Tall Tales from Kansas

the ending of summer is not the time for refinement and genteelness

Just in case you were wondering, at the end of the summer, if you come home with a big bright  bouquet of flowers, it is appropriate to arrange them in your most colorful vase and then place them on the table which you have topped with a table runner that is perhaps even bolder than the bouquet.

On a similar note, I also encourage excesses with the end of summer BLT's.  You will note the two layers of tomatoes because one was not enough.

The ending of summer is not the time for refinement and genteelness. 

p.s.  A true friend would NOT comment on the fact that I didn't get all the grease off the bacon before I plopped it on the sandwich.  

a great white and a green zebra

A sure sign of the end of summer is when butternut squash makes an appearance mixed in among the eggplant, okra, and peppers at the farmers market. 

Some of the vendors also had signs up to remind us that next week is the beginning of fall market hours.   That means the bell doesn't ring to open the market until 8am.   The good news is there IS still some summer left as evidenced by the patty pan squash, a resurgence of radishes, zydeco music, and dancing girls.

And the heirloom tomatoes.  There are some beautiful heirloom tomatoes.  This week I got a Cherokee purple and two I have never seen, much less tasted before - a great white and a green zebra.  

Cherokee purple and green zebra are getting made into BLT's for Monday night supper.  Great white is slated for a capresse salad for lunch on Tuesday.  During tomato season it's important to eat tomatoes every single solitary day of the week. 

sweet tomatoes, crispy bread, bold and salty parmigiano-reggiano

This morning, with 7 tomatoes needing to be turned into something good, I put on my thinking cap.  I really wanted to make tomato pie or sweet and spicy tomato jam but I kinda wanted to try a new recipe.  

I remembered seeing something about scalloped tomatoes this week in my blog reader so I started searching.   

Lordy we have had some good tomatoes this year.  All but one of these are celebrity's.  I like the flavor of the pink girls just fine too but that plant hasn't produced nearly the fruit that the celebrity has. 

I used smitten kitchen's recipe and did not change one thing.  Perfection is what this recipe is. 

There is nothing not to like about it.  Sweet tomatoes, a hint of basil, crispy bread, and some bold and salty parmigiano-reggiano all come together to create one heavenly side dish.

I was too busy eating to get a picture of what I served up on my plate.  I will tomorrow morning though; when I scoop some up and top it off with a poached egg.  I am going to bed right now and go to sleep immediately so breakfast time will come very, very, fast. 

Sister I will be making this for dinner one night when we are on our Grand Tour of California.  You will be responsible for the avocados that will be served on the side.

free floating minds and endless possibilities

I hope you have your picnic baskets all packed up and ready to strap to your bikes first thing in the morning.  With a map of a route that will take you down by a stream where you can lay out your quilt and set up "camp".  Activities to include gathering sunflowers, staring up at the clouds, and letting your mind float freely. 

Free floating minds and endless possibilities are what weekends were made for. 

such an unlikely, and thoroughly likable, trio

If you are in the mood for an engrossing detective story, with good guys and bad guys, that contains phrases you want to write down so you can start incorporating them into your everyday repertoire; run out right now and get yourself a copy of Mr. Mercedes. 

Stephen King is one of my literary heroes.  I have mentioned him before here and (I was going to say here again, but for some reason I can NOT find my review of 11/22/63 which was one of my favorite reads of  all time).  But I digress.   Stephen King knows how to build the backstory into what is happening with the characters as the story moves forward, leaving you with a feeling you know them.  Bill Hodges, Jerome Robinson, and Holly Gibney are forever etched into my mind.  Such an unlikely, and thoroughly likable, trio.

So you can imagine my DELIGHT when I found out that Mr. King had a master plan when he created the Bill Hodges character and decided to do a trilogy.   AND that the second book Finders Keepers was released in June.  AND that it is available in audiobook at my favorite library.  Even if there are 6 other holds ahead of me.  I am a patient woman.  Ask Chris.  

while wearing a ten gallon hat

This 2 year old whippersnapper, who doesn't need a set of six shooters to get things done, was busy today.  Busy getting her new routine down now that her 5 1/2 year old twin brothers are in all-day kindergarten and she doesn't have them to pal around with. 

