Newsweek is in trouble. As American media continues its dramatic slide from print to electronic distribution, the second ranked news magazine seems on the verge of disappearing. So it hired Tina Brown, updated its format and added provocative stories to try to keep itself relevant, Now we hear that the magazine may go completely electronic. This week's attempt at relevance is the cover story "Hit the Road, Barack" by Harvard historian Niall Ferguson. You can read the article here (God forbid you actually pay for the magazine!). I think it's basic premise is that President Obama lacked experience in governance, had a steep learning curve, left a lot of decisions to more experienced staffers and still lacks a coherent program. The controversy arises when Ferguson backs things up with lots of figures and charts which may or may not be accurate and includes a last page that is a rather breathless love note to Paul Ryan.
Did Ferguson adequately support his premise? His article spurred the kind of in-depth analysis that has been lacking from political discourse for some time. You can read "A Full Fact Check" of Ferguson's numbers at The Atlantic. A broader attack on the article also comes from The Atlantic's James Fellowes. Then you can watch Ferguson rebut the rebutters here. A summary of the thrusts and counter-thrusts can be found at the Guardian, a generally solid British newspaper.
Lots to read and think about and probably after a while your head, like mine, will start to ache. The worst thing about the whole debate is that both sides talk about economics and foreign policy as if the biggest underlying threat to humanity-our impact on the environment-doesn't exist. One would hope that now in 2012 the basis for any coherent domestic or foreign policy needs to take the environment into primary consideration. The fact that neither candidate nor their surrogates are doing so is troubling.
Welcome
A curiosity shop is a place of odds and ends in a wide range of categories. One never knows what one will find on any visit, and that is the goal of this blog. Here you'll find postings on doings around Easton, the world's environment, history, recipes, fly fishing, books, music, and movies with many other things thrown in as well. Hope you enjoy it and keep coming back.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Saturday, August 25, 2012
The Mosquito Issue
I usually avoid the comment sections of the Patch and the various posting boards around town, but I couldn't resist twice this year. Both times someone named Jimmy Donnelly posted a link to a Herald article that ranked school department pensions. That really put me in the dumps, JimDo! I'm #8 on the list and drive an 8 year old Ford instead of that new Lamborghini, that the Howie Carr crowd thinks all us teacher retirees have. Thanks very, very much to the former student who posted in support.
That's not the crux of the issue, however, JimDo called me a "glad handing Town Hall groupie." I knew I should have trademarked "curmudgeonly Town Hall stalker." Just want the folks at Town Hall to know that I won't be asking for their autographs any time soon and I'll continue to look at that half glass of water as totally empty. And, damn it, put a clock in the Mary Connolly Room!
Anyway, what got me in trouble with JimDo was a moderately positive response to a letter to the Patch from Gil Heino of the Board of Health. There's nobody who takes his town position more seriously than Gil so I thought I'd give some strong support to the folks on the BOH and some qualified support to their "curfew" proposal.
Back in 1918 the town had the right to quarantine people in their houses during the Great Flu Epidemic if anyone in the family had the disease. I thought the Board of Health inherited those strong powers, but Gil has explained that with EEE, the BOH only has the right to suggest evening activity limits. In order to actually ban activities they need to issue a regulation, hold a hearing, and then vote the regulation, a process that takes a couple of weeks. Meanwhile many people continue with group outdoor activities on public property in peak mosquito hours.
To expedite the regulatory process, the BOH posted a boiler plate regulation on their website which has been roundly criticized for its potential $1000 fine and vague assumption of power. Further, the right wing nutballs have seized on this as another example of Obama socialism (what about the Patriot Act and the Republican abortion platform, you nimrods?) Strangely, dear nutballs, I share your fear of federal power. The further government gets from the people the more likely the abuse of power, but with town government it is us ruling ourselves. If we can't pragmatically work out solutions to our local problems without being straightjacketed by ideologies, then things really are hopeless.
Last year I blogged about the very low risk of getting triple E and my scepticism regarding spraying. Gil got sick of hearing me list the things you were more likely to die from than EEE: Bee stings! Snakes on a Plane! Adam Sandler movies! But the bottom line has always been that while the risks of contracting EEE are generally low, the results of contracting it are completely devastating. What the BOH faces each year is a tricky calculus of risk assessment, and this year the threat level is the highest ever according to experts at the state-a higher % of bugs with the disease earlier than ever. As individuals we all do the same calculus. I was working outside yesterday without spraying with DEET; the risk assessment proved to be faulty when a mosquito showed up. Only I was involved in the potential consequences, however.
The reason we need a stronger, but still limited, regulation is that there are people in town who run programs for others who do the same calculus without the level of knowledge that has been given to the BOH. You know who I'm talking about and the people at risk-kids. Sure parents are responsible for their children, but the group think of "all the other kids are doing it" is a powerful thing especially in groups were placements are being won or lost. I'm not suggesting those adults are being callous-there have been lots of ground spraying, public and private, and insect repellent is readily available (one wonders about those consequences). Still I see nothing wrong with a narrowly tailored regulation that would give the BOH the right to put a curfew on outdoor programs on public property when the state raises the EEE threat level to severe. A $1000 fine is excessive, but probably grows from the fact that potential violators are likely to be organizations rather than individuals. Since all regulations need a fine to mandate enforcement, it should be lowered to $25.
Once we get past this regulatory flap. The town can proceed to develop safe alternatives like the School Department has done.
JimDo and his friends probably missed an article that fluttered under the radar this week. A scientist studied the sighting records of the Massachusetts Butterfly Society for the last 40 years. It was discovered that more butterflies from southern regions are moving into Massachusetts while butterflies that have a more northerly distribution are moving out. In other words, the climate change that the right wing denies is causing changes in the pretty bugs. Ya think that the sudden change in the pattern of EEE infestations might be linked to that "imaginary" problem?
PS: Nimrod was a great grandson of Noah. The original meaning of the word nimrod was "a great hunter." In current slang it means a simpleton. In future I'll only use the word in connection with members of the NRA.
That's not the crux of the issue, however, JimDo called me a "glad handing Town Hall groupie." I knew I should have trademarked "curmudgeonly Town Hall stalker." Just want the folks at Town Hall to know that I won't be asking for their autographs any time soon and I'll continue to look at that half glass of water as totally empty. And, damn it, put a clock in the Mary Connolly Room!
Anyway, what got me in trouble with JimDo was a moderately positive response to a letter to the Patch from Gil Heino of the Board of Health. There's nobody who takes his town position more seriously than Gil so I thought I'd give some strong support to the folks on the BOH and some qualified support to their "curfew" proposal.
Back in 1918 the town had the right to quarantine people in their houses during the Great Flu Epidemic if anyone in the family had the disease. I thought the Board of Health inherited those strong powers, but Gil has explained that with EEE, the BOH only has the right to suggest evening activity limits. In order to actually ban activities they need to issue a regulation, hold a hearing, and then vote the regulation, a process that takes a couple of weeks. Meanwhile many people continue with group outdoor activities on public property in peak mosquito hours.
To expedite the regulatory process, the BOH posted a boiler plate regulation on their website which has been roundly criticized for its potential $1000 fine and vague assumption of power. Further, the right wing nutballs have seized on this as another example of Obama socialism (what about the Patriot Act and the Republican abortion platform, you nimrods?) Strangely, dear nutballs, I share your fear of federal power. The further government gets from the people the more likely the abuse of power, but with town government it is us ruling ourselves. If we can't pragmatically work out solutions to our local problems without being straightjacketed by ideologies, then things really are hopeless.
Last year I blogged about the very low risk of getting triple E and my scepticism regarding spraying. Gil got sick of hearing me list the things you were more likely to die from than EEE: Bee stings! Snakes on a Plane! Adam Sandler movies! But the bottom line has always been that while the risks of contracting EEE are generally low, the results of contracting it are completely devastating. What the BOH faces each year is a tricky calculus of risk assessment, and this year the threat level is the highest ever according to experts at the state-a higher % of bugs with the disease earlier than ever. As individuals we all do the same calculus. I was working outside yesterday without spraying with DEET; the risk assessment proved to be faulty when a mosquito showed up. Only I was involved in the potential consequences, however.
The reason we need a stronger, but still limited, regulation is that there are people in town who run programs for others who do the same calculus without the level of knowledge that has been given to the BOH. You know who I'm talking about and the people at risk-kids. Sure parents are responsible for their children, but the group think of "all the other kids are doing it" is a powerful thing especially in groups were placements are being won or lost. I'm not suggesting those adults are being callous-there have been lots of ground spraying, public and private, and insect repellent is readily available (one wonders about those consequences). Still I see nothing wrong with a narrowly tailored regulation that would give the BOH the right to put a curfew on outdoor programs on public property when the state raises the EEE threat level to severe. A $1000 fine is excessive, but probably grows from the fact that potential violators are likely to be organizations rather than individuals. Since all regulations need a fine to mandate enforcement, it should be lowered to $25.
Once we get past this regulatory flap. The town can proceed to develop safe alternatives like the School Department has done.
JimDo and his friends probably missed an article that fluttered under the radar this week. A scientist studied the sighting records of the Massachusetts Butterfly Society for the last 40 years. It was discovered that more butterflies from southern regions are moving into Massachusetts while butterflies that have a more northerly distribution are moving out. In other words, the climate change that the right wing denies is causing changes in the pretty bugs. Ya think that the sudden change in the pattern of EEE infestations might be linked to that "imaginary" problem?
PS: Nimrod was a great grandson of Noah. The original meaning of the word nimrod was "a great hunter." In current slang it means a simpleton. In future I'll only use the word in connection with members of the NRA.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Some Genealogical Ramblings
Monday Morning I posted a real letter to someone named Richard Carville Hands in Canby, Washington. It was spooky to write that name since it was my uncle's name and he has been gone for close to twenty years. If my genealogical research is correct, this Richard is my second cousin.
Here in Easton we make much of the fact that from 1803 until 2007 there was always at least one Oliver Ames living here. The persistence of family names is common in many families not just the rich ones so it can be a useful thing in genealogical research. Here's the story in my family.
The earliest member of the Hands family I've been able to track down was a Welsh butcher who was born in 1800 and died in 1849. He had a son named Abraham and others named William and George. None of those names persisted in the family. Abraham born in 1827 died in 1863 from a fall; his story was told in an earlier blog.
Abraham had Frederick born in 1857, Herbert and Sydney. Sydney stayed in England while Herbert and Frederick emigrated to Boston and became citizens of the USA. Frederick married a woman named Mary Coleman (interestingly, but not too surprisingly Frederick's sister was also named Mary). Mary Coleman was a very proud and probably forceful woman-she got what she wanted. Her mother's maiden name was Mary Carville. When the now Mary Hands gave birth to two sons they were given the first names Coleman and Carville.
Carville Hands had three sons James (first name from his wife's father), Herbert Carville Hands (the immigrant Herbert had died just before this man was born), and Richard Carville Hands. Herbert became my dad (my first name was my mother's great grandfather's).
Coleman Hands was three years older than Carville so his first child, another Frederick, was born in 1913. Six years later my dad arrived. Sometime in between Coleman moved to Chicago and the Massachusetts and Midwestern branches lost track of each other. Coleman's son Frederick became a focus of my research as mentioned in an earlier blog. We followed him through the 1930 census and through college at the University of Illinois where he became an engineer.
Ancestry.com lately made the 1940 available to researchers and that allowed me to track Frederick to Akron, Ohio where he worked for a "rubber company" probably the one with the blimp. In 1940 he and his wife had a son who they named Richard Carville Hands. So 140 years after the first Richard was born the family had two, but how did it happen? My uncle the other Richard C. was born in 1929. Did Carville keep in touch with Coleman and his son Frederick? Was the Midwestern Richard named after his Massachusetts cousin? Did Carville name his youngest son for the great-grandfather who had died fifty years before he was born? It could have been chance, but remember that the two oldest boys both had "inherited" names.
My grandfather died in 1953 predeceasing Coleman by 24 years, and my dad never mentioned the other branch of the family. After getting Richard's name from the 1940 census, it was relatively easy to trace him and his father to the Pacific Northwest. Getting the address to mail the letter? There's an app for that. So, with a little bit of luck, some family mysteries will be revealed. Or maybe I'll be inheriting a family feud between Coleman and Carville that goes back a hundred years. Thought that only happened on my mother's side of the family!
Here in Easton we make much of the fact that from 1803 until 2007 there was always at least one Oliver Ames living here. The persistence of family names is common in many families not just the rich ones so it can be a useful thing in genealogical research. Here's the story in my family.
The earliest member of the Hands family I've been able to track down was a Welsh butcher who was born in 1800 and died in 1849. He had a son named Abraham and others named William and George. None of those names persisted in the family. Abraham born in 1827 died in 1863 from a fall; his story was told in an earlier blog.
Abraham had Frederick born in 1857, Herbert and Sydney. Sydney stayed in England while Herbert and Frederick emigrated to Boston and became citizens of the USA. Frederick married a woman named Mary Coleman (interestingly, but not too surprisingly Frederick's sister was also named Mary). Mary Coleman was a very proud and probably forceful woman-she got what she wanted. Her mother's maiden name was Mary Carville. When the now Mary Hands gave birth to two sons they were given the first names Coleman and Carville.
Carville Hands had three sons James (first name from his wife's father), Herbert Carville Hands (the immigrant Herbert had died just before this man was born), and Richard Carville Hands. Herbert became my dad (my first name was my mother's great grandfather's).
Coleman Hands was three years older than Carville so his first child, another Frederick, was born in 1913. Six years later my dad arrived. Sometime in between Coleman moved to Chicago and the Massachusetts and Midwestern branches lost track of each other. Coleman's son Frederick became a focus of my research as mentioned in an earlier blog. We followed him through the 1930 census and through college at the University of Illinois where he became an engineer.
Ancestry.com lately made the 1940 available to researchers and that allowed me to track Frederick to Akron, Ohio where he worked for a "rubber company" probably the one with the blimp. In 1940 he and his wife had a son who they named Richard Carville Hands. So 140 years after the first Richard was born the family had two, but how did it happen? My uncle the other Richard C. was born in 1929. Did Carville keep in touch with Coleman and his son Frederick? Was the Midwestern Richard named after his Massachusetts cousin? Did Carville name his youngest son for the great-grandfather who had died fifty years before he was born? It could have been chance, but remember that the two oldest boys both had "inherited" names.
My grandfather died in 1953 predeceasing Coleman by 24 years, and my dad never mentioned the other branch of the family. After getting Richard's name from the 1940 census, it was relatively easy to trace him and his father to the Pacific Northwest. Getting the address to mail the letter? There's an app for that. So, with a little bit of luck, some family mysteries will be revealed. Or maybe I'll be inheriting a family feud between Coleman and Carville that goes back a hundred years. Thought that only happened on my mother's side of the family!
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Tacqueria
One should never judge a restaurant on its opening day so Roxanne's Tacqueria will get a second look in September, but a visit yesterday was extremely disappointing.
It looked as if all staff was on hand yesterday as each step of the taco/burrito making process had an individual on duty-it looked like the lunch ladies in the old time school cafeteria had been replaced by nervous high school students. Basically you have four choices for meats in your Mexican street food-carne asado, carnitas, chorizo, and lime marinated grilled chicken. The carne asado is beef that looked like the burnt ends you can get at a barbecue place, and it wasn't moving although the tiny restaurant was busy for the start of dinner. Carnitas, Mexican pulled pork, and the chicken were popular choices. I decided on two tacos (the soft flour version) one with the chicken and one with the chorizo. The chorizo is a sausage served there as a ground up florescent orange and brown mix-it wasn't moving anymore than the carne asado.
The servers began by putting the taco in a press which apparently was aimed at warming them up. It didn't do much. The flat tacos were then placed on aluminum foil and passed to the meat station. The meat wasn't all that hot either. Next came the toppings where both the server and I were confused about what came next. I was offered red salsa, but I had noted there was a green tomatillo salsa so I asked for that. When the server showed me the watery green mix, I opted back for the red which was tomato bits with the tiniest amount of onion and cilantro. I asked for the smokey tomato jam which comes as a 50 cent extra. A slightly older staff member had to literally run around and search for it. Arriving at the cash register, the last person in line rolled up the aluminum foil and handed me two now interconnected tacos that were impossible to eat out of hand. The dining experience consisted of unwrapping the foil, disconnecting the intertwined tacos and eating the fillings before eating the taco shells separately.
Aside from the smokey tomato jam which was very good, there was not much to say about the food. The salsa was bland-the version at our own El Mariachi is vastly superior and even the salsa at McGuire's is better. There wasn't much to distinguish the taste of the two meats. The chorizo was much milder than the wonderful Portuguese versions we're used to around here, while the mild spicing of the chicken did nothing to separate its flavor from the chorizo. I side of guacamole was very good, but given the price of avocados in the market, the quarter cup for $1.90 seemed a little pricey.
So see you in September which is sad since the idea of Mexican street food is a good one. This new one falls below Qdoba and well below Chipotle's-so go to Mansfield Crossing for street food and stay in Easton for a good sit down meal at El Mariachi's.
It looked as if all staff was on hand yesterday as each step of the taco/burrito making process had an individual on duty-it looked like the lunch ladies in the old time school cafeteria had been replaced by nervous high school students. Basically you have four choices for meats in your Mexican street food-carne asado, carnitas, chorizo, and lime marinated grilled chicken. The carne asado is beef that looked like the burnt ends you can get at a barbecue place, and it wasn't moving although the tiny restaurant was busy for the start of dinner. Carnitas, Mexican pulled pork, and the chicken were popular choices. I decided on two tacos (the soft flour version) one with the chicken and one with the chorizo. The chorizo is a sausage served there as a ground up florescent orange and brown mix-it wasn't moving anymore than the carne asado.
The servers began by putting the taco in a press which apparently was aimed at warming them up. It didn't do much. The flat tacos were then placed on aluminum foil and passed to the meat station. The meat wasn't all that hot either. Next came the toppings where both the server and I were confused about what came next. I was offered red salsa, but I had noted there was a green tomatillo salsa so I asked for that. When the server showed me the watery green mix, I opted back for the red which was tomato bits with the tiniest amount of onion and cilantro. I asked for the smokey tomato jam which comes as a 50 cent extra. A slightly older staff member had to literally run around and search for it. Arriving at the cash register, the last person in line rolled up the aluminum foil and handed me two now interconnected tacos that were impossible to eat out of hand. The dining experience consisted of unwrapping the foil, disconnecting the intertwined tacos and eating the fillings before eating the taco shells separately.
Aside from the smokey tomato jam which was very good, there was not much to say about the food. The salsa was bland-the version at our own El Mariachi is vastly superior and even the salsa at McGuire's is better. There wasn't much to distinguish the taste of the two meats. The chorizo was much milder than the wonderful Portuguese versions we're used to around here, while the mild spicing of the chicken did nothing to separate its flavor from the chorizo. I side of guacamole was very good, but given the price of avocados in the market, the quarter cup for $1.90 seemed a little pricey.
So see you in September which is sad since the idea of Mexican street food is a good one. This new one falls below Qdoba and well below Chipotle's-so go to Mansfield Crossing for street food and stay in Easton for a good sit down meal at El Mariachi's.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Restaurant News
Sorry to hear the news that Soups on Center will not be reopening. Sadly a place that was making good quality food wasn't making money. Folks who are looking for a sandwich in North Easton are now stuck with TD's Deli which has really declined sharply due to changes in both management and employees. Andrews Bakery serves excellent simple sandwiches on great bread, but it's a long way to go for people in the schools or historic district. Mario's remains a good choice, I suppose although I always seem to use their second shop at Whistlestop. Just a warning to restauranteurs-naming a sandwich after me is the kiss of death, but I'll miss "Ed's Double Dogs" at Soups.
A business lunch at the Lafayette House in Foxboro, the bar there looks like it was pulled out of the 18th century and the meals are great and surprisingly affordable. I always seem to get their version of Cioppino. Dinner will be at a new taco place at Cobb's Corner in Sharon. They are opening "for sure" today-they were supposed to open yesterday with tacos, tamales, burritos. It's billed as Mexican street food. The tacos are all under $2.50 with interesting add-ons liked "smoky tomato jam" at 50 cents. Side dishes are sold separately. The location just across the street from the old KFC is in the strip that is impacted by the ugly speed bumps so it is not idea.
Checking the tacquiera yesterday lead ultimately to a lunch at the Chinatown restaurant in the opposite strip mall. Don't know why I tried a fried oyster special (one fried dish a week!) and a traditional shu mai appetizer. The oysters were OK-my eagle eyed server coming back to see how things were going saw a shell in the batter and saved me a broken tooth, but the shu mai was exceptional. Shu mai are those little cups (not so little here) of stuffing-this one was filled with pork, mushrooms, and shrimp. The best rendition of this dish I've had outside Boston. I should have ordered one of the two steamed bun appetizers instead of the oysters.
Chinatown and the new Thai restaurant at the old McMenamy's in Raynham seem pricey to me. With an all you can eat buffet at the fine Indian restaurant at Coriander's in Sharon (and a fine Szechuan restaurant in that town as well) you don't have to pay an arm and a leg for excellent ethnic food. Also, ave to say that while the Lucky Corner will never be confused with gourmet dining, it does serve good take-out at a fair price.
Anyone hear any restaurant rumors in town? Is the Cheese Cake Factory still on the way;-) Let me know!
A business lunch at the Lafayette House in Foxboro, the bar there looks like it was pulled out of the 18th century and the meals are great and surprisingly affordable. I always seem to get their version of Cioppino. Dinner will be at a new taco place at Cobb's Corner in Sharon. They are opening "for sure" today-they were supposed to open yesterday with tacos, tamales, burritos. It's billed as Mexican street food. The tacos are all under $2.50 with interesting add-ons liked "smoky tomato jam" at 50 cents. Side dishes are sold separately. The location just across the street from the old KFC is in the strip that is impacted by the ugly speed bumps so it is not idea.
Checking the tacquiera yesterday lead ultimately to a lunch at the Chinatown restaurant in the opposite strip mall. Don't know why I tried a fried oyster special (one fried dish a week!) and a traditional shu mai appetizer. The oysters were OK-my eagle eyed server coming back to see how things were going saw a shell in the batter and saved me a broken tooth, but the shu mai was exceptional. Shu mai are those little cups (not so little here) of stuffing-this one was filled with pork, mushrooms, and shrimp. The best rendition of this dish I've had outside Boston. I should have ordered one of the two steamed bun appetizers instead of the oysters.
Chinatown and the new Thai restaurant at the old McMenamy's in Raynham seem pricey to me. With an all you can eat buffet at the fine Indian restaurant at Coriander's in Sharon (and a fine Szechuan restaurant in that town as well) you don't have to pay an arm and a leg for excellent ethnic food. Also, ave to say that while the Lucky Corner will never be confused with gourmet dining, it does serve good take-out at a fair price.
Anyone hear any restaurant rumors in town? Is the Cheese Cake Factory still on the way;-) Let me know!
Sunday, August 19, 2012
A Visit to the Ames Shovel Works
I was lucky enough to participate in a tour of the Ames Shovel Works project yesterday. It was my first visit to the site since the ground breaking ceremony and my third tour since Beacon took over the property. Like many other people I've been driving around the periphery almost daily, but you can't really get an idea of how much has been done unless you are on site.
