tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25249578563173283712024-03-21T11:59:51.458-07:00Dum Vivimus, VivamusWhile we live, let us <em>live</em>.greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.comBlogger2047125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524957856317328371.post-30839974610556144822018-11-29T19:22:00.001-08:002018-11-29T19:22:15.128-08:00User FriendlySo, a week or two ago, I got to go pick up my processed elk in a more user friendly format.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqS4Gkwls5tCJQu1rS7oIdhsbaskdRB4NxLtu3HG1kieDZEk0iwZHqzznzNPOP_Lcj3YEXJ1YwSAvo1snU-rAgrRV6TTJaDp6LqB8NB9MVILs9jKUV9lQsWOORADKikxSVv6cOyt84elZ/s1600/user+friendly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqS4Gkwls5tCJQu1rS7oIdhsbaskdRB4NxLtu3HG1kieDZEk0iwZHqzznzNPOP_Lcj3YEXJ1YwSAvo1snU-rAgrRV6TTJaDp6LqB8NB9MVILs9jKUV9lQsWOORADKikxSVv6cOyt84elZ/s400/user+friendly.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Because I am anal retentive/detail oriented, I was highly curious to see how my 230 pounds of hanging elk translated to eatable elk, so...I weighed and counted it all.<br />
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I ended up with:<br />
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25 pounds of pepperoni sticks<br />
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4.8 pounds of jerky(they start with 10 pounds of round that turns into jerky).<br />
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12 pounds of 'steak'(comes from the sirloin and tri-tip)<br />
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28 pounds of chops(tenderloin and loin(the butcher didn't like the term 'backstrap')).<br />
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99 pounds of ground meat(90 pounds of elk mixed with 9 pounds of pork fat).<br />
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So...I don't know how much fat they add to the pepperoni sticks, but...I was pretty pleased with 165 pounds of elk being harvested off that spike. The jerky and pepperoni (which cost more than burger and chops) were supplemented by some of my friends...and so I only kept one package of each. The rest I gave to the guys who helped pay, and then gave some pepperoni and 3 pound of ground to each of the guys who helped me get it out.<br />
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Should still be enough to make it through the year.<br />
<br />greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524957856317328371.post-40195017478949638622018-11-04T19:21:00.001-08:002018-11-04T19:21:24.602-08:00Once upon a time...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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You see, I used to do this blog thing. And I enjoyed it, and then...well, I kind of stopped. At first, it was to punish myself...break a jinx because I said something silly guaranteeing success on a hunt. And then,wasn't successful, so I told myself no blogging until I fill a tag. <br /><br />I just didn't think it would go that long...<br /><br />But...now, I can start blogging again!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4Yi1C5TkJHtBye0v5yb13cPEXLnO9MRgNQtBwoci66TQjVXKxlJMhfAD70mEhjxPNhveb2J2rInoycm1SBM1BGQ7hUdIdPybt7Tz1b0Rf0OubThWDH2hi0gQ_o2YVOgt6DY2vo8CNFTt/s1600/field.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="956" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4Yi1C5TkJHtBye0v5yb13cPEXLnO9MRgNQtBwoci66TQjVXKxlJMhfAD70mEhjxPNhveb2J2rInoycm1SBM1BGQ7hUdIdPybt7Tz1b0Rf0OubThWDH2hi0gQ_o2YVOgt6DY2vo8CNFTt/s320/field.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>
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<br />Got my elk this year. Yes...I know it's 'only' a spike, but in Eastern Washington's general Modern Firearms season, all you can shoot is a spike. <br /><br />It's still a decent sized animal...probably about 500 pounds on the hoof.<br /><br />
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<br />The only reason it came out in one piece is that I hunt with six other guys. If I was alone it would have come out in bite size pieces. <br /><br />For the technical minded out there, the gun is a Remington Model 700 chambered in .35 Whelen, using Hornady's Superperformance load(200gr bullet at 2900fps). It did quite a number on the front shoulder(powdered it)...I just didn't get pictures during the skinning.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524957856317328371.post-5065746546231240402017-04-09T20:31:00.001-07:002017-04-09T20:31:51.233-07:00Ingenuity While taking advantage of a pretty beautiful spring day to do some backyard cleaning, I found this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWd5donv-cM-IrvzmDRfDoP86O_JM0E3wU3oB_hTNVwTZi5ich0THLHxpSCroZtJmFo8rdu631kctXxOgJdK2aC2V-1Iap4D18SqxbL3Fd5YRRwyWrz2gOYZJ_jJT6Qsu66X2S_xnQ0Dm0/s1600/17862321_10208964233318172_1127600368872458365_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWd5donv-cM-IrvzmDRfDoP86O_JM0E3wU3oB_hTNVwTZi5ich0THLHxpSCroZtJmFo8rdu631kctXxOgJdK2aC2V-1Iap4D18SqxbL3Fd5YRRwyWrz2gOYZJ_jJT6Qsu66X2S_xnQ0Dm0/s400/17862321_10208964233318172_1127600368872458365_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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My youngest daughter took a stick, some yarn, and the <a href="https://ads.midwayusa.com/product/217758/cold-steel-urban-pal-knife-15-serrated-420-stainless-steel-drop-point-blade-kraton-handle-black-with-secure-ex-sheath?cm_mmc=pf_ci_bing-_-Knives+%26+Tools+-+Tactical+Fixed+Blade+Knives-_-Cold+Steel-_-217758">Cold Steel Urban Pal</a> I keep in the back yard for cutting open random bags...and made a spear. <br />
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After counting the chickens, I called my daughter out to ask exactly what she was thinking...and I became a victim of my own preparedness wishes.<br /><br />'But dad...do you want the first time I try this to be when I NEED to be able to do it?'<br />
