Showing posts with label the marmot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the marmot. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

May 2017 Reading

The books I finished reading in May 2017


May 2017 Reading: photo by Cliff Hutson
May 2017 Reading: photo by Cliff Hutson

Foodie bonus


This article, on vegetarian dishes in South America, features a rice and beans meal I (AKA "The Marmot") prepared and then photographed.


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Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Another Milestone

Over a Million Views


Basil: photo by Cliff Hutson

Last week while I was at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, observing a major milestone in my life; a minor event occurred as well. My Flickr account (where I am known as "The Marmot") received  its one millionth view.

I joined Flickr in 2005, and am not certain if reaching this number was all that timely or not. But, it is what it is. My most viewed viewed photograph over the majority of the intervening years was of a sprig of basil my late wife grew in her garden back in July 2007. It was linked to quite a bit as a definition of the plant, and to illustrate articles on herbs and the Mediterranean diet.

May 2014 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

November 2014 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson
However, it has been greatly overtaken by photos of books I read in May 2014 and November 2014. This surprises me. They are both decent photos, but I think that there are many stronger ones in my photo stream. But, one them has been linked to, and they both have both appeared on Flickriver; I guess that helps. 

Field Notes: photo by Cliff Hutson

The fact that the Field Notes Mixed Three Pack has also surpassed the basil is less of an anomaly. There are a lot of Field Notes fans out there, and it has also received some links.

Field Notes, Too: photo by Cliff Hutson

The photo I call "Field Notes, Too" has a chance of moving into the top four. It is currently my favorite of the photographs that have been viewed in five figure numbers, fond as I am of the basil. I clearly put some work into the composition. And, think that it demonstrates my odd sense of humor as well.






Monday, June 29, 2015

Po Boy

Dining in the Big Easy?


"Po Boy": photo by Cliff Hutson

Another one of my photographs has shown up in an odd context. This article on restaurants in New Orleans uses a photo I took of a sandwich I made as an illustration of a proper Po Boy sandwich.

I have never been to the "Big Easy". But, maybe I should relocate and start my own food truck.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

The Big Time


SCHOOL FOR SACKING | More Intelligent Life


The above link takes one to the "The Economist" More Intelligent Life web site and an article that uses one of my photos (from my "A Day In Los Angeles" series) for an illustration.

It is an interesting read. I am glad that I shall not be put in a position where I will have to sack anybody before I retire in about nine months. Hopefully, I will not get sacked prior to that either.

But, in either event, I am looking forward to shifting my sense of self from ‘I am a person with a job’ to ‘I am a person with a serious passion for photography.’

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Basil (Ocimum basilicum)

Basil (Ocimum basilicum) Originally uploaded by The Marmot
Mediterranean and Indochinese cuisines often use basil, the former frequently combining it with tomato. Basil is one of the main ingredients in pesto—a green Italian oil-and-herb sauce from the city of Genoa, its other two main ingredients being olive oil and pine nuts. This photograph has become one of my most popular. It was first picked up by "Botany Photo of the Day". Recently, it has been used by two blogs:
"Eco Child's Play" and "EcoMetro" (Portland, OR)

Friday, August 1, 2008

This Father's Day, give the old man a great meal!




This Father's Day, give the old man a great meal - Worldnews.com

Another fun article that used one of my photographs. This one was credited to my real name so the "Marmot widget" did not pick it up and so it was well past Father's Day by the time I found it.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Travelstart France Blog


I use a tool called "Google Blog Search" to alert me whenever someone uses a photograph of mine from my Flickr site; where I am known as 'The Marmot'. This is a recent occurrence.

The gist of this post, I am told, is that seeing my photograph reminded the author of a great meal the he had in Marrakech (or Marrakesh, as I know it). The post describes the restaurant and notes that it is owned by a group of women.

This photo is of a home cooked meal made by my late wife, and as about as far from Morocco as one can get. Both this dish, and the cooking vessel in which it is traditionally prepared are called Tagine. Susan actually used a Dutch oven as basically a tagine is a slow-cooked stew braised at low temperatures, resulting in tender meat with aromatic vegetables and sauce.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Flor de Succulent


Flor de Succulent
Originally uploaded by The Marmot
Proof of Concept

The other day I was sitting in a seeming endless meeting. It was apparent early on that I would neither have anything to contribute nor to learn as it was a rehash of ground that was covered last week and will be gone over again the next as well. Therefore my mind began to wander and I began to reflect up the virtues of my recently acquired iPod touch.

