further afield

Stepping beyond my back porch, we traveled to Fern Canyon with an out of town visitor. On the way, we passed Orrick, and the nearby moose herd.

In the Canyon, a snail rests on a fern.

Looking up through the moss covered trees.

ribbit

Continuing with the theme "photos I can take from my back porch," a frog joined me for a while:

Seen at Target

Wonder why...

Breakfast

Last weekend, a hummingbird joined me on the porch for breakfast.

letting your freak flag fly

 Last weekend, the Kinetic Race Grand Championship kicked off from the Arcata Plaza. Contestants decked various conveyances and costumes circled the plaza before setting off on a three-day race over land and sea to prove which of them was the most insane. At least I think that was the point of the contest.

I do admire the spirit of the participants, there's so little cynicism and such much eagerness in these artists as they act like they aren't being completely ridiculous.

Among the least suited for the varied course, a mysterious sock-puppeted dresser and a man on an iron horse.

The exterminator crew were among the most spirited.

The athletes' foot suffering foot and its treatment certainly the most disgusting.

And this struck me as overwhelmingly redundant.

Dinner date

Sometimes all you need is a burrito and the Pacific Ocean. 

Send out a search party

Gone missing:

Student art

Meme in analog form featuring stereotypes.

Parked in front of the coop this afternoon:

Dinner

Beef stew over mashed potatoes with pesto flatbread.

Rainbow

Out my front door.

In Arcata there's plenty of random crap lying around to pique curiosity:

Southern fog

I've been impressed with Humboldt's fog, but for density in urban settings San Francisco wins.

That's not good

The sign on the bathroom 5 feet from my desk speaks the sad truth:

twilight

These days the moon is setting an hour after the sun, in the same position:

Nooooooooo!

Only in Arcata.

Memories

We were all so young once...

Catblogging

Taken four seconds before she knocked the glass over, getting herself all wet.

Only in Humboldt

Headline of the day:

After

Before

the forest and the trees

Lest you think Arcata is all Kitchenaid mixers and sunsets by the bay, it’s also trees! Redwood trees, specifically. While the true titans are a bit outside of town, Arcata has its own community forest, just a few minutes from our house (as the ocean and the bay are), you find yourself enveloped in the forest. More than anything, the forest demonstrates nature’s resilience and regenerative power. New trees are growing inside those that had fallen, with moss and ferns and other plants flourishing underneath. While it’s a difficult place to actually get lost, it’s ideal for losing yourself for a time.

Bread

It's the weekend, the time for more baking. Today: buttermilk whole wheat bread. Tasty, though next time I'm using honey.

Rising

Though still not enamored with the morning, it is easier to leave the house when this greets me outside our front door. It's even more impressive before I take a shower but camera operation proves challenging so soon after waking.

Bread

As mentioned, the non-cinnamon roll half of the brioche dough was to become bread. And indeed it did.

About that brioche

Half awaits its fate tomorrow, while the other has been shaped. Tomorrow morning the house will again fill with the fattening smell of butter and spice and irresistibility.

C is for ...

Gingerbread people. 50 of 'em.

Low fat

The mixer was back in action today, a double batch of brioche imperative to replace the quickly eaten cinnamon rolls. The amount of butter in a double batch is staggering, a full three sticks seems an impossible amount to incorporate into such a small amount of dough. Eventually it comes together. Details to follow.

Pound by pound

Mixer funtimes continue. Today: Buttermilk Pound Cake.

Put to use

Less than 24 hours in and the new mixer has already made pizza dough and brioche for cinnamon rolls.

An addition

The price was too good and I have listed for too long, so today, this joined my kitchen.

new toy

Blogging from my new android tablet is a different experience than with either my phone or computer. Winter break starts in two days so maybe pictures. This can't do that, though...

Bread = home

With the arrival of a new baking vessel to replace one destroyed in the move, I can now bake bread, filling my new home with a scent that, more than any other makes a place a home.

Phone blog test

123

We're back!

Two plus years and two times zones later, we're back! Stay tuned for potentially more interesting content.

a laziness hiatus

Six months with no blogging? Poor.

I'm deployed in West Virginia, expect a blog overhaul when I return home in May. Until then, don't hold your breath....

pathetic

Let me get this straight: National media is punked by a 6-year-old, breaking away from coverage of President Obama’s first visit to New Orleans to show a balloon floating away. Upon discovering that they have been punked, they decide to give the story even more play, putting it on the front page of USA Today, and running regular updates on CNN.
I can only assume tomorrow we’ll get a tell-all book from the kid, and by next week he’ll have a podcast and blog.
Fighting two wars, debating heath care and climate change, with the economy still in an employment crisis and this is what they give us. No wonder journalism is dying.

nothing lasts forever

After a six month vacation, tomorrow I return to work, if only for a couple days. Will my burdens ever cease?

how did I walk away from this?

harrowing

Unquestionably, a seat belt saved my life tonight