Wall Art - Cle Elum, Washington

It indicated rain here yesterday, so we drove over Snoqualmie Pass to the eastern side of the state to do some canoeing.

We found 90 degree temperatures, hot sun, and not a soul around...except the guy who filled our gas tank.

Obviously, most people were indoors, not running marathons or waterskiing or canoeing. We drove to a lake that was 'off the map', didn't even seem to have a name, and was bordered by NO TRESSPASSING signs along the valley and up into the hills.

People, uh, guys, had been there because they leave their droppings - Bud Lite, lure and sinker packages, beef jerkey wrappings...and, butt wipes in the bushes.

Sure was a desolate place. Big rocky cliffs edged one shoreline, so we sought a little shade padding along there, and I filmed a lot of swallow nests in the crevaces. There were three 70 foot waterfalls, and we got up pretty close to check them out...although I wasn't up to much hiking, it was just too hot. And, I'd removed most of my clothing.

Now, I'm usually more modest, but I assumed that there would be no one around - and there wasn't, until some guy flew his plane down the length of the lake! We were just about 50 feet away when he zoomed past us, dipping his right wing down several times to wave a hello. I thought he was going to land, but he pointed the nose of his plane up, and he was outta there...I guess he just wanted to check out the scenery. Guys are like that, you know.

Dilly Bread for Supper

I'm serving Dilly Bread tonite for a light supper.

It is a bread I've made for about 30 years, and is a yeast bread, with cottage cheese, onion, and dill as flavorings. It is meant to be served with soup or dipped in pizza sauce or salsa with green onions.

I usually make two batches at a time, which uses up a full container of cottage cheese. It should be served warm, right out of the oven.

Usually my family will eat a loaf at one sitting, or it can be packed for a picnic lunch.

We'll be heading over to Eastern Washington tomorrow, for a little paddling, and I plan to pack Dilly Bread with Salsa for our lunch. That, and some ice cold lemonaide...

Have a great day - the last weekend in August!

Fruit Orchards - Oregon

We drove through a few of the orchards, just to look at the trees. It was full production - apricots, peaches, cherries, plums, nectarines. Looks like apple and pear will follow. Migrant workers were busy with ladders and baskets, and the trucks were loading up.

This little fruit stand was a Mom and Pop deal that sold Marrion Berry Jam and onions by the wagon-full.

We cooked all our meals over a fire or grill, and made coffee with a propane burner so it would be faster in the morning. I always like a nice hot chilli with potato rolls slathered with olive oil and seasonings (pesto, with pinenuts and basil is good if there is extra oil). And oatmeal is great for a cold morning. I like to fry up hashbrowns and sausage with eggs, and add a side dish of fried apple danish - crisp bottom, warm top.

We bought our food as we went, relying on the roadside markets like this one. Only once did we eat in a Cafe, on our way home, for a late breakfast - it was in a little roadside place that gave free coffee to the locals. The waitress looked about 14, and lumbermen came dressed in workboots, jeans torn off at the bottoms, suspenders, and frayed shirts. All the men were getting meals to go, heading back up into the woods.

Morning Maps

This was after breakfast at Scott Lake. George was planning our route through the Volcanic Scenic Byway. He always brings books on Hiking, Wildlife, and Canoe Paddles, to identify the best sites.

I bring a video camera, and film most of our glides, as they show more than a still camera does. I like the sounds of the birds and the wind - still photos just freeze the action, seem so flat. So, I took very few photos on this trip.

Scott Lake - Oregon

We had a secluded campsite here, just a moon for company at night.

Scott Lake is a great little lake, with a shallow bottom of white pumice sand. It sits serenely in a flat, wooded valley, with a view of 10,000 foot Three Sisters Peaks.

We set up camp, cooked raviolli with pesto sauce, Italian bread, and fresh peaches, then went for an evening glide...I filmed the whole thing. It was so lovely.

Our best night's sleep was here - I've never seen so many stars in the sky, and the moon shone into the screen windows of the tent. When you live in a city, you forget how clear the sky can be at night.

This photo was taken about 7:30 a.m, when the mist was still rising off the lake - we got our coffee made, and went off - me still in my nightgown! We explored the entire lake, then went back to camp for breakfast. While George struck camp, I sat by the lake for an hour, just soaking up the sunshine and quiet.

Sparks Lake - Oregon

Sparks lake is an excellent location for canoeing because of it's convoluted shoreline, with lots of nooks and coves. It is actually 3 lakes in 1, with swampy marshes, ragged shorelines, and shallow water. It sits in the lava fields of the Cascades, at an elevation of 6,550 feet.

Just driving through this area is very spookey - the volcanoes erupted about 40 million years ago, and it has taken that long for Oregon to gain a land-mass. Long ago, about 70 million years, Oregon was covered by warm seas, with low-lying land masses. Ferns, ginkoes and conifers grew in a warm, temperatae climate. Now, it is a strange land, with folds and heaves of old lava fields, stark and black against the sky. Only a few ragged junipers manage to gain a foothold, and many of them last only until the last nutrient gave out.

We almost got a campsite here, but drove on to Hosmer Lake instead. We will definitely come back here again, when we have the time to do a 10 mile paddle.

We always enjoy the wildlife around the lakes we paddle, and this one boasts of Clark's nutcrackers, osprey, ring-necked ducks, and a variety of blackbirds. George always has his books ready to identify bird-life, and I was able to do some filming from the canoe.

Hosmer Lake Campground - Oregon

Hosmer Lake is considered one of the most beautiful clear-water lakes in the Cascade Range. It is actually 2 small lakes connected by a channel.

After we set up our camp, we had an afternoon glide across open water rimmed with lily pads, bullrushes and sedges, and outcrops of volcanic rock. The lovely, snow-capped peaks of the Three Sisters (volcanoes), provided a stunning background.

