Leafy

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Autumn really is a wonderful time of year.  You can even eat it!!!  : )))))))))))

As you can tell by my posts lately, there are many things I love about fall — from the brisk air to the deluge of football to the tantalizing scent of pumpkin spice — but there’s one striking visual that sets autumn apart from any other season: the brilliant hues of red, orange, and yellow foliage.  Jackie and I love to go for long walks in the parks and long drives on the weekends, soaking in the incredible beauty of the northeast Ohio landscapes.  I know I’ve written a bit in the past about leaves and colors, but I thought it’s a good time to touch on the science (and beauty) that surrounds us.  So, here’s a little science, a little history, and a whole lot of fun in salute of the season – enjoy and be sure to click on the music link below to set the mood while reading – one of my favorites.  Thanks to you tube, interestingfacts.com, ssec.si.edu, esf.edu, canr.msu.edu, fs.usda.gov, harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu, redbookmag.com, grammarist.com, livescience.com, goodnet.org, slate.com, wiley.com, nowthisnews.com, atlasobscura.com, and dictonary.com.

An Autumn Listen

Deciduous Trees Change Color, But Coniferous Trees Don’t
The bright crimson and gold tones of fall foliage are found primarily on the branches of deciduous trees, an arboreal subset that includes oaks, maples, birches, and more. The word “deciduous” itself stems from the Latin decidere, meaning “to fall off,” and the term is used to describe trees that — unlike conifers and other evergreens — lose their leaves during the autumn as they transition into seasonal dormancy.  So, now you can impress the kids by saying – “Yea, that’s a deciduous tree” … (just watch the leaves!).

Deciduous trees have broadleaves: flat, wide leaves that are more susceptible to weather-induced changes compared to the thin needles of their coniferous counterparts.  As sunlight decreases and temperatures drop, chlorophyll production in these broadleaf trees ramps up, which in turn gives way to other pigments that produce the red, orange, and yellow tones of autumn. There are some geographic exceptions to this rule, however, as deciduous trees in the southern United States are more likely to maintain their green color than those in the North, primarily due to the region’s milder winters.

A Leaf’s Color is Determined by It’s Tree Type
There are three different pigments responsible for the coloration of autumn leaves: chlorophyll, carotenoids, and anthocyanin. Chlorophyll, the most basic pigment that every plant possesses, is a key component of the photosynthetic process that gives leaves their green color during the warmer, brighter months. The other two pigments become more prevalent as conditions change. Carotenoids are unmasked as chlorophyll levels deplete; these produce more yellow, orange, and brown tones.

Though scientists once thought that anthocyanin also lay dormant during the warmer months, they now believe that production begins anew each year during the fall. The anthocyanin pigment not only contributes to the deep red color found in leaves (and also fruits such as cranberries and apples), but it also acts as a natural sunscreen against bright sunlight during colder weather.

During the transformative autumnal months, it’s easier to discern the types of trees based on the color of their leaves. Varying proportions of pigmentation can be found in the chemical composition of each tree type, leading to colorful contrasts. For example, red leaves are found on various maples (particularly red and sugar maples), oaks, sweetgums, and dogwoods, while yellow and orange shades are more commonly associated with hickories, ashes, birches, and black maples. Interestingly, the leaves of an elm tree pose an exception, as they shrivel up and turn brown.

The Etymology of the Word “Fall” Refers to Falling Leaves
Prior to the terms “fall” and “autumn” making their way into the common lexicon, the months of September, October, and November were generally referred to as the harvest season, a time of year for gathering ripened crops. Some of the first recorded uses of the word “fall” date back to 1500s England, when the term was a shortened version of “fall of the year” or “fall of the leaf.”

The 1600s saw the arrival of the word  “autumn,” which came from the French word automne and was popular among writers such as Chaucer and Shakespeare. By the 18th century, “autumn” became the predominant name for the season in England, though over the following century, the word “fall” would grow in popularity across the Atlantic. But while some proper British English linguists consider fall to be an Americanism, the term actually originated in England, and both “autumn” and “fall” are used interchangeably today.

When English poets started using the phrase “the fall of leaves” it became very fashionable to call the season fall. But by the mid-1800s, after the split of the colonies from England led to language change,  England reverted back to Autumn and the American upstarts retained fall.

American Trees Produce Redder Leaves Than Northern European Ones
While America is home to a wide array of both reddish and yellow autumnal hues, trees in Northern Europe are more universally yellow in color. One fascinating theory for why that is goes back to 35 million years ago. During the ice age of the Pleistocene era, America’s north-to-south mountain ranges allowed for animals on either side to migrate south to warmer climates, whereas the east-to-west Alps of Europe trapped many animal species that became extinct as freezing conditions took hold in the north. The result was American trees producing more anthocyanins — and thus a darker red color — to help ward off insects, whereas European trees didn’t need to do the same, since extinct insect species no longer posed a threat. This phenomenon also occurred in East Asia, where forests bear a similar resemblance to those in America, as opposed to the uniquely yellow forests of Northern Europe.  (USA!  USA!  USA!)

——> Bonus Trivia <——

More People Fall in Love in Fall
Does cold weather make you want to cuddle with someone? You are far from alone. According to Redbook, the cooler weather in fall makes people want to get closer to others and not be alone for the winter. So get ready to snuggle in the fall.

You Can See the Brightest Full Moon in Fall
The full moon in the fall that occurs during the equinox is much brighter (almost orange) and rises much earlier than a typical full moon. This full moon, called the Harvest Moon) occurs sometime in September or October and it was very helpful for farmers who used the moonlight to help harvest their crops.

Try Tempura-Fried Maple Leaves – A Japanese Delicacy
While most Americans rake up autumn leaves and throw them into a garbage bin, in Japan, they are the main ingredient of a delicacy. Momiji tempura is a popular snack that originated in the city of Minoh, about 10 miles north of Osaka, where the first commercial fried leaf vendor opened in 1910. Legend has it that around 1,300 years ago, a traveler was so taken by the beauty of the autumn maple leaves in the region that he decided to cook them in oil and eat them. Fear not if you’re a germaphobe, though — the leaves used in momiji tempura are freshly picked off trees, never scooped up from the ground. Preparation involves soaking the maple leaves in salt water (sometimes for up to a year), frying them in a tempura batter, and coating them with sugar and sesame seeds for a sweet, crunchy treat.

 

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DO YOU LIKE CONTESTS?
Me, too.
As you may know the Kowalski Heat Treating logo finds its way
into the visuals of my Friday posts.
I.  Love.  My.  Logo.
One week there could be three logos.
The next week there could be 15 logos.
And sometimes the logo is very small or just a partial logo showing.
But there are always logos in some of the pictures.
So, I challenge you, my beloved readers, to count them and send me a
quick email with the total number of logos in the Friday post.
On the following Tuesday I’ll pick a winner from the correct answers
and send that lucky person some great KHT swag.
So, start counting and good luck!  
Oh, and the logos at the very top header don’t count.
Got it? Good.  :-))))
Have fun!!

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FIRE!

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Fire hydrants are important in any community. But they are also kind of funny looking. And with a little imagination they can really be something else!!!  :)))))))  Trivia follows…read-on! 

Recently, out walking with Jackie the other night in the small village I live in, I noticed a whole bunch of new construction improvement projects going on.  New bridges being built, roadways getting resurfaced, condos going up and new hiking paths connecting our beautiful parks to the lakefront.  I also noticed something I never really pay much attention to – someone had repainted all the fire hydrants along the road – all the rust and old paint was gone, now shimmering with a nice navy-blue color on the bottom and a clean white cap on the top.  It got me to look a little closer at the hydrants – and I realized I really didn’t know much about the history or design of these vital city assets. Not much technology here – cast iron pipes with valves, chains and bolts. Although my entire career has been spent working with stuff like this. It’s always fascinating how stuff is made! Back at the ranch I searched the web, I collected some fun information, and uncovered some very cool inventors/designers whose original designs (pretty much what we have today) date back to the early days of our country’s founding.  Special thanks to American-usa.com, bmefire.com, YouTube, asme.org and Wikipedia.com for the info.  Enjoy!

