Landscaping

yes...it's a never ending endeavor...really.... homeownership.  you want everything just right and yours. well, here it is.  besides the garden plots (it's a given....we must grow food...weird...but true).  ed has decided to extend the patio beyond the hot tub.  it'll make a great patio and a great are for the squirrels to dig and destroy.  for now...we have everything in place except for the pavers.  who knew those things would be pricy and hard to get....hmmm...soon we'll need more lounge chairs....

Summer House

With the rising temperature of summer here in the interior mountain region, ventilation is a must....FOR EVERYONE.  that includes me.  usually a hammock in the shade of the pine trees or a lounger on our deck works...oh wait....i'm talking about the bees...

opening up the entrance, adding an upper entrance, and rigging up a varro mite trap can serve as a way to vent the hive.  hopefully they won't "beard" outside the runway to keep cool.  (bearding is when they hang onto each other and forms something that looks like a beard)

beyond that addition for the summer, the bees are busy doing whatever they are doing....such as going in and out of the hive....and being busy.

now...where's that hammock?

the summer digs

The Eating Weekend

Not to say, there's no food where i live,  there's just not the food in the same quality and quantity here in the mountains as in the bay area.  yes, bay area folks...you are spoiled ROTTEN!  with that said...this is an eating weekend with lots of walking around.

hitting up the local eats in the inner sunset, heading out to the ferry building farmers market (which i have now dubbed the eating market), we had a good time walking around downtown and golden gate park.  of course we had to to the california academy of sciences to check out the denizens and the newish exhibit....all about earthquakes and australia and madagascar.  of course, when one brings up the land down under, images of kangaroos pop up.  unfortunately, they didn't have any of those on display, they did have ostrich chicks.  i guess there really no way of escaping.  the roos may just hop away and become the new deer of the bay area.

sunday = vino day....the mission of the day....pick up wine we bought last year...and to get some more wine for next year.  dry creek valley is my favorite place in the area.  a must go place for some peace, eating, and lounging.  so, with things to do and getaways this close...i better not catch any of you bay area folks complaining that there is no food and nothing to do....get out and find it!

ps...sara!!!  you better come with us next year!!!!

the chicks...

lemondrop....he's a big arse yellow snake that lives in an enclosure in the gift shop

preston's lilac trees!

lunch

yum!

Playtime

with the warm weather here, it's time to get out!  so we go higher to seek some cooler climate.  we end up at a local bouldering spot....saddle boulders.  i had the good fortune of running into Sonia. so we all got together and had some fun!!

Sonia, adrian, and ed

Adrian

of course, with bouldering...there will always be shenanigans...

Guys Loves the Toys

ed discovers welding....yup, i said it.  with 1/3 mile of wire, what else are you going to do with it?

ed

working sequence.....

the results...

so now we have lots of tomato cages that are clearly homemade and some artys one that are also homemade.  i think he might just buy a welder....

Raw Tuscan Kale (and Chard) Salad

so...here's what i do with our fresh garden greens!!  so tasty!



Raw Tuscan Kale Salad (with loads of modifications)
from 101cookbooks.com

1 bunch Tuscan kale (for ex: black or lacinato)
2 thin slices country bread, or two handfuls good, homemade coarse breadcrumbs
1/2 garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus a pinch
1/4 cup (or small handful) grated pecorino cheese, plus adiitional for garnish
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for garnish
Freshly squeezed juice of one lemon (scant 1/4 cup or ~50ml)
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Trim the bottom few inches off the kale stems and discard. Slice the kale into 3/4-inch ribbons. You should have 4 to 5 cups. Place the kale in a large bowl.
If using the bread, toast it until golden brown on both sides and dry throughout. Tear into small pieces and pulse in a food processor until the mixture forms coarse crumbs, or crumbs to your liking.
Using a mortar and pestle or a knife, pound or mince the garlic and 1/4 teaspoon of salt into a paste. Transfer the garlic to a small bowl. Add 1/4 cup cheese, 3 tablespoons oil, lemon juice, pinch of salt, pepper flakes, and black pepper and whisk to combine. Pour the dressing over the kale and toss very well (the dressing will be thick and need lots of tossing to coat the leaves).. Let the salad sit for 5 minutes, then serve topped with the bread crumbs, additional cheese, and a drizzle of oil.
my modifications.  i don't add the breadcrumbs or the more traditional ingredient of poached egg.

Summer Has Begun!

and summer has begun!!!  cross your fingers!!!  hopefully we won't get any more summer snow.  with the heat, the garden is starting to take off.  we already had a harvest of kale and chard and we're ready for the second one.  the peas that didn't seem to do anything took off and yielded our first harvest.  the garlic is going strong (in odor and appearance).

a white flower (don't know what it is)

the kale and chard rows

tomato rows

garlic

sugar peas

early tomato

raspberry forest

first pea harvest

second kale and chard harvest

now...what did we do with the kale and chard?  hmmm....

Ursula Update

Well, the good thing is that we have a productive Ursula!  that means they bees are busy!  they have already filled up one large box (with ten frames in it) and working on filling a second large box!  we however, have not been as productive.  we have our electric fence still sitting in the garage.   at some point, we'll be putting that up to discourage the local wildlife from messing with the hive.

they's been eating the sugar syrup and gathering their own stuff.  from where?  i have no idea.  we haven't heard screams yet, so i think we're good.  we've scraped off enough burr comb (= wax) to make one little candle.  if they keep working like this, we'll need to put the honey supers on!   can't wait for the honey to start flowing next year!

inspective the frame

a brood frame

As the Garden Grows

i figured it's time to document what the the garden looked like BEFORE the JUNE snow and freeze. yes, i said it....JUNE SNOW.  second year in a row.  for the most part those darn starks are right.  damn them!!  but really, the only plants that were in true danger was the okra.  what the heck is a yankee pioneer doing trying to grow okra.  honestly, i don't know.  i'm going to call it my experiment.  since being partially employed, i've taken it upon myself to make my own experiments.  cooking, baking, now gardening.  hopefully the okra survived.

with that said, i picked out first greens harvest.  well, really it was just kale and chard.  it shall be consumed soon...that will be another experiment.  :D

okra blossoms BEFORE the snow

raspberry flower buds

raspberry blooms

yes, these are grapes

and some of our free loaders...i mean wildlife.

now....when does the farmers market start?  :D

Mashed Climbing Session

two separate trips....one post.  heh...i got lazy....

for the memorial day weekend (the official kick off weekend for the crowded season in the mountains), we headed to somewhere not so crowded....

east side... somewhere past the green church...

then folks from the bay came up to have some fun around tahoe before a winter storm decided to vacation here...

not the weekender....

view from the private dock