Poltrack Blog

Who would have guessed that the modern strawberry was born in France. Botanist had gathered a Chilean strawberry ( Fragaria chiloensis ) plant which is white and brought it to France. It  is a large berry but the plant was a female and never fruited. Later a wild strawberry ( Fragaria virginia ) was brought to France and the modern strawberry was born ( Fragaria x ananassa ). Dr. Tom Davis and Dr. Lise Mahoney told this story and other interesting things about our beloved fruit. Dr. Mahoney is working on developing ornamental varieties with colorful flowers. New Hampshire is doing the only research on developing seeds for organic farming. Having seed stock eliminates many of the issues associated with plugs or bare root and also provides a fair amount of genetic diversity. Delicious Strawberries came from Barrett Hill in Mason, NH  Baskets were offered for sale So very good, fresh strawberries, whipped cream from Connolly Brothers Dairy Farm ...

 I retired on March 15, 2017 after working in the computer industry for over 40 years. It was actually my second retirement. I had taken an early retirement from Hewlett-Packard in 2012 for a payout  package and to avoid the inevitable layoff. Almost immediately I started working with some great folks at Sea Street Technologies, a start-up software company located in Wakefield, MA. and stayed with them until I reached the magical age of 70 1/2 when I had to make IRA withdrawals. Retirement suits me, but surprisingly I find I don't have enough time for all the projects I would like to do. My official retirement date was the 15th but I returned the next day for a great luncheon and to bid farewell. Farewell Luncheon Sea Street Technologies had the best food I did go back for seconds. Some of the food came home with me. It was difficult to take a proper nap with all the clicking of laptop keys.

Recently I've been posting many photos taken in the early years of the twentieth century from the collection of the New Ipswich Historical Society . Most of the photographs were taken by professionals, since the equipment and materials were so expensive. The subjects they chose were homes, businesses and formal family portraits. I've yet to see a birthday party or a Christmas morning snapshot.  One example of what I would consider a typical professional portrait is this one taken of my family in the early 1920s. Notice that no one is holding a selfie stick. Everyone is dressed in their finery, not one Bart Simpson tee shirt in the group. Poltrack Family Portrait - Circa 1923 (L-R) Mary, Francis, Adeline, Emilia (grandmother), Edward (with horn), Henry(standing),Anthony(grandfather), Lillian, Tony (my dad), Helen I wonder what those early photographers would think if someone asked them to photograph a Reuben sandwich ? Yet this is something we all do when we go to...

Early in our marriage my wife impressed me by pulling off these strange creatures from a rock along the coast of British Columbia. When raw they had a nutty flavor but look like something out of the first alien movie (the thing on John Hurt's face). These were cooked and weren't as tasty. I don't have the exact spelling of the name, but phonetically it sounds like Hy-ish-toop. These side clings to the rock Front and back  Removing "bones" or what appears to be a backbone. Inedible parts There are two ways to eat herring roe. Either on hemlock branches or salted on a flat piece of seaweed My favorite, smoked salmon with onions and potatoes   www.poltrack.net