Sunday, June 28, 2009
Playing with food
Lately I don't find appeal in very many of the goods that I find at the grocery store. So I am not well stocked with variety of food and am a little bit challenged sometimes to figure out what to eat. Today, I threw together what I had and it turned out quite well. Cooked some macaroni. Meantime, poured a can of tomatoes, a can of tomato soup, and most of a bag of slightly wilted spinach into a frying pan and and get it simmering. This is stuff that was left over from when I was buying everything, it's old. When it is going pretty good, pour in some frozen corn and continue simmering. When everything is sufficiently saucy, mix in the macaroni, turn off the heat, mix in a few pecans, and grate over the top some white cheese that was melted from being in my back pack during a hike, so it needs to be used right away. Put on the lid till it's nicely melted, then serve with some very fresh mushrooms that have been lightly sauteed in butter.
Bald eagle
Been spending a lot of time on Skyline Boulevard lately. I use that route to get to most of the parks that Maggie and I walk, which means we're driving it several times a week. Several days ago as we were rounding a corner not far from Chabot observatory, a bald eagle flew across the road only about fity feet up. Flew across and was immediately gone. Barely time to register.
dog days ;)
Okay, it's not dog days, it's just really hot. Yesterday when I invited K. to bring his dog with Maggie and me for a walk, he warned that the dogs would be in danger of heart attack walking in such heat. So we went without them. Of course, I selected a very shady route. Up redwood road to the main entrance to Redwood Park, where the "developed" parts are, requiring a dog to be on lead. Maggie had to do leash manners for over half a mile before she got to be free. But the on-leash part was the easy part of the walk -- near the stream where it's shady, there are stops for water, and the path is flat.
When we got to chown trail, we went up. It's still mostly shady, as you are in the middle of redwoods, and it's all switchbacks so it's not as steep as it would be if it went straight up, but definitely more challenging than the flat part next to the river. It was cool enough to be tolerable, especially with somewhat frequent puases. Turned right when we got to French trail, went along it only until we hit Fern, and then went back down. By the way, the Fern trail does have a lot of ferns. That's only a little more than a mile of off-leash for maggie, so not as much as usual. But boy was she ready for that fountain that the women's club installed in the middle of the park. She soaked her feet in the container that catches the water, drank her fill and also tried to splash some onto her belly. She didn't move away until I started "helping" her by splashing her a little.
So then along the stream trail again. stopping now and then to talk with other people enjoying the quiet and shade of the place. One group was very interested in my dog and accepted some education about dobermans, which I offered based on some misconceptions that were expressed. Which I used to think myself. Maggie was very well behaved on leash, I think mostly because the heat was taking most of her energy out of her. The day was cooling off just then, and by the time we were done it was around five.
After a bit of a sit-down, I called K. again and asked whether he wanted to take his dog with us to the marina. He did, and we stopped by the ?seabreeze? on the way, which the dogs always appreciate because they get some fries. By the time we got to the marina, it was cool enough for dogs to romp in full energy, and that is what they did. Dobermans unleashed! The two of them had an intense and lengthy romp and tussle together, resting almost not at all during the three rounds we did. By the time we left, I believe Maggie was actually tuckered out, something that doesn't happen very frequently.
Went over and worked in the garden at S's, hung out for a bit using the hammock and the hot tub and enjoying company. When we came home the bedroom was too stuffy and I had been enjoying being outside so much that I set up the air bed and memory foam outside and slept out there. Yes, Maggie's crate was out there, too. Way too noisy though.
This morning's walk was much worse as far as heat goes. We attended a group hike led by C., who usually goes for five miles minimum and often eight to ten miles. Today only about four, mainly because the heat was taking it out of all four of us people and the dog too. We started around nine, but the sun was already hot and there was not much shade along the route selected. We started at the stream train parking lot of Tilden, went mostly downhill along the bay area ridge trail until we hit the big springs trail, then followed it till Vollmer Peak trail. Stopped at a campground for water, as everyone was running low. Vollmer included somewhat shady parts for part of the way, thank god, as it was almost entirely uphill for that last leg. I was very happy to go to an air conditioned building afterwards.
And today I messed around a little bit with Owl.
When we got to chown trail, we went up. It's still mostly shady, as you are in the middle of redwoods, and it's all switchbacks so it's not as steep as it would be if it went straight up, but definitely more challenging than the flat part next to the river. It was cool enough to be tolerable, especially with somewhat frequent puases. Turned right when we got to French trail, went along it only until we hit Fern, and then went back down. By the way, the Fern trail does have a lot of ferns. That's only a little more than a mile of off-leash for maggie, so not as much as usual. But boy was she ready for that fountain that the women's club installed in the middle of the park. She soaked her feet in the container that catches the water, drank her fill and also tried to splash some onto her belly. She didn't move away until I started "helping" her by splashing her a little.
So then along the stream trail again. stopping now and then to talk with other people enjoying the quiet and shade of the place. One group was very interested in my dog and accepted some education about dobermans, which I offered based on some misconceptions that were expressed. Which I used to think myself. Maggie was very well behaved on leash, I think mostly because the heat was taking most of her energy out of her. The day was cooling off just then, and by the time we were done it was around five.
After a bit of a sit-down, I called K. again and asked whether he wanted to take his dog with us to the marina. He did, and we stopped by the ?seabreeze? on the way, which the dogs always appreciate because they get some fries. By the time we got to the marina, it was cool enough for dogs to romp in full energy, and that is what they did. Dobermans unleashed! The two of them had an intense and lengthy romp and tussle together, resting almost not at all during the three rounds we did. By the time we left, I believe Maggie was actually tuckered out, something that doesn't happen very frequently.
Went over and worked in the garden at S's, hung out for a bit using the hammock and the hot tub and enjoying company. When we came home the bedroom was too stuffy and I had been enjoying being outside so much that I set up the air bed and memory foam outside and slept out there. Yes, Maggie's crate was out there, too. Way too noisy though.
This morning's walk was much worse as far as heat goes. We attended a group hike led by C., who usually goes for five miles minimum and often eight to ten miles. Today only about four, mainly because the heat was taking it out of all four of us people and the dog too. We started around nine, but the sun was already hot and there was not much shade along the route selected. We started at the stream train parking lot of Tilden, went mostly downhill along the bay area ridge trail until we hit the big springs trail, then followed it till Vollmer Peak trail. Stopped at a campground for water, as everyone was running low. Vollmer included somewhat shady parts for part of the way, thank god, as it was almost entirely uphill for that last leg. I was very happy to go to an air conditioned building afterwards.
And today I messed around a little bit with Owl.
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