Good Friday Pita bread

 I'm guessing this recipe isn't too far off from what Jesus and the deciples shared at the last supper, or at least I'd like to think so.  Maybe the yeast was left out of their bread recipe which would be a bread known as 'Lavash' bread, or unleavened flatbread.  My mother enjoyed the Lavash type of bread regulary.  History shows us that this type of pita bread has been enjoyed by all cultures since the beginning of mankind.  As for me, I've always preferred the type of pita bread that I  have pictured below.  I'll show you how to make this same bread in this attached video.....

Click here for video.....  https://youtu.be/X4hQqLUXRHc

My home made Pita bread

soft and chewy!

Click here for video.... https://youtu.be/X4hQqLUXRHc

Tough little turtle

Today was an awesome day at Shady Acres.  I was fortunate enough to be at the right place at the right time in my yard to free up a baby turtle that was caught under a root during its departure from the dirt hole where its egg was lodged under.  Check out the awesome video here... https://youtu.be/ZfPNti4cOEk

Shady Acres

Loafing around

Check out the link to my YouTube video 'How to make crusty no-knead Italian bread'
https://youtu.be/NIv-9hz57k4 

Italian bread, just the thought of it makes me smile.  I think back to a time years ago while driving home from my construction job in Philly, how I'd stop at Lanci's bakery at 17th and Jackson for a fresh baked loaf of Italian bread to bring home.  I'd rip into the bread during the ride and by the time I walked in my front door I'd have maybe a half loaf under my arm.

My homemade crusty Italian bread

It's been over 40 years since I first walked into Lanci's bakery but I can assure you that I still remember the taste and smell of their bread.  I've been on a quest for many years to find a local bakery that makes something similar but gave that idea up a long time ago knowing that I'd have to try making it myself if I want that old fashion taste.  It wasn't until the past few months that I started thinking about actually trying to replicate their bread in the best way that I could.

Lanci's famous hard crust Italian bread

For a six months I've been searching the websites and youtube videos looking for recipes.  If you get a chance, que up Chef Pasquale on youtbube.  I was able to make decent Italian bread using his easy to watch videos.  This guy is so fun to watch and learn from.  I also learned from the 'Italian Grandma' Gina, on Youtube.  Her videos are awesome to watch as well and you'll learn so many tasty Italian dishes to make from her channel.  Both video channels have easy to follow bread videos which taught me the foundation of bread making.  I baked many loafs from each of their methods but I still wasn't content until I found something with the taste and texture of Lanci's bakery.

As time went by I found a YouTube channel called Living traditions Homested and his no knead crunchy bread.  His bread looked like what I was hoping for and after trying it I was convinced that I found something so similar to Lanci's bread.  Now, let me say that Lanci's bread was made in an old brick hearth oven built in the 1890's.  This 'no-knead' bread dough recipe is in no way a direct substitute for the taste or experience of eating a hearth baked roll.  With that being said I will challenge anyone to show me a bread that can be made at home, in your own oven, that tastes so close to those ancient methods used by old world bakers.  If you have a recipe that does please share it with me.

So, if you want to check out my debut Youtube video where I show you step by step preparing and baking a 'no-knead' crunchy Italian bread then this is for you.  If you decide to try the recipe I'm convinced it will amaze you as much as it did me.

Check it out here....https://youtu.be/NIv-9hz57k4

Minibike madness

I've been thinking about minibikes lately and I'm pretty sure I know why.  I think it's partly due to the fact that my 3 year old grandson Isaac (pictured below) has showed an interest in all things mechanical, just like yours truly.

This might have been the spark that ignited my quest to build another minibike.  Excitement grew the more I reminisced about building that two wheeled wonder with my father some fifty years ago.  That first minibike we built was a far cry from the minibike project you'll see pictured below.

My father begrudgingly let me use my Sting-ray bike as a donor frame when I was around eleven years old.  I nearly had the center bar hacksawed out the next day with no clear plan of what I was undertaking. I remember when he came home from work saying something to the effect of "I don't know why you had to wreck a perfectly good bicycle".  However, the work continued along.  With his guidance and shop experience I was soon motoring my crude homemade minibike up and down the ally behind our house, feeling like I was Easy Rider floating along on a homemade Harley chopper!

Memories of that summer included being chased by dogs while speeding away from them nipping at my heals, getting the stink eye from an elderly neighbor for disturbing his peaceful summer days while I'd whiz pass him on a daily basis.  The best memories were meeting up with my mini biker buddies as we rode down the back alleys and through fields nearby.

I was caught twice by our local police after being rounded up and bought home in the back of a paddywagon with my minibike in tow.  Both times I was released at the front of my house, while my Mom, who was already standing in the doorway had the look on her face like I just got caught robbing a bank.

Yep, good memories that first minibike summer!

My new minibike quest started with daily searches on Craigslist, looking for a perfect project bike.  I finally found this beauty only a few miles from my house and rushed over to check it out.

Although I found it in good condition structurally, this old Manco mfg minibike had seen better times.  The last owner, a guy about my age (yeah, it seems there's a few of us out there) gave it the "lipstick on a pig" treatment, meaning he slapped on some new paint, a few chrome pieces, a new spark plug and called it a day.  With bigger plans in mind, I didn't need to see it run, or feel the need ride it before handing over the loot.  He on the other hand, felt the urge to show me what it "could do" as he rode a quick lap up and down his street.  Before I knew it the minibike was in the back of my pickup truck as we headed back to Shady Acres for its make over.


A few weeks later it was transformed into this "old school" street cruiser shown below...

 Nothing but tons of fun during the whole project!  Here's how it went down.... first thing was to strip the entire bike down and reinforce the welding to accept a heavier new engine, twice the size as the original engine.

The next step was to re-design the trail bike frame by cutting off the rear shocks resulting in a old school rigid style street frame.  The rear fender was fabricated from an old Harley chopper, while the original plastic gas tank was ditched in place of this old 1950's Panhead speedometer which was fitted into its place.

The 'ape hanger' handlebars were supplied from a trashed picked 1960's Sears Stingray bike, and the sissy bar was made from 1/2" round bar steel bought from Home Depot.  The rear brake pedal was robbed from an unused Panhead foot clutch pedal that I had sitting in a box for nearly half of my adult life.

Things started to shape up after the original 3 hp. engine was ditched for a newer 6 hp. Honda engine which was stuffed into its place.  All the new components were now carefully fitted which meant it was ready for a quick road test to confirm function and safe operation.  The next step was to disassemble the whole bike for paint preparation.

Blue metal flake paint fit the bill for this old school ride.  It was finished off with a few coats of spray bomb clear.

                                                Assembly was quick and sweet.

 I was all finished except for one last detail that still needed to be added, a little signature piece.  After all, it's going to be my grandson's someday....

Once it was all back together I took it for a ride up and down the gravel road running through our property while looking back over my shoulder a few times to make sure the cops weren't tailing me....

Forging ahead

Years ago while working as a stonemason I taught myself how to forge and temper my chisels keeping them in top condition for the job. When I retired I got interested in making knives for the kitchen and for hunting. 

Using my wood burning stove I managed to make some of these knives below but have recently built a proper forge using propane which really speeds up the heating process.

This knife above started out as an old leaf spring

this one below also started as a leaf spring...

These knives above started as old files and C clamps

57 Heaven

I've been recently blessed with the ownership of this 1957 Chevy.  This will be the second time in my life that I've owned this year and model car.  It took over 40 years before I would fill that classic car void which had clung to me for all those years.  I found this current 57 on eBay which led me to southern Maryland to give it the once over.  Within an hour the deal was struck and the owner delivered the car a few days later as promised.

The 1957 Chevy is the most recognizable classic car in American history, or so say the classic car gurus.  General Motors really hit it out of the park with new styling on the 57 model starting with the two "missiles" mounted on the hood pointing straight out to oncoming traffic. This was the "rocket age" and the 57 didn't disappoint when it came to futuristic design.

The 'eyebrow' headlights complement the front view with air vents that directly funnel the airflow into the engine compartment supplying the with engine with all the cool fresh air needed to make maximum power.

Not to be outdone by front view of the car, the side and rear view portray the true essence of the 1957 Chevy.  The duel rear fins are probably the most predominate feature of the new model year.  Add the aluminum "Belair" quarter panel insert and the 57 Chevy needs nothing else to turn heads in its direction.  Other base models are 210 and 150.

