Earl Sees the World!

[brianv]

Wonderful tour and a good reason to go back. It seems that Earl enjoyed himself even though he didn't get into any trouble with the ladies. He doesn't seem to be tiring easily either. Thanks, Jack!

 

[avoidspam]

Earl's starting to look a little portly around the miriff jack...!

 

[RDaneel]

Jack, great tour around Tadcaster with Earl! It almost seems I'm walking along with you.

 

[r8shell]

I don't know what looks better, that samosa or those tomatoes. You're making me hungry!

Tadcaster looks like a lovely, quaint town. Is England just so full of little towns like that with amazing old buildings that tourists aren't even interested in them all? I would love to just wander around there.

 

[redsparrow]

Jack, the pics of Tadcaster's streets and the castle are interesting. Seeing buildings built prior to 1900 is quite uncommon around here.
Are you keeping Earl sharp enough to slice tomatoes? (question added for knife content)

 

[Chris Montgomery]

A fine outing by the looks of the images Jack. Earl is becoming quite the traveled knife. I am, as usual, enjoying the retelling of your travels. Thanks for documenting your visit with Earl with such fine images for us to enjoy.

Chris

 

[Jack Black]

Thanks, once again, for the kind words folks, greatly appreciated

Earl's starting to look a little portly around the miriff jack...!

He's not the only one I'm afraid Sam

Tadcaster looks like a lovely, quaint town. Is England just so full of little towns like that with amazing old buildings that tourists aren't even interested in them all? I would love to just wander around there.

Pretty much r8shell, we have an awful lot of old stuff! The council offices in Tadcaster go back to the 15th century, and there are scores of buildings which are clearly hundreds of years old.

Are you keeping Earl sharp enough to slice tomatoes? (question added for knife content)

I've only sharpened him once so far, (after consulting Evan), but he was still up to slicing tomatoes - and very ripe tomatoes at that - last night. I'll be giving him a 'tickle' at the weekend though, so as to have him in good shape for the next leg of his journey :thumbup:

I'm not sure what we're doing to be doing today (it's only 5.00am), but maybe we'll take it easy today - Well, if Earl will let me

 

[Chui]

Earl's starting to look a little portly around the miriff jack...!

Hey, Sam..........just seen this - would Earl like an adventure to London ....?

 

[Jack Black]

Hey, Sam..........just seen this - would Earl like an adventure to London ....?

I reckon so :thumbup: There's a short queue to host him before he heads over to mainland Europe, but I'm sure Earl would love to see the capital

 

[avoidspam]

Sounds like a grand idea

 

[Acadian]

Give me a shout when you make it over Acadian :thumbup:

Me and Earl have just got back from our trip to Tadcaster, but it'll probably be another few hours before I get the pics uploaded!

So many people have given me an open door invitation if I visit that it's ridiculous. My #1 passion (yes even more than knives) is mountain biking and as you probably already know, there's a large community of MTBers in the UK.

There are so many places I want to visit and ride. Tadcaster is one of places I want to visit. Sammy Smith is one of my all time favorite beer! The Taddy porter and Imperial Stout are on the top of my list.

Keep the great Earl Adventure pictures and Story coming!

Cheers,
- Luc

 

[Jack Black]

Great stuff Luc, I look forward to meeting up with you one day :thumbup:

 

[Jack Black]

BREAKING NEWS IN LEEDS!



Earl may have got himself into a spot of hot water!

 

[5K Qs]

...
Nothing is gained without sacrifice my friend

Cheers!
...

Words to live by, Jack! :thumbup:

As a devout, and very conservative Sikh, I suspect Mrs Kauer probably carries a dagger, perhaps an ancient family heirloom received as a gift before she and her husband set off on the long journey west. I'd love to be able to ask her, but Mrs Kauer hasn't finished the journey yet!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirpan

There is legal dispensation for Sikhs to carry a knife here, but not all do, sometimes carrying a 'representation' of a dagger instead. Mrs Kauer however is Old Skool! :thumbup:

Very interesting! Have you invited her to join us on the Porch?

...I was in Tadcaster today, with Earl of course, because I’d promised GT that the two of us would visit the Sam Smiths Brewery, and hopefully have a pint of his favourite Taddy Porter. It seemed like a good thing to do on a nice summer’s day

Yesterday was a very busy day for me, but what a delight to check EARL's thread this morning and see your wonderful report of the trip to Tadcaster! :thumbup::thumbup: Thanks for taking us along, Jack, and showing us pictures, telling us stories of the town, and even describing the smells of what looks like a glorious, sunny day in a fascinating old town!

...
Tadcaster’s high street is lined with small independent shops, as well as by the two breweries mentioned above, the Sam Smiths brewery tap - The Angel & White Horse, and several other pubs. There’s a nice old hardware store there, but unfortunately they didn’t have any honing oil in stock. They shared my lamentation for the day’s when British pharmacists sold inexpensive mineral oil.

