The View From Plossville

A friend of my father-in-law sent a group of pix along about San Francisco Fleet Week. In it was this shot of a Blue Angels F18 doing 700mph on the deck. Note the pressure waves coming off the plane. This is amazing.

F18 Pressure Wave

The Wilton Open Book Store in the Stop and Shop shopping center has received a limited shipment of my books.

This is the front cover of Holy Mackerel

They have all five available.

Tell Claudette you heard it here!

A little dog sits
A little dog watches
A little dog dreams
of life as it was
long ago
for his ancestors
in the woods
on the steppes
on the prarrie

A door is left open
He’s gone

Suddenly
He is a Wolf
a Fox
a Jackal
A Dingo

In pursuit of his prey
A cat
A bird
A squirrel
A rubber ball
A Buick
A Buick
A Buick
A Buick
A Buick
A Buick
A Pontiac

Seven times it takes
To learn that
A Buick is not
A cat
A bird
A squirrel
A rubber ball
A Pontiac

This is Mr. Skip at five years old

I have no recollection of what it was I was obviously caught in the middle of but it probably had something to do with my brother Scott who is three years younger than I am.

The shopping cart at Lulu, where my books are published, is working so if you don’t want wait for the order to arrive at the book store next week you can order online.

I have been informed, by my discovering the issue and complaining about it, that the Lulu.com (publisher of such great books as If Picasso Were a Fish and Holy Mackerel) has an issue relating to their shopping cart system. The issue is that it does not work.

They tell me that they hope to have it all put back together by tomorrow.

When it’s fixed I’ll post it here.

Well, here it is a day early, Holy Mackerel has been released.

In it we meet Mack, a Spanish Mackerel living off the coast of Spain near Malaga. Mack is talented and yet feels unloved by his friends.

You can order online at http://www.lulu.com/content/5144622.

The Wilton Open Book Store should have their order in a week or so.

This is the front cover of Holy Mackerel

I stopped by The Wilton Open Book Store this afternoon to check on stock and was pleasantly surprised to find that they had sold out of If I Had a Gift and were low on Abstracts2 and If Picasso Were a Fish.

You can always order books from them or online at www.lulu.com/skipploss.

The new book proof is still in transit but providing that it comes through with flying colors, Holy Mackerel should be on available online the middle of next week and in the store just before Christmas.

I’ll keep you posted.

In the mean time there is a Holy Mackerel coloring sheet in the Freestuff section of the website.

My new book, “Holy Mackerel”, is almost ready for release. The final proof has been ordered and as soon as that arrives and checks out the book will be made public.

Here’s the cover.

This is the front cover of Holy Mackerel

More later….

This is a reprint of a column I did in November 2004 for The Home Monthly.

There seem few traditions in New England, indeed the whole country, more firmly cast in concrete than “one shall serve turkey at Thanksgiving.” In fact as I recall autumns past, I can remember clearly being in groups of people pre-Thanksgiving when someone responds to the question “What are you having for Thanksgiving dinner?” with ham or roast beef, only to be looked at in the same way as would Ricky Ricardo, playing his conga drums in a U-boat rigged for silent running. It is called Turkey Day for a reason. So as we hurtle headlong towards that beloved holiday when we give thanks for everything up to this point in the year, allowing us to cleanse our thank you palate before we hit the big time in December (which makes Thanksgiving the pickled ginger to Christmas’s sushi) … a few random turkey thoughts.

First, at Thanksgiving we celebrate the act of giving thanks. This was first done by a group of clueless Europeans who had decided to settle in Massachusetts in November 1620. Arriving in November and finding not only that they lacked non-porous housing but also that someone had left the canned yams, green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and French-fried onions at the checkout counter in the Plymouth Kwik Save, half of the Pilgrims (so named due to the fact that they were always in a bad mood and the outlook was not at all good) decided to spend the winter starving and/or freezing to death.

In the spring, Miles Standish casually mentioned to an Indian named Samoset who happened to wander into the settlement, “I say good fellow, we are like, starving.” So the Indians (as they were known then due to the fact that the self same Europeans had initially thought North America was in fact, India), in one of the most stunning examples of hindsight being 20/20, offered to help.