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Dang...she had me there. All I could do at that point was reinforce the expectation that it was not a toy to play with around friends...and if she was able to sneak up and use it on a squirrel, she was going to eat it for dinner. greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524957856317328371.post-59276215041167899052017-03-14T20:42:00.001-07:002017-03-17T09:10:49.289-07:00We Salute You.A buddy of mine who is a State Trooper shared the link below on facebook, which leads to a news story out of Winnebago County, Illinois. <br />
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Apparently back on January 20th, a bad guy walked into a bank and started shooting into the ceiling. The bank security officer responded by drawing and putting two rounds into the bad guy. The County Attorney released the bank security video today, along with word that the Security Officer would not be charged, and in fact Brian Harrison is a hero. <br />
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I recommend you click on the link, and watch the video. My words do not do it justice. Mr. Harrison went from Condition White, resting on the counter, to putting rounds into the bad guy...in between breathes. <br />
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One can only hope to respond that way when the chips are on the table. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.wifr.com/content/news/Rockford-Police-and-Fire-on-scene-of-armed-robbery-at-Alpine-Bank-411363285.html">Security officer in fatal shooting of attempted robbery suspect will not face charges</a></span><br />
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And, well done to the local authorities for not pressing charges...that is not a guarantee in Illinois. greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524957856317328371.post-28467186709343978922017-03-11T14:39:00.001-08:002017-03-11T14:39:49.840-08:00A competition? Earlier this week, my daughters school was having a cupcake bake-off fundraiser, broken down into different categories by grade, and box mix vs. Scratch. Since it was for a good PTO cause, both my daughter and I decided to enter cupcakes...and if I am going to play, I play to win.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikUGOM8skdI8ZEtfQ2rvdWmujJPMN818UAutA9AoETxHaydZnBDd3MFssuciSO8dTrAh-SQfLRZZUwwfRTStes-hab2mN5oS38dHKWFIJrAO9sB2RI3KR-g2lPdCYLu-hyV7oFeNCCyPmm/s1600/17203120_10208705815057877_2565780672513681152_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikUGOM8skdI8ZEtfQ2rvdWmujJPMN818UAutA9AoETxHaydZnBDd3MFssuciSO8dTrAh-SQfLRZZUwwfRTStes-hab2mN5oS38dHKWFIJrAO9sB2RI3KR-g2lPdCYLu-hyV7oFeNCCyPmm/s400/17203120_10208705815057877_2565780672513681152_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Since I couldn't get to my preferred website for recipes, I had to find a new one, and I settled on this Chocolate Stout Cupcake. The only thing I really did to mix it up was using the Southern Tier <a href="http://pinchmysalt.com/chocolate-stout-cupcakes-with-vanilla-cream-cheese-frosting/">Choklat Oranj Stout</a>, instead of something more...mainstream. I thought the orange might add something a little extra to the finished product...and it did. The best part of any cupcake is usually the frosting though, and the vanilla bean cream cheese(actually, Neufchatel Cheese) came out great.<br /><br />My wife had baked cupcakes with my daughter earlier in the day, but had me to help make the frosting for her cupcakes, and so we just did a simple butter cream frosting for her. She learned the importance of 'pulsing' the mixer when playing with powdered sugar, but not until we had a fine cloud of it spreading around the kitchen.<br /><br />In the interest of 'victory', looks being as important as taste in competition like this, I finally broke down and ordered a piping bag/decorating kit off of Amazon. What a game changer. It is going to take a while to master the technique, but my daughter loved piping frosting on vs. trying to use a spatula.<br />
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In the end, I felt kind of bad for my daughter. She didn't win in her category. I will admit some of the other cupcakes looked, and tasted a bit better than hers, but to my eye, some kids had a LOT more help their parents. We supervised, and then, I helped fill the piping bag so there wasn't a huge mess...but heck, some of the 4th graders had fondant on theirs! What 4th grader plays with fondant without major parent help.<br /><br />I did win the adult category, and got a sweet ribbon to prove it. I'll probably let my daughter put it in her room.<br /><br />
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<br /><br />greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524957856317328371.post-73980174120426463052017-03-07T18:41:00.001-08:002017-03-07T19:46:32.077-08:00Breaking CoverHaven't blogged in a while. More than a while. Like...18 months. It wasn't one of those 'so bored, and haven't taken over the world yet' absences. It was actually kind of superstition thing.<br />
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You see, my last post was about how I had returned from elk hunting 18 months ago for my daughters birthday...but before coming down from the hills I has seen two legal spike elk...and I think I said something like 'Can't wait to get back up and nail one of them there spikes!' <br />
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Of course, that was a total jinx. I didn't even see those two spikes again...or any other legal elk.<br />
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Having learned a lesson about showing signs of optimism, I decided the prudent/superstitious thing to do(much like turning your hat inside out and backwards to spark a rally) was to not blog again until my hunting was successful. <br />
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Yeah...you can guess how that went since I didn't break my blog silence during the 2016 hunting season either.<br />
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Sigh. <br />
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But now, something dire has happened, and I can't remain silent any longer.<br />