George said this glide was the most lovely one we've ever done, and he wants to go back. We saw quite a few anglers - the lake was culled of all 'trash' fish, and is now known for its trout and Atlantic salmon ( stocked). Only fly fishing is allowed, catch and release. You could see those huge, beautiful fish swimming in the shallows - they looked about 14 inches.

We saw many birds - American coots, Pied-billed greebes, Barrow's golden eye, and a sly bunch of camp-robbers waiting for us to finish our dinner - they were so bold they perched on the table for left-overs. And, I got a big chipmunk on film, scolding me for violating his territory.

This photo was taken about 7:00 in the morning, after we just about froze most of the night. It got down to 34 degrees - the elevation here is 5,000 feet, so it was hot during the day, about 80 degrees, and cold at night! The mist is rising off the lake, but here you see only the meadow next to our tent. We enjoyed walking through this tall grass, and it was lovely, with frosted highlights early in the morning.

I made coffee and George made a fire, both helped warm us up! Frost was everywhere, even on our chairs, so I danced around the fire until things warmed up. As soon as the sun was up for about an hour, we were shedding jackets and vests. Summer had replaced the frost.

Artist Working at the Market

Summer Salads

I've spent many summers growing my own vegetables for dinner, and the most beautiful ones were for salads - the wonderful greens, like buttercrunch, Romaine, radicchio, and the like. I'd have to stagger my planting times, so all of them would not maximize growth all at once.

I always had cilantro, parsley, thyme, oregano, and onion sets. These herbs added scent as well as color.

Long ago, I made a salad I called "Mossy Forest Salad", that just had about everything in it that you'd tramp underfoot - especially mung bean sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, and sunflower seeds. A Persian salad would have tomatoes, cucumber and onion with a dressing of olive oil, lemon, garlic, and ground black pepper. Turkish salads were similar, but with mint, feta cheese, and lemon juice added. I grew my own fava beans, too, and added them too.

So many vegetables can be enjoyed in a salad, and also, in a clear vase, with the tangle of roots showing in the water. Every spring, one of my first bouquets brought into the house would be a tangle of clean radishes, soaking in a round glass vase. If you've grown radishes, you know you'll grow far too many to eat, unless you are growing them for the spray of white flowers they have in late summer. Those go good with dahlias in bloom. And, the seed pods, when bleached grey by the sun, make nice accents in a fall bouquet.

Anderson Cove on Holly Road

We drove over to the Hood Canal yesterday and spent the day canoeing. It was the ultimate August afternoon - hot and lazy. Everything was dried out and spent, waiting for autumn.

Detritus

In all stages of life, some things stay, and some are washed away. Everything is impermanent, ever changing.

Looking Around

It is amazing what you don't see, when you are working 40 hours a week.

Used to be that I'd just overlook a lot of things because I just didn't have the energy to tackle it after work, or I'd minimalize their importance because I felt I had better things to do, and I did.

Now, I look around with the freedom to choose anything I want to do, there will be time for it. I can keep things a little cleaner, catch up on old correspondence, go walking every morning with my daughter, sleep in later. It used to be I'd be setting two alarm clocks to wake up by 4:00am - the first one was a soft chime, the other one a loud electric buzz like a chainsaw. If I didn't get up by the first one, the next was going to get me!

So, I've got a day planned, a list of 'things to do' with this life of new possibilities.

Dale Chihuly Glass

Taraz rode his bike downtown, and we met at the Museum of Glass, where we explored all the galleries and local shops.

He knew just where we could photograph, where it was allowed.

And, he helped me learn more about my camera. It is a Sony, dual media FD Mavica, that we had to back order through the company, as they don't make this type of camera anymore.

I like a simple camera that works easily with a computer. Mine has a memory card but also uses discs. It is recommended for 'beginners', a good 'high school' camera. And, all I know about photography is, get up close.

I've got some family members just waiting for these photos, so scroll down and enjoy them.

Dale Chihuly Glass

Glass Gallery

Vase - Gallery

Glass Dolls - Gallery

The Mandolin Cafe

Yesterday, after work, my kids wanted to walk over to the Mandolin, where they hang out a lot.

It was a hot day, and I had just gotten off work, real eager to just sit down. I posted my Vintage Car Show series, and just wanted to go sit out in the back yard. But, they said, "Mom, join us!", so I drove over.

This little cafe has an old world charm, with an authentic coffee mill and Italian deli. It features eclectic art on the walls, sculpture, and things to purchase - European magazines, little tea sets, ornate coffee mugs, fresh ground Valhalla Coffee and specialty teas.

Ruhiyyih ordered a "Grande Soy Mocha" and spread her planner book out in front of her. She is job-hunting, and wants to do some volunteer work with World Vision International. It has it's headquarters in Federal Way, where she plans to share a house with a friend.

Taraz at The Mandolin Cafe

Taraz doesn't go for the high priced coffee's, he likes tea - Moroccan Mint, African Rooibos, Dashmiri Chai, and especially plain Green Tea. And, as you can see, he preferrs water most of the time.

When I am working on the computer or out in the yard, he will BRING me a glass of water, even if I don't want it. And, yes, I drink it.

Taraz comes to the cafe a lot because it is just a few blocks from our house. He likes the Conversation Cafe, the Celtic Jams, book discussions, and especially the 'live mic'.

Taraz at Louis Gregory Institute

Our son Taraz, (Arabic, meaning 'ornament'), returned home earlier this summer from a 6 month service project at the Louis Gregory Institute in Hemingway, South Carolina.

He worked for the radio station there, WLGI, and got valuable practice in his field, digital media.

In his free time, he did what our family likes to do - explore nature in a canoe, and he did this every chance he got.