Food, a Purchase, and More

You knew that I wouldn't stay away from one of my favorite topics...food...for very long.  No restaurants this time though!  This isn't one of my more cohesive themed posts, that's for sure.  In addition to food, I've included a birthday photo, the latest photo of the new house diagonally across from us, a cat and a club meeting, featuring a plethora of mostly old guys.

You may or may not recall the side dishes of "Mexican Street Corn" that both Laurie and I had with our meals at Bonefish Grill.  Waste not, want not!  Add cream cheese and some seasoning to the leftover corn, then side it with a little fried deli sliced chicken and then add to easy over fried eggs.  It was a substantial and satisfying start to the day.

Here is yet another makeshift/make-do breakfast.  We'd made a quick meal using some pasta, garlic butter sauce and canned chicken (drained, seasoned and fried in butter).  Since there were leftovers, all I had to do was reheat the pasta and chicken in a frying pan and then add a couple of easy over eggs. 

Laurie has been working on weight loss and lowering her A1C as well.  She's been using Mounjaro and her appetite has been significantly reduced.  This is an example of one of her smaller and healthier meals.  Half a ham and cheese sandwich and 2 slices of locally raised tomato, a little blue cheese dressing and fresh basil.  She has lost a lot of weight!

Moving back to the not so healthy, we spotted a new cookie shop in Farragut's Turkey Creek shopping area.  It's name, as you might guess from the box, is Crumbl.  Our feedback is that while the cookies were tasty, they were also small...and at about $2.90 each with tax, they were ridiculously expensive.

Laurie and I love gyros, schwarma, donair, al pastor or doner kebab, whatever name you prefer.  We purchased these pre-packed gyros at Costco...and we were hopeful.  Good gyros are hard to find around here.  I heated them in a frying pan with a little butter...grapeseed oil would have worked to.  After browning them up a bit and frying some pita bread that we'd purchased at Food Lion, we plated them over cucumber slices and diced tomatoes.  Laurie added sliced onion to hers...  

This was my serving of gyros.  We had also purchased a big tub of tzatziki sauce while we were at Costco...and we both lathered it on!  Of course I added Tabasco to my serving.  Conclusion...this was a very satisfying gyros experience and we'll do it again... 

I'll bet that you'd never guess what this group is all about... Note the age of the attendees as well as the preponderance of males.  It is a meeting of the Knoxville Philatelic Society...i.e., stamp collectors.  While it is a satisfying hobby, most stamp collectors are old guys.  In addition any stamp collector that started out collecting stamps as a long term investment has been badly disappointed.  Unless you bought high end stamps, (like the upside down US Airmail), this is a satisfying hobby with no hope for a financial return.  Despite this fact, it is estimated that there are about 5 million stamp collectors in the USA. 

I think that Laurie likes my stamp collecting efforts.  It 'keeps me out of the bars' and she has come to an agreement with me that whatever I spend on stamps...she spends an equal amount on stuff she wants.

We love cats and dogs...but we like them best when they belong to other humans.  This is "Tiger" and he belongs to our friend Glen.  Laurie took this photo the last time we paid Glen a visit and went out to lunch.

I'll end this post with an important milestone.  Our friend and neighbor Sue recently celebrated a significant birthday.  We were happy to be part of the celebration... Happy Birthday Sue!  We're looking forward to our next outing with you and Steve.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Focusing on Railroading...Depots and a Little History

I realized that my blog posts have been a bit "the same old thing" in recent weeks.  Shopping and food...shopping and food.  Sorry if those are the center of focus for you because I decided to go back and repost and recap those Railway Depots that really caught my eye.  The depots shown below are in reverse order...the most recent favorites and then moving back until June of 2021.  Since I've posted photos of 258 passenger and freight depots over the 15 years I've had a blog site, I do have a lot of material to revisit off and on over the next several months...

The plan is to mix in a bit of variety over the next couple of weeks... Railway fans enjoy!

I'll start with this handsome little depot in Federalsburg Maryland.  Because I was able to find an old postcard dated in 1915 on-line, I was able to determine that this depot was over 100 years old.  This is the old Maryland and Delaware depot.  Nicely preserved it now functions as the offices for an operating short-line railroad, the Maryland and Delaware Railroad Company.  The railroad supports a number of local industries via its 92 miles of trackage. 

