Frog: Sushi, Liver, Legs, Arms and Torso

A while back Andrew had an experience I was green with envy over. He went to Chinatown in Los Angeles where he found some live frogs for sale. He bought one and took it back to his home where he cleaned and ate it. He invited me to come down some time so he could duplicate the experience and we would do it together. I couldn't wait. I thought it was pretty bizarre to prepare frog legs killed and cleaned by someone else. However, this was taking things to a whole new level. Saturday morning I picked Andrew and Lauren up in Santa Monica and we headed for Chinatown. We found the store that sold live frogs. I'd never seen anything like it before.

Giant frogs were swimming around in murky water. Bigger frogs than I've ever seen before.

All I can say is, bizarre!

The store owners were supposed to kill the frogs, but we asked them not clean them as that is something we wanted to do. However, when we got them to Andrew's place, they were all still alive.

I would have given anything as a kid to have a pet frog as big as these things were.

Andrew struggled holding them - they were pretty active.

Two together.

A backside view.

Amazinlgy large legs.

Another view.

These frogs were large enough that we not only were able to use their legs, but their upper body and arms as well. I remember seeing Andrew Zimmern on Bizarre Foods eat frog sushi. So I decided to give it a try. I cut off a piece of thigh meat and ate it raw. It was a little chewy, but it didn't taste bad at all.

We also kept and cooked one of the livers. You can see it below in the pan toward the front. After cooking it for awhile I had some of the liver and it wasn't bad. It didn't really have a liver taste at all. It was very mild.

We coated the frog pieces with flour and cooked them in butter and oil.

The three frogs actually provided quite a bit of meat. The front legs were large enough to enjoy and I found that I liked the torso best of all.

The meat is very mild. It is hard to compare this meal with many others I've ever had. It is one thing to cook a meat that has already been prepared. It is quite another thing to have to gut and prepare the meat yourself. I actually got off easy. I took pictures while Andrew did the actual work.

Baked Rainbow Trout

My paralegal, Barbara Smith, brought me some rainbow trout recently. Judy found a recipe for baked trout that we decided to try.

She liberally spread chopped garlic and onion into the fish cavity.

Then put butter and chopped jalapeno on the outside and wrapped it in foil.

It came out of the oven very, very tender and moist. However, I found that I did not like the jalapeno or onion with the trout. So I isolated the meat itself, added some garlic salt and it was wonderful.

Olsen's Danish Village Bakery: Danish Pastries

On our way home from a continuing education seminar in San Luis Obispo we took a short detour into Solvang. It had been quite a few years since we'd been there, but I recalled a pastry place we'd tried before and I wanted to try some pastries. I enjoy Solvang because of its focus on Scandinavia, and Denmark in particular.

Olsen's Danish Village Bakery has been featured by Huell Howser. It has a relatively small offering, but most of their pastries look great.

One of the items we enjoyed most was not a pastry, but a hard roll with butter and Havarty cheese. A very simple, but nice treat.

We bought a slice of dessert that did not look particularly good to me, but looked unusual. It had a lime green outside layer of marzipan, a small frozen component of custard, sponge cake, some whipped cream and jam. I am not a major fan of marzipan, sponge cake or jam, but this combination was very good. The marzipan was not dominant, but added a nice flavor and texture. The frozen custard added a nice textural component in contrast to the whipped cream and the jam added another different textural and taste component.

Another item that looked good and was good, was a slice of a roll of meringue, whipped cream and almond.

This chocolate covered hard cookie was okay, but nothing to get excited about.

This piece of chocolate cake was also okay. Very heavy.

We didn't try any of their traditional Danish pastries which gives us another reason to go back next time we are driving through central California.

Splash Cafe: Seafood

Judy and I recently went to San Luis Obispo where I attended a continuing education class. A "have to do" when we are in the area is a visit to Splash to get some clam chowder. We discovered Splash many years ago in Pismo Beach and immediately fell in love with their clam chowder, the best I've ever tasted. It is very thick and very buttery. It is not for calorie counters. I found that they have opened a cafe in San Luis Obispo, and so we went there for lunch immediately following my class on Saturday afternoon. It is located at 1491 Monterey Street in San Luis Obispo.