Fun tune while reading

  1. Because I love his name, I would like to be able to share that Birdsill Holly, Jr. (holder of 150 patents, second only to Thomas Edison), is universally recognized as the inventor of the fire hydrant (he was something of a heat expert using steam). But, while the National Inventors Hall of Fame credits him as the inventor of the “modern-day fire hydrant,” the origins of the fire hydrant precede him, dating to the early 19th century in Philadelphia, where engineer Frederick Graff, Sr., may well have designed the first of them.
  2. As far as historians know, Frederick Graff, Sr., Chief Engineer of the Philadelphia Water Works, was the inventor of the fire hydrant. They think he received a patent for his ground-breaking invention in 1801, and suspect he is the person to thank for protecting countless homes and communities from the ravages of an uncontrolled fire. (the reason they don’t know for certain is because the evidence relating to the firefighting technology was destroyed … wait for it … yup, by fire!)
  3. If only this innovative firefighting system had been in operation near the U.S. Patent Office on December 15, 1836, we might not have to wonder about the true inventor of the fire hydrant. On that day, a fire broke out in the building where all U.S. patents were stored. An estimated 9,957 patents were destroyed in the blaze, wiping out official evidence of inventors’ contributions and rights to technological progress, including all records pertaining to the true inventor of the fire hydrant.
  4. The government sought to restore its records. Many patent holders came forward with their copies of the official paperwork, and from those copies, the official records were recreated. Unfortunately, out of the 9,957 patents that were destroyed, only 2,845 were able to be restored. All patents on record from prior to the 1836 fire are officially classified as “X-Patents.”
  5. The deployment of water-containing caldrons for use in firefighting reaches back to ancient China. Using the same approach, scattered cisterns (storage vessels) stored water in colonial American cities to battle blazes. Hollowed wooden logs provided underground main water lines (like the lines we still have today).
  6. The term “fire plug” dates from the time when water mains were made from hollowed out logs. The fire company (usually volunteers) would head out to the fire, dig up the cobbles in the road down to the main water line, then bore a hole into the main so that the excavation would fill with water which they could draft using their pumper. When finished fighting the fire, they’d seal the main with — you guessed it — a “fire plug”. The next time there was a fire in the neighborhood, they’d dig up the plug and not have to cut into the main.
  7. In London, after the Great Fire of 1666, water mains were preemptively equipped with holes and plugs that were accessed above ground. In many places, wood mains gave way cast iron replacements, which began to be outfitted at intervals with branched fittings that drew water from the mains, acting like underground hydrants.
  8. In about 1801, where someone at the Philadelphia Water Works–most likely Frederick Graff, its senior engineer–created the first “post” or “pillar” hydrant, which rose above ground. It was topped with a valve and featured an outlet that acted as a faucet but also could be attached to a hose. Water was always present in its “wet barrel”.  To prevent freezing and bursting in cold climate locales “dry barrel” hydrants were later designed in which the hydrant remained empty until it was necessary to access the water flowing beneath the frost line.
  9. Prior to the invention of the fire hydrant, fight-fighting techniques consisted of maintaining large cauldrons of water in strategic locations near population centers or filling underground tanks with water, both systems entirely dependent on whether sufficient water had been stored up to combat whatever nearby fire might break out. The fire hydrant was revolutionary in that it allowed for a continuous flow of water, guaranteeing that firefighters would not run out before the blaze was fully quenched.
  10. In 1802, the first order for cast iron hydrants was placed with cannon maker company named Foxall & Richards, who used cast iron to make them. In 1803, Frederick Graff Sr. introduced an improved version of the fire hydrant with the valve in the lower portion. These were inserted into wooden mains with a tapering joint. In 1811, Philadelphia claimed to have 230 wooden hydrant pumps and 185 cast iron fire hydrants.  See different barrel designs here
  11. Today, many valves and hydrants are produced by AMERICAN Flow Control, all are provided with 2-D bar codes. Using an app called AFC Mapper, these bar codes can be scanned by an iOS or Android smart phone or tablet. The app works to integrate the information on the AFC 2D barcodes to help water utilities automate mapping functions, locate and manage assets, and improve field operations efficiency.
  12. Using the app, field personnel have quick access to information such as fire hydrant thread specs, or the depth of bury of their hydrant. This information is invaluable in troubleshooting a problem or planning for future changes and/or system expansion.
  13. This information is critical to the utility technician trying to troubleshoot a problem or locate a valve or hydrant. Take for instance, a weather-related event like Hurricane Katrina or Sandy – these storms literally changed the landscape of the affected areas forever. Locating the valve or hydrant and having access to previous records, as well as all of the manufacturing attributes proved to be a real difference-maker during those instances.
  14. Brief History of fire trucks

How They’re Made!!

 

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DO YOU LIKE CONTESTS?
Me, too.
As you may know the Kowalski Heat Treating logo finds its way
into the visuals of my Friday posts.
I.  Love.  My.  Logo.
One week there could be three logos.
The next week there could be 15 logos.
And sometimes the logo is very small or just a partial logo showing.
But there are always logos in some of the pictures.
So, I challenge you, my beloved readers, to count them and send me a
quick email with the total number of logos in the Friday post.
On the following Tuesday I’ll pick a winner from the correct answers
and send that lucky person some great KHT swag.
So, start counting and good luck!  
Oh, and the logos at the very top header don’t count.
Got it? Good.  :-))))
Have fun!!

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Traditions

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The pictures follow the text below. Enjoy!!!!  :)))))

How it’s Fall already is sort of surprising… just sort of snuck up on us… but here it is.  As with many of the seasonal and holiday transitions throughout the year, Fall brings with it some interesting traditions (and chores – leaf raking – I actually love using my backpack blower!). I find myself looking forward to many of these, like our drives in the country for fresh apples, watching the grandkids pull the apples off the trees – magic! There’s more to autumn than just pumpkin spice — it’s also filled with good stuff like pumpkin pie (yum!! – ice cream and Cool Whip too) pumpkin patches, harvesting and even a semi-obscure sport known as “punkin chunkin” (not to mention other non-squash-related customs). I’ve often wondered why I have the sudden urge to wander through a corn maze in the fall, or what it is about October that’s so conducive to bobbing for apples and eating different shaped candy.  Below are the surprising origins of eight autumn traditions that I’m guessing you like too – enjoy, and thanks to interestingfacts.com, foodnetwork.com, tailgating magazine and You Tube for the info.

Corn Maze

  • Mazes and labyrinths (elaborate and confusing circular maze structures) date back over 4000 years ago to the time of ancient Greece and Rome.  During Roman times, mazes and labyrinths were seen in artwork, home flooring, pavement on streets, and dug into the earth.
  • It was believed that although beautiful and puzzling, the mazes were actually used for rituals and processions.
  • Garden mazes began to pop up throughout Europe in the wealthiest castles and palaces as a way to amuse their inhabitants.  Louis XIV’s palace at Versailles included an elaborate labyrinth in the garden, which is said to have been inspired by Aesop’s fables.
  • One of the finest examples of garden mazes can be found in the gardens at Hampton Court Palace in England, which was first planted by William III in 1690.
  • By the 18th century, hedge mazes became increasingly popular in England and Europe, but it took some time before the concept came to America, at which point it took the form of a corn maze.
  • In 1993, the first modern elaborate corn maze was created by Don Frantz and Adrian Fisher, which inspired a worldwide fad of corn mazes.  Their corn maze was constructed on only 3 acres of land and had 1.92 miles of pathway.  The maze received accreditation in the Guiness Book of World Records for being the world’s largest corn maze.
  • The record now belongs to Cool Patch Pumpkins for their 60 acre maze in Dixon, California in 2014.

Leaf Peeping

  • This one goes back more than 1,200 years, which is another way of saying it didn’t originate in America. Rather, it appears we have Japan to thank for the custom. Their version of it, which carries the considerably more evocative name of momijigari (“autumn leaf hunting”), dates back to at least the Heian Era of 794-1185. A renaissance of sorts, that epoch brought about both visual art that celebrated the vibrant colors of fall and the endlessly influential Tale of Genji, which explicitly mentions “an imperial celebration of autumn foliage.”
  • As for how it became an American tradition, a professor of Asian art history has a theory: Japan and New England were connected via shipping routes, resulting in New Englanders being exposed to Japanese lacquerware featuring a maple-leaf motif that made them more inclined to seek out gorgeous leaves without traveling halfway across the world.
  • Best places to see Fall leaves include Rocky Mountain National Park, Sonoma Valley, Tahquamenon Falls State Park, Michigan, Acadia National Park, Maine and pretty much anywhere in Ohio and Pennsylvania

OKTOBERFEST

  • Beginning in the third weekend of September and lasting until the first Sunday in October, Oktoberfest has long served as an excuse for revelers to do as the Germans do and wet their whistle at the local beer hall (lederhosen optional).
  • The first Oktoberfest was a wedding reception: On October 12, 1810, the citizens of Munich gathered at the city’s gates to celebrate the marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The event (known locally as d’Wiesn) was so popular that it took place again the following year — and the year after that, and so on and so forth until it became the world-famous festival of Bavarian culture that it is today.
  • You can’t start drinking until the mayor opens the first keg.  The festival officially begins when the mayor says “O’ zapft is” during the opening ceremony on the first day of the event. There’s only one place to be to witness this; the Schottenhamel tent. Here you’ll get to experience the Bavarian tradition where the Mayor of Munich will have the honor of tapping the first keg of Oktoberfest beer at noon. Once the first barrel of beer has been opened, then everyone else can get their beers in and officially start Oktoberfest… AND, only beer from Munich is sold at Oktoberfest.  CLICK FOR A TOUR!
  • And Check THIS Out————> The Oktoberfest in 4k Time lapse & Tilt shift

Election Day

  • Though rarely thought of in the same way as apple cider and leaf-peeping, American elections take place in autumn for a reason. Out of consideration for farming schedules, Congress chose November (when the harvest was finished but it hadn’t usually begun to snow yet) in its 1845 decree establishing the date.
  • As for Tuesday? Weekends were a no-go due to church, and Wednesdays were off the table because farmers usually went to the market to sell their goods. Thus, Tuesday emerged as a sort of compromise, and the tradition stuck.
  • It’s a blessing we can enjoy free and open elections …be sure to vote!

