Early summer David and I bought tickets to the Bluefield Blues Festival to see Samatha Fish. It was over a 7 hour drive but David and I love to go on road trips.
On the way we stopped to gas up and grab some lunch. Then we continued on laughing, talking and singing all the way to our hotel in Bluefield, WV.
Bluefield is a small town in the Appalachian Mountains. It is a coal mining town. You still see the coal cars loaded with coal at the railyard. They helped support the Industrial Revolution in the United States. The development of the coal industry in this area created a boom in the local and national economy, and attracted immigrant European workers and enslaved/ migrant African Americans from the Deep South to the mountains in search of industrial work. During the Great War and World War II, coal from this area supplied the navies of the United States and United Kingdom.
Our friend John Lee is a bass player for the Seattle House Rockers and he had a gig while we were in town. Friday night we headed to Tim’s Tavern for a beer and some Blues music.
We went out to eat at a Central American restaurant that was next door to the tavern for dinner. It is called La Cabana and was very good. Once again I was too busy eating to remember to take a photo.
Bistec Encebollado (Nicaragua) $17.50 A traditional dish from Nicaragua made with a choice cut of beef and top it with a generous amount of caramelized onions, and tomatoes. Served with Gallo Pinto, freshly made tortillas and a green salad. This is what I had.
Salpicon (Honduras) $17.50
This traditional dish comes to you from Honduras. We start with a choice cut of beef, peeled knuckle, which is cooked in a special seasoning mix. We mince the meat and blend it with diced onions, cilantro and top it with fresh lime juice and diced radish. Served with rice, freshly made tortillas, and a green salad. David had this.
Huevos Rancheros $10.75 Over easy or hard (fried) eggs on a corn tortilla topped with a home-made spicy red salsa,bell peppers,and onions. Served with refried beans, queso fresco and crema. John Lee had this.
They make their tortillas and they are really good.
They have special non-alcoholic drinks.
Horchata $3.75 Sweet rice water drink w/ a hint of cinnamon (contains dairy) I had this drink and it was nice. It kind of reminded me of Thai Ice Tea.
Nance $3.75 A refreshing drink made from the fruit of the palm tree, a small tart, yellow cherry-like fruit. David tried this one which we thought had a nice flavor but was a little too pulpy for David.
John Lee did it again and took us to a wonderful place to eat. If you are ever in the neighborhood you should give it a try.
Once again it is that time of year that we get the best lamb dinner ever. We never miss the Greek Festival. We enjoy the food, music and dance. If you want to find out more about our day read on.
On Sunday at the Byre we usually have a nice cooked breakfast and read the paper. We just decided to hang out. The boys decided to see what David’s low note was. He went lower than I think Fred thought he could. They ran to Lidl to get a tool Fred wanted. M and I just enjoyed the sun and the quiet.
I know you have heard me mention The Byre several times and you probably wonder what I am talking about. The Byre is a recording studio built on 20 acres. There is also the old house that came with the property when they bought it. Fred has done a lot of remodeling on it and is still working on it.
The recording business isn’t as good as it used to be, so they now rent it out several times a week to the Inverness Music School. Fred is also starting a film studio and building a shed for it.
I have always loved it here. It is so peaceful. When I lived in England it was my place I could go and feel like I was back home in Alaska. I decided just to take some photos around the property on Sunday.
They have a horse called Murphy who is getting older and doesn’t get ridden much any more, but is very spoiled. When he sees M with the lawn mower he comes running for him treat of fresh green grass.
The day was just an all around beautiful day spent with good friends. I hope ya’ll enjoy these photos as much I enjoyed taking them.