As soon as I turned 16 and had my drivers license in hand, I quickly plunked down 500 dollars to a good friend for his old car, my first car, a 1957 Chevy complete with a V-8 283 small block.
My crew of buddies (below) liked my car almost as much as me.

I took care of that beauty for over a year, selling it just before I enlisted in the Marine Corps which was over 43 years ago.  Bottom photo leaning on the car from left to right- Johnnie, Louie (RIP), Walt, Cutts and me.

Nowadays things move along a lot slower but it's been a blast fixing up this old Chevy during the few years I've owned it.  It needed so many things to bring it up to safety standards such as all new glass and window channels, new electrical system, new suspension, upgraded disc brakes and brake lines, new interior and much more.  The memories of the old days working on my first 57 behind my parents house in their driveway are held close to me almost every time I open the driver's door and get inside.  

My plan is to hold onto this one and hopefully hand it down to my grandson.  In the meantime I look forward to making new memories my with friends and family while looking after it and keeping it in tip top shape for the next owner.

a different type of war story

This is a story of my step grandfather, Bagrad Awedesian.  He came to America much later then the first wave of Armenians who came here beginning in the early 1920's. Bagrad came here after WW2, sometime around 1951.  Bagrad went on to marry my widowed grandmother Lucy when my Dad was in the army during the early 1950's.  Bagrad spoke English okay but like all immigrants he spoke with a heavy accent until his death in 1984. He worked as a oriental rug salesman at Strawbridge's located in downtown Philadelphia for the remainder of his life while living in America.

Bagrad at work during the 1960's

 While recently going through some old boxes I found about 50 pictures that my grand mom gave to my sister about 25 years ago. They were stored away in my grandmother's house in a small plastic bag in her basement. My sister gave them to me about 10 years ago knowing I'd be interested in them. Most were in bad shape and stuck together from being stored in dampness for so long. I quickly looked at whatever pictures weren’t stuck together and I recognized a few people and places, then I put them back into the bag and into a box in my closet where they remained until just recently.

 At the bottom of the bag I found a small envelop that I hadn't noticed before. Inside were a few pictures that led me to writing this letter. Years ago when I was just a kid, my family would often tell stories of Bagrad "Pop" and how he survived two POW camps during WW2.  The story went that he was captured by the Russian Army and placed into their POW camp. The story continued that he escaped from the Russian camp and was caught by the German Army who placed him into their POW camp. This was the only thing I knew about his life, nothing more was said to me or any other kids in our family about his life in Russia before coming to America.

 So, getting back to the pictures I found in that little envelope. As I laid the pictures out I saw the first picture of Nazis shown below, standing around talking while smiling at each other, just like we would see our troops do in old pictures while they were in Europe during WW2.

 Each picture had a penned inscription written in German on the back, one in particular shown below translates into English as "my memories of war- Otto".

 As I got to the third picture I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw my "Pop" standing with a smiling German soldier pictured below, as he stood there calmly smoking a cigarette dressed in what appeared to be a German uniform without patches or rank.

Bagrad standing with a German soldier (Otto?)dated 1942

The same soldier (Otto?) that was standing with Bagrad is seen again in the back row,far right

  After the initial shock was gone, I spent the better part of a few days examining the three photos that had German soldiers in them, focusing on the photo of Bagrad and trying to determine if he looked more like a prisoner amusing his captors to stay alive, or a traitor who willingly switched sides.

 I soon began to switch my focus on the other pictures in the envelope. There was one photo that I couldn't put down of Pop standing with another man, shown below at the gravesite of someone named General Dro written in English across the stone. Just below was his name inscribed in Armenian.

Here is where my first real information gathering began as I turned to the internet in hopes of finding some answers or clues.  I started by searching for General Dro. I quickly found a current photo of Dro's gravesite shown below, matching exactly where Bagrad had stood in his old photo dated back to 1959.

 I noticed the grave wreath in the original picture held by the other man in the photo had the title inscription 'A.R.F.  Central Command' written across the top.  I began reading up on General Dro and how my Pop might have been involved with him.  A.R.F. or the Armenian Revolutionary Forces were developed during Stalin's Red Terror, many Armenians were murdered or imprisoned. During World War II, the Armenians saw a good opportunity in freeing themselves from Stalin and create an Armenian nation in a post-WWII world dominated by the Axis powers.

