GOING FOR THE GOLD! TEAM USA VS TEAM CANADA IN ICE HOCKEY - SUNDAY
Dark Days Challenge Week 15
I love the look of chopped red cabbage. Also like the way it tastes with my dressing on it.
This week there have been several meals that qualified for the challenge but all are things I've made and pictured before. I figured you didn't need to see another photo of flank steak or beef short ribs smothered in my BBQ sauce. We also had Butternut squash soup with chard and bacon.
I slow cooked a pork roast in white wine with Yukon gold potatoes and carrots.
So I did a lot of cooking but nothing seemed to stand out for a photo, except the red cabbage.
We are flying to St. Louis tomorrow for five days to see Mark and Julia. Looking forward to seeing their house and their new city. I will be back to finish the Dark Days Local Challenge, but I am looking forward to spring and summer vegetables. Aren't we all.
Signs Of Spring At My House
The pink blossoms are on our miniature peach tree, which rarely produces peaches but does a heckuva job of producing beautiful flowers.
Not quite sure what the white flowering trees are. Some are on our property; some on the neighbor's land. I took the photo from our back deck near dusk so they look pretty ethereal.
This, to me, is the best part of living in California. We don't have to wait too long for the spring blooms to appear. These photos were taken on Feb. 24. Every where I look there are blossoms.
The sun is out so it's time for some more gardening. Yesterday I fertilized my bulbs and trimmed a few things. Today I turn my attention to our orchard. It's only three trees, two apple and a pear that produces four kinds of pears. Anything more than one tree, in my mind, becomes an orchard. We get two days of rain after that so it's a good time to fertilize.
New Purse And iPhone
I love the purse and the phone. The purse means I still don't need a wallet. I still have plenty of room in the front pocket, under the heart, to store my new iPhone. It's not much bigger than my last Brighton bag that I had for five years.
Len waited on me again at the AT&T store. I reminded him that I was the person who had to find a new purse before I could get the phone. I showed him the purse; he thought it was excellent. Who knows what he will tell his wife tonight. We made sure the phone fit in it and then I bought it. Haven't spent this much money in one day in a long time.
Now I need to spend some time setting up my phone, which is also an iPod.
Another Art Quilt
This one is another Rose Hughes pattern. It's 24 x 48 inches. Now that I've done two of her patterns, I'm ready to branch out and design one myself. I've been working on that about a week. The working title for that one is "Lily pads." It's 48 by 38 inches and is an abstract view of a pond (without algae for those of you who know what our ponds are like).I was going to work on one depicting a cottage and its garden in the Cotswold but decided it was time to do my own thing.
If you click on this one you should be able to see more detail in the beading and embroidery.
Quilting Bee this a.m. and then off to search for the perfect purse for an iPhone, which I have yet to buy. Hopefully I'll find the purse and then get the phone.
Top Shelf Customs Sportster
Photoshoot for Barnett Magazine of the Sportster the guys over at Top Shelf Customs recently finished.
Tim Martin Triumph-Classic Cycles
Went to Classic Cycles in Orange to meet Tim Martin to shoot his Triumph for a upcoming feature in Greasy Kulture Magazine. Thank you to Andy Dunn for helping set up the shoot and Tony Dunn for being at the shop on your day off. Tony and Andy opened Classic Cycles about 3 years ago. Tony was telling me before that shop he would work out of his garage and after Andy moved out of the house was building bikes in his garage too. So Tony suggested that if Andy would help out with the rent that they would open a shop. Check out their website at www.classiccyclesinc.com or contact them at: 2199 N Batavia #J, Orange, Ca 92865. Shop Phone: 714-974-1438.
Dark Days Challenge Week 14
It was so wonderful to find asparagus at our farmers market on Saturday. At first I wasn't sure that I was seeing right. I looked at the sign over the vendors head...yes, local and, yes, organic.
So our Dark Days Challenge dinner featured the first asparagus of the season (simply steamed) along with barbecued flank steak smothered in homemade barbecue sauce.
Pretty simple meal but that's what being a locavore is all about...simplicity.
Went wine tasting today at a local winery. One of the owners is on the Placer County Ag Commission. We talked a lot about being locavores. This is not a huge winery. Both husband and wife have day jobs.
Met a woman there who didn't know about a local fishmonger who brings salmon, crab, shrimp and scallops fresh from Alaska and Baja. No farm raised fish. I recently heard that a South American fish farm (don't remember where) had some kind of disease. You know things are bad when even the fish are not healthy.
I think of the first asparagus as the harbinger of warm weather. And being a locavore is a harbinger of meeting many new people and sharing information. I'm glad we have year-round farmers markets.
