The garden is thriving due to very warm weather we have been having. This was the harvest yesterday, and included, peppers, turnips, beets, cukes, chard, broccoli and a purple cauliflower. We have kale, beans and edamame on the way.
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Sheri's Dad, Jerry Shamblin
Jerry, Sheri's Dad, passed away last week after developing multiple pulmonary emobli. Jerry had been suffering from dementia over the last several years, and refused the recommended treatment which was a complicated surgery. He passed away while in Hopsice care at his home several days after the diagnosis.
Sheri travleled to Colorado to be with her sister Kerry, brother-in-law Brandon, and brother MIcheal (who traveled from his home in Salt Lake City) so they could spend time remembering their Dad. They shared funny stories and took a nice walk in one of Jerry's favorite places Rocky Mountain National Park. As a tribute to Jerry and his love for Westerns they took a horseback ride at the historic Elkhorn Lodge and Guest Ranch in Estes Park. Spending time together in the outdoors is exactly how Jerry would have wanted his kids to honor and remember his spirit.
Sheri had a visit with Jerry in May, and is very grateful for that time with him. He was really happy to be living in Colorado with Kerry and Brandon. We are grateful to Brandon and Kerry for the love and care they gave Jerry.
You can find the obituary for Jerry at this link.
Saturday, July 16, 2016
Saturday morning harvest
Up early today to re-stock the fridge from the garden.
Saturday, July 9, 2016
Flowers at Hangman Hill
We have been enjoying the flowers in our garden and especially the ones in the pots scattered around the house and deck. The beautiful flowers are a testament to Bruno's efforts to install irrigation to each pot which seem to make the flowers much more vibrant and also frees up time for our veggie garden (plant, harvest, weed). This also means the flowers are watered during our weekends in New Hampshire.
To compliment the flowers we have a very active butterfly and hummingbird thanks to DiAnn. The butterfly and hummingbird are powered by the sun. In the mornings they are zooming around the flowers and are surprisingly realistic in their flight patterns.
Fun With the Dehydrator
We have been trying out the new food dehydrator that Sheri received for her birthday. We were inspired by the excellent dried fruits that we received as gift from Kerry for Christmas, so naturally we started there. We dried plums, apples, pears, grapes, pineapples, strawberries and kiwis. We also dried tomatoes, onions, peppers and mushrooms. To our delight, the first attempt was successful and we especially like the apples, pears and plums.
Our next foray into drying food was with misirwot, an Ethiopian lentil stew. We started with our standard stew recipe that we got from our friend Lynne, The we dried it by spreading it thinly onto a tray with a liner. After about 12 hours we had a dry crumbly stew and an amazing smell of curry in the basement. We also dried some vegetables at the same time so that we could take them on the trail.
We tested out the misirwot and veggies on the trail during our recent trip to Kearsarge North for the 4th of July overnight trip. The stew and veggies hydrated nicely and were wonderful with bread from Vintage Bakery. This will likely be a go-to backpacking/hut dinner in the future, but we are also eager to try other favorite recipes including chili and Thai green curry.
We are now drying some sweet Italian peppers from the garden and look forward to trying some herbs very soon.
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Fourth of July Celebration at Kearsarge North
In the late afternoon of the 4th of July we hiked to the summit of Kearsarge North, a small peak to the north of the Mt Washington Valley. The plan was to watch fireworks in the valley and brush up on our backpacking skills. The forecast was for warm temperatures and clear skies. We packed dinner, plenty of water, the bug tent and sleeping bags. We walked the 3.1 mile sustained ascent, which felt strenous with our gear, with Kokee leading the way. This was also the another step towards getting Kokee her back on the trail with a more strenuous hike. She did well.
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
A Hike to Lafayette and Lincoln
July 4th weekend is probably one of the busiest weekends of the year in the White Mountains, and for some unknown reason we decided to attempt one of the most popular hikes in the area. The hike starts at the Lafayette Campground, ascends the Falling Waters Trail to Little Haystack, and then follows the open ridge to the summits of Mts Lincoln and Lafayette. From there it is a steep descent back to the start via the AMC Greenleaf cabin.
Monday, July 4, 2016
Tripyramids Hike
On Saturday morning we awoke to low cloud and mist. We had expected a sunny day and had plans to hike Mts Haystack, Lincoln and Lafayette. With a forecast of clouds in the high summits and winds gusting to 60-90 mph, we changed plans and made for the Tripyramids (north, middle south) in the Sandwich region. These three peaks are just over 4,000. While they have limited views, we hoped they would be in the clear and a little less windy.
It turns out our change in plans was a good decision as we were enjoying sun and clear skies in the valley. The clear skies persisted as we traveled to the Sandwich Wilderness of the White Mountains and for the rest of the day. We parked at Sabbaday falls, and walked a mile down the road to the Pine Bend Brook trail which took us to the summit of North Tripyramid Mountain. This winding trail followed a lovely brook and was well designed.