Good 32ยบ it snowed morning. We got probably a couple inches.
Here is our RR off ramp..........
Clouds and sun peeking through yesterday......
Picture of the Day
Harley Davidson...........
When you think of iconic American companies today, you might think of tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Facebook. But what about one of America’s earliest brands: Harley-Davidson. There’s no story closer to the American dream than that of the iconic motorcycle company.
From their humble beginnings in a 10×15 foot tool shed to surviving the Great Depression and moving on to world motorcycle domination, the Harley-Davidson company has shown American strength and resilience for more than 100 years. Read on to learn some interesting facts about how the century-old company has managed to remain an iconic part of American history.
Well, technically it was the company’s first factory, but in reality, it was just a 10-foot-by-15-foot garden shed in the Davidson family’s backyard. It was there that William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson created the first “real” motorcycle in 1903.
The bike was based on the design of the Milwaukee Merkel motorcycle, but had a bigger engine and frame design. Even though it was the first, the prototype only lasted a year before they began tinkering to make it even better.
Long before Harley-Davidson embraced the loud, throaty growl of their V-Twin engine, they prided themselves for being a quiet alternative to other motorbikes. They tried for years to tweak their engines to make them sound quieter. In the early 1900s, this was because they wanted the motorcycle to be an upscale and civilized mode of transportation.
Early advertisements actually showed respectable-looking men riding the bikes. Harley-Davidsons were even once nicknamed “The Quiet Gray Gentleman.” That’s a little different than what we know them as today
Not many companies made it out of the 1930s with any sort of profit, and Harley-Davidson struggled at first too. After the stock market crash of 1929, Harley-Davidson cut costs and reduced their workforce but that wasn’t enough.
It was once they finally made that deal with Japan’s Sankyo company that they were able to stay afloat. Many say it was the international market and the Japanese factory that allowed us to still have Harley-Davidson motorcycles today.
Harley-Davidson has always been linked with the V-Twin engine. If you’re not a motorcycle rider, that means the engine has two cylinders that are arranged in a V shape that are used for internal combustion. Harley-Davidson introduced their first bike with a V-Twin engine in 1909 and it has been part of their brand ever since.
But they weren’t the first to do it. The company’s rival, Indian Motorcycle, actually introduced the V-Twin in 1904 and rather than think up something better, Harley-Davidson took the idea and ran with it.
The Harley-Davidson motorcycle was the first of its kind to average over 100 miles per hour. That made the bikes a top choice for racers to use. One of the most famous racers was Otto Walker. He was sponsored by Harley-Davidson and was the one to break the speed record.
In 1921, he won a race at over 100 mph and that was the first time people realized that these bikes had the capacity to really go fast.
It didn’t take long after the company’s start for police departments all across America to begin requesting custom bikes. For police, a motorcycle was a fast, maneuverable, and easy way of getting around and stopping crime. Not to mention, it was much more cost effective than a motorcar.
By 1907, Harley-Davidson began providing bikes to more than 40% of police departments in American. To this day, their motorcycles are still used by officers.
Most gear heads can recognize a Harley-Davidson from a mile away just because of the sound. Some of the early engines on the motorcycles had multiple sparks firing at the same time. Those sparks combined with Harley-Davidson’s distinctive 45-degree motor to create the “throaty growl” we know and love today. Some even call it the “potato potato potato” sound.
The sound of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle is so distinct that at one point, the company even tried to trademark it.
Now that we know why a Harley-Davidson has such a distinct sound, we can be in awe of just how loud it actually is. The rumble that comes from the exhaust emits around 80 decibels. For perspective, a car emits 50 decibels at high speed and a chain saw emits 120.
If a Harley owner removes the muffler, the sound can go up to 100 decibels! At that level, it would only take 15 minutes of unprotected ears to cause permanent hearing loss.
Today, Harley-Davidson sells a lot of motorcycles. In 2016 alone they sold more than 262,000 brand new bikes. Obviously, these high-priced items account for most of the $6 billion of annual profit, but a whopping 5% of sales come from just their clothing lines.
Harley-Davidson motorcycles weren’t the first ones used in World War One, but they were the best. The British were the first to introduce motorcycles but the Triumph Model H that they used weren’t very stable or long-lasting.
When the United States joined the war in 1917, they introduced Harley-Davidson bikes to the rest of the world. In fact, the U.S. Military ordered 15,000 new Harley-Davidsons just for the war effort.
