Week 124, 5-6-2018

Thoughts and Quotes:  Your life is like a book.  If you haven't traveled, you're still on page 1.
                                                                                                    Unknown

So with that in mind, let us continue our trip to the Northern California National Parks.

Tasting: With all the good strawberries on sale right now, I wanted to share this recipe.

STRAWBERRY SOUP

1-1/2 cups whole milk

1/3 cup sugar

1-1/2 cups whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup white grape juice (see below)

1 pint fresh strawberries, cleaned and halved

Put sugar and all liquids in a blender and pulse to start and then blend.

Add strawberries and pulse to chop up berries; then put on whip (high) which will whip the cream and give the soup some body.

Pour into a glass bowl and refrigerate. Chill at least eight hours.

If you want more strawberry flavor, pour in a little strawberry Kool-aid powder.  Don’t use too much, or your soup will look like Pepto Bismol.  It’s already a deep pink.

I made this once with apple juice and once with fruit punch (all juice) and I think you can substitute most any juice which is very sweet.  If you don’t have juice, just add a little more sugar.  This is a soup you can tailor to your taste

You can make this more of an appetizer by adding 1/4 cup sour cream.  Make it a dessert soup by serving it with cookies.  And if you want a treat in a hurry, just put it in a mug or glass and add a scoop of vanilla or strawberry ice cream.  Or do like my brother Sonny and put it in the freezer until it just starts to ice.

Wednesday, September 27 (Another day at Yosemite)

The buffet breakfast at the motel was very good – lots of variety.  We left for the park at 8:00 and had the whole day on our own or could return to the motel at 1:30 and go back to the park at 5:00 for dinner.  Our motel is about forty minutes from Yosemite Village.

The bus dropped us at the Visitor Center.  I watched the movie, which is always one of my favorite things to do in national parks.  It was beautiful.  I walked through the recreated Indian Village, accompanied by five mule deer; four bucks and a doe.  They were eating leaves off the small trees and drinking from the stream.  I told one of them that he had a beautiful rack and would he please pose for me and he did.  They looked like perfect deer for Santa’s sleigh, but now I know that sometimes we see Santa’s sleigh with reindeer and sometimes with mule deer.

I was captured by the beauty of the woven baskets in the museum.  I’ve never been a fan of Indian art, but these baskets were magnificent.  One large basket took three years to complete and another took four years. 

My next stop was the Ansel Adams Gallery.  I found three perfect prints for the guest room (not Ansel Adams – they’re leaves) for $9 total which means framing will cost $90 or more according to Patsy’s Rule of Framing Costs. Wonder what I did with those prints?

I walked from there to The Ahwanee Hotel – the high rent district.  It’s a nice walk through big trees, but the pesky little gnats take all the joy away.  The Ahwanee was perfectly designed to blend in with the surroundings, but magnificent in its own way.  I found myself impressed but depressed.  Everything seems dark and brooding.  When Jan and I were here before, we had lunch in the diningroom, which has really high open beam ceilings, and I remembered it as being more cheerful. The theme of the hotel is mostly Indian and many of the ceilings are painted with American Indian designs.  Some of the public rooms have old photos of activities at the hotel and there are many priceless rugs framed and hanging on the walls, but they look Persian and not Native American.

I caught the shuttle back as far as the Visitor Center, made a bathroom stop (they padlock the toilet paper holders and they’re flat instead of round so that it’s difficult to unroll the paper), and walked back to the lodge – about three-fourths of a mile. 

The cashier at the Food Court said that I could use my dinner coupon for lunch, so I had baked chicken, salad and broccoli.  I chatted with Ann from Nantucket on a bench while I waited for the bus.  She’s so delightful; an 85-year-old dynamo who still runs her antique shop when she’s not traveling.  She was telling about going to Tibet in the 40’s.

Only five of us returned to the motel at 1:30, but I’ll bet others wished they had.  Eleven hours on your own is too long.  There’s not that much to see.  I think some people rode up to a glacier on a tour, but I was glaciered out after Alaska last month.  I finished my book about Air Force One, which was written by pilots of the president’s plane covering the period from FDR to Carter.  A fascinating book.

I decided not to go back to Yosemite Village for dinner at 5:00.  Didn’t think I would; that’s why I used my coupon for lunch.  Instead, I walked along the area on the other side of the highway which runs alongside the motel.  The motel has many buildings, so the stretch along the highway is fairly long.  The entire area has sidewalks, three gazebos, picnic tables, benches, barbecues, carved bear statues and a path down to the Merced River which parallels the highway.  Again, those nasty little gnats. 

I stopped in the diner for a hamburger and fries (good) and joined Bill and Helen from Colorado.  We had an interesting discussion about politics and since we’re all Republicans, we pretty much agreed on things.  Bill read one of Tom Friedman’s books and liked it, so I must remember to check the libraries again and see if anything’s available yet.  Helen told me that Andre’ Rieu is coming to Denver November 2^nd, so I must check to see if he’s appearing anywhere near me while he’s in the states.

I had my bath and watched some news, brought my journal up to date so I could start another book with a clear conscience.

Thursday, September 28 (Mono Lake en route to Carson City)

I was a good girl and had only oatmeal and fruit at the buffet (and they had biscuits and gravy, too).  We were off at 8:00 and had a long drive out the back way from Yosemite on a scary road.

We stopped at a pretty lake for pictures, then off to Tuolumne Meadows for a mile hike back in to see some soda springs – wow!  Big deal; they’re little pools of water bubbling up out of the ground, and I mean LITTLE.  We had another picnic lunch at a spot where some of the tables were in the sun, so I sat on a rock and tried to feed bread to some ants who totally ignored it. They probably know I'm not supposed to feed the wildlife in national parks.

By Lee Vining we visited the Mono Lake tourists’ center and saw a movie about the Indians who used to inhabit the area.  They harvested the fly larvae (millions of flies breed here and lay their eggs in the water), dried it, used it for trade or ate it as a major source of protein in their diet. Aren’t fly larvae maggots?  Not many limestone projections on the Lee Vining side of the lake. 

We kept driving along the lake to a park with lush green lawns, tall green trees and a sparkling stream running through.  It seemed an oasis in the bleak golden landscape of sand, dried grass, rocks and sagebrush.  But – we only walked through the park to reach a boardwalk over a grassy marsh to reach the viewing deck to see more limestone projections (tufa) and waterfowl.

We arrived in Carson City about 5:30, but my room was full of boxes, furniture and bed frames – no mattresses.  I had to go down to the desk to get a different room and Mickey was having the same problem.  They were extremely busy, so it was 6:00 by the time I could leave my suitcase and go out.  I noticed my shoestring had frayed, so I asked the housekeeper where I could find a market.  It was a little jaunt, and by the time I got my shoestrings and started back, I was really hungry.  I saw a Jack-in-the-Box (none in Springfield), so I had a hamburger and curly fries.  Only $5 of my $20 dinner allowance, but I had given Bob the Busdriver a $10 tip for bringing us back early from Yosemite.  I started back up the main street to the hotel.  I passed by the Carson Nugget and saw through the window a wall of glass cases full of gold nuggets – some were really big.  I decided to see if they had some machines which would take coins so I could dump my change.  They didn’t, but they had penny slots which ate $1 bills.  Things have sure changed.  Slot machines are like video games now.  The wheels still spin (at the push of a button) but things dance and spin and music plays.  Sometimes the screen goes blank and a whole new picture comes up.  This is good.  It means you get some free spins or whatever – anyway you’re getting extra credits somehow.  A big game hunter slot had an elephant stampede and elephants were everywhere and a peanut with a jackhammer would float down sometimes and change the 1X to a 2X and then you got double the bonus.  My favorite was a lobster fisherman and if you got three lobstermanias, the screen would go blank and a boat would appear, bobbing around on the ocean full of lobster pot float markers of all colors.  The bottom of the screen would tell you how many to choose and the fisherman would pull them up and pull the lobster out of the trap and you found out how many points you won.  Anyway, I was there for two hours and turned my three $1 bills into two $5 bills.   Not very good wages, but I sure had fun.

