I had the pleasure of feasting with Ginny at Coopers BBQ today. Remarkably, she began our culinary excursion with a gift; a little postcard booklet from the “Sanctuary of Perpetual Adoration and Convent” in Quebec. I have since learned that this booklet dates back to the 1930’s, and I’m just tickled that she thought of me when she saw this at the flea market.

We debated many things, including the merits of Volkswagen automatic transmissions (Mike’s conclusion: they traditionally have weak bands and are poorly lubricated. Ginny’s conclusion: it gets me to the mall), peer pressure to get a newer car (Mike’s conclusion: women who drive older Volkswagens are automatically one degree cooler in my books, so back off), and whether or not to have an “about me” page on your blog (Ginny’s conclusion: do it!).

But the crowning jewel of today’s lunch was when Ginny was lamenting the idea of a car payment. In her own sweet way she admonished the idea; “I wouldn’t be able to go clothes shopping every week!”

On the way out, I uttered a silent prayer to the Volkswagen gods on her behalf.

Nothing profound to write about today … but I did enjoy a beautiful day at Oakwood Cemetery and the Duke University campus.  Here’s some shots for your viewing pleasure.

Wade Edwards - the son of presidential candidate John Edwards - is buried at Oakwood Cemetery.  Regardless of your politics, it is a shame that Wade lost his life at the young age of 16.  The sculpture marking his gravesite is huge; at least ten feet tall.  It wasn’t hard to “get low” and silhouette this shot with the sun behind the adjacent cloud.

Recall my earlier post about Jim Valvano.  I stumbled across his grave - literally - while I was traipsing around Oakwood.  Someone thoughtfully left a Duke basketball parking pass on his grave … and I wanted to subtly work this into the shot.  I think this photo works … what do you think?

I admit - I have a hard time with the military sections of graveyards.  The sun was still low enough in the sky to cast long shadows, and I continued my experiments with silhouettes.  I really like the way the sun shines through the flag here; maybe there’s even some metaphors in this that I won’t explore right this second.

I don’t know Walter Caswell Lewis.  Two things caught my eye about his stone, though.  First is the name “Caswell” - the surname of North Carolina’s first governor.  The other thing was the mention of the purple heart.  I had no idea what this meant, but it sounded cool … and the Wiki page I linked to explains it.  Again - I think the shadow works nicely in this shot. (editor’s note: it was only after I posted this that I realized the name on this stone is spelled CaRswell - definitely not the same as Caswell.  But what the hell - it’s still a nice shot.)

Fallout shelters are another thing I had to lookup.  This must be some sort of creepy reminder of the Cold War, and I’d probably rather it come down.  Honestly, if a nuke falls near here, an old brick building that was built during the Hoover administration will not be the first place I run to.

No photography trip in the triangle would be complete without a few brownies from Duke University.  My first stop was the chapel, where I attempted to do some justice to shot that didn’t work out so well the last time.  This is one of those rare shots where the shadows just “work” - and I can attribute it mostly to luck.

These spires contrast brilliantly against the blue sky.  I don’t recall which building they were on; somewhere, perhaps, between the chapel and the athletic complex.  And it’s these details that make Duke such a wonderful place to photograph.  I can’t imagine that all of these architectural oddities were planned entirely, and I’d like to imagine that some brilliant architects wandered around the university and randomly added these touches as construction took place.

I won’t even attempt to pronounce his last name … but he’s an important coach at Duke.  And this is where students are camped out for basketball tickets that go on sale in March.  Yes, you read correctly - they are camped out now (January 28th) for tickets that go on sale in March.  Insane, or the pinnacle of college foolery?  You be the judge.

Alas, the tired photographer and his faithful companion.

I brought my old Meade telescope back with me from Canada. It’s been in our family since 1986, when my father and I made our first “serious” foray into astronomy. Nothing extravagant, but the little Meade 2045 gave me many hours of pleasure as a youngster, and I was looking forward to bolting my Nikon D80 on.

The weather hasn’t been all that conducive to astronomy, but I did get it out to RDU today to try some airplane photography. And the results aren’t too bad!

Neomonde is a restaurant everyone in Raleigh should visit.  I have long thought that good Mediterranean food is one of life’s greatest joys, and Neomonde does not disappoint.

Neomonde is half bakery and grocery, and half cafe.   The grocery has all manner of things not found at the regular supermarket; roasted nuts, exotic cheeses, breads, olive oils, dried fruits, boxes of Turkish Delights, and countless other temptations.  If there’s any line at the food counter (and there’s almost guaranteed to be one), you’ll be forced to spend a few minutes in the grocery area.  And yes - you’ll come away with an armful of groceries.

The food in the cafe includes falafel, tabouli, shawarma, baba ghanouj, hummus, labneh,  baklava, namoura, and many, many other things.  There’s also the fresh pita bread that has made Neomonde so famous.

Everything I have ever had at Neomonde has been superb.  My favorite is the falafel sandwich; I always buy a “full size” and keep half for dinner.

Please - if you have any sense of international cuisine, give Neomonde a visit.  The absent.canadian promises you won’t be disappointed.

It was impossible to get a good camera-phone photo inside of Pam’s Farmhouse Kitchen.  And there wasn’t much point in fiddling with my camera; my food arrived within seconds (yes, seconds) of ordering, and I wasn’t about to let it get cold.

Pam’s Farmhouse Kitchen is something of a rarity among restaurants.  Set in an older mixed residental / commercial area of southwestern Raleigh, it has that delightful styling from the 1970’s that you just don’t find anymore.  Exposed brickwork on the inside goes side-by-side with mirrored walls; the mirrors have that printed-on “crackle” look.  The lighting is dim, the cutlery is served in a little waxed paper envelope and there’s a framed picture of The Last Supper in one of the dining areas.

The menu at Pam’s is simple.  My sweet tea came in a mason jar.  Lunch consisted of a lunch meat (sliced turkey) with stuffing, two side vegetables (corn and collard greens), hush puppies and cornbread.  Gravy on top of everything.  The service was snappy, and as I said before, my food appeared with almost magical speed.

Restaurants like this are social places; cross-table conversations were the rule more than the exception, and I got the impression I was the only one who wasn’t related to one of the staff.

I’m especially fond of restaurants where they hand-write the checks - especially when the hand writing is indecipherable.

Pam’s is a cultural experience - one of the last of a dying breed of “family” restaurant.  And I highly recommend it.