Early Morning Post From The Cell Phone.

Good morning.  We are in Trinidad this morning on the misty foggy coast of northern California.   Ah, what a relief from the 100 degree day we left.  Since I can't space the text between the photos in this 100% phone blogging post, I'll have to talk about them first.  On the way over we stopped at a grocery store in a Mountain town called Weaverville.   I couldn't believe the price of the melons. We bought a sandwich to share from the deli and it was delicious. It was made with turkey,  fresh mozzarella,  basil and a tomato/herb  mayo on an Italian flat bread. Grilled and toasty warm.  It was much better than any fast food offering available.

We turned the music up loud and had Pandora Broadway tunes to sing along with during the times we could receive the signals trough the mountain passes.

We were stopped at 8 different construction zones with most involving one way traffic.  Ugg.. but with the views of mountains, the Trinity River, and the wild sweet peas it was OKAY. At last we got to the coastal highway 101 and saw our first view of the Pacific waves.   Ah,  cool coastal weather!  It's supposed to rain this afternoon.   My dusty camping grandkids are going to be muddy kids today. 

I'll have more photos from my big girl camera and stories about s' mores and campfires and grand kids and Agate hunting after this trip.  Take care. 

Sunday Morning Hello

 Flowers from Rick 

for no special occasion.

The best!

I liked but did not buy 

the colorful commemorative

 blue colored Ball canning jars

that came out last year. 

But this year, I just 

couldn't resist the green color

of the new jars 

which I found at JoAnn's.

Speaking of JoAnn's ...

sort of.

I finished sewing the jacket

I wanted to make for one of the 

formal nights on the cruise.

I'm not exactly happy with 

the pattern or the outcome.

But Oh Well.

It may or may not be worn.

I'm not exactly a dress up type person.

Never have been, but black slacks

and a dressy top will hopefully be OK.

It's what my friends are wearing as well.

Summer reading ...  

The countdown continues, 

but I feel like it's

  coming up way too fast, 

and will be over before you know it.

I plan to savor every second,

with camera in hand.

Meanwhile this week has excitement

of it's own.

We get to gather with family

over on the coast with all five 

of our grandkids together.

Sigh with contentment ~~~ cooler weather,

possible rain, gorgeous beaches,

ocean views, campfires, and

grandkids... especially the one

who lives in Hollywood of all places. 

Oh boy, oh boy!

I'm excited, but need to start packing.

Meanwhile outside this morning,

the cherries are ripening.

They're actually very small this year

due to lack of water I think.

So are the Santa Rosa Plums.

We've been eating them straight 

from the tree for a week now.

Not an exciting color or style,

but it's the first zinnia to bloom

from seeds that were scattered earlier

this spring.

I wonder what color 

this one will be.

There's no color but green showing yet.

Who knows, it may turn out to be 

a green zinnia.

Baby Persian cucumbers are starting 

to bloom,

as well as the volunteer tomatoes.

The bees are buzzing

zipping from one flower to the next.

Often buzzing in and out 

before the camera can even focus.

I'm feeling a bit unfocused as well.

Thought for the next several weeks

to keep in my heart.

“Don't cry because it's over, 

smile because it happened.”
― Dr. Seuss

Promise Kept, Better Late Than Never,

I promised to send our niece a recipe

for the buttermilk chicken I made for her.

It's only been about six weeks or so 

since I made that promise.

So, 

Here's the original recipe from Martha Stewart,

and then I'll show you how I did it. Okay.

Buttermilk Baked Chicken  

Oil for baking sheet.

8 slices white bread

2 1/4 ounces Parmesan cheese, finely grated

1 teaspoon dried ground thyme

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup buttermilk

3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1 teaspoon Tobasco sauce

4 pounds chicken pieces preferably 

legs, thighs, and wings, rinsed  and patted dry.

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

Oil a baking sheet.  

In a food processor, grind the bread

into fine crumbs.

2.  In a shallow bowl, 

combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan,

 thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

In a a second large bowl, 

combine the buttermilk, Tobasco,

3/4 teaspoon salt, 

and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper. 

 Add the chicken, turning to coat.