I read the Yelp reviews on it and almost invariably they insist on getting the clam chowder in a bread bowl with seafood topping (which costs $1.00 extra). So that is what we got. However, when they brought it initially, it did not appear to have the toppig.

Because I'd never had the topping before, I took it to the waiter to ask. She took it back and came back with a much better looking breadbowl:

the real crab and shrimp topping was piled high, and it was great! The core of the hollowed out bread bowl is toasted and buttered on the plate and accompanied by the top of the bread bowl. I also read a Yelp account of the crab melt sandwich which sounded good. So I asked if they had it and they did, although they generally only have them on Fridays.

It is toasted and buttered bread with crab meat, bay shrimp, cheese, avocado, red onion, tomato and lettuce. I don't think I've ever had anything like it before and I quite enjoyed it.

Judy and I shared these two items and were full. The clam chowder is very filling, down to the last bite.

The San Louis Obispo restaurant also serves artisan bread. We bought a loaf of jalapeno cheddar. I had a piece at home, buttered with added garlic salt. It was also very good.

The San Luis Obispo location has more room and I believe it is also less crowded. It is always worth a detour to go there.

Wheel Inn: Road Food

For Christmas, Judy got me several food books, including Road Food. Between Christmas and New Years, while Judy was in Utah, Sam and I drove out to Cabazon to eat at Wheel Inn, a roadside diner featured in the book.

As described, it was not your usual road-side diner. It is in front of several life-sized dinosaurs, a brontosaurus and tyrannosaurus rex. There is a statue of a prospector and burro in front.

The gift shop is full of plastic dinosaurs, belt buckles and cowboy style paintings. We were led to a booth with a formica covered table that was so worn the wood color had been rubbed off in many spots. Although they would not have been my normal choices for food, I decided to order what had been recommended. First, I ordered a date shake. Because I've had lots of date shakes before, I had them add banana and chocolate and I liked it quite a bit.

For the main course, I ordered the Dino burger, two quarter pound patties with cheese. It came with a pickle, tomato, onion, lettuce and thousand island dressing on the side. It also came with fried potatoes on the side.

I put the items on the burger and it was very large and decent. It was not as flavorful as a Carl's Jr. hamburger, but it was massive. I would not order it again. I did think the fried potatoes were good, better than the usual fried potatoes in a diner.

Sam ordered a Monte Cristo sandwich. They're not my kind of thing and so I never order them. But Sam shared some of his with me and it was good. It was basically two pieces of French toast, dusted with powdered sugar, with ham and cheese inside, and a bowl of maple syrup to dip it in.

It was very sweet and good.

Finally, the guidebook recommended the pie. It and the waitress recommended the banana cream and we also ordered peanut butter, which the waitress and an internet comment had reccommended. The pieces of pie were huge! The banana cream came with very large pieces of banana, several inches long. The banana cream filling was good, but the large chunks of banana were not to my liking and the very thick layer of whipped cream on top was too much.

The peanut butter was also huge and the whipped cream layer was again too large. It did have a distinctive peanut butter flavor, but the pie would not be mistaken for Marie Callendars. I would not get pie again.

In summary, I really enjoyed going there. I loved the unusualness of the restaurant and the laid back atmosphere. It had a huge menu and I intend to go back and order the kinds of foods I usually order. The food is not gourmet, but it is decent and there is lots of it. And I guess that pretty much sums up what road food is all about.

Turkey Testicles

Before going to San Luis Obispo recently, I was looking on-line at some restaurants, looking for some fun places to eat. My paralegal, Barbara Smith, suggested F. McLintocks, a long-time steak joint on the north side of the freeway in Pismo Beach, but they call it Shell Beach (750 Mattie Rd, Shell Beach). As I looked at their website I was floored to see they serve this item: "turkey nuts." Then they give a story behind them. "In 1974, while on a trail ride, Bruce Breault was served this delicacy. He and Tunny decided to try them at the Shell Beach Dining House. Tunny recalls his flight to Selma in their Cessna 206 to pick up a load of nuts. Carrying back 1,000 pounds at a time would weigh down the place so bad, he was afraid he wouldn't get off the ground with Selma's short runway. By-Golly, the plane did get off the ground and a FMc tradition was born. Over the years the boys have experimented in the kitchen with different ways to prepare Turkey Nuts, but nothing compared to our traditional "deep fried golden brown" method. Unusual as it may seem, Turkey Nuts are located in the back, between the wings, in the testicle cavity. Despite their anatomical location, we serve up a phenomenal 10,000 pounds a year!"

I had to give these a try. So on Saturday afternoon as we were driving back to San Luis Obispo from a drive north to San Simeon, I called McLintocks and they agreed to give me an order to go. Judy said that she would prefer that I do the ordering. It is a little awkward ordering them. I felt weird calling them "turkey nuts" or "turkey balls" as I've seen them referred to. On the other hand, I thought if I said "turkey testicles" they might not know what I meant. There is wisdom in calling bull testicles "Rocky Mountain oysters." It helps with some of that awkwardness.

For $7.00, we got a pretty good sized order of deep fried, golden brown nuggets and some side cocktail sauce. They are a pretty good size.

They are only a fraction of the size of the Rocky Mountain oysters we ate in Denver (which were also deep fried, but sliced into thin round pieces). But, of course, that's no surprise. The turkey testicles are actually more flavorful than Rocky Mountain oysters and have a very distinctive flavor. It is not livery, but something akin to it.

After trying a number, I tried some with cocktail sauce. The cocktail sauce covers up the flavor - and perhaps that's the whole idea.

I was surprised to google turkey testicles and find that Huntley, Illinois has a Turkey Testicle Festival every year. Well, I guess now that I've had some, I can skip the festival. I do think I would prefer the Gilroy Garlic Festival instead.

EQC: German Mission - Magdeburg (January to February 1909)

After spending 7 months in Tilsit, 3 months in Konigsberg and 5 ½ months in Leipzig, Edwin Q. Cannon was transferred to Magdeburg, the capital of the Prussian Province of Saxony. What makes this particularly interesting is that Ed was previously transferred out of Konigsberg when he was banished from the Kingdom of Prussia. Leipzig was outside of the Kingdom of Prussia, in the Kingdom of Saxony. However, in Magdeburg, Ed is back in the Kingdom of Prussia. His first journal entries make this issue very clear. On January 8th, he is “looking for a room but didn’t succeed.” The “people wouldn’t take me with out my being [registered or reported].” The next day, January 9th, “I visited a number of people and at last found a woman who was willing to take me in without my registering.”

A little over a month later, Brother Fuellenbach, one of the missionaries in Magdeburg was “banished” and immediately the missionaries in Magdeburg, including Ed, were transferred. Brother Felt, the Leipzig Conference president, transferred Luke Wright and Fuellanbach to Bernburg, Brother Tonks to Erfurt and Ed to Gotha. Over the course of several days Ed’s assignment was changed to Dessau, capital of the Duchy of Anhalt, outside of the Kingdom of Prussia. Therefore, Ed was in Magdeburg less than 1 ½ months.

Ed was living alone and it is not clear if any one missionary was his companion. Brother Fuellenbach, the missionary that was banished, tried to stay at the same place as Ed, but the landlady could not take him in. Ed worked a number of times with Luke Wright and Brother Tonks, who did live together.

Ed and Luke Wright signed up for French lessons at the Berlitz School and had eight lessons before they were transferred.

Ed spent some time in Berlin where he met his half-brother Espey (or “Epps”) Cannon for the third time, apparently going to school at the Technischer Huchschule. He also met with a group of women that included Emma Lucy Gates and Sybella Clayton. Lucy was an opera singer from Utah who had studied in Germany with Madame Corelli and at this time had a contract with the Royal Opera of Berlin. After World War I interrupted her European opera career, she chose the Chicago Opera over the Metropolitan Opera. She married Albert E. Bowen in 1916 and when he became a general authority in 1934, she moved back to Utah where she spent the rest of her life teaching and involved with music. Sybella Clayton was an accomplished pianist. I found an article in the Deseret News for September 22, 1916, where Sybella accompanied Lucy Gates who sang at the Salt Lake Theatre.

