At Home On Piety Hill

Now, here’s a blog I get. Jonah travels the length and breadth of America, sampling the fare from taquerias of all sizes, posting his reviews on the Burrito Blog. As of this writing, he hasn’t sampled the best yet, which can only be found at El Tepeyac. ¿Es verdad, mi familia?

Now, if you’re ever in the Los Angeles area, you want to head over to East LA and find 812 N Evergreen Ave., between Brooklyn and Wabash. El Tepayac is across the street from a large Catholic church, in a neutral zone, and there’s usually a real long line outside. But, don’t get discouraged and leave or you’ll miss the experience of a lifetime.

That’s right. I’m talking about the Hollenbeck burrito, which is half the size of a Manuel’s Special and pictured here. I stuck a fork in it for scale. It’s about a foot long and filled with rice, beans, guacamole and a very unique version of chile verde — Manuel’s own homestyle recipe. That’s really about all that’s in it, but it defies description and has been bringing Denise and I back for almost 40 years.

Sam’s show in Switzerland is drawing to a close. Of course, you can always catch some of his latest work at Marc Jancou Contemporary or on Artnet.

Yes, that’s Promaster and not Postmaster. Although many of you know me as a Postmaster, I am also a harp player since about this time last year. I took up the harmonica, because I realized that the nerve pain in my right arm would probably prevent me from playing the guitar seriously.

I’ve really come to enjoy the harmonica, thanks in large part to my friend, Tom B., an excellent harp player. He dropped by one afternoon with Amy and a large suitcase full of harmonicas. Being a generous mentor, he gave me a handful of Big River harmonicas, Pucks, a tremolo harmonica and a nice Hohner Chromatic 260. That got me up and running, but I eventually had to buy a good selection of harmonicas in different keys. I’ll talk more about each later, but for now I’ll declare that my favorite is the Suzuki Promaster.

I like the tone of the Promaster and the heavy, resonant feel of it when I play. I would say that the sound is very similar to the Hohner Special 20, but with a richer, fuller tone. I have come to enjoy the Huang Silvertone Deluxe, too. But, unless you’re playing amplified, the Huangs take a bit more work. So, for now my first choice is the Promaster, followed by the Special 20 with the Silvertone Deluxe running a close third.

From the Suzuki site:

We are proud to offer the best professional harmonica you have ever played! Consider the machined Phosphor Bronze reed plates (replaceable) or the computer-aided laser cut, tuned and bendable reed system and the satin anodized, milled, billet aluminum alloy comb that holds it all together. All these cutting edge components combine to produce an instrument unparalleled in the industry. The ergonomically designed, polished stainless steel reed covers provide maximum playing comfort while the inner components produce the rich tones and clarity so sought after by professional players. Once you play a Promaster, you won’t want to put it down. Even the soft lined, hard shell carrying case is specially designed for comfort and protection.

It took nearly twenty years, but my short biography of Richard Baxter is in publication and you can get your hands on a copy of it on at Lewis and Roth, using PayPal, VISA© or MasterCard. It’s only $9.95 and a nominal charge for shipping and handling, so how can you go wrong? Most of my sales have been by money order or personal check and you can find that order form right here.

“Who’s Richard Baxter?” you ask.

The well-known Christian author and authority on the Puritans, J.I. Packer, called him “incomparable” in his zeal and abilities, as well as “…the most outstanding pastor, evangelist and writer on practical and devotional themes that Puritanism produced.”

His detractors called him Scribbling Dick, because he published over 140 works during his lifetime, all the while thinking he would be killed or die by the next Spring.

As a preacher, writes his biographer, Frederick J. Powicke, he “could sway any audience as the wind can sway a field of corn.”

I just think of him as my old friend, Dick Baxter. He taught me a lot — especially about the value of suffering in the life of the Christian. I’ll write more about Baxter later… perhaps installments of the book.

We are approaching the ten year anniversary of my brush with death from necrotizing fasciitis. Our local newspaper ran an article with this staged photo by the author. The article was amazingly factual, so hat’s off to Dave Moller, the reporter. Check it out and don’t forget to comment. If you haven’t visited my site, the full story is here.

By the way, you can tell it’s a staged photo. If you notice, I am depicted doing yard work.