T-Shirt Memories I

Posted on August 2, 2022 by vanbraman

Tonight I will share some t-shirt memories. I don’t often wear t-shirts, but in the past couple of years I have worn them more often while at home.

When out and about I usually wear a button up shirt. Especially when I go to work or church. I need a pocket to carry my pens 🙂

I have a lot of t-shirts I have acquired throughout the years, and most of them bring back memories.

t-shirts, memories, events, places, shirtsThe first t-shirt is one that I picked up when I participated in the Kansas State High School Track & Field Championships during my senior year.

t-shirts, memories, events, places, shirtsThe next t-shirt is from the Great Race that was held in Ashland, Kansas. I have an older one from an earlier year, but it is not as colorful and is a smaller size. This one I can wear.

Someday I will write a post about this unique race.

t-shirts, memories, events, places, shirtsThis t-shirt was for a race that I helped organize in the Kansas City area. I still remember some of the planning meetings at the Autism Resource Center and think about all the work that went into planning the event. It was for a great cause.

t-shirts, memories, events, places, shirtsThis t-shirt is about 30 years old. It was a promotional t-shirt for the last company I worked for. The company photographer in the catalog department came up with the design. I like wearing this t-shirt as it always gets some good comments during Teams meetings. In a future post I plan on sharing some of the t-shirts from my current company.

t-shirts, memories, events, places, shirtsThis last t-shirt has a lot of memories attached to it. Canteen Lunch in Alley in Ottumwa, Iowa has a long interesting history and has been visited by my family for decades. Not quite back to the very beginning, but from at least the early ’50s. My grandfather would eat lunch there when he worked for Lowenberg Bakery. A trip back to Ottumwa by family members is not complete without a visit to the Canteen.

Which is your favorite of these t-shirts.

Steven

 

Posted in Bread, Culture, Memories | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Smokehouse BBQ

Posted on August 1, 2022 by vanbraman

Tonight I have been watching a show about a BBQ competition. I also had a student in my class last week who lives in Kansas City. So, I have been thinking about the best BBQ.

I have eaten BBQ at many places around the US and even the World, so this is more than just saying that a restaurant where I lived for many years has the best BBQ.

It was fun last week discussing with my student about where to get the best BBQ in the Kansas City area.

Steven

Burnt Ends Dinner – 2017

One of the foods that I wanted to eat while back in Kansas City was Burnt Ends. However, I didn’t just want them from any old place. I wanted the best burnt ends.

Smoke House BBQ, Gladstone, Missouri, Kansas City, Burnt Ends, BBQTonight I took my sister and brother-in-law out to dinner at Smokehouse BBQ on North Oak Trafficway in Gladstone, Missouri. I have great memories of meals eaten there in the past.

Burnt Ends, North Oak Trafficway, Smoke House BBQHere is a snap of the menu choice for my meal. I of course got the Burnt End Platter. I will shorten the description a bit.

Mouth watering chunks of beef brisket served with two sides, Texas toast and pickles.

My two sides were BBQ beans and coleslaw.

Burnt Ends, Smokehouse BBQ, Gladstone, Best BBQ, Kansas City BBQDoesn’t this look delicious? The plate of food looks really good, except it would have been nice if they would have wiped down the edge of the plate. However, I was not going to let a little bit of splatter get in the way of the delicious burnt ends.

The BBQ beans also brought back some good memories. One of my friends would always stop and pick up a large container of beans before any picnic we had for holidays like 4th of July or Memorial Day.

Burnt ends, Smokehouse BBQ, KC BBQ, BBQ sauce, best bbqThe burnt ends were so delicious. I really like the different textures of the burnt ends from almost burnt to a bit fatty. Of course the BBQ sauce also adds to the wonderful flavor of the beef.

For those of you who do not know what burn ends are, they come from the point end of a brisket. This part of the brisket is usually fattier and also cooks a bit faster than the rest. In fact, a good burnt end should have a bit of char.

burnt ends, bbq, Smokehouse bbq, Gladstone, burnt ends, charYum, the burnt ends were so good. I had been looking forward to these for the entire trip. I am still remembering the taste and texture as I sit here typing.

The meal also brought back some memories of my previous job, which is now 24 (29) years in the past, when I worked in the food packing industry. However, that is another story so I won’t share them now.

Now to get some sleep before my trip home tomorrow.

Have you enjoyed the best BBQ in the country at Smokehouse BBQ?

Steven

Posted in Culture, Food, Memories, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment