Springboards & Old Growth

rnrB & springboards

Exploring the sights in Dash Point, Federal Way, WA. rnrB's dwarfed by this old growth stump! Enjoyed a day of letterboxing around South Puget Sound. Saw seals, giant jellyfish, old pioneer cabins, waterfront from several different spots, ducks, herons, cormorants, kingfishers, etc. Lovely day!

Challah !!!

I have a fascination with Challah!!!

I love to bake! I've been baking Challah for several years now. I'm always looking for the next great recipe. The other day I stumbled onto a site that talked about slicing frozen, uncooked Challah dough and inserting Milky Way candybars into the slot before you baked the bread. Something about that just caught my attention. Now, I'm not that into Milky Way bars or frozen, pre-made food but the combination just seemed to trip a switch in me. So, it was back to the kitchen I go.

I found a great Challah recipe that I've tested this week and it works really well!

Challah

1 T yeast
1-1/8 c warm water
1/4 c sugar
2 eggs, + 1 egg for glazing
1/2 T salt
1/4 c oil
4-1/2 c flour
poppy, sesame seeds, raw sugar, sliced dried fruit, chocolate chips, as desired

Dissolve the yeast in water with a little of the sugar. Beat well and let it rest for a few minutes until it froths.

In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Then add salt, sugar and oil and beat again. Add the yeast mixture and beat well. Then, add the flour gradually until it makes a soft dough that holds together. Then turn it out onto a clean, floured surface and knead it vigorously for 15 minutes (or use your stand mixer for this). Pour a little oil in the bowl and coat the dough in the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until it doubles in size (a couple of hours depending on the temp--I usually have to use a warmed oven, turned off, to do this as our location is often quite cool). Punch down the dough and knead again. Divide into 2 pieces to make 2 loaves. Mix in additional ingredients. Braid and place on well-oiled cookie sheet(s). Allow to rise again until it doubles in size. Coat with glaze and toppings such as raw sugar, poppy seeds, sesame seeds. Bake in a preheated oven 180*C (325-350* F) for 30-40 minutes or until the loaves are nicely browned and sound 'hollow' when you 'thump' them. ;)


To deal with my 'fix' on that milky way in the middle, I snuck chocolate chips into the middle of each 'strand' in the braid. I've also experimented with kneading in some dried cranberries, dried blueberries and sliced dried mangos before I braid the dough. I have had success with all of these adds-in. I recommend sticking with one type of fruit at a time, though. Otherwise it might start to look/taste like fruit cake (of which I'm not a big fan). For a sweeter challah, add about 1/4 c of honey to the dough. You'll have to adjust the amount of flour you use but it's worth it! Enjoy your Challah!!! It's great for French Toast, too!

Old dog? New tricks!

Ok, so I've been engrossed in tackling this 'rag rug' project. I fiddled around trying to learn how to crochet plastic shopping bags that I'd cut up into long strips first. Then I played with the loom salvage itself--trying to figure out the stiches involved. I spent about 2 hours trying to figure out how to make an oval shaped rug and then ended up with a big ugly mess. So I called it a night.


Next day, I took out all the work I'd done the night prior (now experiencing major carpal tunnel effects) and started anew--this time with a Q size crochet hook and a plan to make a rectangular rug instead. I made a long foundation row of chain stiches (basically almost making a knot and then instead of pulling the loose end all the way through I pulled it through just enough to be able to pull the crochet hook with another loop of 'yarn' through the first loop, creating a new loop and the opportunity to start another 'knot'--doing this all the way to the end). This approach worked much better. My mantra the entire time was that I had to be smarter than that 'dang' piece of wool. ;)


Two days later and I've gone through 3 of the 4 monster loom salvage 'balls' I came home with from the mill. The rug as it currently exists is 6' long by about 10" and about 2" thick. It may become the world's 'narrowest' runner. ;) I have one monster roll of material left about 2' in diameter--which may only add about 4" to the width of the runner. I might not have a very functional rug when I'm finished but instead it might be a rather heavy piece of avant-garde 'shag carpet' artwork. ;) I may have to return to the mill repeatedly hoping to find more bags of this particular color array of loom salvage just to make a rug the size in which I'm interested. But, I figured that I can at least 'knot' wool into something more than just a monster ball of loom waste. ;) I've dubbed my 'shag rug' project as my first installment in my "Craft Challenge 2005" (& I emphasize 'challenge' here--I'm quickly learning that 'crafting' was not included in my genetic code). ;) I included a pen in one of the photos so you'll see the scale of the rug. The pen's about 6" long. It's sitting on a step in the living room. So, for about $25 I'll have an interesting, if not educational, 13-pound piece of 'work' (notice I omitted the term 'art' here?) for my home.

Combat Crocheting?

mid-woolen rug carpet project

I've coined a new term for 'my' hobby: combat crochet. Since teaching myself how (I use that euphemistically) to crochet I've lost 3 fingernails and have drawn blood at least twice--all with a Q-size crochet hook, a monster ball of Pendleton wool 'loom-waste' and some free time on my hands. My injuries hurt so much that I had to take a holiday from my hobby. ...embarrassing...

monster crochet skein

monster Pendleton Woolen Mills loom salvage ball

As per previous postings, we stopped by the Pendleton Woolen Mills in Oregon the other day and I came home with 13-pounds of loom salvage. I divided the salvage up into 4 'monster' knitting balls and set out to teach myself how to 'crochet'. Can you believe it?

This is the final 'ball' of the 13-pounds of wool. It's about 2' tall. Yes, that's feet not inches!!!

Teeny, Tiny Critters

teeniest ladybird beetles ever?

Interesting. We stumbled across the tiniest frogs ever a few weeks ago while checking on some letterboxes near the wetlands of DuPont. While hunting letterboxes about 15 miles North of there we come across these tiny little ladybird beetles. They were brown, black and grey spotted things and smaller than a pinhead! Incredible!

Today was definitely a 'wildlife' day. We first noticed the beetles, then a Pileated Woodpecker along the trail. Then we saw seals doing somersaults in the Sound. Then a freight train passed by and scared a great blue heron out of tree not too far from us. Not bad for about an hour long outing on the trail!

trkr, day & fox isles amid puget waters

trouble on the rocks

need I say more?

Sturdy Gertie's infant twin

Love, love, love architecture! It's been so neat to watch the birth of a suspension bridge after marvelling at so many over the years (Golden Gate, Brooklyn, several throughout Europe and Asia). My latest craze is Santiago Calatrava's bridges. Ever since I stepped foot on the Sundial Bridge in Redding, CA--I've been hooked!!!

Roundin' up wool in Pendleton...

Just had to visit Pendleton's Mills again! After all, it's been a tradition in the family dating back to my dear cat Pendleton from back in 1982. We did manage to leave the mill with 12 yards of black watch plaid, several remnants of Campbell Plaid and 13 pounds of 'loom salvage' I intend to make a rug with. We'll see.

If you ever get a chance, take the tour! We finally did! It's just interesting to see how they actually make their rugs. The tour takes you from spinning the wool (mostly from the NW) to dying it then to weaving it. Their colors are AWESOME!!! Who knew that they make material for the airline industry??? Oh, for a mere $23k you can commission your own rug patterns with a minimum purchase order of 250. I'm seriously considering it after I figure out which 'junior letterboxer' I'll need to pawn off to secure the funding. ;)

While crossing the Payette River on our return trip home from Boise we saw this glorious Bald Eagle about 3 meters up in a tree just adjacent the interstate! Incredible!!!

28*, snow & hot springin'

Went out today in search of hot springs around Idaho. We headed North out of Boise on our way toward Molly's Tubs Hot Springs in the Boise National Forest. Along the way, we're greeted with snow. LOTS OF SNOW! Everywhere we look! We continue on, assuming that since we're heading toward hot springs the water will still be warm & inviting.

We follow the road heading north, north, north. We see some incredible sights along the way. Rolling hills, snow capped cascades, rushing rivers, you name it, it's absolutely gorgeous!

We continue along the Payette River. Eventually we reach the North Fork of the Payette River. We work our way through the forest roads in the mountains toward the turn off for Molly's Tubs. The gate's locked and there's about a foot and a half of snow on the ground. Small problem. We're dressed for hot springs, not snow-shoeing. ;)

We decide to change plans and continue further north to Warm Lake. Sounds inviting, doesn't it? Well, we eventually reach it and it's gorgeous! Snow all around yet it's still reachable. We seek out letterboxes along the way. Exquisite!

We continue our afternoon in search of beautiful vistas and the occasional letterbox. We find Summer Sensation, Roughin' It, Busy Bee, and Cascade Critters #1&2. Sort of ironic that all of these letterboxes are based on 'summer' themes, isn't it? We find them all in at least a foot of snow! At least our 'summer November outing' will keep us cool.

Our final LB series for the day takes us to Crown Point. We follow an old railroad grade for about 3 miles and find 2 incredible stamps along the way. Toward the end of our hike, the snow & winds pick up and we're soon racing to beat the storm so we can cross the bridge & dams along the way on our return trip to Ada County. What an incredible day! Went looking for hot springs, came home with 5 incredible letterbox finds, several fun hours spent playing in the snow & great memories for a lifetime. That's what letterboxing is all about, isn't it? I guarantee that pictures of today's outing will follow.

goin' swimmin'

Never found the hot springs but we did find Warm Lake! Ready for a nice swim???

North Fork of the Payette

Looking for hot springs in Smith Ferry, Idaho. We truly had swimsuits in tow!!!

Isn't it spectacular???

beaver delight

**quite appropriate for the Snake whose waters divide the beaver state from the gem state**

This shot was taken from the tater side near P(ot)ayet(o)te. ;)

Too bad we couldn't find the letterbox. Wonder if the beavers got to it first?

Don Quixote jr?

Notice the tiny little 'trkr' figure to the left of the giant? Just blowin' through Baker City in East Oregon.

Our prairie home...which we visit often...near that big curve. Too bad we can't find our key to the place. Two previous visits before this it was covered in about 2 feet of snow with 5' snow banks scattered 'round.