Adventures in American Diners: Bethany Beach Fire Station

Bethany Beach, Delaware.



oK, so admittedly this is not an actual "diner" per say, but rather a fire station doing a fundraiser breakfast. We will let this detail slide for the sake of breakfast exploration. Seeing as Bethany Beach is usually a very tourist oriented area, it was kind of nice to see the settled side of the small town. You could tell that most of the guests recognized each other, but certainly did not recognize us.



The food was set up as a buffet line with Bethany's finest serving the plates. At first we noticed that the eggs were kind of, dark. Turns out they were cooked in bacon grease, but after a mention of us being vegetarians they scrabbled us up some non-bacon ones.



Over all it was a pretty standard American breakfast: eggs, miniature muffins, pancakes, hash browns, toast, fruit and juice.
Though it seemed better in the company of firefighters.

There's been a delay!

There has been a blog update delay because Laney lost the cable to connect the camera to the computer. We have found a way around it in the meantime.

So much has happened in the past weeks. We spent memorial day at Bethany beach where Jameson learned how to go crabbing. It took some persuasion to convince him that it, in no way, harmed the crab. It's not like fishing where even if you throw them back they still are left with a gaping wound in their head. Jameson has this deeply indescribable tie to crustaceans. You can see it in his eyes when he's playing with out pet hermit crab. But I think that he enjoyed crabbing, despite an emotional dilemma, when one got caught in the net for a minute.





Very entertaining, seeing the little things in their natural habitat.
We learned how to tell if you've caught a male or she-crab.



After Crabbing we strolled the beach where numerous Horseshoe Crabs (technically not actual crabs) had washed to shore, dead. It was a sad and confusing sight. What caused all of these aquatic spiders to wash on shore dead?



...

It was great to break away from the city for a bit to spend some time with the ocean. It seems to be calling us more and more often these days.

Gigs

Jameson and I have both have been making some money modeling for painters. Not nude, Moms, don't have a heart attack. Last Friday, a well known artist in Richmond put the pieces he painted of us in his Gallery opening.

and this is a drawing an artist, in a class I modeled for, did of me with my accordion. Pretty trippy, huh?


I liked it so much, he let me keep it.

In the Studio

We finally recorded the music written while living in South America for the past year and so of our lives.
We spent two days at Minimum Wadge Recording Studio in Oregon Hill.
The final 20 some odd minute journey of an album ended up better than any of us anticipated and we hope to be fine tuning and mastering it in the weeks to come.

Jameson's Art Instalation

Jameson and I both worked on this piece all week to get it ready for the First Friday when all the Galleries in Richmond open their new exhibits to the public.
It was exhausting hauling all the massive televisions and the over-sized wooden table up the 200 year old flight of gallery stairs, but we made it work.
And the product was a very drawing interactive sculpture. Jameson meant it to be a commentary on war and the influence of media, religion, and industry on politics.
The three of us sat there all night playing cards, letting the cards roll off the table and on to a mess on the floor.

Adventures in American Diners: Jean's Country Diner

Providence Forge, VA



Sandwiched between two gas stations, Jean's Country Diner shows you what the Virginia country side really cares about: America and Buttermilk Biscuits, and God bless um for it.



We felt a bit out of place when we first walked in, seeing as I was the only male with out a camo or flag bandana, while Laney was the only Female without frizzy, maybe dyed blonde hair. But this is what American Diners are all about. The culture, the environment and the food. A diner in the city is different from a diner in the country is different from a diner on the waterfront. That is what this series plans to explore, and so we started with Jean's.



Decorated with old Christmas lights that are unlit and televising a church service in the corner, Jean's has character. You walk up to small window next to the kitchen to place your order from a paper menu tacked to a cork board. The menu is standard breakfast and lunch items, eggs, pancakes, hamburgers and BLT's, all at a budget price.



We had a silver dollar plate, 2 eggs w/ grits and a biscuit, an egg, cheese and tomato biscuit sandwich w/ a side hashbrowns, coffee and tea for about $10. Though the portions weren't sizable it was a good value for sure.



We ate our food off of the served paper plates, with the provided plastic utensils.
It was good, all very satisfying, except the hashbrowns, they were dry and sort of "blah". The biscuits though, in contrast, were great.
Jean's Country Diner was a perfect first selection to this continuing series.

Finally! Photos of the notorious shed.

