Robyn and Craig: Good Times!

Another weekend of visitors- some might say that I had reached the limit, but I was so excited to see my good friend Robyn that I never felt it. She and Craig drove down from Portland, OR starting Thursday and arrived at our house on Friday afternoon. That night we had a delicious dinner and lots of wine and conversation.

Saturday we went to the farmers market and got some lovely cherry tomatoes and I picked up about 10 lbs of peaches to make some jam (more on that later). This produce looked so beautiful we had to take some pictures!




Next we headed to the beach- the sun was out, but it was quite windy (you can see Robyn and I wearing our hoodies). It was fun walking on the sand and climbing over some rocks to see Trinidad Head in the distance.



Craig and Robyn




Self-timed group shot



That evening we went out for sushi and returned home for a heated game of boggle.




I'm afraid that Robyn got caught off guard by that bright sun and endured a bit of a sunburn!




I apologize for the delay in this post being published- didn't have time to finish it before going on a week long vacation along the central coast. Also, thanks to Craig for sharing some of these pics with us!

Molly and Brandon Visit!! Blog Stars!

We enjoyed another exciting weekend with visitors from the north. Brandon and Molly drove down from Seattle last Thursday. They arrived in time for dinner, followed by a walk to the "Handee", our nearest convenience store, to get some refreshments.

Friday we decided to head south to the Redwoods state Park and check out Rockefeller Grove- we had yet to explore this area. There we encountered giant trees and one lonesome slug. We decided to take the scenic way home without realizing what that really meant- a long drive....

We stopped on the beach where Molly became friends with a little crab and then the tide rushed in and soaked her! It was a lovely rocky spot... and luckily she had brought a change of clothes.

Saturday we went to the farmers' market and then the beach. Brandon and Molly brought us a Bocce set for a housewarming present, so we played a couple of games- they slaughtered us! It was really fun and with the beach so close I already see many games to come!

That night we caught a Crabs game in Arcata. The visiting team got skunked and the game ended after only 5 innings- not to worry, we had plenty of time to get some dogs and beers. We hung around Arcata for a little while, but decided it best to go home and continue our revelry there. Here we are at the Alibi:

Sunday morning, Brandon and Molly treated us to a wonderful french toast breakfast. It was delicious!! Unfortunately, Sunday's arrival signalled their departure. It was great to see them and hang out- much fun was had!

Extra! Extra! Latest Deck Photos!

CD was trying to figure out which project to work on while Chris was here last weekend. We knew that it was a short visit, so we couldn't imagine how much would get done (we didn't think very much- we were wrong). As soon as they arrived, demolition of the stairs outside the kitchen started and in a matter of minutes they were off!

Next the posts for the railing need to go up. I was so glad that Chris was here to help because the Trex posts are very heavy. They did such a good job! Thanks to Chris for all the help and hard work!

With the posts in place, the deck proceeded around the house towards the kitchen door. Framing and joists going into place- soon the trex will have to be laid down, the stairs put in place and the railing finished.

July visitors

The past weekend we were glad to receive our good friends: the Lanimals (not their real last name, of course). Shelly, Chris, Charles and Ruby arrived Friday and stayed thru Sunday. Their visit was too short, but we made the most of it. CD and Chris spent a good deal of time working on the deck while Shelly and I caught up on our lives- we talked about everything! We were so glad to see Charles (I can't believe he is already 11 months) and Ruby fell in love with California and its smells.

Friday we explored the downtown area

and I finally got my car back- Shelly and I had competing Priuses.

Charlie getting ready to eat

Ruby lounging on the couch

Saturday we spent a bit of time at the beach where Ruby ran around and made us all laugh and Charles had his first encounter with the ocean

That evening we enjoyed a great dinner that Shelly and I concocted

and the evening proceeded into a fierce Boggle competition: girls versus boys.

We were leading early on and got a little cocky

the boys won in the end (it was a very close match)

Sunday arrived too quickly and after a nice breakfast out (and some more deck work!) it was time to go :(

Deck progress pictures coming soon!

