Somewhere over a rainbow

Taken while crossing the Richmond bridge. Photo does not do it justice. It was truly spectacular. As for the crock of gold... mums the word, as I hear that the IRS reads my blog!!

He's back!!

I am back to the world of blogging.  All hail the Nexus One

Giving thanks for deep fried turkey!

After last year's success, we decided to try the deep fried turkey again this year. It turned out great!

It is amazing that in under an hour you can have a succulent 18 lb turkey ready for the Thanksgiving table.

If you have never tried it before... what are you waiting for? Get (deep) fryin' :)

The El Camino earns its keep!

It was time to stock up on fire wood for the winter, so I decided to unleash the El Camino and let it do what it does best... haulin shit!!!

A quick hose down after I unloaded the wood, and it was back to its old 'clean' self :)

How low can you go?

I am currently learning how to play my new Kerry Low 'D' whistle.

When played properly, the Low Whistle's haunting sound quality is unequaled. It is probably most easily recognized from Davey Spillane's unforgettable performance in "Riverdance", and from "My Heart Will Go On" from the soundtrack for "Titanic".

It is difficult to play because it is such a large instrument, and the holes are spaced far apart. This requires the use of a "Piper's" grip as opposed to the normal fingering. I am determined to master this instrument and learn more about the traditional Irish tunes that sound amazing when played on a low whistle.

Wish me luck!!

I Beelieve!!!

I went to a bee keeping 101 class with the 'BeeKind' folks up in
Sebastopol; I am now a beeliever!!

They are such amazing creatures! The class was very informative and I
learned a lot about bees and the art of bee keeping. The highlight was
a visit to the hives (see photo).

I used to bee afraid of bees, but now, I can see myself dancing in a
cloud of bees, basking in its warmth, and breathing in its wonderful
aroma!

I can't wait until spring time when we will have our first hive :)

Fruits (and veggies) of our labor!

Here are some of the veggies we harvested from our garden today.

I am most pleased with the potatoes; I dug underneath the plants with my hands and pulled out a few potatoes, leaving the plant in place to hopefully continue producing more spuds.

Unfortunately, the carrots and parsnips were not as successful as I would have liked. I put this down to neglect by the gardener... wait, that's me! Oh well, I will try harder next time.

The tomatoes continue to give and give. As Pamela says, they are like candy :)