Railroad Depots in the South...

Going through my files, looking for railroad depots we've photographed in the last year or so, I came across several options to post. For this posting, I chose three depots in relatively close geographical proximity with each other...


This is the former Florida Railroad Company, later Seaboard Air Line rail Depot in Fernandia Beach Florida. (Just north of Jacksonville) Built in 1899, this very handsome depot was the east coast anchor to the first east-west rail line across Florida. The other end was at Cedar Key.


I wasn't able to find the date that this big handsome former Atlantic Coast Line railroad depot was built in Waycross Georgia. Now called 'The new Union Station', this facility was renovated in the 1990's and it's now the home for the Chamber of Commerce and the Waycross Developmental Authority.

Now owned by CSX, the Waycross Depot is also the hub for the RICE railyard...one of the railroad's largest switching facilities. In addition, a major locomotive repair shop is based in Waycross. For those wondering where CSX evolved from, it was an ongoing process for many years involving many different railroad companies. The CSX name came to life with the merger of the Chessie System and the Seaboard Coast Line.

The last stop on this posting is in Folkston Georgia. This photo was pulled from the Folkston website. This is the train viewing platform in Folkston. Built in 2001, the platform hosts train fans/fanatics from around the country and beyond. It's equipped with seating, lights for evening viewing, ceiling fans and a scanner to monitor train communications. There are also bathroom facilities, picnic tables and a grill. Roughly 60 trains per day 'funnel' past this location, hence the name, "The Folkston Funnel".

Of the 60+ trains per day that pass through Folkston to and from Florida, 8 of them are from Amtrak...and one of those is the famous east coast 'car train'. Also, every evening during the workweek, a Tropicana 'Juice Train' heads north to New Jersey.

This is the restored Folkston Railroad Depot, located just across the tracks from the viewing platform. This building is home to the Chamber of Commerce and a railroad museum. (Monday - Friday - Free) Every October, as part of the annual Folkston Okefenokee Festival, the Orlando Society of Model Railroaders sets up an elaborate model train layout in the museum.

Native Americans...

The following four pictures are photos of pencil drawings of Native Americans. They were drawn by my brother, Robert (Bob) Thomson. In my opinion, this first drawing is the best of the grouping...climaxing years of Bob's efforts to enhance his drawing skills. They are amazingly detailed, almost like a photo, only softer...

I didn't know that this drawing existed until this past summer, when one of my cousins gave it to me during a visit to Michigan. I wish that I had one of the early drawings of twigs and leaves that Robert had drawn when he was about 9. Sadly, all we have are photos...

Bob's primary medium over the years was oil paint. Two of my previous postings featured some of his work. "Railroad Art" was posted on July 18, 2010 and it featured a large painting of Union Station in Kansas City. The same posting also featured a painting depicting a classic diesel 'stream liner' passenger train coming down the tracks. The first painting is in the private collection of a art & antique dealer in Kansas City but the whereabouts of the second painting is unknown.

My second posting of Bob's works was back on September 18, 2010. It was entitled "Ships From the Past" and it included a pencil drawing of the tugboat 'Goliath' as it guided a tramp steamer into port. That drawing is part of my collection of family artworks. Also posted on the same blog was an oil painting of the 'William S. Mitchell", a Corp of Engineers side-wheel paddle boat, also know as the death dredge. That painting is also part of the antique/art dealers collection in Kansas City.

As for these four drawings, the first and third are in my collection and my son has the second and fourth sketches in his collection.

As time goes on, I'll post more of Robert's art work. Unfortunately, most of Bob's works were sold or lost, many in a fire at his home a few years ago. In recent years, poor health has hampered his ability to draw and paint... Hopefully, he'll soon be able to once again pick up the pencil and the paintbrush, both for his personal satisfaction and ours...

Gourmet Market...

On one of our trips in 2010 to visit our family in Northern Ohio, we stopped at the West Point Market in Akron. I'd stumbled across this store while just cruising the Internet.

West Point Market is a 25,000 sq. ft. gourmet food store that is celebrating it's 75th Anniversary!

In addition to the retail store, West Point Market also provides catering services and it operates a sizable mail order business. The market is at 1711 West Market Street in Akron Ohio. The website is: http://www.westpointmarket.com/. Phone: 330-864-2151.

There are several very upscale specialty departments within the market. The wine section is certainly one of the outstanding examples... There are over 3,500 different labels in this section of the store! Other departments not pictured in this Blog include high quality produce, a gift shop plus gift and floral baskets.

In one corner of the store, we found the 'Beside the Point Cafe'. We didn't eat there...too early in the day...but the cafe features made from scratch soup, salads and sandwiches. Everything is made using the quality products sold elsewhere in the store.

The West Point Market's website features the "What's-In-Store" Newsletter. This publication outlines what's going on in the store along with featured products. In January 2011, the big event was a 'Red Wine Tasting' that was held in the Cheese Shop.

Having lived in Chicago for so many years, we are devotees of great bread and other baked goods. That need was definitely fulfilled by the market's baked from scratch breads, muffins, scones and other sweets. Just the good smells were a treat! Speaking of sweets, the market also has a large chocolate shop...and lots of other candy too!

We were on our way back down to East Tennessee and we didn't have our cooler with us. Too bad, as the butcher shop featured terrific looking meat of all varieties and cuts. They only carry USDA True Prime and Upper Choice cuts. The store also has an extensive seafood counter. Nearby, there is a big deli section as well as a large selection of ready-to-cook entrees. One item available is 'Porketta', a seasoned skin-on pork belly, rolled and tied around a pork loin, and then roasted.

This was our favorite department! The Cheese Shop at the market features almost 400 cheeses and they encourage tasting. This shop also has sausages, salami, pates, mousse, truffles and foie gras. The biggest challenge for us was trying to decide what to buy that we could carry home! Actually, that was a problem throughout the store... The specialty foods alone include over 12,000 products and ingredients! This is a great stop for any road trip... The West Point Market isn't far off I-77 on the west side of Akron.

Indian Dining at Taj...

Friends and neighbors are often our source of new cullinary experiences in East Tennessee. We love to explore and we're always looking for leads. In this case, Joel and Holly, also new to the area, told us that they'd been delighted to find a restaurant serving quality Indian Cuisine.

So, when Laurie and I were out running errands the other day, we decided to drop in and have lunch at "Taj". It turned out to be a good decision...and as we entered the restaurant, we encountered the savory scent of Indian cuisine. We had a coupon from "Lifestyles" so we ordered from the menu. We did note that a nice looking buffet was available for a very reasonable $7.95 per person plus beverages. Maybe the next time...

We're not sure what to call this wafer thin bread that was served as soon as we ordered dinner. It's not like the nann, (Indian breads), that we've normally encountered. It's not mentioned on the menu so we'll just have to ask about it the next time. In any case, it came with 3 dipping or spreading sauces...all very good.

I ordered a Kingfisher Indian beer but when Laurie tried to order a Vodka & Tonic Tall with 2 Limes, it seemed that we'd encountered a bit of a language barrier. Instead, we learned that the bartender was off and the waiter/manager didn't know how to mix drinks... So she ordered a glass of Chardonnay instead.

For an appetizer, we ordered Paneer Pakora...described as homemade cheese patties dipped in chick pea flour and fried. While they were shapped more like cheese sticks than patties, they had a nice mild flavor and they weren't heavy like fried cheese is in most restaurants. It didn't come with any sauce for dipping...but we still had some of the 3 sauces that came with the 'cracker bread' so we were happy campers.

For her entree, Laurie ordered the Chicken Ragon Josh...(left of photo)...chunks of chicken cooked in a rich almond sauce with a blend of fragrant spices. It had a nice little spicy bite to it and Laurie really liked it.

I ordered the Lamb Vindaloo...(right of photo)...lamb cooked in highly spiced sauce, (I ordered it Hot), cooked with ginger, onions, tomatoes, lemon, chili and special herbs with potatoes. It was very good! We especially like the light and flavorful rice, (top of photo), that Taj serves with these dishes... It all worked very well together.

There is no doubt that we will return to Taj! It was a great change of pace and the food was very nice. Taj is located at 8520 Kingston Pike in Knoxville, TN. Their website is: http://www.tajfineindiandining.com/. (Note: The menu on the site is not current but it is representative of their offerings) Phone: 865-670-2878.

Railroad Depots - Photo Album

Here are a few more photos of railroad depots that we've taken on our road trips...



This is the Brodhead Wisconsin passenger depot. It was built in 1881 by for the Mineral Point Branch of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad. (The Milwaukee Road) The depot now serves as a museum displaying historical railroad memorabilia as well as items portraying the history of Green County.



This depot is adjacent to an active rail line and it also is home to a vintage 1941 Milwaukee Road caboose as well as a 1950 Fairbanks-Morse H10-44 Locomotive that was built in Beloit Wisconsin.


This spectacular depot is just one of 3 depots that I know of in Springfield Illinois. This Romanesque beauty was built in 1897-1898 for use by several railroads. Dominated by the Illinois Central Railroad, other railroads using the depot included the Baltimore & Ohio as well as the Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Railroad. Passenger service to this depot was discontinued in 1971. The building has been completely restored and it now serves as the Visitor Center for the Lincoln Presidential Library.

This is the former Grand Trunk Western Railroad passenger depot in Lapeer Michigan. It was built in 1906 and it's one of 21 active railroad depots in Michigan.

This is an active station with 2 Amtrak trains daily, one headed to Port Huron MI, (11:09 pm), and the other headed west to Chicago (6:45 am).

A portion of this nicely restored depot may also be rented for special events through the city of Lapeer.

Richard Smith's Guitar & Dining Out...

When neighbors, Ed and Marion, mentioned an upcoming appearance by Richard Smith and his wife, Julie Adams, at a local Maryville TN theater, we decided that it would be something different to do and we'd never been to this theater together. It didn't hurt that Richard is a renown master guitar player! He's a former National Fingerstyle Champion, who at the age of 11, appeared with Chet Atkins on stage at Her Majesty's Theatre in London. Richard was born in England and initially learned to play from his father.



In 1999, Richard married Julie, a talented cellist. They've put a show together and they tour the country and beyond, playing their music and sharing a little repartee with the audience. It was especially nice to see them in a setting as intimate as the Palace Theatre...which seats roughly 200 patrons. Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed hold Richard and his talents in high esteem and, listening to Richard play 'the drums' on his guitar to a John Phillip Souza march or playing 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' and 'Dixie' simultaneously, their admiration is easy to understand!


For more on Richard and Julie, check out their website at: http://www.richardsmithmusic.com/. You'll even be able to listen to some samples of his talent...


Prior to the show at the Palace, Laurie and I, along with Ed and Marion, stopped in for dinner at Sullivan's Downtown. The restaurant is conveniently located right next to the theatre.


The restaurant has a nice feeling to it...with a warm decor and lighting. Seating is comfortable and there is plenty of room between tables.


Laurie started out with the House Salad. It included fresh mixed greens topped with almonds, smoked bacon, wontons and red onion with ranch dressing on the side.


I can attest to the fact that it was a very tasty salad! It was way too big for Laurie to eat on her own so she shared it with me...nice start to the meal...


For her entree, Laurie had the Randazzo Pasta. This is homemade penne pasta alfredo served with lightly breaded chicken breasts topped with sun-dried tomato pesto as well as Parmesan and Romano cheeses.


This was a very nice dish! Laurie really liked it and I tasted it too...yummy!


Ed had the Grilled Beef Tenderloin Tips served over rice pilaf with a Marsala mushroom sauce and a side of steamed vegetables.


Unfortunately, Ed could only muster an 'OK' when rating his meal. It just wasn't as flavorful as he'd expected.




I ordered one of Sullivan's Blue Plates. This is the Pot Roast...described as a tender choice cut of sirloin, slow roasted and served with it's own natural brown gravy. Blue Plate entrees come with 2 sides and I chose the 'real mashed potatoes with pot roast gravy' and the fresh broccoli with carrots. The beef and potatoes with gravy were very nice but the vegetables lacked much flavor.

Marion ordered the North Atlantic Salmon with a side of the baked creamed spinach. She reported that the salmon was very nice as was her side dish. The only issue we all agreed on was that the dish could use a little more imagination when being plated for presentation... It was sort of 'lost' on the big plate.

We will go back to Sullivan's... The food was very nice overall, service was fine and the pricing was right. Blue Plate entrees start at $10.95 with the highest priced specialty entrees, 3 different steaks, coming in at $19.95 each. The menu is fairly extensive, to include a number of sandwiches, plus there is a variety of appetizers available.

Sullivan's has two locations... The Maryville Tennessee location is at 121 West Broadway. It's open for lunch and dinner. A full service bar is available. Phone number: 865-681-3334. For more information, check out the website at: http://www.sullivansfinefood.com/.

Breakfast on the Menu!

Our friend Larry is always posting his great looking breakfasts on his blog site. (http://bigdudesramblings.blogspot.com/) Well, following our trip to Ye Olde Steak House, Laurie and I found ourselves with a bit of leftover steak to work with...


I 'butterflied' my remaining piece of New York strip and pan fried it with a little Worcestershire Sauce, butter and onion powder. Add 3 fried eggs easy over and a couple of slices of toast using VG Bakery's English muffin bread and this was one very tasty breakfast!


Laurie heated her very tender and flavorful piece of rib eye in the microwave...she wanted to minimize the effect of cooking it further. Add her toast, 3 eggs easy over plus a glass of OJ for good measure...nice!


While we love a good breakfast, usually we take the easy way out...cereal, a smoothie, toast & jam...something simple. This was a nice change and since it's been hard to find a really good breakfast in East Tennessee, we deserved this treat!


We buy the English muffin bread, great for BLT's!), at VG's Bakery. VG's Bakery is located at 11552 Kingston Pike, in Farragut TN (in the strip mall with Kohl's) Phone: 865-671-8077. For a look at their bakery 'menu', check them out at http://www.vgsbakery.com/.