Take me to the River

Things are well in beautiful Eureka, California. Hope everyone got at least a day off for the 4th. Since I usually work until Thursday and all labs were cancelled for this last one, we decided to take off for an extra long weekend. We would have liked to go to West Virginia, but it wasn't in the cards this year; perhaps next year we'll plan a little earlier and make it happen.
We packed up our camping gear and drove east on Wednesday with hopes of hiking and swimming and of course, relaxing. By the time we got there it was obvious how much hotter things were on the east side of the mountains and how uncrowded it was. After living in Seattle and always having to send someone a day early to "try" to get a camp, it's a relief to not have to battle the crowds. We camped near Coffee Creek with plans for a short hike (a warmup for the rest of the weekend) the next morning and some swimming in the afternoon. Luckily the hike was only a few miles long because it was a scorcher! At least over 100 degrees! We had brought plenty of water, but that still made it one sweaty adventure.

Boulder Lake is very quaint with the granite backdrop and the lilypads, so after eating some peanut butter sandwiches we headed back to find a swimming hole- Trinity Lake. Never quite sure how I feel about lakes- you know, the water just sits there. The day was so hot that we didn't care as long as we were refreshed and we were!

For the next two nights we continued to camp (just car camping, since hiking was unbearable) and search out the great swimming holes- we tried a couple of creeks. Although it took a little longer to drive to, the Trinity River was the winner hands down. On our return Saturday we stopped several more times to dip in and stay cool! Next on the list will be renting a raft and making a day of floating down a few miles. Stay tuned!

It was good to return home (and sleep in our comfy bed, of course) because the weather on the coast stays moderate and by moderate I mean mid to hi 60's. CD of course returned to work on the deck:

and I did a bit of weeding and getting ready for our dear friends the Lanimals that will arrive for a visit next weekend. I ignored the garden that is completely out of control!

Fava fever

A few weeks ago at the farmers market I encountered the fava guy. I was so excited to see fresh fava beans that I bought two pounds- no idea what to make in mind. I assumed that I would cook them as my mother always did: steamed and then seasoned with oil and vinegar, maybe some minced onion mixed in. I left them in the fridge and when Connie showed up we ate them together and reminisced about old times.

I don't know why I never saw favas at the market in Seattle, but they do seem to grow in warmer climates and probably don't travel very well (I think the fava guy comes in from Willow Creek, east of here). The ones I got here seemed a little past the season (usually around May) and hence were a little tougher than the young spring ones I love best. When we visited the market again we bought more of them and Connie had hopes of taking them with her. Well, unfortunately she forgot her favas here and faced with 4 lbs. of them, I decided to make them the main dish. I took a Catalan recipe for favas with bacon and blood sausage and made some alterations (sorry not for the meat-free crowd, but CD and I really liked it!

In deck news, the picture speaks for itself:

Lots of Preparation, Nothing

Thursday night we eagerly prepared our gear, planned our menu, shopped for food and picked up some maps at the outdoor store. We were excited to head down to the Yolla Bolly Wilderness area in the Klamath Mountains (it was probably that name that got us all excited). Friday we drove down 101 and then east on 36- a windy road through lots of small towns with varying degrees of width (sometimes very narrow). After about 3 hours we arrived at the trailhead. We put on our boots and backpacks and headed in for a two night backpack. We had planned to camp a little over a mile in, in Pettijohn Basin. First there were cows wondering around and the scenery was not what we had envisioned. The Basin was just ok, but there were lots of logs down and it felt eerie. We started to set up a rope to hang our food (sometimes where you can hang your food determines where to camp in bear country). After much discussion, we decided to get out. The weekend was a bust! We went back to the car and drove home...

Pettijohn Basin CD with rope

Oh, yeah I forgot to mention the bear prints and scat... too fresh! (maybe not everyone is aware of my bear fear)
Look! Bear scat! Close-up

Actually the trip wasn't a total loss, we saw this interesting bridge (just west of Bridgeville)

In other news, the deck is progressing at an awesome pace. CD has been working endlessly to lay down all the trex and is thinking hard about the railings and stairs, in the meantime we climb up on a ladder to get on the deck.
The garden has been growing out of control. The nasturtiums tried to take over last month, so i moved a couple out of the boxes, but the others just took over that real estate. We have been eating the sweet sweet peas right off. I'm not even planning on harvesting or cooking with them I know they won't make it into the house. My latest challenge is the zucchini plant that has developed elephant ear-sized leaves. I want to grow it vertically, but I'm not sure how to pull it up- need some engineering skills or something... I do have string!