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More dire than the last election cycle which I sat quiet during!?!?!?? Yup.<br />
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Sometime in the last month or two, one of my favorite blogs has changed it's permission for access, and I can't get there anymore. 90% of my favorite recipes come from Brigid's Mausers's and Muffins/Home on the Range site...and now I can't get there! And of course, I never actually printed any of them out, because...internet. <br />
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So...if anyone can hook a brother up, I would appreciate it.<br />
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<br />greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524957856317328371.post-20966325979249010882015-10-06T07:12:00.001-07:002015-10-06T07:12:40.145-07:0010 Years!?!?!?Turns out I was so not ready to go hunting that I didn't even have spare time to type up an 'I'm outie!' post. <br />
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My first 48 hours up on the hill were no good. I hunt in wide-open sage brush country, and Friday afternoon, we had a front pass through...temperature didn't change much, but we did get some scattered rain, and wind....25 sustained with 40 gusts. Truthfully, I'm impressed that my little tent didn't blow away. <br />
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Even though it didn't blow away, it was not a pleasant place to spend the night. The shaking and wildly whipping sides of the tent made it a loud home. Add in the fact that my air mattress had a leak in it, so, after two hours I was sleeping on a rock...well, I think I got about three hours of sleep Friday night.<br />
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Saturday, opening day of the season, was anti-climatic. I hunted the same are where I saw two bucks and a few does consistently last year...but this year, nothing. One doe for 13 hours in the field. And it was still a breezy, drying out kind of day. Sucked the moisture out of you with a steady breeze and highs around 80.<br />
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Sunday was better. Had a full nights sleep with a new mattress I ran into town to buy. And I saw 4 does in the morning. In the afternoon, I went and kind of checked out a new area. It's a place I had been to before, I just went 'one more ridge' over...and it was worth it. I found a draw that is actually a creek for a few weeks each year, and might even have a little natural 'seepage'. Enough that there were actually green trees growing. Which, as you can tell from the picture above, is not common. <br />
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One of the frustrations with muzzle loader hunting is that unless you sit down on a specific game trail, you can usually see more area than you can hunt. In this case, I picked a position that let me see several draws and ridges, so I could get a good idea of animal traffic around the hole. <br />
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I was pleased. Within half an hour, I had seen 4 does leave the area. Then 2 spike bulls(all I am allowed to shoot), came in together, loitering about 250 yards down the creek bed from where I was. After about 40 minutes they headed off. Then about a half-hour before the sun stated setting, another group of elk, 5 cows and a nice 6x6 bull showed up. <br /><br />So...I'm excited to try to get back in there, picking a better spot I where I can hopefully get a shot. 200 yards is just too far for me and my muzzle loader. <br /><br />I haven't gone back in yet because I came home Monday for a break. Needed to refill the cooler, and shower...and wish my daughter a happy birthday. It is my younger daughters bad luck that her birthday ends up being early in elk season. I have missed 5 of them in a row...so this time, I decided I would come home for it. <br />
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It was a good decision(even if Sterling's is her favorite restaurant.)<br />
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Worst case, I get back into that hole and find a boned out elk carcass...but, I didn't see any other hunters on the ground within a mile or two of where I was hunting, so, it was a chance worth taking. My little girl isn't going to turn 10 again. <br />
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greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524957856317328371.post-31895537195512289432015-10-01T05:36:00.001-07:002015-10-01T05:36:30.415-07:00So not ready.ARGGHHHHH! The opening morning of muzzle loader deer and elk season is 48 hours away, and I am so not ready. I've only made one real scouting trip this fall, hiding behind the rationalization that I am heading right back into same area I hunted last year, where I actually saw more animals than I thought I would...I just couldn't get close enough for a shot.<br />
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Anyway, where I feel not ready is my organization. Usually I have all of my rubber made totes of gear all sorted out and packed by now, ready to throw them in the bed of the truck. This year, I'm still cycling stuff through the laundry and counting out pairs of socks and underwear. <br />
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My expectations are tempered this year. I didn't draw any special tags this year, and this is the first year that deer and elk overlap in this area. I am limited to shooting either a spike elk, or a 3 point or better buck. The first day or two, I'm planning on focusing on deer. Based on what I saw last year, AND historical reported success rates, the chances of getting a legal buck are 25%, vs. 6% for a spike bull. <br />
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Then there is the weather, which is going to be 'unseasonably warm'. Day time highs 75-78, overnight lows in the mid 40's. From the 'camping' side...that's nice. From the go out and spend all afternoon walking...well, I see a lot of still hunting on the shady side of the draw. Also means you can't dilly dally on getting an animal broken down and out of the woods.<br />
