A Christmas Story

A Christmas Story, the movie, is 30 years old this year. After all these years it is just as funny as the first time I saw it. 

It is a family tradition that we watch every Christmas Eve as a family with the grand kids. This year was no exception. I'm sure everyone has seen the movie at some time during the past 30 years. Click on the link below to see some of the funniest scenes. 

http://youtu.be/YleZvTSDC6s

Photograph from the Past

Here are some classmates of ours. Looks like snow in the background. Can anyone remember this?  It's only been 50 plus years ago. I can identify the girls. Who is the fellow in the back?  Reply to Mangumf@aol.com with all the names and I will post the results. 

Mother's Brunswick Stew

It had been a long time since I had tasted my Mother's Brunswick stew. We had lost the recipe but it was found by classmate Sandy Owen (see post Nov. 16, 2013)

This week cousin/classmate Johnny and I cooked a big pot of stew and boy is it good. We followed Mother's recipe as close as possible. The result was 29 quarts of the best Brunswick stew I have ever tasted. 

First you cook the meat in the pot. Then you remove the meat from the pot and let it cool so that the bones can be removed and the meat shreaded. While the meat is cooling, add the vegetables to the stock and cook until nearly done. Return the meat to the pot, season and simmer.  

Here it is in the 20 gallon wash pot, almost ready. Put in containers and freeze. 

Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye, one of those artists with so much talent, but with demons within that cost him his life in the end. Born and raised In Washington, DC. He attended high school just two blocks from where my daughter lived before she moved to Nashville.

I just bought one of his albums of greatest hits.   I've enjoyed every track. 

Click on this link to hear one of his most famous songs. 

http://youtu.be/Y7dGdrP3pms

Marvin had numerous hits. If you were born in the 40's, 50's & 60's, you surely knew many of his songs. 

Country Music Hall of Fame

There are lots of things to see and do in Nashville, TN. We paid a visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame last weekend after touring the Ryman. 

The CMHF has numerous exhibits of famous country artist, musical instruments and other items of interest. Currently they are featuring an exhibit on Reba McEntire. It told of her early days in Oklahoma and her many accomplishments. The exhibit also had many of her fancy gowns. 

My all time favorite female artist was Patsy Cline. What a talent. 

Click on the link below to here some classic Patsy Cline. 

http://youtu.be/S2myswbm9o8

There were a couple of vehicles on display that got my attention. 

Elvis's Cadillac with gold plated trim and diamond/pearl paint. 

Webb Pierce's 1962 Pontiac Bonne Ville convertible complete with continental kit, chrome plated guns and horns on the front. 

My first car was a 1962 Pontiac hardtop. Not quite as fancy as this one. 

Backstage at the Ryman

It was the home of the Grand Ole Opry until the Opry was moved to Opryland hotel in 1974. During the months of December, January and February the Opry moves back to the Ryman where you can catch a show on Friday, Saturday or Tuesday's. It is used for various other non-Opry acts and concerts throughout the year. We were unable to attend a show this week, but we were able to take the backstage tour. 

Built originally as a church in 1892, it was converted to an entertainment venue in order to keep it afloat. It was used for Grand Ole Opry broadcasts from 1943 until 1974, when the Opry built a larger venue just outside Nashville at the Opryland USA theme park.  The Ryman then sat mostly vacant and fell into disrepair until 1992 when Emmylou Harris and her band, the Nash Ramblers, performed a series of concerts there (the results of which appeared on her album At the Ryman). The Harris concerts renewed interest in restoring the Ryman, and it was reopened as an intimate performance venue and museum in 1994. Audiences at the Ryman find themselves sitting in pews, the 1994 renovation notwithstanding. The seating is a reminder of the auditorium's origins as a house of worship, hence giving it the nickname "The Mother Church of Country Music".

This is a view from the stage showing the original wooden church pews. 

  

View from balcony. 

Radio station WSM still broadcasts live shows from the Ryman. 

Mangum Family

Here's the whole crowd. We all celebrated Thanksgiving in Nashville this year where my youngest daughter and her husband now live. 