        

                      

The next stop as I move backwards through time was this handsome and well-maintained old Depot in Princeton Indiana.  Sorry about the foreground but the rail line through town is still active...so a railbed is appropriate if not beautiful.  This truly old depot was built in 1875...almost 150 years ago...for the Evansville, Terre Haute and Chicago Railway.  Passenger service to Princeton ended in the late 1960.  It now serves as the Gibson County Visitors Center and it features a small railway museum.

Continuing with our trip via the 'way back machine',  (Remember that TV cartoon show?), my next stop is at the impressive solid brick Santa Fe Passenger Depot in Marceline Missouri.  It was completed in the spring of 1913 and with its size and amenities...including 107 windows and 200 - 100 watt lights, it was first class all the way.  This depot closed in the 1980s, with the last Amtrak passenger train stopping here at the then unmanned depot, in 1997.  It now serves as the Walt Disney Hometown Museum...

Our next stop is in Nashville Illinois.  The old Louisville and Nashville Railway Depot was built in 1885 as the railroad expanded throughout southern Illinois.  The design is functional and clean and the depot has been well cared for.  At its peak, 7 passenger trains stopped at this little depot every day.  The depot was still in service into the 1950s.  All passenger service on the Louisville and Nashville Railway itself was discontinued in 1971.

                       

This depot is a real architectural beauty... Built in the early 1890s, this depot served Charlevoix Michigan and the surrounding area.  It had become a popular summer resort and in the early 1890s the Chicago and West Michigan Railroad expanded from this point north to Petoskey Michigan.  After a merger, the Pere Marquette Railroad took over and they heavily promoted the eastern shore of Lake Michigan as key summer destinations.  At one time, Charlevoix was served by 2 depots as well as a two-car interurban train that ran back and forth to Petosky.

Moving just a bit north, this is the former Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Station in Petosky Michigan.  Built in 1892, this Victorian Shingle-style depot is now home to the Little Traverse Historical Museum.  The Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad started service to Petosky in 1874.  The depot was actually built by the Chicago and West Michigan Railway.  Back in the day, the Chesapeake and Ohio, (having absorbed the other railroads), operated "Resort Special" night trains from Chicago to Petosky.  The depot closed during the 1950s but rail passenger service continued until about 1963.

Crossing over to the other side of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, I just had to stop and take photos of this handsome old stone depot in Standish.  The town had passenger rail service from the early 1970s and by 1885, there were 8 passenger trains serving the town on a daily basis.  In 1887, the Michigan Central Railroad told the town's citizens that the railroad would provide stone masons to build a depot if local farmers would haul their large field stones to the site for the new depot.  This depot was completed in 1888.  The last steam locomotive to bring passengers to Standish stopped here in the fall of 1955.

We stopped by this architectural gem in Durand Michigan while touring the countryside with my cousin Nathan and his better half, Janice.  Built in 1903, this was a busy depot and a local office for the Grand Trunk Western and Ann Arbor Railroad.  Note that there are tracks on either side of the depot.  It is situated at the junction of the Canadian National Railway's mainline interchange of both the Flint and Holly divisions.  In the early days, trains were sometimes boarding and discharging passengers on both side of the depot.  Today this depot is owned by the City of Durand and it's leased by a non-profit that is dedicated to it's preservation.

I might be a little biased, but this depot in Jackson Michigan is one of the most striking and well preserved in the USA.  Jackson also happens to be the town where I was raised, had my first job, etc.  The depot has been in operation since September 1, 1873, making it the oldest continuously operating depot in the USA.  The station currently serves the Amtrak "Wolverine" line which runs from Detroit to Chicago.  The interior of the station is remarkable preserved and the look and woodwork harkens back to the early 1900s.

This classic small town depot is located in the town of Tecumseh Michigan.  It has been relocated, having originally been located at "Tecumseh Junction" just south of downtown Tecumseh.  The depot was built in 1895.  The previous location was at the crossing of the north-south Lake Shore and Michigan Railway and the east-west Detroit, Toledo and Milwaukee Railroad.  By 1930 the depot was closed to both passenger and freight traffic.  We're lucky it hadn't been razed in the years since.

This attractive all-brick depot is located in Berea Kentucky.  This depot was built in 1917 for the Louisville and Nashville Railway.  The initial construction cost was $30,000.  The depot featured separate waiting and restrooms for women, for men and for "people of color".  Rail passenger service at  Berea ceased in late 1959.  The building now serves as the Berea Visitor's Center and it houses a number of museum exhibits. 

                           

This large building complex with the adjoining caboose is now home to Pierce Nebraska's Historical Museum Complex.  The depot was built in 1880 for the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad.  That railroad was later incorporated into the Chicago and North Western Railroad.  In the early 1900s, this depot services at least one freight and two passenger trains daily but by 1951 passenger service was discontinued.  The freight depot facilities and the railway agent were both gone by 1969.  The last train rolled through Pierce in June of 1978.

Here is yet another railway depot architectural masterpiece... This is the smaller of the two former depots that still exist in Lincoln Nebraska.  This Renaissance style Rock Island Railroad depot was built in 1893.  It served passenger needs for the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad until 1968.  Most of the railroad's trackage has been converted to 'rail trails' and this old depot now serves as a branch bank.  Note the drive-through at the left of the photo.

Moving south, this is Hattiesburg Mississippi's old New Orleans and Northwestern Railroad Depot.  This Italian Renaissance style depot with its clay-tile roof was built in 1910.  This large depot included a 4,000 sq. ft. waiting room and its passenger platform was covered by at 924 foot long canopy...longer than 3 back-to-back football fields.  The depot has been in continuous use since it opened and it currently serves Amtrak's "City of New Orleans" between New Orleans and Chicago.  In addition, the depot also serves as an intermodal transportation hub and as an event center.

Just one more old depot in this first recap of these historic structures.  This is the attractive and well preserved railroad station in Collins Mississippi was built by the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad and, based on a postcard photo I found on-line, I know that the depot is at least 115 years old.  Originally the town was named "Williamsburg Depot", after the railroad bypassed a nearby town named Williamsburg.  Most of the town relocated to "Williamsburg Depot" to be near the rail line.  The town then changed its name to Collins to avoid confusion with 'the other' Williamsburg.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for an historic and architectural recap!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Another Mexican Restaurant...and Perhaps the Best One!

We have an almost overwhelming number of Mexican restaurant dining options in our semi-rural small town setting.  I can think of eleven or twelve different restaurants serving Mexican style cuisine within a 20 minute drive from our home.  Many of them are above average.  Laurie had her favorite and I had my favorite...but to be fair, a couple other Mexican restaurants were also in the running for favorites.

But recently, we found a Mexican restaurant that we both agree is our favorite...at least for now.

This is the Sol Azteca Mexican Grill in Madisonville Tennessee.  Like almost all local Mexican restaurants in our area, Sol Azteca is family owned.  The owner/chef has been cooking/creating for the public for over 10 years.  We've passed the restaurant many times on our way south through Madisonville over the last several years.  Probably due to the restaurant's location in the corner of a sweeping curve by an overpass on US Hwy 411, we'd never really noticed it or managed to remember seeing it.  This is despite Sol Azteca having been in business for about 8 years!

On our first visit, we arrived a bit early for dinner...and the full bar lacked any customers.

Basically, the lack of early diners and patrons was also evident in the dining areas as well.  While Sol Azteca has colorful decor, it is less over the top than some of its local competitors'.  It is a bit more subdued.  

Like in almost all Mexican dining establishments, our server (Kevin), brought a basket of tortilla chips and salsa to the table.  What was a bit different was that he provided a bowl for each of us for the salsa and he brought a carafe of salsa...which meant we didn't have to ask for more salsa later in the meal.  Subtle...but a nice touch.  The salsa had a little 'bite' to it, but it is mild enough for most diners.

OK...our favorite Mexican style appetizer is Chorizo Dip with our chips.  Our biggest complaints about this style dip generally are: 1) it was too runny; 2) it lacked enough chorizo sausage bits, and 3) it was too bland.  Sol Azteca's Chorizo Dip featured none of those negative points.  It is the best version of this appetizer that we've had in several years, and it was plentiful too. ($9.99) 

As this was our first visit to Sol Azteca, Laurie stuck with her usual tried and true menu item.  This was her Quesadilla Rellena. ($9.99) This very large flour tortilla was grilled and then stuffed with chicken, cheese and beans. (beef tips are another option) The tortilla was then served with Mexican style rice, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole and sour cream.  She was quite happy with this oversized quesadilla!

