Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Mushroom Risotto

Mushroom Risotto

DUCK CONFIT, BECCA JOSH 266a


Ingredients:


8 cups chicken broth, low sodium
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced, divided
1 pound fresh portobello and crimini mushrooms, sliced
{any mushrooms will do}
a pinch of fresh thyme
a stick of butter
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon truffle oil {optional}
1-ounce dried porcini mushrooms, wiped of grit
2 cups Sushi rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

DUCK CONFIT, BECCA JOSH 043a

Preparation:

Heat the chicken broth in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add 1/2 onion and 1 clove garlic, cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the fresh mushrooms, herbs and butter.
Saute for 3 to 5 minutes until lightly browned, season with salt and pepper.
Drizzle in truffle oil then add the dried porcini mushrooms
which were reconstituted in1 cup of warm beef broth.
Season again with salt and fresh cracked pepper.
Saute 1 minute then remove from heat and set aside.
Coat a saucepan with remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.
Saute the remaining 1/2 onion and garlic clove.
Add the rice and stir quickly until it is well-coated and opaque, 1 minute.
This step cooks the starchy coating and prevents the grains from sticking.
Stir in wine and cook until it is nearly all evaporated.
Now, with a ladle, add 1 cup of the warm broth and cook,
stirring, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Add the remaining broth, 1 cup at a time.
Continue to cook and stir, allowing the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding more.
The risotto should be slightly firm and creamy, not mushy.
Transfer the mushrooms to the rice mixture.
Stir in Parmesan cheese, cook briefly until melted.
Top with a drizzle of truffle oil and chopped parsley before serving.


DUCK CONFIT, BECCA JOSH 278a















One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways~

Fusions and Illusions Chapter Two

_MG_0100aa

Written by Wilde Poet
Photography: Kathleen Bade








The Fusion



martini 1

Ahh the Martini.
Is there any other drink that conjures up images of refinement and class?


Start with gin.
Some of you out there may be thinking vodka...
but that would be wrong. A martini is made with gin.
The type of gin is entirely up to you, I prefer Bombay Sapphire.


How dry you make your martini is up to you.
The drier a martini the less vermouth it has in it.
I like mine extra dry.

Pour some vermouth in a martini glass as roll the glass
so that the vermouth coats the sides, then discard the rest.

Add chilled gin and garnish with an olive and you have a dry martini.
If you like your martini less dry a mixture of 6parts gin and 1 part vermouth
seems to work well in a shaker. Add ice, shake, strain and enjoy.




_MG_0072aa






The Illusion

The lady waked in the room and sat at the bar. She commanded a presence that few could equal.
She wore a long black dress that showed her figure without revealing to much. It was an elegance
that was truly a part of her, not simply a facade. She ordered a martini and leaned on her elbows,
the pale powdered look of her arms accented greatly by the deep mahogany of the bar. The martini
she ordered was in front of her and she ran one slender finger around the rim before bringing it to her lips.


A man who had too much to drink appeared at her side and began to talk to her much louder
than was needed. He did not take the subtle cues that so many others had picked up on. She was not
in the mood for companionship. When the man bought her another drink and she turned it away
he became agitated and sulked away. She sat quietly listening to the Miles Davis song coming from
the stage her foot swaying gently. She sat staring at her drink not speaking a quiet loneliness
that was her own. She wanted and needed nothing but the music and the cool martini in front of her.


I sat, my feet propped up on the chair next to me, my own leaning back against the wall. I smoked
one of my rare cigarettes and watched through the blue smoke. No one else approached her,
no one talked to her, no one seemed to even notice her, the same as she did not notice them.
She took no heed in what they thought or what they did, she lived in a time of her own much like myself,
while I took a fascination in watching the peope who came and went I held no stock in their thoughts.
I felt a connection of separation to this lady who sat sipping her martini.


