Apples
Lettuce
Hops
Tomatoes
Watermelon
Red peppers (plus green ones)
Weeds.
Basil
Plus onions, zucchini, and of course, limes
11.20.2011
Reaping what we sowed
Now that the summer growing season is pretty much over we thought we'd give an idea of what managed to grow in our backyard (some of these might be repeats)...
Plus onions, zucchini, and of course, limes
Plus onions, zucchini, and of course, limes
Working in Sequoia NP
A couple weeks back I was tasked with helping a coworker wrap up some winter prep down at some sites in Sequoia NP. I was excited because I'd never been there and would get a chance to see some sights (sort of). There was 6-10" of snow on the ground so I packed all my winter gear and headed out early on a Monday morning to meet my coworker down there. On my approach to the park I got a phone call from the coworker telling me the road I was going to take was closed due to snow (it was being plowed). We turned around and drove around to the southern entrance, which added on another hour+ to the drive. On top of that, there is on-going construction that causes road closures for 2 hours at a time so we had some time to kill when we got into the park...
After we got through the construction we finally reached our destination (about 3 hours later than anticipated). The first 2 days and the last day we stayed down in the lower basin. Here's some photos from those areas:
The third day we went to the upper basin. The trailhead started around 7,800 ft and we we hiked up to 9,300 ft. I thought it'd be a really tough 3.5 miles but it didn't end up being too bad. The worst part was the hike back in the dark on the icy trail. My knee/hip didn't like that very much. This is what we saw when we got to the top of the ridge:
This is a swimming hole we visited while waiting for the road to open back up.
After we got through the construction we finally reached our destination (about 3 hours later than anticipated). The first 2 days and the last day we stayed down in the lower basin. Here's some photos from those areas:
One of the stream sites.
The area where the cabin we stayed at was. The clearing in the center of the photo has instruments in it as well that are monitoring groundwater levels. The fog is blocking out most of the scenery.
The third day we went to the upper basin. The trailhead started around 7,800 ft and we we hiked up to 9,300 ft. I thought it'd be a really tough 3.5 miles but it didn't end up being too bad. The worst part was the hike back in the dark on the icy trail. My knee/hip didn't like that very much. This is what we saw when we got to the top of the ridge:
This was my first view of the High Sierra and the Great Western Divide. Most of those peaks are between 12,000 and 14,000 ft.
11.15.2011
Recent Weekends- Part 2
Saturday, October 29:
A pastor in town is heading a grass roots organization aiming to polish up the city and help give it a better image. He invited a few other churches in Merced to get involved a couple weekends ago by gathering some volunteers to spend a morning doing some cleanup at designated spots. Patrick and I joined about 20 others from our church to head up the effort at a downtown transit center.
Sunday, October 30:
We know we're married now, but we dated a long time before the ceremony so it seems odd to wait to celebrate 2 years together when we've been together 9! Until we've been married a couple decades, this date will always be as momentous an anniversary to us.
We celebrated by walking to an Italian restaurant near our house for dinner that is a little pricey but serves delicious food. Our first week in Merced we ate there, but hadn't been back since so it was a nice treat. Before the indulgence though, we visited The Vista ranch for some fall fun.
No offense to our Missouri pals, but there's a reason MO is the Show Me State and not the Show Off State when it comes to apple cider. :-/ In Michigan we are raised on some pretty fine unpasteurized stuff (I think that's the difference), so I was skeptical yet hopeful of what CA had to offer after being in withdrawal the last couple years. It was a LOT more expensive, but the taste did not disappoint!
No need for a 3rd person or a tripod- a nearby leaf on a corn stalk provided a nice place to hang our camera. :) Patrick and I were surrounded by walls of the corn maze on the premise. We took it very seriously since I didn't want to cheat to get out (I had to find the official exit!) but it was also a pleasant laid back affair.
After emerging from the labyrinth, we hopped on the tractor-pulled trailer for a hay ride around the grounds. It was a short ride, but long enough to learned a sports bra is a necessary piece of equipment for a farm's potholes. :) Still, we enjoyed it- I haven't been on a hay ride in ages!
These looked rather lovely on the brink of sunset to be simple irrigation ponds for the gardens.
There was an enormous flower garden we didn't have time to walk through, but we were on higher ground so we could still admire it from a distance. Plus they had smaller patches surrounding the cornfield that we could ogle while waiting for the hay ride. I was pleased to find a basket marked $1 for a bunch, on our way out of the ranch. My 2 sunflowers faded after a few days, but the other 3 flowers I bought are still looking decent after 2.5 weeks! Probably one of the best dollars I've spent, I'd say, and anniversaries too. :)
A pastor in town is heading a grass roots organization aiming to polish up the city and help give it a better image. He invited a few other churches in Merced to get involved a couple weekends ago by gathering some volunteers to spend a morning doing some cleanup at designated spots. Patrick and I joined about 20 others from our church to head up the effort at a downtown transit center.
We spent a few hours picking up trash, trimming the vegetation, weeding, and sweeping.
Proof of the difference we made, measured in trash bags. Our Pastor is the 2nd person from the right, standing next to Patrick (just an fyi).
What's neat is there was a gift shop in the transit center that sold something we've been on the lookout for! They only took cash (which we didn't have on hand unfortunately) but the station is only about a 5 minute walk from where I work so I was able to return via a quick stroll during my lunch break later in the week.
Sunday, October 30:
We know we're married now, but we dated a long time before the ceremony so it seems odd to wait to celebrate 2 years together when we've been together 9! Until we've been married a couple decades, this date will always be as momentous an anniversary to us.
We celebrated by walking to an Italian restaurant near our house for dinner that is a little pricey but serves delicious food. Our first week in Merced we ate there, but hadn't been back since so it was a nice treat. Before the indulgence though, we visited The Vista ranch for some fall fun.
No offense to our Missouri pals, but there's a reason MO is the Show Me State and not the Show Off State when it comes to apple cider. :-/ In Michigan we are raised on some pretty fine unpasteurized stuff (I think that's the difference), so I was skeptical yet hopeful of what CA had to offer after being in withdrawal the last couple years. It was a LOT more expensive, but the taste did not disappoint!
No need for a 3rd person or a tripod- a nearby leaf on a corn stalk provided a nice place to hang our camera. :) Patrick and I were surrounded by walls of the corn maze on the premise. We took it very seriously since I didn't want to cheat to get out (I had to find the official exit!) but it was also a pleasant laid back affair.
After emerging from the labyrinth, we hopped on the tractor-pulled trailer for a hay ride around the grounds. It was a short ride, but long enough to learned a sports bra is a necessary piece of equipment for a farm's potholes. :) Still, we enjoyed it- I haven't been on a hay ride in ages!
It was intriguing to observe the many shapes, colors, and textures of pumpkin varieties. We've got a creative God!
There was an enormous flower garden we didn't have time to walk through, but we were on higher ground so we could still admire it from a distance. Plus they had smaller patches surrounding the cornfield that we could ogle while waiting for the hay ride. I was pleased to find a basket marked $1 for a bunch, on our way out of the ranch. My 2 sunflowers faded after a few days, but the other 3 flowers I bought are still looking decent after 2.5 weeks! Probably one of the best dollars I've spent, I'd say, and anniversaries too. :)
11.13.2011
Recent Weekends- Part 1
Most weekends Patrick & I devote to housework, garden maintenance, and errands. But the last few, we've broken up the routine with several out-of-the-ordinary activities.
Saturday, October 22: we attended a coed baby shower for Patrick's coworker- Ryan- and his fiance, Alisa. We played some games, ate WAY too much food (at least, I did), and stayed a few hours longer to just hang out a bit with a small group from the university. After the party the guys mingled while the ladies dabbled with henna!
For those of you who don't know, henna is a dye made of crushed leaves that makes a temporary tattoo on your skin. It's traditionally worn during festive events in Middle Eastern cultures. Gayatri (holding the henna) was adorned in decorative patterns during her recent wedding. Alisa had hoped to imprint her belly during the "bachelorette" party (when the girls attending the wedding applied the henna) but since it didn't happen, Gayatri offered to do it for her baby shower.
Gayatri started with inspiration from a photo online, but improvised as she went along. Ryan & Alisa's names are woven within. It's pretty sweet (I love the peacocks) but unfortunately I didn't get to see it once the dried henna flaked off.
It took quite a while to finish Alisa's pattern, but once she was done, Gayatri offered to put some simple designs on the hands of any interested parties. I, of course, was fully compliant!
The finished artwork after I scraped away the caked paste. It remained fairly bright for about 4 days, then the lighter areas started fading away.
October 23: Our California Blackberry Ale was crafted by the formerly cut-up hands of my fine husband! Our abrasions from the thorny patches have long-healed, but I do have scars on the back of my leg from a particularly nasty bramble! It was so worth it though for the crumble desserts we've already eaten and the special libation on it's way!
Saturday, October 22: we attended a coed baby shower for Patrick's coworker- Ryan- and his fiance, Alisa. We played some games, ate WAY too much food (at least, I did), and stayed a few hours longer to just hang out a bit with a small group from the university. After the party the guys mingled while the ladies dabbled with henna!
For those of you who don't know, henna is a dye made of crushed leaves that makes a temporary tattoo on your skin. It's traditionally worn during festive events in Middle Eastern cultures. Gayatri (holding the henna) was adorned in decorative patterns during her recent wedding. Alisa had hoped to imprint her belly during the "bachelorette" party (when the girls attending the wedding applied the henna) but since it didn't happen, Gayatri offered to do it for her baby shower.
Gayatri started with inspiration from a photo online, but improvised as she went along. Ryan & Alisa's names are woven within. It's pretty sweet (I love the peacocks) but unfortunately I didn't get to see it once the dried henna flaked off.
It took quite a while to finish Alisa's pattern, but once she was done, Gayatri offered to put some simple designs on the hands of any interested parties. I, of course, was fully compliant!
The finished artwork after I scraped away the caked paste. It remained fairly bright for about 4 days, then the lighter areas started fading away.October 23: Our California Blackberry Ale was crafted by the formerly cut-up hands of my fine husband! Our abrasions from the thorny patches have long-healed, but I do have scars on the back of my leg from a particularly nasty bramble! It was so worth it though for the crumble desserts we've already eaten and the special libation on it's way!
Prepping our home-grown hops for brewing.
I gave Patrick a propane tank for his birthday so he could heat up the water more quickly. He finally got to test it out!
Steeping the grain filled sock is starting to darken the water.
Cooling it down with the wort chiller to add yeast and pour it in the pail for primary fermenting. Check out part 2 to see what else we've done lately while waiting for the beer!
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