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Still, either way, it's always nice to get out in the woods. greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524957856317328371.post-30132131652745701062015-09-29T20:15:00.000-07:002015-09-29T20:15:23.601-07:00Crash and burn.Several times over the last few weeks while cruising around on foodgawker, I have seen pictures of a delicious looking Magic Custard Cake. Tonight I finally tried making, following this <a href="http://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/magic-custard-cake/">recipe.</a> <br />
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I think I did something wrong. <br />
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It's supposed to look like this:<br />
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Yum! </div>
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What I got was this:</div>
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I'm not sure what I did wrong. It was supposed to bake for 40-50 minutes. I left it on the oven for 100+ minutes, and it never set up. I'm curious if maybe the eggs are to blame. I used the eggs from my chickens...and it's possible that maybe our 4 eggs are equal to 6 'normal' eggs. <br />
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Who knows. I guess I'll try again in a few weeks. <br />
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Sooooo disappointing. I belong on a pinterest fail board...greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524957856317328371.post-51339001092252955652015-09-28T20:58:00.000-07:002015-09-28T20:58:29.581-07:00First one of the year.Some people mark the start of fall by drinking a pumpkin spice latte, but for me, it's the first pumpkin beer. <br />
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Dogfish Head Punkin Ale. Very good dark ale, with very little pumpkin flavor(which is usually for the best), although there is some brown sugar and nutmeg to contribute to the 'fall' flavor.<br />
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greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524957856317328371.post-76788627287481235332015-09-22T18:05:00.000-07:002015-09-22T18:07:48.193-07:0020 years, and it is still great. Twenty years ago today, the movie Se7en premiered. If you haven't seen it...where have you been for the last 20 years? Do yourself a favor, and track it down. It's available through Amazon Prime for $4, and I think you can get it from Netflix through the mail. <br />
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It's a great movie. One of the best movies of the past 20 years. Would make my top 20, and maybe even my top 10 list over that time period. The acting is superb...Brad Pitt before he was ACTOR Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, Gwyneth Paltrow in a roll where she seems like a real human being, and R. Lee Emery as the Police Captain.<br />
<br />
It shouldn't work. I mean...it's an out there idea, and then, it has plenty of clichés...Old Tired Wise Cop paired with new Firebrand Cop...Criminal out Thinking The Cops all along, Newly Married Couple Move to the City...just...yeah...nothing unusual there...but, the story and the script work so well.<br />
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I don't want to say too much, on the very off chance that someone has actually somehow not seen this movie. If you stayed away because you 'don't like police procedurals'...fear not. This is not a police procedural. This is not a Buddy Cop movie. <br />
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This is a masterpiece. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TmZbLbPv6Fs" width="560"></iframe><br />greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524957856317328371.post-1066586518078510372015-09-20T21:44:00.000-07:002015-09-20T21:44:16.861-07:00Another Wine Club. Went and visited my mom this weekend. As they approach retirement age, my mom and step-dad are starting to bat around the crazy idea of potentially packing up and moving to Florida for all the reasons everyone retires to Florida.<br />
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I think it's a bad idea. I spent 18 months in Orlando for the Navy, and there is no amount of money you could throw at me to convince me to live in Florida. Neither my mom or step-dad have ever spent longer than 6 days in Florida, but gosh-darnit, the internet says it's a good place to live. <br />
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Puts me in a tough spot. I don't think it's a good idea, but...my mom and step-dad have made it to their mid-60's without running their decisions by me or my step-sister. You can only push fellow grown-ups so hard before you start alienating. My wife has convinced me that my usually snarky response to something I don't approve of is the wrong approach to this situation. Instead, we are showing them what they will miss. Mostly, their grand daughters. And wine.<br />
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So, we took my mom out Wednesday to check out the Warehouse Wine District in Woodinville. Since Chateau St. Michelle went into Woodinville in 1976, the area has turned into the main winery area in Western Washington, with two main 'districts' the Hollywood School District and the newer Warehouse district. Not much wine is actually grown in this area...almost all of the grapes are imported from the Columbia Valley...but you are probably looking at 120 wineries with tasting rooms in Woodinville. You could give me two weekends a month and I'm not sure I could get through all of them...especially when you figure in 3 breweries and two distilleries. <br />
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Heck, I'd go broke even trying. We only went to 5 wineries and one brewery this weekend, and I still almost went broke. <br />