In addition to playing with all their trucks, rescue-bots, and transformers she is getting acquainted with her pink KitchenAid.  While wearing a ten gallon hat.  Because that is what she thought the occasion called for, and Katharine Ray always knows best. 

photo credit:  Krissy Moss Watson

given our combined skills and stamina

Sandwiched between 2 of my new bird friends, are the last snapshots of our trip to Oregon.  For now.  I have already begun to weave together a Portland/Astoria/Canon Beach trip that may happen in the next year. 

Oh.  By the way.  A thin layer of crunchy peanut butter on a graham cracker topped off with a melty, slightly charred, marshmallow is oh so good and tasty.  The question is can sister and I make a fire on the beach?  I watched Gary and James very closely when they built our beach bonfire and feel certain, given our combined skills and stamina, we can do it.  Plus, I have Dottie's number on speed dial if we need long distance guidance.  

mostly it's about the music

If you were alive between the years 1969 and 1971, and you knew someone who owned a television set, chances are pretty good that the line "I'm a-pickin", followed by "and I'm a-grinnin", sounds somewhat familiar to you.  Yep.  I am not ashamed to admit the Moss clan caught an episode or two of Hee-Haw in it's heyday. 

I was transported back there this weekend at the Kansas State Fiddling and Picking Championships in Lawrence.  In addition to dancing and toe-tapping, there was some mighty fine playing.  Even if Buck Owns and Roy Clark weren't there.

People bring their chairs or blankets and settle in for a spell.  There might be bubbles to make and popsicles to eat and special occasion hats to wear too. 

But mostly it's about the music, and watching people enjoy the music, in whatever way makes the most sense to them. 

I kid you not

Girls with bouquets, purple and yellow peppers, and egg-sellers in training were at the market on Saturday. 

There were also more peaches along with a great selection of apples and pears. 

When I asked this cute apple selling couple if I could take their picture, the young woman said "wait let me get the baby too" which of course delighted me even more. 

Soulful singers and girls in special outfits with matching sandals and sunglasses rounded out the market experience this week. 

Purchases include, but were not limited to, what you see below.  

I am not going to make those apples into this cake.  I am not.  At least not until every ounce of the peach crisp is gone.  Which by the way is perfect for breakfast with a side of plain greek yogurt.  I kid you not. 

segregated visiting hours

In order of importance, the following things which have not previously been reported on, have happened in the last week:  new Nike's (v.v.v. comfortable), s'mores at home (I have been told I must try with peanut butter and also use nutella instead of hershey bar - can this be true?), visits from the Harvey boys, pickled cucumbers made with thin skinned middle eastern cucumbers (delicious!), dead begonias replaced with alive impatiens (pretty), and a visit from a bunny. 

P.S.  Bunny foo-foo and Harvey boys have segregated visiting hours. 

P.P.S  Nike's are  Air Zoom Pegaus 32.  I am a Pegasus devotee and have turned my sisters into believers too.

I only add ice cream when I am eating it for dessert

Have you been wondering what I did with the almost half a peck of peaches I bought last week at the farmers market?   If you have read on, if you haven't just look at the pictures.  After that you may want to read too.  

When I was inspecting the peaches, a few felt a bit firm, so I put them all in a sealed paper bag and left them on the counter for a day. 

Then I did the "boiling water ice bath skin slipping trick" previously described here.  It's a winner.  If you haven't done it before, it's life changing.  OK maybe not that dramatic, but it's certainly easier than any other method I have previously tried.

You will want to be sure and place your baking dish on a cookie sheet before you put it in the oven. 

