This post was going to be about this awesome corn and shrimp chowder I made but…The inspiration for the dish was found at Buford Hwy Farmers Market…

If you have never been, I encourage you to go. I only needed some cumin, I was almost out. 

Freshly ground spices, beautiful produce, 

It is very clean. They have it all. Fresh baked breads and tortillas. My favorite area is the seafood. 

So interesting, always new fish and you can’t beat the prices. $5.99 for a pound of shrimp? So, thus, shrimp and corn chowder.

(I love to take out of town visitors there, that’s how fun it is!)

Casa Vieja is one of my all time favorite restaurants in Atlanta. They serve the tastiest Colombian food. Some people come in for the Bandeja Paisa, which is meat with meat and some more meat and an egg and avocado and beans.

 I like to get the daily special. It starts with a delicious soup, my favorite is the bean soup. Today it was served with ribs, rice plantains and some kind of pineapple salad. The ribs were so tasty.

 Some days the special is chicken or fish but basically the same. It gets crowded by noon. I really didn’t want to share this, but it is so great, I just had to.

Resolutions, I have never been a big fan of them. I think they are great if you need them. I think refection is important. Every day we have the chance to change our lives, so a new year, which is basically a new day.

I believe we all can make this a better world! One step at a time!

As in a lot of the country, it has been cold here, well cold for Atlanta. So, I like to take photos. Coop is a poser. It all works!

Handsome Boy!

Some crunches and scissor kicks… working it out!

My sister told me my mother wanted a photo of all of her kids, now we are all very old kids but kids nonetheless. What my mother wanted was a reenactment of a photo of us when we were super young, like 45 years ago or more.

I am sorry I didn’t take a photo of the original photo, it is a hoot!

Here’s the shot we came up with though….

Spiller Park Coffee opened it’s first coffee kiosk in Ponce City Market, across the street from where the Spiller Park Baseball field used to be in Atlanta. 

Dale Donchey co-owns Spiller Park with Georgia restauranteur Hugh Acheson (Empire State South, Five & Ten)

So, they opened a second store, but this one has walls and it’s near my home.  I went there the other day with Catherine and her mother, Ann. We had hot tea and an iced tea and it was excellent. It’s really cool interior with garage style walls that open to the outside, when the weather permits. (Hugh Acheson did come in while we were there. He is also a judge on Top Chef. I think he’s quirky and entertaining)

There are not too many menu choices, I will be interested to see where they go with that.

I don’t drink coffee, but the tea was really good, give it a try!

Ponce de Leon Park was also known as Spiller Park or Spiller Field from 1924 to 1932 and Poncey to the locals. It was the primary home field for the minor league baseball team called the Atlanta Crackers for nearly six decades…

The Crackers played here in the Southern Association 1907 – 1959 and the International League 1962 – 64. It was also the home of the Atlanta Black Crackers.

The ballpark was located at 650 Ponce de Leon Ave. The street ran along the southside of the park – along the first base side. The outfield was  on the tracks of the Southern Railway, now part of the Beltline…

Across the street was the Ponce de Leon Amusement Park until 1926 when the huge Sears Roebuck Southeastern Headquarters were built, now know as Ponce City Market…

The park was known for a magnolia tree in deep center field. Balls landing in the tree remained in play until Earl Mann took over the team in 1947 and moved the outfield wall in about 50 feet.

During exhibition games Babe Ruth and Edie Matthews hit home runs that stuck in the tree.

The famous magnolia is still standing along the Beltline Trail… So much history!

That’s my Dad face masking the quarterback, or that’s what it looks like!