I stayed within my tried and true comfort zone as well when ordering.  I ordered the Burrito Deluxe, 2 burritos, one filled with chicken and one with beef, plus beans and then topped with grated cheese, lettuce and sour cream. ($9.75) It came with a red sauce but I opted for a green salsa.  I'm not into sour cream so Laurie, who loves sour cream, was the recipient of my serving, adding it to the dollop on her plate.  I also enjoyed my meal...so what logically came next? 

Note: Like several other Mexican restaurants in our area, Sol Azteca has a 'salsa bar' where you can replenish your salsa or sample a wide range of alternate salsa toppings.  They range from green to red and from mild to 'call the fire department'!

The answer to the question posed above is that we revisited Sol Azteca, this time bringing our neighbors, Steve and Sue, California 'refugees' who managed to 'escape' to a relatively laid back East Tennessee and it's moderate climate.

No repeat photo but once again we ordered the Chorizo Dip as an appetizer.  It was well received by Sue and Steve.  For my entree this time I wandered a bit from my norm.  This was the Camarones a la Diabla. ($15.25) Diabla for sure...as the sauce with the shrimp was very spicy hot indeed.  However, while it may not appeal to everyone, the 'heat' was right for me.  Laurie was happy too...in that I'm OK with but not crazy about guacamole so she was able to score the slices of guac that came with my meal.  While I did wrap some shrimp in the soft tortilla wraps that came with my meal, I decided that I preferred them straight up with a little lettuce.

Laurie went for the shrimp for her entree as well... This was her Camarones Cremosos. ($15.49) In this instance the shrimp were cooked with mushrooms and then they were served with Mexican rice, lettuce, tomato and sour cream.  She was very happy with her meal, enjoying both the plentiful shrimp on the plate as well as more mushrooms than she could eat.

I'd never seen a 'bowl' dish like this before in a Mexican restaurant.  Sue's entree was Sol Azteca's Classic Burrito Bowl. ($9.99) The bowl was filled with grilled chicken, black beans and Mexican rice with Pico de Gallo and avocado slices...all topped with the Mexican cheese dip.  Two thumbs up!

Steve went 'all in' with a Classic Fajita Plate. ($13.99) This combination of steak strips and shrimp was grilled with onions and bell peppers then topped with cheese.  As you can see, this platter of food was accompanied by a plate of Mexican rice, refried beans, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes and soft tortilla shells.  Despite having come from California with it's many Mexican restaurants, he gave high praise for his dinner.

Sol Azteca Mexican Grill is located 4263 US Hwy 411 in Madisonville Tennessee.  This restaurant is open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week.  Website: 

https://www.solaztecamexgrill.com/.  This restaurant is also on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/solaztecamadisonville/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for dinner!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

More Food - Dining with Friends

Laurie's sister and brother-in-law have flown the coop back to St. Louis Missouri... So what did we do to keep busy?  To no one's surprise, it's more food and dining out.  

One of these days, I may actually publish a blog post that isn't food related but almost every social event these days seems to involve food!  We'll have to get back on the road again in order to interchange history, architecture and countryside views with restaurant visits.

But for now, get out the Pepcid, Rolaids and Tums as we eat our way through parts of East Tennessee.   

Once again, we returned to the Blackhorse Pub and Brewery in Alcoa Tennessee.  This time we brought our neighbors, Sue and Steve, with us.  I can assure you that East Tennessee is a big and welcome change for them after living in California for many, many years.  Laurie and I are hard at work introducing them to a number of the area's dining sites...

As you can see, Blackhorse Pub and Brewery is a big place!  You might also note that when we arrived, the restaurant and bar were not very busy.

While we did imbibe in a nice mild Blackhorse Blonde Ale ($5.00), we really don't drink much beer.  However, for the beer lovers out there, you should know that the Blackhorse Brewery offers 6 'standard' beers, an apple cider and something called the Side Hustle Sour.  In addition, they also brew 5 seasonal beers and 10 'specialty' beers.  You can learn more about these offerings at https://www.blackhorsebrews.com/our-beers.  

As usual I forgot to take photos of the appetizers until after they'd been ravaged... This was the Spinach and Artichoke Dip. ($10.75) It consisted of fresh spinach, artichoke hearts and cheese...accompanied by pita bread.  It was OK.

