One of America's Great Cook Books

The Mirro Aluminum Ware Manufacturing company created cook books to help promote it's products. Without fail Every recipe that I've ever made from this book has turned out exactly as it should and some of our greatest family-secret recipes have come from this book.

Here is a picture of how it would have looked when my mom got it back in 1950:



After years of tireless use, you can see how ours looks today:

Smith Rocks July 2011

This is what we were doing while some imbecile was busy backing in to my Studebaker down at the depot.



To see the rest of the photo's from the day, click HERE.

And here is the terrifying CARnage. Be forewarned, these are graphic images and may not be suitable for all viewers:

Because of the extreme high and low tides due to the full moon phase, we were able to experience an abundance of wild sea life this trip. I am now strategically planning for future trips.








I am falling more in love with the south Jetty area as I scope it out and have now foudn that I can drive on this particular beach. Hmmmmm, a vehicle.....on the sand....food for thought.





We made a trip to the jetty and found a tiny little bird hidden amongst the rock as well as a large flock of Sanderlings behind the Jetty

Tiny bird

Flock of Sanderlings

We all had a great breakfast at a local hotspot:


A sample of plants from the Bread and Ocean Bakery in Manzanita




New Fave Place: surfer beach, killer tidepooling opps:



Found a new favorite beach to rival the previous one. This place BEGS to be shot with the fish eye lens. Fortunately Kristi and Scout M and I will return in September for a fish-eye fest. Here Lynn found some tiny shells clinging to a crack in a cave.


Lynn found a "thing". Therefore I have entitled this photo "Lynn's Thing."
Profound, no?



"Kelp Wad" - it sounds like a mean name I could call you.

Grampa Fish

Chinese stars

I have previously posted images of one of my favorite beaches and their difficult to reach rocks - except at low tide. I don't know what it is, but James has a need to climb. Climb the highest mountain. Climb things that no man (in his right mind) would think to climb. If yo like to go tidepooling, try hard not to think about the death that just occurred here...





The whole point of this visit was to get some fair pics of the boys inside this abandonment. I forgot my tripod, so apparently another trip is now required. Here are the sadly inadequate images sans tripod:

Brag brag...beach...brag brag...blah blah blah...beach...etc and on and on...

I am beach.

Got crabs...?

With another beach trip looming this upcoming weekend, I found this long lost foto from Scout's and my February 2011 trip:


Lynn and I are going to make the epic trip to Manzanita. Hiking will ensue, I'm sure.
As will appropriate wine consumption.

1997 Paris Tour Revisited

In 1997 I was priviledged to be sponsored for a trip to Paris by my Getty Art Prof. Friend.
It was a 1/4 credit accelerated art history credit through University of Portland's "Art for Educators" program. It was 2 weeks of intensive art immersion solely in Paris with one excursion to Giverny - The home of Monet. I am looking at doing it again...if not next year, then perhaps the one after:

See tour details.

This is VERY similar to the trip I took back then as part of Portland States Curriculum.

I am hoping to find a way to save up to take my kids on this trip.
It has become a goal.

Dear Child of mine...

...even while the words were escaping your lips, I knew that you were lying.
The proof came 24 hours later.
It took only a few minutes for you to destroy a lifetime of trust.
Now, no matter what you say, I have NO foundation upon which to stand so that I can believe anything you say whether it is the truth or not.
You have destroyed any point of reference.

It will take you a VERY long time to rebuild that ability to trust, and rfrankly, its not
my problem to rebuild.
It's yours.
Are you going to even try?
If not then don;t pretend to have a right to
be offended if I am distrustful.
You are the one who shattered the trust.
Did you think yourself to be so clever as to not be found out immediately?
Do you not remember the old saying: "Moms have eyes in the backs of their heads"?
There is an excellent reason why this saying came to be.

And now...
what will you do?
Will you come forward and confess of your own accord before I am forced to confront you?
that is the only way to immediately begin rebuilding the road to trust.

I am waiting but will not wait forever.
I WILL call you out after a short time.


EPILOGUE:

Grace wins.
Peace comes from truth.
Truth rebuilds trust.
Construction has begun.

Fun Claymation

Kenzie found a cool claymation on Netflix instant watch the other night and it
is pretty danged good. It is called:


Max and Mary.

The link is only to the first trailer for it, but if you have netflix you can get it on instant watch.
Its really worth the watch.

The Quilt Abyss and it's Minions...

...have descended upon the town. Sometimes I just have to laff at the rudeness of these people who should be otherwise. I had to walk from one end of town to the other. No one...not a single person was willing to share the sidewalk with me. They kept walking 2 or 3 abreast and never even appeared to consider condensing to let on-coming walkers have room to pass without going out into the street while they hogged the sidewalk.
Ok.
Well what ever.

Then there was the lady that asked my friend at her bookstore, "Do I have to pay full price on this? I am a quilter. Don't you people have Quilter's Discounts?"

*Facepalm*

I actually proud of myself though.
There is a verse in the bible that says the equivalent of "Be nice to your enemies, because it will be like heaping hot coals on their heads, when you are nice to them and they are butt heads to you" (that was the Michelle paraphrase.)

So the way I get through quilt show is to take the concept and flip it around, by attacking the event itself with all the niceness I can imagine:

-By helping Wanda streamline the process of how the store works in order to SERVE these
naggy, self absorbed snitty creatures (instead of thwarting them?) ;o)

-By looking each creature in the eye, and trying to decipher their needs/wants and how to meet them in the most efficient way.

-By reminding myself of 2 things:
-This event only last for 1.5 weeks
-Repeating to myself, mantra-like, in the style fo the Matrix (there is no spoon) that
"There Is No Quilt Show, There No Quilt Show. There is no such thing as quilt show..."

Anyway, tomorrow I just have to survive it. Then it will be over for another year.

Why did I ever bother?

And what's more, why do I continue to?

Funky Animation: The Secret of Kells

Directed by Tomm Moore.

If you have NetFlix, search it.
Traditionally I have heard of the main character as "Aidan" as opposed to "Brendan", but even so, the animation is nutty.
I am liking it.

:o)

A trailer is Here.

And a blurb is written up Here.