Sunrise at Chincoteague

Photo by B. Jones. Chincoteague, VA. 26 Jun 2020.

Amounts Due, 1895

Maryville Times, 17 Jan 1895.

The clipping above comes from the Blount County Annual Report, published in the Maryville Times (Maryville, Blount County, Tennessee). The report lists several familiar names: my 3rd-great-grandfather Joseph Jones, my 3rd-great-grandmother Mary Catherine (M.C.) Jones, Robert O. Snoddy, husband of Joseph's daughter Nancy Cornelia Jones.

Mary Catherine had died in 1890, and Joseph had moved between Boone County, Indiana and Blount County, Tennessee. Joseph appears in the Maryville newspaper between 1886-1897, so I'm not sure why these amounts would show up in the county report as unpaid.

Water Skiing at Kentucky Lake

Photo by L. Reid. Kentucky Lake, 1970 or 1972.

Here's another two photos from the set I shared previously, converted from slides to digital. I think one of these is my Aunt Patty, taken by my Granny.

Photo by L. Reid. Water skiing at Kentucky Lake.

Guest of Honor

LA Times, 27 Aug 1916.

The clipping above describes a dinner reception for the head of the Alianza Hispano-Americana and local leaders in Los Angeles in 1916. The guest of honor, Enrique (E.V.) Anaya, was a Los Angeles native but based in Tucson. He is quite a colorful character in Arizona and was active in Mexico during the period of upheaval of the 1910s. He was among the founders of the Alianza Hispano-Americana, an important Mexican-American mutual aid society, not unlike Liga Protectora Latina.

The article describes the dinner and mentions a Mr. Campuzano of the local Alianza lodge in Los Angeles. I believe this was either Francisco A. Campuzano or Jose M. Campuzano Jr. Frank was active in Junta Patriotica Mexicana and the Order of Foresters in Los Angeles.

On Malaysia time from home

Boston Public Library, Malaysia travel poster, 1934.

My mid-year meeting is underway and is being run as a virtual conference. Instead of being physically present this week in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, I've shifted my body to KL time. Fortunately this is a shorter meeting than what we typically do, otherwise I'd be pretty wrecked by Wednesday. Hopefully in the near future when travel resumes we'll plan another event in Malaysia for 2021/2022. 

Fathers Day

Photo by Patrick Jones. Dad with S, Indiana. 9 May 2010.

Photo by B. Jones. Dad with Laura, Hueco Tanks, TX. 1984.

A Society Event

Newspapers.com, Evening Star (DC), 14 Apr 1926.

Newspapers.com, Evening Star (DC).

Back in July 2016, I wrote about Francisco Suastegui, a great-grandson of my 6th-great-grandparents Jose Antonio Suastegui and Maria Ignacia Canete. In 1925, he was appointed as the commercial attache at the Mexican Embassy in Washington DC. His wife, Laura Vasquez, was a daughter of Adolfo Vasquez and Amelia Herras (and Adolfo was a grandson of my 5th-great-grandfather, Francisco Suastegui). I previously overlooked this article, highlighting a gala event hosted at the historic Pan American Union Building in Washington DC. The building serves as the ceremonial headquarters of the Organization of American States. It is a grand building, one I have been in many times for meetings and events.

NYPL Digital Collection. Pan American Union, before 1931.

Reading the article, I can definitely imagine how the building hosted a glittering party of ambassadors & their wives, government representatives, conference delegates and others in mid April 1926. The article says Laura Vasquez de Suastegui wore a purple crepe gown with crystals.

Photo by Patrick Jones. OAS Hall of the Americas, 1 June 2016.

Photo by Patrick Jones. OAS, 27 Jun 2013.

Immigrant Heritage Month

Photo by Patrick Jones. Mural by Eduardo Kobra. Wynwood, Miami, 14 Jul 2019.

Although it isn't observed by the current administration, June is Immigrant Heritage Month. I'm a bit behind in my annual post (see 2019 & 2018 for links to prior posts). On Thursday, the US Supreme Court handed down a landmark decision in Department of Homeland Security et al. v the Regents of the University of California et al (18 June 2020), holding that DHS' decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act. The decision allows the over 700,000 Dreamers to remain. Once again there is an opportunity for Congress to pass a long term solution.