We also ordered Chips and Beer Cheese for the table. ($9.00) The beer cheese had a decent twang to it but it was too thin and there wasn't enough of it for all the chips. 

Both Steve and Sue had hamburgers but I'm not sure which one of the 10 available burgers is shown in this photo.  They seemed to enjoy their meals.  Blackhorse's basic burger with American cheese, lettuce, tomato and pickle is $13.95.  All burgers come with one side.  It was reported that the onion rings were quite good...and there were plenty of them!  

Probably the most interesting hamburger...which also has to be a challenge to eat without wearing it...is the Hangover. ($15.95) That particular burger includes bacon, pepper jack cheese, a fried egg, Bloody Mary aioli, lettuce, tomato and onion.  

Laurie decided to order a Flatbread creation for her meal.  In addition to the 7 'standard' flatbread offerings on the menu, patrons can design their own. ($13.00 with 4 toppings) Laurie went for mushrooms, artichoke hearts, onions and mozzarella cheese with red sauce.  She said that it wasn't that great but since it was her 'design', she said that the outcome was her fault.  

FYI, there are 11 'specialty' pizzas on the menu as well.  Plus, as with the flatbread entrees, you can design your own.  A 7" specialty pizza is $11.75 and a 12" pizza costs $18.50.  We would design our own 12" pizza...typically sausage and pepperoni...and it would cost $16.75.

I just didn't feel like a hamburger, a flat bread creation or a pizza.  I dismissed the entrees on the menu as well.  It was the sandwich...non-burger choices...that drew me in.  I settled on the Prime Rib Sandwich...with shaved beef prime rib and Monterey jack cheese served with au jus and a horseradish sauce. ($16.95) For my side...12 different choices...I went for the 'pub chips'.  I finished my meal but I wasn't too impressed with any of it.  The 'shaved prime rib' was a bit tough and lacked much flavor.  The au jus didn't help.  I guess I should have ordered a burger.

Our previous visits to Blackhorse Pub and Brewery had been more satisfying so we aren't deterred from returning for another go at the menu.  This restaurant is located at 441 North Hall Road in Alcoa Tennessee.  Phone: 865-448-5900.  Website: https://www.blackhorsebrews.com/menu/alcoa-menu. 

So what does one do shortly after having a sizable meal?  Of course the answer is seek out more food!

Therefore, our next stop was for dessert.  the good news was that it takes over 45 minutes to drive from Blackhorse Pub and Brewery in Alcoa to the Tic-Toc Ice Cream Parlor in downtown Loudon Tennessee.  Tic-Toc makes fine ice cream and it's a popular local feature in Loudon County.  We've been patronizing this ice cream parlor since we moved to the area more than 15 years ago.  Of course, they can't rely on our business for survival as our visits are limited to 2 to 4 times a year during Tic-Toc's open months.

As you can see, Tic-Toc was very busy.  It was a warm day...but not miserable... and it was in the early evening when we stopped by.  Customers were lined up, both inside and out.  Living in a community that caters, but is not limited to retirees, we hadn't seen so many young folks in one place for a while.  Nice...

I didn't take photos of the treats we purchased for our dessert.  A photo of ice cream in a cup or in milk shake form doesn't quite capture the glory it imparts to one's flavor buds... But here is the menu just for your consideration.  Note: This is not discount ice cream...

Tic-Toc Ice Cream Parlor doesn't seem to have either a website nor is it on Facebook.  This establishment is located at 504 Grove Street in Loudon Tennessee.  Phone: 865-408-9867.  You can learn more and check out the reviews on both TripAdvisor and Yelp. 

I started to say that this post isn't all about food...but then I realized that it really was!  Nice doggy!  This husky is named "Shadow" and it turns out that he is a frequent visitor at Tic Toc.  He lives just across the railway tracks behind the old depot in Loudon.  However he has learned that folks like him, (he is a charmer), and therefore they give him treats, bits of ice cream cones, a little ice cream, etc.  He wasn't with anyone...he just drops in and enters the store with customers as they open the door.  The staff got him to leave at one point but he was back inside within a couple of minutes.  We petted but didn't feed Shadow.  He is a bit of a 'chunk' and is in no danger of starvation.  Probably needs to go on a diet.  Once he got his quota of treats and attention, he just headed home.  We saw him crossing the tracks and going up the hill... 

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave