Author: Ed

It Was Warm, But Not THAT Warm…

While the rest of us were enjoying mild weather this week, someone got carried away. Or, at least his shoes and coat did!

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny Cherubino

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February 18, 2012
Get Out and Count the Birds…

The 15th annual Great Backyard Bird Count is our Friday link. This weekend, they invite you to join the annual check of our feathered friends.

A big thank you to The Garden Club of the Back Bay for bringing this, and so many other wonderful opportunities to have fun and learn something new, to our attention. (That makes this a double Friday Link!)

The Great Backyard Bird Count says:

"Warmer temperatures and lack of snow in parts of North America are setting the stage for what could be a most intriguing 15th annual Great Backyard Bird Count, coming up February 17-20."

We Say:

This is the perfect excuse to get outside and enjoy nature.

If you enter your zip code, the site will prepare a checklist of the birds you might see in your area. That can be fun to have anytime and a great start on the peaceful pastime of birdwatching. We're saving our list and will continue looking all year to see how many birds we find by this time next year.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Illustration: courtesy of The Great Backyard Bird Count

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

February 17, 2012
21st Century Lamplighters Arrive in Historic Boston

While Boston’s historic gas-powered street lamps still need to be lit, the 21st century lamplighter looks a lot different then our friend pictured above.

Last week, Michael Doyle and his colleagues from the Boston Public Works Street Lighting Division installed 12 new solar-assisted gas light fixtures on Marlborough Street. This is a test of a new technology designed to save money by having gas street lights turn on when needed, rather than remain on 24 hours a day.

Here’s a closer look at the system as it was being installed. The solar panel charges a battery. A photo sensor tells the system when light is needed, and a control opens the gas valve and lights the lamp. In daylight, the control turns off the gas.

This crew had just come from Thompson Square in Charlestown where they’d installed 8 similar units. According to the Charlestown Patriot-Bridge, the plan to give a solar assist to hundreds of gas lamps throughout the city of Boston is expected to save hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

Officials claim the lamp’s battery can last almost 3 weeks without sunlight and won’t need replacing for at least 5 years. Now, that's a Lamplighter!

Learn more about Boston’s solar-assisted gas lamp project at Going Greener: Gas Lamps Grow More Efficient from the Charlestown Patriot-Bridge.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino
Illustration: courtesy of the Library of Congress

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

February 16, 2012
7 Things We Learned at the BPL Conservation Lab!
After a rebinding, this Liber Chronicarum (Nuremberg Chronicle) from 1493 now opens completely.

Penny and I recently had the chance to go behind the scenes at the Boston Public Library’s (BPL) Conservation Lab to meet the talented experts who are preserving history one piece at a time! These specialists repair and stabilize rare books and documents to ensure that these items remain available to all of us.

Keeper of Special Collections at the BPL, Susan L. Glover (above) put it best, “They are wonderfully skilled, they are passionate, they are dedicated, and what they do looks like magic.”

We were so impressed, here are:

7 Things We Learned at the BPL Conservation Lab!
- The lab is only able to get to about 1% of the work that is needed.
- Some items can deteriorate just sitting on a shelf due to material content.
Conservation Assistant, Chris Letizia tests leather to bind a 12th Century illuminated manuscript.

And, here are their recommendations for your own items.
- Keep your valued pieces out of direct sunlight, away from acidic paper.
- Don’t store personal treasures (clipping, letters, etc) in basements (too humid) or attics (too hot).
- Handle them little, keep them unfolded in folders or archival albums.
- Never use any kind of household tape to make repairs.
- If you discover what might be an important item, contact the BPL Conservation Lab for advice and recommendations. (617-536-5400)
For more information, check out the BPL Rare Books Department

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.
February 15, 2012
Boston, Say “Welcome” to Burdick Chocolate on Valentine’s Day

Yes! We have "mice" in the Back Bay!

What better day to welcome Burdick Chocolate to the Boston side of the river? Right in time for Valentine's Day they've opened the retail part of their new location on Clarendon Street between Boylston and Newbury.

Have you ever seen a more perfect use of an existing building? This little shop has been waiting all its life to be a chocolate shop & café. You can buy chocolates today and soon they will be offering their famous café menu with that luscious single source chocolate drinks, a great tea selection, and excellent pastries.

For now, we were happy to yield to temptation and select a few treats from the case. Choose your own or pick up one of their boxed assortments. But, be sure to include at least one mouse in the selection. They love going home with you.

You still have time to tuck an Amazon gift certificate into that chocolate box. You can also send one by email!

Details:

Burdick Chocolate

Back Bay Boston Chocolate Shop & Café

220 Clarendon Street, Boston, MA 02116 (map)

www.burdickchocolate.com

617-303-0113

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those comments add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads out of comments.

February 14, 2012
Thai Chili from The Dining Car Food Truck

On a mild winter day there is nothing like a bowl of Thai Chili from The Dining Car food truck to warm you inside and out. This is my current favorite nosh from one of the best of the street food vendors. And, the bonus item is that this totally brilliant team serves it with shrimp chips. You can dip or do what I do– spoon a pile of chili on a shrimp chip and nibble away.

Insider Tip: If you're carrying this back home or to the office, keep it level or ask the team to put your shrimp chips in a separate bag. You don't want any chili to get on those lovely crisp, delicate chips and make them soggy.

Ed & I usually catch up with The Dining Car outside the Boston Public Library, where we happen to spend a lot of time researching stuff for our freelance work.

This is one recipe that I'm going to use as a base for a chili of my own. The menu board says it has ground pork, simmered with red chilies, ginger, lemongrass, and coconut milk. That's a good starting point for me to develop my own Thai Chili.

Of course, I'll still have to enjoy this one while it's available. But, food trucks do change up the menu frequently, so I'll have to have a backup plan for seasons when they're putting the emphasis on warmer weather fare.

Related Posts:

Learn about this food truck and the team behind it at The Dining Car- Food Truck Tracking

Crispy Cauliflower, a Perfect Snack! (this one is so popular it seems to be staying on the menu)

Here's a link to our full menu of Food Trucks/Street Food fare.

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Here's how you can track The Dining Car

Website: www.diningcar.net

Twitter: @thediningcar

Facebook: TheDiningCar

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Ed & Penny Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those comments add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads out of comments.

February 13, 2012
3 Warm Tips for Frigid Dog Walks!

Br-r-r-r! Dog Walker Dan Hazelwood with Cleo (left) and Cooper

While wrapping your pup for a cold winter walk, remember to turn-up your own heat. If you’re warm, you’re pup will have more fun!

Let’s be honest, once all the important “business” is done, it’s very tempting to quickly head back inside.

But, you both need time to stretch your legs, greet some friends, and sniff (at least one of you does). So, in the interest of doing right by our furry friends, we asked veteran dog walker Dan Hazelwood of Boston Pet Sitters how he conquers the winter chill.

Play Time! Duddly (foreground) with Cleo and Cooper…

3 Warm Tips for Frigid Dog Walks

Layering is Key- “I always start off with a heavy hooded sweatshirt, a fleece scarf, and my Patagonia parka,” Dan said.

“When the temperature is above freezing, I can get away with wearing jeans with extra shorts underneath, but sub-freezing calls for my EMS rain pants over sweat pants. The rain pants are great insulators, and I wear this combination down to zero degrees.”

Shoes Made for Winter Walking- “I have a few different pairs of shoes or boots I wear in the winter, from North Face Hedgehog walking shoes for everyday use to the Sorel Caribou, the most heavy-duty snow boots you can find.”

“The key with any footwear is to start with polyester sock liners under wool or synthetic hiking socks.”

Warm Hands- “I have found the best leather gloves at Army/Navy surplus stores, and I often have 10-hour hand warmers, too.”

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Words: Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

February 12, 2012
See Anyone You Recognize?

This is the south facing side of the frieze on the tower of the First Baptist Church of Boston.

This work of art was designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, the same sculptor who created the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.

Bostonian Edward Everett Hale wrote, "…he told me himself that the heads which you will see there are portraits of distinguished citizens of Boston of that time. If you buy the right photographs, and magnify them with the right glasses, you will find Sumner and, I think Garrison, and probably Everett and Phillips."

Next time you're walking near here, stop and look up. The tower is 176 feet high. The frieze was carved by Italian craftmen, after the stones were set in place. They worked up where we see the figures.

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Words: Penny Cherubino
Photos: © 2012 Penny Cherubino

February 11, 2012
Sophisticated Pink Sparklers for Valentines’ Day

Don't be afraid of pink sparking wine! We'll let you in on what wine experts have always known– some serious and elegant wines come with a blush of color. There are also plenty of classy, but inexpensive, pink options.

As regular readers know, we start every month with a glass of sparkling wine, and we share those choices with you. Today, we'll remind you of a few that are perfect for cork-popping on Valentine's Day. (Yes, we are our own Friday Link this week!)

If price is no object, consider a rosé from one of France's great Champagne houses. We've really enjoyed these two:

Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé - This is one of Penny's all time favorite wines. It's price has really skyrocketed during the years we've been telling you about it. But, sometimes only the best will do and Billecart-Salmon has earned it's place at the top of the charts.

Delamotte Brut Rose - Brix Wine Shop gave us the opportunity to taste this wonderful Champagne from Delamotte, the ledgendary house that produces Salon.

For a bit of France on a budget, slide out of the Champagne region and try a Crémant.

We suggest a bottle of Louis Bouillot Rosé. Even the lable looks like a party! This is one of our favorite beach wines.

For a real value sparkler, we'll move you to New Mexico. New Mexico you ask? Mais Oui!

Gruet Blanc de Noir is coppery in color and rich with pinot noir flavor, and it's heritage comes from another of the great French Champagne families. They also make a bright pink rosé.

From there, head north to Soter Vineyards in Oregon. One New Year's weekend, we tasted four great sparkling wines. The Soter was one of them. These wonderful wines, from a highly respected team with a great Pinot Noir reputation, will always be on our list of favorites. Try the Soter Rosé to see how much finesse American sparklers can have.

We also say, "Olé" for the pink Spanish cavas like Segura Viudas Brut Rosé or their ARIA Pinot Noir Cava.

Related Posts:

If you don't have enough ideas here, go explore our entire wine post collection.

And, we've gathered all of our Valentine posts at Valentine's Day 2012 – Romantic Dining in Boston

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Details:
Words: Penny & Cherubino
Photos: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those comments add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

February 10, 2012
Your Special Place, Free Romance for Valentine’s Day

The best Valentine gifts are the ones that are part of your life throughout the year. It can be as simple as a special place where you feel happy together.

Ed and I were out in that little snow storm we had in January shooting some potential cover shots for The Back Bay Sun when this couple, strolling hand-in-hand, appeared.

A kiss was followed by…

…a few playful snowballs, and then they picked up sticks and drew valentines in the snow.

Naturally, we asked permission before we used these photos. Back Bay residents, Andre Sibilsky and Morgan Maglich are from down South, so snow is special to them. They ventured out to enjoy the snow in one of their favorite spots along the Muddy River. Now that is romantic!

Related Posts:

We're gathering all our Valentine posts at the bottom of this one:

Valentine's Day 2012 – Romantic Dining in Boston

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Details:
Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those comments add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads out of comments.

February 9, 2012