Southern Biscuits Forever

Today's "Where my Flickr Photos are Being Used on the Internet" is brought to you by The American Scholar's Viral Days article from June 29, 2020. They used my biscuit photo from 2010. Katherine Lucky writes:

When we place a match to a tealight, illuminating steak over tart tomatoes, soaked in the brine of green olives and vinegar, we are being indulgent: perhaps. There are too many food blogs. Instagramming my food, I know, is dumb. Dumb, and indulgent, but not quite wrong, for there’s real thankfulness here: the soft purple of ube ice cream, the crack of shortbread—colors and textures that exist in contrast to how bad everything is. Oven heat and the snap of boiling water, new discoveries in the study of quesadillas. Cooking doesn’t solve problems; it just makes us happy. Terry Eagleton calls these kinds of things culture: gifts that exist without clear utility. Summer is here! Peaches are coming. A resilient marvel, an excess.

Cooking doesn't solve problems; it just makes us happy.

I agree. In the face of all the things that are going terribly wrong in the world every day, creating and claiming a little bit of happiness also gives me a little hope.

Memories of hot & humid weather elsewhere

This current heat wave in the Bay Area, dotted with rolling thunderstorms, reminded me of a past trip to San Antonio. Twelve years ago, Eric and I were there in the middle of summer, the week before the 4th of July. Eric was at a conference and I explored the city on my own. I explored the McNay Art Museum and the San Antonio Botanical Garden alone but Eric and I eventually got a chance to take a boat cruise and stroll around the Riverwalk. It did rain a few times while we were there. The weather was hot and humid - but perfect for leisurely walks with a wide-brimmed hat on and a fruit slushy in hand for little moments of sweet brain freeze.

 

This post is also an excuse to share another "Where my Flickr Photos are Being Used on the Internet" photo. It is of my fourth most-viewed Flickr photo of Riverwalk, by the Casa Rio Restaurant. The tour boat in the foreground, ready to take the right turn, was waiting for the other boat to pass from under the bridge. This appeared in a 2016 post from a discount / deals aggregator website, faredealalert.com: 

From Faredealalert.com's website, July 22, 2016

If we ever have a chance to visit again, I'd like to stay in one of the hotels by the river so I can explore it further. On this trip, we stayed by the Alamo, at the Emily Morgan, which was convenient when we finally visited the Alamo. We weren't prepared for the torrential downpour that greeted us after our visit but we were just a short walk to dry clothes.

A Family Favorite

From KCET's website, May 11, 2012

My photo of biscuits (baked and photographed in 2010) was featured in KCET's website under the Food and Living Section. It accompanied a recipe for vegan Savory or Sweet Mini-Biscuits. I think it's a little weird to post a recipe with a photo of a finished product that was not made from the recipe being featured. I'm a little curious why they didn't take photos of their biscuits if they did make the recipe. Then again, maybe someone thought my photo might encourage readers to make their biscuits  and maybe my photo offered a good representation of what the final bake could (should?) be like. That doesn't seem so bad... right?

I recently made a batch of biscuits for breakfast, to be the base for some creamy sausage gravy. My favorite biscuit recipe is Alton Brown's Southern Biscuits (not vegan) with a minor alteration. I use all butter instead of half shortening/half butter for the fats, since I don't really have a use for vegetable shortening outside of this recipe and Eric and I think the biscuits turn out just fine. 

Remembering an emotional visit

A recent search for "Where My Flickr Photos Are Being Used on the Internet" took me to the American Automobile Association's webpage highlighting their recommended destinations for a Civil Rights Trail Road Trip, one of several trip guides if you are driving within the Southeastern Appalachian area.

My photo of the "Outrage Hand" was taken during my visit to the the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in July 2014. I explored Atlanta on my own while Eric attended a conference. The section of the photo I took doesn't convey its actual size. It's part of a large mural, so large that I couldn't capture it all in one frame. This photo might give you a sense of scale.

My visit to the Center was educational and highly emotional. I was there about two hours and cried most of the time. The Center knows emotions will run high as there are boxes of tissues in some of the galleries.

AAA is right to include the Center on their Civil Rights Trail Road Trip. It is definitely worth a visit.

From AAA.com's Civil Rights Trail Road Trip guide 

Is it Fall already?!

Maybe it's time to breathe some life into this old blog of mine with some content!

Occasionally, I google myself to see where my photos are being used on the internet. Many of my photos are available through Flickr using several Creative Commons licenses. My first post about "Where My Flickr Photos Are Being Used on the Internet" aka WMFPABUOTI debuted on Tumblr but I am fairly active there already, and post music videos and songs from my favorite bands regularly.

No, I don't have an audience but haha, I figure when I'm 80 I can laugh and reminisce about the music I enjoyed in my younger days with Tumblr as my record - if it's still around then.

Anyway, I haven't used Blogger in ages and have always wanted to keep it going somehow. So, I think I will continue WMFAPABUOTI here, on blogger instead. After a little searching earlier today,  I spotted my photo of gourds and squashes for a list of 2018 Fall Festivals in Oregon.

Decorative Gourd Season is apparently already upon us so I think the event guide post is appropriate.

From ilovehalloween.com - where it's "All Halloween. All The Time."