Daily Pie Cafe… The Pie Town Chronicles

I waited in line for the boat that was to take me, like all the tourist before,

on the obligatory tour of the the USS Arizona, Pearl Harbor Memorial. The sun

was hot and a bit uncomfortable after the hour in line.  As my turn approached a

white US Navy launch  approached the dock. The officer at the helm and her

sailor deck hand brought it to a perfect landing. They stood at attention as we

boarded, the officer in crisp whites and the deckhand in timeless blue jeans and

chambray shirt. Once loaded the vessel snapped away from the dock in a practiced

professional manuver that impressed this sailor. We headed across the across the

harbor, the breeze a relief to the heat of the afternoon, I thought how

different this ride was as opposed to those who fought for there lives that

Sunday morning. We landed at the USS Arizona Memorial in the same manner that we

were met on the other side, silently disembarking, sailors at attention,

everyone was hushed by the sacred bearing of this place.

I stood above the sunken hull of the USS Arizona, her tower just breaking the

surface of the placid blue water of Pearl Harbor.  The names of the lost sailors

carved in marble, a solemn memorial to those who gave there lives that day. As I

gazed into the water below me, tiny droplets of never to be burned bunker fuel

from Arizona came slowly to the surface. They seemed to me tears of those men,

boys and wounded nation. The droplets appeared in front of me in intervals that

made me think of passing time. My 11 year old stood next to me asking a question

that I couldn’t hear. As I turned to him with eyes filled with tears I prayed

that he would never have to experience anything like this.

On this day we should all remember the lives lost that December 7^th, the evil

in the world that still eyes the USA as a target and the mistakes our “leaders”

made to allow something like this to happen. We owe this, at the very least to

to the tears that are appearing right now above that proud ship and her crew and

all who have given there lives for our freedom.

If

If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you;

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, but make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, or being hated, don’t give way to hating, and yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream — and not make dreams your master;

If you can think — and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two imposters just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings and risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, and lose, and start again at your beginnings and never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew to serve your turn long after they are gone, and so hold on when there is nothing in you except the will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, or walk with kings — nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds’ worth of distance run — yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, and — which is more — you’ll be a Man, my son!

This is not my typical post but its been on my mind and I thought id share it .

When you shop its more difficult to buy or even figure out if your purchase in made in America. I Always try to make the right choice of products, but its just hard to all the time. But then this thought came to me. The ingredients for the menu here at the cafe are all either local or products of the USA, so therfore so is our product i made in the USA. American farmers ranchers and dairymen supply us the material for our breakfast lunch and PIE. This makes me proud and very satisfied to put a plate in front of people, it lead to another thought. There was a day when nearly all the stuff we used here was made here. I can remember  time when something made oversees was a curiosity, a rare extravagance.  This was a nation of people who where proud of their work and that attitude carried itself into our way of life. The attitude we gave our children as they grew schooled and became parents. A proud optimistic society Then the corporations decided that the quarterly stock report and the greed for ever increasing bonuses led them to push more and more jobs offshore. The government let this happen and even encouraged it by making unbalanced trade agreements with the generosity  of the corporations lobbyists greasing the way.  It has lead to a fearful pessimistic tone in the collective voice of America. A breakdown of families and neighborly behavior. In this little town we retain lots of the old America Im proud and blessed to live here.We have to find our pride again somehow pass it on to our children and begin to refire this country to creating a new era.

Ive been on a mission to find the nay-sayers and change their minds.

This is a piece I wrote for the local paper on how we start this.

Making Choices In The Face Of Change 2/19/2011

By Michael A Rawl

Pie Town New Mexico

www.strawhouse.com

We the people of the United States of America have faced many daunting challenges in our history. Revolution, civil war, world wars against fascist maniacal dictators and the constant struggle for civil rights, these are just some of the most well know challenges we have faced.

As a new colony, we stood against the odds and defeated the most powerful, dominant nation on earth at the time, not once but twice, in the American Revolution and the War of 1812. We said no to a government of over taxation and a repressive system that paid the already rich from the toil of enterprising individuals.

Civil War nearly tore the nation apart, but strength, honor and the courage to fight for the rights of all Americans won out over the desire of an upper class to keep some not equal, but subservient to their needs.