She sat there for hours and I did the same. Neither one of us were approached save for when
the martini ran dry, never a word spoken, never an influence felt. When the time came for her
to take the world of her mind elsewhere she rose. I motioned to the bartender and he understood,
he took no money from her but offered no explanation. The woman scanned the room and saw me
in the shadows of my corner.

A simple smile said thank you and she departed as elegantly as she had arrived,
leaving an impression on very few, save one.
















Monday, March 30, 2009

On The Subject of Silence...









_MG_8928a




"There are times when silence has the most powerful voice."

Leroy Brownlow















Sunday, March 29, 2009

Hopped Up on Squid






_MG_9039a



okay maybe it wasn't the squid.
maybe it was being spontaneous.
no i know it was being SPONTENUOUS.
(from the movie Happy Feet)


Will post more tomorrow from this evening's
last minute
trip to Duluth with my brother Joshy
150 miles there and back just to eat calamari.

Some things are worth the effort.












One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways~


Saturday, March 28, 2009

DUCK COMB FEET SHE SAID???

I am ABSOLUTELY thrilled to start a new regular feature here on One Tree Past The Fence.

It's called 8 with Kate, After Dinner.
Sure it was a little bit inspired by the cookbook My Last Supper. although I'm not a newbie,
when it comes to interviews, far from it.

...I like asking questions.
8 with Kate is nothing new, in fact
it was something I created last year.
Adapted it to fit the foodie world, I couldn't be happier.


_MG_8880a


I'll be working my way around blog world, interviewing the foodies we know & love,
and well, some we don't know but would like to.

I'm not a night owl by any means, but I'm so excited I'm staying up to get this done,
and once I start a blog I can't stop until its finished, needless to say I've already started it.
I promised her she would be the first.......I hold fast to my promises. Along with the
interview, I am cooking and photographing their last meal... if they could have only one meal
what would they choose.......yeh that meal.

Without further adieu meet my first guest.... The Angry Brit
An incredible writer, a fantastic writer, I encourage you to go check out her blog site, BUT...
not before you read her here.





8 with Kate, After Dinner...



1. What was the one thing that got you hooked, when you knew
your love of food could not be ignored and you decided to take it into
your own hands? Was it a childhood experience, a dinner eaten at a
restaurant, a personal kitchen experience? And if you can’t think of
what it was I’ll give you an out with what’s the best and or worst meal
you’ve ever eaten…

See I’m reasonable.

* There really was no such defining moment for me. I grew up
surrounded by food, by people who loved to cook, so I suppose that
it was inevitable. My grandfather on my mother's side was a
butcher and he married a woman who went to culinary school before
it became fashionable. My grandmother on my father's side was a
wartime bride who liked to cook and bake everything from scratch.
When I was 5 years old, I sneaked a piece of jalapeno from my
mother's chopping board, thinking that it was green bell pepper.
The resulting pain was memorable, still to this day. When I was
about 7, we went to the Dorchester hotel in London and I
scandalised everyone by asking for champagne. I remember baking
bread with my mother and the fact that my grandmother is unable to
cook roast potatoes without burning herself. These are the
memories that make up my childhood.

2. What's one thing you've learned about yourself since you
started cooking or baking?

*I have more patience than I ever thought possible. I am well
known for being an impatient woman with little time for anyone or
anything, however, put me in the kitchen and I will make bread,
caramelise onions, and candy lemon peel without a second thought
for how long it will take. Of course, this new found patience does
not stretch to the world outside of the kitchen. I still have no
patience for people and their endless stupidity. :)

3. When you're not in the kitchen cooking up a storm or pouring
through recipes, you find yourself with a little free time, what would
we find you doing?

*(aw c'mon don't say sleeping)*

* I am a massive rugby fan and follow a team in the UK known as the
Saracens. At the moment they totally suck, so they cause more
than a fair amount of heartbreak in my house. I am not a real
social butterfly, but I have a handful of very close friends with
whom I try to spend as much time with as possible, because they
are my family here in the States. I love to read and can very
easily spend hours lost in another world while I read. I am very
boring and highly antisocial, so chances are fairly high that I'm
not doing anything interesting.


4. There's a cookbook out called My Last Supper. Famous Chef's
choose their last meal, drink appetizer, dinner and desert,
lets add who would you have cook it for
you or would you cook it yourself?
Yep you know where I'm going with
this......what's yours?

* (psssst..........got the recipe?)*

* Wild Scottish smoked salmon on brown bread with French butter,
squeeze of lemon, twist of black pepper, and a flute of prosecco.
* French onion soup without the crouton- instead a toasted baguette
with gruyere alongside.
* Confit de canard with French fries cooked in duck fat.
* My mother's lemon meringue pie.
* I would cook it myself, with the exception of my mother's pie,
because if I knew it would be my last meal, I would want to spend
as much time in the kitchen as possible. I refuse to do the
dishes, though.

5. And of course I'm going to ask who's sitting at your table...I’m
also going to ask why you chose these people. (They can be past or present)

* My parents and my sister. I never laugh so much as when I'm with
my family. I miss them every single day.
* Mia & Chris, Kat, Karl, Mike, and Eli- my best friends and my USA
family.
* The Top Gear boys (Jeremy, Richard, and James). The boys are
absolutely mad, very funny, and I would love to be able to tell
Jeremy and Richard to be nice to James. I think I'd have to ban
Jeremy from talking, though, because he does whine a fair bit.
* Rob Kearney. Rob plays wing/full-back for Leinster rugby as well
as playing wing for the Ireland national team. He is also the
future Mr. Angry Brit. (Although he doesn't know it yet.)
* Bill Bryson, because I love his writing and I think a conversation
with him would be fascinating.
* Roald Dahl, who has always been my favourite author.

6. If you could give advice to the person you were just coming
into adulthood, what would you tell that younger version of yourself?

* It gets worse. Have fun with that.

7. What will be your legacy, what will you have contributed to this
world, what do you hope they will say about you after you leave this
human plane, and the one cookbook you’d take with you?
( haha yeh I sneaked that in there)

* Very depressing question, Kate. At the moment, I'm not sure that
I have much legacy to speak of and my contributions are fairly
minimal. I would like to be able to say that I was loved by my
friends and family, that my writing made someone laugh or made
someone get into the kitchen and try to cook something, and that I
finally managed to kill the people who annoy me. The one cookbook
I would take with me is The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew
Dornenburg, because if I have that with me, then I will have all
the inspiration I will ever need.

8. If there's one statement you'd like to get across to the public,
about what you do with food, what food does for us, eating together,
anything, any belief you have… food related or not

........here's your chance....

"I believe..... (finish however you like)

I believe that life is too short to eat low-fat cookies. Tell him how
you feel. Move to Paris if that's what you want. If you fail, get up
and try again.













Duck Confit with Garlic and Thyme

_MG_8877a



AB:
Duck confit is one of those things that I would always want to have in
my fridge along with bacon, lemons, flat leaf parsley, parmesan, and
onions. If you have a couple of confit legs in the fridge then you are
never without options. The most expensive part of this dish is buying
the duck fat, but look on it as an investment. It keeps for AGES in the
fridge, so even after you have devoured the duck, you can keep the fat
for the next time you make confit. Or use it for making the best roast
potatoes in the entire universe.

4 ducks legs, bone and skin intact (meaning don't buy boneless,
skinless anything)
Roughly 1 1/2 lbs of duck fat, or enough to cover the legs for cooking
4 fresh bay leaves, roughly torn
Handful fresh thyme
1 head of garlic, cloves skinned and roughly chopped
Handful of coarse sea salt or kosher salt (do NOT used iodised table
salt or fine salt It will be far too salty)

YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
A large, non-metallic dish that can accommodate the duck legs overnight
A lidded, non-reactive oven-going pan that will fit the ducks legs
snugly in a single layer.
[If you plan on storing them longer than a week] A clean, non-reactive
container with a lid.