The Wampanoags taught the ex-Europeans a thing or two about raising food and living off the new land so they could survive. In return, the Pilgrims threw a big feast and served wild turkey (the poultry), geese and ducks. As this was not only the first Thanksgiving but also the first pot-luck, the Wampanoags brought lobster, deer, clams, oysters and fish. Because both Mrs. Standish and Mrs. Samoset insisted that everyone also get a good helping of vegetables, the Pilgrims also served cucumbers, assorted root vegetables, corn and wild fruit.

After the feast, everyone sat back, unfastened their britches and loosened their deerskin pants. The Pilgrims weren’t finished giving thanks so they threw the Wampanoags two other things, the diseases smallpox and diphtheria, which wiped out entire villages.

I can relate to the above historical text, for at Chez Ploss Thanksgiving is an almost joyous occasion and one that follows the Pilgrim traditions to the letter, except for the lack of Native Americans, venison, geese, ducks, lobster, clams, oysters, beets and turnips. Dinner is almost always turkey, semi-turkey or Turkey Verde.

Thanksgiving while growing up meant turkey, stuffing (both wet and dry), yams, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, gravy, pumpkin pie and vanilla ice cream. Table condiments included gelatinous canned cranberry “sauce,” black and green olives and really small pickles. When I got old enough, I was allowed to slice the canned cranberry sauce for serving. This involved cutting both ends of the can with the can opener, removing the bottom and using the lid to push the solid cylinder of cranberry goodness out the bottom, pausing every 1/4 inch or so to slice and place it on the serving dish. This was replaced in the late 1970s by the cranberry/orange blender relish, which seems to have invaded the American Thanksgiving table like the walking catfish has taken Florida.

Carving the November bird was always up to dad. He began sharpening his knife (real men don’t use electrics) hours ahead of time. He was a master, a turkey surgeon as it were. When he passed away in 1975 it became my job, at 15 years old, to carve. It is a task I enjoy especially when I have good cutlery. The cutlery of choice right now is an Oxo Good Grips 12 inch slicer. It is not electric and not serrated in any form. It is a regular smooth blade knife, which is sharp enough to cut through browned turkey skin. As a rule I limit my intake of pre-dinner alcoholic party beverages so that I am able to handle the knife without having to make a trip to the emergency room of Norwalk Hospital.

I have been to Norwalk Hospital on Thanksgiving Day. I went when an unfortunate visiting member of the family slipped and fell on the way to the table (where my wife’s first turkey was just being set), causing a three-inch gash to open up on his forehead. When we got there the waiting room was filled with guys who each had one hand wrapped in a dishtowel. They were all victims of dull knives and carving while under the influence.

So it has always been turkey. The semi-turkey mentioned above stems from a trip made several years ago to the Johnstown/Gloversville area of New York State. I was told we were going to have the culinary experience of a lifetime, Thanksgiving at a turkey farm restaurant. I imagined tables piled with turkeys, golden brown just waiting to be worshipped, farm fresh vegetables cooked to crispy perfection and homemade pies. All those years keeping up the Ploss family tradition were to be validated.

When we arrived at the restaurant there was a line. This was made up entirely of people in their Sunday Best, waiting their turn at the well of hope. As you have probably guessed, the food didn’t (couldn’t possibly) measure up to the family hype. The meal consisted of a small pile of a deli-sliced turkey-like product with mashed potatoes in canned gravy, canned corn and beans. Still, we were all together.

My first Turkey Verde was served at a friend’s house about seven years ago. My friend, like myself, likes to take culinary risks once in a while. Sometimes this is good, like the Puree of Root Vegetable (potato, parsnip and carrot) Soup with Ham and Green Peas I served this evening or my roasted garlic mashed potatoes with Gorgonzola cheese. And sometimes not, like the Green Bell Pepper sauce for pasta I made, which turned my daughter off green sauces for several years due to the fact that both of her parents seemed to suffer some sort of gastro-intestinal “distress” after eating it.

