Each Friday morning I post a riddle to get you to think outside the box and exercise your brain. If you are stumped, share it with a friend or colleague and see if you can figure out the answer together.
I’ll confirm answers in the afternoon so don’t worry if you don’t see your comment posted right away. I want to give everyone a chance to guess.
This week’s brain teaser was shared by Harry Hillson from NJ who submitted this to NPR’s Sunday Puzzle earlier this year.
This week’s brain teaser: Think of an 8-letter, 3-syllable word for something we all crave (and hope 2021 will bring). It consists of three consecutive men’s nicknames. What is the word and the names?
little tree little silent Christmas tree you are so little you are more like a flower
who found you in the green forest and were you very sorry to come away? see i will comfort you because you smell so sweetly
i will kiss your cool bark and hug you safe and tight just as your mother would, only don’t be afraid
look the spangles that sleep all the year in a dark box dreaming of being taken out and allowed to shine, the balls the chains red and gold the fluffy threads,
put up your little arms and i’ll give them all to you to hold every finger shall have its ring and there won’t be a single place dark or unhappy
then when you’re quite dressed you’ll stand in the window for everyone to see and how they’ll stare! oh but you’ll be very proud
and my little sister and i will take hands and looking up at our beautiful tree we’ll dance and sing “Noel Noel”
Initially published in 1920, EE Cummings is one of America’s greatest poets. Born in 1894 in Cambridge, MA, he lived most of his life in New England, passing away in 1962 in his home in North Conway, NH.
The poem shares the excitement a young brother and sister feel about their little Christmas tree. In more modern times, a children’s book was illustrated and used the poem, but I couldn’t find much more about this work. MichaelasMommy Blog provides some more thoughts and insights into the poem for those who may be interested.
Much thanks to BosGuy reader Jeff Stookey, author of the novel trilogy Medicine For The Blues who was thoughtful enough to share this photo from his partner’s private collection. I am left wondering what is the story behind this handsome couple? The portrait suggests a level of intimacy with their shoulders touching and both leaning their heads in towards each other.
I dedicate this weekly post, featuring vintage gay photographs, to the men and women who lived in a more critical time where being true to yourself and loving who you want wasn’t always an option and came at a great price. Do you have a photo you would like to share? Email me at bosguymail@gmail.com.
This week’s featured Instagram account which features the SoWa Power Station will appeal to fans of architecture and those who live in or near Boston’s South End neighborhood. This building had the distinction of being the largest power generation plant when it was built in 1896, but when Sergio and I moved to the South End in 2003 it was used as a parking lot. Recently, the 100+ year old property is being restored by GTI Properties to be converted into office and special event space.
Perhaps the coolest event Sergio and I ever attended at the Power Station was Illuminus Boston, but there have been many events hosted through the years and as this property is transformed, I’m curious to see what / who else may make use of this unique property. The Instagram account started posting photos in early October and the photos are a combination of special events that have been hosted in this space as well as the ongoing construction to update this unique building.
It was a real toss up if I should use this as a vintage gay post but ultimately I thought it was too funny not to share for this week’s caption this photo.
Hopefully the caption I’ve shared below inspires you to offer up one or two of your own. Leave a funny caption as a comment for this post, and I’ll approve it for readers to enjoy.
Once upon a time Eastern Air Lines was a major carrier. At its height, all of Terminal A at Boston’s Logan Airport was dedicated to Eastern Air Lines, but that all stopped when it went bankrupt in 1991. The airline had a brief and unsuccessful relaunch in 2017 but the failed brand didn’t dissuade Dynamic Airways from purchasing the rights to the brand in 2019 and flying again under the name in early 2020.
The fledgling airline has a total of 13 planes (Boeing 767s and 777s) at the moment and is based out of both JFK (NYC) and Miami International Airport. Earlier this year, the airline started flying from Boston to Miami and recently the airline which currently flies from Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Miami to 8 cities in the Caribbean, Latin and South America announced that it will be expanding service in 2021.
Nonstop service between New York, Miami and Boston to Belo Horizonte, Brazil will start in March 2021
Starting in late March Eastern Air will begin flying from Boston, Miami and New York to Belo Horizonte, Brazil. In Boston, the airline will cut into LATAM Airlines monopoly on nonstop flights to Brazil and with most Brazilians in metro Boston hailing from Minas Gerais, flying to Belo Horizonte, could be quite profitable.
Eastern’s service from Boston will operate on Sundays, Mondays and Fridays. Miami service will operate on Mondays and Fridays and New York service will operate on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Roundtrip tickets are currently available online for approximately $600.00 with taxes.
For more information, check them out online at goeasternair.com.
Much thanks to Joe who many may know as the man behind the popular The Closet Professor blog, which I have in my blogroll. This is the first time I’ve posted a Men In Kilts video from Tik Tok but if there are more videos like this on the site it won’t be the last time. Thank you again Joe.
I’ve been making a modified version of the Barefoot Contessa’s recipe each winter for a few years and it never disappoints. It’s best to prepare this over the weekend and always tastes better if you serve it a day or two later. Just be sure to clear out enough space in your refrigerator for the giant pot once it has cooked and cooled.
