50mm

battened hatches, stones, and hurricanes /  by admin

©2011 gary garbett.com

With the coming of Irene, I battened down the hatches. My hunkering down in my home office with a piping cup of French Roast, a bubbling lava lamp, the Rolling Stones in Exile documentary, and the pups resting at my feet with their favorite cookies is a true test of nerves.

I'm thinking of all of my friends in the Tidewater and coastal areas. Be safe and better yet… be smart.

value of a moment /  by admin

©2011 gary garbett.com

The advent of the pace our society has created astounds me. We want everything now. Sometimes even that isn't quick enough. Upon receiving it, at that instantaneous second, it's already become old news, incompatible, or a generation or two behind. We wait for little and the idea of working towards something better has become a burdensome chore rather than a rewarding goal. 


She sees the day far clearer and with less obstructions than I ever will. She’s my spark of hope in this disposable world. To her, life matters. Today matters. A hello, a minute together, and a cookie… they all matter. I taught her obedience a long time ago. In return, she teaches me the value of a moment every single day.

picking life from the vine /  by admin

©2011 gary garbett.com

We spent this morning picking tomatoes from our half a dozen or so plants while a pot of freshly brewed coffee waited on us. Despite the soaring heat and very little rain this summer, our plants have been exceptionally fruitful over the past month. With the lack of Mother Nature's moisture however, our cucumbers haven't done nearly as well. Perhaps that's about to change since I finally picked one today.

I love the color that the freshly washed colanders of tomatoes add to my kitchen. With the morning harvest, I wanted to prepare a pasta and fresh tomato dish for dinner this evening. I enjoy the way life has its way of surprising us. Ask and you shall receive. While enjoying my second cup of coffee, I read my friend Tim's blog. His post for the day was just what I was looking for, Bombolini Pasta. Perfect! Along with a fresh green salad using our lone cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, diced pears, crumbled feta, and a splash of balsamic vinaigrette, we may have a date night meal in the making.

Check in with Tim and his E.A.T blog regularly. He offers great ideas; great tastes, and is one incredibly inspiring man in the kitchen. Cheers to ripening life. Go pick yours.

waiting on the aliens /  by admin

©2011 gary garbett.com

I can't recall the last time I had Thai food. Tonight was the night to correct my memory. After my share of garden salads and ripened tomatoes topping nearly everything I've prepared at home for several weeks, with exception to my morning bran and banana, another dinner option was a welcoming treat. Our dishes of Pad Thai and Pad Kee Mao were damn fine. No, wait. They were really damn fine. Dessert was served a few hours later. I had Steely Dan spinning on my turntable and a resting bottle of Odoul's Amber sweating on my desk, just inches from my laptop.

We also had new furniture delivered earlier today, making this as grand a day as Christmas... minus those embarrassing bad gift moments or any electronic caroling plastic nativity scenes. The soft, comfortable matching leather sofa and sitting chair make the entire room smell like forty brand new pairs of Doc Marten's and the catcher's mit I had when I was a kid. That leather glove always smelled so good. Probably because I hardly ever used it. None of my sketch books, records, or transistor radios ever smelled as good as that old mit, but I also didn't need another person to enjoy them either.
Steely Dan asks, "Where did you get those shoes?" If anyone ever asked me, I'd have to tell them the truth. Thrift store... three bucks! With all the money I've saved over the years, someday I'll be able to afford to furnish our house with fancy furniture and dine at some of the finest restaurants in town.

Now seems like the perfect time to flip the record over, drop the needle on side two, and wipe up the sweat from that gorgeous brown bottle.

taking a spin with george harrison /  by admin

©2011 gary garbett.com

Music centers me. From the time I was a little boy, it always has. I get lost in it and it simply finds my soul. I've had my share of music devices over the years from numerous record players, a lime green portable AM radio with a thin plastic wrist strap, chrome retractable antenna, and a single mono ear plug, several 8-track and cassette tape decks - both portable and stereophonic stand alones, a Sony Walkman, cd players, an iPod and other digital media players. The one that got me started around 1964 was a box unit Beanie and Cecil record player. I then started collecting 45's from the time I was about five or six years old. By the time I was nine, I was serious about my music and began buying albums, partly because of the art as well as the music. A few of my firsts were Led Zeppelin III, Credence Clearwater Revival - Cosmos Factory, The Guess Who - Canned Wheat, and The Osmonds self titled. Yes, the Osmonds.

My appreciation of vinyl albums continues and I try to make it a point to listen to a few each night. I love the artwork and packaging. I love reading the liner notes. And I love hearing the depth and richness of the analog sound as the reflection from the grooves dance on the turntable. It's been nearly 50 years since Santa brought me that Beany and Cecil box and the love it opened up for me continues. Record albums define who I am. They've been my best friends for a long, long time.

Last night I enjoyed time with Cat Stevens - Teaser and the Firecat, Santana - Abraxas, and George Harrison - Thirty Three & 1/3. Seems fitting.