I wasn’t sure what my return walk would be like because I’d gone to the market down a different street.  The main street turned out to be busy and well lighted until I got to the capitol and then the sidewalk detoured behind the wrought iron fence through a tree-covered lawn.  All the streetlights were pink (I later found out because of breast cancer awareness).  They were very pretty, but didn’t produce much light.  I went halfway and there was a gate, so I decided to leave the grounds and cross the street where I’d be visible to cars passing by.  A lot of the buildings are empty with “for rent” signs.  I’m sure part of the problem is due to no street parking.

I got back to the hotel just fine, tired but still had to shower and wash my hair.  Goody, a quiet room.

Friday, September 29 (Carson City, Virginia City)

The breakfast was lousy.  I had instant oatmeal and part of a bagel and off to the capitol by 7:00.  Some people were doing laundry, so I had free time until 11:00.  I saw the capitol, took pictures inside and out, talked to the guard and the governor’s secretary (who gave me a Nevada map), then walked some of the back streets.  Carson City is actually very charming, with well-preserved old homes and well maintained lawns.  Homes near the government (city, county, state) offices have been converted to professional offices. You'll see why I like to visit capitol buildings; sometimes interesting exhibits and always great architecture. And now you won't have to go to Carson City to see this one.

Maybe after this, you can skip Carson City altogether.

I walked over to the library to check out the used books, but it was only 9:00 and the library opened at 10:00.  So much for that.

I stopped at the museum, but they charged a fee, so I told her I’d come back with my group, as I’d already paid the fee in my tour price.

I went through The Horseshoe Club to get to the main street and saw some of those fun slots.  I turned one of my $5 bills into a $10 bill and moved on.  It was still early when I got back to the hotel, so I walked across the street to the Best Western, which had a casino.  I gave them the $5 I got from The Horseshoe Club.  Time to go back to the hotel.

We took the bus to The Nugget where we had a wonderful buffet lunch.  I ate the filling from a small piece of custard pie, and it was so good, I went back for another piece.  I had a few minutes, so I turned my seven quarters into $9.

We walked across the street to the Nevada State Museum for a look through.  It houses mostly old artifacts and some things related to the silver mining, including an ornate silver tea service and other silver serving pieces.  Included was an interesting collection of dolls and a fantastic collection of beautiful buttons.  The museum is housed in the old mint building but a second building has been added which houses some Indian artifacts, including seven baskets which are 1,400 years old and beautifully preserved because they were deep in a cave.

Then we were off to Virginia City, a preserved wild west mining town which is now a tourist trap.  I took pictures and looked around and found some of those crazy slots to while away the time.  I think I lost about $7, but lost count.  Anyway, I was still ahead. 

And now you don't need to visit Virginia City either.

We returned to Carson City and had dinner at B’sghetti’s, which was a spaghetti and fettuccine with meat or Alfredo sauce, green salad, garlic bread and spumoni.

We were scarcely back at the hotel before it was time to go to the meeting room to hear a Lake Tahoe fireman speak about – you guessed it – fire.  His talk was fairly interesting but geared to his geographical area.   I found out that contained means “it’s out” and controlled means “we think we’ve got it stopped and we’ll finish putting it out”.  We had a whole table of goodies to choose from, so I took an antenna ball with sunglasses and a fire chief’s hat for Jeff and one for Mike.  Also for Jeff, a ballpoint with water in the top and a little fire engine which drives forward or backs up depending on how you tilt the pen.

We were back in our rooms just before 9:00 and I had my bath and watched an old Charlie’s Angels show – old – Jaclyn Smith and Farrah Fawcett old.

