In the Steps of My History

12 Thursday Sep 2013

Posted by TimothyNC in Genealogy, History, Photography, Structures, US History

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Ancestry, Andrew Turnbull, Architecture, Coquina, Florida, Genealogy, Minorcan, photography, Spanish Colonial, Spanish Florida, St Augustine

Gaspar Papi House, #36 Avilés St., St Augustine, FL

It is not often that you can step across a threshold and enter the house that your 5-times great grandfather built & lived in. I was fortunate enough to experience that goosebump-inducing time warp in Old St. Augustine, FL. This two-room white coquina house—one upstairs room, one downstairs—is a testament to the determination and will of my ancestor, Gaspar Papi, who overcame incredible hardships to amass quite an estate.

Gaspar Papi House, interior

Gaspar Papi was born to Greek parents in Smyrna, Turkey sometime between 1746 and 1751. He came to the New World among my Minorcan ancestors (the Andreu, Capella, Duran, and Pons families) as a part of the Andrew Turnbull colony at New Smyrna. After a decade of indentured servitude, he was freed with the rest of the colonists and ultimately became one of the more affluent Minorcans in St. Augustine.

Coquina fireplace

Standing inside his house was a surreal experience for me… a circling back in the grand spiral of history, a moment when great-great-great-great-great grandson stood, iPhone & Canon T3i in hand, completely awestruck by the moment. This all came courtesy of the generosity and hospitality of the Sisters of St. Joseph, who now own the house. My special thanks to them!

Garden-facing rear of the house

Pirate relics

10 Saturday Aug 2013

Posted by TimothyNC in History, Photography, US History

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Beaufort, Blackbeard, Edward Teach, History, Maritime Museum, Museum, National Register of Historic Places, North Carolina, Outer Banks, photography, Pirates, Queen Anne's Revenge, US History

Navigational instruments from Queen Anne's Revenge

Navigational instruments recovered from Blackbeard’s flagship, Queen Anne’s Revenge

You cannot live in North Carolina very long without learning about the state’s place in colonial pirate lore. The most famous privateer to prowl our coasts was Edward Teach (or Thatch), more commonly called Blackbeard.

In late 1717, Blackbeard attacked and commandeered the French merchant ship La Concorde. After dumping the frigate’s crew and cargo at Bequia, he renamed her Queen Anne’s Revenge. Almost 180 years later, in November 1996, the submerged remnants of Queen Anne’s Revenge were discovered under sand and a mere 25 feet of water near Fort Macon State Park. It is now designated as NC Shipwreck site 31CR314, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

Since then, salvageable items from Queen Anne’s Revenge have been recovered and preserved by the QAR Conservation Laboratory at East Carolina University. Items that have been cleaned and prepared are on display at the NC Maritime Museum in Beaufort.

Blackbeard Exhibit at the NC Maritime Museum, Beaufort, NC

Our children have been pleading for us to take them to Beaufort to see the artifacts for a while now, so we recently made the trek over to the coast. The following pictures are just a tiny sample of the items that are on display. Enjoy!

One of the two bells from Blackbeard’s flagship

Shot recovered from the wreckage

Several cannons have been recovered from the ocean floor

Plate lunch (for dinner)

07 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by TimothyNC in Food, History, US History

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Barbecue, BBQ, Hawaii, Kona Brewing Company, Macaroni Salad, North Carolina, photography, Plate Lunch, Sarah Vowell, Summer

Hawaii/Old North State Mashup

As she often does, my eldest daughter (Foodie Girl) had a dinner request the other day: “Daddy, can we have a summery dinner tonight… maybe something that reminds me of Hawaii?” How can a parent say no to that? Nordic Babe was completely on board with the idea and quickly procured some lilikoi juice.

I leapt into action and the resulting meal appears above; it was a Carolina take on Hawaiian plate lunch. (Side note: if you have never seen Sarah Vowell’s short meditation on the history of plate lunch, go check it out. Right. Now.) Yes, the expected sticky rice and mayonnaise-laden macaroni salad took up residence on our table. Pig was also featured, but instead of the usual kalua pig I substituted pulled pork BBQ in a tangy Western Carolina-style sauce. I thought about finishing the meal with hush puppies, but King’s Hawaiian sweet rolls won the day.

It was a hit with Foodie Girl and her siblings, Artist Chick and Zen Buddy. Washed down with a Longboard Island Lager from Kona Brewing Company, this was the perfect lunch-dinner for a summer evening.*

* Note: Due to the carb load, an extra 20 min. of interval training was warranted after consumption.

Norwegian nature

06 Tuesday Aug 2013

Posted by TimothyNC in Landscape, Photography

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Landscape Photography, Norway, photography, Reinheimen National Park, River

Reinheim National Park's astounding beauty

Norway’s astounding beauty (near Reinheimen National Park)
Click the picture to view a high resolution version.

A little bend in the river caught my attention, and the resulting photo captured the deep, rich greens and blues of the scene with surprising accuracy. This was one of those moments where I knew the picture would never do justice to the view… and yet, in the end, it does.