I can't abide a crisp that is too sickly sweet or one with a crust that is gloppy and goopy.  Which is why this is my new "go-to" peach crisp recipe.  The cranberries in the topping add a chewy sour note that when combined with the brown sugar and slivered almonds make it just right.  I also like the big slices of peaches that can stand up to the crust.  The one thing I did different on the recipe is... I had a bunch of peaches, about twice as many as I needed.  So I followed the recipe for what to add to the peaches but I used 6 pounds instead of 3 and froze 1/2 of the mixture to make another crisp with this winter.  I stuck to the recipe as is for the topping. 

In case you are wondering, I only add ice cream when I am eating it for dessert.  This was a small afternoon snack. 

powerful true stories of women who survived the Holocaust

I just this afternoon finished reading The Nightingale.   My friend Joan told me about it after her daughter Lori told her she must read it.   Lori was right.  I can recommend it highly.  It's a novel that tells the story of 2 French sisters in WWII. 

Every single time I read a book about the Nazi's in WWII and the Holocaust I am reminded of Isaac Feinsilver.   I wrote about him once before after we visited the Dohany synagogue in Budapest in 2011.   After meeting him, I asked my niece Beth (who has a masters in Holocaust Studies), to recommend some books I could read to better educate myself.  She told me about these.

These are two, very powerful, true stories of women who survived the Holocaust.  If you have read The Nightingale and loved it, I highly recommend you get them.  I just took both off my bookshelves to begin re-reading. 

'expanding my doodle vocabulary"

Today I did a deep dive into Pam's Creative Sketchbooking class on Creative Bug.  It was like having my own private art retreat with Pam and Mary Ann, except I could pause Pam whenever I wanted too and rewind her to watch again.   I sat in the living room drinking coffee and watched all 4 classes and then, sufficiently inspired, I gathered supplies.

Including these acrylics that have not seen the light of day in quite some time.  Please forgive the state of my acrylic palette.  I gave up long ago trying to clean it between uses. 

Next I started on the mesmerizing "task" of cutting some triangle shapes. 

After which, I mixed up a drink, cued up the class, got out the sketchbooks and a pen, and followed right along. 

This is my favorite kind of class.  It's all about the process and just having fun.  I am picking up new tips though... things like "color balance on the page" and "expanding my doodle vocabulary". 

None of this is finished, although I did decide the butterfly I started some weeks back during facetime sketchtime needed a creative sketchbooking triangle border.  I love going back to old pages and adding new elements. 

Tomorrow I am headed back for more hi-jinx.  I am not sure of anything I am doing except that I am enjoying the heck out of myself and that is what days off were made for. 

a superior full-coverage end result

On every family vacation, when it is Janelle and Steve's night to cook, Janelle feels it is crucial to include games as part of their "hosting" duties.   This vacation was no different.  Here she is providing some direction to Gary and James as they set out on round 1 of the shaving cream cheese ball toss. 

They each chose a different strategy in the application of the shaving cream to Morgan and Cori's heads... hoping for a surface area that would attract and retain the most cheese balls. 

Then they stepped back 10 paces and it was time for see how many cheese balls they could toss onto their carefully coiffed partners heads.   

After 90 seconds and much heckling it was declared a tie and the girls were released and allowed to remove their shower caps.  At this point Janelle pointed at Ann and I, snapped her fingers, and said "you two are up next".  

Knowing we were not getting out of playing, we quickly determined it made much more sense to put the shaving cream on Chris and Dan. 

And, instead of throwing the cheese balls one at a time,  using the "whole handful plastering" method.

Resulting in, I am sure you will agree, a superior,  full-coverage end result.  I would also like to point out the extreme waste of cheese balls scattered around Dan and the very messy application technique employed by Ann.  Which I do believe made me the clear winner. 

some of the hikers in our party might argue with me on this point

The rocky coast of Oregon certainly afforded some lovely views of water.  AND the walks along the beach could not be beat.   Observing the habits of sea birds was quite entertaining as well.

But I would be remiss if I did not also report on the lovely hikes that are to be enjoyed in the old growth forests.  We saw amazing Sitka spruces and western hemlocks not to mention ferns and all manner of interesting growth on the forest floor.   

