Not our name, but our passion
Warren’s Lobster House in Kittery on the Piscataqua River off U.S. Route 1. Warren’s was established in 1940 by Warren “Pete” Wurm and started as a small lobster shack which has grown into a 350-seat restaurant. Alex had taken a day trip with his friend Evan and stopped here for lunch.
Piscataqua River
Interior Decor
Alex had clam strips – generous portion freshly fried 9 out of 10
Lester’s Fixins food flavored sodas are manufactured by Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop. The carbonated beverages are made with cane sugar. The flavor idea came from Rob Powells and Ryan Morgan, the Rocket Fizz co-founders. The name Lester’s Fixins is named after Ryan’s real life grandpa Lester.
The flavor of this soda was not as pronounced as some of their other flavor profiles. There was no discernable spicy note and the meat/chicken flavor barely detectable. 4 out of 10.
This is my mother’s recipe for clam chowder, she used to make it for her and my father several times a year. My mother was born in raised in Eastport, Maine and so was very well versed in fishing village staples like; clam chowder, corned pollack and dried fish. I purchased some canned clams and clam juice in an attempt to re-create the recipe.
Dice salt pork into small cubes
Do same to one medium onion
Brown pork pieces until crisp and drain off the fat
Cube and boil potatoes reserving the liquid
Combine all ingredients adding some potato liquid if needed
Add heavy cream to thicken
I mistakenly purchased whole clams, my mother used pieces of clams and that would have been much better, otherwise the chowder was good. It was a little thinner than I remembered I should have left out more of the potato water and added more cream. The clam juice by itself would have been sufficient liquid. No salt is needed as the pork is very salty. The flavor was nice but the chewy large clams was off-putting 7 out of 10.
Lester’s Fixins sodas are available from Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop. They come in a range of flavors this one Ranch Dressing. The sodas are Made in the USA with 100% cane sugar. I am not a fan of carbonated beverages and ranch dressing is not a favorite so I tried this with some trepidation.
This was not very good. The soda was sweet from the sugar but had only a slight ranch flavor really not very distinguishable at all. 4 out of 10.
Doctor Who The Complete History was a series of hardback volumes which came out every two weeks and covered 3-4 stories each. These were in-depth volumes covering the production of each episode from the first in 1963 to the end of the Peter Capaldi era of the show. In addition to the extensive production notes there were also merchandise and publicity updates and actor profiles. The quality of each volume was exceptional overseen by several different editors. The volumes were only available in the UK and Ireland so were difficult to obtain in other locations. I am more of a Watsonian fan but if you are a Doyalist you will greatly appreciate these books. Even so I give the entire series a solid 8 out of 10. I will rate each episode covered below.
Horror of Fang Rock written by Terrance Dicks was an exceptional story and one of the highlights of the entire Tom Baker era. We see our first and so far only appearance of the arch enemies of the Sontarans the Rutans. Director Paddy Russell brings the lonely, isolated island of Fang Rock and its lighthouse to life in riveting detail. The small cast is well realized and the downbeat ending satisfying. The Beast of Fang Rock is an excellent follow-up novel. 10 out of 10
The Invisible Enemy was one of my least favorite stories. I found the cloning (complete with clothes!) to be beyond my suspension of belief and the Virus of the Swarm was one of the least well-polished monsters. We did see the introduction of K9 in this episode. 6 out of 10.
The beautiful Wanda Ventham (mother of Benedict Cumberbatch) stars in Image of the Fendahl. Denis Lill, who would go on to feature in the series Survivors, was excellent as Dr Fendelman and Daphne Heard as Grandma Martha Tyler and Geoffrey Hinsliff as her grandson Jack added some nice color. This story provided some interesting history into the ancient powers that ruled the universe towards the beginning of creation. The assisted suicide of Fendelman by the Doctor was a captivating and horrifying scene. 9 out of 10.
The Sun Makers find The Doctor and Leela enwrapped in a world of taxation and suppression on Pluto. This is writer Robert Holmes attack on the tax policies of 1970s England. Michael Keating of Blake’s 7 fame appears in a small role and Richard Leech as Gatherer Hade and Henry Woolf as The Collector give over the top performances. 7 out of 10.