In the front are Lindsay, baby Levi and Matt Powell. The next row is Sally the dog being held by Sean Murphy husband of daughter Kristen. Next are grandsons Brendan and Eamon Murphy. Then Becky and me holding Gypsy Powells leash.  Sorry Gypsy, only the top of her head is visible. 

The Thanksgiving meal had all the traditional foods and they were all delicious.  What a nice thanksgiving. It's nice to have all of us together at the same time. 

Thanksgiving with the Family in Nashville, TN

The purpose of this trip was to celebrate Thanksgiving with our two daughters, their husbands and the 3 grandsons at the home of our youngest daughter's house in Nashville. Lindsay and Matt are the parents of our youngest grandson, Levi, born just 6 weeks ago.  

It is a ten hour drive from our home in Angier to Nashville, TN. We usually stop about every two hours to stretch our legs, buy gas, use the restroom or eat. This particular trip to Nashville was not any fun. We drove 500 miles in the rain and often with low visibility. On three occasions there were traffic jams on the interstate where you might average 25 mph for 30 minutes. My nerves were shot by the time we arrived. 

We arrived in Nashville around 8:00 pm Tuesday. Our oldest daughter, Kristen, her husband, Sean, and  grandsons Eamon and Brendan arrived from Winston Salem the next day about the same time. 

My three grandsons in their first group photo. Eamon, 11 years old, Levi, 6 weeks old, and Brendan, 9 years old. 

50 Years Ago

It was a Friday. I was in my dorm room in Owen Dorm when I heard the news. "The President has been Shot".  I'm not sure how I got the news. We didn't have a tv in the room. We did have a radio. It could have been over the radio or it could have been one of my roommates who broke the news. My roommates were high school classmate, Terry Roderick, and a fellow named Charles Barker.  Charles attended nearby Laffette High School but I did not know him until the three of us started at NCSU that fall in 1963.

This is what Owen Dorm looks like today. By the way, fellow high school classmates Ronnie Coats and Ronnie Wheeler were also in the same dorm. 

Terry Roderick

Ronnie Coats

Ronnie Wheeler

It was a sad day for America. We were still very young and had no idea of what the future held for us. Thankfully, we are all still here and able to recall where we were 50 years ago today. 

Chicken Bog Social

This is what you get when you get a few classmates together for some South Carolina Low Country Chicken Bog and good fellowship. It is called a GOOD TIME. 

Nothing fancy, just set up the garage with a few chairs and tables. 

About twenty people and a very casual setting. 

Good to see friends eating and having a good time. 

When you try a new dish for a large group, you are always concerned that they might not like it. In this case the chicken bog was delicious, or at least that is what everyone said. 

It must have been good. Made a triple recipe of bog and this is all that was left. 

Brunswick Stew

I am one happy boy. I have been trying to find a copy of my mothers Brunswick Stew recipe for years. In case you didn't know, my mother made the very best Brunswick Stew ever. I have never tasted any that would come close to my Mother's stew. 

After the death of my parents and our move from Garner to Angier, our copy of her recipe was lost. I have been calling neighbors, friends and relatives in hope that they had the recipe. No one knew exactly what was in the recipe. I was beginning to think that I would never get to taste Mother's stew again. 

I received a call from classmate Sandy Owen yesterday who had heard from her brother Mack, my neighbor, that I was looking for the recipe. Sandy said that she had found it and probably half of the people in Angier had a copy. It is in the Angier Baptist Church Cookbook. 

Since we didn't have a copy of the cookbook, another neighbor, Sonnie Matthews heard about my search and provided me with a copy. This copy is from the cookbook that was published in the 80's. The recipe can also be found in the latest edition of the cookbook. 

You can bet that a big pot of Brunswick Stew is on my "To Do List". When the weather gets cold, there is nothing better. It is the ultimate comfort food. 

Thanks to all that helped me find the recipe. 

Truck Driver

Looks like one of our classmates has a new gig. 

Those years of driving a school bus have finally paid off. She looks like a professional. 