One of the nicest things about these hikes were well marked trail heads and good descriptions of the skill level required (some of the hikers in our party might argue with me on this point, but you can trust me).  The photos above of the forest are either from the trails around the Cape Perpetua visitors center or the trail around the campground at Beverly Beach state park.  You can't go wrong with any of these. 

until I decided I needed three

After a two week absence from the farmers market,  I was welcomed back on Saturday by a harp-accompanied rendition of Edelweiss.  It was sung in a pure, sweet, soprano by this young woman who may, for all I know, be a distant relative of the von Trapp family.   Magical. 

Equally beautiful were the selection of heirloom tomatoes.

I also saw some cute baby cucumbers and big beautiful melons.

But maybe the most enticing sight was this amazing display of peaches.  I ended up getting a bigger than necessary basket.   I couldn't resist.  

I was only going to get one bouquet of flowers too.  Until I decided I needed three. 

this caused me to risk life and limb this morning, and climb on top of the rock wall to cut them back with my machete

This week I finally, finally, finally, made a balsamic reduction.   I am now enjoying the fruits of my labor.  Very little labor actually, and a whole lot of fruits.

Pour the balsamic vinegar in a pan, add a pinch of sugar, bring it to a quick boil, turn it to simmer, go upstairs and edit photos, tell Chris to keep an eye on it.   It just makes the vinegar a teeny bit less tart, a little bit sweet, velvety smooth, and it clings better to the tomato, mozzarella, and basil.   Kale and quinoa salads have been officially replaced by what you see above. 

While Chris was stirring and I was editing photos I decided the shot above is my favorite "foggy coast sunset" of the 526 I took.   Each night while we were in Oregon we would all go out to the deck with our cameras and discuss whether this night would be THE night of the perfect sunset.  Kind of like when we went to Sedona, and went out each night to get THE shot of the sun going behind the mountains.   It's as much about the speculation and trash talk about who is going to get the best shot, as it is about the actual photo.  

While we were gone the morning glorys got a little out of control.   They will creep over anything in their path if left to their own devices.  This caused me to risk life and limb this morning, and climb on top of the rock wall to cut them back with my machete.

After that I was weak and tired and had to make a drink, look at flowers, and begin to coordinate the self-taught intensive tide pool exploration. 

I hope your Saturday has been equally exciting. 

Val, the yaquina head lighthouse volunteer

There is something very nostalgic about lighthouses.  They evoke the seafaring ways of days gone by ... or some such like that.  The thought of a little lighthouse on a rocky coast with a loyal and trustworthy operator keeping ships safe from the perils of the sea.  I'll stop there, you get the idea.  There were several along the Oregon coast we visited. 

What I'll tell you is it's hard to get a good shot of a lighthouse up close.   Especially one that's crowded with visitors all trying to get the perfect shot as well.   I tried from a number of perspectives.  Then I just gave up and stuck with the long shots. 

This is Val, the Yaquina Head Lighthouse volunteer.  She had some coast-scopes (telescopes trained on the seals and the birds on the coast) set up for people to look through.  The seals were interesting but the Cormorants were my favorite to look at.  Lucky no one was behind me in line and Val said it was my tax dollars at work and I could look as long as I wanted. 

There weren't any volunteers like her at the Haceta Head lighthouse.   But there was a cute boy.  Whose mom's carried him up the path to the lighthouse when his legs had just as much as they could take.   To his credit my legs got a little tired too.  I was going to ask Chris to give me a piggyback ride but thought better of it. 

My favorite shot of Haceta head lighthouse was from seal cave on down the road a bit.  Looking at it through the mist and fog make you appreciate the need of a good navigational aid.       

a three day self-taught intensive exploration of tidepools

If I was forced to select only one favorite Oregon coast experience, it would have to be the tidepools. 

From a distance when all you see is the exposed rocky coast (I mean sedimentary and metamorphic rocks), you may wander what all the fuss is about, but when you get up close and personal and catch a glimpse of what is clinging to the rocks and in the water, it is totally ah-maze-zing.

