More Vacation Photos!

Crater Lake with smokey skies from two forest fires.

Mobile brewery!

Tired after a busy day!


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Happy Birthday Chelsie!

On Vacation and The Grandkids

Justin up front, Dylan in back, Ellie's head up front.

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Happy Birthday Frank!

Frank and Theresa
2013

Liz and Her Wild Hair

We've had a couple of Lizzie's out of town friends here for the past week for a wedding - lots of weddings this summer! It's been nice to have all the noise and girl mess! 

Frank's having a quiet Birthday today and enjoying a day off!

x o x

Dead Trees

The largest Pine, and maybe the largest tree, on our property has died this year. It's in the 'way back' in the vernal creek (Spring Creek!)

We have about 4-5 trees that are like this on our property, but this is by far the oldest and largest. Good, and free, firewood if you can fell them yourself!

We've also had a large number of birds and now we're over-run by wasps, which I love! Right now we have a Bluebird family in a nest by the house - rare. Earlier we had Swallows, and our Dove 'family group' has grown to 8!

x o x

Apricot & Raspberry Season

It has been Apricot and Raspberry season here lately, and I made the mistake of taking Bob to the local organic produce store and ended up with all of this to 'can' last week! I think he was using my inability to garden as an excuse to load up with homemade jam which he passionately loves!

 All organic, local, ripe and 'just picked' fruit - 12 pounds of Raspberries and 20+ of Apricots. 

So I canned, and dried and froze. I made fruit leathers and also dried leftover organic cherries and grapes. Everything is delicious - even with 1/2 the sugar (organic) or no sugar added.

Fruit Leather Ingredients: 

5-6 chopped and pitted Apricots,  

1 peeled, cored, cooked Apple 

1/4 c lemon juice

 1/4 c honey 

blended together. 

Cook until just boiling, then when cooled but still warm, spread over dehydrator sheets and dehydrate until rollable in plastic wrap, and not wet but still warm. Store in bag or jar, in fridge or pantry. 

You can play with this.

Cream cheese filled for appetizers. Yummm...

RASPBERRIES!

One day I was on my feet for 10 hours, which was really hard on my back, so, I'm not taking Bob shopping for fruit again!

Beside using it for Pesto you can also freeze parsley (and even chopped onions) for winter soups, sauces, etc. Just take fresh clean parsley into a bunch with your fist and cut with clean scissors into a freezer container. Cut the 'squished' bunch close to your fist.

x o x

Travel Pictures!

Chuck and MikelAnn are still hitting the road, but now it's Stateside and on ATVs with Steve, Justin, and Julie; or Jim and Jill.

 'ATV bridge Cat Creek north slope Mt Adams.'  

'Camp Dining Hoodoo Butte.'

'On the west side of Hoodoo Butte.'


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Happy Birthday Sheri!

Golden Sunshine from California

Here's a picture of what Sheri has been up to - pickin' and jammin'  apricots, and those are golden plums in the bowl! More pictures of apricot season coming this week.

hi sherry

we're knee deep in zucchini

and green beans

sheri made pickles over the weekend

peppers , lemon cucumbers, and radishes as well as 4 types of tomatoes are ripe as well

luv boo

We're jammin'

Luv, Boo

* * *

Howdy!

* * * 

Happy Birthday Sherry!

Happy Birthday Theresa!

Happy Birthday Charlie!

Happy Anniversary!

Charles and MikelAnn at their 50th dinner after pool and spa in Hawaii.

Hawaii is calling!

Chuck and MikelAnn must be having a blast in Hawaii! It looks gorgeous there! Here's more pictures of MikelAnn, at least, in Hawaii that Chuck sent today:

Where Jurrasic Park was filmed.

Where Captain Cook gave the first church service.

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Fresh Pesto...Yummy

We harvested the parsley and the basil, from our weed ridden garden.

CABBAGE & CAULIFLOWER..AND WEEDS!

WEEDS!

Since I'm allergic to all dairy, I make a basic Pesto recipe then add fresh parmesan cheese, and Pine Nuts, when I put together the pasta dish. 

I add these frozen dollops - below - to a bowl with a couple tablespoons of either olive oil, margarine, or butter. For 'cheese' people I then add fresh grated cheese. 

If you have to heat up the dollops always use a bowl - hot metal pans burn and blacken the Pesto. Sometimes, I also brown some Pine Nuts in an oven and then add those to the pasta. 

You can add part or all of these dollops to sauce or soups too.

PESTO FREEZER RECIPE

Basil stripped of big stems, cleaned and ready for Cuisinart.
They can be a little wet.

Fill Cuisinart with slightly pushed down basil, add a large handful of parsley; two cloves of garlic, roughly chopped; three TBSP of olive oil; about 2 tsp each of salt and pepper.

Pulse, then blend until it looks like this above. Add more olive oil if needed.

Spoon onto parchment paper on cookie sheets and put into the freezer until frozen,  and then transfer into freezer jars or bags.

To use, add a dollop with some margarine, butter or oil top the bottom of the pasta dish. Add hot pasta and toss.
Add cheese and nuts. Adjust if necessary. 

(You can microwave with oil of your choice in a glass dish, if you choose, and then pour over the pasta - about 30 seconds at a time on 'High'.) 

FRESH PARSLEY IN THE SINK!

AND SOME BUTTER LETTUCE...

'Summer food' in the cold winter months!

X O X

July 4th

Frank usually picks out the fireworks and we have dinner with friends and a 'display'. So that's what we did! Great weather for fireworks... low key event with pleasant company and good food!

As long as Elmer was in the truck bed, with Liz and Bob nearby, he did fine!

Warm Summer Day

Here's a picture of us out walking to the barn. I was going to make fun of Bob's outfit, then I looked at mine! Whoa!

X O X

Our Favorite 'People'...

More 'favorite people'...

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