While this requires more ingredients and is a bit more work than my usual recipe, it is worth it. This recipe will feed 4-6 people. Ingredients include:
8-12 oz of cubed Pancetta 2 1/2 lbs cubed chuck beef 1 lbs of carrots thickly sliced 1 lbs of mushrooms (stems removed thickly sliced) 1 lbs of frozen pearl onions 2 sweet onions (I like Vidalia) 4 garlic cloves minced 4 tbsp of butter 1-2 tbsp of tomato paste 3 tbsp of flour Sourdough Bread sliced and grilled
1 bottle of dry red wine 2 cups (8oz) beef broth 1/2 cup of Cognac Drizzle of olive oil
1/2 cup of parsley chopped Generous portion of dried thyme Ground black pepper and salt
Step 1: The prep work takes about 15 minutes. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees, pull out all the ingredients, chop your veggies and using a paper towel, pat dry the beef cubes and place them on a tray with a paper towel. If you skip this step they won’t sear correctly.
Step 2: Drizzle a little olive oil into a large pan that can hold all the ingredients above (remember you’re going to use an entire bottle of wine!) and can go into your oven. Once the oil is hot (I keep this on medium high heat), add the cubed Pancetta and stir for approximately 5-7 minutes then scoop onto a plate (try not to scoop out the liquid) and don’t worry about bits being stuck to pan.
Step 3: Lightly salt the beef on your tray and add these into the pan (a few at a time) and turn to sear on all sides. You only want the outside lightly browned (1-2 minutes) and you’ll need space to rotate the meat. Then remove and place on the same plate as the Pancetta and sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper.
Step 4: Add carrots, sweet onions and a dash of salt. Let this cook in the oil and fat from the meat for about 5 minutes until they start to brown then throw in the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Step 5: This is the fun part! Add the Cognac and light on fire to burn off the alcohol. After the flames are gone, add the Pancetta, beef, bottle of wine and beef broth. Make sure the liquid just covers the meat and vegetables. Also add the tomato paste and dried thyme, cover and bring to a simmer.
Step 6: Bring to a simmer then place it in the oven with a tight fitting lid for ~75-90 minutes.
Step 7: Make a quick roux just before you take the pan out of the oven. This is an easy and important step to thicken the stew. Combine 2 tbsp of butter and flour. First, add the butter in a pan over low heat and once melted stir in the flour (you can whisk it with your fork). Then pour it into the pot along with the 1lb bag of frozen pearl onions, cover the pot and place it on the stove for ~15 on medium low heat. When done, the meat should be soft enough to cut with a fork.
This may sound like a lot of work but it’s delicious and after making it once, it is pretty easy to follow. There is a lot of food so you’ll likely have plenty of leftovers (and the leftovers always taste better).
One other note: I like to use Ina’s suggestion of getting thick slices of sourdough bread toasted in the oven to serve as the base for this stew. It is a lighter and easier option than making mashed potatoes but Sergio loves mashed potatoes so that is what I’ve shown at the top of the post.
Earlier this week photos of the Portuguese Bakery in Provincetown were making the rounds showing for sale signs in its windows. This set off a series of emails and comments on Facebook and conflicting stories about what was happening (so typical for Ptown). Some people were saying the owners are retiring and looking for someone to take over the business others said the Janoplis Family had no intention of selling and to quote the text from Mylan Janopolis that was shared with me, “The Provincetown Portuguese Bakery will live on…”
However, listings like the one below are what set off the chatter and made me wonder what exactly was going on. I suppose it gives townies something to discuss and gossip over during the quiet winter months.
But in response to all the chatter, the owners of the bakery took to Facebook this morning to post the following on their page, assuring customers that they are going nowhere.
The Portuguese Bakery first opened at its current location around 1900 (nobody can confirm the exact date). It remains one of the most affordable and least pretentious dining options in town and is a reminder of Provincetown’s more humble roots as a traditional Portuguese fishing village.
As Provincetown became a destination mostly for affluent gays and lesbians, small businesses have struggled to make ends meet. The Portuguese Bakery seems to have weathered all these challenges without ever losing their identity despite different families and owners over the years coming to run this successful business. If you’ve never visited Provincetown, I recommend ordering a Pasteis de Nata and coffee to go from the bakery. It’s a wonderful treat to enjoy while walking down Commercial Street or sitting on the beach in the morning.
While the weather outside hasn’t been exactly frightful it has hardly been warm and sunny either. However, it is exactly the weather one should expect in New England this time of year and following the Thanksgiving holiday many neighbors started decorating.
The main difference between the decorations you see in the suburbs vs. the city come down to space; there is no yard in the city, lights (for the most part) are used with restraint and since few people own an entire building you rarely see an entire Bowfront Victorian decked out.
However, what residents lack in space they more than make up for by decorating their entries, doors and windows. I captured a handful of photos after a walk around the neighborhood.
Song Inkollo is a comic book artist of Chinese descent who is from Nantes, France. He uses his comics to share his stories, and I really enjoy his comic series “Daily Life of a Gay Couple” and recently shared his work. If you like what you see, follow Song Inkollo on Twitter or better yet check out his Patreon site.
Each Friday morning I post a riddle to get you to think outside the box and exercise your brain. If you are stumped, share it with a friend or colleague and see if you can figure out the answer together.
BosGuy 