It seems that my friend had an unhealthy obsession with cilantro at the time. When it came time to “herb” the stuffing, cilantro was the herb of choice and the stuffing was chock full of it. As the turkey cooked, the juices seeped into the cavity of the bird where they passed through the stuffing, which served as a Senor coffee filter for the cilantro and gathered in the bottom of the pan waiting to be sucked back up and poured back over the bird before being turned ultimately into gravy. They began to resemble the beer sold on St. Patrick’s Day. Since my friend is also an accomplished baster, the turkey began to take on the look of the Irish as the cooking process progressed. When it was placed on the table it had the color of a new marshmallow shape for Lucky Charms.

One area where we at Plosshaus seem to have issue is stuffing. Again, I tend to be more “out and about” than the rest of my family. My wife Laura, who descends from a long line of MAPs (meat and potatoes) fanatics, tends to the more traditional side of things. This is the Arnold bagged stuffing camp. My daughter would go against tradition if she was allowed to but I don’t see us having turkey stuffed with macaroni and cheese anytime real soon.

I, again, tend to hang out in the dangerous neighborhoods where seafood, non-traditional vegetables and spices from non-English speaking parts of the world infuse non-traditional breads with smells and textures that one can only dream about. One of my favorites was a stuffing made from Freihoffer’s 12 grain bread, green pepper, celery, onion, blackening spices (now generically labeled Cajun in most mainstream stores) and crawfish tail meat. The recipe was “guess as you go.” It was pronounced “good” but not for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. I have tried oyster stuffing and stuffing made with shrimp and bay scallops. Still, for the majority of folks who show up for a Pilgrim repast, it’s the tried and true all the way.

This is not to say that the folks (family and friends) I cook for are unadventurous. They will try almost anything. This has led to the new discoveries such as the root vegetable soup, the roasted garlic mashed potatoes with Gorgonzola, Beef Wellington with Brie, three species of mushrooms reduced in Madeira, smoked and poached salmon with capers, onions in a cream sauce, and grilled asparagus. It’s just that holiday traditions are the toughest ones to buck.

I’ll hold out hope for gradual change. If canned cranberry sauce can turn to cranberry orange relish, then mashed potatoes can become roasted garlic mashed potatoes with Gorgonzola. I, however, refuse to give up the green bean casserole. After all, it’s a tradition.

Skip greatly appreciates the hard work and dedication of squirrels.

First, turkey’s already in the oven thank you very much.

A lot has changed in a week. A week ago I was looking forward, in the “I know this is going to happen but am a little nervous” sort of way, to final dress rehearsal for “Willy Wonka”. We opened last Friday and closed Saturday. It was a great sucess and a lot of fun. The 55 young actors from 4th through 8th grades did a great job and the “Epic Eight”, seven 10th graders (Brandon Ray, Cole Freudenthal, Matt Fliescher, Karl Kiesler, Caroline Miurhead, Leighton Schneider and Emma Bendix) and one 11th grader (Annabelle Fox) who volunteered to work on it with us were nothing short of awesome. Thanks also to producers Cindy Leonard (her last show as a producer unfortunately) and Mary Susan Miurhead (her first or first in awhile which means she’s around for a bit thank god) who guided the whole thing from start to finish. Then there are Judy Abbatiello (choreography) and Al Galletly (music). Both have been dear friends for over a decade. Judy I met through work at The Playshop and Al through church and mutual friends and I can not imagine doing a show without either of them.

Work on “Holy Mackerel” is proceeding with the hope of finishing it this week.

So Happy Thanksgiving and thanks to all who have made the year to date a good one.

Hey there folks. Here is the color version of the sketch I showed some of my friends at school last week. I did so to illustrate two things; 1. that there are other things to draw besides cartoon animals and other things to color and 2. that anything you see that has been made by man/womankind was designed by someone.

Ballroom drop

To see the real thing you need to see The Nutcracker by The Wilton Dance Studio. This is the 11th year that they have been performing the holiday classic. It is truly a must see in Wilton at holiday time.

To get more information, see their website, good pix too, at www.wiltondance.com or to order tickets download their order form

See you at the show!

The Wilton Open Book Store has received a new shipment of all four books, If Picasso Were a Fish, If I Had a Gift and both Abstracts books. All are signed.

