Java House Coffee Bar

Chef Elaine walked a couple of down the bikeway in Broad Ripple, Indiana to the Java House coffee shop for our morning pickup.  As the picture below shows, they have an unusual series of taps for their various coffees achieving a large set of options.  Knowing my love of darker blends, she bought me an Americano and it delivered a flavorful kick.  Move over Starbucks...

https://javahouse.com

Spankertown

Founded in 1878, Spanker is an Unincorporated Place in Montgomery County, Ohio around the intersection of Little York Road and Dog Leg Road.  A post office was established there in 1860 and Branston Hutchins opened a carriage shop and manufactured his "Spanker" wagons, hence the name of the town.  The sign shown below still stands and uses the name "Spankertown", which is also listed on the map at the link below.

Big shout out to my son for snapping the photo!

https://www.historicalsocietyvandalia-butler.org/images/pdfs/bt1875map.pdf

Backyard Beautification

The backyard of our neighbor to the north used to be filled with gnarly bushes and unkept shrubbery, but this spring and summer they did a most fabulous job of redoing the entire yard.  After ripping up the old mess they planted hundreds of flowers, put in a new fence, and planted grass along the fence lines.  It's almost a shame that Chef Elaine and I get to stare out at this beautiful sight more than the owners do.

Killing The Killers

I thought today, 9/11, would be an appropriate day to tell you about the most recent audiobook we listened to in the car.  Killing The Killers details the search and elimination of some of the world's most notorious terrorists including Osama bin Laden, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and Qasim Al-Raymi.  This is not a book for the faint-hearted as the details get pretty gruesome, but it paints exactly what this enemy is about and what amazing technology we have to take them out.

https://www.billoreilly.com/p/Killing-the-Killers/Killing-the-Killers/56863.html

Turkey Rachel

Chef Elaine put her own spin on this classic Turkey Rachel (aka Turkey Rueben) using home-fashioned Thousand Island dressing in place of the recipe's (see link below) Russian dressing.  She opted for the recipe's cole slaw while placating me with sauerkraut instead.  The key to this is using the flattop to cook the components separately and then assembling them together at the end.  Bring a big appetite, as a single sandwich is more than a meal full.

https://www.marthastewart.com/318037/the-rachel-sandwich

OHLQ

Ohio Liquor's website (at the link below) makes it easy to find your favorite adult beverage including the categories seen in the first image below.  That's particularly true for those products that are on allocation in the state, which in my case is Buffalo Trace bourbon.  I recently used the website to locate the nearest store where it was in stock and found Belmont Party Supply said they had some (second image below).  A quick trip to the store proved the website was accurate, allowing me to snag a bottle.  It appears the website's inventory gets updated maybe twice a day, so it's no guarantee, but arriving when the store opens if they're showing your favorite in stock should help you get yours.

https://www.ohlq.com

The Smell Of Rain

We've been runners for many, many years, and with all those miles comes getting caught in some crazy weather.  You can tell the rain is headed towards you by your nose and that sweet and pungent smell.  That aroma is the ozone that is driven down from higher elevations.  The origin of the word "ozone" comes from the Greek word, “ozein” which means “smell".  There are two other aromas you can pick up as the rain continues, petrichor and geosmin, which you can read about at the link below.

https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/what-are-you-actually-smelling-when-it-rains-2/432139

Day To Never Clever

We were sipping on a beer at the downtown Dayton Beer Company and noticed the sayings painted on the Wright Brothers Institute building.  The creative use of "Dayton" in "This is the Day to Never Give Up" was particularly clever and if they had not colored it in blue I'm sure I would have never seen it.

More information on the Wright Brothers Institute can be found at the link below.

https://www.wbi-innovates.com

Al Johnson's Flying Field

In the mid-1920s, the land area shown below was Al Johnson's Flying Field in Vandalia, Ohio.  Al needed a larger place and moved his operation from an area on Wilmington Pike.  That land would later become the Gentile Air Force Station better known as a Defense Electronics Supply Center (DESC), and currently the Kettering Business Park.  He operated his business until 1934 when the government canceled the "Civilian Air Mail" service, 

More details and a fascinating timeline can be found at the following link.

https://www.historicalsocietyvandalia-butler.org/aljohnson.htm

Bacon-Ranch Pasta Salad

Here's a treat if you're looking for a side dish to take to a Labor Day weekend party and we all know bacon makes everything better.  Start by cooking the bacon (we like it baked), cooking the pasta, and allowing both to cool.  In a large bowl mix together the sour cream, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, ranch seasoning, and garlic powder.  Add the bacon, pasta, Parmesan cheese, cherry tomatoes, and dill, and mix it all up.  Find all the fine details at the link below.

Chef Elaine does it again!

https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/bacon-ranch-pasta-salad