Hilton Kean Jones

Peace in the Great Southwest

August 18, 2011

There are places you miss more than you realize until you visit them again. The Southwest is one of those places. Recently I visited a friend of 43 years. He’s only recently moved to Gallup. I’d never been there before, but I hope to go again. The title of this post pretty much says it [...]

Tagged as: favorite articles

Brocato’s Sandwich Shop, Tampa, FL

June 29, 2011

A friend emailed me a link to an April 26, 2011 article in the New York Times Dining & Wine section by John T. Edge, In Tampa, the Street Food That Crawled From the Sea, and asked if I’d ever eaten at the Brocato’s reviewed in the article and, if not, did I want to [...]

Eliot Pattison’s Ashes of the Earth: A Mystery of Post-Apocalyptic America

May 14, 2011

Something new out of something old There are many types of sleuths and mysteries beyond Mrs. Marple in Agatha Christie’s locked-room cozies or the hard-boiled private eye, Philip Marlowe, in Raymond Chandler’s yarns. One of the many types is the police procedural that’s become the tired mainstay of so much television fare. Yet, a master [...]

Tagged as: favorite articles

Dairy Inn to the rescue

May 11, 2011

Sometimes, you just have to reward yourself. Last night was one of those times. That large hot fudge sundae with extra hot fudge over hand-packed chocolate chip mint ice cream (hold the whipped cream, cherry, and nuts) at Dairy Inn on MLK last night after a friend’s concert was exactly what I needed. If that [...]

A new St. Pete breakfast option

May 5, 2011

SADLY, ISLAND SEAFOOD MARKET & BISTRO IS NO MORE–IT WAS A CASUALTY OF THE DIFFICULT ECONOMY. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL IDEA AND CONCEPT THOUGH. IT WILL BE MISSED Island Seafood Market & Bistro (Inkwatu review; Island Seafood website; 2057 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, FL 33713, 727-821-8181) has new hours: Tues – Thursday 7AM – 3PM [...]

Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo

April 2, 2011

Bornean orangutan (male) “Rango” Age 36. The only great ape from Asia, orangutans are among the most endangered animals on earth. What a privilege: a private tour by the person I’m convinced is the world’s best docent of the zoo rated #1 in the United States by Parent’s Magazine. That zoo and that docent (Jane [...]

Tagged as: favorite articles, favorite photos

Restaurant Revisits

March 5, 2011

The owner of one of my favorite St. Pete Thai restaurants, that I described in The King and I, has opened a new restaurant at 2410 Central Avenue (pictured above), named The Queen and I. I ate lunch there yesterday and the food is the same very high quality as the downtown restaurant. The decor [...]

Work o’ the Weavers at St. Pete Palladium Theater

February 25, 2011

Work o’ the Weavers at St. Pete Palladium Side Door A few nights ago, a friend called and said, “We’re going to the [Work o' the] Weaver’s concert Thursday night at the Palladium. I know you like that kind of music. Do you want to come, too.” I said yes immediately. Although I’m not [...]

The Queen of Sheba Ethiopian Restaurant, Tampa, FL

February 12, 2011

Yesterday, a friend took another friend and I to the Queen of Sheba Ethiopian Restaurant (www.ethiopianrestauranttampa.com) in Tampa to celebrate our birthdays. Neither of us had been to the Queen of Sheba Ethiopian Restaurant, but the friend who took us had; she’d also had prior experiences with good Ethiopian food, so she knew we wouldn’t [...]

Super Bowl Surprise

February 5, 2011

Tomorrow is the Super Bowl. Therein lies a tale: Back in 1991, as usual, I was supplementing my income as a college prof by moonlighting as a church musician, playing organ and conducting a volunteer choir. That particular year, I happened to put on a variety show with the choir, doing a number of sets [...]

The Eliot Pattison Inspector Shan series

January 1, 2011

Beijing Yong He Gong Lamasery prayer wheel In an earlier post, Mystery Series Set in Foreign Lands, there were some very interesting comments and suggestions. Additionally, I’ve been exposed, entirely by chance, to an author that I’ve become addicted to: Eliot Pattison (eliotpattison.com/). That addiction began when a good friend gave me a book [...]

Tagged as: book reviews, BOOKS, Buddhist, China, favorite articles, Tibet

Crockpot apples, onions, sauerkraut, and sausage

December 29, 2010

apples, onions, sauerkraut, and sausage One reader left a comment on Crockpot apples that she was going to “add onions and sage and make it into a side dish.” That idea sounded good to me and I’ve been intending to try it. This morning I was wanting to cook up a bunch of [...]

Tagged as: FOOD, German food. recipes

The Joy of Learning (photographing the Elizabeth Crown Collection)

November 27, 2010

Long ago, I learned a secret that kept me writing and growing as a composer all my life: with each piece you’re learning something new about how to compose. I was already doing this as a kid, but didn’t know it. However, as an undergraduate, I was fortunate enough to take one of the courses [...]

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