Now, I receive a lot of grief from those who know me for having a tendency to collect too many gadgets, and that may be true. I actually got this iPod for free for purchasing a MacBook that I really could get by without. Truth be told, I probably did not need another iPod either as my third generation nano was only a couple of months old, but (in a pain medication induced haze) the deal seemed just too good to pass up.

Overall, it was a foolish deal, but I am glad to have the iPod touch. Its ability to surf the web and send email from any Wi-Fi hot spot will pretty much allow me to leave the notebook at home when I travel to conferences and the like. It also holds a bunch of photos, which got me to thinking (tying this back to the first paragraph) – ‘If Flickr can be updated from a phone, why not from an iPod?’ So I tried it and sure enough it works.

Ain’t technology grand?

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

How to Cook Eggs


How to Cook Eggs
Originally uploaded by The Marmot
How to Scramble Eggs

Most people feel that they know how to cook eggs, and I am sure that they do a pretty good job. However, I have discovered a few refinements over the years which can push scrambled eggs into excellence.

Eggs ala Cliff

• Start with decent eggs.

I currently use locally grown, organic, brown eggs. The choice is yours for the making.

• Let the eggs warm up to room temperature.

Let them sit out for awhile at least, rather than using them right out of the refrigerator.

• Add salt to the mixing bowl, prior to beating the eggs.

You, of course, can’t taste them at this time, but with some experience I am sure that you will know how much to use to suit your own taste. I almost forgot, you should add about a tablespoon of milk per egg at this time. I use almond milk.

By the way, I discovered this intuitively, but there has been a recent study which showed that adding salt before cooking improves the dish due to some protein reaction.

• Butter the frying pan.

Most cooks will agree that the addition of a little butter never hurt any dish, so even though I use an anodized skillet (at this time) I use butter and high heat.

Also, as I generally will add rice, peas, or mushrooms this gives me a medium in which to cook or heat them.

• If they are done in the pan, they are too done on the plate.

I pour the eggs in to the pan and let them sit until a film starts to form around the edges. Then I push the mixture toward the center until it stops forming. No actual mixing takes place during this step. Learning the timing for removing the eggs from the heat will again take some practice, just do not let them get hard. Do remember to use high heat so that the eggs cook quickly.

Serve with appropriate sides and/or garnishes.
Bon appetite!

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Spring Garden Walks


Fay's Meadow
Originally uploaded by The Marmot
This is my favorite time of the year. The wildflowers are in bloom, and as a tour leader I have a built in excuse to be at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden almost every weekend.

RSABG, as it is known in shorthand, is one of Claremont's best treasures. A hidden treasure to many people. Tucked away at the very end of College Avenue, north of Foothill, it can be easy to miss. But, it is well worth the finding.

The tours give us an opportunity to take visitors around the grounds to view and interpret the wildflowers and other plant collections. The bloom is pretty good this year. The Lupines and Tidy Tips are coming in to their own. Most of the Ceanothus, Western Redbuds, and Flannelbush are spectacular.

So, if you have the time, come on over any Saturday or Sunday at 2:00 p.m. from now until May 18.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Music as Commentary


I may have a liberal point of view, but I have always thought of NPR as being rather unbiased in its news coverage. However, this belief was shattered on March 11 while listening to Marketplace Morning Report. Someone involved in its production must have a bone to with Eliot Spitzer. A story on Wall Street's reaction to his peccadillo ended with the playing of "Your Cheatin' Heart" by Hank Williams. That says a lot, without saying any thing.

The morning of March 13 I was incensed by an interview with presidential hopeful Clinton. One must listen to the audio to get the full extent of her audacity; this transcript does not do it justice. If I had produced that story I would have closed it out with "Lying Eyes" by the Eagles.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Michael Pollan


Peppers
Originally uploaded by The Marmot
I have been reading a lot of Michael Pollan. I found his The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World to be worth picking up just for the section on apples. His discussion on the potato was fascinating to me as well. This video, from a TED conference, touches on the main theme of the book.



I just finished In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto. it was not as much the page turner for me as the first book, but it has greatly influenced my thinking about what I want to eat. The credo of "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants" made a lot of sense once I started to think about how much of what we eat is actually manufactured rather than produced or grown. Clearly, if I am really going to follow his advice, I will have to make some changes that I may not be prepared to make. "Food", as Pollan defines it, has less than five (5) things in it. This rules out much of what is found in the local mega mart such as bread, cereals, and almond milk (very unfortunate for me). Anything with high fructose corn syrup should be avoid as well. Of course, if I was following the tenets of Locovorism I would not be buying any of that anyway.

Currently, I am still working my through The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, so I am not prepared to comment on it just yet.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Locavore Nation, Part 1


I previously wrote about my commitment to buying much of our food from local sources. Now, I have discovered a group of people who have pledged to obtain 80% of their diet locally. My initial reaction is that it can not be done except in very rare circumstances.

First of all, in the reading that I have done so far, there does not seem to be an established standard as to how determine the proportions of what will constitute one’s diet. How would you measure it, volume, weight, or some sort of tally of items?

Then there is the question of what ‘locally produced’ actually means. As an example, there are several bakeries very close to us so we can buy locally baked products. That sounds good, but then I know that the wheat the flour was milled from was grown hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away. That would also be true of most grains. How local is that? Strictly speaking, Susan would most likely not be able to make our own granola.

Meat will probably be off the table as well for us omnivores. There are plenty of meat packing houses within 100 to 150 miles. (Unfortunately, one is involved in the huge recall that has been in the news. Another good reason to think about vegetarianism I guess.) But, the ranches and feedlots where the animals are raised are not in these parts. Drug free chickens are processed locally. But, the chickens themselves are raised in the Central Valley, so I might have to rule them out depending on the mileage.

We could rule the following foods in with no problem:

Tomatoes: Susan grows heirloom and other uncommon varieties of tomatoes in her garden. We have practically a year around supply (as I previously wrote) and can easily supplement it from the farmers market if need be.

Herbs: We grow a wide variety of herbs such as mint, parsley, rosemary, basil, and bay right outside our kitchen door.

Greens: Susan grows lettuce and arugula (rocket plant), so in season we will have these. Others are locally grown and can be had at the farmers market. Some of these are really neat including bok choy and yu choy to name two.

Citrus: We have our own orange and lemon trees. They do not, in truth, come close to meeting our needs, but we can buy locally grown fruit from the near by college of agriculture store and elsewhere.

Avocados: These can be had at the ag school store and from other local sources.

Potatoes: One of our favorite stalls at the local farmers market carries a variety of offbeat potatoes. They also have cauliflower.

Strawberries: There will be local strawberry stands for at least a few more years, I hope.

Corn: The same goes for corn.

Fish: Except for the fact that there are enough pollutants in them to make many people sick, fish are also available from within the allowable distance.

There are a few more foods that I could list, apples come to mind, but you can see that while we could have a nice seasonally variable and interest mix of things it might be problematic to make them 80% of our diet. I am just saying.



Friday, February 15, 2008

Inspired to Flower

Inspired to Flower: Different Flower Meanings

Stock

This just a quick puff piece. KaBloom of Sandy Springs, recently voted as Atlanta's best flower shop, is using my photo of Stock in its blog "Inspired to Flower". This article talks about the meaning behind some of the more popular flowers.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Marmots Unite!


Free Mukmuk: the 'other' Olympic mascot

I am one those people who likes to do a vanity Google search from time to to time. If I were to be perfectly honest I will have to admit that I actually use "Google Alerts"to let me know when "The Marmot" or "Cliff Hutson" is mentioned in cyberspace.

Most of the hits I get on "The Marmot" are for the clothing company or some guy in Korea. Depending on how active I have been, not much lately, my Flickr and PBase work will show. However, tonight, Google came up with this touching little story, in the Vancouver Sun, about a fellow marmot (see the top link).

How can I not take up the banner for Mukmuk? We have to stick together even if I am not Canadian. I also love to eat, think orange is a great color (or colour), and would hibernate if I could get away with it.

So, lets hear it for the Marmot!

Monday, February 4, 2008

Ethnicity, Gender, Identity, and Politics


Yesterday my local NPR station managed to tear itself away from its post-Super Bowl coverage long enough to once again beat the drum about the dilemma that has befallen people of color and women in having to decide between Clinton and Obama.

It would seem that the majority of Democrats have already agreed on one thing - they do not want another Southern white male to be president. The media pundits also tell us that people are no longer interested in the issues. I am not sure that is true, per se. I think that most of us really can not see al that much difference between the two. Also, what they say now will not be long remembered by the time one of them is in office. So what this boils down to then is that we the people are going to vote on the basis of the 'character and image' of the candidate.

The character of a person is a hard thing to measure if you do not actually know them and their public behavior has not been too egregious. Now I am cynical so I feel that as politicians they both have to be corrupt in some way, so I call it a draw. That leaves us with image. This would seem to lead us back to the fact one is a black man and the other a white woman and that we have to identify with one or the other.

Obama and I have at least one thing in common, we are both mixed race. He is decidedly African-American. His father after all was from Africa. I, myself, am black. [I have no connection to Africa except at the level of my DNA. Due to the laxness of record keeping for slaves, I can only trace my family back to 1809. But, in the oral and written records that we do have there is no lore, legend, or account about our time in Africa. - But that is another story.] There has been much made of post-race America in the last few months. I doubt that we are there yet. If we were, there would not be so much fuss about the color of his skin and a lot more about the content of his character.

My gender aside, I can also identify with Clinton. I grew up in a family with many strong women. Most of my career I have worked with women as my peers and my bosses. Other countries have also shown us that women can be world leaders. The idea of a woman in authority is not a problem for me. But, is America ready for it?

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Super Tuesday


Self-Portrait
Originally uploaded by The Marmot
This morning’s LA Times had a column by Steve Lopez talking about next Tuesday’s primary election. It was titled “Figuring out who's the better candidate.” Its theme was much the same as mine last Monday – how should a black person choose between Hilary Clinton and Barak Obama. It should be easy - vote for the candidate who will make the better president. But, that is hard to figure out and there is a lot of pressure to vote for the candidate’s gender or ethnicity.

It never made a difference to me in past primaries who was on the Democratic ballot as I have always been registered in a minor party (anybody remember the Peace and Freedom Party of the 60s) or as an independent. However, this year the Democrats are allowing “Non Partisans” to vote with them if we choose to do so. I am inclined to take them up on their offer.

I am inclined to vote for Obama. Now this might worry his supporters somewhat as in the forty years that I have been a registered voter – I have only voted for one presidential winner, Bill Clinton. Does this prove that I am a man who sticks to his principles or just totally out of touch with America, I am not sure.

There was a time when I felt that it did not really matter who was elected president. There is an old joke that goes something like – ‘they told me if I voted for (Senator Barry) Goldwater for President we would become involved in a land war in Asia. Well I did and we are.’ I thought that this was pretty much on the mark until the incumbent used September 11 as an excuse to involve us in a war that has proved to have no justification at all, continence torture, and throw billions of dollars to his cronies. (I will save his domestic policies for another screed.)

But, as long as Huckabee does not make to the White House, I am not too worried that things can get much worse in our country. So I am willing to cast my lot with another long shot. I say this because while conventional wisdom says that the Democratic nominee is likely to become the next president, in my heart I am not convinced. I think that when the chips are down, Americans are not yet ready for a woman or a person of color to be the national leader. I hope to be proven wrong, but only time will tell.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Quandary


Purple Cauliflower
Originally uploaded by The Marmot
I have been thinking some more about framing since my last post. Wikipedia tells that a frame in social theory consists of a schema of interpretation that individuals rely on to understand and respond to events.

Seemingly, a person constantly projects into the world around them the interpretive frames that allow them to make sense of it; we only shift frames (or realize that we have habitually applied a frame) when incongruity calls for a frame shift. In other words, we only become aware of the frames that we always already use when something forces us to replace one frame with another. An individual can effectively set an agenda by consistently invoking a particular frame. The framing party may then control discussion and perception of the issue.

Of course as I write this the South Carolina primary is well behind us, but in hindsight, framing was well illustrated for me in an NPC piece a few weeks ago. A reporter questioned three black women, high up in the Democrats political machine, about their preferences for Clinton or Obama. They all admitted to being in a quandary, ‘do I vote for Clinton because she is a woman like me, or do I vote for Obama because he is black like me?’

You call that a question? It falls in to the trap of choosing the language to define a debate and, more important, with fitting individual issues into the contexts of broader story lines. [The Framing Wars. New York Times July 17, 2005]. The question should be - “Who has the most potential to be a good president?” The rest is merely commentary.

By the way, how does purple cauliflower grab you?