Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Too Long!
Yes it looks like restaurants are getting ready to open....In Blowing Rock where we have some of the best restaurants in the High Country it will be a welcome sight for the locals.. Memorial Day will take on a new meaning and hopefully shows the way to the new normal.
Come visit our great little town and if you want the Sports Bar or Pub we have Town Tavern, Six Pence, Ridgeline and Foggy Rock.. A little more middle of the road stop by Bistro Roca, Storie Street Cafe, The Speckled Trout, El Rincon... Enjoy breakfast at Sunny Rock or a sandwich made to order at the Blowing Rock Market... Yes we have more fine dining restaurants as well from Twigs to Cafe Violet to Inn at Ragged Garden to Gideon's Ridge where you can enjoy the view while you dine...
Shops galore and a picturesque historical Main Street to casually stroll along....
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Shows
It always amazes me when I do the Restaurant Shows both here in the USA and also in Canada.
My own company and the companies I represent spend spend obscene amounts of money to attend and exhibit at these shows. It gives end users a chance to see all of the present, new and futuristic items that are available.
It might be equipment, it might be food or it can be a POS system along with a multitude of all the other necessities.
The only request that the Vendors have is a moment of your time, that chance to give you a quick overview of what they offer to enhance your business. With the economy on a downturn a lot of those companies have chosen to reduce their participation in many of these shows.
For you as an enduser to enter these shows it is either a minimal charge or nothing, giving you access to many benefits, not only the products but also the Seminars and training classes. This is a chance to see the top people in our profession and hopefully learn from them.
We all have to be ready when the economic upturn happens. At that point you might realize what piece was missing from the puzzle, and if you had come to the show it could now be yours.
Remember there is always a show waiting for you.
My own company and the companies I represent spend spend obscene amounts of money to attend and exhibit at these shows. It gives end users a chance to see all of the present, new and futuristic items that are available.
It might be equipment, it might be food or it can be a POS system along with a multitude of all the other necessities.
The only request that the Vendors have is a moment of your time, that chance to give you a quick overview of what they offer to enhance your business. With the economy on a downturn a lot of those companies have chosen to reduce their participation in many of these shows.
For you as an enduser to enter these shows it is either a minimal charge or nothing, giving you access to many benefits, not only the products but also the Seminars and training classes. This is a chance to see the top people in our profession and hopefully learn from them.
We all have to be ready when the economic upturn happens. At that point you might realize what piece was missing from the puzzle, and if you had come to the show it could now be yours.
Remember there is always a show waiting for you.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Carolina Panthers
Well I hear they are offering Coach Fox, Marty Hurney and the other Coaches a chance to return to the Carolina Panthers.
Mr. Richardson a smart and sensible choice for all concerned.
We have heard all the reasons why some one needs to go, first it was Jake Delhomme, then it was the Fox / Hurney combination, we paid Peppers too much. There is no defense outside of a couple of players, John Kasay is to old, the Special Teams Coach needs to be fired, Moose is getting old.
Well after all this, a ridiculous schedule including a home opener and then four weeks to the next home game. A dozen players and more on the Injured Reserve list, five new coaches including the Defensive Coordinator.
At the end I still like where we are, should we have won more games maybe so but no one can ever know the true answer to that.
We could be in the same situation as the Rams, the Redskins and of course the Raiders. It does not look like a good time to have a nickname beginning with "R".
Or worse still we could be lost in the jungle with the Lions.
Mr. Richardson a smart and sensible choice for all concerned.
We have heard all the reasons why some one needs to go, first it was Jake Delhomme, then it was the Fox / Hurney combination, we paid Peppers too much. There is no defense outside of a couple of players, John Kasay is to old, the Special Teams Coach needs to be fired, Moose is getting old.
Well after all this, a ridiculous schedule including a home opener and then four weeks to the next home game. A dozen players and more on the Injured Reserve list, five new coaches including the Defensive Coordinator.
At the end I still like where we are, should we have won more games maybe so but no one can ever know the true answer to that.
We could be in the same situation as the Rams, the Redskins and of course the Raiders. It does not look like a good time to have a nickname beginning with "R".
Or worse still we could be lost in the jungle with the Lions.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Places to go
Tweetsie Railroad...
I went to Blowing Rock a couple of weeks ago to my first Chamber of Commerce after hours, it was a joint event with Boone.
It was held between the two towns at Tweetsie Railroad, before this summer even though I had lived in North Carolina twenty three out of the last twenty five years I had never been to Tweetsie.
Well guess what? This year I made it twice.
The first time was over the 4th of July holiday with my wife Lisa, it was a lot of fun. It was great to see the gunfights in the street, Indians attacking the fort and everybody trying to rob the train.
A little cheesy but what fun.
So here I was again at Tweetsie, meeting new people and having a chance to network. In a setting like the mountains of North Carolina you are able to meet a very diverse group of people.From Artists, to Real Estate Brokers and right across the broad spectrum of business.
Here at Tweetsie it gives everyone the moment to relax and forget the everyday stress, with the rough economy, the times being hard and everyone is struggling.
Then you get on that 1961 steam train and for the next twenty minutes just chug along through the woods and watch a little of the old west in action.
The you realize that yes as bad as it can be somedays at that moment it is as good as it can be.
Go have fun, it is a little bit of what is left of Americana.
I went to Blowing Rock a couple of weeks ago to my first Chamber of Commerce after hours, it was a joint event with Boone.
It was held between the two towns at Tweetsie Railroad, before this summer even though I had lived in North Carolina twenty three out of the last twenty five years I had never been to Tweetsie.
Well guess what? This year I made it twice.
The first time was over the 4th of July holiday with my wife Lisa, it was a lot of fun. It was great to see the gunfights in the street, Indians attacking the fort and everybody trying to rob the train.
A little cheesy but what fun.
So here I was again at Tweetsie, meeting new people and having a chance to network. In a setting like the mountains of North Carolina you are able to meet a very diverse group of people.From Artists, to Real Estate Brokers and right across the broad spectrum of business.
Here at Tweetsie it gives everyone the moment to relax and forget the everyday stress, with the rough economy, the times being hard and everyone is struggling.
Then you get on that 1961 steam train and for the next twenty minutes just chug along through the woods and watch a little of the old west in action.
The you realize that yes as bad as it can be somedays at that moment it is as good as it can be.
Go have fun, it is a little bit of what is left of Americana.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Goodbye Mo
I would like to leave one last thought from the 2009 Training Camp.
Few people in our lives actually leave a lasting impression on us, but when they do the loss of that person affects us deeply.
Charlie "Mo" was one of those people; I have worked the Training Camp for fourteen years and except for one summer Mo was there with me the whole way.
Who was Mo? He was a gentleman of the South who liked you or didn't like you with nothing in between.We started off on the wrong foot and had a fifteen minute heated verbal exchange between us, our different ethnic backgrounds and our very similar tempers for that moment got the better of us.
For the rest of the camp we had a tenuous relationship at best, Mo did his job but kept his distance. All I could think of was how much "fun" it was going to be next year.
Eleven months later when I returned to start setting up for camp there was Mo, I went over to him thinking this could be a long few weeks. Much to my surprise Mo came over and gave me a hug and said "great to see you Boss, what needs to be done?"
For the years that followed Mo was always there, he was my lead evening cook, the steaks were his to grill. When the food was under control he made sure the dishes were stacked and washed.
A few months ago Charlie "Mo" passed away, I did not have a chance to say goodbye and I missed the hug of friendship and respect.
Mo they say you go to a better place, for you I hope so as you always seemed to enjoy life.
Your name was mentioned many times at camp this year, we put that small steak that you always loved on the corner of the grill. We slowly and gently cooked it for the hour or so that you would have taken. I also think we used less watermelon and salt than usual, did you really eat that much?
But most of all I missed the seven o'clock, "is that it Boss?" Then before he left the hug and handshake were our way of saying dinner was over, great job, thank you and good night.
Charlie "Mo" thank you for being my friend and for pushing me when I needed to be pushed. I hope they are letting you drink that beer while waiting for the fish to bite.
Charlie "Mo"..... goodbye.
Few people in our lives actually leave a lasting impression on us, but when they do the loss of that person affects us deeply.
Charlie "Mo" was one of those people; I have worked the Training Camp for fourteen years and except for one summer Mo was there with me the whole way.
Who was Mo? He was a gentleman of the South who liked you or didn't like you with nothing in between.We started off on the wrong foot and had a fifteen minute heated verbal exchange between us, our different ethnic backgrounds and our very similar tempers for that moment got the better of us.
For the rest of the camp we had a tenuous relationship at best, Mo did his job but kept his distance. All I could think of was how much "fun" it was going to be next year.