Previously I had only seen a few small tidepools around Santa Barbara and believe me, I thought those were cool. 

The diversity of life in these tidepools was just greater.  I had never seen purple sea urchins before.  Or so many different looking starfish.  Not to mention the anemones, barnacles, and clams. 

It's hard to comprehend that these tidepool dwellers are able to live in the cold and the warm, and the wet and the dry, and the fresh and salty conditions they are exposed to.  Talk about resilient. 

Bottom line rating:  If you only have one day to visit the Oregon coast be sure you get thee to a tidepool.  I am actually considering enrolling myself in a 3 day self-taught intensive exploration of  tidepools.  Sister shall I sign you up too?  

I was attracted by that groovy peace sign

When on the Oregon coast, we skipped down from Waldport to Florence one day.   While we were checking out the place, I happened upon 2 really good things that I must report on.  Thing number one was this old mason jar which is where everything I collected on the beach while in Oregon is going to be stored.  

Well almost everything.  Some of the sand dollars don't fit.  They are going to be displayed on a bone plate right next to the jar.  For picking up and examining more closely.  The insides are as interesting as the outsides. 

Thing number 2 is this fabulous little piece of embroidery that was for sale for TWO DOLLARS!   Check out that sweet crocheted edge.  I love owning a piece of embroidery that I feel certain was stitched by an Oregonian as she sat in her waterfront cottage watching the tide roll in and out.  

On the way to Florence, as the 101 veers inland towards, you can see the rocky coast turn into sandy dunes.  In town there is a very cool drawbridge with a most excellent coffee shop underneath it. 

There are also nice boats to look at, pretty flowers, and nautical motifs.

In case you want to look for your very own sand dollar mason jar, I found mine right here.  I was attracted by that groovy peace sign in the window.

It has been my experience that you can always find good stuff at places with an off-beat hippy vibe to them.  This time was no exception.   

the perfect side dish for anything you are serving for supper this summer

Is this, or is this not, the loveliest little "pink girl" tomato you have ever seen in your entire life?  Such a perfect specimen.  

Because I know you will want to examine if from all angles,  there it is on the right as compared to one of the "celebrity" tomatoes on the left.   Hard to tell them apart from the inside. 

I accidentally picked a green one when I was gathering up the ripe ones for the salsa.  You know what that means.  More fried green tomatoes.  Oh darn.  

This right here made up about 5 cups of fresh salsa.  Just the right amount for one week.  Gulp.  I swear I could drink the stuff.   It is the perfect side dish for anything you are serving for supper this summer.  Here is a link to the recipe I posted last year when we made it.  Positively addicting.  You have been warned. 

looking a gift horse in the mouth

Not being able to walk on the beach right outside my door is the thing I am going to miss most about our time on the central coast of Oregon.   Do you suppose you get tired of it, when you can do it every single day of the year if the spirit moves you?  I want the chance to test that out sometime. 

For those of you who asked, our rental house was tucked in between Waldport and Yachats.  Right off the 101 on a nice piece of sandy coastline.  In addition to the waves, and the birds, and the fresh ocean breezes, I also liked all the "beach/ocean" decor I spotted along the highway.       

I am planning to do more posts about the places we went and what we enjoyed most about our trip.  But right now I am officially in re-entry phase.   Unpacking, getting laundry done, doing some gardening chores.  You know the drill.  We also came home to an abundance of tomatoes that show no signs of making themselves into salsa.

Someone asked what knitting project I was taking along on this trip.  Answer is:  the wingspan scarf.  I am using this yarn  in the 791 (sea isle) colorway.   I am on the 3rd of 8 triangles that make up the pattern.  So far so good.  I thought it might come in handy to have this done in the event that I take another trip to the ocean in the next few months.  

Each night as we waited on the deck for the sun to set, I kept hoping for one of those famous carpbeach instagram sunsets.  We never did get one.  Maybe it's too foggy on the central oregon coast for that kind of sunset?  No matter.   Let's face it, pretty much any sunset across the water is nice.  

