Road Trip Memories

I wish I could say our last road trip was uneventful, but that would be a lie. Our family trips usually bring about memories that last a lifetime, or more! This trip was no exception, for it provided the making of the "Venison Vaporizer". While very disheartening at the time (we didn't know if our car was repairable and we had a difficult time securing a rental car to proceed with our vacation), we now have quite a few laughs over the whole incident.


So how was the Venison Vaporizer born?


1) Ignore certain road signs.




2) Find a victim and introduce it to your car, up close and personal!



3) After all the hysteria, take the next exit that named their town after you.

There is no picture of the deer, because according to a nice young man who stopped to see if we were alright... he said, "Hey dude, you totally vaporized it"!

So there you have it, the making of a Venison Vaporizer.... And memories to last us forever!

Rocks & Water Together

I love the look of rugged rocks...

but add water to rugged rocks and (for me) it is breathtaking!!

The sounds of water rushing over rocks, or slowly rippling over stones, brings me great peace and calmness. Lewis & Clark were excited to hear the sound of water rushing over rock too. Not only did this confirm they were on the correct river, they found joy in the picturesque view. Lewis' journal called the great falls a "truly magnificent and sublimely grand object which has from the commencement of time been concealed from the view of civilized man." I can only imagine what it must have been like to see the falls for the first time, without the power dams in place. I will have to settle for reading about these experiences, because I would not have made a good explorer!!

Great Falls

Great Falls, Montana... The Lewis & Clark Expedition spent a month here because they had to portage around 5 waterfalls. These falls are awesome (except one is now underwater). Tawnya, John and I had a great time exploring these falls and looking at the rugged terrain in this area. It's beautiful and impressive. Sure nice to see some different landscape for a change. We walked across a suspension bridge to see the largest falls... that made my stomach churn a little as the swaying in the center was rather pronounced!

Peonys at Braham Cemetery

Last Sunday John and I made our annual pilgrimage to the Rice Lake Cemetery in Braham, MN. This cemetery has hundreds of peony bushes planted throughout. It is absolutely gorgeous when they are in full bloom! Here is what I captured with my camera eye...

Summer Sights & Smells

Lately, I have thought a lot about the sights and smells of summer. Sights are easy to blog about with pictures telling most of the story. For example, the yellow finches eating their thistle. They are nervous little birds, so I took the picture from inside the house, through the screen! But they are beautiful birds to observe during the summer.

Although smells are hard to "capture" on camera, I thought a picture might be a reminder of a great smell. Soooo, here is a picture of our freshly cut hay field.

If you didn't grow up on a farm, or have never visited a farm, during haying season (summer) you may not enjoy this post. But, I love the smell of freshly cut alfalfa. Cut grass is good too, but hay is sweeter and more fragrant. John loves this smell too. And much like a dog with its head out the window, when we are out for a drive John rolls the window down if he happens to see a cut hay field. Has anyone ever heard of air freshener with this fragrance? Maybe this could be my million dollar discovery!!!

Swingin' Duo

It was the best weather on Friday! Shawna and Jenna came over and we had a great time. Worked in the gardens, did a little swingin' then went out for lunch to Tasty Pizza. Life is full of wonder, even for oldies like me! Isn't Jenna just the cutest ever? She sits in the swing like she's driving a car and tanning her arm out the window!!

I made John his favorite pie of the summer. This could be made year round, but the flavors are so much better with fresh-from-the-garden strawberries. The secret ingredient is 7-UP.

Summer Treats

We have been eating from our garden for two weeks - the early perennial plants of rhubarb and asparagus. They are so tasty when fresh.

My favorite this time of year are the fresh June strawberries. I picked our first bowl full today. Don't they look delicious?

After cleaning the strawberries, the next big decision was how to eat them... pie, shortcake, with cream & sugar? Tonight I decided to mix a few strawberries with ice cream and a little milk. Hit the blender power button, and walla... a delicious strawberry shake! Yum, yum, yum. Fit for a king (or queen).