BOBBING FOR APPLES

  • It may not be as popular now as it was a century ago, but bobbing for apples persists as an autumnal activity, especially on Halloween. Long before kiddos dressed up on October 31, however, British singles played the game as a sort of courting ritual. Each apple represented a different eligible bachelor and, if the young woman bobbing for said apple bit into it on her first try, the two would live happily ever after.
  • Succeeding on the second attempt meant that the two would be together for a time but the romance would fade.
  • Not getting it right until the third try foretold doom – yikes!  Click For Video

Punkin Chuckin

  • For the past two decades, “chunkers” have created slingshots, trebuchets, and even pneumatic cannons to hurl pumpkins as far as possible. The World Championship Punkin Chunkin Contest has taken place in Bridgeville, Delaware, every November since 1986, with First State native Bill Thompson claiming credit for inventing the sport.
  • The Guinness world record shot is held by a pneumatic cannon dubbed “Big 10 Inch”, at 5,545.43 feet (1,690.25 m), on September 9, 2010 in Moab, Utah. (for you math majors out there…that’s over a mile!!)
  • Enjoy this “chuckin” link – made me just laugh out loud seeing the machines and the people

Tailgating

  • The history of tailgating dates all the way back to the start of the Civil War. In 1861, civilians gathered in Washington DC, to watch the first battle of the Bull Run and cheer on their “team,” the Union or the Confederates.  People brought picnic baskets filled with minced meat, apple pies, and plum puddings. This time in history marks the beginning of aged whiskey and wine production, so we can assume the colonists were also celebrating with adult beverages.
  • Tailgating is now a year-round activity at sporting events and concerts, but it’s always been especially popular at football games. One theory posits that it dates all the way back to the first college football game, a contest between Rutgers and Princeton that took place in 1869, when some in attendance sat at their horses’ “tail end” while grilling sausages before the game began.
  • Another theory centers around the Green Bay Packers, whose fans are said to have coined the term “tailgating” when the “cheeseheads” first began supporting the team in 1919. Ever industrious, they positioned their trucks around the field and sat in the beds for comfortable viewing while enjoying their food and drinks.
  • Today tailgater’s across the country come early, set tables and tents, and serve all sorts of grilled and “crock pot” goodies, along with snacks galore.
  • “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” takes place around the college football games between the Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs, where fans meet in the parking lot, RV lot and local marina, entertaining nearly 200,000 fans.

Candy Corn

  • It may be the year’s most polarizing candy, but its history is long and sweet. Candy corn dates back to the 1880s, when a confectioner at the Wunderle Candy Company began producing it under the even-less-appetizing name of Chicken Feed.
  • The corn-shaped sugar molds were then manufactured by the Goelitz Confectionery Company, who made the product famous (you may now know Goelitz as Jelly Belly too). More than 35 million pounds (or nine billion individual pieces) of candy corn are produced every year, so someone must like the stuff.
  • California residents consume more of the orange, yellow and white confection than any other state. To be fair, it is a big state, and so is the state that comes in second in the eats-the-most-candy-corn lineup: Texas! Florida, in third place, takes the proverbial bronze, followed by New York, Michigan and Illinois.

I have to admit, this candy does not even make my top 100 list!

I saw this New Yorker cartoon on Twitter…couldn’t resist sharing.  :))))) @NewYorker

 

 

 

 

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

DO YOU LIKE CONTESTS?
Me, too.
As you may know the Kowalski Heat Treating logo finds its way
into the visuals of my Friday posts.
I.  Love.  My.  Logo.
One week there could be three logos.
The next week there could be 15 logos.
And sometimes the logo is very small or just a partial logo showing.
But there are always logos in some of the pictures.
So, I challenge you, my beloved readers, to count them and send me a
quick email with the total number of logos in the Friday post.
On the following Tuesday I’ll pick a winner from the correct answers
and send that lucky person some great KHT swag.
So, start counting and good luck!  
Oh, and the logos at the very top header don’t count.
Got it? Good.  :-))))
Have fun!!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Sticky

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It’s sand. Who knew there was so much info on sand. Especially the kind that works best for great sandcastles. Well, good thing you stopped by today. Read on, then impress your friends and family this weekend.  :)))))

Now that I hold the title of “grandpa”, I get to do all sorts of fun things with the grandchildren. Silly hide and seek, playing with toys, and taking them to fun places.  In my neighborhood, I have access to one of our beloved Metroparks, Huntington Beach.  Jackie and I love taking the kidos down there, splashing in the waves, watching sunsets and of course playing in the sand. I get to lug the gear – towels, blankets, chairs, sunscreen, snacks, and of course I had to bring some shovels and pails and molds to make shapes.  We have been constructing sand “castles” since the girls were able to stand – one of our ladies actually learned to walk on the beach!  The majority of our structures had to also have an elaborate moat for protection.  Little water, little sand, and presto, a castle. I have to say once finished with the castles,  their next choice would be to bury me in sand!  That did make for a nice nap!   My curiosity got to me back at the office, to learn a bit more about why the sand sticks sometimes, and crumbles other times.  I went online and found this cool article written by Joseph Scalia – Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University (to understand why some sandcastles are tall and have intricate structures while others are nearly shapeless lumps of sand, it helps to have a background in geotechnical engineering). I also found some amazing designs from beaches all over – must say WAY more than my pail domes. Thanks to theconversation.com and YouTube for the info and song.

Beyonce’ 

  • The size of particles, or grains, also determines the way sand looks and feels. The smallest sand grains have a texture almost like powdered sugar. The largest grains are more like the size of small dry lentils.
  • Most sand will work for building a sandcastle, but the best sand has two characteristics: grains of sand in several different sizes and grains with angular or rough edges.
  • Sand grains that are more angular, with sharp corners on them, lock together better, making the sandcastle stronger. It’s the same reason a pile of angular wooden blocks will stay in a pile, but a pile of marbles will go everywhere.
  • This is also why, surprisingly, the best sand for sandcastles is not typically found on an island or a coastal beach. More angular grains of sand are usually found closer to mountains, their geologic source. These sand grains have not yet had their edges rounded off by wind and water. Professional sandcastle builders will go so far as to import river sand for their creations.
  • Water is key – Without water, sand just forms a pile. Too much water and sand flows like liquid. But between dry sand and saturated sand lies a wide range of moisture levels that enable sandcastle construction.
  • Water is cohesive, meaning that water likes to stick to water. But water also sticks to or climbs up certain surfaces. Look at a half-full glass of water and you will see the water going up the insides of the glass a little. This tiny power struggle is what makes sandcastles possible.
  • If the glass were much skinnier, like a straw, the water would rise higher and have more surface tension. The narrower the straw, the higher the water would rise. This phenomenon is called capillarity (think celery stalk).
  • Water behaves the same way in wet sand. The pores, or spaces, between the sand grains are like a bunch of very tiny straws. Water forms tiny bridges between the grains. The water in these bridges is under tension, pulling the grains together by a force we geotechnical engineers call suction stress.
  • Just enough water – The quantity of water in the sand controls the size and strength of the water bridges. Too little water equals little bridges between the sand grains. More water, and the size and number of bridges grows, increasing the suction holding the sand grains together. The result is perfect sandcastle sand.
  • Too much water, though, and the suction is too weak to hold the sand together.  A general rule of thumb for building great sandcastles is one part water for every eight parts dry sand. Under ideal conditions in a laboratory, though, with dense sand and zero evaporation, one part water for every one hundred parts dry sand can produce wonders. At a beach, sand with the right moisture level is near the high tide line when the tide is low.
  • Incidentally, salt from seawater can also be a boon for sandcastle stability. Capillary forces hold sand grains together initially, but capillary water will eventually evaporate, particularly on a windy day. When sea water dries up, salt is left behind. Since the seawater was forming bridges between the grains, the salt crystallizes at these points of contact. In this way, salt can keep a sandcastle standing long after the sand has dried. But be careful not to disturb the salt-bonded sand; it’s brittle and collapsible.
  • To build a strong sandcastle, compact sand and a little water as tightly as you can. I prefer to create a dense mound and then scoop and carve away to reveal the art within. You can also compact the sand into buckets, cups or other molds, and build from the ground up. Just be sure to get the sand dense and place the mold on a compacted foundation. Hands make for both a great compaction and carving tool, but a shovel or a seashell will allow for more precision.