We’ve all heard Harley-Davidson motorcycles called hogs, but do you know why? No, it doesn’t stand for “Harley Owners Group” but it harks back to their racing days. One of the Harley-Davidson racing team members, Ray Weishaar, owned a piglet as a pet.
The pig became the team’s unofficial mascot and whenever they would win a competition, the racing team members would take a victory lap on their Harley-Davidsons with the mascot on their bike.
Harley-Davidson began manufacturing three-wheeled motorcycles in 1932 as a way to survive the Great Depression. The small three-wheelers were called the Servi-Cars because they originally became popular as delivery vehicles. The sales from these three-wheelers is another reason why Harley-Davidson was one of the few companies to survive the 1930s.
Today, the three-wheelers are a bonafide collector’s item. They ceased production in the 1970s and now, some are valued as high as $12,000
BACON DOUBLE CHEESEBURGER BITE SIZE PUFFS
This from the Slow Roasted Italian... Donna
Chad (her son) raved about them.
He was so excited. He kept dipping them in ketchup and saying "Its amazing they taste just like a bacon double cheeseburger". I was in total agreement. Well there you have it....
For lunch we serve a small portion of these puffs with fresh vegetables and it makes Munchkin totally happy. But, as an appetizer these are perfect.
Serve with your favorite burger toppings, and even a pickle on the side. Perfect!
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 cup shredded Mild Cheddar cheese
- 1 pound ground beef, cooked
- 12 ounces thick cut bacon, cooked
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Whisk to combine. Add butter, egg and milk. Whisk until combined. Add cheese, beef and bacon. Stir together until combined. Set aside.
- Spray (2) 24 cup mini-muffin pans with cooking spray.
- Mix batter and add 1 heaping tablespoon scoop to each muffin cup. Each cup should be filled just over the top. Bake until golden brown, approximately 20-22 minutes.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes, remove from muffin tin and serve with favorite burger toppings (ketchup, mustard, mayo, etc).
- Enjoy!
Notes...
- Pre-shredded cheeses have additives to help keep the cheese from sticking together, called anti-caking agents. They also change the way the cheese melts and will cause thickening of your recipes. Skip the pre-shredded cheese and grate your own. I store it in a zip-top bag in the fridge and it keeps for several weeks.
Historically this date........
1924 – In Miami, Florida, Johnny Weissmuller sets a new world record in the 100 meters freestyle swimming competition with a time of 57.4 seconds.
1974 – Robert K. Preston, a disgruntled U.S. Army private, buzzes the White House in a stolen helicopter.
2006 – A massive mudslide occurs in Southern Leyte, Philippines; the official death toll is set at 1,126.
2011 – Libyan protests begin. In Bahrain, security forces launched a deadly Pre-dawn raid on protesters in Pearl Roundabout in Manama, the day is locally known as Bloody Thursday.
And births this date include....
1925 – Hal Holbrook, American actor
1939 – Mary Ann Mobley, American actress and beauty queen (d.2014)
.... can you say "plas-teak"??
1945 – Zina Bethune, American actress (d. 2012)
... strange thing that happened ... where/how she died.
1954 – Rene Russo, American actress
1956 – Richard Karn, American actor
1962 – Lou Diamond Phillips, American actor
1963 – Larry the Cable Guy, American comedian and actor
1971 – Denise Richards, American actress
1981 – Paris Hilton, American actress and heiress
All I know. Nuff said. Happy Sunday. Ciao.
xo Sue Mom Bobo
With St. Patrick’s Day exactly one month away, National Cabbage Day is a great day to test out some recipes with cabbage, a staple ingredient for Celtic holidays.
From the French caboche, meaning head, cabbage comes in a variety of forms. The cabbage family is quite varied and includes Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, kohlrabi and kale. Cabbage is an ancient food with origins in Asia Minor (Turkey today) and the eastern Mediterranean.
French explorer Jacques Cartier was the first to bring cabbage to the Americas.
When selecting a cabbage, the head should be firm and dense. The fibrous leaves of a healthy cabbage should be shiny and crisp with no browning or bruising.
Cabbage is versatile and can be eaten raw, steamed or sautรฉd. A popular ingredient in Asian, German, Irish and Latin recipes, it’s a culturally diverse food.
Having low calories (6 per leaf) makes cabbage a popular diet food as well. It has no fat or cholesterol, is low in sodium and carbs, and is a good source of Vitamin C.
HOW TO OBSERVE
Try one of these recipes today:
