Getting to Know Joe

A Letter from Mama

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:05:26 -0500

Had to search through some old boxes for a book I needed to complete a project this afternoon. No luck with the book, of course, but did manage to come across a nice letter. Really reminded me of Mama. People do not send letters like this anymore. She managed to share a tidbit that might help me with our backyard, tell a cute story about racoons, remind me about Ms. Florence Mooring, inform me that my shoes (hastily forgotten on my previous visit) would arrive with my sister and that my niece had found a job. Oh, and she shared information about my dad. Oh, how I miss her.

Here is the letter:

Dear Joe,

Just today I went through a stock of papers and this backyard with fountain just happened to be among them. I thought you might get some ideas.

Guess what? Today I noticed some movement of the trumpet vine that remains on the side porch. Slowly, very slowly, there emerged three very small raccoons--getting off the roof onto the downspout. The mother was very patient. The coons were very cautious. I decided to call Florence and see if she could bring Ashley to see them. While I waited for them, I watched them climb down to the porch, explore everything on it, and then disappear before Ashley got here. How sad! I did fix her some cookies to take with her.

Did you hear more movement than usual when you were here? I don't know how, but I believe they've been in the attic.

Julia will bring your shoes when she comes for her doctor's appointment. I'm sure Stacy will be with her. She, too, has an appointment, I think. I understand that she has been accepted as Special Education instructor at the high school in Thomasville. She also interviewed in Grove Hill, but this will be easier for her--no travel.

I plan to go see Papa tomorrow. I went yesterday and things are about the same.

July 27

I love you,

Mama

Where Did January Go?

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:59:16 -0500

How is it 2010? Why is time flying by so much faster than before?

These are questions I guess I'll never get a good answer to. Oh well.

January has been a good month overall--lots of things accomplished: several new websites and I'm transitioning several more over to WordPress, a blogging platform that also makes for much easier content management. I'm really excited to be learning more about it. It beats the pants of of Movable Type (which is what this site is built in), so anticipate a new look sometime in the coming months.

Single best thing we've done this month is to go see our friend Ben Burford play the Big Bopper in the Buddy Holly Experience at the Virginia Samford Theatre. He's doing a great job, as is the whole cast. It only lasts through this week, and tickets are going (or gone) fast.... Seeing him in a leopord print snuggie is worth the price of admission alone. The music is great and the acting, from a local cast, is wonderful as well. Back to work.

January 2010

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 16:56:55 -0500

How has half of this month already slipped by? Seems as though I've been working constantly, but not getting enough accomplished. We've certainly been eating well, though.

One of my new favorite dishes (that I have yet to snap a photo of) is coconut shrimp with spicy basil. We've been avoiding salt pretty religiously for the past month, so I've been trying to change my cooking style. I have made this at least twice:

Shrimp with Coconut Milk and Basil Leaves

1 tablespoon canola oil
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 bell pepper sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
red pepper flakes to taste
1 15 ounce can light coconut milk

1 tablespoon oil
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt and pepper (I didn't use salt)
1 fresh lime, juiced and zest from half the lime
handful fresh basil leaves (cilantro also works)
handful fresh green onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water

Heat oil. Add garlic, onion, peppers. Cook over medium heat until onion is tender (about 5-8 minutes). Add coconut milk (you may not want to add the whole can--I used about 1/2 to 2/3). Reduce heat and simmer.

Heat remaining oil in a cast iron skillet. Toss shrimp with salt and pepper and additional red pepper flakes. Add shrimp to skillet, a few at a time. Sear for 1-2 minutes per side. Add half the lime juice and stir. Remove to plate.

Add basil, green onions and remaining lime juice to coconut mixture. Increase heat, add cornstarch and shrimp. Stir and remove from heat. Serve over rice.

2009 Coming to a Close: Here Comes 2010!

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:26:54 -0500

Wow! 2009 has been a pretty great year, overall. I've gotten to work on some fun projects, meet some interesting new people, reconnect with others and basically have a lot of fun.

Some of the projects I've spent a great deal of time on in the last few years are finally starting to show some real progress: notably the Alabama Scenic Byways Program. The 10 year anniversary of the creation of the program is this spring and we now have 10 scenic byways in our state, including the brand new nationally recognized Coastal Connection, named a National Scenic Byway in October of this year. I'm really proud to have played a small part in seeing that project move forward! (Even got interviewed on the radio about it--not a big fan of hearing my own voice, much to the shock of anyone who has been in a car with me--but it turned out to be less painful than I thought.)

Other projects include the following:

Some fun work on the Lower Cahaba River. We've installed signs in several locations pointing out the many attractions in a four county region (Bibb, Dallas, Hale and Perry Counties). A website has been developed to highlight the attractions and to bring the many resources together into one location--www.lowercahaba.com.

I continued to work on the Alabamafrontporches.com website and some brochures to go along with it. The most exciting part of this in 2009 has been the great Ghost Stories work done by Linda Vice and some filmmakers. (I did a brochure to go along with the videos.)

And, of course, the fun trips friend Ben Burford and I went on down into the Black Belt to take photos, eat the food and see the area from the eyes of a tourist.

The usual assortment of newsletters from my friends with the Alabama Sierra Club, the AIA (American Institute of Architects), Alzheimer's of Central Alabama and more kept me busy for much of the year (I always enjoy working on their annual calendar filled with art from Alzheimer's patients), along with advertising work for American Mining Insurance Company--and their monthly in-house newsletter.

Sister Julia and my great niece (in more than one way) Morgan

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:07:19 -0500

Christmas 2009 in Octagon. Got to see my very photogenic great niece along with my sister and her grandmother Julia.

Christmas Week: Ready or Not

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:33:28 -0500

This has been a busy year. Perhaps a look back is in order, but not today. Today, I'm putting the finishing touches on another newsletter, this one for my good friends with the Alabama Sierra Club. After more than three years of doing a newsprint, large format newsletter, we've shifted to a web only format. Cheaper, more environmentally friendly (though we did make the extra effort to find recycled newsprint) and much more flexible in terms of schedule. Take a look: http://alabama.sierraclub.org/chapternews/

I'm heading out to meet with another client, the Alabama Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects to talk about their website (considering transitioning it into a wordpress style site). Lots to do, but at least I've gotten our shopping done--oh, wait, I've still got to go to the grocery store.

Lower Cahaba Corridor Project

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:02:19 -0500

Spent all day last Friday riding around and going to a variety of locations in Bibb, Hale and Perry Counties to unveil the signs for the Lower Cahaba Heritage and Recreational Corridor. Good day and a great project: www.lowercahaba.com.

Alabama Byways On the Radio

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:16:24 -0500

Well, I must admit that, although I love to talk, I'm not sure I've ever been crazy about hearing my voice once recorded. It was with a great deal of reluctance that I went to Montgomery a couple of weeks ago and took part in a radio interview with my friends Joey Brackner of the Alabama State Council on the Arts (the instigator of this whole interview) and Colette Boehm of the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach Visitors Bureau (who I worked with on Alabama's Coastal Connection--the byway that was recently named a National Scenic Byway).

Anyway, here's a link to the interview. The first half is me talking about the Alabama Scenic Byways program, what it is about and a little history. The second half is Colette talking about the Coastal Connection.

 http://alabamaartsradio.blogspot.com/2009/11/alabama-arts-radio-podcast-joe-watt-and.html

Linden High School: Class of 1941

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:50:52 -0500

Thanks to one of my sisters for sending this photo of Mama (front row second from left). Linden High School, Linden, Alabama.

A Project on the Lower Cahaba

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:02:13 -0500

I've been working on this project for several years, now. We're in the process of putting together a website, we'll be erecting several signs throughout the area and this small rack card (hopefully, several additional brochures in the next few months as well) will be distributed to rest areas and other locations. So many things to see and do in the Lower Cahaba--from the Cahaba lilies and canoeing down the river to touring Brierfield and Tannehill--and, of course, one of my favorites Old Cahwaba. Check it all out! Website should be up and working in about 3 weeks.

Reflections on a Trip South

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:29:57 -0500

Last month, Ann and I spent several weekends traveling to and from the beach (San Destin). Beautiful weather both times in some regards--the first weekend was hot, with highs in the 90's and the second weekend was really pretty chilly, with highs in the 50's.

Took some photos, ate way more than I should, drove around some of the small communities, walked in the footsteps of The Truman Show in Seaside, etc. But the real telling thing to me was the trip back each Sunday morning.

What's happening in our rural communities? The roads were dead. I guess that's to be somewhat expected anywhere on a Sunday morning, but the church parking lots weren't crowded either. There were so few young people to be seen anywhere. It may well have been something as simple as a strange weekend, an odd coincidence, or just some incorrect assumptions on my part. I just find it worrisome that lower Alabama has so very much to offer in some regards and so little to show the world in others.

We have extraordinary rivers, forests, historic mansions, delicious food, spectacular farm land, wild animals and so much more. We have a traditional Southern culture and language that is amazing. We have art, literature, music.... Some of the greatest writers in the world have come from the South. Some of the best music certainly so. Where are these folks now? Will we continue to produce this amazing literature, these haunting songs and this soul-stirring art?

Let me add that I'm not condemning or praising the area where I grew up. These are questions that I'd love to have answers to; thoughts that I haven't come to terms with yet. I find a great deal of hope in the Black Belt and a great deal of beauty. I do worry, though. What is the future? Anyone?

Our Two Beach Trips

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:35:55 -0500

Ann and I have been on the go the last couple of weeks. Two weeks ago, we went to San Destin for a work-related trip and then headed to Santa Rosa the following weekend with Ann's mom for a short vacation planned well before we knew we were heading to Paris or to San Destin just the week before (the last trip was actually one of the items we "won" at a silent auction for Alzheimer's of Central Alabama). Anyway, it was a great trip and very relaxing. Here's one of the photos I took. I'm trying to use the photo I uploaded onto Flickr earlier, so we'll see how that works:

My Friend Ben Burford's New Book

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:18:36 -0500

Friend Ben Burford's hilarious--and painstakingly detailed--new book about Chevy 6--and a two disc music cd with loads of classics.

http://blog.al.com/aharvey/2009/10/chevy_6.html

By Alec Harvey -- The Birmingham News

Where were you the night of April 27, 1974? How about Jan. 7, 1989? Or Oct. 3, 2008?

Ben Burford can tell you where he was on those dates, plus about 2,655 others.

It's all chronicled in "Chevy 6 - 35rpm," a year-by-year look at the first 35 years of one of Birmingham's most popular party bands.

Alzheimer's of Central Alabama Newsletter Complete!

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:00:33 -0500

This has been a hectic few weeks. The ALZCA newsletter is complete and off to press. Happy to have that one off my plate--though I think it turned out pretty good this time. Their big fall fundraiser is the first Saturday of November: Walking to Remember. Great way to help folks with Alzheimer's and their families.

Anyway, here's the newsletter:

Fried Green Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 08:58:41 -0500

Made a surprisingly quick and tasty dinner last night.

Had a green tomato that I soaked in buttermilk before coating with a combination of Italian breadcrumbs, cornmeal and flour. I then re-dipped in buttermilk lightly and added a crust of panko breadcrumbs.

I chopped and seeded a fresh tomato (really beautiful one, at that) and combined it with a handful of chopped fresh basil, a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of kosher salt. (I let this sit for about an hour to develop flavor)

I added a handful of fresh arugula to a plate and drizzled it with sherry vinegar and the extraordinary Italian olive oil that our Parisian friends shared with us on our recent trip. I sliced some fresh mozzarella and added one slice to the top of the arugula.

Heated about an inch of canola oil (olive oil would be great, but didn't have any) to high and added the green tomato slices. Cooked until nice and brown, about 8 minutes or so (turning a time or two).

Pulled out, drained briefly and immediately placed on top of the cheese. Another slice of cheese and then a final tomato slice. Topped with the chopped fresh tomatoes and basil. Very, very good!