The August light played beautifully and gently on the water’s surface; that much is clear from the photo. But what’s missing is equally important. From behind the camera, the feeling of being so small and so insignificant in the face of the vast scope and scale of nature was overwhelming.

And that shared human experience is ultimately beyond the reach of the lens.

The perfect cup — found?

05 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by TimothyNC in Food

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Beverages, China, food, Green tea, Health, Oolong, photography, Tea, Tieguanyin

Tieguanyin leaves after four steepings

Thanks to the generosity of a good friend, I recently discovered a tea that has become my favorite. I am now on a mission to seek it out whenever and wherever I can. Although new to me, it is quite well-known, boasting a long and proud history in China.

Tieguanyin (“Iron Goddess of Mercy”) is a variety of oolong, but I find its flavor to be somewhere between an oolong and a green tea. Imagine, if you will, all of the attractiveness of a crisp green tea with a bit more of a floral note—and none of the bitterness.

But the most amazing thing about this tea is the way the resilient leaves unfurl and stand up to repeated steeping. This tieguanyin provided different flavors and complexities as I worked through—wait for it—twelve steepings of the same leaves! It started more like a green tea, but as it progressed through the night, the tea grew creamier and unleashed a powerful floral sweetness.

It now takes its place next to Westmalle Tripel and Franciscan Magnificat as my beverages of choice when I am in the mood for a treat. Do you have any tips or tricks for preparing tieguanyin? Please share!

The perfect cup? Who cares—it was spectacular!

The perfect cup? Who cares—it is spectacular!

Troll peaks

03 Saturday Aug 2013

Posted by TimothyNC in Landscape, Photography

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Base Jumping, Landscape Photography, Norway, photography, Reinheimen National Park, Troll Peaks, Troll Wall

On the train from Åndalsnes to Trondheim

The beauty of Reinheimen National Park in Norway is overwhelming. Attempting to capture it in photographs is almost as pointless as trying to capture the experience of standing at the rim of the Grand Canyon and looking out over the expanse. So of course I had to try. Over and over and over!

This rock formation includes the famous Trollveggen (immediately out of frame on the right), the tallest vertical rock face in Europe. The lip at the top of the wall actually extends 160 ft. beyond the base, making it both an awe-inspiring sight and a magnet for base jumpers and other thrill seekers. This picture gives a different perspective of the scene—one I am sure I will never see.

Leek tart

07 Sunday Jul 2013

Posted by TimothyNC in Food

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bistro cooking, food, French cuisine, gruyère, leek tart, leeks, photography

Jambon, gruyère, and leeks at the ready

The leeks in the refrigerator are calling out to me. Listening closely to the muffled sounds emanating from behind the closed door, I think they are saying “Flamiche aux poireaux, s’il vous plaît,” although they often say “Potage parmentier.” But not today. 🙂

Few cookbooks have gotten as much use in our house as Patricia Well’s Bistro Cooking. It is full of outstanding French bistro fare that is surprisingly simple to prepare—even if it is often time-consuming, alas. To name but two of our favorites, my wife (hereafter known as Nordic Babe) does a mean Gratin Dauphinois Madame Cartet, and I am in love with the Poulet Rôti L’Ami Louis. The simplicity of these dishes lets the flavors of the ingredients come through in all their purity without much in the way of distraction.

Now I need to decide on a fitting Alsatian wine (Zind-Humbrecht Riesling perhaps?) to go with a cheesy, leeky tart… bon appétit!

Translucent moons

03 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by TimothyNC in Photography, Wildlife

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Appalachian State University, Aurelia aurita, Jellyfish, North Carolina, photography, wildlife photography

Moon jellyfish, Discovery Place, Charlotte, NC

Another view from another aquarium. These dreamy jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) kept our children fascinated for about 15 minutes, hypnotically floating and drifting through the inky darkness.

Jellyfish are fairly common along the North Carolina coast. Our water temperatures are rising each year, causing their population to increase at a rapid pace. Appalachian State University now has a website (called Jelly Stalkers) dedicated to tracking jellyfish sightings along the NC coast; it’s certainly worth a quick browse. Their interactive map lets you view sightings by species or by month.

Capturing the delicate patterns and lacy tendrils in such low light required cranking the ISO up to 3200. I was worried about color noise in the image while I was shooting, but the result was better that I expected. The luminosity of the creatures let me keep the shutter speed at 1/125, which helped matters significantly.

Beach excursion

29 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by TimothyNC in Photography, Structures

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beach, nc crystal coast, outdoors, photography, tilt shift

Atlantis Lodge, Atlantic Beach, NC

I spent a few days last weekend and early this week enjoying the NC Crystal Coast and experimenting with my camera. The back of the hotel lobby at our resort became an unexpected subject that allowed me to take the mundane and make it more interesting. The resulting faux-miniature (tilt shift) shot above was the best of the bunch.

I’m also enjoying my all-natural, sun-kissed blonde highlights… that happens much less often now than it used to growing up on the West Coast. Small pleasures.