Blog Lafayette

Just a quick reminder to everyone. The Duane Purvis burger from the XXX Restaurant in West Lafayette Indiana is in the final four of the Super 46 Indiana favorite sandwich contest. Voting in this round ends tomorrow morning, Friday the 27th at 9:59 am. I have already voted for my favorite and you need to vote too. A win by the Duane Purvis burger would be a great thing for our local community.

Just in case you are wondering, the Duane Purvis burger actually tastes very good. My wife and I had the burger and fries platter this evening for supper to show our support. The addition of peanut butter to the burger is not something I would have thought of myself but it is honestly a great idea. As you can see from the picture I took this evening of the burger, it is a decent sized meal. The photo doesn’t look like a publicity shot because it isn’t. I pulled out of the “To Go” bag and clicked a couple of shots so that I could give you a look at the real thing.

Don’t forget to vote and spread the word to everyone you know to get them to vote too. Vote at the following link: Super 46 Sandwiches.

It has been an absolutely amazing Winter in Lafayette so far. I would swear that it’s almost Spring judging by the unseasonably warm temperatures. Temperatures have been averaging anywhere from 5 to 15 degree above normal for a Northern Indiana January. Certainly not like I remember Winters from my youth.

When I was in my singles up through my teens in the 60s and 70s, we could generally count on at least 2 to 3 honest to goodness blizzards a year in the Illinois, Indiana region. Snow drifts often reached sizes that allowed my friends and I to build tunnels and caves big enough to play in for days at a time. Snow mobiles were common and snow stayed on the ground for extended periods of time.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not complaining. I am generally a wimp when it comes to cold weather now that I am approaching 50 years old. I would be happy to live with 70 degree plus temps year round. Not going to happen any time soon though. Why? Because I honestly like living in Lafayette and in the state of Indiana. I am proud of this town and the opportunities that I see here. I might be persuaded to move if they could create a place with Western sized mountains, Mid-Western green grass and trees, South-Western canyons and deserts, Caribbean blue ocean beaches, tropically warm temperatures, and completed with all my friends and family and this city that I am very fond of. Wishing big? I’ll say!

Like I say, it’s not going to happen anytime soon so I will just settle in and enjoy the semi-warm temperatures until the Spring really gets here. Happy 2012 everyone, from Lafayette, Indiana. One of the best places on the planet.

For the last few days the State of Indiana has been voting for the Sandwich of the Year. The Duane Purvis burger from the XXX Restaurant in West Lafayette is ranked #2 in the first Round of results. We citizens of Lafayette and West Lafayette need to make sure that it takes the number one spot. The only way to do that is to cast our votes if we haven’t done so already. To cast a vote visit the following link: Vote Now!

This round of voting will last until 9:59 a.m. on Friday 13, 2012. It is our hope that our local favorite will make it through this round and all the way to the finals until it eventually wins. The final winner will be announced on 2/2/2012, just in time for the Super Bowl in Indianapolis. What a positive thing this would be for the XXX Restaurant and for our local economy and image if this very tasty burger were to be crowned the Indiana “Sandwich of the Year.” Honestly, I can’t see how a burger with peanut butter could lose. I don’t think I even know anyone personally that doesn’t like peanut butter. Add to that the great taste of the Root Beer and other items on the menu at the XXX Restaurant and you have a win win in West Lafayette.

Fall is my favorite season. The temperatures are mild and the colors are beautiful. There are also many great seasonal events to attend in our Lafayette Indiana area. One of my favorites is the Feast of the Hunter’s Moon. The Feast is a fun way to get to see how people lived in the 1700s. My wife and I decided to go to the Feast on Sunday this year. We were fortunate to be able to go when there way a break in the rain for several hours. Even with the rainy weather during the weekend, attendance at the event was good this year. I don’t usually get to go to the Feast so this year was a real treat.

The Feast takes place at the site of Fort Ouiatenon in the Wabash River valley South West of Lafayette. The park area around the Fort fills up with booths showcasing everything from blacksmiths working metals, to booths showing food prepared the 18th century way. Watching the women kneading and making bread was very interesting. It made me realize how much easier we have it these days with our modern conveniences. Of all the booths we got to see, my favorite this year had to be the booth of the weavers.

The weavers booth was set up with two looms. One was a larger loom and the other was a small but very simple loom. I was able to see how simple the concept of weaving really is. But even with the simplicity of the looms I realized that the women who were weaving the different pieces of cloth were making works of art. It doesn’t need to be complicated to be worthwhile or beautiful. My wife and I came away from the weavers booth with a common desire to learn more about weaving and a desire to try our hands at it sometime in the future. All we need now is a loom and some basic knowledge to get us started. I am already looking forward to getting to experience the Feast of the Hunter’s Moon this next year. Maybe by that time my wife and I will have a little bit of added knowledge that will make the Feast even more meaningful to us.

Dog lovers should love the “Bark For The Ark” 10th Annual “Hike With Your Hound” that will be taking place Wednesday, August 24, 2011 at Columbian Park in Lafayette. It is slated to be “The BIGGEST and BEST Dog Party of the Year”. There will be Frisbee Demonstration, Skill Games, a contest for “Best Trick”, the “Waggiest Tail”, the “Best Costume”, and a “Dog/Owner Look-a-like contest. Along with all of this will be Great Prizes for the doggie and owner winners! If you want to participate, registration starts at 5:45 p.m. with the walk taking place at 6:00 p.m. The location at Columbian Park will be the Purple Picnic Shelter at the corner of South & Scott Streets.

For more information call 765-807-1385 or go to www.barkforthearc.com.