Have fun, and don’t be afraid to get sandy!

Oh, and check this out before you go:
5 cool sandcastles in the making

 

 

 

 

Corn

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Maize, cob, sweet-corn, kernel, corn-on-the-cob. However you refer to it, it’s just plain good food with plenty of history!!! Read on, and prepare to be amaized!!!!!!!  (Oh, there I go again)  :)))))))) 

Driving out to the country this past weekend, Jackie and I marveled at the extensive amount of corn.  It seemed like in all directions corn was growing everywhere.  I’m so impressed by the farmers and ranch hands who can plant, care for and harvest corn. Talk about PIA (Pain in the @%$) Jobs! Prepping, clearing, turning, planting, fertilizing, harvesting, storing, and all along praying that this year’s crop will be great again. We of course stopped at a roadside country market and filled up on fresh vegetables, tasty fruits, and lots of corn.  I love it boiled some and roasted some on the grill, all black and tasty, smothered in butter and touch of salt… (sounds good, eh?). I thought it would be fun to see what “corny” info is out there – boy did I get an earful (get it?). Seeing the list, it’s unlikely that a day goes where we don’t encounter corn in one form or another. While we enjoy sweet corn as a side dish, it’s also something we all rely on in more ways to count – from washing our hands, brushing our teeth, having a soda  to fueling our cars.  Here’s a hitlist of corn info I thought you’d enjoy – and some facts that all I can say is … now you know!  Be sure to get your fill of sweet country corn from the markets over the next few weeks – it truly is amaizing (ok I’ll stop).  I added some corn recipes at the end for my foodies out there… special thanks to kidadl.com and loveandlemons.com for the info. Enjoy!

 

  • The average ear of corn has 800 kernels in 16 rows. Corn cobs always have an even number of rows. An ear of corn has one silk stand for every kernel and each corn plant produces one to three cobs each.
  • Only 1% of corn planted in the United States is sweet corn – the full list grown in America includes dent corn, flint corn, pod corn, popcorn, flour corn, and sweet corn. Usually corn is yellow, but it can also come in colors such as green, red, or white.
  • The world record for the tallest corn stalk is more than 35 feet.
  • An acre of corn eliminates 8 tons of carbon dioxide from our air – with about 90 million acres planted, let’s see,  that’s about 72 million tons eliminated (yea!)  91 gallons of water is needed to produce one pound of corn.
  • Corn was first domesticated in southern Mexico more than 10,000 years ago. Humans bred field corn from an ancient grass called teosinte. Corn became more widely popular in the late 1700s when it became accessible to Europeans. Corn is grown on every continent, with the exception of Antarctica.
  • Early pioneers planted four corn plants to harvest one. There was even a rhyme about it: “One for the maggot, one for the crow, one for the cutworm, one to grow”.
  • Corn is used in foods like cereal, potato chips, soft drinks, cooking oil, and more. It’s also used in non-food items like fireworks, glue, fabric, crayons, fuel, paint, laundry detergent, cosmetics, and plastics.
  • All corn is technically a grain, a fruit and a vegetable. The ear, or cob, of corn is a vegetable, each kernel is a grain, and all grains are fruits.
  • Sweet corn becomes starchy easily, so it should be eaten within a few days after picking.  The husk of fresh corn should be bright green, with a golden tassel. If the stalk end is brown, the corn is not fresh.
  • The first mechanical corn harvested was invented by Gleaner Harvester Combine Corporation in 1930. (bunch of corn harvester videos – wow)
  • Most countries outside of the United States call corn maize.  Maize is a Taino word that means “sacred mother” or “giver of life”.
  • CLICK HERE!
  • THEN CLICK HERE!
  • THEN CLICK HERE!
  • AND THEN…CLICK HERE!!!!
  • Corn leaves may only be 4 inches wide, but they can measure up to 4 feet long.  The average corn stalk is 8 to 10 feet tall. Corn stalks look like bamboo canes, with 20 internodes of 7 inches each. Although most corn kernels are quite small, they’ve been seen to grow as big as 1 inch.
  • Corn plants have both male and female flowers. The tassel is the male flower while the ear is the female flower.
  • Any variety of maize grown for production of livestock food, ethanol, cereal or processed food is called field corn.
  • Dent corn gets its name from its dented kernels. It’s mostly for animal feed, in processed food, or to produce ethanol.
  • Flour corn, as its name suggests, is usually used to make corn flour and cornmeal.
  • Flint corn’s hard, colorful kernels make it too tough to eat. It’s mainly used like dent corn.
  • Pod corn has extra leaves that cover up each individual kernel.
  • Corn plants had only one ear of corn until Native American farmers crossed different varieties to produce more food.
  • Farmers collectively produce over 45 billion bushels each year.  Corn is measured in bushels. One bushel of corn weighs 56 pounds. The United States is the biggest corn producer in the world, followed by China, Brazil, Argentina, Ukraine and India.  Over a third of the world’s corn is grown in the United States, where it is a major crop.
  • Iowa is the biggest corn producer in the United States and produced over 2.5 billion bushels of corn last year.  Iowa produces so much corn, it’s called the Corn State.
  • Corn grows best in subtropical and temperate climates, which is why it grows so well in Iowa.  Iowa may grow the most corn, but Japan buys the most: in 2019, it spent $3.5 billion on the yellow stuff.
  • 30% of all the corn production in the USA is for livestock feed, while 40% goes for biofuels like ethanol.
  • Corn has over 3,500 uses in cookery, industry and more. That’s a lot of corn products!  Things as diverse as cosmetics, laundry detergent, soap, antibiotics, fireworks, glue, paint and chewing gum are produced from corn – there is even corn in drywall.
  • Corn is used to supply ethanol production. Ethanol is added to gasoline to make it burn more cleanly, reducing air pollution.
  • A major ingredient in many soft drinks is corn syrup. One bushel of corn can sweeten 400 cans of soft drinks.
  • Your toothpaste has corn in it. Sorbitol, a corn product, is used to bulk up toothpaste.Corn is used to replace oil as a major ingredient in new bioplastic products. It’s less harmful to the environment.
  • Corn oil is produced when a kernel is processed to make cornmeal or cornstarch. Companies then bottle it and sell it for cooking.  As well as frying food, corn oil is used in skincare because of its high levels of Vitamin E.
  • In the USA, corn makes up 95% of all livestock feed as well as being the main ingredient in dry pet food.
  • Corn is a good source of vitamins A, B and E as well as minerals and antioxidants.  Grains like corn are also a good source of carbohydrates, protein and fiber.
  • Almost every food in Mexican cookery uses maize. It’s the main ingredient in tortillas, tamales, pozole, tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, tostadas and more.
  • Many cultures like corn porridge. Italy calls it polenta, it’s angu in Brazil, mamaliga in Romania, kacamak in Serbia and cornmeal mush or hominy grits in the US.
  • Maize was first grown about 7,000 to 10,000 years ago in southern Mexico. ‘Maize’ is a Taino word that means ‘sacred mother’ or ‘giver of life’ and was once considered so valuable that people traded things like meat and furs for it instead of money.
  • Sweet corn is only about 1000 years old and was first found in Brazil.  The Iroquois called sweet corn ‘papoon’. The sweet grain spread to Europe when the Iroquois gave some to European settlers in 1779.
  • Archeologists found some corn kernels at a dig on the east coast of Peru. Despite being over 1,000 years old, the kernels still popped when cooked.  5,600-year-old ears of popcorn were found in the Bat Cave of West Central New Mexico.
  • Native Americans used corn leaves as chewing gum. Corn is still used in gum production today.
  • Asian countries like China and Korea use soft corn silk to make a nutritious tea packed with vitamin K and potassium.
  • Popcorn is exploding food. The puffy snack is made when a certain variety of corn heats up and explodes.  Americans eat around 17 billion quarts of popcorn each year, enough to fill the Empire State Building 18 times.
  • Fun recipes

 

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DO YOU LIKE CONTESTS?
Me, too.
As you may know the Kowalski Heat Treating logo finds its way
into the visuals of my Friday posts.
I.  Love.  My.  Logo.
One week there could be three logos.
The next week there could be 15 logos.
And sometimes the logo is very small or just a partial logo showing.
But there are always logos in some of the pictures.
So, I challenge you, my beloved readers, to count them and send me a
quick email with the total number of logos in the Friday post.
On the following Tuesday I’ll pick a winner from the correct answers
and send that lucky person some great KHT swag.
So, start counting and good luck!  
Oh, and the logos at the very top header don’t count.
Got it? Good.  :-))))  
Have fun!!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Spinning Wheel

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We’ve all been there. Waiting and staring at your computer screen while that little animated thingy spins. Read below of its origin and see some more interesting animations that very talented people have made to keep us entertained while … we … w-a-i-t.