Work progresses slowly on the next book and it seems to be a toss-up between an If Picasso-esque book on architecture and one called Holy Mackerel.

Work on Willy Wonka the show is coming to an end with opening night a little under two weeks away. To get tickets, and I believe there are still tickets left, see the Children’s Theater website.

So today was the 6th annual Wilton Chamber of Commerce Halloween Hustle sponsored by The Wilton Bank.

One third of the Ploss family has been participating for three years (no it’s not me unless by participating you mean standing next to the finish line with a Starbucks cup in my hand).

Laura took almost two minutes off her time last year and she’s a year older.

In front of The Wilton Bank, Laura works out her strategy.

What Sarah and Dad did during the actual race.

Laura, just prior to seeing her time and realizing that she had shaved nearly two minutes off her time last year.

Laura after the race.

Panoramic shot at Merwin Meadows after the race.

Yesterday’s Hartford visit was a fun mix of art and architecture.
First there was the OneThing Expo at the beautiful Hartford Convention Center. OneThing is so named because the driving force behind it’s creation is that there is One Thing that everyone can do today to help save our planet. That “One Thing” will vary from person to person and to prove it there was a chalkbaord at the front of the OneThing-a-Palooza area from kids where people wrote their one thing. Those ranged from using reusable shopping bags and not buying bottled water to installing CFL’s and recycling metal and plastic.

The architecture part of the day was two fold. First there is the new Connecticut Connecticut Science Center under construction next to the Convention Center. The architect is César Pelli who in 1996 designed the worlds tallest building (at the time and currently 3rd), the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lampur. More information is here at the Pelli Associates page.

There were other architectural bits and pieces too and I’ll have more on them at EmbraceModern.com.

The Art Part
The art part was, as stated in a previous post, the reason for the trip to Hartford in the first place. We had a great time working with the kids and showing them that art is in the eye of the creator as part of the Stepping Stones Museum’s OneThing-a-Palooza. I was there as part of the BKFK creativity area where kids built rockets, gliders and kits from straws and bits of paper.

I met Frank there too. Frank’s parents are the owners of Kidtivity which is a website that helps parents find activities for kids. Frank is a great kid with a lot of energy and creativity. We drew, built straw rockets and built an unsuccessful glider/straw rocket hybrid. I drew Frank.

All in all a great day.

Saturday I will be in Hartford and no I am not running the marathon. Instead I will be at the OneThing Expo in Hartford at The Hartford Convention Center doing abstracts with kids using scribble art. Come see me at OneThing Palooza.

Here are some examples:

This is a scribble I turned in to a giraffe.

Coffee spill on the table

A plant and big lady bug

A mouse in fall leaves

See you there!

I love donating art to help raise money for things. Ambler Farm Days organizers asked for a picture from “Mr. Skip” for the auction on Ambler Farm Day and I was more than happy to oblige.

Here’s what up for auction:

I understand that the nice folks at Beardsley Fine Framing have donated a frame for it.

We launched the new Miller, Driscoll and Wilton Preschool Services Website on Saturday morning.

It looks great, I think anyway, and will continue grow into a greater resource for parents and students alike.

Take a look at it here.

Well as we hurtle towards the end of summer ‘08 a moment to reflect on things.

Summer started the Monday after school ended with rehearsals for Grease with Summerstage. We had 50 6th to 10th graders and they all did a great job. We had fun, I did anyway, and they put on a great show at The Clune Center at Wilton High School. We had 530 people for opening night and 350 or so for the second night. I am told that we broke records.

Then it was on to The Daycare Center of New Canaan for thier summer program. We built block buildings, did plaster sculptures and castings, learned about nature and had a great time.

We built several modern buildings this summer. This is one of them.

We learned how to tell sasfrass from other plants.

Sarah went to Camp Huckins this summer for the first time and for two weeks. She was there in New Hamphshire where the tornado was. She had a great time and made new friends. Interestingly enough the director of the camp was a councilor with Laura in the seventies and eighties.

The weather was intersting this summer with tornadoes in New Hampshire and storms around here of biblical proportions. Really cool clouds though.

This was taken from the ground at Meade Park in New Canaan.

This was a nice sunset late july