POSTVILLE, IOWA

I'VE GOTTEN SOME REQUESTS TO BLOG ABOUT POSTVILLE. IT'S A RATHER LONG TALE, BUT TO SUM IT UP IN A NUTSHELL, MANY YEARS AGO A GROUP OF JEWS BOUGHT THE OLD CLOSED MEAT PLANT LOCATED IN POSTVILLE, IOWA TO PROCESS KOSHER BEEF FOR SALE, MOSTLY IN NEW YORK CITY.

STAFFING THE PLANT WAS A CHALLENGE, AND INITIALLY THEY STARTED WITH RUSSIANS AND POLES. SO POSTVILLE WAS IN FOR A DOUBLE CULTURE SHOCK. AFTER THAT PHASE CAME THE MEXICAN AND GUATEMALANS TO WORK THE PLANT. WHAT BROUGHT THE SITUATION TO THE HEADLINES WAS A HUGH IMMIGRATION RAID ON MAY 12 TH OF THIS YEAR WHERE SEVERAL HUNDREDS WERE ARRESTED, PROSECUTED, AND DEPORTED.

SINCE THE RAID, POSTVILLE HAS AGAIN BEEN IN THE NEWS. LAST SUNDAY WAS AN ORGANIZED MARCH THAT MADE THE HEADLINES. MOST RECENTLY THERE ARE SOMALI IMMIGRANTS ARRIVING TO TAKE THE JOBS OF THE HISPANICS. ANOTHER CULTURE SHOCK FOR POSTVILLE.

IF YOU'D LIKE A BETTER EXPLANATION AND A FEEL FOR WHAT IT'S LIKE I SUGGEST YOU CHECKOUT BARBRA'S BLOG, AND CLICK ON HER LABEL CALLED "DIVERSITY".

IMMIGRATION FALLS TOO CLOSE TO POLITICS AND RELIGION IN THIS CASE, SO I TRY TO STAY AWAY FROM WRITING ON THIS TOPIC. I WILL HOWEVER AGREE WITH BARBRA AND TERESA, "WHAT WAS ONCE AMERICA'S MELT'IN POT IN POSTVILLE, HAS TURNED INTO A CESS POOL".

This and That

Wow, I haven't blogged here in quite a while. I have been busy blogging on the recipes to eat blog. Like most blogs it is pretty time consuming, but if you have been following this blog, you are aware that we have not been getting a lot of hours at work so that leaves more time to pursue other interests. That is about the best spin I can put on our lack of hours!!

Chad will be here on Saturday, we are planning to pick him up at the Reno airport. That will give him the opportunity to see Reno this trip. He didn't get to explore Reno when he was here last year. Our agenda will also include a trip to Placerville and a winery tour. Placerville also has a brewery so, because Chad works in one, we will be going there too.

Gas has actually gone down 30 cents a gallon in Lake Tahoe, now its at $4.35. Hard to be grateful when you are still paying these outrageous prices. The lowest gas price I can remember in all the years I have been driving is 26.9 CENTS a gallon. When I got my Honda in 2002, I started keeping a notebook in which I log every gas purchase. The first tank of gas I bought for my Honda was $1.20
per gallon. That was only 6 years ago......

August starts on Friday and it is a busy month with birthday's. There are five of them-Heather, Joey, Paul, Daniel, and Alan. Guess I'd better get shopping for cards, I really try hard to make sure everyone gets a card on their birthday.

I have been enjoying Sunday nights this summer. First there was the competition on the Food Network for the new Food Network Star. I did blog about that competition on the recipes to eat blog. It is over now but I really did have a good time watching it. Also on Sunday nights, I have been watching the Design Star Competition on HGTV. I know these programs are not everyone's "cup of tea", but I really like them. Oh and if you think of it, you can go online to www.hgtv.com and vote for your Design Star favorite....vote for Jennifer!! Then tune in Sunday night and see who wins.

Guess that is enough of "this and that" for today!!

WORK !!!

