Autumn and I bought a pressure cooker a couple of weeks ago. It’s turned out to be one of the best kitchen purchases we’ve ever made. Put everything in the pot, and you have soup, beans, risotto, whatever in fifteen minutes. I made a split pea soup two days ago that would likely stand up to any soup I’ve ever made. Yesterday’s bean soup is good, but the cupboards were bare. It turned out to be one of those random concoctions: you know, when you collect all the ingredients that you have left, just so you can get rid of them before they go south. I had a bag-o’-beans replete with “Cajun” seasoning packet, a can of tomato sauce, a yellow onion, two small carrots, two larger celery stalks, hot sauce, and water. I put in garlic powder, basil, thyme, a couple of bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. I let the pressure cooker do its thing. I missed the fresh garlic. We always have fresh garlic around the house, so when we’re out, I know it’s time to go to the store.

We’re also out of booze. I stopped in the Depot Package Store on Pio Nono last week to pick up some Maker’s Mark. I’ve been drinking good bourbon lately for a couple of reasons. One, I love beer; however, I’m trying not to take in any extra calories these days, and beer’s loaded with those. Two, I can sip a good bourbon over ice for a while. It’s tasty and not hasty. One glass warms me up, so a small bottle of Maker’s will last me a while. I usually keep Evan Williams around when I’m craving Manhattans.

My regular liquor store is on Vineville near Moe’s, but a train was blocking my way that day. I’m not sure what it was doing, but I had to turn around and take a back road down to Pio Nono. I was too lazy and tired to backtrack up Vineville in 5 o’clock traffic, so I stopped at the Depot Package Store. Either the place had been burgled, or they were going out of business. The shelves were empty, particularly in the bourbon section. They had no Maker’s, nor did they have any Evan. They had plenty of that watery Canadian whiskey, but none my usuals from Kentucky. The dude at the counter watched me stare at the empty aisle: “Can I help you?”

“Do you have any Maker’s?”

“Nerp. Only what you see.”

Hm. They had a small section of small-batch bourbons. I’ve always had mixed luck with these, but I chose one that was not too expensive. Elijah Craig. A Kentucky Jew? It looked a bit darker than I’m used to, but I don’t discriminate based on color. Besides a 12-year-old, small batch whiskey should be fine.

“What’s up with no Maker’s,” I asked at the register. “You guys shutting down?”

The attendant shook his head: “The owner’s cuttin’ back.”

“Cutting way back, I guess, if there’s no Maker’s or Evan.”

“Twenty-one, nineteen, sir.”

Elijah turned out to be a bit too smoky and oaky for my taste. At least now I can go back to Maker’s by not going back to the Depot Package Store and its enthusiastic attendant.

Last weekend, Autumn and I photographed the wedding of a young couple. Rudy is the son of a colleague of Autumn’s, so my wife got us this gig. We spent over six hours with Rudy, Christian, and their friends and family on Friday and Saturday, snapping about 1200 photos. Since Sunday, I’ve post-processed about half. My deadline is Sunday; I’d like to have all the photos posted before I go back to class next week. Out of the 1200, I’ll post the best 250 for them to look at. Then, I’ll create their album and video. Some of the shots came out  very well. I’ll have examples posted on my photog site in a couple of days.

I also want to finish reading Time Travelers by Monday. I’ve been into McDevitt’s work for a couple of weeks now. He was such a nice guy at the Crossroads: very generous to spend time with me. In fact, listening to him speak inspired me. Not only am I keeping up with my blogging — thanks for the positive feedback, everyone — but I’ve decided to try my hand at writing science fiction.

I’ve begun outlining what will likely be two novels. I also have two solid plots for short stories. I even started writing one last night. I’m pretty excited about this, so much so, I couldn’t sleep. I hope to have my first ever sf short story done by the end of the weekend!

Who says rainy days aren’t good for anything?

The wedding was great. I was the official photog, but I was also a guest. Autumn and I had a fabulous time in Vegas. I took over 1500 photographs, including our visit to Hoover Dam and plenty on the Vegas Strip, not to mention the hundreds of the wedding and events surrounding it. Thanks, again, to Heather and Chris for letting be a part of their nuptials.

The Norman Mailer Society Conference was held in D.C. this year, the first time (for me) our of Provincetown. While it was a good conference, attendance was down, and Mike Lennon stepped down as president in order to focus on his biography of Mailer. While I think our new prez, Mark Olshaker, will do a good job, I get the feeling the Society will change. I think we’re back in P-town next year. I’ll be publishing my paper here soon. It’s really just a thought piece, as my original idea for a part two to last year’s film was not possible. Still, I like the connections I make in the essay. Stay tuned for that.

Here is a slideshow of my photos from the conference and from around the capitol.

On a similar note: we published our third volume of The Mailer Review. While I’m listed still as the Deputy Editor, I really didn’t do much. All the work should be credited to Phil Sipiora and his awesome team of graduate students, including the indefatigable Constance Holmes. The issue is gorgeous and chock full of Mailer goodness. Get your copy today.

So, now I’m getting caught up. This includes grading. Lots of grading. Hopefully the semester will begin to quiet down in November.

Seriously, this is one of the best experiences I have ever had as a college professor, and I’m sure many of the students who went over the summer would say something similar about their experiences. I encourage you to sign up for this program. Do it. I promise you will not regret it. If you’re a Macon State student, join their study abroad group on Facebook: The Macon State Twelve.

I plan to apply for the 2011 program…

I’m sure I’ll have more to say as I test this new beauty. Stay tuned.

So, I’ve set up my photography site using Wootheme’s Aperture, and I plan on posting new photos as I take them which will point to my gallery. I might even blog a bit about the photos. Hopefully, too, I’ll try some experiments and blog about those as well.

Speaking of new: I ordered a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM for Heather’s wedding. I should be receiving it tomorrow. Yes, it was expensive, and I’m kicking myself for not having gotten it in May when it was $150 cheaper and included a $90 instant rebate. Dumb. Anyway, I’m excited about getting a new “L” lens, the last I’ll need for a while. More on this as I experiment. Stay tuned.

Finally, Autumn and I are thinking about setting up a studio in the house. More details as this develops.

First stop: Greenville, SC. Autumn and I have been here a couple of times, since this is the next closest place to have the BMW serviced. I stayed downtown, so I could walk along Main Street. Beautiful weather accompanied me on the ride from Macon and throughout my day-long stay.

Next stop, Asheville, NC, and the Biltmore Estate. Again, I am familiar with Asheville, since Autumn and I spent a few nights there for our first wedding anniversary. Again, I stayed downtown, had several great meals, and took many many photos. Autumn and I never got to the Biltmore, but I managed a quick visit on my way out of town. My visit to both Asheville and the Biltmore was again accompanied by unseasonably wonderful weather.

Next, Pigeon Forge, TN, for a visit with Dad via the Blue Ridge Parkway. About eighty miles of mountaintop road separate Asheville from Cherokee, NC. I’ve traveled on the Blue Ridge several times, so I was ready for an aggressive ride. About thirty miles from the end of the Parkway in Cherokee, my back tire ran over something in the road; it felt like a rock, but nothing appeared in the rear-view mirror. I continued riding, but the next curve — a gentle right-hand turn — pulled me into the left lane. My bike had lost all maneuverability because the rear tire was flat. I managed to get to the side of the road and examine my tire: a centimeter hole was neatly cut into the thick part of the tire. I had never seen anything like it. Some guys in Waynesville managed to help me out with a new tire, but I was nervous on the bike for the rest of the trip.

Finally, Louisville, KY. After a couple of days in with Dad in Pigeon Forge, I left for Louisville, about 270 miles northwest. The day started out normally: sun and a bit of coolness leftover from overnight. By the time I got about twenty miles north of Knoxville, the rain started and continued all day, getting the worst about 100 miles from Louisville. Not only did I have to contend with the rain, but the temperature slowly dropped throughout the day. By the time I managed to get to the Galt House (my hotel for the next week in Louisville), I was drenched to the bones. I’m honestly lucky to have made it. The rain was never really heavy, but it was relentless. I’ve never had a worse day’s ride.

I was in Louisville for about a week, and the morning I left was overcast, drizzly, but not as cold. I donned rain gear immediately, but by the time I arrived in Danville, I was able to strip that off. Another couple of hours found me back in Tennessee where the clouds cleared and the sun brought its warmth. Another two nights at Dad’s and I headed from Macon. The ride was long and hot, but nothing like my trek to Louisville.

In all, I put 1280 miles on the bike. I’m wondering if I shouldn’t have just taken my new Mini. Next time.

Actually, Giles and I went a couple of days early to photograph Savannah for Regional Imagery. The weather in Savannah on Monday and Tuesday was pretty bad: cloudy, rainy, windy and frakin’ cold. Still, Savannah’s charm is warming, and I think we got some good shots. I have several galleries in my Savannah collection; they include images of downtown, a visit to Ft. Jackson, Savannah at Night, and two cemeteries.

Autumn joined us on Wednesday, just as Giles was departing. We lunched at Paula Deen’s restaurant before spending the rest of our anniversary day exploring more of Savannah. The weather was still crap, but at least it had warmed up. We had dinner at this cool Asian fusion place and finished the evening with a nightcap at a Scottish pub. I put photos of Autumn in a separate gallery.

The next day found us in Charleston, just 100 miles up the road. We were famished by the time we pulled in, so we took the recommendation of the concierge and went to the Fleet Landing Restaurant for lunch and beer. I’m glad we did: the food rocked. The weather cleared by the afternoon, so we walked around the historic section of downtown. We dined at the famous Hyman’s Seafood restaurant and had an excellent meal. When we next visit, we plan on spending a bit more time in Charleston.

In all: a great trip. Thanks to my lovely wife Autumn for another wonderful year. And thanks to Giles for the company early in the week.

First, I snapped a couple of shots of St. Paul’s and St. Joseph’s. I tried to catch the beautiful clouds and had the best luck at the latter, though I do like this one of the former. These shots are posted in my Downtown Macon gallery, presently the first ten, or so. The featured shot above is in front of St. Joseph’s; it looked like some folks were getting ready for a wedding.

Next, I hit Magnolia and four houses on that block, including two on Orange. These photos are in my Tour of Gardens gallery. I hope to add a couple more today, but the weather looks uncooperative. We’ll see.

Giles also posted some photos of the gardens, including some great portraits from the Kentucky Derby Party.

5/3/09 Update: I managed to get quite a few more photos today, but Zenfolio is acting up. Hopefully, I’ll have more images to show tomorrow.

Like last year, I set up a portrait area and encouraged folks to have their picture taken. I was pretty successful in getting most of the couples to pause in their merry-making to indulge me — and most seemed to actually want to. There were some great outfits to go along with the excellent bands (a jazz combo and a more traditional cover band), copious drinks, historic atmosphere, and excellent food. I also managed to hand out most of my business cards. So, I’d say the night was pretty successful.

Have a look at the gallery and buy a print or two, especially if you’re in one. Also see Giles’ gallery, linked through his blog.