I don't ever want it to be said that I was looking a gift horse in the mouth. 

if you are in need of a cat fix while in the area

Somehow, in between the time I took a few hundred photos at The Connie Hansen Garden in Lincoln City Oregon and today, the pictures have gone missing. Has this ever happened to you?

Luckily I have a few shots on my iPhone because I really want you to go if you are in the vicinity.

It was started by a botanist from San Francisco in the 1970's and is now maintained by a conservancy.

Even though I somehow ended up with no pictures on my Nikon, I have many images in my mind AND I did come away with some special seeds to plant in my own garden in the spring.

This is a small treasure that I did not expect to find on the Oregon coast. If you are in the vicinity it is definitely worth a visit.  You can spend a quick 10 minutes to see what's new or a leisurely hour exploring every inch of the place.

This cat lives across the street. If you are in need of a cat fix while in the area.

I am perfectly happy with halves and quarters

Last night I had my first ever s'more by a bonfire, on a beach, on the Oregon coast.
 
 

I don't know if I am the only moss sister who hadn't had one until now or not, but if there was ever a time and a place for the first one, this was it. Ooey, gooey, melty, rich, chocolatey goodness. There will be more of these in my future.
 


This morning on the beach there were moats that survived the night tides and elaborately designed sand castles awaiting what today will bring.
 

Lighthouses, bridges, scenic vistas, and cute little espresso places rounded out the day.
 

I am also slowly building a collection of sand dollars to join the shells, stones, and sea glass from Carpinteria, Summerland, and Santa Barbara.
 

It is highly unlikely that I will find a whole one. Luckily I am perfectly happy with halves and quarters.

over-achievers those two

When the Mulvenon's go on vacation we each take a night cooking and it's "game-on". So far on this trip we have had maple chipotle glazed pork with smoked Gouda grits, and roasted asparagus prepared by Dan & Ann. Chris and I fixed chicken tostadas with Angie's Spanish rice and home-made salsa. Tonight Steve & Janelle are pulling out all the stops.
 

Here is what they are fixing:
Smoked gouda jalapeno poppers, caprese salad on a stick, and stuffed mushrooms round out the appetizer course.  This will be followed by marimonte salad and marinated grapes. The main course is spaghetti and meatballs with homemade marinara sauce and american garlic bread. For dessert they have prepared key lime sorbet and option # 2 is s'mores prepared ocean side. All of this will be washed down with Rombauer Chardonnay and Zinfandel.
 

Plus they brought along their own personal sous chef.  Over-achievers those two.

filling up my eyes

The beauty of Oregon has me speechless tonight. From the ocean outside the back door to the tide pools of Cape Perpetua. Beauty upon beauty upon more beauty.
 

I am filling up my eyes.

the brothers from Idaho

This morning I got out of bed and headed out into the fog.

 
Fog ahead, fog behind, fog to the left, and fog to the right. A lovely start to the day. Exploring the ocean without your eyes is a whole new experience. Other highlights of the day include a visit from a gull, the search for a sand dollar, a trip to seal cave, coastal views, and cocktails of course.
 

My favorite part of the day was meeting Shawn and Joe. The brothers from Idaho. First time sand castle builders. Waiting to see if their moat would hold against the incoming tide.
 

The joys of experiencing the beach for the first time, what could be better. 

 

off to a splendid start

Since we have arrived in Oregon I have seen mountains, walked on the beach, eaten some amazing french toast, admired flowers, and met a cat!!!

 

All in the first 24 hours. We are off to a splendid start.

happy saturday from the sunflower state

On my list of things to do sometime before I cruise into my last sunset is plant some sunflowers.  The other day when we were driving around I spotted these beauties. 

A field of sunflowers is something amazing to see, but I get pretty happy seeing a smaller grouping in town as well.  Note to self:  over the winter research what kind of seeds you should get and do it.   Happy Saturday from the Sunflower State!