As the technology of the Industrial Revolution came on the scene, America met the challenge with freethinking, inventive, optimists. We led the world in the face of change and became the prevalent force and economy. The people of this nation had faith, stood strong, worked hard and believed in our destiny. We could do anything and did over and over again. In the last century the selfless heroism of free men defeated at great sacrifice, tyrannical leaders who imposed their fascist ideals in a bid to rule all free people. We met the enemy with a grit and determination that has been called “The Greatest Generation”. I have had the privilege of personally knowing some of the quiet heroes of that struggle; we are lucky to still have some of the great people of that time among us. They should be appreciated, as mentors for the challenges we face today.

Reading the news and listening to the chatter that is so prevalent in our society would lead one to believe that we are defeated and face certain decline in the face of burgeoning emerging markets and a rising national debt. If we believe this it will manifest itself and the nation will realize the doom and gloom these pessimistic “naysayers” project on the screen of the future. I see a choice; let this come to fruition or stand like we always have and fight.

How can this be done?

First of all quantum physics suggests that one can create their own destiny.

“I will fail, we are lost, there is no hope” repeated enough times will beget that result. However “We can win, we can do anything we put our minds and backs to, even with our problems we are the strongest, freest nation on earth”, and an optimistic hard working attitude will take us all in that direction.

Here is what I see facing America, we stand on the brink of a new industrial revolution, one that will be fueled by many changes in the way we communicate, power our homes cars and factories, and the way we choose to use our natural resources. Green technology, something we must implement to simply survive and leave a decent planet for our children to live on, will provide more jobs than one could imagine if we simply take our heads out of the sand and face the truth. We need to take the lead using the workforce that has pulled us out of the weeds so many times before. Education is key, creating engineers, technical workers, teachers or tradesmen that will build the new power and transportation infrastructure. These are the things we need to compete in the coming economic boom, that has already begun in some of the emerging markets of the world. It has already begun while we were feeling sorry for ourselves, fighting treasure draining, profit driven wars and bickering over partisan politics. This economic, environmental restructuring, will not even reach its peak over the next several decades, it is now at critical mass. Our gross domestic product or GDP will then begin exponential growth, the amount of debt compared to the GDP will decrease in percentage, changing the dynamic of the whole equation. (It will work like this. Say one has $50K in debt and a $50K salary and suddenly gets a $200K salary, that $50K in debt wouldn’t be the burden it was at that original salary, the debt would be easier to service.) This is what will happen when this boom hits our economy. This doesn’t mean we should ignore responsible spending, just put the money to work in the ways to bring this about.

We have the opportunity to once again lead the world with an optimistic hard working, freethinking people. If left unbridled by the restraints of negative leadership, self-serving politicians and invasive business inhibiting government, we will leave the dooms day predictors standing in our dust cloud, trying to figure out what happened.

We face a battle not with insurmountable problems but with our own perception of the future.

Here is the challenge, get up off the couch and work hard at something, improve oneself with the things needed to take part in this fight. Stop expecting government to be your caretaker and the solution to your problems. If you are able to work and contribute to society, take a deep breath, pull up your pants and simply try. Make self-improvement not self-medication your mantra and have faith. Vote and replace the self-serving political “professionals’ with average working citizens.

I for one will not stand by idly and watch this great republic go down without a good clean fight and I challenge you all to spread the good word and take this brave American stand as we always have. We will prevail.

Thanks for reading and God bless you all

Im proud to be one of you, good American people

Loren Floyd Follett Jr  of Pie Town NM and The Criswell Ranch NM,  passed away Wednesday February 2nd 2011 in Socorro NM.

Floyd was Born In Rochester NY in 1928. He was a Marine, cowboy and loyal New Mexican. Floyd was my friend since I moved here in 1999. He was fixture at the Daily Pie Cafe over the years, touched the lives of many people and was photographed more than anyone here. With his tall boots, rangy old hat and signature Hog Leg,  a Virginia Dragoon Caliber 44 Magnum revolver holstered on his hip, he drew a lot of friendly, curious attention. Floyd had a way of whispering his way into peoples hearts with his quiet, boyish sense of humor. I cannot tell you how many times total strangers and acquaintances came to me after a chat with him and anonymously bought  his breakfast or lunch or simply wanted to leave him something. Last spring I got a call from a gentleman in Oregon who met Floyd a year earlier, he wanted to inquire of  his well being and provide anything he could if needed. I had many conversations with the old maverick about his hitch in the Marine Corps, once a Marine always a Marine they say, he proved that true. Loren Floyd Follett Jr was a patriot, he loved his country. The Hog Leg he wore, as he reinforced to me many times, was on standby for not only self defense but a cornerstone in freedoms bulwark.  I was proud to call him my friend and will miss his calm nature and feigned irascibility. Rest in Peace Floyd knowing your friends will not forget you.

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Just a peak into a winter morning in Pie Town and the effects of living at 8000 feet above sea level.

I woke up to a dusting of snow and no hint of a sunrise at the window this morning. My shower was invigorating as the cold penetrated the well insulated walls of my home. I dress quickly and walked out the front door, the 9 degree air hitting me like a wall,taking my breath away, a pause before the 100′ walking commute to my office, the kitchen of the Daily Pie Cafe. The steps of the front porch carefully navigated remembering the tumble taken last winter, not wishing to repeat it, envisioning the softball sized bruise on my hip that lasted a month. My shoes squeak in the dry Rocky Mountain powder that carpeted the well worn path. Halfway to the cafe I cross the random fresh tracks of a coyote that would otherwise have gone unnoticed, I stop to survey his route and see he checked out the back door and garbage container before he went on his hungry way, feeling for him on a dark, cold, barren night and also feeling his eyes on me from an undisclosed location that he shares with Dick Cheney.

I get to the door, the air has already made my finger tips tingle and wish I’d put on a coat and not come in my usual T shirt, fumbling with the keys finding the well worn one that opens the door. Kicking the snow off my shoes I walk inside and can feel the heat of the wood stove that has been on watch all night . Turning on the grill to get it preheated for this mornings eggs, pancakes and omelets waiting to hear the woof of the burner ignite and adjust the flame to heat but not burn. Next, COFFEE, two scoops of high test and a carafe of water bring the fastest coffee pot in the west to life,  the warm rich start of my day immediatly pours into the pot, the smell brings my brain one step closer to awake. On to the wood stove, opening the door the glow of the coals hit my face, I gather up a handful of kindling, toss it on and it crackles to life, adding some bigger sticks and pieces of cedar, the rich sandlewood smell is so familiar but never taken for granted.

Back to the coffee, I steal a cup before its done and sit in front of the open door of the stove absorbing its welcomed heat. The coffee is so good, the water from the Continental Divide is soft, sweet and makes a perfect cup. Finishing it I get on to the tasks in front of me, boil a whole chicken with carrots celery and onions for the stock of a pot of Green Chili Chicken Noodle Soup ( see previous article for recipe)  Potatos in a pot to boil for home-fries, and the day is underway.

My buddy/ unofficial brother  Uncle Larry arrives through the back door at 6:30, a ritual coffee and bull session that I look very forward to every day, one hour and we solve the worlds problems according to us. As the sun attempts a rise glowing reddish grey in the east window, I feed the stove some real fuel and close the door down tight for it appointed duty. The snow begins to fall again swirling and mixing with the smoke of the stove, the little flakes glistening like diamonds in the suns new glow.

Opening the front door and turning on the OPEN sign, Mr Paul arrives for breakfast. Like every morning, he gets his own tea, sits at the table that has his name written on it and begins a long slow squeeze of honey into his steaming peach tea, a content smile on his face. He opens the days paper, freshly delivered to the snow covered box by the back door. Paul glances at the front page shaking his head at the latest “news” ” its a day old not new at all” he mutters, and goes to his section, the comics, which he will spend the next hour or so studying like the daily briefing of the President. He  laughs out loud and gives us a synopsis of Dennis the Menace. He tosses me the B section so I can read the horoscope to everyone present, all four of us and two have the same birth sign.

Mr. Paul walks to menu board, studies it carefully and makes an order thats not written there anyway, like everyday. I dont know why he looks at the board, except to just use up time, something he has had plenty of in his eighty one years and slowly accounts for, every day. I start his breakfast, checking the boiling chicken, turning it down for a simmer. Taking Paul his breakfast of a burger patty, eggs home fries and 12 grain toast. I stop and pick up a jar of home-made strawberry jam, a customer has made for him, his own private stock.

The snow is heavier now, I wonder why Im here because this weather will keep the customers snug in bed and the road traffic will come to a halt. But this is the life, my friends, my job, my place in the world.  Enjoy the peace I remind myself, summer business is intense and I’ll have little time for slow coffee and good company, needing to prep for breakfast and lunch specials .

I get another cup of coffee, picking up the paper again and reading the forcast, its calling for 11 to 20 iches of snow tonight with a dawn temperature of -19 degrees!!!  thats nineteen below zero!!!!! Global Warming has arrived in Pie Town! I inform everyone that tomorrow we will be closed, Im going fishing or maybe staying home to keep the fire going and wait out the latest winter tempest that tests our desicion to live here.  But it will pass and Ill fumble for my keys, put the coffee on and wait for …………..Uncle Larry.

Michael

I may look like just an old black cowboy hat, dirty, sweaty and covered in bovine splatter.  Ive been hanging on the wall here at the Daily Pie Café for the last ten years. Lots of people have looked  at me and overlooked me, but I’ve had some amazing times on a real American cowboy. Ive seen places out here on the New Mexican high desert plains, that most of you could only dream of, or have seen in a movie. Ive seen lots box canyons, arroyos, mountains and draws looking for stray cows, calves and some of the rangiest yearlings on the planet.

I sat proudly on the head of a tall lean stoic cowboy, an American hero, named Bob Lee. He was from Texas originally and went of in the great war  from Oregon to serve his country in the Navy. He was aboard his ship in the south pacific, chasing the Japanese back to where they came from, when he had a run in with them in the battle of the Leyte Gulf in the Coral Sea. He stood on the fantail of the light aircraft  carrier “Ommany Bay”.

“On December 15, 1944, the Ommaney Bay‘s gunners shoot down an approaching kamikaze plane, which crashes into the water near the ship. On January 4, 1945, a Japanese Ki-43 Hayabusa (Oscar) hits the ship, and both of the plane’s bombs penetrate the flight deck with violent explosions that set fire to fully-gassed planes on the hangar deck and that cause water pressure, power, fuel oil pumps, and bridge communications to fail. The men below deck have no warning of the incoming plane, and men soon begin to abandon the blazing ship. Although nearby destroyers pick up over 800 men in the water, 92 men are killed or missing in the sinking of the Ommaney Bay.” Taken from “Kamikaze Nightmare” By Ron Burt

Bob was blown of the stern of the vessel in the explosion and into the sea where he watched his critically injured ship limp away. This man spent all day in that unfriendly ocean and was rescued along with nearly eight hundred of his shipmates, this was a lucky day for me and his future family.

He returned to the states and ended up in Pie Town New Mexico ranching and raising a bunch of kids . This is where he found me and I faithfully served this great American. His son Dan a good man too, gave me to Michael at the Daily Pie Café when he opened it in 2001. He hung me proudly on the wall, Bob came in occasionally shared a camel and a few stories with Michael, as I hung here wishing for the old days.

This Year after losing his wife, Ol’ Bob Lee passed away and a whole bunch of people showed up to say goodbye.

As for me, I still hang here watching people come and go, they look at me and some even try me on ( but I don’t fit anyone else) Sometimes they take my photograph albeit not knowing the life Ive lived.

Mr Bob Lee

1925-2010

Bobs son Dan told me that this was his hat but I still think of Bob every time I see it, its just a hat after all.

Michael

Ingredients

1 whole  chicken ( a cheap fryer will do)

1 Lb pasta (Farfalle, or Penne recommended)

1 to 1/2  cup ( to desired heat) of roasted chopped Hatch HOT green chili

2 cups/ 1/2″ chopped onion

1 cup /1/2″ chopped celery

1 cup fine julienne  carrots

4 cloves of garlic chopped fine or pressed

1/4 cup fresh or dried parseley

1 tsp ground cumin

salt and pepper

———————————————————————–

Proceed

Wash and put whole chicken in a large pot ( 3 gallons or larger)

add 2 gallons of water

add trimmings from onions w skins, celery leaves and 1 carrot

2 tbls kosher or sea salt

bring to a hard boil, then reduce heat ,cover  and simmer til chicken starts to come off the bone a bit (at least 1 1/2 hrs)

pull off heat and let cool

Remove chicken and remove from the bones

chop or shred into bite sized pieces

strain liquid stock from boiling the chicken

put prepared vegetables in the pot with 2 cups of stock

and bring to a high simmer or sauté until  vegetables are softened (add  more stock to keep it wet if needed, no oil)

add all remaining strained stock

( you can add more water and chicken bullion to it at this point to make a bigger pot of soup with more broth)