USUALLY IN THIS BLOG WE'RE BLOGGING ABOUT OUR TIME "OFF" , BUT TODAY WE WERE BOTH BACK AT WORK "SLAPP'IN JACKS" AT THE CASINO. ON THE WAY INTO WORK THIS MORNING WE BOTH AGREED THAT IT FELT LIKE, WE HAD BEEN OFF WORK FOR A MONTH. ACTUALLY WE JUST FINISHED BEING "OFF" FOR SEVEN DAYS STRAIGHT. LAST MONTH WE HAD TEN DAYS "OFF" IN A ROW.

NEEDLESS TO SAY, WORK WISE, IT HASN'T BEEN A VERY PROFITABLE SUMMER. THAT'S THE REASON WE HAD TO CANCEL BB'08. WE HOPE TO MAKE UP SOME OF THE WORK IN SEPTEMBER, HERE IN LAKE TAHOE, BUT IT'S TOO EARLY TO TELL YET ABOUT CUSTOMER TRENDS.

THE CASINO BUSINESS ISN'T VERY GOOD IN SOUTHERN NEVADA EITHER. WONDER WHAT WE'LL FIND WHEN WE RETURN TO LAUGHLIN?

WE'D LIKE TO THANK HANS AND WENDY FOR THE INTERESTING BLOG ENTRIES, AND NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO E-MAIL US WITH YOUR SUMMER STORIES FOR US TO POST HERE ON THE BLOG.

YOU WORRYING TYPES SHOULDN'T WORRY ABOUT MARY AND I. WE'RE HOLDING UP FINE CAMPED ON THE PATIO, ENJOYING OUR TOYS, NEW TV, BIGG gASS GRILL, COOKING, AND ENJOYING OUR REGULAR COCKTAILS AT HOME INSTEAD OF DOWN AT BROTHER'S BIKER BAR.

WE'RE BOTH LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT WEEK WHEN CHAD, MARY'S SON, IS COMING TO VISIT FOR A WEEK.

"SUNNY & 80"

Richard Bong Museum, Superior, MN

.......We proceeded directly to the Richard Bong museum in Superior. He was a local farm boy who became the biggest fighter pilot ace in WWII. Lots of cool stuff and ties to the locals, his family, etc.....

......He flew P-38s, and this is one, although probably not his. 10,000 were built, and 28 survive. They were awesome equipment for their time, and made a difference in the outcome of the war. 40 Americans became aces in P-38s, more than any other plane..........

It is a nice museum, recently built, but hard to photograph the plane in............

Marge was his girlfriend. They were married in Superior, her home area as well, in 1944. He was on leave. He went back and shot up some more of the enemy until the government pulled him out of action as he was to big a propaganda target if he got shot down and lost. He and Marge went on a coast to coast war bond cheerleading tour. He died in 1946 as a test pilot for America's first jet fighter research effort.

As we were temporarily out of museums, we went home.............

Uncle Hans

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RANDY J!!!

The William Irwin, Duluth, MN

.......Duluth is the major port for the shipping of iron ore from the Iron Range of northern Minnesota. The iron is running out, and the business is somewhat historical now. This is one of the ore boats, the William Irwin, which has been retired into a floating museum......


.....She was built in 1938 in Michigan and retired in the late 70's as she was too small at around 700 feet. This is taken from the front of the back............



...........Originally a hand fired coal burner, she was converted to an automatic coal feeder, then later converted to burning oil. This view is of the front from the back..........



....this lovely tourist, having survived a boring lunch of Minnesota Mexican food, is basking in the sun on a hatch cover, used to cover the cargo hold below...............




......the engine room..........



The Irwin was the fleet flagship, named after the president of U. S.Steel. It had some guest quarters, where invited guests and VIPs could take a cruise of the Great Lakes. This was the guest dining room. The guests and the crew all had to smuggle their own spices into Duluth for which there is a stiff penalty if you are caught (it's called keel-hauling). Folklore has it that these ships were really a front for spice-smuggling, but I think that is bullshit. True Minnesotans wouldn't buy spices, anyway, as they are too dangerous......



...........these are the staterooms for the guests.........

......they even let Wendy steer (the ship has not moved an inch since 1978!).......

..........I forget what this is for..........

.....We both got a giggle out of this sign in the Captain's office. The camera failed to focus very well, but it is a recipe or directions for turning the ship around if someone falls overboard. It is calculated to bring the ship back to the correct spot to search for the careless sailor who fell...........

Next the Richard Bong museum

Uncle Hans

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESSE!!!!

Duluth

We went to Duluth on a Sunday for a daytrip to so some "touristing". While we were crossing the "high bridge" from Superior to Duluth, we could see a big ship approaching Duluth and about to enter the harbor by passing under the lift bridge. We hurried to Canal Park, parked the car and literally ran to the lift bridge, snapping this picture. In it is the bow of the American Century as she crossed before the crowd assembled along the canal passing under the lift bridge.................

..............here is the rest of the ship. She is the American Century, owned by American Steamships out of Buffalo. She is 1,000 feet long..........

......this is the stern passing under the bridge. She is powered by 20-cylinder diesel engines totalling 14,240hp.......

....Here is the lift bridge coming back down after the ship, in the background and turning left, has cleared. Ths bridge is over a hundred years old and quite a tourist attraction in Duluth.........

.....in this shot you can see the crowds that form when a ship passes. The little museum and control building publish a newsletter with the expected arrivals and "bios" of each ship. If you look at the towers holding up the lifting segment, there are some "blobs" of concrete which are the counterweights to make it easy to lift the segment with just a small amount of energy, like ten horsepower......

.....here you can see the counterweights better. As the bridge gets lower, they get higher.....

..........here the bridge is completely down and cars are crossing. The counterweights are back in their high position, ready to help to lift the bridge the next time..........

.....we went to a local Mexican restaurant called Little Angie's Cantina. It is highly touted and we thought we were in for a treat. The reason Wendy looks less than happy is because the food was very bland, almost tasteless. Then we remembered we were in Minnesota, land of the Scandinavians, where ketchup is considered a spicy condiment. If they served actual Mexican food, no one would eat there except a few foolhardy Finnlanders who would then be rushed to the emergency room(and probably die)............

.....we asked for some hot sauce and they brought us this. It is from Costa Rica and looked promising. Out of flames, however, it is a "one-half flame". I drank the bottle in protest and the blonde, blue-eyed waitress fainted before she could call the ambulance for me on her cell. Finding food in Minnesota with some flavor requires a special skill, I guess.........

.....on our way home across the high bridge we spotted the American Century loading 64,000 tons of coal. The coal comes from Montana and Wyoming on the train and goes to Monroe and St. Clair Michigan to make electricity for Detroit Edison Power Company. We spent the day visiting museums, as is our hobby. A blog will follow about that........

Uncle Hans

SONY TELEVISION

I RETIRED MY OLD SONY TELEVISION TODAY. IT'S BEEN WITH ME A LONG LONG TIME AND LITERALLY THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF MILES. IT STARTED OUT YEARS AGO IN THE SUPPER CLUB ABOVE THE BAR (BEFORE IOWA BARS WERE NON-SMOKING).

FROM THERE IT BECAME THE BEDROOM TV, I'D LIKE TO SAY THAT WAS BACK WHEN JOHNNY CARSON WAS STILL ON, BUT THAT SIMPLY ISN'T TRUE. DID YOU KNOW THAT JAY LENO IS RETIRING NEXT YEAR AFTER 17 YEARS ON THE TONIGHT SHOW? FEELING A LITTLE OLDER NOW?

FROM THERE MY FAITHFUL SONY TV HIT THE ROAD WITH ME. IT WAS 10 YEARS AGO THAT I WENT CAMPING AND NEVER RETURNED HOME. CAN YOU IMAGINE LIFE AS A TV IN THE BACK OF SEVERAL DIFFERENT CAMPERS BOUNCING DOWN THE ROAD?

A FEW YEARS AGO IT AGAIN BECAME THE BEDROOM TV, AND MORE RECENTLY THE PATIO TV.

IT'S MADE ME A BELIEVER IN SONY TELEVISION. SO HOW ABOUT THE NEW TV? GLAD YOU ASKED.

YUP, IT'S A SONY !!!

I WONDER HOW MANY EPISODES OF MASH I WATCHED AND RE- WATCHED ON THAT OLD SONY TV? HEY REX, JUST HOW OLD WAS THAT TV?

GREEN BEAN SOUP

WITH A WHOLE WEEK "OFF" AT LAKE TAHOE IT'S BACK TO THE PATIO LIFE WE'RE LEARNING TO LOVE. SINCE IT'S TUESDAY WE WERE UP EARLY AND HIT THE FARMER'S MARKET.

MAN OH MAN LOOK AT THOSE FRESH GREEN BEANS !!! IT'S GOT TO BE TIME FOR MY ANNUAL BATCH OF GREEN BEAN SOUP!!!

FIRST STEP: IS TO SNAP THOSE GREEN BEANS

THEN YOU BOIL THEM UP NICE AND TENDER WITH LOT'S RED STOCKTON SWEET ONION. YOU CAN ADD ANYTHING YOU LIKE IN THE SOUP MY FAVORITES ARE, DICED CHEDDARWURST, ONION, BABY BELLA MUSHROOMS, AND TODAY I ADDED SOME YELLOW BEANS AND FRESH OFF THE COB WHITE SWEET CORN.

AS YOU CAN SEE, MARY IS SUPERVISING TODAY, SHE WASN'T REAL HAPPY WITH MY HOMEMADE POTATO SALAD YESTERDAY. IT HAD TOO MUCH ONION AND THE HARD BOILED EGGS WEREN'T QUITE COOKED TO HER HIGH STANDARDS.

BUT I'M HAPPY TO REPORT THE GREEN BEAN SOUP, COOKED IN GRANDMA'S OLD PRESSURE COOKER PAN OUTSIDE ON THE BIGG gASS GRILL WAS PERFECT !!!

Save up to 55% on Tables and Chairs at Camping World. Hurry! Sale ends 9.1.08.

DUTCH OVEN BAKING

ON THE CAMP MENU TODAY IS BACON CHEESEBURGERS, WITH SWISS CHEESE, AND HOMEMADE POTATO SALAD, ALL PREPARED OUTSIDE ON THE PATIO.

WHAT'S A 1/3 POUND BACON CHEESEBURGER WITHOUT A HOMEMADE HAMBURGER BUN? MARY GET OUT THE BREAD MACHINE AND MAKE SOME HAMBURGER BUNS, AND I'LL BAKE THEM OUT ON THE PATIO IN THE DUTCH OVEN.

BAKE HAMBURGER BUNS OUTSIDE IN THE DUTCH OVEN WITH CHARCOAL? YUP, AND HERE'S HOW TO DO IT.

I PUT THE DOUGH IN A GREASED #12, SHALLOW, DUTCH OVEN.

I'VE HAD THIS DUTCH OVEN FOR 37 YEARS SO IT'S WELL SEASONED. NEXT I PLACED THE OVEN, WITH THE LID ON, OUT IN THE SUN TO WARM THE BUNS AND LET THEM RISE.

WHILE THEY WERE DOING THEIR THING I GOT OUT THE VOLCANO STOVE. THIS STOVE GETS THE DUTCH OVEN UP OFF THE GROUND AND CONTAINS THE HOT CHARCOALS SO I DON'T START ANOTHER CALIFORNIA WILD FIRE.

I BAKED MY BUNS AT 350 DEGREES, THAT'S 10 CHARCOAL ON THE BOTTOM, AND 16 CHARCOAL ON THE TOP.

LOOKS LIKE MY BUNS ARE READY TO BAKE.

JUST POP THE DUTCH OVEN INTO THE VOLCANO STOVE, SIT BACK, AND CRACK OPEN A MILLER GENUINE DRAFT LIGHT 64.

NOW HERE IS THE SECRET TO BAKING BREADS, PIES, ETC IN A DUTCH OVEN. YOU ONLY BAKE WITH BOTTOM HEAT FOR 2/3 OF THE BAKING TIME. TODAY I'M BAKING MY BUNS FOR 25 MINUTES. THAT'S ONLY 15 MINUTES WITH BOTTOM HEAT. AFTER 15 MINUTES IN THE VOLCANO I PULL THE OVEN OUT AND LET IT SIT FOR 10 MORE MINUTES WITH JUST THE HOT CHARCOAL ON THE LID.

WORKS EVERY TIME !!! JUST REMEMBER THE SECRET 2/3 BAKING RULE.