luna

Well......

Guess what I did?

I said yes to a kitten. 

Had you asked me a few years ago if we'd ever have a cat, I'd have told you NO WAY! 

I am not a cat person. I think for the most part, there are dog people, and there are cat people, with a few inbetweeners here and there. I'm for dogs all the way. But when you get an offer for a free kitten that looks like this.......you think well, maybe it will take care of those voles that are digging up around the house.....

And then maybe you decide that she's the most adorable thing ever, with her coat of every color and her GIANT ears.......and you call her Luna and take too many pictures for someone who is definitely not a cat person.....

or.....

am I?

welcome, Luna.

a sunset

We have spent the last few days backpacking on the Washington Coast....have you been to Washington? It's an incredible place. Are you from there? Lucky you!

Now I'm no world traveler, but I am most certain that the western half of United States is the absolute best place on Earth. We have it all--mountains, forests, deserts, plains, beaches.....I just love it out here and feel so lucky to call The West my home.

I have so many photos and stories to tell about this trip, and I first wanted to share this sunset and a few simple thoughts about the day we took it slow...

We'd hiked five miles this day. Down the beach, up cliffs into the rain forest and found the perfect campsite to call home for the night. We set up tents and spent a lazy afternoon on the beach, laying in the sand and dozing in and and out of conversation with friends. 

No phones, no gadgets, no service, no to-dos.

All clear.

We played ultimate frisbee on the beach, followed by a quick dip in the freezing cold ocean.

As the sun began to drop from the sky we headed out to the tide pools to explore the rocks and sea life.

Like kids we collected shells and stones to fill what little empty space we had in our packs. 

As the sun sank lower it bathed us in golds and oranges and pinks, and we stopped and watched it's final moments as it fell deeper, deeper, deeper, and was slowly swallowed up by the sea.

We made our way back to camp, the sky still pink and the sliver of a moon rising to replace the sun. 

Around the fire we ate and laughed until the moon chased the sun down into the ocean and thy sky was dark again.

A day with no schedule, no plans, nothing to do except just BE.

note: the real life sunset was exactly 1 million times prettier than these photos

I think this was the best sunset I have ever witnessed.....anytime, anywhere. 

It was in a beautiful place with best of friends and I was so happy I was able to stand there and be present in that moment, feet in the sand, eyes on the sinking sun.

"......walk away quietly in any direction......"

"Walk away quietly in any direction and taste the freedom of the mountaineer. Camp out among the grasses and gentians of glacial meadows, in craggy garden nooks full of nature's darlings. Climb the mountains and get their good tidings, Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. As age comes on, one source of enjoyment after another is closed, but nature's sources never fail."

-John Muir

You didn't think I was done posting about Yosemite did you? Too many pictures....

views from the valley floor

Vernal Falls and Mist Trail

Views from Tioga Pass

We just fell in love with Yosemite. Standing on the valley floor feeling the walls tower above us.....it's hard to compare it. Walking through the spray of water on the Mist Trail in the summer's heat, and hearing the roar of the falls right next to us.....we loved it. We left with dirty feet and warm memories and hopes to bring our family back there soon to "climb the mountains and get their good tidings."

the end.

questions from previous post: 

Did you have to make a reservation to camp? 

YES. There are some walk in sites around the park, but we wanted to have a reservation so we didn't spend all our time searching for a campsite. All the sites right IN the Yosemite Valley seem to be reserved months in advance (plus they are sooooo cramped) we stayed outside the valley in Crane Flat (still more cramped than we are used to camping.....but more space than in Yosemite Valley). There were some great looking campgrounds further away in the Tuolumne Meadows and Tioga Pass area if you don't mind being about an hour from the park.

What shoes do you hike in?

I love my Chacos
How do you carry your camera while hiking? What lenses do you use?
I just wear my camera the whole time. If it starts to rain, or get dark, or I'm done taking photos (rarely), I usually wrap it in a jacket and put it in my pack (on top).  I usually hike with my 35mm f/1.4. It's not too bulky and I can still get a semi wide shot. Some of these photos from the valley floor were taken with my 24-70--I love wide shots but that's a pretty big lens and I don't like to carry it if we are going too far. I use my 50mm f/1.4 from time to time on hikes--it's so small and light but I'm not able to get very wide shots.

