Fast Food or Homemade?

While on my way to visit a florist on Long Island, I passed this beautiful older house located at 2045 Jericho Turnpike, in New Hyde Park in the town of Hempstead.

That's right!  The sign above the porch said it is a "McDonald's" of the famous fast food chain!

Totally intrigued by how this old mansion became a McDonald's, I decided to stop in for a cup of coffee and look around. The photo above shows the entrance floor, indicating this was McDonald's Number 12,000, dating back to 1991.

A plaque on the inside wall indicates that the house was the Denton House, circa 1875 and designated as a landmark by the town of North Hempstead.  According to the Denton Family Genealogy web site: "The original owners reportedly were descendants of Richard Denton, a Presbyterian minister who arrived in the New World in 1630 and helped to found the village of Hempstead in 1643. Another Denton, Augustus, was a Nassau County politician at the turn of the century. After World War l the house was no longer inhabited by Dentons and became first one and then another restaurant. When McDonald's acquired the Denton property in 1985, says Lawrence J. Anderer, Jr., the current owner/operator, the company intended to demolish the then dilapidated house and build one of its standard eateries. But residents of the village of New Hyde Park and the Town of North Hempstead obtained local historic designation and struck an agreement whereby McDonald's would restore the Structure's exterior to its appearance in a 1926 photograph -- with an allowance for a low-profile, single story addition to the rear."

The inside of the house was three stories high with an impressive staircase, but other than that it still looked like the average McDonald's and sold the normal fast food fare. It would certainly accomodate a large party, if one was so inclined to have one there!

Meanwhile, back at home, my little flower pot garden has been rewarding me with some wonderful eggplants, peppers and cherry tomatoes, so there was no need for fast food as I decided to make my own dinner that evening. 

I made a roasted garden vegetable pizza!

I sliced and roasted my garden vegetables on a tray, after brushing them first with a little olive oil, in a hot 425 degree oven, until they were soft, about 15 minutes.  If it weren't raining I would have grilled them outside on my barbeque grill. Earlier in the day I had prepared a Food Network recipe for whole wheat pizza crust, which I baked first at 500 degrees for about five minutes to set. I then layered the roasted vegetables on top of the crust and covered them with freshly grated mozzarella cheese and some fresh basil and oregano from my garden. I returned the pizza into the oven for another 10 minutes, until the crust was crispy and the cheese was melted.  Belissimo!  There is nothing like a good home made pizza and it was a wonderful way to eat vegetables!

I'm joining the "Foodie Friday" event on Michael's blog "Designs With Gollum." and  Friday Food weekly feature on Momtrends.  Please visit both  blogs and enjoy a visual feast!

Montauk Point Lighthouse & The Memory Motel

Montauk Point is located at the tip of the South Fork peninsula of New York's Long Island, and is one of our favorite destinations. I'm a fan of visiting lighthouses whenever I can, as I feel there is always something so romantic about them. The Montauk Point Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse in New York State. It was authorized by the Second Congress, under President George Washington, in 1792. Construction began on June 7, 1796 and was completed on November 5, 1796. This historic landmark has been part of Long Island's land and seascape for over 200 years and still serves as an active aid to navigation.

(Mosaic photos can be enlarged by clicking on them once, and then again a second time.  Use your browser's back arrow to return to the post after viewing the enlarged photo)

A photo mosaic of architectural scenes inside the lighthouse and the lighthouse museum. The lighthouse is the fourth oldest active lighthouse in the United States. The height of the tower is 110 feet 6 inches and there are 137 iron steps to the top of the tower. The light at the top flashes every 5 seconds and can be seen a distance of 19 nautical miles.  Automated by the Coast Guard in 1987, the Montauk Point Lighthouse no longer needs a lightkeeper, but the Coast Guard has transferred ownership of the lighthouse to the Montauk Historical Society in order to provide for its continued maintenance and preservation.

Some of the beautiful skies and vistas seen from the lighthouse and from the surrounding grounds on Montauk Point.

From Montauk Point

"I stand as on some mighty eagle’s beak,

Eastward the sea absorbing, viewing,

(nothing but sea and sky,)

The tossing waves, the foam,

the ships in the distance,

The wild unrest, the snowy, curling caps --

that inbound urge and urge of waves,

Seeking the shores forever."

 ~ Walt Whitman -- Leaves of Grass

Looking out from the rocky shore at the very tip of Long Island, NY, towards the vast Atlantic Ocean.

Some misty early morning fishermen in the waters off Montauk Point.

A little fun music trivia -- The Memory Motel which is located at 692 Montauk Hwy, Montauk NY, has a place in the rock and roll band, The Rolling Stones, history. When The Rolling Stones were on tour in 1975-76 they stayed with a friend, the artist Andy Warhol, at his home in Montauk. The Memory Motel was said to be the only place in the area with a pool table and a piano, and The Stones came by to hang out at the bar. The seven minute song "Memory Motel," from their "Black and Blue" album was written during this period. You can hear it on this Youtube link.



I'm adding this post to Mary's "Mosaic Monday" event over her blog The Little Red House. Please visit Mary today to see her beautiful photo mosaics, and to find links to participating blogs with many wonderful mosaic contributions.