January 8, 1909 (Friday): (Magdeburg)

I spent a good part of the fore and afternoon looking for a room but didn’t succeed. One place I found suited me fine but the people wouldn’t take me with out my being “an gemeldet.” [reported] Bro. Luke Wright and I went to visit a friend but he wasn’t at home but we had a conversation with a neighbor of the man whom we were going to visit.

January 9, 1909 (Saturday): (Magdeburg)

Bro’s. Tonks, Wright, and Stevans and I took a bath this forenoon and I spent the rest of the time until noon looking for a room but was unsuccessful. This afternoon I visited a number of people and at last found a woman who was willing to take me in without my registering, but she wasn’t sure whether her husband would be willing or not so I will have to wait until tomorrow and then ask him. This evening we went to the Walhalla Theatre.

January 10, 1909 (Sunday):  (Magdeburg)

Bro. Stevans and I visited the woman who said that she would keep me, and we had a talk with her husband and they were both willing that I should stay with them. This afternoon the four of us, Bro’s Stevans, Wright and Tonks and I went walking and this evening we went to a Café and had chocolate.

January 11, 1909 (Monday): (Magdeburg)

I braught my things up to my new room this forenoon, and ate dinner in a “Veg” restaurant. I did some shopping this afternoon and had quite a long talk with my “Haus Tran” about the gospel. This evening we ate supper at Bro. Tehmel’s.

January 12, 1909 (Tuesday): (Magdeburg)

I spent the forenoon at home reading. This afternoon I went through the Kaiser Friedrich Museum and then visited the brethren and we all took a swim bath together. I visited a family of old friends this evening.

January 13, 1909 (Wednesday): (Magdeburg)

I tracted this morning and this afternoon I visited a friend with Bro. Stevans. I met Bro. Wright at noon and we ate dinner together then went to the Berlitz School and arranged about taking some language lessons. Bro. Stephans and I visited a family of friends this evening.

January 14, 1909 (Thursday): (Magdeburg)

I tracted this forenoon and ate dinner at the “Veg.” This afternoon I wrote a letter and spent the rest of the time reading. At 5:30 P.M. I went to the Depot to meet Dopp but he didn’t show up so I went over so the boys room and found that they would meet me at 9:00 P.M. so I met them at that time and we went down to the depot but again Dopp didn’t show up so we went home. Bro. Allred arrived today.

January 15, 1909 (Friday): (Magdeburg, Berlin)

I received a card from Bro. Dopp this morning saying that he and Bro. Taylor would get here some time today. I went right over to the boys room in Bahnhofstr #8 and spent the forenoon with them. We all ate dinner at the private lunch table in Blumenthal Str. and Bro. Allred and I went up to my room in Strausberg to see if there was any more word from Dopp. There wasn’t but we had been there but a short time when Bro Tonks came and told they had arrived so we all went back to Bahnhofstr . #8 and met Dopp and Merle Taylor there. Dopp had received word that Bro. Hyer could not get to Leipzig so we decided to go to Berlin to meet him. I hurried back to my room to get some things and we left at 4 P.M. that is Bros Dopp, Allred and Taylor and I. Upon arriving in Berlin I went out to Epp’s room in Barbarossa Str. but he wasn’t home so I left a note for him then went to Alexander Platz and met the boys at Ashinger’s Restaurant where I had supper and we then all went to the “Winter Garden” in Friederick Str.

January 16, 1909 (Saturday): (Berlin)

I stayed with Allred at Landsberger Str. 32 last night and Taylor and Dopp went to a hotel. Bro. Hyer [President of the Konigsberg Conference while Ed was there] arrived at about 6 A.M. and he came in and woke us up. There was a note from Espy for me to meet him at the “Technicher Hochschule” so I met him there at 11 A.M. and went to a lecture until 1 P.M. with him. We then ate dinner after which we visited the Mausoleum where King Friederick III and his wife and Emperor Wilhelm I and his wife are buried. This place made quite an impression on me. This evening Bro’s Dopp, Hyer, Taylor, and Allred and I went to the Carkus Bush and immediately after it let out I hurried over to the “Winter Garden” and met Espy, Mirriam Cannon, Emma Lucy Gates and Sybella Clayton and we all went out to Schöneberg together. I am staying with Epps tonight.