See our hike to Yosemite Falls and Yosemite Point HERE

feelin hot hot hot

We got some rain the last few days! Evening thunder storms rolling in and crashing into the mountains. Lightening more spectacular than any firework show. Fresh air and cooler temperatures.....we've loved it.

Up until then it's just been HOT.... uunusually hot for our mountain town, and temperatures are climbing again. I planted my garden pretty late this year and my plants have been so sad and droopy the last few weeks. I've felt droopy with all this heat......so we made ice cream! And it was melting before we could finish our scoops....

(see? pile of melty ice cream) 

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Ice Cream Base

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup half and half

4 egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla 

 Add cream, half and half, and sugar to a medium saucepan. On medium high heat and stirring occasionally, heat the mixture to JUST before it boils and then remove from heat. In a separate large bowl, beat the egg yolks until pale yellow. Slowly pour the warm cream mixture in to the eggs, mixing as you pour. Return mixture back into saucepan and cook over low heat. Continue to stir and cook until a thermometer registers 170°F, and mixture coats the back of a spoon. Don't let the mixture boil. Pour the mixture through a sieve into a clean bowl, stir in vanilla. Refrigerate the ice cream base 2-3 hours or until it's cold all the way though. (You can set up an ice bath to put your bowl of ice cream base in to help it cool before you put it in the fridge.)

Caramel

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup half and half

1 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt

1 tsp pure vanilla

Add half and half, sugar, and salt to small sauce pan and cook on medium low heat until it starts to boil. Keep at a low boil for about six minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour into bowl and set over ice bath to help the cooling process. Once the caramel is at room temperature, add it to the chilled ice cream base and mix together.
Pour base into ice cream maker and follow manufactures instructions. 

Top with strawberries, and hurry and eat it before it melts!

What's your favorite kind of ice cream to make?

don't have an ice cream maker? try this ice cream pie with hot fudge instead!

feels like summer

4th of July. 

100% summer-y-ness. 

We filled our backpacks with towels and snacks and headed up the mountain to escape the holiday crowds and the heat. 

Past one lake, past another and another.....heading up the trail to our icy swimming hole.

We claimed our beach, spread our towels, and played in the water until our limbs were nearly frozen.

There were rocks to examine, logs to paddle around like boats, and sticks to throw for Charly.

 Then we stretched out under the sun and ate cherries and let the juice run down our arms. 

We came home and grilled and chopped and mixed for a family dinner outside. 

Dinner on the Porch:

Carne Asada Tacos with all the fixins (salsa, guac, cheese, cabbage)

Watermelon (of course) 

San Pellegrino (Limonata is my favorite)

Warm Zucchini, Corn, and Black Bean Salad

in a large pan with olive oil on medium high heat saute:

-2 medium zucchini, diced

-2 ears of corn, cut off the cob

-1 small red onion, diced

-1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

-2 garlic cloves, minced

-large pinch of coarse salt

when zucchini starts to get tender (I cooked mine for 7-8 minutes, but you can cook it as long as you like, depending on how small you diced it, and how firm you like it), add: 

-2 cups of black beans, drained and rinsed

cook for a few more minutes until beans are heated through. 

turn off heat and add:

-zest of 1 lime

-juice of 1 lime

-a large handful of chopped cilantro

mix together and enjoy!

dessert blogged next week!

We were lucky enough to have a front row seat to our town's firework show.....in our very own yard! We spread out blankets and watched the colorful explosions, and ran around with sparklers with friends until almost tomorrow.

Perfect summer day.

Happy Weekend!

happy 4th!

have a HAPPY 4th of July!

keepin it cool

our country swimming pool......they did this for almost two hours. 

Do you live in the West? So you are familiar with this crazy heat wave we are experiencing......hotttttttttttttttttt. 

We are trying to beat the heat by playing in the hose, non-stop popsicles, and ice cream with friends on the lawn until the sun dips behind the mountains.

How do you beat the heat?