Grandpa Porter's Photos & Photography 101

Last week my family was invited to a reception at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital (the hospital where I was born) :) in Brattleboro, VT because the hospital hung a display of enlargements of my great-grandfather Porter's photographs in their administration wing.   

My great-grandparents, Porter C. Thayer and Edith Webster Thayer, were photographers when photography was till somewhat of a novelty.  

They held a photography studio in Townsend, VT in the early 1900s and Grandpa Porter traveled (by horse-drawn cart) all around Southern Vermont capturing and preserving on camera images of rural life...working people, towns and landscapes.  

His photos are now quite well-known and have become an important piece of Vermont history.

If you stop at a General Store in Vermont today you are likely to find some black and white postcards with Grandpa Thayer's trademark white descriptions at the bottom of each picture.  His photos pop up all over the place.

This past year Brooks Memorial Library and the University of Vermont have been working together to digitize 1,250 of my great-grandfather's photos in order to preserve them, which I think is very exciting.

And the display at the hospital is an honor.  Here are some photos of the reception last week, courtesy of Bratteboro Memorial Hospital.

My Dad & his brother Bill, Porter's grandsons

 

Dad & Mom, Aunt Mary, Uncle Bill, my cousins Bill & Becky

So...with Grandpa Porter's photography skills on one side and Josh's photography skills on the other we're expecting great things from Knox in the photo realm...  (no pressure) :)

We've started his training early, check it out.  :)

Porter's Great Great Grandson, Photographer in Training

Chickpea Salad with Lemon, Parmesan & Fresh Herbs

I just found my new favorite summer side of the season!!

It was another Epicurious find...Epicurious never lets me down.

I was going to make this for a "salad bar" potluck this past week but I wasn't able to go at the last minute so later in the week I made half a batch for Josh and Knox and me. 

And then we all wished I had made a whole batch. 

We polished off most of it with grilled chicken and vegetable kebabs for dinner and then Josh and I fought over shared the remainder for a late night snack the same evening.

And then I licked the bowl.

I did.

Who knew chickpeas could be so glamorous?!  It's the fresh lemon juice, garlic, basil, parsley and salt...they make them POP. 

I will be making the other half of my batch this week. 

We can't wait.

Chickpea Salad with

Lemon, Parmesan & Fresh Herbs

• 4, 15-to 15 1/2-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 small garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 1/3 cup (packed) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Coarse kosher salt

Combine rinsed and drained chickpeas, chopped fresh basil, chopped Italian parsley, fresh lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, and pressed garlic clove in medium bowl. Add grated Parmesan cheese and toss gently to blend all ingredients thoroughly. Season chickpea salad to taste with coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. DO AHEAD: Chickpea salad can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Serve salad chilled or at room temperature.

Dinosaur Sandwich

That's right!

I don't have any idea what you just ate for lunch, but I guarantee it wasn't as exciting as these bad boys:

One day last fall I was out shopping and found this stop-you-in-your-tracks, amazing, wonderful dinosaur sandwich cutter at Williams-Sonoma. 

When I "shop" at Williams-Sonoma that means I am checking to see if they have any hot apple cider or candy or other free samples out for me to try.  :)  There isn't a lot in my price range at that store.

But while I was sipping my free mini cup of spiced cider I spotted this dinosaur sandwich cutter and knew in a split second that it was a MUST HAVE item for my family.  (Even though Knox was 3 1/2 months old at the time and hadn't even tried his first bite of rice cereal yet.)  :)

So when a couple of weeks later Nana asked for Christmas present ideas for the baby I may have given her a big hint about this sandwich cutter...and Knox may have found it in his stocking on Christmas morning. :)

Some people get really excited about, you know...music, books, toys.  I get really excited about dinosaur sandwich cutters.

Please do not rain on my parade by asking if, really, a cookie cutter would work just as well.  It clearly wouldn't.  This dinosaur cutter is sharper and thicker than a regular cookie cutter...you know...for that occasional REALLY thick peanut butter and jelly sandwich...and a cookie cutter wouldn't come with this handy dandy sandwich box now would it?!

Knox is still a little bit young to handle whole sandwiches but I just couldn't wait any longer.  I woke up thinking, "Today is a day destined for dinosaur sandwiches." 

And a terrific dinosaur sandwich day it turned out to be.

Heads or tails??

HEADS WIN! 

Happy Thursday!



Donut Coma

Score!  Uncle Nick's here!

Uncles share lots of bites of their donuts. :)

Kimberly's Shells

It's hard to believe Knox's first birthday is behind us.

No more counting the months...now we start counting the years!  It's a little surreal.

Year #1 has been such a joy...an adventure every day.  And we can't wait to see what exciting things happen in Year #2.

Our little party might be over, but we're still singing "Happy Birthday" a couple times a day. 

It's just such a great song.  :) 

We also have a big pile of awesome new toys to remind us of that happy day... 

And this trusty truck balloon, which isn't sagging too badly yet:

Happily, we also still have a little leftover pasta salad!

So you see, the celebrating goes on. :)

My cousin Kim made this salad for us when I was in Vermont this summer.  I never think to make pasta salad, but when she served this tasty salad I couldn't get enough of it.  There's nothing more satisfying than biting into soft shells.  I love it.

I also love this recipe because it gives me a chance to use two ingredients that I hardly ever use otherwise.

Ham...

...and radishes. 

Aren't they pretty? 

(The radishes...not the ham.)  :) 

The radishes are halved and sliced very thin so there isn't a bitter taste, just a delightful color and tiny bit of crunch.

Kimberly's shells were perfect for our 1st birthday hot dog cookout.  We might have to make this a tradition. :)

Kimberly's Shells

1 lb. medium shells (I used large since they were on sale), cooked and drained

3 c. diced ham

1 cucumber, diced

1/2 cup celery (or fresh Italian parsley, which is what I used this time instead)

1/2 cup radishes, halved and thinly sliced

1 cup sour cream

1 cup mayo

4 tsp. dijon mustard

1 + tsp. garlic salt, to taste

One!

"No."

As a parent, there are a lot of times when you have to say no.

Especially, I'm learning, when you have an [almost!] one-year-old who is just beginning to discover and explore a great big world...crawling and walking and reaching and climbing and grabbing and eating. 

He doesn't know yet what belongs to him, what belongs to others, what will hurt him, or what will hurt others.

For a while we couldn't tell if Knox understood the word NO.

But we have passed that stage. 

He definitely knows now.

When we say no now he gets a very serious look on his face and even shakes his head no along with us.

No means no.

But saying no isn't fun.  I don't think any parent enjoys saying no.   

Every day I try to look for and make a big deal of the YES's, too, so that I'm not always just saying no.

But sometimes NO is very necessary.
1.) Like when something is harmful to my child (i.e. electrical outlets, drinking daddy's coffee...);

2.) when something is harmful to others (i.e. hitting other people, pulling on mommy's earrings...); and

3.) when it's not time yet (i.e. that pile of colorfully wrapped birthday presents in mommy and daddy's room that are being saved for the BIG DAY...).

Eventually Knox will understand a little better that certain things might hurt him, or might hurt others...he will eventually learn the meaning of "wait until tomorrow."  (Although, if he's anything like his dad, he'll be asking to open his presents early for the rest of his life.)  :)

But right now he doesn't understand any of that.  He just hears NO. 

This has been intriguing for me to consider, because although God says YES to me a lot, sometimes He says NO, too.

Sometimes I don't like his rules.  Sometimes I don't like His answer to my prayer.

And like a little child, I don't understand why.  I get angry, I protest, I reach for what I want anyway.

Why can't I play with the electrical outlet?  It is (obviously) the most exciting looking item in the whole house!

I can't see that He is saying no because it is going to hurt me.  

Why can't I pull on mommy's earrings?  They're so colorful and inviting!

I can't see that He is saying no because it's going to hurt someone I love.

Why can't I tear open that bright wrapping paper?  It's TANTALIZING and it's mine, isn't it?!

I can't see that He is saying no because He has set it aside to give it to me later, on a special day.

God loves me even more than I love Knox. 

That is a lot of love.

I hope that the next time God says no to me I will hear myself saying no to Knox...and see His kind heart and loving intentions for me even when I don't fully understand the whys.

Whenever God says NO, it is because He has a big YES to give us later.

My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline,
   and do not resent his rebuke,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
   as a father the son he delights in.

Proverbs 3:11-12