By Kevin Williams
I have a great mix of stories and recipes from blogs that are favorites of mine. So, settle in and get ready to read and salivate over the recipes!
Amish Hot Chicken Salad
AMISH HOT CHICKEN SALAD: Patricia's Patchwork tries out an Amish hot chicken salad recipe, sounds like a wonderful picnic dish during these summer days. Check out the recipe here.
PLAIN BIKING: Gina at the Home Joys blog shares a wonderful selection of photos and thoughts about their family's biking outings this summer. Sounds like their part of Pennsylvania offers plenty of cycling options. So does my section of Ohio and one of these days soon I'd love to get my bike repaired and put the bike seat on and start taking Aster for some rides! Anyway, click here to check out her entry about biking. Seems like such a nice family!
HOMEMADE SOURDOUGH CIABATTA: Gina at Home Joys also posted a delicious-looking recipe for a homemade sourdough ciabatta. Yum! Make the bread and then put some of that hot chicken salad on it! Click here for the recipe.
AMISH GIRL AND THE CALF: There is another gem posted by Rhode Island artist, Cheryl McNulty. At first, I wasn't as moved by the painting and I couldn't figure out why. Then I looked and looked and figured out why. The watermark was distracting me. Yet, I get why they are needed. I've had enough of my photos online lifted....you'd think I'd watermark them all from here on out, but I just don't get around to it half the time. Anyway, if you can envision it without the watermark, this is another beautiful painting. I think Cheryl captures the simple spirit of the Amish in her work. Click here to see.
SIGNS OF THE AMISH: Backroads traveller Tom captured some Amish imagery in the form of their often non-flashy signs showing the way to their businesses. Those little handlettered signs in Amish country are like a treasure hunt. You can find the best baked goods that way, not from an actually bakery but just a Mom and Pop place that sells out of their kitchen. Yum! Click here to see.
SHUFFLEBOARD AMISH: I love Katie Troyer's posts depicting life in the Amish enclave of Pinecraft. The Amish "village" which is bustling and brimming with activity during the winter slows to a crawl during the summer. Still, a few Amish stay year-round and others come down to visit during the summer. Not many, but a few. And the few that are there play shuffleboard! Click here to see some photos!
THE BRIDGES OF ASHTABULA COUNTRY: Bruce Stambaugh has a fun post with beautiful photos the covered bridghes that dot Ashtabula County, Ohio, a quiet corner of the state....Click here to enjoy.
Cheryl McNulty
Thank you, Kevin! And I know, it's a real hard call to decide to use watermarks or not. I have just heard some real horror stories lately, and figured it was the best way to protect my work...at least try. I do it mostly for viewing on my Etsy shop , but it's not printed on any purchased prints.
I know it can be distracting, so maybe for the blog, I could leave out the watermark. Thank you for the input though, and I'll see what I can do on paintings I post in the future. Thank you.