DUCK CONFIT, BECCA JOSH 014a


1. Put the garlic and herbs into a pestle and mortar or a small food
processor along about 3-4 ounces of salt and smash it to pieces.
You want a very rough consistency, not a puree. Personally, I
find a pestle and mortar is best for this, but not everyone has
one. If you can't get fresh bay leaves, use 2 dried ones and
grind to relatively fine powder.
2. Smear the salt-garlic concoction liberally over the ducks legs and
place them in a large, non-metallic dish that will fit them in one
layer.
3. Cover tightly with clingfilm and leave in the fridge overnight,
turning once at some point.


DUCK CONFIT, BECCA JOSH 021a

4. The following day, rinse off the garlic-salt mixture from the duck
legs and dry thoroughly with paper towels.
5. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
6. Heat a lidded, non-reactive pan over a low heat and place the duck
legs, fat-side down, into the pan. You can pack them tightly, but
they need to be in a single layer. Leave them there for about
15-20 minutes until the fat starts to render and the skin has
browned slightly.

DUCK CONFIT, BECCA JOSH 026a

7. Still over the heat, add the duck fat and let it melt down to
cover the legs.
8. Transfer to the oven and leave it to cook for about 5 hours.
Yes, you heard me. 5 hours.

9. Let the legs cool in the fat. Provided the duck is completely
covered by the fat, these will keep for a few days like this. If
you would like to store them longer that that, then remove the
legs from the fat, melt and strain the fat, then pack them into a
clean container, cover with the strained fat, and keep in the
refrigerator. They will keep for months like this, but I'm
betting that they won't last that long.

10. You can do pretty much whatever you want with them at this point.
If you want to eat them straight, preheat your oven to about 400
degrees F, remove the legs from the fat and roast on a rack for
about 20 minutes or until the skin crisps and the legs are heated
through.

_MG_8879a


You can shred the meat and make rilettes. You can make
cassoulet. You can make tarte au confit. You can make ravioli or
tortellini. Your choices really are kind of endless, but whatever
you do, make sure that you keep the duck fat.




I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed cooking this dish, I don't know if I did it
justice, was my first attempt at duck confit. I only wish you were here to eat it!
I saved you a leg...

or two. : )


Thank you so much for your heartfelt answers, the time you put into this.
Others have said no, I'm glad you said yes.



Speaking of yes, I have another interview waiting in the wings, but I'm not telling...yet.
I've got some cooking to do first~





Wishing you all a great week ahead~






One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways~

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Move over Banquet, This Girl Can Make Her Own Pot Pie






chicken pot pie 027a





Yes indeedy I can.
I remember those pot pies, dried out, bordering on burnt.
Why Mom why? I'm laughing, in my adult years, I've taken
those prefab things and nuked em into some gooey glob and
eaten them......they were the ramen noodles of the 70's.

I had the whole day off. Was a great day.
Good things happened really good things.
I knew that they would.

My chicken pot pies were damn good.
My not so short anymore person, who's actually
now four inches taller than I (and when in the hell did that happen?)
said "Mom, no I won't eat it there's peas in it. You know I don't like peas,
can I go to Jeff's." Sure. His loss I swear.

Here's the dealio, I was going to make Tyler Florence's chicken pot pie.
It started that way, until I realized I had no puff pastry, no fresh thyme, no
home made chicken broth [the HORROR I know], no pearl onions.
Yeh I was batting a thousand.

So...
I did what we all do best in the food world,
I improvised.