The Angel & White Horse! What a name, and wonderful signage/sculpture over the door! Any idea of the source of such a name? Or aren't the quaint old names supposed to mean anything?

Jack, we know in your youth you used to be an international "cover boy" on popular magazines, but were you also a professional modeling photographer? Some of your "glamor shots" of EARL, especially when the sun hits his covers at the right angle, make him look REALLY good! If not for his permanent name tag, he'd be incredibly handsome; I love the variegated dark and bright striping of his covers and the "lived a little" look of his bolster.

...
Both Smiths breweries were mashing, and the rich savoury scent of scalded hops filled the air. I have always loved this smell, and even working in a brewery myself didn’t cure me of that. It used to be a common smell in most towns, Sheffield, where I grew up, had several large breweries for instance, but it’s rare now that the pleasant aroma is wafted on the wind in the big cities.

Loved this olfactory passage of your reportage! :thumbup::thumbup:

...
It was now noon, and while arguably a little early for a pint, I did have a day off work, and besides I was a man on a mission! So, together with Earl of course, I headed for The Angel & White Horse. Then I saw the notice stuck to one of the windows – the pub was closed! Sam Smiths, you’ve got to love them or curse them, or maybe both. Nothing ever seems to be plain sailing with them. I don’t know why I was even slightly surprised. At least, unlike one of our members, I hadn’t crossed the Atlantic to visit the place, only to have the same result.

Disappointing, but I admired your and EARL's subsequent resilience and resourcefulness!

...There is a rather nice delicatessen directly in front of the brewery, and they sell a good range of Sam Smith’s bottled ales, so I went in and bought a bottle of GT’s beloved Taddy Porter, together with a samosa, to remind Earl of Mrs Kauer. …

Sorry I didn’t get to sup your favourite beer in The Angel & White Horse GT, but I will shortly be enjoying a bottle of Taddy Porter in your honour – with Earl of course

Thanks for thinking of me, Jack! That's definitely the kind of bottle that started me "on the road to ruin", or rescued me from drinking $12 per 30-can case of Milwaukee's Best Light ( or some similarly atrocious swill); depends on your point of view, I guess.

I actually rarely drink Taddy Porter any more, since it's a bit too pricey for a regular beverage for me, but I'm certainly going to pick up a bottle at the grocery store this weekend and enjoy it while re-reading your entertaining, informative post!

- GT

 

[Jack Black]

Good to see you back GT, and thanks for your kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed mine and Earl's day out. I've not heard that pub name before, but I discovered a Sam Smith's forum online last night, and according to that, the reason for the pub's closure was that someone left a car parked outside the fish & chip shop across the road, forgetting to apply the handbrake, and the car rolled across the road and into the pub. I have to say, I couldn't really see any sign of damage. I am just hoping that is not why Earl is being sought for questioning by the police. They've now issued a Wanted poster, and Earl has gone into hiding!

 

[Jack Black]

The Angel & White Horse! What a name, and wonderful signage/sculpture over the door! Any idea of the source of such a name? Or aren't the quaint old names supposed to mean anything?

Apparently there were originally two coaching inns there, one was called 'The Angel', the other 'The White Horse'

 

[Gevonovich]

Love the wanted poster, Jack! Have a great day

 

[Markesharp]

LOL Jack! That wanted poster made me spit coffee on my keyboard! What a tour you are taking EARL on, that lucky dog!
Great pictures and commentary of your part of the world. Thank you for that! :thumbup:

 

[Jack Black]

Love the wanted poster, Jack! Have a great day

Thanks pal, Earl is not happy with the poster though, he says he was having a bad day when that photo was taken. Apparently he woke up in Tennessee, with a tattoo, and some felonious charges, and had no idea how he got there!

 

[Jack Black]

LOL Jack! That wanted poster made me spit coffee on my keyboard! What a tour you are taking EARL on, that lucky dog!
Great pictures and commentary of your part of the world. Thank you for that! :thumbup:

Thanks Mark, but Earl is not feeling so lucky at the moment I have to say that it seems very obvious that this is not the first time Earl has been ‘in bother’, I’m beginning to wonder if he may have got his tattoo during a spell behind bars - and I don’t mean the sort of bars Earl usually props up. I wondered why he had taken to hanging out with my old army clasp knives, with their ‘broad arrow’ markings.



Earl has been listening to the news bulletins on the radio, trying to find out why he is wanted for questioning by the police. He also confessed that he can’t remember a thing about last night after imbibing the Taddy Porter. Most worringly, Earl asked me to get him a ‘piece’, then scolded me when I started to make him a sandwich!* And he’s started to talk differently, he told me: “I ain’t going grey in no chokey for no one!” earlier. It’s like having Jimmy Cagney in the house!




I really hope we don’t need to organise a ‘Free The Barlow One’ campaign!



* - Only our Scottish members may understand this