Now take a look a what she is driving. 

Wow, that is what I call a real tailgate party. You think we could get this truck for our next class reunion?

Fall Color

We drove through the NC mountains on October 19th on our way back from Nashville, TN. The leaves had hardly changed color, so two weeks later we decided to see if we could catch the fall colors at their peak. We packed the car on Sunday, drove to Winston-Salem, spent the night with my daughter and her family then headed to Boone Monday morning. 

We ended up on the Blue Ridge Parkway in search of those elusive peak fall colors. This is the most color we saw on the whole trip. There were hardly any leaves left on the trees!  I'm beginning to think that catching the peak fall colors is like catching fish. YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN HERE YESTERDAY!  

The trip, however, was very nice-sunny and cool, a beautiful fall day. 

We found the Cone Manor on the parkway that was built by Moses Cone the denim tycoon. It's a beautiful place, but has been converted to a gift shop on the inside. 

I hope to get back to this area when the weather is a little warmer. Maybe do a little hiking. 

We made a side trip to Valle Crucis and visited the Mast General Store that carries 500 different kinds of candies in their candy store. They have every candy that you can remember from your childhood and more. You can find Mary Janes, Bit O Honey, Peanut Butter Bars as well as lessor know candies such as Squirrel Nut Zippers. 

After stocking up, it was time to head home to make my next dental appointment. 

Trial Run for Chicken Bog

I have been wanting to try this for some time. I got a recipe for the South Carolina Low Country Chicken Bog off the internet. I already had a wash pot cooker, it was just a mater of doing it. Before I invested in a full pot of bog, a trial run was in order. The trial made enough to feed 12 people, much more than Becky and I could eat. Fortunately this dish freezes very well. Some say it is even better when it is reheated. 

The recipe is real simple. Chicken, smoked sausage, white rice butter and spices. The onion was not on the recipe but I added anyway. An onion can make a bad recipe taste good. 

Start with a well seasoned 20 gallon pot. 

This is my homemade wash pot cooker stand made from a 25 gallon drum and a Gastobac burner. 

This is what it looks like when it is finished. 

I asked Ronnie Dupree to come over and give it a taste test. 

I thought that it was good but maybe a little spicy for some people.  The next time I will cut back on the red and black pepper a bit. You can always add heat if you like it hotter. 

I also want to try a sweet potato chili in the wash pot. We have cooked this dish several times in the crock pot and it is very good. You can also freeze the chili. Both of these dishes are great for the cold weather. 

Halloween Costumes

I didn't get a chance to go to Winston Salem this year to celebrate Halloween with my grandsons. My daughter sent me a picture of the boys along with their neighborhood friends in their Halloween costumes.

There are lots of kids in their neighborhood and as you can see, the parents go all out with the costumes. I thought that the kid dressed in the Duck Dynasty outfit was special. 

Decorations are Complete for Halloween

My two grandsons in Winston-Salem are ready for Halloween. Tomorrow night they will have on their costums and will be terrorizing the neighborhood. Eamon on the left is 11 and Brendan on the the right is 9. 

Grandson number three in Nashville, Tennessee is only 17 days old. Levi and his grandad Mangum sure have a lot to look forward to.

Something to Do This Weekend

If you are like me, you get a little bit bored if their is nothing to do or see. This time of year there are fewer attractions once the N C State Fair is over.  I have one recommendation. Go to the Carthage Tractor Show November 1, 2, and 3. Don't think this is something that only the guys will enjoy. A few years ago I took my wife, who by the way hates farm equipment, and she thoroughly enjoyed it. It is much, much more than just tractors.

The web site URL is http://www.edervillenc.com/. 

Nearly everything there was collected by Ken Eder and his wife. You will be amazed by the sheer volume of their collection. It includes everything from trains, tractors, cars, trucks, toys, Barbie dolls, motorcycles, peddle cars, a sawmill, general store, and on and on. 

Following are few pictures I took a couple of years ago. 

It's about a 45 minute drive from Angier to Carthage. The show is located just outside of Carthage.