Eleven months later when I returned to start setting up for camp there was Mo, I went over to him thinking this could be a long few weeks. Much to my surprise Mo came over and gave me a hug and said "great to see you Boss, what needs to be done?"
For the years that followed Mo was always there, he was my lead evening cook, the steaks were his to grill. When the food was under control he made sure the dishes were stacked and washed.
A few months ago Charlie "Mo" passed away, I did not have a chance to say goodbye and I missed the hug of friendship and respect.
Mo they say you go to a better place, for you I hope so as you always seemed to enjoy life.
Your name was mentioned many times at camp this year, we put that small steak that you always loved on the corner of the grill. We slowly and gently cooked it for the hour or so that you would have taken. I also think we used less watermelon and salt than usual, did you really eat that much?
But most of all I missed the seven o'clock, "is that it Boss?" Then before he left the hug and handshake were our way of saying dinner was over, great job, thank you and good night.
Charlie "Mo" thank you for being my friend and for pushing me when I needed to be pushed. I hope they are letting you drink that beer while waiting for the fish to bite.
Charlie "Mo"..... goodbye.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Rock and Roll
Well after I had published my idea for the Rock and Roll "Hall of Fame" for the British Invasion bands who will never make it to Cleveland. I was told the ideas were good but we did not live there then and have no idea who was around.
So I have expanded my list a little and threw in a few tid bits as well.
Bands on the bubble for the first non Cleveland "Hall of Fame" are:
T Rex (Bang a Gong and Ride a White Swan)
Slade (Cum on feel the noiz and other "big hair band songs)
Gerry and the Pacemakers (who can forget Ferry across the Mersey, the fifty thousand plus who go to watch Liverpool play Football make sure we don't)
Mott the Hoople (Mick Ralphs went to Bad Company, and yes it was Ian Hunter who wrote Cleveland Rocks and not Drew Carey)
The Pretty Things (they are for you to discover, I grew up with Viv Prince the drummer. They were billed as the next coming of the Rolling Stones)
The Family (Rick Grech left to become the bass player in Blind Faith)
Spencer Davis Group (I'm a man, yes i am. At fifteen Stevie Winwood was blowing the doors off the charts)
Brian Augur Trinity featuring Julie Driscoll (another one for you to research)
Donovan (Mello Yellow is one of the great songs used in advertising, and yes we are still looking for Atlantis.
Stay tuned more to come.
So I have expanded my list a little and threw in a few tid bits as well.
Bands on the bubble for the first non Cleveland "Hall of Fame" are:
T Rex (Bang a Gong and Ride a White Swan)
Slade (Cum on feel the noiz and other "big hair band songs)
Gerry and the Pacemakers (who can forget Ferry across the Mersey, the fifty thousand plus who go to watch Liverpool play Football make sure we don't)
Mott the Hoople (Mick Ralphs went to Bad Company, and yes it was Ian Hunter who wrote Cleveland Rocks and not Drew Carey)
The Pretty Things (they are for you to discover, I grew up with Viv Prince the drummer. They were billed as the next coming of the Rolling Stones)
The Family (Rick Grech left to become the bass player in Blind Faith)
Spencer Davis Group (I'm a man, yes i am. At fifteen Stevie Winwood was blowing the doors off the charts)
Brian Augur Trinity featuring Julie Driscoll (another one for you to research)
Donovan (Mello Yellow is one of the great songs used in advertising, and yes we are still looking for Atlantis.
Stay tuned more to come.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Restaurant review
Had a great meal in Spartanburg, SC on Saturday 15 August at 2 (11) Samuels on East Henry Street.
Sammy Ridgeway and his wife Tina who are old friends of ours showed why he is so respected in the local restaurant community.
Lisa had the petite filet, thank heavens there was not a "regular" size one on the menu. They must grow them big in Spartanburg.
I had the rack of lamb and we both had salads, everything was excellent and with a bottle of Sass Pinot Noir a perfect meal.
Kudos to the Ridgeways, keep up the good work and you will keep being successful.
Sammy Ridgeway and his wife Tina who are old friends of ours showed why he is so respected in the local restaurant community.
Lisa had the petite filet, thank heavens there was not a "regular" size one on the menu. They must grow them big in Spartanburg.
I had the rack of lamb and we both had salads, everything was excellent and with a bottle of Sass Pinot Noir a perfect meal.
Kudos to the Ridgeways, keep up the good work and you will keep being successful.
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