My Chicken Pot Pie


chicken pot pie 055a




Ingredients:

  • 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • baby carrots, cut into little circles
  • 2 tbs finely chopped red onion
  • 1 box frozen or fresh peas
  • Leaves from 4 fresh parsley sprigs
  • A few fresh rosemary sprigs
  • 1 egg mixed with 3 tablespoons water
  • 1/4 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • Chicken broth as needed to make the sauce
  • Splash of heavy whipping cream
  • Frozen Pie dough Tops *YES FROZEN*


Preparation:


Melt the butter and then whisk in the flour to form a paste.
This is a roux, which will act as a thickener.
Now, gradually pour in the chicken broth,
whisking the entire time to prevent lumps.
Whisk and simmer for 10 minutes to cook out the starchy taste
of the flour and thicken the broth; it should look like cream of chicken soup.
Season with salt and pepper. Fold in the shredded chicken, carrots, onion,
peas, and parsley and a sprig of rosemary. Add splash of cream.
Stir to combine and turn off the heat.
Pull out the sprig of rosemary.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.



Fill the crocks 3/4 of the way with the chicken mixture, making sure each serving has a nice amount of chicken, vegetables, and broth.


chicken pot pie 016a


Carefully cap each crock with a pastry/pie circle, pressing the dough around the rim to form a seal. Lightly beat the egg with 3 tablespoons of water to make an egg wash and brush some on the pastry. Sprinkle the pastry with the Parmigiano Reggiano, and a sprig of rosemary.


chicken pot pie 031a



Set the crocks on a cookie sheet and transfer to the oven.

Bake for 20 minutes, until puffed and golden.


chicken pot pie 035A















That's all she wrote~

On the Subject of Present Moment




"all'uomo non è dato di conoscere il futuro, né tanto meno di determinarlo. Solo sul presente l'uomo può intervenire e solo sul presente, quindi, deve concentrarsi il suo agire, che, in ogni sua manifestazione, deve sempre cercare di cogliere le occasioni, le opportunità, le gioie che si presentano oggi, senza alcun condizionamento derivante da ipotetiche speranze o ansiosi timori per il futuro."




_MG_1266




" all of man is not given to know the future, neither much less than to determine it. Only on the present man can take part and only on the present, therefore, he must concentrate himself to act, then, in every his manifestation, must always try to pick the occasions, the opportunities, the joys that are introduced today, without some conditioning deriving from hypothetical hopes or expectant fears for the future."















One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways~

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

What Happened When THIS Chicken Crossed the Road?


I cooked it.



_MG_7362a
pssstt.... don't laugh at my burnt tips, I know I should have cut them off.
but they looked so cute hugging the lemon. these chickens look like thayz belly rubbing.








Gordon Ramsay's Sticky Lemon Chicken

* 1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces I used two halves.
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
* 1 head of garlic, sliced in half horizontally
* 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
* 1 lemon sliced thickly, plus juice from another half of lemon
* "Little cup of water" or "about a ladle of water". Start small and add more if needed.
* Bunch of fresh thyme, minced with scissors
* 2 tablespoons honey
* Freshly ground pepper
* 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley


_MG_7355a



Preparation:

Salt and pepper the chicken, add the chicken halves, and brown thoroughly on both sides.

When the chicken is a nice golden-brown, add the soy sauce and the vinegar.
Top with the lemon slices and squeeze the juice from half of that other lemon over everything.

At which point I put the chicken in the oven and basted with the rest of the sauce.
_MG_7369a

Add water and, over medium-low heat, simmer, until most of the water has cooked away,
baste the chicken as it cooks with this sauce.


Season with the fresh thyme and drizzle with honey.
Add a good grind of pepper and cook for another five minutes or so.
Sprinkle with fresh parsley, I used thyme.
_MG_7375a
Serves 4












: )

Monday, March 23, 2009

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Honey Glazed Salmon






068a



Ingredients:

3-4 salmon filets
1 stick of butter
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup brown sugar
Lemon Zest


Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425

Ha so like I'm totally joking about the amounts here.
Seriously, I never measure. Feel free to make adjustments.

Heat butter, honey and brown sugar until it melts.
Add lemon zest to taste.
Brush the salmon with the glaze.
(I line my tray with foil, makes for quick clean up)

Put in oven on top rack.
Yeh you wanna go back and brush
a little more glaze on half way thru.

