like the cooler temps. Not as many people out Saturday morning, maybe because it was a little cool.

Other than the market we didn’t do to much. Spent lot’s of time on the front porch, as you can see from this photo.

Sunday slept in to the very late hour of about 9:15. We got going fairly early, heading out to one of the many neighborhood festivals and street markets. I bought this little monster at the Chandler Park Fest. It a type of Racoo pottery. The guy explained the process he used, but it was to much info for a Sunday morning. I just liked it and didn’t care so much how he made it. Here is a photo of it.

I sold a couple of pieces of furniture Saturday morning, no art. Which is strange, latly it’s been the other way around. So as you can see not much to report, kind of a quite weekend.

Kingsized Bed

So this is the bed I wrote about last week. It is made from 6″ square antique pine post on each corner. The headboard has a panel of assorted antique ceiling tiles and the remaining lumber is salvaged from a Mardi Gras float. I painted it white and sanded it for the distressed look. The headboard is almost 6′ tall. Click on the Flickr cube to the left for a better photo of bed.

Iron Chef, Southern Style.

We had fun last night. Our friend, Wynn the Wine Guy, invited us to a taping of a pilot for a t.v. show. It was a show some locals are trying to do based on, of course, Iron Chef. It starts with an interview with the challanger before the cook off. Sounded like a decent idea. Oh, that and we were on the guest list.

So we went. It was held at an event hall. It was like a large bar, with a double kitchen in the rear part of the building. Towards the front, two over-sized chairs were place side by side with a microphone in middle. This was the interview stage. It wasn’t really much of an interview. The host just got the challenger to start talking about himself and let him go. That could have been a problem, but, since the challenger was Butch Raphael of Pangaea Sandwich Shop, it was cool.

See Butch is one of the most interesting people I have ever met. He has quit a history and I am gonna do a post all about him soon. But, first I want to tell you about tonight, cause this was something one dosn’t get the chance to do often.

So we arrive kinda of early with Wynn. Wynn, blends, bottles and markets his own wine and he was serving some last night. He was also a judge for the cook off. I am also gonna do a post all about Wynn, and not even mention Ty, very soon. So first things first, we check out the place, paying close attention to the double kitchen. I love a commercial kitchen, here it was two for one. Two huge stoves with burners, grills and griddles. And two ovens. And two double door coolers. Hell it was as if this double kitchen had two of everything! I really liked this place.

Before the interview they had starters, beer and wine. Wynn’s wine of course. Butch prepared the starters. I didn’t see the beer option. They were pouring Wynns Rose and his Spanish white, Vida Nuvea. The Rose is also Spanish, made from the tempranillo grape. Tempranillo is a fairly big red and I think big reds make good Rose. The white is fresh and kinda green with almost a bubble to it. It is effervescent if you will, and you should.

In the south we like bacon. Everywhere in the world, we like bacon. Anything wrapped in bacon and cooked is good. I like to wrap bacon in bacon and then cook that. Butch served candied bacon as a starter. It was like crack and 3 seconds after I ate one, I wanted another. I ate about twenty strips. They were half the size of a full piece of bacon and stiff with a sugar coating. I am not sure what else was used , but I hope Butch will tell us, I plan on turning the whole world on to this shit!

So first they did the interview part. Really, Butch talked about where he came from and how he became a chef. Like I said, really interesting stuff, I will go into detail in a day or two. Then it was back to the double kitchen for the cook off.

It was done a lot like the t.v. show. The secret ingredient’s was hanger steak. Each Chef had 30 minutes to prepare as many dishes as they could using hanger steak and a pile of other ingredients. So they went to work and folks were encouraged to ask question as they cooked. Folks did ask all kinds of questions, Butch answered most and the other chef did a few. That is until time got tight on time and they were trying to plate the food.

The judging was the same as Iron Chef. Points were given for taste, presentation and originality. I was down on the challengers (Chef Butch) end so I didn’t really get to see what the other chef prepared. Butch did a twisted/southern dish with chicken fried hanger steak that was served on top of BLUECHEESE GRITS and topped with garlic chips. Yea, the blue cheese grits were good. Stacey decided we are gonna perfect this dish and use it often. Between the candied bacon and the grits, Butch was going southern with a twist and I liked it. He also did a roulade. Cutting the steak thin and rolling it with oaxacan cheese. He started this in a skillet and finished it in the oven. That was served with a red wine and butter reduction. His third dish was blackened curry crusted hanger steak. Served on top of an arugula salad with a apple, onion and radish relish.

This was good stuff and, except for the blue-cheese grit dish, they were also beautiful to look at. It didn’t matter Butch lost. I demanded a recount and really raised hell about it until the folks running the show threatened to call the police and have me arrested.