bring to a hard boil add pasta and green chili

cover and turn off heat

( you can add 1/2 the chili now and taste at the end to see if you want more chili heat)

let it sit for 1/2 hr stirring occaisionally until pasta is soft, dont boil with pasta in it or it will make pasta to soft

add cumin parsley, salt and pepper to taste

serve with crackers, tortilla or buttered bread

Tips for the best soup

I find if you boil chicken and refrigerate the entire pot of stock overnight you will get a better stock

and be able to remove all the fat from the top of the liquid the next day

This will make at least 2 gallons of soup very economical and it freezes well

There aren’t any malls, movie theaters or other entertainment venues here in Pie Town so we look for other ways to amuse ourselves. I have many hobbies, writing, playing music and learning more about cooking among them. But my favorite over the years has been photography. I  purchased a Nikon D5000 DSLR , it is by far the best camera I have ever owned. This camera is like a friend, it never lies or asks anything of me, it reveals details that I have not seen with my bare, impatient, eyes.  I am rarely found without camera, I take it to work or anywhere I travel and if you walk into the cafe there is a good chance that you will look into its curious eye . This post is dedicated to this new friend of mine and a little glimpse at some of the things we have seen together. Summers Last Hurrah September 2010

This shot was taken from my front porch looking at one of the last warm sunsets of summer. The tree is a Pondarosa Pine that stands resolute against the strong winds, blistering sun and intense lightning strikes that sculpt the landscape here on the “Great Divide”

Sunset Rainbow through the Virga September 2010

This shot was a fast exposure of a rainbow, in the last light of the day. The rainbow pierces through Virga, (rain in which the moisture evaporates before hitting the ground). It added to the intensity of the light show and after trying many exposures this one stood out against the rest.

Moonset at Sunrise September 2010

The full moon setting at 6 am with glow of the new day at my back, the soft, cool, colors were incredible, my friend assures the peaceful beginning of my day will now, not be forgotten. I take pause every morning on my walk to work to appreciate the beauty, smell the fresh air, and give thanks for my life in the dawns early light.

Turkey Bean Blossom and its Symbiotic Caretaker  August 2010

The Monsoon was fantastic here this year. After a snowy, wet winter, the monsoon rains came early and plentiful. The result, the landscape blossomed  into a carpet of color from the wildflowers, who patiently awaited the nurturing soaking. They sometimes go years without being able to show off their beauty, but when their time comes, its a true gift to all the inhabitants here. The ant is provided its nourishment and the flower its germination.

Thanks for looking at the blog.

Please feel free to leave a comment if you have one .

Michael

This My friend “Pop”

His Dad brought the family from Texas to homestead here in Pie Town, in the 30′s. They traveled here in a wagon pulled by a one cylinder “John Deere B” tractor , Pop was three. The family homesteaded a place and scratched out a living dry farming here, not an easy task at this altitude (8000′). Pop, his dad, mom, sisters and brothers lived together in a hand made log cabin just outside town, His Dad “Roy “was know for helping people and when I first moved here he passed way in his 90′s, the amount of people who came to his service was incredible, he was good hard working American with a steel in him that we have nearly forgotten in this country.

Pop joined the Navy and went off to fight the Korean war, I’ve spent many an early morning listening to his stories of Pie Town, the Navy and life since I arrived here . He is a mechanical genius and worked as a cowboy, welder, well driller and mechanic, among other things until his retirement several years ago. Now he walks the land here and finds all kinds of things left behind on the old abandoned homesteads. In the above photo he arrived at the door to my kitchen on Saturday afternoon with some old bottles, the find of the day. I f you visit the you’ll see lots of  these kinds of things that he has presented to me over the last ten years, adorning the cafe. They make up a huge part of the ambiance of the little place and are priceless to me.

When I purchased the cafe in 2000, I spent six months rehabbing the building after it had been closed for 15 years. I did most of the work alone and literally worked my fingers to the bone 7 days a week in the process. There were days when I didn’t think I would get done and ever open. Pop would come in, share a cup of coffee with me and in his way point out the things that I had completed since his last visit. This energized me more than I thought he knew, but now I realize that with his intellect he knew just what he was doing.

I am one lucky guy to consider Pop my friend and the fact that he likes me gives my a great sense of pride.

I have just scratched the surface into a glimpse of Pop,  it would take a book to tell his story. One day I may get a chance to write it and give the world a look at this extraordinary, common man.

Michael