We took my parents up to North Georgia to see Amicalola Falls this weekend. After our hike we went for dinner at a restaurant in the oldest building in Stone Mountain, GA-one of a few houses that Sherman didn't burn down because he needed a space for an army hospital. Our waiter gave us a tour of the entire house/restaurant, which is supposed to be haunted by civil war soldiers. I love spending time with my parents, especially because my dad is probably one of ten people in the world who actually enjoys watching old episodes of M Squad, an old 50's detective show starring my favorite actor, Lee Marvin, as much as I do. He even air boxed the bad guys from the couch with me.
"You tried to make that horse but couldn't," -Michelangelo, taunting his rival, Leonardo da Vinci
We made it to The Highthis afternoon to see Leonardo da Vinci: Hand of the Genius. We are standing in front of a replica of the Sforza Horse. My mother will really like going to this right before Cavaila in a few weeks. The collection had several drawings that have not been seen in in the US until now, and newly restored artifacts. The history major in me especially appreciated tidbits of his interaction with other historical figures like Machiavelli-military campaigns they worked on-and also his studies of human anatomy. I know of a certain human anatomy exhibition that currently hosts specimen drawing nights for art students, just like the great masters did back in the day.
Last Saturday I actually ran through downtown Atlanta wearing this horned furry bison hat because they were giving away bison silders and beer after the Teds Montana Grill Bison Stampede 5K.
Last weekend-day 1 of the Great Flood of Atlanta '09, actually-we went up to the mountains and hiked 6 hours of Bartram Trail, an Appalacian system of trails covering Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. There were torrential rains for a few hours of our hike but it was still beautiful. Note that my hair is slicked back with muddy rainwater and my clothes are filthy from clambering over the occasional downed tree.
Tubing the Chattahoochee and Chatooga are popular hobbies. We saw people floating down the river each time our trail intersected the river. We also saw a group guys in monster trucks with oversized tires drive right over and through the rocky rapids-fists raised, rebel yelling. It looked like fun.
We spent Labor Day weekend with our friends at the beach again. This year I got to learn how to make an awesome Southern recipe that we had last year, Linda's Low Country Shrimp Boil ™.
Low Country Shrimp Boil
-3 lbs large raw shrimp in shell, heads removed -1 large andouille sausage, sliced crosswise -1 large polish sausage, sliced crosswise -baby red potatoes, 2 or 3 per person -fresh corn cobs, 1 per person, cut into fourths -1 small white onion, peeled -1 lemon, sliced -1 package Zatarain's Crayfish, Shrimp, and Crab Boil Seasoning -4 bay leaves -red pepper flakes -Tony Chacheres Creole Seasoning -salt -olive oil
Pour a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot. Put the sliced sausages and onion in and let them brown, shaking the pot to toss them. Add the Zatarain's, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves. Stir them around to release their fragrance a little. On a side note, Zatarain's boil is mostly a mix of coriander seeds and mustard seeds, which you could just add yourself if you have several handfuls of each around. Fill the pot with water, leaving enough room for the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil.
Add the lemon and the potatoes and boil until they are almost fork tender, approx 8 minutes. Add a few pinches of salt and sprinkle a layer of the Chacheres Creole over the top. Add the corn and let it come to a boil again. Add another pinch of salt the shrimp and boil until they cook through and turn pink, just a few minutes. Toss the contents of the pot in a strainer in the sink, just like when you cook pasta.
Arrange the shrimp boil on a large platter. Lots of spices will remain, leave them on. Everything will taste spicy and aromatic and fabulous. You can also serve garnishes like cocktail sauce and sour cream. Since we were at a tropical paradise on the gulf coast we were able to use shrimp that were caught a few hours before we boiled them. It was the best meal I had eaten in months.
I am not much of a shopper. I have been in dire need of a new swimsuit and finally just got one at the end of season clearance sales. It was a cute designer suit by Juicy Courture that was about eighty percent off. At least we have one more beach trip to Florida this season.
This weekend we head to Florida to meet Joel's brother and girlfriend. I have a friend in Florida who has been scouting out beaches for us and taking pictures of his favorites for us. It would be so nice to live in Florida all year.
The deli/diner in my building is Korean-owned, so every once in awhile they have a Korean special along with the regular deli offerings. Today I happened to be eating out with some coworkers and tried Bi Bim Bap. It was a scoop of purple rice, topped with sesame chicken, surrounded by colorful rows bean sprouts, cucumbers, lettuce, shredded carrots, and fried egg. It came with some sort of hot chili sauce. It was nice because it was really fresh and there were lots of contrasting flavors and textures.
We spent our day off yesterday at a swim area on Lake Allatoona. It was a nice lazy day, and I was also able to practice my Spanish. Most of the other people at the beach around us spoke Spanish, so I spent the afternoon flopped on my towel with one ear up trying to understand the conversatrions around me. I guess my class is paying off, but I could really only follow bits and pieces. Machu Piccu, here I come.