Farmers Market Purchases
And yes, that's asparagus grown locally and organically. This is just one more reason to live on the West coast. Those slender little darlings will be part of our dinner tonight. Also got chard, leeks, carrots, apples, broccolini, popping corn, and red cabbage. This time it's a small cabbage so we won't spend a whole week eating it. The egg lady was sold out again; she gave me her phone number so I can call her next Friday to reserve a dozen eggs for Saturday.
I didn't include Kerry's purchase in the picture; he bought Kettle Korn. Mr. Diabetes bought a boat load of carbs.
It's cloudy here with a promise of rain and clouds for most of the week.
Monday we order our meat from the meat club. Gotta check the freezer to see what we need. I think I'll get my eggs there. Next Saturday we are flying to St. Louis to visit Julia and Mark so won't get to the market. Looks like a heat wave in St. Louis while we are there; highs in the low 40s.
USA Vs. CANADA-OLYMPICS-ICE HOCKEY
Team USA vs. Team Canada Hockey. The big showdown. Tomorrow at 7:45.
10 Questions In 10 Minutes with Nate Yeomans
I spent last Thursday morning down in San Clemente with Pro Surfer Nate Yeomans. Nate has just qualified for the WCT of surfing, which is the equal to the NBA, NFL and the NHL for pro athletes. He leaves this coming Tuesday to Australia for the first stop of the tour and his first taste of the big leagues.
1. JAC: Where were you born and raised?
Nate: I was born right down the street at San Clemente Hospital, born and raised here in San Clemente till I was 10, and then moved to San Juan Capistrano.
2. JAC: How did you get into surfing?
Nate: My dad surfed - basically how I got into surfing. He used to do a youth group. He was a pastor for a youth group and he would take the kids up to El Capitan campground every summer. I think I was 5 when I first surfed. My mom and dad would go to the beach every summer and I would boogie board a lot when I was little. I would get beat up in the waves and then around 9 or 10 is when I started to surf pretty much all the time.
3. JAC: Who are your influences in surfing?
Nate: I say now, just the guys I surf with. I really like the way (Mike) Losness surfs. Just kinda a different approach. I surf with the Gudauskas brothers a lot. But the guys I really liked when I was younger were Cory Lopez, Chris Ward, Ed Crombley, Andy Irons and when I was really young, Tom Curren.
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4. JAC: What was your most memorable moment on the WQS last year?
Nate: For me, the most “good” memorable moment would have been the Santa Cruz event for sure. With all the events you do there’s a lot of memorable things, but competitively it was probably Santa Cruz. My parents were there - my wife was there. We rented a house. So it was kinda like a vacation/contest all in one. It was really cool.
5. JAC: How has the win at Santa Cruz changed your life?
Nate: It was the main reason why I got onto the WCT. That was a major change. To go from just a competitive surfer to one of the best surfers in the world and compete on that level. It’s basically where I’ve been trying to get to for like four years now. It was a big step that got me on. Throughout the year I had results, but that was the high point and most points that solidified me qualifying for the WCT.
6. JAC: What do you hope to accomplish on your first year on tour?
Nate: “Rookie of the Year” is definitely one of my top goals; and then my other goal is to make the top 15. To do that you just have to have a consistent good year and always be on your “A” game. Come in, surfing smart, and getting the right waves. Just at that level the guys are really good. Rookie of the year is my main goal and re-qualify through the ‘CT.
7. JAC: What do you look the most forward to on tour?
Nate: Win an event. I don’t know, there’s a bunch. It’s just an adventure competing. Now there are whole new venues that I haven’t been to. I really look forward to Tahiti. The first contest at Snapper - the prestige of Bells. I don’t think its one thing, the whole; it’s just “The Dream Tour.” I don’t think you can sum it up in one word.
8. JAC: What’s the best thing about being a Pro Surfer?
Nate: I get to surf for my job. I would do it anyway; to be able to do it as your job, your income, and do what you love. A lot of people don’t get to experience that. Yeah, I’m blessed. It’s pretty rad.
9. JAC: What is the worst thing about being a Pro Surfer?
Nate: I would say it’s kinda like a Catch 22 with me being gone so much. It could be tough. Like I’m getting ready right now to leave for 10 weeks straight. So it’s hard for people to relate, but being gone for 10 weeks is tough. Just being away from my wife, family, friends and still having to operate while on the road to cover your expenses. It could be tough, but I’ve been doing it for a while, so I’m used to it. But for the average person, and trying to do it, you could be overwhelmed. Ten weeks away is a long time.
10. JAC: Any advice for kids who want to make the WCT?
Nate: I would just say - set your goals and enjoy it. There’s a lot of disappoints. It’s an individual sport and there could be jealousy and all that kind of stuff, the judges or there’s a lot of things that can get in your way. Don’t sweat the small stuff and just enjoy it. Enjoy the process of getting to where you’re at. One of the things I was forgetting was the things I accomplished. In a contest, there’s 200 guys and there’s 1 winner. So, majority of the time you’re losing, and you kinda get down on yourself, but if it’s something you really want to do… Hopefully you’re making some money and getting paid to travel the world. So that in itself is a rad experience. Work hard, keep at it, don’t sweat the small stuff.
