Duke's Lazy Loggerhead Café - Good food a few steps from Jupiter beach

Lazy Loggerhead Café

401 North A1A (Carlin Park)

Jupiter, Florida 33458

Seven Days, 8 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

561-747-2952

Breakfast served all day until 2 p.m.

By Jane Feehan

Open for breakfast and lunch, Duke’s Lazy Loggerhead Café serves up gigantic portions at moderate prices.

It draws the gourmand rather than the gourmet but Lazy Loggerhead goes the extra mile to elevate a standard menu of egg dishes, salads, sandwiches and grilled lunch specials to acclaim and repeat performances. Most people are regular customers at this very busy eatery.

A recent lunch of a grilled chicken sandwich (about $11), steak fries and exceptional cole slaw proved to be as good as it looked (above). The chicken, marinated tender, came with shaved red onion, and a fresh, juicy tomato slice on a soft version of a hard roll. Companion diner enjoyed a blacked dolphin sandwich that earned high marks for perfect spicing.

The café sits on a ridge adjacent to the ocean in Jupiter’s Carlin Park; the beach lies on the other side of a berm of seagrape trees and tropical flora, so there’s no ocean view but the deep blue is just steps away. A long walk or bike ride will be in order after a meal at the Lazy Loggerhead Café. Beach goers welcome.

Tags: breakfast in Jupiter, lunch in Jupiter, beach side breakfast in Jupiter

Gone and somewhat forgotten: America's first Shaker community near Albany

Shaker Cemetery, final resting place of founder Ann Lee

By Jane Feehan

America’s first Shaker Settlement, a few miles north of Albany, N.Y., close to the airport, looks like a place both time and people have forgotten. Remnants of the religious community include some interesting but dilapidated buildings, most of which are closed to visitors. The exception is the Meeting House, built in 1848, which serves as a museum. On some days, this settlement appears to be a ghost town; it could be if not for the efforts of The Shaker Heritage Society that works to preserve the history and cultural contributions of this religious group.

The community, formally known as the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearance was established in 1776 by Ann Lee, an illiterate textile worker from Manchester, England. Life in the Colonies began with about nine people and 200 acres. They became known simply as Shakers because of the way they worshipped, with meetings marked by shaking, dancing, and speaking in tongues.  Shakers lived by their values of simplicity, pacifism, celibacy, communal ownership of land, racial and sexual equality.

At the zenith of the community’s popularity in 1850, the Church Family near Albany included 350 residents and 2,000 acres. They were known for their innovations in canning, and laundering with an industrial size washing machine. The Shaker work ethic also produced the flat broom, the ladder-backed chair, and other furniture, and practical, simple architecture – all adopted by American culture.

Meeting House

The Shakers numbered about 6,000 throughout the U.S. (mostly in New England) in 1850 but Mother Lee’s community near Albany closed its doors in 1925.  Ann Lee, who died in 1784, is buried along with 450 other Shakers at a cemetery nearby. A small group, the Sabbathday Lake Settlement in Maine, still thrives.

Bennington Center for the Arts and its covered bridges: Where art meets history

View of the museum from Rt 9

Bennington Center for the Arts and the Covered Bridge Museum

44 Gypsy Lane

Bennington, Vermont 05201

802-442-7158

http://www.benningtoncenterforthearts.org/

Open seven days 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until December 19 – January 16, 

Adult admission $9 (dollar off for AAA Members)

By Jane Feehan

It’s hard to miss the Bennington Center for the Arts visible from Route 9 entering this southern Vermont town. The Center is comingled with the Covered Bridge Museum with its eye-catching red bridge sitting along its side.

Silk Road Covered Bridge in Bennington

Covered bridges, popular during the 19^th century, were built to protect bridge underpinnings from weathering so structures would last decades longer. There are about 600 covered bridges remaining in the United States with about 100 in Vermont. History and construction techniques are on display, with the real thing sitting on the property of the Center.

The Center’s art collections, displayed on two floors, are changed intermittently. Currently, original works include a fantastic display of Master Carver Floyd Sholz’s bird creations. Feathers appear to be, well ... feathery and so lifelike it’s hard to believe they were carved. Exquisite. 

For more on the world's leading Master Carver, visit http://www.vermontraptoracademy.com/works.htm

For more on covered bridges, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covered_bridges

For Grandma Moses exhibit and other things Vermont, visit:http://janesbits.blogspot.com/2011/11/bennington-museum-for-all-things.html


Tags: Bennington Fine Arts Center, Bennington, Vermont, Vermont covered bridges, covered bridges, Bennington museum

Bennington Museum for all things American: Grandma Moses, the Revolution and more

Bennington Museum

75 Main Street

Bennington, Vermont

802-447-1571

www.benningtonmuseum.org

Open year round

By Jane Feehan

A visit to the Bennington Museum is a requisite stop when touring this southern Vermont town. It’s a spacious, comfortable place with exhibits featuring the Battle of Bennington history and its weaponry, Early American furniture and pottery, and paintings by local artists, including several of the 

19^th- century Hudson River art movement.

Also on display is the largest collection of Grandma Moses artwork and artifacts in the world. A video of Edward R. Murrow’s 1955 television interview of the beloved American artist, then 95 (she lived until 101) plays continuously, which does much to infuse the exhibit with her personality.  Works of her family members, including her father and grandson, can also be viewed. A replica of a schoolhouse of Grandma Moses’ youth and toys typical of her childhood comprise one wing of the exhibit.

A handsome 1924 Martin-Wasp touring car, one of only 20 produced, rounds out the exhibits of this wonderful museum. 

Cell phone accessible audio tours, a nifty use of technology, works by dialing your cell phone at exhibits with a logo, and entering the displayed numbers. When browsing ends, a change of scenery is provided by the adjacent Hadwen Woods Nature Trail – a great way to finish a tour of the Bennington Museum.

Also see the Covered Bridge Museum and art at: http://janesbits.blogspot.com/2011/11/bennington-center-for-arts-and-its.html

Tags: Vermont history, Bennington Museum, Grandma Moses, Vermont Early American art, Bennington museums

Beautiful Bennington, Vermont ... visit any time of the year

View from Bennington Monument

By Jane Feehan

I may be going out on a limb here starting to write about other than Florida and the Gulf Coast, but my work takes me to different towns and cities, many of them places that deserve a word and a picture or two.

Main Street

One of them is Bennington, Vermont. People come from all over the world to see its Fall foliage. It is, indeed, beautiful. Mountains are not some faraway scenery here; they seem to rise up all around the town, defining its essence in an intimate, friendly way.

Vermont is one of the last settled areas of the New England colonies. There is no record of settlers in the Green Mountain State (hence the French-derived name, Vermont)  before 1760. It grew in importance in a few years, however; it was the site of the Battle of Bennington in 1777. The British, led by General John Burgoyne, were routed by the American Colonists in clash that proved to be more a psychological boost for the Colonists than anything else.

Road to Bennington Monument near peak foliage

Today, with about 15,700 residents (about 36,000 in the county), Bennington is the third largest city in the state. It’s a short drive – about 35 miles – from Albany, New York. I recommend a visit here any time of the year.

There’s more to come on Bennington: Grandma Moses, covered bridges, and some places to visit. Stay tuned.

Same road to the monument a month later

More on Bennington at: http://www.bennington.com/

Tags: Bennington, Vermont, places to visit in Bennington, museums in Bennington
Visit its museums: http://janesbits.blogspot.com/2011/11/bennington-museum-for-all-things.html
 and http://janesbits.blogspot.com/2011/11/bennington-center-for-arts-and-its.html

Morning in Fort Lauderdale

A1A and appropriately, Sunrise Boulevard - taken by Jane Feehan






Tags: Fort Lauderdale beach, Fort Lauderdale photos, Jane Feehan

Rocco's Tacos - another reason to visit Fort Lauderdale's Las Olas Boulevard

(Use search box at right to find other restaurants by zip code or name)

Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bar

1313 E. Las Olas Blvd.

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

954-524-9550

Also in Boca Raton, West Palm Beach with one opening soon in Palm Beach Gardens

www.roccostacos.com

Lunch: M-F, 11:30 a.m.- 4 pm, Saturday and Sunday, 11 am-4 pm

Dinner: Sunday-Thursday, 4 pm-2 am; Friday and Saturday, 4 pm – 3 am

Takeout 

By Jane Feehan

Fort Lauderdale’s Mexican restaurant universe has expanded with the addition of Rocco’s Tacos on Las Olas Boulevard. This casual, high energy eatery offers authentic, tasty dishes in south-of-the-border tradition.

Guacamole is made up fresh – tableside - with the right blend of avocado, tomato and lime juice. At $12 this appetizer seems pricey but it easily feeds four.  Soft tacos, a smaller version than Americans are used to, come steaming to the table topped with a broad range of choices: pulled pork, chicken, or beef, grilled fish, lightly fried rock shrimp, or vegetables (there are plenty of vegetarian-friendly choices). Combination plates (average $14) or individual tacos ($3-4), and a great appetizer line-up please most any purse or appetite. Quesadillas, flautas, nachos, and enchiladas top off fare that is lower on the grease-o-meter than that of other Mexican restaurants. Rocco’s also serves skirt steaks, fish dishes, burgers, and salads.

An attractive bar with 225 varieties of tequila – and late hours (2 and 3 am closings) - is a hit with the youngish crowd, but Rocco’s welcomes all. Service is above average and management works hard to please, frequently asking if all is OK. Rocco’s fills up early; it's not unusual to see a line waiting for tables on weekdays. Reservations are available. Parking is $5 but there's metered parking nearby. Patio and indoor dining.

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For delicious guacamole recipes, visit Food Network at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/search/delegate.do?fnSearchString=guacamole&fnSearchType=site

Tags: Mexican restaurants in Fort Lauderdale, Las Olas restaurants, late-night dining on Las Olas, tacos in Fort Lauderdale, bars in Fort Lauderdale.

Remembering September 11: To lift a nation

Posted by Jane Feehan


This 40-foot-high sculpture is located at the National Fire Academy on the grounds of FEMA's National Emergency Training Center, Emmitsburg, MD. The inspiration was a photo taken of three firemen, Billy Eisengrein, Daniel McWilliams and George Johnson, who raised the flag at ground zero. They did not know they were being photographed.  My photo here cannot convey its inspiration.

The inscription below this beautiful remembrance reads:

Three firemen raised a flag at ground zero in silent tribute to those brave firefighters who answered the call. This noble flag is raised permanently in honor of those heroes and all who serve this great nation. May God continue to bless America.

                          Sculptor: Stan Watts

Historical Marker database:http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=19023
For more information, visit: http://www.firehouse.com/news/news/lift-nation-dedicated-emmitsburg-maryland


Tags: 911 sculpture, 911 remembrance, Billy Eisengrein, Daniel McWilliams, George Johnson