But otherwise, it was cool to see them film this. The double kitchen scenes were the best. I ask one of the guys filming what they were gonna with all the footage and he said they would compile a montage of different shots and try and sell the idea as a show. They are doing another show in two weeks and I plan on being there.

Southern Accents

There is a song on the great album “Unchained” by Johnny Cash, named Southern Accents. He is know to have said it should have been the anthem for the south instead of Dixie.

The song talks about how every aspect of the singers life has a southern accent. Not just the way he speaks, but everything. It’s true, and what it makes me think is that we are not any different than anyone else in this world, we’re just from the south. Yes some of our customs, transgressions if you like, old and new, may be questioned by others, but we are no different then anyone else, we’re just from different parts of the world. We are from the south, and we do things with a southern accent, and that’s the difference. We celebrate that difference. We don’t run from history, we know the history of everyone, everywhere, has questionable moments, but we look forward, with a southern accent.

So last night we attended the taping of a pilot for a t.v. show. It was a take off on Iron Chef, with a southern accent. The twist on this show is that the challenger is interviewed before the cook off. So it got me to thinking how everywhere, everyone is basically the same and wants the same things from life. Different cultures are always being bashed for being different. That’s all there is to it, they are different and that alone turns people off. Now I get pissed off when the south and southerners are labeled rednecks. The biggest redneck I ever met was from New Jersey. I’m sure there are what one would call a redneck from everywhere. It’s not the locale that makes you who you are, it only adds flavor to who you are. An asshole is an asshole, I don’t care where you are from. Asshole is just another word for redneck.

But what got me to writing this is the fact that down south here, folks are working on t.v. shows, running huge companies, raising families, wait a minute that’s not true. What really got me to writing this was the job I did yesterday repairing my toilet. See, I replaced a toilet in our house a year or so ago. It never worked very well. When you flushed it huge bubbles came up and not much went down. I asked questions and did research and was told the air vent was stopped up. When you flush the air in the pipe has to go somewhere and if it can’t leave through the vent, it comes back up through the toilet. Well, for a year I have tried every trick I have read about or had been told to try. Nothing worked. So it hit me yesterday, a way to fix my toilet, with a southern accent.

So what I did was, drain the water from the toilet bowl, crank up my heavy duty, backpack leaf blower and stick the blower hose in the toilet and turn it up to top power. Well the back cover of the tank went flying as well as lots of water, the dogs ran for their life and Stacey came racing in to see what was going on. I was soaking wet, the room was soaking wet, but the toilet was working just fine. Thank you very much!

Little Rock

That’s where Stacey and I spent the weekend. Just hanging out with oldest sister, eating, drinking and trying to stay out of jail. OK, so there was really no chance of anyone going to jail, but we tried.

Like I have said before, I like to visit Arkansas, and I like Little Rock. Each time I go I find something else I like about it.

This time it was David Family Kitchen. We called to get the location and we were told 23rd and Roosevelt ave. We thought it might be a rough neighborhood, we hoped it was rough cause you always find good soul food in the hood. Well it wasn’t rough at all, in fact it was a beautiful neighborhood. It was marked by signage as the Little Rock Historical District. The homes were awesome. They were old and big and all different styles of design. There was also a beautiful cemetery that appeared really large. Next time I am there I plan to visit it. I’m thinking a long walk after a huge meal of fried chicken, meatloaf, black-eyed peas, mac and cheese, lima beans, cream corn, spinach casserole and cornbread. That’s the kind of stuff we had at DFK. And it was great.

We also ate a the local oyster bar. It was a dive and that’s what attracted me to it. Once again, places like soul-food joints and oysters bars should be dives, in tough neighborhoods. Well this place was a dive and the fried oysters and shrimp were good, but I must say the gumbo, and etouffee really, really sucked. I know gumbo and I know etouffee and not only did this stuff suck, but it didn’t come close to being what each was named. We didn’t let that bother us, we were glad we tried it, marked it off the list.

I can’t wait to get back and try Juanita’s Mexican Restaurant I found on the internet that the locals say is the best!

Let me tell ya ’bout my dawgs

I am talking Brown Boy, George, She She. These are my dogs, I’m supposed to be taking care of them, but I think they are taking care of me. Here’s the line up.

Brown Boy. One day in 1987,. I was working at the pawn shop on Peters St. in Atlanta and I found this little black dog out front, I brought her in the shop and feed her. She was a small puppy and I knew right where she came from. The auto parts place across the street. It was basically an in-town junk yard. So I took this little black dog home and took care of her for the next 18 years. Brown Boy is her grandson, her name was Black Girl.

Brown Boy or Brownie or Brown or Mr. Brown Boy actually has a brindle coat. He has long, thick hair. He is a lover, as all my dogs are.

George, if you have met George I don’t have to tell ya. If you haven’t, the first thing your gonna do when ya see George is smile. He has that affect on everyone when they first meet him. He is a well dressed, kinda well behaved mix of Basset Hound and Black Lab. He is like a big black and white Basset. I found George roaming the streets and have been taking care of him for about 3 years now. Right now he has a bum foot he can’t walk on unless he needs to get upstairs to eat! Then he seems alright.

She She is a coyote. No shit, I went to the mountains and found and wrestled She She away form her full grown coyote mother. I really found her in my front yard, but my vet said she looks just like a coyote. I did some research and she does. She is also a murderer! I swear, she kills all kinds of small animals. She even eats the rabbits she catches. But really she is a lover also. She She thinks she runs the show, but Geo and Brown will let her know who the new comer is when ever necessary.

Dogs are good to have, if you don’t have any get yourself a few. It’s easy, they are everywhere and you can always go to the humane society and save ones life.

Transplants

No, not bone marrow, not again thank you very much. I’m thinking about people, friends and clients who live here in Atlanta, but are not southerners by birth.

This morning I met with Krista, she and Jake are the owners of Tajmahound. They make dog treats and other goodies for your pet. They are about to open a new store in the Kirkwood neighborhood, in the city of Decatur. These guys have been at it for 5 years or so and growing their business at a nice, steady pace. I have worked with them before, helping build-out their first retail space. They are both from the New York/New Jersey area, but now they are living here in the south. They are two of the nicest folks you could ever meet. Doing business with them is easy and I always look forward the next time we get together for drinks, business or whatever. They truly have the heart and soul of a Southerner.

Now I just hung up the phone after speaking my friend Ute, she is on her way down to my place to talk about something she wants built. So I’m gonna get a couple po boys for us. She read about them on this blog and told me she wanted to try one.

I have known Ute for 7 or 8 years or so. I have built furniture for her and we have become friends. Her dogs name is Rusty and paid a visit today as well. I have also traded some custom work for a weeks stay at her home in the Basque region of France. She is from Germany. Her husband is from Spain. They seem to have homes all over the place. Their latest is in Figueras, Spain. That is where Salvador Dali is from. They are currently renovating this place.

The place in France is in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains, very near Saint Jean de Luz and not to far from San Sebastian, Spain. That is one of my favorite cities in the world. If you ever have the chance to go - by all means do it. It is a beautiful, rugged town on the Atlantic coast. It is full of tapas bars and friendly, beautiful people. I want to live there and repair the old wooden boats to make my living.

Ute is a really cool person. She is also a very kind person. I think she does a lot of volunteer work here in Atlanta. And anyone who would share their home with you has to have some kind southern blood running through them.

St. Simons Island.

My friend John and my other friend Rhonda, yea they are married, have a restaurant there, Black Water Grill. That’s really all you need to know. Go every chance you get. Everything they serve is always the best in the world. It is as simple as that, no matter what, at Black Water it will be very good. Always.

The great chef Mario Batali once said “If you go to a restaurant and the foods good and you go back and it is different, then that place sucks”. I agree, consistency is the most important thing.

John has worked in the most wicked restaurant conditions in the world and made it work, hell, he more then likely made it fun. So Black Water Grill has probably been a walk in the park. Other than the long hours.

I have never had anything but a great time and good food at Black Water. Any time someone mentions St. Simons, I ask if they know Black Water and the answer is always yes, we love it.

When Rhonda say’s “Hey ya’ll”, well, you know your right at home. These guys are old friends. So are Keith and Mikey, the folks we were gonna try and meet at Black Water Grill last weekend for a birthday dinner for Mikey. We could get there but getting home Sunday was gonna be a problem. No seats on the plane, so we couldn’t make it. But we will get over that way soon, cause I’m jonesing for an andouille corn-dog and some shrimp and grits.

Almost went to St. Simons Island!

That’s another story for another day.

This is the Monday Report, thank you very much! Here are some photos of the stuff I talked about last week - jobs I was working on.

The bench/coffee table made from slabs of wood with raw edge is something I have been doing lately. This table has no nails or screws. It is held together by joints and glue.

The light bulb picture is a commissioned piece for a guy who writes books about Idea Spotting. Sam is a good friend and a client. Doing this painting for him was a pleasure.

The Angel painting sold this weekend at the organic farmers market in Midtown Atlanta. I have been selling my wares at this market for about 10 years. I have made a career in this parking lot. The folks that bought the Angel painting were in town for a Emory University reunion. I wanted to tell them of my history with Emory but didn’t get the chance. Another brilliant couple.

Every chance you get listen to “This American Life” on NPR. You can listen to it anytime on their website. Also, always watch the television show “No Reservations” with Anthony Bourdain. Good stuff, all of it.