Dark Days Local Challenge Week 13
Up until this week I had fixed cabbage two ways: raw for cole slaw and boiled with corned beef.Last weekend there was this beautiful green cabbage at the Farmers' Market that was calling out to me; I brought it home.
One of the recent Dark Day entries wrote about sweet and sour cabbage. Sounded really good. You are supposed to make it with red cabbage but all I had was my beautiful green one.
So I made it anyway; it was a little blah looking but it tasted great. I used bacon from Coffee Pot Ranch, cider vinegar, leeks and Splenda (not SOLE). Kerry recently has had some not very good glucose numbers. He had slipped back into his old eating habits so we have started cutting back on all things sugar. His doctor upped his meds, and now he's testing daily. I just hope he doesn't slip back again.
We had brined and BBQed pork chops, which were also from Coffee Pot Ranch, to go with the cabbage.
A great dinner with leftovers to feed us the next night.
Fabric Art Quilt
I've shown parts of this before, but now it's hanging on the wall in my sewing studio. I have another one I've just finished but haven't hung yet.
Now I'm striking out on my own; my pattern not one from another quilt artist. This is so much fun. I love fabric.
Cheyne Magnusson Photoshoot
Drove down to Oceanside today with Greg Browning to get some lifestyle shots and video of Cheyne Magnusson for upcoming Body Glove marketing material. So we did a few shots at Cheyne's house and then took off to go get some skating shots at O-Side City Hall area.
Greg was trying to get a real quick clip for a intro but was shut down security. So we packed up and left. Oh well, still better than sitting in the office all day!
Best Winter Ever In So Cal For Surfing
This has been the best winter ever for surfing this winter. There have been no shortage of swells coming in for a while now. Here's a shot of Matt Pagan down at the Ave's in Torrance.
Dark Days Challenge Week 12
Risotto is one of my favorite comfort foods even though it takes a lot of stirring to get it right. This one was made with homemade chicken stock, locally grown Kale, mushrooms, leeks and garlic, plus Parmesan cheese from Glen Canyon Creamery.
The bread was my first loaf using my new bread making book. Mark had told me that each batch is a bit different. The second loaf was denser but still delicious. Probably won't bake the third batch until tomorrow.
So that's Week 12. Taking Mark to the airport soon. Then Super Bowl festivities with friends.
The Hurt Locker
Just watched "The Hurt Locker" tonight. Amazing movie. One of the best war movies I've seen.
My First Loaf
The top photo shows it resting before going into the oven. The bottom photo is after baking for 30 minutes at 450 F. on my baking stone. Now it has to cool for a couple of hours; then we can taste. I'm just amazed at how easy the process is. The lop-sided nature of the finished bread is because I didn't make deep enough cuts in the dough on that side.
Outtakes-Paul Whitehurst
Been going through photos for submission to GK Mag yesterday. This is a shot from the original shoot I did with Paul at his house. I wasn't to stoked on how they came out so I went back and re shot the bike.
Easy Bread Making
The headline for my blog, I thought, was an oxymoron. I had tried to make bread and been very unsuccessful at it. But I still really wanted to make bread; it's the most nurturing thing you can do with food.
Mark and Julia (son and daughter-in-law) talked to me about a book they had discovered that made bread making easy: "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day."
Then they sent me a copy for my birthday. I read the book, agonized over it, and finally made my first batch of dough today. It was way too simple, I told Mark (he's here for a few days). But then the dough rose like it was supposed to. No kneading. Now it's in the refrigerator; yes the cold refrigerator.
Tomorrow morning I will break off a hunk of dough about equal to a grapefruit (1 pound for those of you with a scale) and put it in the oven. No pan, just a baking stone with lots of corn meal on it. I'll let you know what happens.
Paul Whitehurst Panhead
I shot Paul's Panhead and a few other bikes of his late last year for Guy over at Greasy Kulture Magazine. Guy asked me if I was interested in shooting Paul's bikes and I told him I was. So I gave Paul a call and turns out he lives about 10 minutes away from where I work. Which worked out perfect because I just took off from the office and headed out to his place. So after the shock of seeing all the goodies he has tucked away we got to talking about what he did. Turns out he's good friends with the owner of my company and used to work at our retail store years ago. I then started to remember a guy coming over to our office several years ago on a clean black Knucklehead. That was Paul. Super nice guy. Hope you enjoy his bikes that I shot in upcoming issues of Greasy Kulture Magazine. Here's the Panhead in the newest issue. We shot this up in Palos Verdes over looking Santa Monica and Malibu.
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