This is also my reminder for a contribution to groups supporting immigrant rights: the National Immigration Law Center, ACLU and others.

A gift to Fort Branch High School

Princeton Daily Clarion, 10 Dec 1964.

The news clipping above is from December 1964, describing a gift from my great-grandmother Blanche Lamon O'Brien of crystal mouthpieces made by my great-grandfather's business, the O'Brien Company, to the Fort Branch High School Band. The gift was made seven years after Harry's death in 1957.

The Princeton Daily Clarion must have been added fairly recently to Newspapers.com, as I hadn't come across this article previously.

Surfing Lessons

Photo by Patrick Jones. Sidi Kaouki Beach, 19 June 2019.

This time last year I was crashing into the waves at Sidi Kaouki, attempting to surf for the first time. I went through Airbnb and booked a surfing experience with Soufiane. This included pickup outside the walls of Essaouira, transport down to Sidi Kaouki, wetsuit & board, and a lunch break from the neighboring surf station restaurant. I had a one-on-one lesson for the day, and Soufiane was a great teacher. I didn't manage to stand up very long, but it was an enjoyable experience.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Beachside building at Sidi Kaouki.

After trying to surf in Morocco, I felt comfortable enough to do surfing lessons again during our vacation in Portugal last August. I think I like the idea of surfing more than my balance on the board allows me to enjoy it properly. Paddleboarding is much more my speed. This was an unforgettable day and I'm very lucky I was able to do this before meetings in Marrakech.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Surfers at Sidi Kaouki. 19 June 2019.

One Year Ago

Photo by Patrick Jones. Essaouira, Morocco. 18 June 2019.

A year ago I was in Essaouira, Morocco before continuing onto Marrakech for mid-year meetings. As this was my third trip to Morocco, I wanted to do something memorable and outside my comfort zone. I signed up for a half-day surfing lesson south of Essaouira at Sidi Kaouki. It was amazing, and an experience I will never forget.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Surfing at Sidi Kaouki beach. 19 June 2019.

If it wasn't for COVID-19, I'd be in Malaysia this week and next for our mid-year meeting. I had planned a stopover in Penang for a street art & food tour before continuing onto Kuala Lumpur. This will have to wait for another time. Our October meeting planned for Hamburg has been made into a virtual meeting, so it looks like most travel for the remainder of 2020 will be on hold. Perhaps by December things may change, otherwise it will be 2021.

Alma

Photo by K.D. Jones. Alma Oyler Jones.

While going through an old photo album passed down from my Gumpy to my Dad and to my Mom, I found a photo I overlooked previously of my great-grandmother, Alma Oyler Jones. This is not dated. Given the age of other photos in the set & surrounding page, I'm guessing this was taken around 1938 and would put her about 41 or at least early 40s in this photo.

Quarantine Cooking: Smoked Salmon & Tofu

Photo by Patrick Jones. Smoked Salmon & Tofu. 14 Jun 2020.

Yesterday we cooked up another feast on the grill, I made smoked salmon and smoked tofu with Chef Roy Choi seasoning, with asparagus wrapped in prosciutto and au gratin potatoes. I followed the Traeger smoked salmon recipe, with skin-on salmon from our local Aldi and extra firm tofu sliced into four equal pieces for our daughter. This is about as easy a recipe to cook as can be done with the grill.

I put olive oil on the skin-side of the salmon and sprinkled a generous covering of Chef Roy Choi's "A Pinch of LA" Koreatown seasoning rub. This was a 2017 collaboration with Williams Sonoma and I was able to purchase four cans of the seasoning before the pandemic hit. It is our favorite rub for smoked salmon & tofu. I let the seasoning cure on the meat for several hours before starting the grill.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Seasoning the tofu.