36ish hours in New York City

For me, the strangest part about being back to life in the US is watching my calendar fill up three months ahead of whatever I'm doing today. Last weekend, since we didn't have any pressing obligations, Jameson and I had planned to spend the weekend camping to celebrate my birthday...but weather forecasts predicted rainfall over the entire south east of the continent. I decided on a whim that I wanted to take the overnight Chinatown bus from Richmond to New York. So, Jameson though exhausted, consented. It was a nice little 35 hour escape. We stayed with my friend Julia, who I met while studying in Asia. We spent Saturday walking around the city. When we first arrived Julia greeted us outside the gate of her apartment wearing a bath robe and an eye mask on her head. She rather quickly woke up, threw on some jogging shorts and led us all to prospect park where we were still managing to make the designated "dog off the leash" time of day. Never before in my life have I seen such a sea of kanines, and all different shapes and sizes. Silly New York City dogs who didn't seem to know what to do with their new found freedom. Most seemed to loiter around their owner and cautiously sniff on-coming dogs, making sure to maintain proper spacial limitation. Our representative pug/pomeranian was happy rolling around in the muddy spots of grass.

Mid-day, we met a friend at the Union Square farmers market. Oh what wonders there are to see! A man with a monkey head, lost in the crowd, a lady with a parrot sitting on her shoulder watching a man playing the guitar wearing a feather headdress, and flamboyant men everywhere carrying tiny dogs.

That night some of Julia and her boyfriend Kareem's friend had a party on the rooftop of his Brooklyn apartment building. We grilled our veggie dogs and listened a band play old time folk music, though It didn't feel quite right in NYC, not the way it does back in old Virginia. I listened and stomped along, thinking that at least the banjo player was from North Carolina. Cold rain rolled over us at about 11. My lack of sleep caught up with me and I passed out downstairs on the sofa.
-Laney

My "while I don't have a job" project

Well... now I do have a job, 4 almost 5 actually. But during that down time, while I was still trying to busy myself with productive, meaningful ways to spend my time, I decided to start making wine out of things I could find around the house. I made a half gallon of dandelion wine. It is fermenting in the dinning room as we speak.


I'll let you all know how it turns out.
Here's the recipe if anyone else has some free time and an un-mowed lawn.

Love,
Laney

We are children again

So last weekend Carytown had an event called Chalk Up the Town, which did nothing more than hand out free chalk, and tell people to draw.
You were encouraged to abstain from naughty words or controversial topics, but I saw some rule bending, as Richmond is known to do.

Here are some pictures of the event that we didn't take:
(our camera wasn't working at the time)



It was a lot of fun. I drew a giant snail with a television head, flower vines coming from under trash cans and news paper stands, and one (pictured above) asking "Where can we recycle?" in Carytown.

I really think Richmond has some of the best, random, festivals and events.
This weekend is Earth Day and Fish Festival. These aren't separate events, they are a combined (related?) festival. What?

The river, music and a shed.

We have finally settled into the cozy little shed we are living in, behind our friend's house. Amazing what pictures of birds can do to improve a living space (Pictures to follow). The spring has rained pollen on all things once shinny. But seeing it is Spring, the weather is warm and kind. When we arrived the James river was nearly overflowing on to the train tracks that run beside it. April showers.
It was hot enough one day to go swimming in the river at Texas beach (which is in Richmond, VA, I know right?)

We have already gone to three concerts and seen almost everyone who lives in this small city. We are playing music with friends to get our album ready for the studio, and glad to be back. Richmond has a distinct energy that gives you culture shock one minute and goose bumps the next.

Part of us is feeling anxious, ready to pick up our bags and move on. While another part tells us to stay, get involved again, in this place we know far too well, and yet has areas we still need to explore.

First thing's first. We need to make some money. Jameson is already working 4 shifts a week at the vegetarian coffee shop. While Laney is debating whether or not she has the inner strength to work with children again. We will figure it out. Rent is cheap, because we live in a shed.

The Spirit of St. Francis of Assisi

I know that these photos are amazing, but what is even more amazing is that this squirrell recognized Jameson from them meeting over a year ago at my mom's garage sale. Stuffy the squirrel saw Jameson through the kitchen window and came right up to the glass and pressed her nose against it. When Jameson went outside to give her some peanuts, she ran up to him and sat on his lap. I think this is one of those examples of his unspoken connection with State of Virginia.