Basil seeds → Pesto

This past summer, Frank had an assortment of potted herbs on our south-facing steps.

Near the end of the season, when Frank was in the hospital, I chopped off the seed heads and dried them in our dehydrator. Since we love basil, I also managed to buy a full stem at a farm market in Jefferson. Those seed heads also went into the dehydrator.

The rest of the stem became fresh pesto. Mmmmmmmmm.

Here’s everything in the dehydrator. The rosemary plant also got a trim and those stems were also dried.

Salt, salt, salt, and salt

Salt, salt, salt, and salt, originally uploaded by Adventures of Pam & Frank.

We always have a variety of salts in our kitchen. My least favorite is the metallic-flavored table salt. I think my favorites are the Baleine and Kosher.

At the Hawthorne Fred Meyer up on Portland, they've got a huge variety of salt available in their deli. We've been trying to get Frank up there for months, to look at the salt. Red salt, grey salt, black salt, pink salt... I've never seen so many varieties. 

Have you ever read Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky? I read it a while ago and it was one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. Anyway, after reading the book, seeing the salt in person boggled my mind.

Sweet Sixteen

I don’t believe I ever shared a picture of Rachel’s birthday cake from her 16th birthday.

She wanted number candles instead of 16 burning sticks melting wax all over the frosting, so I rummaged through the birthday candles and came up with 16.

  

When the cake came out, she looked at it, smirked, and said, “Yup, that’s 16 all right.”

Ode to Ollie

When we got Ollie from the Animal Shelter, they were having a buy one get one free deal. Two cats are better than one, so we wandered through the place, trying to decide who to adopt. Violet picked us first, and after a lot of searching, Ollie picked Rachel.

You’ve heard the old adage “You always get what you pay for,” and this couldn’t be more true for sweet dumb-dumb Ollie. He was the free one. He is the goofiest, silliest, most loveable dork of a cat we have ever known.

World, meet Ollie.

Can I jump to the house roof?

Maybe I can get on the roof this way?

I’m just gonna wait here.

I can haz tequila?

Gardening makes me pooped out.

Hold me like dis. My back likes the stretch.

Why you wake me up?

Dad’s leg is cuddly for nap time.

Why are you pointing that box at me?

My comfy chair.

Nap time.

Caesar, you watch out for mom while I look for my presents.

This water tastes like dog drool.

Bugs are cuddly for napping.

I see you, Mr. Squirrel.

Halp. My claws are stuck in the rug.

No, I don’t know how that tomato ended up on the floor.

 
I like jalapeno peppers. They are fun to play with.

Go away, he’s my daddy.

So if I fall outta the tree again, you catch this time, ok?
(Ollie has a habit of falling out of this tree and landing on people’s heads.)

I can has dog cookie?

Zzzzzzzz…

Hot Peppers and Not-So-Hot Peppers

Last summer, Frank planted several varieties of peppers. The two most prolific varieties were Mariachi (gorgeous colors as they turn red) and Thai peppers (the skinny red ones.)

Once they were ready, Frank put on some gloves and prepared for a little taste test.

The Mariachi peppers were nice and sweet with just a little kick.
Even the wimpy, Scandinavian members of our household were able to eat them.
The Thai peppers, on the other hand, were left to the expert for tasting.

Frank made two kinds of hot sauce with these peppers: Sambal and Piri Piri
You can get the recipes off his food blog, DeafChefAtLarge.com

Meanwhile, I did my part by saving the seeds to plant next year.

The Van Duzer Corridor

Every now and then, Rachel and I need to just get away and relax. Our favorite direction to head is west, toward the Oregon coast, which is only about an hour from home. We usually take the dog, and the plan is to do some beachcombing and just walk in the wet hard-packed sand, breathing in the briny air and watching the seagulls.

Getting there is half the fun. Highways 22 and 18 from Salem to Lincoln City first pass through farmland, wineries and vineyards, logging operations, and a casino. Following the casino is our favorite stretch of road: The Van Duzer Corridor. We love the winding highway, passing lanes, moss covered trees, Salmon Creek, and the summit over Murphy Hill.
Sure, it’s one of the more dangerous stretches of road due to high traffic volume, limited passing, tight curves, sharp drop-offs (guardrails are a luxury item,) and roadbed undermining, but there’s something magical about it.

On one particular trip, we didn’t have time to go all the way to the coast and back, so we stopped at the rest area at the west end of Van Duzer, just before Rose Lodge. All of these pictures were taken at the rest area in October, but the lush moss and vibrant greenery stay this way all winter long.

That’s the beauty of Western Oregon – when winter arrives, everything turns all green and beautiful.
Our winter climate is like a wet refrigerator; cool and damp.

Caesar took a break at the rest area and explored a little. Here he is, King of the Tree Stump. This was either a Douglas Fir or Redwood, with a cut diameter of about 4 feet. It was quite a jump for Caesar to get up onto the stump, too, since it’s about 4 feet high.

I can never get enough of the moss. It comes alive in the fall and coats the trees in its various forms: thick dark moss, minty green lichen, chartreuse velvet… I don’t know any of the moss names, so I refer to them based on how they look. Some moss clings tightly to trees, some looks like a fur coat, other forms drip from the branches.

Either way, it’s breathtaking.
The Van Duzer Corridor may be a dangerous stretch of road, but it’s like a magical fairyland.
We love it.

 

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

It’s the best time of the year.

I don’t know if there’ll be snow, but have a cup of cheer.

Oh by golly, have a holly jolly Christmas this year!

The last of the roses

 

 

 

 

Frosty Hydrangea

Yeah, I saw her too.

She was hanging around that group of young guys.