I am probably opening the door for a bunch of flack from all the soft hearted Bellinghamsters, for we are so used to the cold, rain, wind, damp, miserable temperatures that we are so accustomed to, once it warms up, watch out! The heat has been off the chart this last week, and I will come out and say that I enjoy it! Well all but trying to sleep in it. I am actually warm in a dress, can run around in a swim suit and swim in the lake without turning blue.
Bring on the heat.
I do feel for the people who cannot adequately cool themselves, our (and the many other little guys/gals) animals that are hot. Yesterday Sophee ( the loudest cat in the world ) had nothing to say to me, even when I was home for the entire afternoon. Natasha who also loves the heat had her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth with a pathetic look on her face. We are really close to having roasted chickens as well.
It will cool off next week, and before we know it I will have to wear ten layers and ski gloves on my ride to work. I am soaking in as much as I can now!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Squamish * then & now *
It is my lunch break, I know I should get up and look at something besides my computer but I am sucked into the history of Squamish through threads on supoer topo. If you are interested in the history of the climbing in Squamish and have several hours to kill check it out.Here is my last trip to Squamish with the ladies.
Getting my legs back under me at Octipuses Garden.
A perfect afternoon to do laps on Paul's Crack at the Malamute.
A little bouldering in the sunshine! Cutting Edge is oh so fun (props to the peeps who can actually send this problem...)
Monday, July 06, 2009
getting my whoops....
Because this is all I can think about this morning, it is all I want to do (well one of the many things that I want to do actually)...What a great weekend filled with friends, kids, bikes, DH, Whistler, Squamish bouldering, family, fireworks, and fun.
I will post some pictures of Birch Bay on the Fourth. Thanks to everyone who made the pilgrimage to the Bay to spend the fourth with us. Good times.
See the rest of you yahoos in Whistler next weekend!
Some reading for ya: State of the Park
Thursday, July 02, 2009
The Morning Glory
I never realize how spoiled I am by the Northwest addiction and thus perfection of coffee until I leave this corner of the country. In places that I have been in the south, or even just east of the mountains, an equal size town will have one good shop if you are lucky. There are coffee shops everywhere you turn and then there are some real coffee shops tucked away in Bellingham with award winning coffee and pastries that will just knock your socks off.
The top of my "most frequented coffee shop" list is The Black Drop Coffee House where the coffee is perfect. Avellino's is a close second; their espresso machine was taken out of a hotel on the east coast, it is big, beautiful and copper with a "Cronk" emblem on the side of it. They have a full bakery in the back and produce tasty treats half of which are gluten free, I skip those (out of all my crazy eating habits, I like my gluten in most baked goods). John goes **gaga** for their Morning Glory muffins (we stopped there this morning in fact and he got a warm one, I never thought much of them until I tried one. WOW! They have the perfect muffin.
The other night I had some extra time on my hands I tried to recreate the Avellino morning glory muffin, which is as John describes them " a bunch of really good things barely held together by the batter." Well I tried the following recipe, it is nowhere near the caliber of muffin that I wanted but never the less it was really tasty. I am still going to try and get closer to the muffin of my dreams, any one have a good recipe?
These muffins have a great shelf life and actually taste better a day after baking, when the flavors have melded. Store them at room temperature, covered, for up to 3 days, or freeze them for up to 2 months.
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
3/4 cup Raisins
1 large organic apple, peeled and grated
1 cup (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
3 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
Sift or whisk together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Add the coconut, raisins, apple, pineapple, carrots, and nuts, and stir to combine.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the oil and vanilla. Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and blend well.
Spoon the batter into muffin tins lined with muffin cups, filling each to the brim. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool muffins in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to finish cooling.
The top of my "most frequented coffee shop" list is The Black Drop Coffee House where the coffee is perfect. Avellino's is a close second; their espresso machine was taken out of a hotel on the east coast, it is big, beautiful and copper with a "Cronk" emblem on the side of it. They have a full bakery in the back and produce tasty treats half of which are gluten free, I skip those (out of all my crazy eating habits, I like my gluten in most baked goods). John goes **gaga** for their Morning Glory muffins (we stopped there this morning in fact and he got a warm one, I never thought much of them until I tried one. WOW! They have the perfect muffin.
The other night I had some extra time on my hands I tried to recreate the Avellino morning glory muffin, which is as John describes them " a bunch of really good things barely held together by the batter." Well I tried the following recipe, it is nowhere near the caliber of muffin that I wanted but never the less it was really tasty. I am still going to try and get closer to the muffin of my dreams, any one have a good recipe?
These muffins have a great shelf life and actually taste better a day after baking, when the flavors have melded. Store them at room temperature, covered, for up to 3 days, or freeze them for up to 2 months.
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
3/4 cup Raisins
1 large organic apple, peeled and grated
1 cup (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
3 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
Sift or whisk together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Add the coconut, raisins, apple, pineapple, carrots, and nuts, and stir to combine.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the oil and vanilla. Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and blend well.
Spoon the batter into muffin tins lined with muffin cups, filling each to the brim. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool muffins in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to finish cooling.
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