Bake it for 7 to ten minutes.
I prefer mine a little undercooked.






How's that for simple and easy?
067a

I'll post the recipe for the risotto real soon...


: )







On The Subject of Personal Boundaries...Redux

I'm making it a practice to re-post this frequently.
Its the most important contract I've ever written for myself.
And a promise I intend to keep.
We cannot be all things to all people, there are times
when we
for sanity's sake have to pull back and self care.
Sometimes we do have to draw the line, or ask for a time out.
Why people react so strongly when we do is beyond me.
I suspect ego has much to do with it, and a need to control the outcome.
When we set a boundary, we remove that control as well as the outcome.



165a


"When we set a boundary, we let go of the outcome."

The purpose of setting boundaries is to take care of our self. Being forced to learn how to set boundaries is a vital part of learning to own our self, of learning to respect ourselves, of learning to love ourselves. If we never have to set a boundary, then we will never get in touch with who we really are. ~Robert Burney




I will not apologize for setting my own personal boundaries.
I will not apologize for doing whatever it takes to enforce those boundaries.
I will not apologize for doing whatever it takes to protect my emotonal well being.
I will not apologize for keeping out those who are not healthy.
I will not apologize for taking time to think before I speak.
I will not apologize for telling someone their behavior is not acceptable to me.
I will not apologize for deciding what behavior is and is not acceptable.
I will not apologize for stepping back from a situation in order to evaluate my feelings, however long that takes.
I will not apologize for setting strict boundaries when I need and sticking to them.
I will not apologize for asking for space when I need it.
I will not apologize for taking responsibility for the way I allow others to treat me.
I will not apologize for cutting someone completely out of my life if I feel they don't respect my boundaries.
I will not apologize for not believing everything I'm told.
I will not apologize for letting your problems, your dysfunction be yours.
I will not apologize for not being able to be all things to all people.
I will not apologize for loving myself enough to set boundaries even if it means I risk losing people in my life because of them.




















One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

On The Subject of Emotion







_MG_1267




All emotions are pure which gather you and lift you up;
that emotion is impure which seizes only one side of your being and so distorts you.

Rainer Maria Rilke












: )

Tuna Noodle Casserole.......Maverick Style!

Friends did come a calling this week! And this is what they crave.
Only way I know how to thank them is to feed them.
They've been friends for years and when the going gets tough, they rally round IMMEDIATELY....I try to do the same.
Course more often than not we're laughin our way thru life.
These guys don't miss a beat, that's all I gotta say.
Thank you for being the kind of friends you are...great ones.

365 (2)
Joshy, Catie, George


Okay okay maybe its not such a rebellious or innovative version of this casserole,
but surely its brave given how I've upped the ante on caloric intake.
Yes indeedy I have. Hold onto your cellulite and get out your spanks,
you'll need them after eating this.

Once Upon a Plate
and I are were having the same meal the same night,
unplanned, ha go figure. I'm just a little slow to post. Cheers to great minds.






108a




Ingredients:

2 bags of extra wide egg noodles
One family size can Cream of Mushroom Soup
One family size can Cream of Chicken Soup
One pint heavy whipping cream
One pint sour cream
Some milk
3 cans of tuna [drained]
3 cans of mushrooms [drained]
Paprika
Kraft Parmesan Cheese (don't cringe, this is old school tuna casserole)
You can add the real stuff when you plate up.
Salt
Pepper
Parsley
Butter


I swear its the only dish I use canned soups... I PROMISE!



055a

Preparation:

Open all cans.
Boil noodles, drain and rinse.
Set aside.

In the HUGE baking dish you are going to use,
mix all soup, sour cream, some milk, not much,
heavy cream as needed. (you probably won't use it all, or maybe you will, I did)
Add tuna, and mushrooms.
I know I said two bags of noodles, add as much as you can.
I end up using 3/4 of what I boiled, and save the rest for soup.

Top the casserole off with paprika, cheese, salt pepper, and parsley.
Take a stick of butter and cut, scrape or however you want to break it into pieces
And evenly distribute them over the top.