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We didn't buy something at every stop, which is an improvement in my will power...and I bought the 32oz growler from <a href="http://www.dirtybucketbrewery.com/">Dirty Bucket Brewing Co.</a> empty because I knew after a day of wine tasting I wasn't going to feel like more beer, and I didn't think it would survive the drive home in drinkable condition. I really liked their Naughty Autie ESB.<br />
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Of the wineries we went too, one made a real impression on my wife and I...<a href="http://www.pagecellars.com/">Page Cellars.</a> We liked them so much we actually decided to join their wine club. One of the nicer things about a smaller winery though is that their wine club obligation is not too over the top either...two bottles, three times a year. My mom belongs to a larger winery that obligates you to 16 bottles a year(and they are closer to $50 a bottle than $30 a bottle). <br />
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It was a good time. I'm no sure it was enough to convince my mom not to move...but in case it wasn't, it doesn't hurt to build some more memories. <br />
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greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524957856317328371.post-89962120186183519392015-09-15T04:14:00.001-07:002015-09-15T04:14:44.672-07:00That was pain free.Yesterday, instead of going to work, I headed down to the Kennewick Justice Center to take my turn at Jury duty. It was about the easiest time meeting that obligation that you could possibly have. <br />
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I showed up at 8, and by about 8:15 they had all of the potential Jury Members seated in a big room, waiting. At 8:30, one of the clerks came in and called out 15 names to head down to the district court rooms, where we were put in another waiting room, and told that at about 9 we would be brought into the court to start Jury Selection, so...take this chance to use the rest room and get something to drink.<br />
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At about 8:55, the judge came into the room and said that the lawyers worked out a deal, no trial was going to be needed, and thanks for coming in and fulfilling our obligation. <br />
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Sweet. I wouldn't have minded sitting on a trial, if it was only a day or two. Let's face it...no one wants to end up on multi-week/month trial, but...it's nice to have a little refresher of how the legal system actually works.<br />
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Still, I'm happier with my deal than the folks who had to sit there until 10, before being told they could go home, but please call back Wednesday for an update on when they had to physically come back in. greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524957856317328371.post-12680692860977362172015-09-14T13:38:00.002-07:002015-09-14T13:38:36.699-07:00Oy vey.Shortly after moving into our current house, I planted a few fruit trees...two plum, and two apple. At one point this year, it looked like I was actually going to get a decent number of plums off one of my trees, but a heat wave and a wind storm put the hurting on the plums just as they were starting to fill out...leaving me one little apple on one of my trees.<br />
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So. With yesterday being Rosh Hashanah I had decided I was going to make an <a href="http://livingsweetmoments.com/apple-honey-cake-in-a-jar/">Apple Honey Cake</a> recipe for desert. While we are not practicing, we do want to teach the kids something about the Jewish part of their heritage, and so...Apple Honey Cake covers the Jewish tradition of celebrating the new year with something sweet and blessed. <br />
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I screwed up. After the little cake jars had been in the oven about 15 minutes, I opened the oven to check on them, and noticed they hadn't raised very much. All of the sudden, I realized that I couldn't remember taking either the baking soda OR baking powder out of the cabinet. Gosh dang-it.<br />
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Yeah, they should have risen over the top of the jar. Sensing my distress, my wife ran to the store and bought some vanilla ice cream. Not sure what the Torah or Talmud say about vanilla ice cream, but I say bring it on. </div>
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The flavor was actually pretty good, and I will have to try making these again with the right ingredients. This method they did come out a bit floury, but the flavor was good, and the vanilla ice cream cut the floury taste pretty well. greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524957856317328371.post-71250175395978324722015-09-12T12:55:00.001-07:002015-09-12T12:55:29.145-07:00I used to like grapes.Thursday, my wife headed out to pick some grapes with the kids. A friend of a friend has a bed and breakfast with a few acres, including some concord grapes. My wife had a deal she didn't feel she could turn down: 25 cents a pound. Only catch was there was a 60 pound minimum. <br />
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No problem...off she ran with a few of our big Rubber Made totes, and started picking with the kids, figuring those two totes would add up to 60 pounds.<br />
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She was wrong...those two totes added up to 135 pounds. <br />
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It more than she planned on coming home with, and since then we have made several trips to the store for MORE JARS!!!!!<br />
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Luckily she has a friend with a steam juicer, or I wouldn't have been able to sneak out of the kitchen yet long enough to post this. The first night, we started the old fashioned way...placing grapes in a sauce pan, adding some water, then mashing and boiling them for half an hour before straining them. We did 4 quarts of juice that first night in 3-4 hours worth of work. <br />