Waiting.  It’s something we encounter every day.  Waiting for the traffic light to change.  Waiting for the driver in front of you to make a left turn.  Waiting in line for your double americano frapalino no fat no foam half calf iced coffee (actually not a thing for me!!). I think, overall, we’re all pretty good at waiting. With technology, we’ve been blessed with really fast processing – log on and you are off and running, click a link, and bam, it’s there – search for an item and it pops up, typically with nine additional options. Music at our fingertips. Instant purchases on Amazon and other retailers. The speed is fantastic. The other day, I was searching for an item online, and watched one of those little circle thingies pop up on my screen.  It told me the site I was going to was “loading” and would come up soon. I patiently watched it go round and round and round and thought to myself … I wonder where this came from and who invented it. So, like I like to do, I jumped on the web, did some research, and found out. The spinning icon is called a throbber (also known as a loading icon). Hats off to the gang who invented it back in the day – as it’s become part of our visual language today.  Here’s some info on throbbers thanks to Wikipedia.  Be sure to click on the music link here while you read along – I think you’ll enjoy that too.

BS&T Hit

 

 

 

 

 

  • A throbber, also known as a loading icon, is an animated graphical control element used to show that a computer program is performing an action in the background (such as downloading content, conducting intensive calculations or communicating with an external device). In contrast to a progress bar, a throbber does not indicate how much of the action has been completed.

 

 

  • Throbbers take various forms but are commonly incorporated into the logo of the program. Throbbers are typically a still image (known as its resting frame), unless the program is performing an action, during which time the throbber is animated in a loop to convey to the user that the program is busy (and has not frozen). Once the action is complete, the throbber returns to its resting frame.

  • Somewhat surprisingly, it’s possible for the user to continue interacting with the program while the throbber is animated; one such possibility may be to press a “stop” button to cancel the action. Clicking the throbber itself might perform another action, such as opening the program’s website, or pausing or canceling the background action.

  • One of the early uses of a throbber occurred in the NCSA Mosaic web browser of the early 1990s, which featured an NCSA logo that “animated” while Mosaic downloaded a web page. As the user could still interact with the program, the pointer remained normal (and not a busy symbol, such as an hourglass turning); therefore, the throbber provided a visual indication that the program was performing an action. Clicking on the throbber would stop the page loading; later web browsers added a separate Stop button for this purpose.

  • Netscape, which soon overtook Mosaic as the market-leading web browser, featured a throbber. In version 1.0 of Netscape, this took the form of a big blue “N” (Netscape’s logo at the time). The animation depicted the “N” expanding and contracting – hence the name “throbber” (now you know!!). When Netscape unveiled its new logo (a different “N” on top of a hill), they held a competition to find an animation for it. The winning design (featuring the new-look “N” in a meteor shower) became very well-known and almost became an unofficial symbol of the World Wide Web Later. Internet Explorer‘s blue “e” enjoyed similar status, though it only functioned as a throbber in early versions of the browser.

  • Initially, throbbers tended to be quite large, but they reduced in size along with the size of toolbar buttons as graphical user interfaces developed. Their usefulness declined somewhat as most operating systems introduced a different pointer to indicate “working in background”, and they are no longer included in all web browsers.

  • Often browsers shipped with ISP CDs, or those customized according to co-branding agreements, have a custom throbber. For example, the version of Internet Explorer included with AOL disks has an AOL throbber instead of the standard “e”.

  • Throbbers saw a resurgence with client side applications (such as Ajax web apps) where an application within the web browser would wait for some operation to complete. Most of these throbbers were known as a “spinning wheel”, which typically consist of 8, 10, or 12 part-radial lines or discs arranged in a circle, as if on a clock face, highlighted in turn as if a wave is moving clockwise around the circle. (These are my favorite).

 

  • Susan Kare, a pioneer of pixel art and of the graphical interface, gets credit as the original designer for the Apple Macintosh icon set that includes the stopwatch. Learn more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Kare.

  • Loving the one below. Let me know your favorite. And if you see a cool throbber, sent it to me. I’ve got a nice collection going!!  🙂

 

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DO YOU LIKE CONTESTS?
Me, too.
As you may know the Kowalski Heat Treating logo finds its way
into the visuals of my Friday posts.
I.  Love.  My.  Logo.
One week there could be three logos.
The next week there could be 15 logos.
And sometimes the logo is very small or just a partial logo showing.
But there are always logos in some of the pictures.
So, I challenge you, my beloved readers, to count them and send me a
quick email with the total number of logos in the Friday post.
On the following Tuesday I’ll pick a winner from the correct answers
and send that lucky person some great KHT swag.
So, start counting and good luck!  
Oh, and the logos at the very top header don’t count.
Got it? Good.  :-))))  
Have fun!!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Now That’s Flashy

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Lightening Bugs are such a wonder of nature!!!  I still love to see them out at night. And I love to see my kids and grandkids get mesmerized by them.  :))))))))))))))  If you do a search…you’ll find a bunch cool lightening bug t-shirts to show your love for the little critters, too.

I’ve been blessed this year in Northeast Ohio with a wonderful summer – stunning sunrises on my way to the office, amazing sunny summer days and beautiful sunsets over the lake.  August brings with it the buzzing of the cicadas on hot steamy days and the special treat of lightening bugs at night. Watching these bugs come out each evening is so fun, especially while enjoying our grandkids chasing them around the yard, providing Jackie and I some of the greatest joys of the summer!  I got to thinking about the cool nature of these bugs, or fireflies, and did some research.  It’s fun to know these familiar insects can live almost anywhere there’s a patch of grass or stand of trees, blinking their bioluminescent bellies to attract mates and signal to other fireflies. Here are some fun facts you should know about these charismatic creatures.  Special thanks to interestingfacts.com, Wikipedia and brittanica.com for the info.  Enjoy!

Yep – a firefly song

  1. More than 2,000 species of fireflies haunt damp woodlands, forests, wetlands, suburbs, and city parks on every continent except Antarctica. About 160 species live in the U.S. and Canada, and their populations overlap so much that several species might be seen in one backyard at the same time.
  2. Though fireflies are quite diverse in their appearance and behavior, they all belong to the Lampyridae family within the order Coleoptera, which consists of beetles and weevils. Anatomically, fireflies and other beetles have hardened wing covers, called elytra, that differentiate them from flies and other types of insects.
  3. If you live in the American West or New England, you likely know the members of Lampyridae as “fireflies.” Those in the Midwest and South, however, probably think of them as “lightning bugs.” Jason Keeler, an assistant professor of Earth and atmospheric sciences at Central Michigan University, tweeted a possible explanation for the geographic choices. He noted that the “firefly” regions experience the United States’ highest wildfire activity (in the West, at least), while the “lightning bug” areas have the most lightning strikes.
  4. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, since the 16th century, fireflies have also been called fireworms, salamander flies, firebugs, glow flies, lightning beetles, and meadow flies.
  5. Not all fireflies produce light, but the ones that do give off their glow thanks to a biochemical reaction. Their light is produced when an enzyme, luciferase, interacts with a chemical called luciferin, oxygen, and ATP – a protein that facilitates energy production. Fireflies likely control their blinking patterns by regulating the amount of oxygen feeding the chemical reaction.
  6. Luciferin and luciferase interact so well together that scientists use them in medical applications, including immunological and gene expression assays, drug tests, and cancer research. In one example, researchers have injected luciferase into cancer cells to see whether immunotherapies are killing them off.
  7. Entomologists call fireflies’ illumination “cold light” because 100% of the energy used to produce it is turned into actual light, and none is lost as other forms of energy. By comparison, a traditional incandescent light bulb converts 20% of its electricity into light and loses 80% as heat. Even modern LED light bulbs aren’t as efficient as fireflies.
  8. Each firefly species flashes with its own Morse code-like sequence, which members of the species use to signal potential mates. In North America, male fireflies will typically fly back and forth across a small area, blinking rhythmically, while the females perch in grass or shrubs and respond to the males with their own light. Eventually, the male will make his way over to the female by following her “glow” – (this absolutely did not work for me the first time I met my wife Jackie). Non-bioluminescent fireflies use pheromones instead of light to attract mates.
  9. A few species synchronize their light show. Among Photinus carolinus, a species native to the southern Appalachians, the males blink in unison during their mating season, creating a major tourist event in Great Smoky Mountains National Park every June. A species seen in South Carolina’s Congaree National Park, Photuris frontalis, synchronizes intermittently in flight.
  10. A firefly begins its existence as a faintly glowing egg in moist soil or leaf litter. About three weeks after the egg is laid, the firefly larva emerges and remains in its damp habitat, gobbling up worms, slugs, and other invertebrates. It eats and grows for two years, and then enters the pupal stage of its development. Over the next three weeks, the pupa metamorphoses into an adult firefly (similar to a caterpillar turning into a butterfly). Only then does the firefly finally emerge from its underground habitat and fly free.
  11. Females of the Lamprigera firefly can grow to be the size of your palm. They are much larger than their male counterparts and lack wings. Two large light organs on their abdomen produce their characteristic glow.
  12. While fireflies are largely seen as a staple of summer, there is one North American species that is active in the winter. Adults of these winter fireflies do not emit light and hide in the bark of trees, so they largely go unnoticed. Emerging to find overwintering sites in September and huddling in the furrowed bark of large trees through the winter, they find each other with pheromone signals in April and May, mate, lay eggs and are gone before their summer counterparts arrive.
  13. Best nearby sites to see firefly shows are Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee, Congaree National Park, South Carolina and Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania.

 

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

DO YOU LIKE CONTESTS?
Me, too.
As you may know the Kowalski Heat Treating logo finds its way
into the visuals of my Friday posts.
I.  Love.  My.  Logo.
One week there could be three logos.
The next week there could be 15 logos.
And sometimes the logo is very small or just a partial logo showing.
But there are always logos in some of the pictures.
So, I challenge you, my beloved readers, to count them and send me a
quick email with the total number of logos in the Friday post.
On the following Tuesday I’ll pick a winner from the correct answers
and send that lucky person some great KHT swag.
So, start counting and good luck!  
Oh, and the logos at the very top header don’t count.
Got it? Good.  :-))))
Have fun!!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Yummy!

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Working from the Negroni at the top to the Manhattan at the bottom, these drinks are classics. Read on, friends. 

I hope you are enjoying this summer weather as much as I am.  The days have been amazing and the and nights have been incredible.  Recently, Jackie and I and some friends ventured to a small, local restaurant in my hometown, and treated ourselves to some apps and “adult beverages” – you know the type – not just a glass of craft beer or wine (they did have some nice options), but the ones that come in funky glassware, with thingie’s floating on top.  Our waitress said the bartender had been working on some special treats which we were encouraged to try.  Damn was she right.  Tasty and zingy and perfect for a nice evening on their outdoor patio.  It got me to thinking about who created all the beverages I can remember my parents and their friends enjoying. So, I did a little digging, and came up with some fun trivia on the “classics”.  Enjoy the info and try them all – (not at once please!) and be sure to frequent your local watering hole to see what they have on the menu – and, be careful, as they can pack a punch!

Whether it’s an old fashioned or a classic daiquiri, every spirited sip got its start somewhere — though mixologists may argue about the true origins of these famous concoctions. (New York and London, for example, both lay claims to creating the first cocktail.) Here are 10 of our favorite cocktails and the bars that made them famous. Cheers!

  1. Negroni (Florence, Italy)- In 1919, Count Camillo Negroni bellied up to the bar at Café Casoni and asked for something stronger than his usual Americano (Campari, club soda, and vermouth). Fosco Scarselli obliged, replacing the club soda with gin, and the Negroni was born. While the ownership and name have changed a few times, you can still visit the original space on Piazza della Libertà, now known as Caffè Lietta. (Our advice for mixing the perfect version at home? Put Stanley Tucci in charge of the bar.)
  2. Daiquiri (Havana, Cuba) – Ernest Hemingway had more than one favorite bar, but in Cuba, it was El Floridita. The bar was founded in Havana’s Old Quarter in 1817, and it was already an institution as la cuna del daiquiri — the cradle of the daiquiri — when the famous author walked in. After sampling the original, Hemingway requested “more rum, less sugar” from legendary barman and owner Constantino Ribalaigua. You can still order a Papa Doble, Hemingway’s favorite, while sitting next to his life-sized statue.
  3. Old Fashioned (Louisville, Kentucky) – Kentucky gentlemen know from bourbon, so it’s no surprise that this Don Draper-approved cocktail hails from the Bluegrass State. Dubbed an “old fashioned” for the squat tumbler in which it’s served, this potion consisting of bourbon, sugar, bitters, and orange peel is said to have been invented at the private Pendennis Club in Louisville before making its way to New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
  4. Bloody Mary (Paris, France) – Everyone argues about this one, but most cocktail historians agree that the bloody mary (appetizingly nicknamed “the bucket of blood”) was born in 1920s Paris, when bartender Ferdinand “Pete” Petiot began experimenting with vodka at Harry’s New York Bar. The spirit, which he found tasteless, was popularized by Russian émigrés fleeing the revolution. Some canned tomato juice and a few spices later, he concocted the brunch staple we know and love today. Butch McGuire’s in Chicago takes credit for the celery stick swizzle, but the angel who added a slice of crispy bacon remains a mystery.
  5. French 75 (Paris, France) – Boozy and bubbly, this cocktail of gin, champagne, and lemon is named after a 75-millimeter World War I field gun and carries a combat-worthy kick. The invention of legendary barman and cocktail book author Harry MacElhone (who brought Harry’s New York Bar to Paris), the French 75 is essentially a Tom Collins, but with champagne replacing the original’s club soda topper.
  6. Martini (California or New York) – The “shaken or stirred” debate has nothing on the origin of America’s most iconic cocktail, which is vigorously argued by both of the nation’s coasts. The historic town of Martinez, California, swears the gin-and-vermouth classic was created as a celebratory Champagne replacement for a gold miner who struck it rich. New Yorkers insist it’s solely the invention of the bar staff at the Knickerbocker Hotel, named after the Martini in Martini & Rossi vermouth. Who’s right? Let’s think about it while we have another.
  7. Sazerac (New Orleans, Louisiana) – Creole apothecary Antoine Peychaud is said to have served up a melange of his own bitters and his favorite cognac (Sazerac-de-Forge et fils) in a coquetier, or egg cup, in 1838. Over the years, rye whiskey replaced the cognac, and an antiques store replaced the apothecary at 437 Royal Street, but you can still sip a fine version at the Roosevelt Hotel’s historic Sazerac Bar.
  8. Margarita (Mexico) – Would a daisy by any other name taste as good? When the tequila is flowing, memories get fuzzy and the tales grow taller with every round. Regardless of whether this icy delight was invented by a barman-turned-milkman at the now-defunct Tommy’s in Juarez or at the still-kicking Hussong’s Cantina in Ensenada, this refreshing blend of tequila, Cointreau, and lime was popularized by Southern California liquor distributors who introduced agave-based spirits north of the border — and we’re forever grateful.
  9. Zombie (Hollywood, California) – Along with the fog cutter and many, many more Polynesian-inspired cocktails, we owe the invention of the zombie cocktail to a man named Ernest Gantt. He returned from bumming around the South Seas post-Prohibition, dubbed himself Don the Beachcomber, and opened the world’s first tiki bar in 1934. Heavy on rum, fruit juices, and fun, these potent potables offer a kitschy taste of vacation. While the original Don’s is long gone, zombie aficionados can still live the dream at Hollywood’s Tiki-Ti, serving nostalgia (and mai-tais) since 1961.
  10. Manhattan (New York, New York) – One legend says that this cocktail was first served at a party for Sir Winston Churchill’s mother, Lady Randolph Churchill, at New York City’s Manhattan Club. That venerable lady can no longer confirm or deny, but the Manhattan Club still defends its claim to this heady combination of whiskey, vermouth, and bitters. While the original site at 96 Fifth Avenue now holds an apartment building, and the social club was dissolved in 1979, you can make this venerable cocktail at home, courtesy of another Manhattan institution, The New York Times.

If you have any favorites (not on this list), be sure to send it to me at skowalski@khtheat.com.

 

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

DO YOU LIKE CONTESTS?
Me, too.
As you may know the Kowalski Heat Treating logo finds its way
into the visuals of my Friday posts.
I.  Love.  My.  Logo.
One week there could be three logos.
The next week there could be 15 logos.
And sometimes the logo is very small or just a partial logo showing.
But there are always logos in some of the pictures.
So, I challenge you, my beloved readers, to count them and send me a
quick email with the total number of logos in the Friday post.
On the following Tuesday I’ll pick a winner from the correct answers
and send that lucky person some great KHT swag.
So, start counting and good luck!  
Oh, and the logos at the very top header don’t count.
Got it? Good.  :-))))
Have fun!!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
 

Honk!

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(top row) Henry Ford driving his Quadricycle, circa 1896; (row 2 left) Young, eager Henry Ford full of ideas and ambition; (row 2 right) A more seasoned Henry Ford with a lot of successes under his belt and ready for more challenges; (row 3) One of the Model T assembly lines; (row 4) Henry with his son Edsel in the rare Model F; (row 5) Making headlines in 1914–WOW!!!; (row 6) The 1949 Ford Convertible; (row 7) The 1949 Ford Coup; (row 8) Henry’s parents and his automotive legacy; (row 9) I‘m thinking Henry would liked to have seen this engine; (row 10) Maybe this young dreamer will go on to create the next generation of amazing vehicles. 

Cars.  So many to choose from. New, used, lease, hand me downs, rebuilt, and of course the new models, starting to hit showrooms. In my lifetime, I’ve owned all Ford vehicles, all of my married life I have had Ford conversion vans which were wonderful for traveling with our girls. Since they are all on their own I did downsize with my most recent vehicle…..  I have an Expedition EL!  Full disclosure they all gave me a bunch of grief about my “downsizing” choice until a dresser needed to be picked up,  then a bunch of rocks then a queen head board,  needless to say the list continues to grow!   With all the fun and “buzz” about the new electric options –  (check these babies out). I thought I’d go back a bit, and celebrate Mr. Ford’s introduction of the Model T, America’s first “road” car, debuted today back in 1908. Here’s the story, along with some interesting facts and great links for you motorheads.  Enjoy!

  • The Model T, sold by the Ford Motor Company from 1908 to 1927, was the earliest effort to make a car that most people could actually buy. Modern cars were first built in 1885 in Germany by Karl Benz, and the first American cars in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1893 by Charles and Frank Duryea. But just because they were available didn’t mean that ordinary people could afford them.
  • The Model T was actually affordable and it became so popular at one point that a majority of Americans owned one, directly helping rural Americans become more connected with the rest of the country and leading to the numbered highway system. The manufacturing needs of the Model T went hand in hand with Ford’s revolutionary modernization of the manufacturing process.
  • By day, Ford was chief engineer at Edison Illuminating Company of Detroit, but at night Henry Ford labored over a gasoline engine. He successfully tested one on Christmas Eve, 1893, with the help of his wife, Clara, taking a break from holiday cooking. The engine worked for 30 seconds, long enough to confirm for Ford that he was on the right track.
  • Three years later, Ford developed the Quadcycle, a self-propelled vehicle. After two failed business ventures, the Ford Motor Company was born on June 16, 1903.
  • Official Model T development began in January 1907, when Ford assembled a team comprised of engineer Childe Harold Wills, machinist C.J. Smith and draftsman Joseph Galamb in his small Detroit factory on Piquette Avenue. Between 1913 and 1927, Ford factories produced more than 15 million Model Ts.
  • Released on October 1, 1908, the Ford Model T was a self-starting vehicle with a left-sided steering wheel, featuring an enclosed four-cylinder engine with a detachable cylinder head and a one-piece cylinder block. It also featured a generous ground clearance that could take the worst roads, which made it particularly enticing to rural drivers. The Model T was the first Ford with all its parts built by the company itself.
  • Selling for $850, it was considered a reasonable value, though still slightly higher than the income of the average American worker. Ford’s goal was to continue lowering prices.
  • After selling 10,607 Model Ts, Ford announced that the company would cease to sell the Model R or Model S cars, famously remarking that “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black.”
  • Ford typically engineered publicity stunts to get his cars covered in British newspapers. In 1911, a Scottish car dealer proposed challenging his son Henry Alexander Jr. to drive a Model T to the summit of Ben Nevis in the Scottish Highlands, the highest mountain in the British Isles at 4,411 feet. The bet was that if he failed to reach the summit Alexander would lose his allowance.
  • Starting at nearby Fort William, the Model T drove over rocks, across bogs and through snow on a five-day journey. The car ascended to the summit using a zig-zag driving pattern.  After his descent, Alexander was greeted by a cheering crowd of hundreds, after which he made brake adjustments and drove the car back to his father’s dealership in Edinburgh.  (Following the publicity, over 14,000 Model Ts were sold in the UK. It was the last time Ford felt a publicity stunt was necessary to sell his cars there).
  • By 1913, a new 60-acre factory was built in Highland Park to churn out Model Ts. At the time it was considered to be the biggest factory in the world, and the number of Ford employees more than doubled.  For this plant, Ford worked to improve the assembly line of the manufacturing process. On April 1 tests were run, an attempt to assemble a flywheel magneto for the Model T. This was the first moving assembly line ever, utilizing conveyor belts inspired by Chicago meatpacking plants. The factory was divided into sections, each assembling a single part of the car in an incremental building process. The Highland Park factory eventually featured 500 of these departments in its assembly line.
  • . In six months, the time to build a Model T was reduced from nine hours and fifty-four minutes for one motor to five hours and fifty-six minutes.
  • The nickname “Tin Lizzie” is often applied to the Model T, though its origin is unknown. One tradition claims Lizzie was a generic name given to horses and was passed onto the Model T. Later, a San Antonio car dealer complained to the factory about ill-fitting doors on the car and asked if cars could be shipped without doors but include a tool kit for purchasers to cut their own, reminiscent of a tin can opener.
  • Another claim says that during a 1922 race at Pikes Peak, Colorado, participant Noel Bullock named his Model T “Old Liz,” but its unkempt state made people compare it to a tin can, earning it the “Tin Lizzie” moniker. Unexpectedly, Bullock’s car won, and the nickname stuck to all Model Ts.
  • Competition arose in the mid-1920s giving consumers about 10 times more choices of touring car models than a decade earlier. The Model T tried to compete, but sales dropped, and Ford’s “T” became considered old fashioned and was the frequent butt of popular jokes.
  • After much hesitation by Ford, it was announced in 1927 that Model Ts would no longer be manufactured. The new Ford called Model A debuted in December after having to scrap 40 thousand tools that could only be used to build Model Ts.
  • When we think of Henry Ford, most of us think about the famous Model T Ford from the early 20th century. Despite his constant association with his brand, Ford was a man of many talents who embraced a passion for science and development. These unexpected facts highlight his inner developer and how he helped the auto industry and beyond.

 

Some “fun to know” trivia …

1. Henry Ford made watches – Henry Ford was destined to be an innovator, and he displayed this after being gifted a pocket watch. Automobiles were not the first products of Ford’s engineering. As a young man, he enjoyed crafting and building watches for his loved ones and friends. If the Michigan native did not have the proper tool for building a watch, he’d just make what he needed.

2. He kept the lights on for a whole city – After his early innovation with watches, Ford moved to brighten the city of Detroit by working at the Edison Illuminating Company. He worked up to Chief Engineer and was ultimately responsible for keeping the lights on in Detroit. This position encouraged his creative mind and served as his final inspiration to move forward with his gasoline automobile.

3. Ford created mass production – Ford not only created the Model T Ford for Americans, but he founded the idea of mass production for affordability. Making mass amounts of Model Ts elevated the quality of life for many Americans. These days, mass production is found in nearly every industry.

4. Ford created one of the first assembly lines – In 1913, Ford was responsible for the first assembly line that consistently moved. This became a trademark system in manufacturing facilities across the globe. While it was not the first assembly line, it was the first that continuously moved by workers and established an efficiency unmatched at the time – even today, think Chipotle …

5. He has more than 160 patents – By the time of his death in 1947, Ford had established over 160 patents of products and designs. In most of his designs, Ford was striving to create products that would make working smarter and improve the quality of work.

6. Ford was full of surprises – There are depths to Ford that only those closest to him knew. By creating the Model T Ford, he not only encouraged car-buying for Americans but also innovative manufacturing. While he did become one of the richest Americans of his time, Ford’s goal was to create efficient work for Americans and generate a richer economy overall.

