December’s full moon, also called the cold moon, over Washington D.C. from the rooftop of our son’s apartment building.
December’s Full Moon
Tag: Memories
Oops…
We are spending a few weeks with our grandchildren in Virginia. One of the activities we like to do together is bake. We found the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies in the cupboards so we decided to make a batch.
It’s a team effort…the three of us… our oldest granddaughter, her brother and myself. We don aprons, wash our hands, and always take turns measuring the different ingredients, adding them to the mixer, stirring them all together and rolling the cookie dough into balls to drop on the cookie sheet.
Into the oven they went…one cookie sheet at a time. We checked them after nine minutes, the lowest time of the suggested 9-11 minute time check. As we opened the oven door, all three of us were there to inspect. And what we saw was not what we expected. Hmmm…
They don’t look like they normally do…what did we do wrong?
Let’s go over the ingredient list...
Sugar – check
Flour – check
Baking soda – check
Salt – check
Butter – check
Wait...oops...the recipe calls for 1 cup of butter. Oh, Oh...we only added one stick of butter when it called for one cup, which is two sticks.
Darn! I’m sorry kiddos, I told us the wrong amount of butter to use.
“It’s OK grandma…they’ll probably still taste good.” (They’re so sweet!)
And, surprisingly the cookies were tasty! We finished baking all the cookie dough and ate them all up over the next two days. In fact, I may use only one stick of butter the next time I use this recipe…they were that good!
It reminded me of a Thomas Edison quote: “I have not failed. I have successfully discovered twelve hundred ideas that don’t work”
…only this mistake worked!
Peanut Butter Bars
Growing up, my mother made the best peanut butter bars, and I loved them. Actually, everyone loved them. I have her recipe…and I tried making them a many years ago…but they didn’t turn out as good as I remembered.
But, a special friend from my past was coming to visit, so I tried making them again. They had improved some, so I put a few on a serving dish. When my friend walked into my kitchen she immediately asked, “Are those your mom’s peanut butter bars?” I knew she would appreciate them, and I got the desired reaction I was looking for. And they tasted oh-so-much better when shared with her!
That was the start of our fun conversation with her and her husband, and Gary and I. She (Diane) and I grew up across the street from each other…in Northeast Minneapolis…and we shared a great childhood in the 1950’s. Her mom and my mom were best friends, her family and my family lived in houses across the street from each other until “the kids” were out of the house. During our childhood Diane and I were together almost every day, playing together (after chores – I’d wait for her or she’d wait for me). Sometimes we’d play with her sister and often with the other neighborhood kids. Our families attended the same church, camped together, played together, vacationed together and created multiple memories over the years.
Diane and I have kept in touch by sending the same birthday card back and forth since 1979, (I blogged about it here in 2016) and through exchanging Christmas cards and a few messages throughout the year, but we haven’t seen each other for many years…maybe 10? So it was time. They came down to see our new house. We talked and laughed and reminisced a bit, and we said we would not let so much time lapse before we meet again. And I’m confident we won’t (we probably can’t!)
There’s something special being with someone you’ve known all of your life. Our 72-year-old friendship is precious. I am blessed.
Idaho
When I told others we were taking a trip to Idaho most people asked why. I explained. “of the fifty states, Idaho is the only state I haven’t been in” (although my brother told me we were on a road trip with our parents and drove through Idaho to get to Washington when we were young. He is four years older so he remembers.)
Now, if people were to ask me, “Why Idaho?” I would say because it is a beautiful state with a lot to offer…including a large portion of the Rocky Mountains and 3,500 miles of rivers. We spent a lot of time by the Snake River.
Idaho is known for its potatoes. While doing some research I learned about Westside Drive-In in Boise, that offered potato-shaped ice cream. That was curious. We made the drive-in our first stop out of the airport. It was tasty treat and a great way to start our vacation. Then, we drove two hours to Twin Falls and settled into an AirBnB in southeastern Idaho. We took day trips from there.
We spent a lot of time along the Snake River viewing canyons, gorges, water falls, and watching Base jumpers jump off the Perrine Bridge…counting on their parachutes to open and land safely on the ground 486’ below. It was fascinating to watch.
The Perrine Bridge is a stunning arch bridge and stands 486 feet above the Snake River, and has the distinction of being the eighth highest bridge in the United States. The Perrine Bridge attracts BASE jumpers from all over the world because it is one of the few structures they [jumpers] can use without getting special permits.
(BASE jumping is an extreme sport where an individual leaps from a fixed object and uses a single parachute to land. The term “BASE” is an acronym for the four types of locations: Buildings, Antennas, Spans (bridges), and the Earth (cliffs).) We were fortunate to witness four jumpers, (one tandem) while walking next to the bridge.
At the visitor’s center, on the other side of the bridge, was a temporary 911 memorial display (we were visiting close to that date). The group hung a gigantic American flag on a cable over the gorge. It was impressive.
We picnicked at Shoshone Falls, and saw Perrine Coulee Falls and many other miscellaneous waterfalls.
We also walked to the Devil’s Washbowl, a waterfall within the Malad Gorge in Thousand Springs State Park.
We hiked in Adams Gulch and caught the beautiful sight of quaking aspen trees, their leaves turning from green…to lime green… to a brilliant yellow, that contrast beautifully with the green evergreen trees.
We drove to Ketchum, the ski village near Sun Valley Resort, nestled within the Rocky Mountains, specifically in the Wood River Valley at the base of Bald Mountain.
Sun Valley was America’s first destination ski resort.
The mountains are inviting so we continued to drive north of Ketchum for several miles to see their majesty.
We also spent time in Craters of the Moon National Monument. I will write about that another time.
Our time went fast, as it usually does while on vacation, but I’m glad we were able to see a few of the wonderful sights in beautiful Idaho, and to make some fun memories there.
And I did it! I can say I’ve been in all 50 states.
2025 Villa Louis Carriage Classic
As soon as I learned of the Carriage Classic, I knew I wanted to attend. A few years ago we toured the 1871 historic home, Villa Louis (on the National Register of Historic Places), on St. Feriole Island on the Mississippi River.
It is there where I learned the Carriage Classic is an annual event, going on 45 years, and is always held the weekend after Labor Day.
Folks from all over the United States trailer their horses and carriages and gather together in the park across the lawn from Villa Louis in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. They come to participate in contests and to show off their pride and joy, their horses and carriages.
The idea of yesteryear with horses and carriages, and my fairly new interest in horses, encouraged me to put the date on the calendar earlier this year, so as not to miss this event. I’m glad we made time for it.
It was a wonderful drive down the Mississippi River on our first day, stopping to take a bike ride on the Root River State Trail and discovering lefse chips. We continued on to stay overnight near the Carriage Classic so we could be at the entrance soon after it opened on Friday morning. Friday was the first day of the three-day event. We enjoyed our one day attendance a lot.
It was unusually cold and windy. Due to the wind, I did not wear my “fancier” straw hat that I had brought along, but many of the Classic participants did wear their hats, and some dressed in costume, which is part of the tradition we were told.
Many of the carriages were restored, and shone beautifully. All the horses were groomed impeccably. The carriage drivers meandered on a wide-open field before participating in their special events. Spectators could meander along with them, and take photos. That was special.
I enjoyed taking over a hundred photos, of the horses, carriages, hats, temporary stables, historic hotel, flowers and more…there was so much to see. It was all so picturesque.
There was a food stand with delicious breakfast and lunch items for reasonable rates so we didn’t have to leave the grounds. There were table and chairs set up for comfort, and small bleachers were at some venues. There was live music – a man and his synthesizer – playing tunes during the competitions. There was no entry fee, and no parking fee.
Even though the temperature was chilly, the sky was mostly sunny and it was a delightful day to be at the Carriage Classic watching the nuances of “another world” go by.
Soybeans and such
Last week friends from out-of-town came for a visit. We had a great time showing them our new home, the thriving, yet quaint town of Northfield, and some southern Minnesota landscapes.
One of the evenings we were sitting out on our patio enjoying dinner and summer offerings…comfortable weather, sunny, blue skies fading into dusky skies, and no mosquitos!
My friend and I even laid down on the grass for a while, to watch the stars come out.
This seemed to be a good time to pull up a soybean stalk from the field behind us. I’ve been waiting to do this. I have never seen a soybean plant up close. All summer we have been watching fields of soybeans grow in our “backyard” and I was curious what they looked like.
So, Gary climbed down the small incline and pulled up a plant, roots and all. It was about three feet tall and had several fuzzy little bean pods hanging on the stem.
We put it in a vase of water and stuck it in the corner of our patio for future reference, and for decoration. It’s slowly fading away, but the crop of soybeans in the field behind us is thriving.
Miscellaneous Curious Photos and Flowers on the Islands
And then there were so many flowers…these photos capture a few unusual ones…
Painted Doors
For our last dinner together in Funchal on Madeira Island, we walked to the Mozart Restaurant, located on Rua de Santa Maria. This is one of the oldest streets in Funchal.
It is a pedestrian-friendly cobblestone street, with some car traffic. It is lined with small restaurants, cafes and a small art gallery or two. It is also known for its painted doors.
The Painted Doors Project began in 2010 with the idea of revitalizing the Zona Velha (Old Town) area, specifically Rua de Santa Maria.
It invited artists to transform old doors into unique works of art. The project was successful and continues today. It features a diverse range of artistic styles on painted doors, creating a vibrant outdoor art gallery.
This public art form continues today, so the street art is ever-changing.
It seems to me that public art does promote community, and I personally, always like to see art in the public.
These photos are a sampling of the many painted doors along Rua de Santa Maria.
It was an entertaining walk to one of the quaint restaurants along this historical street.
Madeira
The last island we visited on our two-week trip to “islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean” was Madeira, a separate archipelago consisting of four islands. Madeira island is southeast of the Azores and about 600 miles west of mainland Portugal.
Funchal, the capital of Madeira, where we stayed in a lovely boutique hotel with a rooftop pool and fabulous view of the city and ocean, was winding down from a Flower Festival on the island…beautiful carpets made of flowers along the sidewalks, and stunning flower arrangements everywhere.
It was the last days of the festival.
We went on a grand driving tour to: Camara de Lobos, a fishing Village, Cabo Girão, a striking overlook of the sea (the cliff is 589 meters above sea level or 1,932 feet), and Serrado da Eira, a picturesque mountainous region of Madeira.
We went to a rum factory and a farmer’s market, walked down a historic street with unique painted doors, and went on a cetaceans-watching tour. We didn’t see any whales but we did see dolphins and a beautiful coastline. (I have no photos from our boat tour because I do not bring my camera/phone near any bodies of water after having lost electronics in lakes a couple of times!)
We ate at several fantastic restaurants on Madeira Island. A huge European breakfast buffet was offered at all our hotels, on all the islands, each morning. Lunch and dinners were a mixture of eating as a group in small, local restaurants, or visiting a quaint sidewalk café when dinner was “on our own.”
In Madeira we ate together at several special restaurants but three stand out…lunch at Quinta do Furão on the outdoor patio with lovely views of the ocean,
il Vildali, a Mediterranean Cuisine restaurant that was eloquently set for us at a huge table with luxury tablecloth and candelabras,
and on our last night together we ate at Mozart Restaurant; with a fun wait staff and interesting bathrooms.
Funny to say, but bathrooms can be very interesting. I have always liked to check out bathrooms in different places, but in the Mozart Restaurant we all checked out the bathrooms. The room was all mirrors, including floors and ceilings. It was unique!
It is here where we had to say good-bye to our new friends whom we shared so many wonderful adventures together over two weeks. We were so happy to have had our paths cross with these fine folks. It was sad to bid farewell.
The Natural Wonders of São Miguel
São Miguel Island is the poster child for the Azores. When you see brochures for the Azores, you see a picture of a caldera on San Miguel Island. A caldera is a large, bowl-shaped depression formed by the inner collapse of a volcano’s summit. It’s distinct from a crater, which is a much smaller, depression typically formed by outward explosion of material during an eruption.
For this discovery adventure with OAT, we were divided into small groups, and rode over rough terrain in jeeps to the western part of the island to see this caldera. Although it was overcast, we enjoyed seeing the stunning landscapes along the way.
Also, on this island we went to a botanical garden (Mata Jardim José do Canto) with a thermal pool. The hot springs look muddy, but its minerals in the water that make it look that way.
We were told to bring an old swimsuit since they would get stained from the water. It felt good to be in the hot pools.
We visited a tea plantation (Henrique -our tour guide- worked there when he was younger), and we visited a pineapple plantation.
We stopped at Ribeira dos Caldeirões Park, with beautiful waterfalls and more lush, green plants…São Miguel…aptly nicknamed the green island… Ihla Verde.
On this island we experienced a local dairy farm, milking about 25 cows. It is run by a Gena and João, a couple dedicated to a small, self-sufficent, organic farming operation.
As we stood out in the field with the dairy cows, one cow in particular kept nudging everyone. Later, back in the barn (which was connected to electricity just last year) we gathered around the milking stalls and took turns milking a cow by hand.
Back in the soon-to-be remodeled stone outbuilding, a wonderful dinner was set for us and we ate their home-grown food. This type of farming reminded Gary of his grandparent’s farm…with their old-fashioned ways of doing things.
Earlier that morning Henrique divided us into groups and gave us some Euros and a short shopping list, in Portuguese, to buy a few items to bring to dinner at the farm later that day.
He showed us which store to shop for local fare, and asked us to try and not speak English. That was a fun outing. We succeeded in finding the food…not sure about the not speaking English.
On our last night on this island there was an opening ceremony for a huge annual religious festival. We were leaving the island the next day, but were able to walk to the main plaza after dinner to watch the lighting ceremony. It was a festive atmosphere and a pretty sight to see.
As I was walking in the cobblestone plaza, I tripped and fell into two women in the crowd. They kept me from falling…I said “Obrigada (thank you)”, and they replied, “that’s what we’re here for – to hold each other up!” Another fun interaction with strangers!
We enjoyed the natural wonders and beauty of São Miguel.