Bake at 375 for what maybe 45 minutes? Until it starts to bubble.
If you don't have a nice crusty top....flip the broiler on for a few.


115a





A few more pics of my peeps...why not~!
Ha yes this photographer takes "snapshots"...


357 (2)


205a


One Month to go....and these two will be married.

Again.
370a

I like happy beginnings~



Have a wonderful weekend~~~ Hannah and I are headed up town, I gotta feeling
there's going to be a lil bowling happenin today. Right on.


One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways~

Monday, March 16, 2009

On The Subject of Divine Beings...YOU






_MG_4374a



YOU ARE PERFECTION.
YOU ARE LIGHT.
YOU ARE PURE.
YOU ARE LOVE.
YOU ARE LIMITLESS.
YOU ARE THE ETERNAL.
WITHIN YOU BLAZES A LIGHT BRIGHTER THAN 1,000 SUNS!

SHINE ON DEAR ONES!
SHINE SO BRIGHT!








I was left this comment on an old myspace account.
I wanted to share it with you all.
Sometimes we have only ourselves to lift us up.
Let this lift you today.

: )







A Little Taste of Spain...

Spain March 2009 070a
view from the train











It's crazy trying to get back into the groove of things,
I've used to fit blogging in when????
I used to write when???
HA!


Spain March 2009 029
Lisa and Lauren getting ready

I have a few minutes while the house is quiet and am
going to post a few pictures to tide you over until I
can do a proper posting.

Spain March 2009 050a

We started off at this little bar in Bunole while we waited for the train.
Most of the pictures are self explanatory I've got limited time
so I'm going to post as many as I can before we have to head to Duluth.

Spain March 2009 041aa

Spain March 2009 045a

Spain March 2009 043a

Spain March 2009 047a



We took the train into Valencia to see the fireworks.
Spain March 2009 051a

"BAHLENTHIA"...
is how its pronounced and is my FAVORITE word of the year.
I'll be using it any and every chance I get.

Spain March 2009 057a

I'm also stuck on this new little formula I came up
with in PSP, seems each trip I take takes on its own feel
when I start playing with images.....this one definitely did.


Let me give you a feel for the city before I get into the fireworks
which we were there to see.

Spain March 2009 091aa

Spain March 2009 110a


Spain March 2009 099a

Spain March 2009 104a

Spain March 2009 079a

Spain March 2009 215a

Spain March 2009 311a

Spain March 2009 100d




And the fireworks.....ohhhhhhhhhhhhh the fireworks!
I've never seen fireworks during the day, I'll post more of those later.
You've never felt fireworks like these, thousands upon thousands
gather in the center of the city for these.

Spain March 2009 182a

They last only ten minutes but for ten minutes you can feel the earth move
under your feet, literally. It shakes you to the bone, that's how loud they are.

Spain March 2009 283a

Lisa could tell you better about the young women and girls who get dressed
up for this event. They parade the streets, here they were on a balcony above
the crowds watching the fireworks and waving to the crowds.

Spain March 2009 322a
Beautiful aren't they?




Spain March 2009 223aSpain March 2009 328a
Lauren's posturing the same as one of the girls in the balcony at the same time...
I loved.





They are so passionate about everything.
I loved that too.

Spain March 2009 308a


Spain March 2009 264aa



After the fireworks we wandered around "Bahlenthia", found an outdoor cafe,
and Seth this one is for you...PAELLA! HAPPY BIRTHDAY~!~!

Spain March 2009 360a

Spain March 2009 365a

I'll introduce you with pictures to my wonderful friends and hosts, Wayne, Lisa and their daughter Lauren in the next post. I've think I've given you enough to devour for now~

I'm still playing catch up so hang in there with me, I'll be making rounds soon!
Thank you again for all the welcome homes, it certainly is good to be back~


One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways~!

LinkWithin Related Stories Widget for Blogs