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.