All posts by Bob
OK, So It Has Been A Year
And change… my bad. I’ve been a bit… busy!
Please allow me to make it up to you. I’ve got photos aplenty and I’m grinding on all the ones that will be shared, but to atone for my sins, please allow me to indulge and share with you a drink I just invented yesterday. I’m calling it Apple Rye until I think of a new name.
You need fresh apples and apple cider to make it happen. Ingredients also needed: rye whiskey (use the brand and variety you believe in), maraschino liqueur, orange bitters, & pecan bitters.
Take an apple, slice it.
Put in a mug, add 4 parts rye.
Let the apple slices soak in the rye for at least an hour.
Put the apple slices in serving glasses (preferably something wide and deep and cylindrical.)
Pour the soaked rye into a cocktail shaker.
Put a modest amount of ice (not too much; you will be pouring the ice out into the drinks) into the shaker.
Pour 1/2 part maraschino liqueur into the shaker
Two dashes of orange bitters into the shaker
Two dashes of the pecan bitters into the shaker
Shake
Pour 4 parts cider into the shaker
Shake again
Pour out the drink evenly into the glasses. Make sure to distribute the ice/foam at the bottom evenly to your guests. You shouldn’t have too much ice, and the foam is the best part and you really should share it.
Use this recipe for good, and not evil.
Oh, and behold a North Carolina beach after a glancing blow from Tropical Storm Hermine last month. I’ll be back soon.
One more from the Pier House
Going to step away from the Courtmacsherry pictures (for now) but wanted to share one last photo, taken from outside John Young’s famous Pier House.
I like this photo because, if you look at it right, you can smell the tide.
High Tide
When we last spoke, we saw a picture of the set-up at the Strand Race in Courtmacsherry in County Cork, Ireland.
This photo was taken approximately 6 hours later of the same scene. Granted, this is from an elevated and drier vantage point, but roughly the same direction. Take a look at the dots floating in the water- those are the poles being driven into the strand by the farmers in last week’s post.
I love horse races, one unfortunate aspect to last summer was, any time I traveled, I had to leave the town the day before a major event occurred.
Consequently, I was not able to capture any of the action race day. No worries, my sensei was there to witness and capture the events as they unfolded.
At Long Last, a Picture with People!
I realize a few weeks ago, I promised more photos of Courtmac. I have also bemoaned the lack of images featuring people.
Well now, patient followers of this blog, we have a twofer!
This photo was taken in the summer of 2013, shortly after I acquired my camera.
I only know one of the folks in this photo, the gentleman to the far right who happens to be one of the finest hosts in Corcaigh. The other four folks driving the posts in, I do not know, but as they are all Irish farmers, I’m reasonably certain they are more charming than your average human. The lady driving the tractor got it done that afternoon, and got it done quickly. Most of this landscape will be subsumed by the cold waters of the Irish Sea in a few short hours…
51.6347° N, 8.7092° W
Hungary Thursday!
Thursday is a day that people tend to celebrate on the internet more than the average day. With that in mind, please enjoy this super-moon over the Danube.
Ruins of St. Agnes
This is the ruins of St. Agnes Hospital, found on the campus of St. Augustine’s University in Raleigh.
Not a big fan of ‘ruin porn’ but this building seems to compliment the falling snow nicely.
The walls of this building have seen a lot of souls pass through it.
Among them: Jack Johnson, legendary heavyweight champion of the world. Mr. Johnson died here in 1946 after getting injured in a car accident on Route 1 near Franklinton (St. Agnes was the closest black hospital to Franklinton in the segregated NC.)
Video of Jack Johnson vs James Jeffries 1910 bout.
Miles Davis’ Tribute to Jack Johnson.
Asheville
Took this HDR about a year ago, but only recently got around to combining. This photo was taken from off the patio at the Biltmore estate. 
Sunset over Dubrovnik
This photo was taken at the top of the Dubrovnik Funicular.
Courtmacsherry
There is a town in County Cork where everything is perfect.
If you stick around, I guarantee you will see more photos from Courtmac.