7.  The king of charcoal – An avid outdoorsman and early environmentalist, Henry Ford found a way to solve two problems…waste from his sawmill and cooking fuel source for camping trips…with the invention of Kingsford Charcoal.  By 1919, his company was producing a million cars a year. About 100 board feet of wood went into each car…in the steering wheel, dashboard, and other parts. Ford wanted his own source of wood so he wasn’t at the mercy of other suppliers and inconsistent costs. So, he contacted his cousin’s husband, Edward G. Kingsford, a Michigan real estate agent, to help him find and purchase timberland. He found just want he needed in Iron Mountain, Michigan and built a sawmill there to cut the wood for shipping to Detroit.  Ford, a nature-lover, was also an early environmentalist and lived by the motto, “reduce, reuse, and recycle.” He was bothered by the wasted wood at his Iron Mountain sawmill. Ford hated to see the resources going unused and sought a way to make use of the byproducts of his sawmill so he pressed it into lumps held together by tar and cornstarch, as a quick and easy way to start cooking a fire. He named these lumps charcoal briquettes and built a briquette manufacturing facility next door to the sawmill. He sold the briquettes in picnic packs and promoted the link between owning an automobile and experiencing the great outdoors.  Genius!!

 

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DO YOU LIKE CONTESTS?
Me, too.
As you may know the Kowalski Heat Treating logo finds its way
into the visuals of my Friday posts.
I.  Love.  My.  Logo.
One week there could be three logos.
The next week there could be 15 logos.
And sometimes the logo is very small or just a partial logo showing.
But there are always logos in some of the pictures.
So, I challenge you, my beloved readers, to count them and send me a
quick email with the total number of logos in the Friday post.
On the following Tuesday I’ll pick a winner from the correct answers
and send that lucky person some great KHT swag.
So, start counting and good luck!  
Oh, and the logos at the very top header don’t count.
Got it? Good.  :-))))
Have fun!!

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Cucs

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Cucumbers are really, really good for you. Eat ‘em, drink ‘em, rub ‘em on your skin. It’s all good. No wonder they’ve survived for 4,000 years!!!! Read on to discover more about cucs. Then impress your friends & family with your new found knowledge.  :))))))

I don’t know about you, but there is something wonderful about cucumbers.  We are so lucky to be able to go to pretty much any grocery store, and pick from different varieties/sizes, and enjoy their fresh, healthy flavor.  As the early summer harvest comes in, I find myself grabbing a bunch from our nearby farms and searching for extra ways to add them to our meals.  Once chilled, I love them right out of the fridge. They are especially good sliced on sandwiches, or covered in blue cheese dressing or with French Onion dip or with salami or……..  Needless to say I love cucs! Recently while shopping, I was looking at the long “english” versions – talk about a PIA (Pain in the @$%) Job! – and I had to go digging to find out how they get them to grow this way.   Here’s some fun history on the vegi, Cucurbitaceae family, along with some simple recipes you just gotta try.  If you have a favorite, be sure to send it to me at skowalski@khtheat.com.  Thanks to atlasobscura.com, Wikipedia, leafyplace.com and vegifacts.net for the info.  Crunch away!!

  • Cucumber is a popular cultivated plant in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae that managed to captivate our attention from the moment it appeared in ancient India. Since that pivotal moment over 4,000 years ago, cucumber was spread beyond Indian borders, moved through Ancient Greece, Rome, Europe, New World, China, and eventually becoming fourth most widely cultivate vegetable in the world. This journey was filed with golden periods when they were viewed as integral parts of many culture’s cuisines, and sometimes they were treated as bringers of disease.
  • Home for cucumbers (which have three main varieties – “slicing”, “pickling”, and “burpless”) Just what I need burpless cucumbers!!  originated from Ancient India where it grew in the wild. Around 2-3 millennia BC, early Indian civilization managed to domesticate cucumber and start infusing it into their rich cuisine.
  • As time went by, their manufacturing capabilities expanded, and in 1st millennia BC they started trading with Middle Eastern civilization and Europe. The most famous example of cucumber finding a home in the Middle East can be found in the legends of the ancient Ur and the sagas of Gilgamesh – (think early superhero). During those times, cucumbers also reached Turkey, Bulgaria, Africa, Modern-day Serbia and Italy.
  • The term “cool as a cucumber” is actually derived from the cucumber’s ability to cool the temperature of the blood. When applied topically, cucumber really does cool the blood and ease facial swelling, which is why cucumbers are so popular in facial regimens.
  • The Roman Empire was the place where cucumbers were truly embraced by both nobility and lower classes. The ease of production and wide variety of types and tastes ensured that cucumbers remained popular in Italy for several centuries. In addition to eating, cucumbers were also widely used as a source of several medicinal remedies (both cultivated and wild cucumbers of cucumbers were used for creation of over various 40 remedies), treating everything from bad eyesight, scared mices, cured scorpion bites, and carried around waists by wives who wished to have children.
  • Out on a date and realize that you forgot gum or breath mints? Relax! Ask your waiter for some sliced cucumber with your meal. Take a slice and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath. The phytochemicals will kill the bacteria that are responsible for causing bad breath.
  • The most famous example of cucumbers fascination in Ancient Rome came during the short reign of Emperor Tiberius (14 – 16 AD) who demanded to eat cucumber on every day of the year. During summer special gardens were tended just for his vegetables, and in winter cucumber was grown on moveable bed frames that were moved to be exposed to the sun or illuminated with mirror-stones.
  • After the fall of Rome, cucumbers receded from popularity, resurfacing on the court of Charlemagne in 8th and 9th century, and arrived in England in 14th century. That first interaction with English population was not successful, but cucumbers returned there in mid-17th century when they managed to take hold.
  • The Age of Discovery proved to be a very important factor of spreading cucumber all across the word. Christopher Columbus brought cucumbers to Haiti in 1494 where they were grown by Spanish settlers and distributed further across New World. During 16th century, European trappers in North America introduced cucumbers to the native Indians in the region of Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains. Those tribes quickly saw the potential and nutritious value of cucumbers and watermelons, integrating them into immediately into their fields. The best Native American cucumber farmers were located on the lands of modern North and South Dakota.
  • During 18th century, expansion of cucumbers across North America suddenly stopped when several medicinal journals started reporting that cucumbers (and all similar vegetables that were not cooked) represented serious health risk. Discouraged by those misconceptions, cucumber use plummeted across the continent, which was reversed only in 19th century.
  • There are nearly 100 varieties of cucumbers grown in most countries in the world. Since cucumbers are generally used as a type of fresh or pickled vegetable in the culinary world.
FUN TIPS: Wow – Cucs solve almost as many PIA things as my great team here at KHT!
  1. Stressed? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water. The chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma. How’s that for a quick and easy stress-reliever?
  2. Do you have a problem with your bathroom mirror fogging up after your morning shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror. It will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.
  3. Do you have a hard time drinking your eight glasses of water per day? Try munching on some cucumbers. They are made up of 95% water! Snacking on cucumbers can also help curb hunger.
  4. Using a pen and made a mistake? Move over, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser! Take the outside waxy coating of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing.
  5. Want to brighten up your bathroom without harsh chemicals and still have all of your surfaces streak free? Look no further: Take a slice of cucumber and wipe it on any surface that needs a little TLC — your faucets, sinks, stainless steel, etc. — and it will remove tarnish and built-up residue and leave it looking beautifully clean and shiny.
  6. Had a few too many? We’ve been there. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in balance. Eat a couple slices before bed and wake up headache-free!
  7. Need a burst of energy in the afternoon but no time for a nap? Stay away from sugar-loaded energy drinks! Cucumbers are a great source of B vitamins and carbohydrates that can provide that afternoon pick-me-up that can be just the jolt that you need.
  8. In 2020 worldwide cucumber production was over 85 million tons, with majority of the world’s production and export being located in China (70 million tons).
  9. Cucumbers contain Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5 and B6, folic acid, Vitamin C, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. (Who needs a multivitamin?)

 

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

DO YOU LIKE CONTESTS?
Me, too.
As you may know the Kowalski Heat Treating logo finds its way
into the visuals of my Friday posts.
I.  Love.  My.  Logo.
One week there could be three logos.
The next week there could be 15 logos.
And sometimes the logo is very small or just a partial logo showing.
But there are always logos in some of the pictures.
So, I challenge you, my beloved readers, to count them and send me a
quick email with the total number of logos in the Friday post.
On the following Tuesday I’ll pick a winner from the correct answers
and send that lucky person some great KHT swag.
So, start counting and good luck!  
Oh, and the logos at the very top header don’t count.
Got it? Good.  :-))))
Have fun!!

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