I set the grill to 250, which is a little hotter than the recipe, but my grill works better at a hotter temperature than too low. The meat was on the grill for almost four hours, and I don't flip it. I added the tofu to the side at the two-hour mark, making up for a mistake the last time I made smoked tofu I cooked it too long (more than four hours is too long).

Photo by Patrick Jones. Asparagus wrapped in prosciutto.

While the grill was going, we made the sides and Allison also made challah bread following a recipe in the Bread Baker's Apprentice, and the asparagus recipe from Mimi Thorisson's A Kitchen in France.

I've been labeling this series "Quarantine Cooking", but we were released from shelter-in-place several weeks ago and Northern Virginia moved into Phase 2 last Friday. On Friday we also made a repeat of the tequila lime chicken on the grill for some friends for our first socially distanced dinner at home with someone other than family. Capturing our home cooking during the stay at home order has been a fun way to make some memories from this extraordinary time. I'll probably give these posts a new name going forward.

New life to old photos

Photo by K.D. Jones. Indiana Dunes, Summer 1938.

A few weeks ago I shared several photos taken by my Gumpy during the summer of 1938 while he worked as a lifeguard at Indiana Dunes. I also shared these on Instagram, which caught the attention of the official Indiana Dunes Tourism page. They asked if they could reshare the photos on their page and give me credit. Yesterday they shared the photos, giving these snapshots some new admirers.

Quarantine Cooking: Grilled Shrimp & Turmeric Sauce

Photo by Patrick Jones. Grilled Shrimp. 7 June 2020.

While things are starting to open up in Northern Virginia from the COVID-19 shelter-in-place, we are still staying close to home. Yesterday I made grilled shrimp in turmeric sauce following Bon Appetit's recipe from their July 2019 issue (page 90, grilled shrimp with turmeric mojo sauce). These turned out pretty awesome.

For the turmeric mojo sauce, blend the following ingredients in a food processor:
6 garlic cloves
2 habanero chiles without seeds, chopped (I didn't put this in the sauce)
1 3" piece of ginger, peeled
1/3 cup fresh lime juice (I used three limes squeezed)
1/3 cup orange juice
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used sunflower oil)
Kosher salt for seasoning

Set half the sauce to the side, then put 1 1/2 lbs peeled & deveined shrimp into the turmeric sauce. Don't let the shrimp sit in the sauce for too long. I had them in for about ten minutes before putting them on the grill pan, on medium-high heat.

The shrimp cooked quickly, about 1 minute per side. We had rice & vegetables to accompany the shrimp. Pineapple salsa also paired very well with the turmeric shrimp. We'll be having this again during the summer.

The Inkwell

LA Public Library. Friends at Santa Monica Beach, 1929.

Close to the site of our first address in Santa Monica, is a stretch of historic beach that was segregated in the early to mid 1900s. It was an important gathering place for African Americans in Santa Monica. This area near where Shutters and Casa del Mar are located today, was called "the Inkwell". The location was recognized in 2008 with a plaque as part of the Bay Street Beach Historic District. I didn't know this history when we lived in Santa Monica, and we lived right across the street from Casa del Mar. When travel returns and I'm able to visit the West Coast sometime in the future, I'll check out this spot again.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Near the Inkwell, Santa Monica, 11 Jan 2009.

Rise

Photo by Patrick Jones. Stencil by Xavier A. Muñoz Torres, San Juan, PR. 6 Mar 2018.

History on repeat

Kent Nishimura/LA Times. 31 May 2020.

LA Public Library Collection. Protestors during 1992 LA riots.

LA Public Library Collection. Police search for weapons, Watts Riots, 1965.

I'm at a loss to adequately express my continued frustration and sadness for so many hurt following the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, and the related protests around the country, including in my home away from home Los Angeles. Nearby protests in DC and around the country have turned violent, predictably through the fanning of racial hatred by the current administration, targeting of journalists and heavy armed response by police forces.

Michael S. Williamson/Washington Post, DC, 31 May 2020.

My life is pretty far removed from what's happening around the country. It still hurts to see these images. Significant change is needed. People have been pushed until they can't take it anymore. Another strong reminder to get out the vote in November.