January 17, 1909 (Sunday): (Berlin)

Espy and I went down to the Alexander Platz depot to see Hyer and Dopp off but through a misunderstanding we were not sure from which depot they would leave from so we went to the Lehrter Bahnhof but they weren’t there so we went back to Alexander Platz and had waited a while when they came. Both Bro. Hyer and Bro. Dopp have been released and they left for Hanover at 11:36 A.M. Epps and I then went to the Anhalser Bahnhof with Bro. Merle Taylor and he left for Leipzig at 1 P.M. We went to a meeting this afternoon and after meeting Epps, Marrion Cannon, Lucy Gates, Sybella Clayton and I went to the Rhine Gold Restaurant for supper. We spent the evening at Miss Gates’ and Sybella Clayton’s Apartments.

January 18, 1909 (Monday): (Berlin)

I went to Landsberger Str. 32 to get my things and to say good by to Bro. Allred, this morning, then went to the “American Shoe Stores” and got me a pair of shoes. I went to Miss Clayton’s and Gates’ for dinner. This afternoon Miss Clayton went sight seeing with me and we went through Wirtheim’s, Berlin’s largest department store. The Architecture of the building is beautiful. At 5 P.M. we went to the “Eis Palast” skating and a while after Epps came and at 9:30 P.M. Miss Gates arrived. We spent a very enjoyable time there.

January 19, 1909 (Tuesday): (Berlin, Magdeburg)

Espy went to school quite early this morning and I stayed at his room until 11:20 A.M. Then I went to the Potsdamer Bahnhof and left for Magdeburg at 12:00 P.M. Upon arrival I came to the room then went down to boys’ rooms and found that Bro. Fuellenbach was there. We all went to supper together and while at supper Bro. Fuellenbach had quite a talk with the Fran there. Bro. Wright and I went to visit a family but they had moved so I came home and unpacked my trunk.

January 20, 1909 (Wednesday): (Magdeburg)

Bros. Fuellenbach and Tonks came down this morning to see if the Fran couldn’t fix up a place for Bro. Fuellenbach to live in but she couldn’t do it. I went tracting this afternoon and this evening I visited a friend in Fürsten Wall Str.

January 21, 1909 (Thursday): (Magdeburg)

I went out tracting this morning and distributed 2nd tracts. I met Bro. Fuellenbach at the “Veg” at dinner. This afternoon I went to the Berlitz school and took a French lesson, and after Bro. Wright and I went to visit a family but only the woman was home so we visited with her a while. I ate supper with the boys and Bro. Wright and I went to visit two different families but neither of them had time to visit with us so we went to a moving picture show on “Breise Weg.”

January 22, 1909 (Friday): (Magdeburg)

I went out tracting this morning. This afternoon I stayed home and wrote letters. Bros. Wright and Tonks visited me here at the room this evening.

January 23, 1909 (Saturday): (Magdeburg)

Bros. Tonks and Wright called for me this morning and we went and took a bath. I ate dinner with them at their “Privot Fish” and Bro. Fuellenbach was there. This afternoon we all went walking and this evening we went to the Central Theater.

January 24, 1909 (Sunday): (Magdeburg)

I spent the forenoon at home reading and writing. I ate dinner with the boys and we then went walking. This evening Bro. Wright and I went to the Central Theater resturant and ate supper and spent the evening listening to the band play.

January 25, 1909 (Monday): (Magdeburg)

I went tracting this morning. At noon I met Bro. Zuellenbach at the “Veg.” Restaurant and after dinner I went out to his room in Wilhelmstadt with him. I went to French class at 3 P.M. After the class I tried to make a visit by some people but they didn’t care to talk about the gospel so I went up to the boys room in Bahnhofstr from there we went to supper together. I tried to get a visit by two families but only succeeded with the last one. I had quite a talk with the man.