The first question people have been asking me is has any archaeology been done on the site. The answer is complicated. If you are talking about the typical Discovery Channel special with sweaty interns working with picks, shovels, and tiny brushes, the answer is no. Beacon has deadlines and the project right now is on schedule and on budget. The project has its own preservationist on site and the Easton Historical Commission has its expert watching over the project as well. Their conclusion is that the typical archaeological dig would only delay the project with little reward.
Remember that when the site was originally sold to Arnold Tofias in the early 1970s. The buildings were loaded with "junk" that had been accumulated over the century that the company had been in business there. Most of what was valuable and visible found its way to the Tofias Industrial Archives at Stonehill where it is safely preserved today. Mr. Tofias then had concrete flooring poured so he could reuse the buildings as warehouses and offices.
The experts on site have concluded that the usual sifting of dirt outside the buildings would not reveal the usual layers of human occupation since the ground has been turned over so many times by the building and rebuilding on the site over the "short" span of 150 years. Indeed, most of the interesting small artifacts that have turned up have not been found outside. It turns out that by pouring the floors, Tofias sealed in a number of artifacts and site features. With the floors being jackhammered up to be replaced, these things have been revealed and saved. The small artifacts range from some tools to large dies used to shape the shovels. These artifacts are being conserved so that they can be displayed on site.
Outside, the construction crew has been remarkably sensitive to any important underground features discovered such as the original raceway with water wheel or the wooden supports for the hammers in the Steam Hammer Shop. One goal of the shovel company after its move to this site was to begin the transition from water power to steam power. However, a large raceway with a large waterwheel still provided power for many years. When it was no longer used for power this covered raceway became part of the on site drainage system. The raceway was clearly marked on the plans so it was no surprise when the construction equipment discovered it, but no one was prepared to find the large granite slabs that lined and covered it or the remains of the waterwheel. Work went on around this feature while the archaeologists and preservationists came in and measured and photographed everything.
The interesting result of this work-around was two fold. First a plan was devised to remove and save both the original wheel and the granite slabs, second it was discovered that the waterwheel was an overshot wheel. Waterwheels come in three varieties overshot where the water goes over the wheel, breastshot where the water hits the wheel halfway down, and undershot where the water flows under the wheel. Everyone thought that the wheel would have been a breastshot wheel which was the most common one in use during the industrial revolution. However, the careful measurements allowed by the extra time given by the project managers showed that there was just enough room to make this an overshot wheel. Overshot wheels had the highest efficiency for getting the most out of the water's energy, but needed a relatively complex water system to make them work. The use of an overshot wheel is another example of Ames technical skill.
The discovery of the wooden footings in the steam hammer shop also led to the discovery that traditional trip hammers were used there instead of other more modern designs. Old Oliver Ames had received a patent for an improved trip hammer so perhaps the company felt comfortable using this particular kind of hammer. Lest you should think about these hammers as something you might have in your home workshop, please note that the wooden beams supporting them were 22 feet long!
Other large discoveries like parts of the steam power system and the door to the company safe will also be preserved on site. The landscapers are adapting their plans to use the granite from raceway in the landscaping.
In conclusion I was greatly impressed with my visit from a historical perspective. For the first time in decades you can see the overall design of the site in its heyday. Important new information about the history of the operation has been uncovered, but more even more important is the quality of the historic preservation in the construction. This quality gets down to things as minute as choosing the appropriate color of the shingles on the roof or the type of window to be used. Remember that Beacon is committed to having the best example of historic preservation coupled with LEED certification for green buildings. Remember also what a challenge that is-windows have to be historically appropriate, fitted in non-standard window openings, and energy efficient. This site will be a showplace when its completed. Join the Beacon project with the revitalization of Main Street, and the opening of the Governor Ames estate plus all the other interesting historical and environmental attractions in North Easton and we will have something really unique in the state.
The first question people have been asking me is has any archaeology been done on the site. The answer is complicated. If you are talking about the typical Discovery Channel special with sweaty interns working with picks, shovels, and tiny brushes, the answer is no. Beacon has deadlines and the project right now is on schedule and on budget. The project has its own preservationist on site and the Easton Historical Commission has its expert watching over the project as well. Their conclusion is that the typical archaeological dig would only delay the project with little reward.
Remember that when the site was originally sold to Arnold Tofias in the early 1970s. The buildings were loaded with "junk" that had been accumulated over the century that the company had been in business there. Most of what was valuable and visible found its way to the Tofias Industrial Archives at Stonehill where it is safely preserved today. Mr. Tofias then had concrete flooring poured so he could reuse the buildings as warehouses and offices.
The experts on site have concluded that the usual sifting of dirt outside the buildings would not reveal the usual layers of human occupation since the ground has been turned over so many times by the building and rebuilding on the site over the "short" span of 150 years. Indeed, most of the interesting small artifacts that have turned up have not been found outside. It turns out that by pouring the floors, Tofias sealed in a number of artifacts and site features. With the floors being jackhammered up to be replaced, these things have been revealed and saved. The small artifacts range from some tools to large dies used to shape the shovels. These artifacts are being conserved so that they can be displayed on site.
Outside, the construction crew has been remarkably sensitive to any important underground features discovered such as the original raceway with water wheel or the wooden supports for the hammers in the Steam Hammer Shop. One goal of the shovel company after its move to this site was to begin the transition from water power to steam power. However, a large raceway with a large waterwheel still provided power for many years. When it was no longer used for power this covered raceway became part of the on site drainage system. The raceway was clearly marked on the plans so it was no surprise when the construction equipment discovered it, but no one was prepared to find the large granite slabs that lined and covered it or the remains of the waterwheel. Work went on around this feature while the archaeologists and preservationists came in and measured and photographed everything.
The interesting result of this work-around was two fold. First a plan was devised to remove and save both the original wheel and the granite slabs, second it was discovered that the waterwheel was an overshot wheel. Waterwheels come in three varieties overshot where the water goes over the wheel, breastshot where the water hits the wheel halfway down, and undershot where the water flows under the wheel. Everyone thought that the wheel would have been a breastshot wheel which was the most common one in use during the industrial revolution. However, the careful measurements allowed by the extra time given by the project managers showed that there was just enough room to make this an overshot wheel. Overshot wheels had the highest efficiency for getting the most out of the water's energy, but needed a relatively complex water system to make them work. The use of an overshot wheel is another example of Ames technical skill.
The discovery of the wooden footings in the steam hammer shop also led to the discovery that traditional trip hammers were used there instead of other more modern designs. Old Oliver Ames had received a patent for an improved trip hammer so perhaps the company felt comfortable using this particular kind of hammer. Lest you should think about these hammers as something you might have in your home workshop, please note that the wooden beams supporting them were 22 feet long!
Other large discoveries like parts of the steam power system and the door to the company safe will also be preserved on site. The landscapers are adapting their plans to use the granite from raceway in the landscaping.
In conclusion I was greatly impressed with my visit from a historical perspective. For the first time in decades you can see the overall design of the site in its heyday. Important new information about the history of the operation has been uncovered, but more even more important is the quality of the historic preservation in the construction. This quality gets down to things as minute as choosing the appropriate color of the shingles on the roof or the type of window to be used. Remember that Beacon is committed to having the best example of historic preservation coupled with LEED certification for green buildings. Remember also what a challenge that is-windows have to be historically appropriate, fitted in non-standard window openings, and energy efficient. This site will be a showplace when its completed. Join the Beacon project with the revitalization of Main Street, and the opening of the Governor Ames estate plus all the other interesting historical and environmental attractions in North Easton and we will have something really unique in the state.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
A Fromage to Julia Child on her 100th Birthday
Yeah, yeah, my French is still good enough to know it's homage, not fromage, but Julia would have appreciated the cheese! I was a big fan of Julia Child for her whole long career. When the French Chef first came on TV in black and white on Channel 2, I was in Junior High in Braintree going to school over an intercom due to a bad case of rheumatic fever. My mother was a really good cook of typical Yankee fare, but Julia's French recipes were a revelation. I was fascinated by Julia's state presence, enthusiasm, and can-do attitude.
Home didn't suddenly turn into a French restaurant. Mom tried some of Julia's recipes, but what happened was a renaissance of recipe sharing among all the mom's in the neighborhood. Everyone was trying out new things some inspired by Julia and others not. This was the time when I was finally old enough to help out in the kitchen so I started to learn to cook because of Julia. She certainly gave me my life long love of trying unusual ethnic restaurants although surprisingly I never developed a liking for French nouvelle cuisine.
The only person left out of the Julia Revolution was Dad who never lost his love for simple, boring dishes-probably part of his English-Irish heritage. Great for roasts, steaks, baked chicken, bad for vegetables. It took years to get him to eat frozen peas instead of canned ones. Luckily for family harmony about 20 years after we moved to Easton, Dad took a job working nights. So while he was eating deviled ham or sardines at work, I got to take Mom to a great variety of restaurants.
Meanwhile, Julia kept PBS afloat, helped launch a bazillion other TV chefs and was ultimately responsible for whole cable channels! Amazing!
Here's a website that lists Julia's top 100 recipes out of the 3700 she published. How many do you remember? Unfortunately, it's just a list-no recipes. Over at PBS there is much more: recipes, streaming videos of shows that haven't aired in decades, and tributes from other chefs. Happy Birthday, Julia.
Home didn't suddenly turn into a French restaurant. Mom tried some of Julia's recipes, but what happened was a renaissance of recipe sharing among all the mom's in the neighborhood. Everyone was trying out new things some inspired by Julia and others not. This was the time when I was finally old enough to help out in the kitchen so I started to learn to cook because of Julia. She certainly gave me my life long love of trying unusual ethnic restaurants although surprisingly I never developed a liking for French nouvelle cuisine.
The only person left out of the Julia Revolution was Dad who never lost his love for simple, boring dishes-probably part of his English-Irish heritage. Great for roasts, steaks, baked chicken, bad for vegetables. It took years to get him to eat frozen peas instead of canned ones. Luckily for family harmony about 20 years after we moved to Easton, Dad took a job working nights. So while he was eating deviled ham or sardines at work, I got to take Mom to a great variety of restaurants.
Meanwhile, Julia kept PBS afloat, helped launch a bazillion other TV chefs and was ultimately responsible for whole cable channels! Amazing!
Here's a website that lists Julia's top 100 recipes out of the 3700 she published. How many do you remember? Unfortunately, it's just a list-no recipes. Over at PBS there is much more: recipes, streaming videos of shows that haven't aired in decades, and tributes from other chefs. Happy Birthday, Julia.
Monday, August 6, 2012
New Choices at the Farmer's Market
I spent my blogging time in the last week writing Rules, Regulations, Guidelines and Forms for the Historical Commission. That project is not quite finished but it's time to get back to blogging.
If you didn't stop by the Farmer's Market on Saturday then you missed the debut of the Foxboro Cheese Company which is selling their own Asiago and Fromage Blanc cheese along with a variety of other cheese from Massachusetts dairies. I tried the bought the Smoked Gouda and a Chipotle Gouda from a farm in Winchendon. The Chipotle is really spicy, but delicious. The Asiago is a strong, flavorful cheese as well. A fresh Mozzarella is also available.
The Foxboro Cheese Company also sells ground beef and sausages from grass fed beef. While I love a good old fashioned roast beef, I'm not generally a big fan of beef. I decided to try the bratwurst just so I could tell everyone about it. The four sausages weigh about a pound and cost $12. They come frozen and I had trouble separating them-I ended up cooking two when I only wanted one. The sausages are all beef in a hog casing with no nitrates or nitrites added. The grass fed beef makes the sausages relatively lean. The bratwurst is denser than commercial sausages and has a mild beefy taste. I'd give it a thumbs up.
We've had two wineries at the market over the last two weeks. The first to arrive was the long established Westport Winery. Recently Running Brook winery joined us. Running Brook will be on site every Saturday and every other Tuesday; Westport will be here on the alternate Tuesday. Both companies let you taste the wine before buying. There certainly are differences! Westport's dinner wines are generally drier than Running Brook's which are generally sweeter and fruiter. I like Westport's Champagne (one person in the wine business claims it is the best American champagne east of the Rockies) and their two fortified wines. Westport's Pinot Gris goes well with fish. Running Brook's Unoaked Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are excellent. Running Brook's Vidal Blanc is a wonderfully sweet dessert wine and they also produce a delicious Frost Wine. Come try the samples.
If you didn't stop by the Farmer's Market on Saturday then you missed the debut of the Foxboro Cheese Company which is selling their own Asiago and Fromage Blanc cheese along with a variety of other cheese from Massachusetts dairies. I tried the bought the Smoked Gouda and a Chipotle Gouda from a farm in Winchendon. The Chipotle is really spicy, but delicious. The Asiago is a strong, flavorful cheese as well. A fresh Mozzarella is also available.
The Foxboro Cheese Company also sells ground beef and sausages from grass fed beef. While I love a good old fashioned roast beef, I'm not generally a big fan of beef. I decided to try the bratwurst just so I could tell everyone about it. The four sausages weigh about a pound and cost $12. They come frozen and I had trouble separating them-I ended up cooking two when I only wanted one. The sausages are all beef in a hog casing with no nitrates or nitrites added. The grass fed beef makes the sausages relatively lean. The bratwurst is denser than commercial sausages and has a mild beefy taste. I'd give it a thumbs up.
We've had two wineries at the market over the last two weeks. The first to arrive was the long established Westport Winery. Recently Running Brook winery joined us. Running Brook will be on site every Saturday and every other Tuesday; Westport will be here on the alternate Tuesday. Both companies let you taste the wine before buying. There certainly are differences! Westport's dinner wines are generally drier than Running Brook's which are generally sweeter and fruiter. I like Westport's Champagne (one person in the wine business claims it is the best American champagne east of the Rockies) and their two fortified wines. Westport's Pinot Gris goes well with fish. Running Brook's Unoaked Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are excellent. Running Brook's Vidal Blanc is a wonderfully sweet dessert wine and they also produce a delicious Frost Wine. Come try the samples.
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