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The steam juicer was not as fast as I pictured it being, but it was faster than the smash and boil method, and a LOT less work. I helped through out the evening, but my wife stayed up until 2:30am, finishing the last 40 pounds herself. All total, we got an additional 31 quarts using the steam juicer. <br />
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I think close to 80% of this is going to go in the pantry as just juice, with the other 20% being turned into jelly as I type this. </div>
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The last two quarts my wife did she put in the fridge in one of our pitchers, so I got to have some today...and it's pretty good. When buying from the store, I prefer white grape juice...it's more refreshing. This stuff though...I'm not sure I would grab a glass when I came in from mowing the lawn on a hot day, but, as part of a 'complete balanced breakfast'...yum, yum. </div>
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And yes, a steam juicer is now on the Christmas list.</div>
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greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524957856317328371.post-49042363389569268322015-09-09T20:47:00.002-07:002015-09-09T20:47:38.747-07:00Tri-TipSo, each year, the company I work for has a 'morale' fund budget. Usually, this goes to t-shirts or other goodies for the work groups, and the occasional sponsored feed. My group still had a few hundred dollars left to spend before the end of the fiscal year, and so, a cookout it was. We have a Traegger at work, and so, I have been the primary cook at feeds before, but, typically, it's burgers/dogs, and maybe chicken...because that is cheaper to buy with the money folks chip in. <br />
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This time though, with the budget we had left, it looked like we were going to be able to afford actual beef. Maybe not Prime Ribs, but it looked like we would be able to swing Tri-Tip. I've never really worked with tri-tip, but I've got a reputation to live up to, so, I started planning. <br />
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Cash and Carry had two options for tri-tip, untrimmed, or 'peeled'. Wanting to save money, I bought a 12 pound bag of untrimmed to see what I was getting into. The 12 pound vacuum sealed bag had three separate roasts in it...and by the time I had trimmed off the fat cap and silver skin, I was left with 8 pounds of meat. Redoing the math showed that going the 'peeled' version would probably be cheaper, and it was. I bought a 19 pound bag of peeled, and it had 6 roasts, and I only lost 22 ounces when getting silver skin and stubborn fat/gristle off. <br />
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That gave me 9 tri-tips totaling right around 26 pounds, and I'm not sure the Traegger could have handled one more. <br />
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Because I knew the lid was going to be open for a while, and Traegger's lose heat bad, I started out at 325, and kept it there for 15 minutes, before dropping the temp. They cooked way faster than I thought they would, and for the next two hours, I alternated between 180 and 'smoke' setting. Right at the end, since I still had to do some chicken and corn, I cranked the temp up to high, so, the tri-tip got a last little shot of heat. </div>
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In the end, I'm going to say that the meat came out a little more done that I would have preferred at home, but, with slightly different weights(and even having 4 thermometers), it seemed safer to go to 145ish than 135ish. </div>
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I was actually very surprised how moist and juicy the meat stayed, especially once I saw how lacking in pink it was. And the flavor...yum. I had rubbed the meat Monday after cutting them up with a rub based around brown sugar, salt and garlic powder and cumin, and love. <br />
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Best of all, I didn't even cut into two of them roasts for lunch, so after lunch, I was slicing them as thin as possible, day dreaming of sandwiches for lunch Thursday. greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524957856317328371.post-60638029637743353582015-09-07T19:53:00.001-07:002015-09-07T19:53:47.321-07:00One Party After Another. This weekend, one of my friends had her 40th Birthday Party. It was a good time, and a sizable party...probably like 40 people. <br />
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Rather than an actual gift, we were supposed to bring something based on our last name...either cheese, chocolate, or beer. We were lucky, and got the beer category. Since anyone can just bring beer, my wife wanted to try something she had seen on pinterest. It's so easy for things to go south when you are using pinterest as a guide...but my wife is better than most. <br />
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As much as I like beer, I still think I would prefer a chocolate cake with chocolate ganache frosting. <br />
greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524957856317328371.post-19888103075466223412015-09-02T21:15:00.001-07:002015-09-02T21:15:23.144-07:00One heck of a shindig. Over the weekend, my wife and I went to a Masquerade Party being held as a fundraiser for one of the local performing arts groups. The theme of the party was 'An Evening in Rivendell', and the dress code called for either Elven/Hobbit costume, or formal dress. I decided that I would split the difference, and give the Full Dress Kilt look a try.<br />
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The kilt, shoes and hose were mine, and I originally had thought I was going to be able to wear my tux jacket...but, man...I always forget how high my kilt fits. Instead, I had to go on the internet and rent a Prince Charlie jacket and vest. How cool of a world do we live in that I can go on the internet to <a href="http://www.atlantakilts.com/">Atlanta Kilts</a>, and within a week have what I need in the mail? It wasn't cheap, but I think it was worth it. <br />
