bodner044

Yes, this is my second post in three weeks about the season of harvest - call it Fall, call it Autumn - by any other name it would still be as sweet.  Here are five morsels for you - in honor of Willy Nilly Friday, Skywatch Friday and Mosaic Monday. ONE: Family.  We were honored this month to host my younger brother and his wife.  For years we have descended upon their home in Colorado to enjoy their company and the ski slopes; we were delighted to finally return the favor in a locale that approaches the beauty of their home state.  (Most of the pictures in this post are from their visit.) No surprise - they were as generous as always - they brought this chainsaw-carved bear as a gift, ultimately destined for our log home. Bouquet from Spousal Unit! And The Huckleberry Cookbook.  Good thing we have some frozen hucks in the freezer!  On the last day of their visit, Spousal Unit made huckleberry pancakes.  Yum! During their visit, we learned to play the ...

Mural in Chinatown Why do you travel?  For most people, it's for the newness, to simultaneously feel the discomfort and the thrill of the quirks and peculiarities of a place.  On our second day with #1 Daughter (#1D) in San Francisco, her tour showed us new faces of the city, diversity on vibrant display. (see previous post of Day 1) Down a random, semi-concealed cobblestone alley?  The Irish Bank Bar and Restaurant.  You might think you are in Dublin!     Chinatown is a bit more conspicuous with its ornamental gate, lanterns and lampposts. It's the tourist district, and we comply, stopping at the bakery that advertises its moon cakes in the front window ("The Only Moon Cake Made in America; Best Moon Cake in the Whole USA) - who can resist?  We buy three different cakes and munch as we admire the murals that are on every spare wall and some delivery vehicles as well. Mural on left says "In Progress" A few blocks more, and in the peace of Portsmouth S...

Joining Willy Nilly Friday and Skywatch Friday today - I hope you enjoy this assortment of fall frolics! ONE: As we build our log home (hoping it never looks like the barn above), we have been searching for a red/purple stone to augment our fireplace.  I can't tell you the number of stone suppliers and quarries that we called in search of this elusive shade.  In the end, persistence paid off and we learned of Block Mountain Stone in Plains, Montana, just 2 hours south of us.  So, off we went on a road trip to pick up 20 square feet of stone,  and we passed the above barn on the way.  After the stone was procured, our tummies were growling, and locals recommended The Butcher's Nook.  I second the motion! TWO: Our generous and thoughtful neighbors gave us 5 pounds of plums and we were inspired to make plum jam!   We were so delighted to give our neighbors a jar of the finished product, and to slather the jam onto toast for our next breakfast.  Yummy...

We are so grateful that Canada opened its parks for free this year to celebrate 150 years of its park system.  As I mentioned in a previous post , we fulfilled a long-lived dream for two of my family members, and saved some bucks along the way!  Thank you, Canada, on today, your Thanksgiving! Day 2 of our summer road trip traversed the byways from Banff to Jasper, 182 miles featuring an endless progression of mountains.  Pyramids, jagged knife edges, plateaus.   And did I mention glaciers?   Lake Louise with glacier at the far end From Lake Louise to Jasper, the road is aptly named the Icefields Parkway.  It has been called one of the world's most scenic drives, because around every corner, the route offers fresh wonders - waterfalls, pristine lakes and broad sweeping valleys to ancient glaciers flowing down from rugged mountains.  (Since we would be returning home on the Parkway, we chose a few stopping points in each direction to spread the wealth!)...