3.  Remove one piece of chicken 

from buttermilk mixture, 

shaking off excess liquid.  

Drop into the breadcrumb mixture 

and turn to coat.  

Place on prepared baking sheet.

Repeat with remaining chicken.

4.  Bake for 40 minutes, 

rotating pans halfway through cooking.

So, that's the original recipe,

but here's how I do it.

I know you (Melissa) don't care for 

buttermilk but it's necessary for this recipe.

With the leftover buttermilk

 you can make home made biscuits

 and pancakes from scratch.

Better than boxed mixes, I think.

Skin and remove fat from cut up chicken 

pieces.  I used six thighs.  Place in a zipper bag

or a bowl and coat with buttermilk

and several shakes of hot sauce.  

I really like the Cholula brand of 

hot sauce because it's not vinegary

and not that hot. 

 I'm not a fan of hot sauce

but this doesn't make the chicken too spicy.

It's barely spicy I think.

Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 

a couple hours.

Use your judgement on the amount

of Panko crumbs to coat the  

chicken you want to use.  

Try to use real Parmesan type cheese,

not the powdered stuff from 

the green can.

I crumble up about a heaping 1/4 cup.

Add  1 tsp. dried thyme,

 salt and pepper to taste.

Be careful the amount of salt because

it's already in the hot sauce and the cheese.

 Sometimes I'll mix in a bit of olive oil 

with the crumbs to help it crunch up 

and brown during the baking time.

Other times I've pour a little bit

in a thin stream back and forth

over the already coated chicken pieces

on the baking pan. 

 That uses more oil though.

If you don't have a Silpat type pan liner,

coat the pan with olive oil as well.

Anyway, remove your chicken  pieces 

from the buttermilk/hot sauce  mixture, 

and dip the chicken

pieces in your coating mix.

Place on a prepared baking pan

and bake in a 400 degree oven

until done.  

I usually bake for an hour.

Sorry it's a bit blurry, but it's good.

Serve with biscuits to use up some of

your leftover buttermilk.

Add vegetables and or salad 

and there's dinner for you.

Now for catching up

with the photos from the camera.

Rick took May 30th (Friday) off

so that we could go to a memorial service  

on the traditional Memorial Day, 

rather than on Monday.

I took several photos, but I'll just add

this one from the end of the service.

Just like last year, it's sad to see

fewer and fewer of the veterans that

served during WWII.

Just two of the vets from Pearl Harbor

are left to place their wreath.

Afterwards several businesses and civic

organizations sponsor a free lunch to those

who attended.  Here's a quick snap shot

of the lunch. 

 BBQ'd tri~tip, coleslaw,

a slice of garlic bread, and some delicious

green beans stewed in tomatoes, a bit of

bacon I think (not too much!), and onions. 

I think the green beans are the best part of

the lunch.

One of Rick's co-workers has chickens.

Home grown eggs! Love the colors.

I really liked the colors on the garden bird bath

on the right hand side.  Some found ceramics

and special glue and you too can have

a one of a kind "thing".

I'm not sure I'd want one, but it was 

pretty with the sun shining through.

I went with a family member to the 

garden show held in a park across from 

the senior center in town.

 A garden club

puts this on every year now rather than

the garden tours and a tea that they used to do.

I miss touring the gardens...sigh.

Anyway, this is one of three photos that I 

took before the camera battery died.

Leave it to me... It also shot some

video without my knowing, and perhaps that's 

why I didn't have any battery left for more

photos.

Two Saturdays ago, I went up to Mt. Shasta

to visit the hatchery with the grandkids.

They have a free children's fishing day

once a month in the summer.

After signing in, receiving the rules 

and fishing licences,

it's off to the ponds.

Here's the worm Katelyn.

The fish were hungry,

and it wasn't long,

before each kid had caught their

limit of three.

The kids were happy and came away

with the idea that fishing is super easy...

unlike when they go out with grandpa

on the lake.

Here's my favorite photo of the kids

at the fishing hole.

Mt. Shasta

 lacking a normal snowpack,

but she's still pretty.

That's it for now.

I'm sure this is way too long

for a blog post.  But oh well!

It makes up for not being here as often.

Take care.