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Of course, I already had the best accessory in the world at the house with me.<br />
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It was a nice night. All the local arts groups put on performances, and there was beer and wine and munchies. And pretty girls in pretty dresses. As I expected, the masks didn't last all evening. </div>
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greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524957856317328371.post-41512510685692169442015-08-31T21:06:00.001-07:002015-08-31T21:06:35.777-07:00Got the bug.I tend to do my canning in clumps...and right now, we are at that time of year when produce is cheaply available, AND it is finally starting to cool down enough in the house that it doesn't feel suicidal to steam up the kitchen(although, people at spas would pay good money for the kind of pore cleaning vinegar facial I gave myself this weekend.<br />
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First, I made a larger batch of candied jalapenos...5 pints and then three left over jars of Dragon Juice, vs. the 6 half-pints I made the first time.<br />
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After that, I had to finish doing something with carrots that came out of the garden, so I chopped up some zucchini, and peppers and cauliflower, and made up a batch of Jardinière...9 pints. That's where the vinegar facial came in. <br />
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I'm sure I will find something to can over the upcoming four day weekend...maybe I'll have the kitchen cleaned before I start again.greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524957856317328371.post-50737626565958072952015-08-28T04:26:00.001-07:002015-08-28T04:29:54.545-07:00Close my eyes and count to 10.Because of my involvement and interests in the local performing arts community(and my upbringing in the Seattle Suburbs), a fairly large percentage of my friends on facebook have different, more traditionally liberal political leanings then I do.<br />
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This morning, when I jumped into facebook, this was the first post I saw.<br />
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Because it's early, and I haven't given up on fighting loosing battle with people who are already set in their belief's, I responded.<br />
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'Wrong...it was over when the Bill of Rights(including the 2nd Amendment) was ratified on December 15, 1791.'<br />
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I'm looking forward to a day at work with my phone reminding me how bad of an idea it was to try to express my own opinion.greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524957856317328371.post-55000391166774581992015-08-25T21:11:00.001-07:002015-08-25T21:11:54.441-07:00Oh my...these are going to be worth the work.While I had plenty of home grown tomatoes, carrots and tomatillos for my canning and sauce making needs this weekend, I had to pick up some jalapeno's for heat. Cash and Carry had a 5 pound bag, so, yeah...I had some leftover jalapenos to do something with. I'm not the biggest 'Bring on the heat!' guy, so, I thought this <a href="http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/candied-jalapenos/">candied jalapeno</a> recipe looked interesting. <br />
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On paper, the liquid to sugar ratio looks daunting. I made a 150% batch, meaning I needed 3 cups of cider vinegar, and NINE cups of sugar.<br />
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I didn't expect how much the volume of the jalapeno's would be reduced by cooking them. I thought I was going to have a huge amount...but after the softened and shrunk a bit, I only ended up with 6 half-pints of peppers.<br />
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The good news is that I followed the hint that was included in the recipe, and I canned up another 3 half-pints of the left over Dragon Juice Syrup. It is supposed to be the bomb as a glaze on chicken, beef, or pork.<br />
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I tried a pepper or two that didn't fit in the jars, as well as licking the spoon I had been using to stir everything. <br />
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I think both these peppers and the syrup are going to be really, really, really good. greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524957856317328371.post-29136394954517300472015-08-24T21:19:00.000-07:002015-08-24T21:19:18.373-07:00Didn't see that coming.The other day, we emptied all the carrots out of one of 4 X 4 garden beds, and ended up with about 10 pounds of carrots. I didn't feel like just canning up 'carrots' so I took a look at the Ball Book of Canning and decided to do some End of Garden Pickles, and some Carrot Pepper Salsa.<br />
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The carrot pepper salsa is a little misnamed. It's sweeter, and from tasting it prior to canning, it's more of a relish than a salsa. It will go good on burgers and dogs. <br />
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The End of Garden pickles, I made as an alternative to the giardiniera I made a few years ago. I'm thinking I should have just stuck with the giardiniera. It never dawned on me that the brown sugar you add to the cider vinegar would make it look like the vegetables are in a beef broth instead of a nice pickling brine. I'm afraid it might be a case where you end up eating with your eyes, and now matter how good they might come out tasting, they are going to look kind of creepy.<br />
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We'll find out in a few weeks, I guess. <br />
greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524957856317328371.post-89508528283560041482015-08-23T22:00:00.001-07:002015-08-23T22:00:07.948-07:00Let's Do the Timewarp Again!It wasn't intentional, I swear. I didn't mean to stop blogging for like two months. <br />
