More Tattooed Mom...

Here are some of the creatures we found lurking on the walls. This local watering hole attracts in an interesting crowd, but they all appear to be having a good time.

Tattooed Mom

Dan, Maria and Alana dropped into the Tattooed Mom on South Street one summer afternoon to cool off after a day of walking around the city. They stumbled into a play land for old PBR cans! IT was fun and the Watermelon Wheat Beer on draft was rather tasty!

More of the fightin' gamecock

Here are some more pics of Johnny's visit. He was a little mad he had to leave so, being the wildman, he threw a tantrum and busted out the window of our car. Being that we had such a good time, we let it slide. You're welcome back anytime, Battles.

Johnny Battles past the Mason-Dixon line

The one and only Johnny Battles came up to visit us from Charleston, SC a short time ago. He spent an eventful week with us which included visits to The Italian Market, Pat's Cheesesteaks, Reading Terminal, Johnny Brenda's, The Banana Leaf, The Standard Tap, a day trip to NYC, a Mad-Hatter party, The Belgian Cafe, and much, much more--yet not enough. Unfortunately, we didn't take many pictures during his visit. But needless to say, the smoke has just now begun to clear weeks after his visit.

Hiking the Wissahickon

Philadelphia boasts a substantial bounty of parks and trails. The biggest hiking area is arguably the Wissahickon River Trail. This past Sunday we decided to put our city shoes away, strap on our hiking boots, and hit the trails like decent people. Well, we really didn't know where to go so we drove to a spot and started walking. It was nice to be out in the woods, around some greenery. Rosco had a blast, until we found out dogs must be leashed or else a $300 fine. Humans always messing up things, sheesh!!

More Ethiopian Food Pics

Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant in West Philly

After a movie, we decided to try an Ethiopian restaurant that has been on our list for a while. There is a significant Ethiopian population in West Philly so we decided to go to the heart of it and try the food. Not knowing what to order, Alana and I ordered two dishes on the menu and shared them on one giant plate (which we learned from our server is Ethiopian custom). The food was delicious. The meal consisted of beef tips with various Ethiopian spices, bbq chicken (really tender), lentils, yams, collard greens, and split peas. No utensils are used. To eat the food, we were given this type of sweet, spongy bread called injera that is torn apart and used to scoop the food, serving as the 'fork'. To top off the excellent meal it was also very inexpensive. Highly recommended.

Franklin Fountain in Old City

There is cool little ice cream parlor in the Old City part of Philly. The place has turned back the clock to the 1930's. Alana and a couple of our friends, Taylor and Marie, spent an afternoon enjoying a cone.

Merriweather Post Pavillion--Columbia, MD

Alana and I traveled just outside Baltimore to Columbia, MD to see the Route 29 Revue. It was a mini-festival that had a interesting lineup, albeit, a jumbled one. The show started at 3:30 in the afternoon and didn't end until after midnight (well that's when we left, anyhow). The Old Crow Medicine show was considered the headlining act, with the supporting cast of the wonderful Felice Brothers, Levon Helm Band, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals (I think Alana now hates the band more than any other), Iron & Wine (who we both have wanted to see for a while), and another act that I can't think of off the top of my head (they were good whomever they were). It did turn into a bit of an endurance contest. However, the show was good, the weather nice, so all in all it was a nice Sunday get away from Philly. Here are some pics.