I Scream For...Well, You Know

Summer is a good time to scream for ice cream, don't you think?
Oh, who am I kidding?
I eat it all year 'round.
 Doesn't matter to me if the weather is hot or cold - at least, not so far as eating ice cream is concerned!
We've been finding some different options here lately, though.
Like this one - Dreyer's Grand German Chocolate Cake Spectacular:

I found that one sometime around late June.
And yes, it was very good!
The last time I was over at Lori's, she introduced me to this one,
Haagen-Dazs Caramel Cone Ice Cream.

Oh. My. Lord.
 It is REALLY good, too!

And most recently, I decided I wanted to try this one:

Dreyer's Slow Churned Oregon Black Cherry Ice Cream.

I have been looking for a good cherry ice cream.

We buy Dreyer's ALL the time - love them - but this one didn't quite do it for me. I expected it to be, well - different, somehow than it is.

My carton had very few cherries, and I wanted the ice cream to taste of cherries, also - and it doesn't.

Not the end of the world, and you never know unless you try something, so lesson learned.

And it may be the first flavor of theirs that I was disappointed in, so I'm  certainly still a fan.

(And when I say we buy it all the time, I am not kidding. I don't think I want to tell you how many different kinds of Dreyer's we have in our freezer right now.)

If you happen to be in the mood for something more than a simple dish of ice cream, and if you feel like getting really carried away, here's a banana split recipe for you:

(Illustration by from The Lip-Smackin' Joke-Crackin' Cookbook For Kids, by Wicke Chambers and Spring Asher, with illustrations by Spring Asher and Charles Clemens.)

The Ultimate Root Beer Float

My stepson was telling me about the best root beer he had found at the supermarket one day.
 He couldn't recall the name of it at the time.
But the next time he came by, he brought me a bottle to try.
It was Henry Weinhard's Root Beer )"Gourmet Soda, Draught Style Head").
 I remember Henry Weinhard's advertisements from way back, on TV and in print, I suppose?
1970's, maybe?
 Anyhow, I definitely recognized the name.

He had also told me that this root beer made the best floats you could ever hope to have.
You don't have to tell me twice!
I wanted to try it.

He's right; it was FANTASTIC.
 Creamy, rich, delicious, refreshing.

I used Dreyer's (Edy's) Slow Churned Vanilla Bean ice cream, and I must say that seemed to be the perfect choice.

As it happened, I had just found these two great vintage soda glasses with stands the day before at a thrift store.

Perfect for a nice root beer float, or any type of ice cream soda you might choose to have.
In fact, I might try some other kind and share it with you, too.
But that Ultimate Root Beer Float will be hard to beat!

Chillin', Retro Style

So.....it's HOT.
Anything you can do to keep cool in the summer is a good thing.
I found a new (to me) sun tea jar at a thrift store, so I have been making decaffeinated sun tea. Just tap water and tea bags in my jar -  along with the hot summer sun - are all I need to make it.
 I don't want my iced tea to get diluted so I freeze some of the tea in our vintage aluminum ice cube tray that's been here in the house for nearly sixty years, put the cubes in the freezer in a plastic bag, and they are at the ready when I need them.

It's a Frigidaire....

"Quickube"

I use Lipton Tea, and sometimes I make green tea and sometimes black tea. I sweeten it with Truvia, and that's my version of Sweet Tea - with zero calories.
Very refreshing!
And when we just plain do not feel like anything hot for dinner, I will sometimes just fix us some nice big salads.

I made these salads not long ago - one for my husband with some leftover grilled steak that was in the fridge, red onion, goat cheese, tomatoes:

And for mine I used up some grilled chicken that was leftover from the night BEFORE the grilled steak, goat cheese, and my favorite little tomatoes from the farmer's market:

I do not make my own salad dressing very often (we have a few store-bought favorites that we tend to use all of the time), but I couldn't resist these great vintage salad dressing bottles when I saw them at the thrift store:

So, maybe I will make some one of these days. A homemade vinaigrette is sounding kind of good to me, maybe with some of my locally made Meyer Lemon olive oil that I love so much!
Keep cool, people, keep cool.
(If you possibly can - we are finding it rather difficult, here lately.....)