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As Roland Deschain would say, 'I Cry Your Pardon'. <br />
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I knew things were going to be getting busy while my wife and kids were out of town...just not as busy as they really got. Plus...trying to think about the real world...it just has been tough to get too worked up about anything. It's easier not to think about Donald Trump too much. <br />
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Heck...it's not just my blog I've been ignoring...I don't think I have read anything on my sidebar for 6 weeks. At least. <br />
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But hey...I'm back. Recipes, garden updates, hunting season rapidly approaching...and the 2016 Presidential Campaign. <br />
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At least the recipes should be worthwhile. <br />
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For now...you are going to have to entertain yourself with this picture from the Rocky Horror Show. The makeup was interesting...but it was worth it. <br />
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greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524957856317328371.post-17887281045705435892015-06-05T08:43:00.000-07:002015-06-05T08:43:16.489-07:00So Alone.Well, I'm all alone for a while. Yesterday my wife and kids got in the care and headed east...WAY east. With family spread all the way from Virginia to Boston, she/I decided that rather than try to fly her and the kids east, and then plan rental cars and trains to get from family group to family group, she would just drive. Our kids are pretty good in the car, and she was actually more excited to drive than she would have been to fly. <br />
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I am terrified. I am terrified of the things that happen to mothers and their cute daughters in Hollywood Movies when they are at isolated rest stops, or staying at the Motel 6 outside of Spearfish South Dakota. <br />
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My wife isn't worried about those things. She is focused on the positives of the cross-country trip, and the opportunities it presents to visit friends, and continue the home schooling process through the summer. <br />
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She already had a chance to do both of those things. The first day of the trip was a short one...just over 6 hours to stay with some friends in Missoula, Mt. These are friends that used to live in the Tri-Cities, and we used to do a science co-op with, and so they decided to continue the science theme. When my family rolled into their house yesterday, our friend Jen pulled out a few Mail Order Frog Dissection kits that she had ordered for the kids.<br />
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That is a 100% real smile on my daughters face. <br /><br />I am going to miss them a lot over the next month...at one point I told my wife it would be cool if she was back by the 4th of July since I have a 4-Day weekend...but, I have since changed my story. As the list of things she wants to stop and see grows I told her not to worry about time. She is never going to get another chance to do this with the kids...I would rather she comes home a few days later than planned instead of having her come home on time, and then have her talk about things she wished she had been able to see.<br />
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greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2524957856317328371.post-30597322489108703542015-05-31T12:20:00.000-07:002015-05-31T12:20:53.986-07:00A night at the Symphony. For their final performance of their 70th Anniversary season, the <a href="http://www.midcolumbiasymphony.org/">Mid Columbia Symphony</a> was performing Beethoven's 9th Symphony. They also performed it at their 50th and 60th Anniversaries, so...with the assumption that it's an every 10 year event, you should probably go when you get a chance. <br />
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To someone who is not into classical music, just calling something Beethoven's 9th Symphony will probably cause them to have a blank face. Saying 'Ode to Joy' might get more reaction, but in truth, the Ode to Joy is really only 10 minutes or so of an hour-plus 4 movement symphony. But, it is one of the most recognizable pieces of music out there.<br />
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I make it sound like this was a voluntary attendance event, which I guess it technically was, but since the Mid Columbia Master Singers(with some augmentation from the chorus at Columbia Basin College) was providing the vocal support, I kind of had to be there. My wife, well...she got to decide to go, but I would have pouted mightily if she hadn't gone. And she would have missed one heck of a show. <br />
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As I said, the Ode To Joy is only a small part of the 9th Symphony, but the 20 minutes of singing we do in the 4th Movement is...quite a rush. If you listen to whole piece of music above, which is half the 4th movement...the pace is cooking, and for a tenor it's high, loud and long. There is not much difference in my pulse between doing 20 minutes of this, or 20 minutes on the elliptical at the gym. <br />
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The nice thing about singing with the Symphony vs. singing in Cats was that call time for the Symphony is only 30 minutes before we go on, instead of 2.5 hours before we go on, which means I can get dressed and head out the door as the same time as my wife. Heck, it felt very much like a date where I just got to do some fancy-ass karaoke. It also gave us a chance for a nice dress-up picture.<br />
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greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10282685892329599436noreply@blogger.com1