January 26, 1909 (Tuesday): (Magdeburg)

I remained at home and wrote letters this morning. I tracted this afternoon then went over to fellows’ por supper. This evening being the eve of the Kaiser’s birthday was a big band parade and we saw it.

January 27, 1909 (Wednesday): (Magdeburg)

I spent part of the morning at home reading, I then met the fellows and we saw the big parade on the “Dom Platz.” All the soldiers here in Magdeburg were reviewed by a number of officers and higher officials. We ate dinner at the “Veg” and while eating Bro. Friedrick from Bernburg came in the restaurant. He had come over here to spend the holiday with us. After dinner Bro. Friederick and I went through the “Dom.” It is a very interesting place. It was built in the 16th Century. This evening we went to a play in the “Stadt Theater.” The name of it was “Dil Quintow’s.

January 28, 1909 (Thursday): (Magdeburg)

I waited at home for the “Geld Brief Srager” but he didn’t come until almost eleven o’clock so I didn’t go tracting but I had a good talk with my “Haus Tran” about the Gospel. At noon I met the fellows at dinner and after eating I went to Bahnhofstr and studied a while. Bro. Wright and I went to language class at 3:30 P.M. and after that I went to the Rath Haus with him to fix up his “Steuer Verheltuisse.” Bro. Felt came as we were eating supper. Bro. Wright and I visited familie Bucke in Fürstenwald str this evening.

January 29, 1909 (Friday): (Magdeburg)

I tracted until 12 o’clock then I went to dinner at the “Veg” and from there I went over to the Boys’ room to see Bro. Felt. Bro. Tonks and I went to the “Volks Bad” this afternoon. I ate supper at home and Bro. Wright and I visited a family this evening.

January 30, 1909 (Saturday): (Magdeburg)

I spent the forenoon at home then Bro. Wright called for me and we went to the “Veg” to dinner. We spent the afternoon at Bahnhofstr. We ate at a restaurant “am Alten Markt” and this evening we went to a moving picture show.

January 31, 1909 (Sunday): (Magdeburg)

I stayed at the boys’ room with Bro. Wright last night. We went to the “Veg” for dinner and met Bro. Fuellenbach there. This afternoon Bro. Fuellenbach and I visited a family in Fürsten Wall str and stayed there for supper. I came home and spent the evening talking with Herrn and Fran Wadel.

February 1, 1909 (Monday): (Magdeburg)

I remained at home this forenoon. This afternoon I went to French class and I spent the evening at home writing.

February 2, 1909 (Tuesday): (Magdeburg)

I tracted both during the fore and afternoon. This evening I tried to make a visit by two different people but was unable to do so.

February 3, 1909 (Wednesday): (Magdeburg)

I went tracting this morning. This afternoon I remained home and wrote letters and this evening Bro. Wright came over and I went back to his room and spent the evening with him and Bro. Tonks.

February 4, 1909 (Thursday): (Magdeburg)

I spent the forenoon tracting then went to the “Veg” for dinner. This afternoon I went to French Class and Bro. Wright and I afterwards took a little walk together. I “kaufte ein” for supper and spent the evening at home.

February 5, 1909 (Friday): (Magdeburg)

I tracted this forenoon. This afternoon I prepared my gloves and spent the rest of the time reading. I ate supper with the boys and spent the evening at Bahnhofstr with Bro. Tonks.

February 6, 1909 (Saturday): (Magdeburg)

I spent the forenoon at home reading. At noon Bro’s Tonks and Wright came over and we took a bath. I remained at home and “kaufte ein” for supper and Bros. Tonks and Wright came and ate with me. This evening we went to the “Zental Theater.”

February 7, 1909 (Sunday): (Magdeburg)

I remained home and read until about 1 P.M. and then went over to the boys’ room and we held a sacrament meeting and enjoyed the spirit, which was present in a rich measure. Today is fast day and we all fasted until 3 P.M. then at dinner at the boys’ eating place Bro. Fuellenbach and I visited Herrn Backe this evening.

February 8, 1909 (Monday): (Magdeburg)

I went tracting this forenoon. This afternoon I went to French class. This evening I visited a friend which I have found for the first time.

February 9, 1909 (Tuesday): (Magdeburg)

I spent the morning at home waiting for the money postman to come, and during this time I had a good gospel talk with Fran Wadel. I tracted this afternoon, and this I tried to make two visits but the people weren’t home.

February 10, 1909 (Wednesday): (Magdeburg)

I remained home and studied this forenoon. This afternoon I tracted and this evening I visited a friend and had a good gospel conversation.

February 11, 1909 (Thursday): (Magdeburg)

I tracted this morning. This afternoon I went to French class and I spent the evening at home writing and studying.

February 12, 1909 (Friday): (Magdeburg)

I remained home and sewed and studied this morning. This afternoon I tracted and the forepart of the evening I visited a friend for the 1st time and had quite an interesting conversation with him. I afterwards went over to the boys room and stayed a while with them.

February 13, 1909 (Saturday): (Magdeburg)

The boys called for me at about 11 A.M. and we went and took a bath. I ate dinner with them and we then spent the afternoon together at Bahnhofstr. This evening the boys (Bro. Tonks and Wright) came over to my room and we “kauften ein” and ate supper here. They spent the evening here.

February 14, 1909 (Sunday): (Magdeburg, Dessau)

I went to Dessau at 10:44 A.M. and while there I visited Sisters Liebenow and Rosenthal and the wife of Brother Liebenow, also four friends and this evening we held a little meeting at Sister Liebenow’s. I returned to Magdeburg this evening.

February 15, 1909 (Monday): (Magdeburg)

I spent the forenoon studying and darning socks. This afternoon I took a French lesson. This evening I was “turned down” by one family but made a visit by another family of friends that I found.

February 16, 1909 (Tuesday): (Magdeburg)

Bro. Wright came over and told me this morning that Bro. Fuellenbach had been banished and he also brought a letter from Bro. Felt assigning himself and Bro. Fuellenbach to Bernburg, Bro. Tonks to Erfurt and me to Gotha. I will remain here a few days then go to Leipzig where we will have conference. I spent part of the afternoon down with the boys’ and then we bought tickets to the “Zentral Theater.” This evening I tried to make a first visit by a friend but the man of the house wouldn’t see me.

February 17, 1909 (Wednesday): (Magdeburg)

I spent the forenoon packing my trunk then went to the “Veg” for dinner. Bro. Tonks met me there and he came up to the room for quite a while then we went down to the depot to see about a bill of lading for Bro. Wright’s trunk. We “kauften ein” for supper and ate at Bro. Tonk’s room. This evening we visited a family of friends and had a very good gospel conversation.

February 18, 1909 (Thursday): (Magdeburg)

I went over and met Bro. Tonks this morning and we went and arranged about having our trunks sent. This afternoon I visited Herrn Lietz, a friend that I found, and had a long talk with him. Also had a good talk with Fran Wadel this afternoon, and this evening I also visited them a while.

February 19, 1909 (Friday): (Magdeburg, Leipzig)

Bro. Tonks and I left Magdeburg for Leipzig at 10:37 A.M. and arrived in Leipzig at 2:30 P.M. I brought my things up to Goschenstr 17 where Bro. Brockbank lives then went down to the office in Sternwartenstr and met Bro. S.L. Ballif Jr. and Merle Taylor [Archie Brockbank was one of Ed’s former companions in Leipzig. Pres. Ballif was Ed’s mission president and this may perhaps refer to his son instead, as he calls him “S.L. Ballif Jr.” ]. The three of us went to Othello this evening then went to supper in the panorama.

February 20, 1909 (Saturday): (Leipzig)

Bro. Brockbank and I went over to the “Diana Bad” and took a swim. Bro’s Ballif Jr., Taylor, Jensen, Will Wright, Luke Wright, Tonks, and Felt were there. We all ate dinner at the “Veg” after bathing. This afternoon we went through the Volkerschlacht Museum which has an interesting collection of all sorts of remembrances on the War of 1813. This evening we went to “Ein Sommernachtstraum.”

February 21, 1909 (Sunday): (Leipzig)

I spent the forenoon at home writing letters then Bro. Brockbank and I went to dinner at the “Veg.” I spoke this afternoon in meeting. Bro. Peery [Lou Peery was also a companion of Ed’s in Leipzig] arrived from Erfurt this evening and he, Bro. Ballif Jr., Bro. Preston, Bro. Wright and I went to “Die Hugenotten” in the new theatre. After the theatre we met Bro. Taylor, then went to the Panorama then to the Cafe Bauer.

February 22, 1909 (Monday): (Leipzig)

I helped Bro. Taylor in the office all forenoon. This afternoon we held a conference meeting out at Bro. Hubold’s. Bros. Peery, Taylor, S.F. Ballif Jr., Wright, and Preston and I ate supper at the Monopol then we went over to the Panorama, then to the Café Bauer.

February 23, 1909 (Tuesday): (Leipzig)

At 8:30 A.M. I met Bro. Felt and he appointed me to work in the Dessau Branch. Bro. Taylor and I went to the office then to the “Veg” for dinner. After saying goodbye to the fellows, this afternoon Bro. Brockbank and I visited two friends. I am remaining home this evening.

February 24, 1909 (Wednesday): (Leipzig, Plagwitz)

I spent part of the forenoon looking for the fellows and I found them in the Monopol and I stayed and ate dinner with them. Right after dinner Peery and Ballif left. This afternoon Bro. Brockbank and I saw “Wilhelm Tell” in the new theater then we went to supper at the “Veg.” This evening Bros. Felt and Brockbank and I visited a family of friends and there was an “Old Apostolic” teacher there and Bro. Felt took the floor with him and beat him very easily. I am staying with Bro. Taylor in Plaguitz this evening.

February 25, 1909 (Thursday): (Berlin)

I came to Berlin this morning and came right up to Epps’ room in Barbarossastr 23. Marian met me at the door. Epps returned from school at 6:30 P.M. and we then went to Sybella Clayton’s concert in the Bethoven Saal. Sybella had the Philharmonic orchestra, the best in Berlin, and the concert was simply grand. The hall was quite well filled and the people all encored very heavily at each pause. At the end of the concert the people clapped so insistently that she had to play another piece. After the concert the party went to the “Trauben” Wein restaurant for supper.

February 26, 1909 (Friday): (Berlin)

I visited Alfred Best and his wife this forenoon and saw their baby. At noon I met Alred at Landsbergerstr and had a little talk with him. I then went out to Sybella’s, where I was invited to dinner, and she and father and I went to a restaurant to eat. I spent the afternoon with them. I met Epps at the school at six o’clock and we came home and fixed up then went to Sybella’s and spent the evening there. Besides Sybella, her father and Epps and I, Tom Giles and Lucy Gates were there.

Double-Crested Cormorant

The double-crested cormorant is found in North America from Alaska to Florida and Mexico. In breeding season it gets a small double crest of black or white feathers, which I have not yet seen. It has a bare patch of orange to yellow facial skin. There are five subspecies. The Farallon cormorant breeds along the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to Sinaloa, Mexico. The Farallon cormorant below was photographed along the central California coast at San Simeon State Beach. I'd hiked to an area where a large rock sits in the water just offshore covered with pelicans and cormorants.

Double-crested cormorant at San Simeon State Beach.

They provided an interesting silhouette with their very distinctive shapes.

I recently visited Everglades National Park in southern Florida and encountered another subspecies  the Florida cormorant, along the Anhinga Trail. The photos below give a close-up of the hooked bill and yellow/orange facial skin.

The cormorants have dark plumage, but juveniles are more dark gray or brownish and as they grow older the plumage grows darker. Those we saw close-up were brownish and had beautiful black-outlined feathers that looked like they'd been painted on.

After diving they will spend long periods of time standing with their wings outstretched to allow them to dry.

We found them mixing with anhingas, which also display the outstretched wings after diving. Both anhingas and cormorants in the Everglades were at close quarters in trees in the water, issuing deep guttural grunts and making quite a racket.