 On 8 February 1942, they formed a Legion of 11 battalions from those Armenians, who were prisoners in the Nazi POW camps and had opted to fight for German forces rather than face the genocidal conditions of those camps. The Legion was 18,000-strong and had been known as Armenische Legion, while the 812th Armenian Battalion of Wehrmachtas each battalion of this unit, had 1,000 men under the command of General Dro. The Legion was trained by Wehrmacht officers and participated in the occupation of the Crimean Peninsula and the Caucasus.  The full story of General Dro can be read here... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drastamat_Kanayan

This might explain the stories I was told of him being in a German POW camp.  But what about the Russian POW camp? I kept on digging into the internet reading all I could about this period in history.  There was another photo in that little envelope.  It showed Pop standing with a man on a street. There was a sign above them attached to a building shown in the photo below.

 On the back of the photo was the name of a place called Ludwigsburg dated 1951 shown below.

A quick search of Ludwigsburg showed that it held the largest POW camp for Russian prisoners in Germany during the war.  It was known as Stalag V-A.

 The first prisoners detained at the camp had been Poles, taken captive during the German invasion of Poland in 1939. As the war progressed, prisoners of other nationalities arrived at Stalag V-A. By the time of the camp's evacuation in April 1945, Allied prisoners of every nation at war with Germany were present within the camp. The largest population present within the camp was Soviet, followed by the French, Belgian, Dutch, British and Commonwealth, Italian, and American prisoners were also present in large numbers.

 So, it appears that my Pop, Bagrad Awedesian served under the command of General Dro. He was in a German POW camp before being given the ultimatum of death by starvation or join forces with the Germans and return to his homeland to fight the Red army.  I'm guessing he and the others thought this was a 'win win' situation considering they were already at war with the Red Army before they got captured by the Germans.  My fears of him becoming a Nazi were quickly fading as I tried to picture myself in his boots at that time.

 After World War II, General Dro emigrated to the United States and continued his political activities with the purpose of advancing the Armenian Cause. In 1947, at the World Congress of the A.R.F., he was forgiven for his collaboration with Nazis, as he could justify it with powerful arguments, and was again elected a member of the Party. With the end of World War II, General Dro was arrested by American forces, but soon released. Kanayan, his real name, settled within the large Armenian Diaspora of Lebanon. When traveling to the U.S. for medical treatment, he died in Boston on 8 March 1956. His remains were taken to Armenia for final burial in Aparan, on 28 May 2000, within the commemoration of the 82nd anniversary of the First Republic of Armenia.

 The government of Armenia founded the General Dro National Institute of Strategic Studies, and the Ministry of Defense established a medal in his name to decorate military personnel and civilians who excelled in military teaching.

 It turns out that the man everyone called Pop had a pretty rough and tumbled past. To me he was just my grandpop, a nice old guy that was always dressed in suits, wore funny hats and spoke in a heavy accent.  He always seemed delighted in us kids, and when we grew up and had our own kids he seemed delighted in them also.  Here he is seen below with my son Greg, sometime around 1977.
I'm really glad I found those old photos. It sheds so much light on a large portion of a man that most of us knew nothing about, but maybe that's the way he wanted it....

Build it and they will come

This past Spring we finally started construction on our backyard pond. It was completed by Memorial Day weekend and has really grown in nicely. All who visit the pond, including the creatures that now reside in the water and around its edges seem to really enjoy time spent here.

Soon after it was filled with water, massive numbers of dragon flies in at least seven different species began to appear flying over the pond each day.  This large one landed on my niece's hand several times before I snapped this photo.

Zoe showing no fear...

....as it lands on her again.

Olivia and Zoe hunting for frogs.

Olivia showing her prized green frog.

Luke captivated by the water trickling from the hand pump.

Mr. Green Jeans back on his rock.

We caught a dozen Sunnies at the township pond and dumped them into ours.



Within weeks that fish were spawning and had laid hundreds of eggs which quickly turned into fry.

Tadpoles were abundant throughout the summer, this was the second group laid by toads.

Here's a tadpole turned toad that just made its way onto land.

As the first summer comes to a close we're all looking forward to see what new surprises lay ahead.