Lazy Summer Day

Good morning, Tina here. 

It's a lazy summer day in Kelsey.

Ishi is kicked back near the woodstove... the cats' favorite place in the winter, a strange choice on a warm summer day, but who am I to judge?

 Luna is resting on the front porch stairs, trying to decide where to settle for the afternoon.

I am contemplating a long nap cuddled up on the settee.

I love these lazy summer days.

Stars And Stripes Forever

I am so disappointed that the Boston Pops 4th Of July Spectacular will not be televised nationally this year!
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAnky-QJwII
(Click above to hear it on YouTube. I couldn't get it to link any other way - guess I don't know what I'm doing!)
I have watched it for so many years, and I have so thoroughly enjoyed it each and every time.
It won't quite be the same for me - but at least I have YouTube, and I can enjoy the music whenever I choose. This version is conducted by John Williams. I didn't find one today with Keith Lockhart, but I like them all, so this will do nicely for today.
I simply defy you to listen to this great tune and not want to march and dance around! Call me quirky and crazy, but that's what I do! Better yet, if you have a flag - or flags to wave while you do so.
So - long may she wave!
And it's the Stars and Stripes forever for me ( but just not on television.....)
Happy 4th of July, everybody!
Now, crank up that sound, and get dancin'!

Memories to Cool Us Off - 4H Camp in Nevada and Swimming in Lake Tahoe

Too darn hot. Today is starting the fifth day we have had over 100 degree temperatures, and it is supposed to continue into tomorrow.  It is hard to remember cool air. The upstairs portion of our house has become off-limits, and that includes when the air-conditioner is on!

I thought about cold, and it made me remember going to 4H summer camp when I was in 6th through 8th grades.

The postcard above (circa 1955) is the only one I have been able to find that shows the camp.  I never saw it in the snow.  I want to go there right now and have to hike through the snow to get to the dining hall! That will cool me off a bit.

A recent photo of the pier, above. We would try to fish for crawdads for a while, and then go swimming. It was so incredibly cold we couldn't stay in for long (and this was in July!) We would come out and our lips would be purple and we would be covered in goosebumps.

The dining hall now. We stayed at camp for a week, and each cabin had to help in the dining hall for a day. It was always a lot of fun. I have photos somewhere of a few cabins and also a panoramic photo of all the campers taken about 1964. I just recently found out that the University of Nevada keeps an alumni list of campers and added my name to it. I may go to a reunion one of these days. How I wish it was today, I could use some purple lips from the cold right now.

Rogue River Boys... What they are up to... up in Shady Cove, Oregon

Good morning, Tina here. Remember a couple of weeks ago when I posted about fishing the Rogue River?

We watched as the neighbors competed in a little fishing contest. The guy above won with a very large salmon, we never heard how many lbs. it was, but it was a big fish. 

Our good friend Joe, chatting with his grandson below on the banks of the river, has lived here where the party was held for about seven months now.

We were visiting with Joe and Cindy, for Cindy's birthday party, at their new home in Shady Cove, Oregon.

We stayed with another couple, good friends Dave and Sue, because Cindy's darling little house was filled with relatives. That is Dave and Sue below, with my hubby in the foreground.

Joe and Cindy lost their great old dog, a black lab named Bo, just before they moved.  Dave and Sue have a labradoodle named Jack. Here he is enjoying the party just after his summer haircut.

Well, a few short days after we took our weekend visit, Joe got serious. He needs to bring home the bacon, keep the kettle boiling, keep the food on the table, you know what I mean? And look what he caught! His first salmon, 25 lbs., right out in his own back yard.

And now, just last weekend, Dave decided he wasn't to be outdone, and in Joe's backyard again, Dave caught this 28.5 lb. salmon! A bit of competition has arrived on the banks of the Rogue.

Okay, fellas, who is going to get the 30 pounder? (By the way, Sue said the salmon was delicious!)

What's Penny Wearing? #76 Sun Dress or Cover-Up? You Decide

I found this pretty little sleeveless number at a thrift store in Auburn. Unworn, with the tag still attached (it's hidden in the back.) It has pretty embroidered details, along the gorgeous pairing of colors tangerine and green:

It looks much better belted, and can be worn as a dress:
Or, used as a swimsuit cover-up.

I'm leaning toward the latter - if I can ever find a place to go swimming, that is!
(A nice pool where there isn't anybody else around.....)

Luna Checks In

Hello people persons. I don't know if you remember me. I am Luna, Tina's middle kitty. I had to put my feet down, because lately around here it has all been Ishi, Ishi, Ishi, and frankly, I am very sick of it. Ishi is really a big thorn in my fur, and he gets all the publicity around here.
As you can see, I am still here and although at eight years old I may be old enough to be Ishi's mom, I am NOT maternal and remind him of that every time he comes near with a stupendous growl that he is learning to take seriously. Unlike Cheshire Cat, who doesn't growl, but rather manages a wimpy whine and then actually plays with the little pain-in-the-tail, I do not lower myself to that level. I am too busy hunting and enjoying the lovely end-of-summer weather to bother with a playful younger feline.

So the other day I made sure that my mom, came outside a bit and noticed how prettily I blend in with the flowers, early falling leaves, and shadows filling the yard this time of year.

The naked ladies are starting to pop up all over, and I want her to do a post on them, so I was hoping to lure her out with the camera. She doesn't walk much anymore due to her hip so it was up to me to look really cute so she would notice me and want to follow me with the camera.

I headed out towards the garden, blending in with the shadows of the oaks. Mom was wondering why her hubby and his shadow, that pesky corgi Robbi, had been so quiet all morning out on the property somewhere. What were they doing?

I walked a way closer so that she would see them out in the garden, pruning the grape vines. A silent chore. Okay, mystery solved, now on to show her the flowers.

I pose in shadow and point out the naked ladies all lined up around the driveway. Years ago mom planted about 50 bulbs surrounding the retaining wall here, and every August they burst forth with mostly pink, fragrant lilies. I enjoy them.

I made sure I posed in one spot, and then moved on.

I drew her attention to the interesting pathway of oak branch shadows that I could follow as I purused the blooms.

So nice out here without that kitten to bother me, and my mom all to myself.

But it can't last forever.

I want mom to take more pictures of the naked ladies but I know she wasn't up to hiking all over the yard today, so I decided to lead her back over to the house for a break.

We stopped to smell the flowers on the way.

I was hoping for a nice cool slab of concrete to flop down on. Too bad mom can't do this, it is so soothing to lie here.

Up the steps mom, come on, I know you can do it.

Back into the house to see what mischief that interloper Ishi has been up to.

Until next time, people persons.

California State Fair 2011: Big Things - And Lots Of Other Things

First of all, here's a big golden statue of our state bear, the California Grizzly:

Most of today's photos are from either the California Fine Art or Creative Arts exhibits, and one from the Fur And Feathers building.
Here we have "Big Things" crafted by Eric Ahola. These were huge - and really cool!

These kitchen utensils were, oh, I don't know - maybe about seven feet tall or more!

Believe it or not, this is a quilt, titled "What's Your Dream?" Beautiful:
This costume was stunning - it totally reminded me of some of Shirley Temple's movie costumes:
This talented lady had embroidered images taken from sewing patterns - very nicely done!
There was just something about this little station wagon and trailer on the bridge that really appealed to me...

We saw pretty quilts:
And some gorgeous jewelry:
This welded sculpture "Whale Of A Good Time" by Terrence Martin was unbelievable!
It's a gazebo that has seating for nine inside, made from steel skeletons from a CNC plasma machine.
I don't even know what that is - but this was the coolest thing I've seen in along time. I was fascinated by it!

Last but not least, I leave you with THE single most beautiful rooster I have ever seen in all my days. The tag on the cage said Bantam Seabright Silver:

I mean, is he a beauty or WHAT?
(I am embarrassed to say that as I took photos I scribbled down all sorts of notes about who did what and so forth, with the intention of including all of their names within my post. I waited too long, and I could barely make sense of any of it! So, I apologize to the wonderful artisans I have neglected to identify herein.)