50 degree party

It reached 50 degrees today.

Wonder if the home town university students held a 50 degree party. Met a friend at the local coffee shop today and he asked if I was throwing such a party. Haha. Said friend knows about such parties as he is a former attendee at a few.

Actually, such a party was not "held", it happened. The first spring day the tempurature hit 50, the university vacated - students as well as some faculty - and headed to a local park where we celebrated the arrival of spring. Some years in a drizzle, some years while standing on soggy grass and some years while standing atop snow banks.

There were snow banks the year I decided to do what my mother warned me against - jumping off the bridge because someone else did. All I can say is water is darned cold when ice chunks are floating in it - but what the heck, I was young and looking for an adventure. And I got one - mighty cold walk home with all those wet clothes on - didn't think that through very well.

I'd like to think I'm smarter these days.

Good food, good friends, good times

Pizza with good friends, music with good friends and good times with good friends. And then there's that guy at Stumpjack.

You know the one - the one who's yammering about he'd like a massage during a sweet voiced song by the lovely Kelly Underwood. Hey.....David.........


And the one who'll stick his hand into the frame while you trying to get a cool shot of the fish on the wall.

And, then there's the lovely wife, always supportive, always smiling - and definitely going straight to HEAVEN!


Oh, we can't forget Ethan Keller and his fantastic looper thingy - great music there.

Thanks for a great time .....

Eating Local at the Teach In

I'm just all awed ..........

Attended and presented at a Teach In at the local university. Even though it was a long day for me, I'm reinvigorated. Great discussions were had at this teach in!

As part of a panel presentation on how food systems are affected by global warming, I was able to talk about the benefits of eating local. My little part - local foods - is something I'm passionate about. I could speak for days - nonstop - about local foods. Often times when presenting about local foods, I take the twist of talking about the wide array of local foods we have due to migration of peoples and their foods.

For example: Have you heard of Lemon Zinger tea? I love it. One of it's ingredients is lemongrass, a tropical plant - a perennial tropical plant. Lemongrass is now grown in the Midwest.

What?! Yes, when Hmong refugees came here to live, lemongrass came with them. As an adaptation to our climate, lemongrass is grown as an annual. Lemongrass can be found in local gardens and farmers markets each August. Unless, of course, I've beat you to the market and bought all the lemongrass in sight.

Enough cannot be said about all the other wonder meals I'm cooking because I have fresh lemongrass - or lemongrass stashed in the freezer. Lemon chicken: organic local whole chicken, stuffed with lemongrass, local garlic, local onions, sea salt and pepper. Roast. Enjoy.

Back in the saddle

......after a brief hiatus and a wonderful Thanksgiving trip to South Dakota.


Here's a photo of the Missouri River taken from what I refer to as the Lewis and Clarke Wayside, although my friend S tells me it's the Chamberlain Wayside. Lewis and his buddy Clarke and their crew camped near here - so it's the LCW to me.

It was incredibly windy and cold that day, the camera kept shutting off after only a picture or two.

An amazing view, and a wonderful start to a whirlwind vacation.

Grandpa Gus and the train robber

Googled my Grandpa Gus, and look what I found!

Always knew Grandpa was a Sheriff in Cheyenne, Wyoming. As a child, I was told he was involved with the arrest of a train robber. My Wisconsin relatives always said this was an embellishment. Well, it's not - and I have the proof!

Click here, or read below the Times article, dated December 9, 1929. My dad would have been just 4 years old.

"For Wife & Kids"

Monday, Dec. 09, 1929

In the old West train robbers embellished their felonies with quixotic gestures, fantastic flourishes. Last of the old school was Bill Carlisle who, after he had wrecked a train, would hold up the passengers with a candy-filled glass pistol. A train robbery in Wyoming last week showed how the old tradition has degenerated.

Near Cheyenne, the Union Pacific's Portland Limited struck a loosened rail, went careening into an embankment. Then the bandit appeared. He was a little fellow with a wizened face and pale blond hair. He wore the shabby blue overalls of a section hand.

The .38 automatic in his hand shook nervously as he asked the passengers to "fork over." "I've got a wife and two kids at home and the railroad won't give me a job," he apologized to his victims.

"Gimme your wallet damn quick." he swore feebly at Dr. Frederick James Kelly, president of the University of Idaho. Dr. Kelly handed over a billfold containing $74.

The bandit took no jewelry or other valuables. With a loot of no more than $800 he fled. He did not even look into the express car, where the dining car steward was hiding with $300 in cash. Out into the hills to catch the bandit "dead or alive" rode hundreds of searchers—sheriffs, deputies, policemen, railroad detectives, cowboys. Six suspects were rounded up, questioned, released. Then the hunt was abandoned.

At Pawnee. Okla., two officers arrested Tom Vernon, alias Tom Brennan. Deputy Sheriff Thomas J. Higgins of Los Angeles, who had stalked Vernon across six states, charged him with wrecking and robbing a Southern Pacific train near Saugus, Cal. last month. Sheriff Gus Romsa of Cheyenne was on hand to charge him also with last week's Wyoming job.

The California officer said that Vernon, onetime rodeo roughrider, horse thief, forger, had recently been released from Folsom Prison, Cal. He is unmarried, childless.

Gazpacho

Started out with these ingredients: a huge Hmong cucumber, six red and yellow tomatoes, three red and yellow peppers, a couple cloves of garlic, one medium purple onion, small bunch of cilantro and good sea salt (to taste). Peeled, seeded and chopped the cuke, peeled and chopped the tomatoes, chopped the onion, peppers, cilantro, and the garlic was - well, smashed and all were put into the food processor.


And here's what came out - a most wonderful glass of gazpacho for lunch


















And a whole 'nother quart for the weekend to share with friends--it's always better the next day.

A lovely weekend at the beach

It's been an extremely lovely weekend at the beach. The annual kite festival brought 20,000+ folks to town to view two days and one night of kite flying. Food, food, food, ice cream, kites, kites and more kites, an evening bon fire, lighted kite fly and friends, friends, friends. The whole town turns out to put on the incredible event, the brain child of local super-kiter Chow of UFO.

That's Chow in the photo below. Here's a link to more Kite photos on Jeff's Flik'r site. And for more Kite photos, check out Nate's Flik'r site.