Hike to Fourth of July Lake

Yesterday we headed north for about 50 miles to the Sawtooth Mountains and did a great hike up to the Fourth of July lake. Last year's fires scoured this area and driving the ten miles from the highway we traveled through burnt stands of pine and aspen. The aspen are regenerating madly (some plants more than 5' tall) and the wildflowers are intense. Great stands of purple flowers scattered through the tall skeletons of trees.

The hike itself mostly went through unburned territory but evidence of that fire and previous ones was omnipresent. The lake itself was beautiful and there were fish jumping enthusiastically at the hatch of caddis and grasshoppers. Too bad we had no rod although many of the hikers we met were carrying their's in. It looks like a popular backpacking area. Probably the last trips of the year, though. One backpacker mentioned being chased off the mountain last year on Sept 1 by snow and indeed, there were remnants of last year's snowfall still populating the higher peaks. It gets cold here at night -- 44 this am when Alan, Suz, and Rick got up to wish Jim off.

On our way back, we lunched at Galena where Jim was crushed to discover no River Bend lager -- they were reserving their last keg for a wedding that night. We consoled ourselves with other beverage selections and the usual tasty food, including the favorites french fries. At our table outside, the hummingbirds buzzed overhead -- not very far overhead! -- and battled for dominance at the feeder. A big green one appeared to be the boss.

Last night's dinner featured delicious lamb chops and a special bottle of wine Alan procured in honor of Jim's last night -- a magnum of Elderton Command Shiraz, which tasted a berry pie with a hint of mint. Yum. "It went awfully quickly," Alan said ruefully just now.

More flickr photos.

Arriving in Sun Valley

Yesterday we got up early for the flight to Sun Valley. Left the house at 7am and arrived here at 12:45pm--it's amazing that you can cross the country in about the same amount of time (or less) that it takes to get to Vermont. Suzy and Jimmy have the same great house and we settled into "our" bedroom with great enthusiasm.

It's unusually wet here (seems like it's that way everywhere but Atlanta), so there are wildflowers even in August, which is very unusual. There is a lot of damage from last year's fires and there is also a beetle infestation that is killing large swathes of trees.

Took a short hike yesterday and Alan is off fishing this morning at Silver Creek. Unfortunately, we discovered on packing for this trip that a whole bunch of reels and rods had been stolen from our fishing bag on our trip back from Vermont -- likely in Burlington when we had the delay. Really a bummer as the equipment isn't replaceable.

Tomatoes

Came home to our first crop of tomatoes.  So, far five of the plants are producing -- three prolifically -- while two died or were pulled and two haven't fruited.  One of the producers is wilting badly, however -- I may have to pull it, at least away from its neighbor which is the best producer.

Day at Sea Ranch

After a great night's sleep, we got up this morning for coffee and email overlooking the ocean. A fawn and doe wandered by as our brains gradually accustomed themselves to the prospect of another day (luckily, Jenn wakes up as slow as I do). After a bit, we went down to Jenn's aunt and uncle's house for another cup of coffee and general catching up.

The day was misty, with fog covering the houses at Sea Ranch, when we set out on our coastal walk. We headed north past the seals, who were doing their usual reclining on the rocks (Jenn remarked that humans really hadn't figured out the best approach to life), and continued on for a good bit before turning around. Total walking time was about an hour and a half. Good thing Jenn's aunt gave us sunscreen as we both got sun, directly and through the clouds.



After our walk, we headed north to Mendocino -- a curvy drive along US 1. Jenn's been a trouper doing all the driving. I enjoyed the views and examining the towns passed along the way. It gets pretty remote up there and there was ample evidence of the recent fires, with signs thanking fire fighters along the road. Once in Mendocino, we got lunch at a nice restaurant (shrimp with artichokes and pasta for Jenn, fish tacos for me) and then walked around touring art galleries and shops. I got a scarf and a small something for Alan (not to be disclosed here!).

Stopping on our way back for basil and mozzarella to go with tomatoes from Jenn's aunt, I found my favorite chardonnay. Sorry, Alan, TSA won't let me bring any home!

flickr

On the road again....to California

For once, I was the one leaving Alan behind in Atlanta, heading off to California to visit my friend Jenn who had a week off from work and needed a playmate. We are currently up at Sea Ranch at Jenn's Mom's house, which is beautiful. It's a lovely area, right now under its customary morning fog. We hope to have a bit of a hike along the coast in a bit. For now, coffee beckons.


On our way up, we stopped in San Franciso to see the Chihuly exhibit at the de Young. It was a kind of retrospective of his work over the last 25 years. I particularly liked some pieces that were inspired by Indian baskets. Those didn't photograph that well, though.


Jenn's daughter is currently in Beijing playing with her high school band as part of the festivities. Sounds like the Chinese are being rather restrictive with their activities, including not allowing them any audiences for their performances at Tianamen Square and the Great Wall. Not surprisingly, when allowed out for the women's soccer match between China and Sweden, they rooted for Sweden. :-) Unfortunately, China won.

These are some shots from last night's sunset.

Georgia on our mind

We are coming -- sadly -- to the end of our camp stay, but have enjoyed the time here and with family and friends. As Laura and her family took their leave Thursday morning, we prepared for the arrival of Thomas, as friend from Atlanta, who was enjoying a northern car journey. First time for Georgia plates at Camp! Thomas had the chance to enjoy a sampling of camp joys -- swimming, boating, kayaking, puzzling, and, of course, eating, particularly at Quimby's Friday night lobster cookout. Our tablemanaged to put away four lobsters, thank you very much, plus steak, amazing bean salad, and the usual wonderful clam chowder. Ah, and Thomas was introduced to the joys of Quimby's spice cake. After dinner, we sojourned down to Big Rock for an amazing sunset; it is so wet here that there was a small stream flowing beside the road to Big Rock. So, so wet. Hiking is just not fun or advisable given the damage to the trails.

Come morning, we all got up early and decided to head over to Coaticook for some coffee and a glimpse of the bridge across the gorge, the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the world, according to the sign. It was a beautiful sunny morning and the farms in Quebec are just so gorgeous -- we enjoyed the drive.

Back at camp, Thomas took his leave and we headed over to Colebrook for lunch at Howard's (lamenting the loss of Bessie's Diner all the way). Afterwards, we wandered through Stewartstown Day and visited Hans at the arts fair. We hope to hook up with he and Inge in September when our visits will overlap.


The final highlight of the day was finishing the balloon puzzle that Beverly had started. She did the ballons...leaving us the green trees. Thanks, Bev. :-) It was truly one of the harder puzzles I have ever done.

Last night dinner was succulent -- Jacques' beer can chicken prepared by Alan. Yum!

Papelousu Luau

Since Mark, Laura, Spencer, and Andrew joined us on Monday, we've been having a lot of fun. The kids took to camp like a loon does to water and have been tearing up the place, making sand forts, swinging, and climbing. They liked the kayak rides but remain unconvinced about the wisdom of swimming in cold lake waters. To be fair, where they come from there are alligators in the lakes.

We threw out the minnow trap and caught a good 35 crayfish yesterday. Had fun making pools and dumping them in and then watching them escape. They can really get going once they're waterborne.

Last night, thanks to Jenn's largesse, we enjoyed a Papelousu luau complete with coconut drinks. The kids loved it and the parents liked it as well. As usual, the food was excellent -- pork tenderloins on the grill, green beans, corn, and fresh salad. For dessert, a wonderful berry crisp that Jenn had left for us. Ooh, it was yummy.