Another quiet night except for the family who came in at 11:00 and stomped and chattered and rolled suitcases around over my head.  

(To be continued)

The Pepper and Pals Report: Nothing new here except that I think BJ is pregnant. She's the only feral I haven't been able to trap. I'm thinking of changing her name to Wily Coyote.

Tasting: Buying cookbooks at the book sale was a big mistake. I haven't figured out where to put them, so they're on the counter, luring me into the kitchen. I just had to try some new recipes.

HONEY NUT OATMEAL BREAD

For Bread Machine

1-1/2 cups bread flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup oats

3 Tbs dry milk

1 tsp salt

1 cup warm water

2 Tbs vegetable oil

2 Tbs honey

1-1/4 tsps bread yeast

3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Mix dry ingredients and set aside.

Mix oil and honey with warm water. When dissolved, put in bottom of bread pan.

Add dry ingredients.

Make a little “nest” and add yeast.

Set at Basic (1); P (crust); 1-1/2 (lower arrow)

Note: For an Oster Bread Machine. Your machine might add the ingredients in a different order from mine. 

I like it toasted. 

OAT BRAN MUFFINS

2 cups uncooked oat bran hot cereal

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1 egg

1/4 cup honey

2 Tbs vegetable coil

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 425°.

Line 15 muffin cups with paper cups.

Whisk dry ingredients together in large mixing bowl.

Mix milk, egg, honey, and oil. Mix into dry ingredients.

Fold in raisins and walnuts.

Fill muffin liners 3/4 full.

Bake 15-17 minutes.

MEATBALL MINESTRONE

1-1/2 lbs lean ground beef

1 10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (optional)

1/3 cup dry bread crumbs

1 egg

1-1/2 tsps salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 Tbs vegetable oil

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

4 14.5 oz cans beef broth (or 2 32 oz boxes)

1 1 lb can diced tomatoes, do not drain

1 1 lb can kidney beans, do not drain

1/2 tsp dry oregano leaves

1/2 tsp dry basil leaves

1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup sliced celery

1 cup elbow macaroni

Use your hands and mix the ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, salt, pepper, and spinach if using. Shape the mixture into 1” balls.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven and brown the meatballs. Remove with a slotted spoon.

Add onion to drippings and cook until soft.

Stir in the broth, tomatoes, beans, oregano, and basil. Simmer (covered) for 10 minutes.

Add carrots and celery, Simmer (covered) for 10 minutes more.

Stir in macaroni and simmer (covered) and additional 10 minutes or until al dente.

Return meatballs to soup and heat through.

Note: Serve with grated Parmesan if you wish. This recipe makes a lot of soup.

Thank You to Joey: For my spaghetti dinner. Have you ever noticed that food always tastes better when someone else cooks it?

Tea Book: They're here. My maiden voyage. I'm glad it's over, and I had a major disappointment when I discovered that the box around my title is navy instead of black. I guess having a proof reader helps, but when I look at the cover proof, I have to really study to see the error. Perhaps a proof reader wouldn't have it caught it either. Also, my photos look so much better on a large monitor than they do on a printed page. However, it is what it is, and there's no going back. The purpose of the book is to leave behind something which might someday inspire someone to actually have an afternoon tea. If you're that someone, please invite me.

The two lessons I learned: Don't trust your eyes with borders. If you want black, be sure to recheck the black color before you submit your manuscript. I didn't even use navy borders anywhere, so have no idea where it popped in.

Second, I just learned when finishing my blog post today that my new Windows 10 has a way to enhance photos. My fault. I'm not curious enough about my software. If it runs, I don't look for ways to tune it up. Just happy to know that I have this going forward.

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER

TAKE A DAY TRIP

PICNIC IN THE PARK

PLANT SOME FLOWERS

TAKE A WALK

REMEMBER TO DRINK TEA

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE