Minne Calexico

Handsomosity

2011-03-10T06:41:00.005-08:00

Handsomosity a photo by hamiltoncarr9750 on Flickr.

Handsomosity

2011-03-10T06:41:00.003-08:00

Handsomosity a photo by hamiltoncarr9750 on Flickr.

Handsomosity

2011-03-10T06:41:00.001-08:00

Handsomosity a photo by hamiltoncarr9750 on Flickr.

The Boys

2010-04-21T09:50:00.003-07:00

The Boys
Originally uploaded by hamiltoncarr9750

Here's a Minnesota update. It was our first boat trip of the year on the
Mississippi.

The Boys

2010-04-21T09:50:00.001-07:00

The Boys
Originally uploaded by hamiltoncarr9750

Here's a Minnesota update. It was our first boat trip of the year on the
Mississippi.

The Boys

2010-04-21T09:48:00.001-07:00

The Boys
Originally uploaded by hamiltoncarr9750

Here's a Minnesota update. It was our first boat trip of the year on the
Mississippi.

merry christmas!

2009-12-25T17:48:00.000-08:00

hope everyone has had a fun, relaxing, and thoroughly gluttonous christmas... in ABQ we spent the day enjoying our new gifts, cooking and eating an old-fashioned southern holiday meal, and generally lazing about. next up is movie watching and cookie eating--in a nutshell, we're headed toward obesity and headed there fast. delicious!

--ilkea piru

Our new tree topper

2009-12-14T11:12:00.000-08:00

Rachel at the college made a bunch of these in different colors with various attachments, etc. But they all have the same head--a giant poppy seedhead, I believe. Also, you should know that she made some with breasts, and some without. This one is quite well endowed!

Merry Christmas everybody!

---Mango

Merry Christmas psychedelic wreath!

2009-12-07T18:16:00.000-08:00

I painted this Christmas card today, and it was quick and fun! May your Christmas's be fun and colorful and memorable. What's everyone doing?

---Mango

Ukiah early morning color

2009-12-05T09:45:00.000-08:00

I took a walk this morning and the colors were so beautiful! The Black Oaks still have their leaves (some of them). In this pic, the early sun shown so strikingly on this scene on the road before it heads uphill. Had to share!

---Mango

Thanksgiving Exploration

2009-12-01T20:36:00.003-08:00

Thanksgiving Exploration
Originally uploaded by hamiltoncarr9750

Thanksgiving Exploration

2009-12-01T20:36:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving Exploration
Originally uploaded by hamiltoncarr9750

Let the holidays begin!

2009-11-02T18:17:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling festive, as I have begun painting Christmas cards. Thanks to Val for the prompt. Coincidentally, Kevin turned the back patio lights on (which we never took down from last year) and all I can say is "Happy Hanukka!

---Mango

One good snow scene deserves another

2009-10-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't know how good it is, but it's my first snow scene. This is my version of a photograph that Marge took. It depicts Tom's Gator tracks up the road to their lot after an amazing (and unusual) snowfall at Berrenda. The tallest peak is Berrenda mtn. I had to cheat and use white gouache to get the highlight line on the right side of the track. This was very fun to paint!

---Mango

In Albuquerque?? In October??

2009-10-29T13:35:00.000-07:00

It's full-blown SNOWING out there right now. The bad news is that Howard is out leading a hike in the middle of nowhere, way past Cabezon, miles and miles of dirt road off the highway, no cell reception. I stayed home due to the bad cold. I'll update when I hear from/see him!

--nancy

*Update: He's back! There were only four hikers in all so they took one guy's SUV. He is a great driver and did fine. They got to see the fabulous panel of petroglyphs through the falling snow and hiked through 2" on the way back to the car. All's well that ends well!

My favorite skeletons

2009-10-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

We took these on the night before we left. These boys have the cutest pajamas on the block!

--nancy

Valley View Trail

2009-10-21T16:49:00.001-07:00

I hiked the Valley View trail again this morning. It was a glorious Fall day, and I took this photo on the road directly across from the trailhead. So pretty!
---Mango

Manzanita innards

2009-10-12T19:05:00.001-07:00

...are beautiful! When Kev split the wood (which we were going to burn) it revealed this lovely variation in color. I always loved the outside of Manzanita. Now I love the inside too.

First fire of the season

2009-10-12T19:01:00.000-07:00

I guess that means Summer is officially over. A big storm is coming in to the west coast, and is supposed to dump large amounts of rain. Not terribly cold, but cold enough to warrant a fire. There is nothing like wood heat to warm the old bones.

Acrylic painting

2009-10-10T20:38:00.000-07:00

is so much fun! This was our first assignment, and we painted pretty fearlessly because we were learning and experimenting. Mixing and blending colors is like playing, and seeing the painting evolve through layers of hot, then cool, then hot, then cool colors is fascinating. Next time we will do landscapes, based on a photo we bring in. I'm so glad I found this class!
--nancy

You've got mail!

2009-10-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

Mia was very excited to get mail from her feline relative, Chloe. She looked at me as if to say, I'm excited about this, but how to I open it? So we got it open, and saw that Chloe was kind enough to send along a missive from her mom, Valerie. It turned out it was more for our benefit than Mia's, but she was excited to get mail just the same.

--nancy

Steve Lukather Show

2009-10-08T17:59:00.001-07:00

Steve Lukather Show
Originally uploaded by The Dough Boy

Points North are headed south to Redondo Beach to open for one of the all
time great guitarists, Steve Lukather. Not a name that you have heard or
would be familiar with, but chances are you've heard him play. He started as
a studio musician and has played with literally hundreds of people. His main
claim to fame of course was with his rock band TOTO (yes as in the song
'Africa') which was comprised of fellow studio musicians David Paich and
Jeff Porcaro who were also high school mates. Toto was formed in '76 and
finally disbanded in 2008. Lukather has also played on many jazz/rock fusion
albums including collaborations with guitar players Pat Metheny and Larry
Carlton.

Oh yeah, he has also been nominated for a Grammy Award 12 times and has won
5. Below is a link to his discography as well as a link to a Youtube vid of
him playing with one of my favorite bands Los Lobotomys which also features
one of my all time favorite drummers Simon Phillips (who has also played
with literally hundreds of people).

We, that is me, Mango and my bandmates, got a chance to meet him a few weeks
back at the Guitar Player live event we played at. He is very cool and
actually came up to ME to introduce himself!....what rock stars do THAT
these days?? He also hung out while we watched the Travis Larson Band
play....and no one (except us! as you can tell from the photo) came up to
him to get pictures....so in a way I guess it must be cool to be such a high
level player yet not be that recognizable to the GP.....to say we are
excited is an understatement....

www.stevelukather.net/Discography.aspx

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEjFVyggLpI

southwestern adventures: part 4

2009-10-08T15:01:00.000-07:00

*** DAY 4 ***

on the last and final day of the road trip (for me, at least!) we woke up early, ate a hearty breakfast, then hopped in the car and drove to the top of the sandias. all of my previous trips to the sandias involved riding the tram, but unfortunately for us it was closed that day until 5pm... boo for bad timing! thankfully, though, the drive was fun and provided us with lovely views of fall foliage *and* a deer (complete with antlers). temperatures at the top were quite cold, owing to the wind, but we came prepared with multiple layers, hats, gloves, etc, so all was well. we hiked along the crest for about an hour, at which point we ran into the platform for the tram and looked longingly down its terrifying cables. next time, nanio!

from there we headed back along a slightly different trail, then wound our way back down the mountain roads to the bottom. i would have loved to hike/explore longer, but i had a plane to catch and nanio had to get on the road, so alas we only had time to grab a quick, albeit delicious, bite to eat in knob hill before going our separate ways. all in all we were in ABQ for less than 24 hours, but we managed to fill those hours with all kinds of tasty and adventurous fun, so i really can't complain.

for those interested in the remainder of nanio's trip, you can catch his updated flickr set here, and also read his own day-by-day summary here. a brief summary is that he headed south from ABQ to visit big bend national park, and from there he swung northward again to meet up with our friend YJP (of triathlon fame) in austin. not-so-coincidentally austin city limits started just as he arrived, so he stuck around for the weekend and enjoyed the music and mud. from there YJP joined him for the remainder of his northward journey, which they completed in an alarmingly short amount of time so as to make it to boston for a friend's wedding festivities.

so, some 4000 miles later, nanio is finally home... happy homecoming! (but damn you for moving so far away. mrrrr.)

--ilkea piru

Points North-now with T-shirts!

2009-10-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

The band had tshirts made, so now they have something to sell at gigs to help raise money and do a bit of marketing at the same time. They are opening for Steve Lukather at the Brixton in Redondo Beach October 16th!

http://www.stevelukather.net/Homepage.aspx

---Mango

Portrait drawing

2009-10-07T11:50:00.001-07:00

This is my effort from last night's class, in which we copied a black and white photo. What I like: how the shading came out on the hair. What I don't like: the proportions of the face--the face came out too long. It was fun and the three hours just flew by. I want to do this one again to see if I can fix some of my mistakes.

--nancy

Ryan the Football Player

2009-10-05T20:49:00.001-07:00

Ryan the Football Player
Originally uploaded by portland huggie

Here's a picture of Bobby's grandson Ryan with his dad Jim. He is in
the fifth grade, and about 4'8" tall. He looks more like a surfer guy
than a football player, but Lisa said he is doing well and enjoying the
team. They live in the Dallas, Texas area.

--huggie--

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southwestern adventures, part 3

2009-10-05T13:53:00.000-07:00

*** DAY 3 ***

having arrived at the grand canyon with only minutes of daylight left on sunday night, nanio and i agreed that we needed at least a couple hours to explore the grand canyon the following morning. we decided that, given our time constraints, our best bet was to hop in the car and drive along desert view drive, which runs from the main park entrance over to the eastern-most portion of the park--all in all, about 25 miles.

along the way are several view points with room to park your car and take photos (for details see this link), and given that each one is separated by several miles, we were able to experience a really fascinating variety of persepctives. for anyone driving through the park with only a half-day to explore, i really recommend this strategy.

once at the eastern border of the park, we then turned southward and hooked back up with the 40, which brought us the rest of the way into ABQ. it should be noted that we stopped at a hilarious gas station/taqueria in a tiny town in arizona known for its meteor crater, but sadly we Just Said No to the crater despite many pre-recorded pleas for tourism at the gas station. i don't know what it is about arizona and geodesic domes, but we saw them everywhere... bizarre.

to cap off our day we walked into nancy and howard's house greeted by the delicious smells of green chile stew, calabacitas, and pinto beans... not to mention an apple crisp made from hand-picked apples. YUM!

--ilkea piru

Plant Sale!

2009-10-03T18:59:00.001-07:00

The plant sale was a success! We had a lot of young customers, and few hairy ones! Here are a few of them!

---Mango

southwestern adventures: part 2

2009-10-02T12:20:00.001-07:00

*** DAY 2 ***

having gone to bed at something ridiculous like 3:30am, we slept in a bit, ate an overpriced (albeit tasty) breakfast at the hotel, and checked out around 11am. i'm not entirely sure what the temperature was, but needless to say it was already roasting and just a small preview of the sauna we'd be enjoying in the car for the next several hundred miles.

once out of vegas we hopped onto 93 south, which brought us to the hoover dam on the NV/AZ border. if it weren't 100+ degrees i may have found the visit a little more enjoyable, but as it was we basically ran out of the car, snapped some photos, and ran back as quickly as possible... a short jaunt which later necessitated the buying of popsicles and gatorade due to heat stroke.

from there we hooked up with 40 east, and then turned north on 64 to head to grand canyon national park. (speaking of which, if you haven't been watching the ken burns series this week on national parks, you should catch the re-runs!). our drive up to the park was a race against time--trying to make it all the way to the south rim before sunset. thankfully we arrived with about 15 minutes to spare, and managed to take some of our best shots of the trip. to view nanio's vastly superior photos, check out his flickr set here.

exhausted from lack of sleep and hours of driving in the sauna-mobile, we snagged a quick dinner in our lodge in grand canyon village (a set of hotels within the park itself), and watched the opening episode of the ken burns series until bed time. what a perfectly coincidental way to end our day!

--ilkea piru

southwestern adventures

2009-10-01T13:04:00.000-07:00

though i'm back from the western portion of nanio's road-trip, he's still chugging east as we speak, and is scheduled to arrive in austin sometime later tonight. fingers crossed no bears eat him in the mean time...

my portion of the trip entailed the following (for a map, click here):

day 1: san francisco --> las vegas
day 2: las vegas --> grand canyon
day 3: grand canyon --> albuquerque
day 4: albuquerque --> home

because i know you're all hanging on the edge of your seats to hear all the details of my trip, i'll do a mulit-part post detailing each day...

***DAY 1***
nanio met me down in menlo park, where we drove south on the 101 and then over the pacheco pass to the 5. needless to say, the 5 is *not* an exciting drive, but was uneventful and traffic-free so i can't complain. eventually we made it over to the 15, which brought us to vegas around 9pm.

we checked in at the stratosphere hotel, which is at the northern end of the strip and thus away from the action a bit, but also a lot cheaper. we figured it was better to save money on the hotel and instead take a cab into the thick of things, which is exactly what we did post-showering and recuperating from the drive.

unfortunately, by the time we started looking for a dinner spot it was already 11pm and every last food option was closed for the night. we were both shocked, thinking that everything would be open into the wee hours. not so much, much to the dismay of my stomach. after much wandering we finally discovered that "jimmy buffet's margaritaville", attached to the flamingo casino and hotel, had a kitchen open until 1am. our food took over an hour to arrive, but don't fret too much... we enjoyed plentiful margaritas until it did ;)

afterwards we hopped around the casinos a bit, checking out which ones were fancy-pants, which ones were happening, and which ones had too many half-naked ladies. total money spent gambling? $3, all tragically lost on slot machines.

all in all i found vegas to be a spectacle, and not exactly my scene, but it certainly made for good people watching and at least i can now finally say that i've been to vegas, baby... vegas.

--ilkea piru

Squaw Canyon Vista - with toes

2009-09-30T17:51:00.000-07:00

I had to take several photos of my latest watercolor, and the one with the toes holding down the paper on the bottom won hands down. Either that, or I could have put some heavy books on top of the paper to make it flat. But where's the fun? This view was from our Utah Canyonlands trip almost a year ago. Hard to believe, but there it is. Not entirely happy with this, but then I never am. I like how the farthest mountain dissolves in the clouds, much like it does in the photo. I also like my toes. Who doesn't like their toes?

--Mango

---Mango

Good morning Mr. Monarch

2009-09-30T12:57:00.000-07:00

Monarchs love Zinnias too! I think red and yellow are definitely his colors.

---Mango

The Oregon Coast

2009-09-24T17:30:00.001-07:00

The Oregon Coast
Originally uploaded by portland huggie

Bobby and I spent a couple of days at the Oregon Coast earlier this
week. The weather was glorious. I don't know why I waited so long to
see the ocean in the Northwest; it has been a year! I plan to post a
few more shots, but wanted to share this sunset. It is devoid of pretty
clouds and colors, but it was breathtakingly clear while we were there.
We had a fun time.

-huggie-

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Cooking dinner with what we have

2009-09-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

It's taking me a while to get back to meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking. Mostly I try to cook what what's on hand, or requiring only a few items from the store. I convince Howard to pick up the few things I need, in exchange for my doing the chopping, dicing, and cooking.

Tonight I visited one of my favorite websites and came up with this delicious vegetarian chili recipe. Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks has never let me down, which is why I went there first. Howard picked up an onion, ginger root, and crushed tomatoes, and I was in business.

I cut the recipe in half, but forgot that for a minute and added the whole 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes. I was afraid it would taste too tomatoey and acidic, so I added a bit of agave nectar. I used chicken broth in place of vegetable broth. I didn't read closely and added 3 cans all at once, in place of holding off some for towards the end.

I didn't have pearl barley, so I added the full 2/3 cup of bulgur, and a whole can of chickpeas. I used two jalepenos from our garden, one red and one green, in place of the serrano and chipotle. I used ancho chile and chipotle chile powders, 1 tsp. each, along with a tsp. of regular chile powder.

I had to add a few cups of water towards the end as it got pretty thick, and needed to cook it for about an hour (maybe because we're at altitude.) I also added more cumin and ancho chile powder. We topped our portions with olive oil and crumbled goat cheese.

Howard had been sad that there was no meat in the dish, but we both loved it and he had seconds. The goat cheese is key to the final flavor.

--nancy

Drawing class assignment

2009-09-19T20:47:00.000-07:00

I went to my third drawing class the night I returned from SoCal. (It was the fourth class, but I missed last week's.) The instructor brought in what she called a "what-not" piece of furniture and set it on a table, perching a scull on one of the shelves. Then she took a stool and draped a piece of fabric over it. "Okay, draw this, and use the largest paper you have. You have three hours."

After several attempts to get started, I just couldn't get anything right. Finally I settled on a starting place, scaling up the view from where I sat to fit the format of the paper. The more I worked, the more encouraged I was that maybe I could do this after all. I put the finishing touches on it tonight, and here it is. This was very difficult for me, but it gave me confidence that if I worked at it I could get better.

--nancy

Vineyard and Mountain

2009-09-19T16:34:00.000-07:00

I hiked the Valley View trail again today, this time with Kevin and a friend(Paula). On the way to the trailhead, this vista presented itself, and I slammed on the brakes and grabbed my camera. The light is so doggone pretty! The hike was great also.

---Mango

An evening stroll

2009-09-17T20:24:00.000-07:00

Howard and I had dinner at Il Vicino, a Nob Hill restaurant featuring wood fire cooked pizza and micro brews. When we got home, we decided to take a stroll around the neighborhood to stretch our legs and enjoy the cool evening. We started going east, walked a few blocks, and Howard said, "How far do you want to go?" I replied, how about to the park? As we approached the park, at about dusk, we could hear music playing--horns, we thought. We got closer and saw a circle of musicians with their music stands lit. It was a group of nine trombonists, with horns of different sizes. They played beautiful harmonies, familiar songs including show tunes, Simon and Garfunkel, the Beatles, slow tunes and fast. Several neighbors were there enjoying the concert and visiting quietly.

We found a bench and were enjoying the music when a woman approached us to offer us cups of hot chocolate. This was getting better and better! We asked her what the occasion was, and she told us one of the band members was a neighbor who lived near the park, and the group gathered there on Thursday nights to practice, as they liked having an audience. We couldn't believe we had stumbled across this serendipitous event. As we got up to return our cups to the table, we saw plates of cookies and gratefully helped ourselves to a snack to enjoy on our way home.

Just one more reason to be glad we chose this city and this neighborhood.

--nancy

birthday week

2009-09-14T14:34:00.000-07:00

this past weekend was nanio's birthday, and today is chloe's birthday! i adopted her one year ago today, at which point they told me she was two years old... so, let's all pretend she turns three today :)

happy birthday to both nanio and chloe!

pics are from various birthday celebrations throughout the weekend: tropical drinks at trad'r sams, across from nanio's apartment... the birthday boy and girl chillaxing together... nanio in his element, photographing fancy birthday cupcakes.

--ilkea piru

Giant Armenian Cucumber

2009-09-10T16:42:00.001-07:00

Giant Armenian Cucumber
Originally uploaded by El Honcho

All of a sudden, all our tomatoes are turning ripe so I went out to pick
them. Since "it's a jungle out there," I looked very deep into the
tomato bushes. Hanging down in the middle of one of the bushes was this
cucumber. If you had been here, you would have heard me exclaim "oh my
god"! You are supposed to pick them when they are about 1 1/2 inches in
diameter and this big bad boy is about six! I'm unsure what to do with
it. I think it might be tough but I really don't know that to be true.
Anyone have a suggestion?

Sweet Mia

2009-09-06T16:54:00.001-07:00

Sweet Mia
Originally uploaded by portland huggie

I took a few pictures of Miss Mia when I was in ABQ, and I really liked
this close-up. I also got to see Miss Chloe this past Wednesday when I
visited Valerie, but did not have my digital camera with me. Both of
them are fine looking ladies!

Huggie

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Multitasking

2009-09-06T07:51:00.000-07:00

I arrived home from Southern California last night, and it was good to see all my boys (and Miss Rue of course). This morning, as I sat at the computer, I looked over and saw Kev doing some multitasking. Yes, you can practice your chops and pet Rocko at the same time! Pretty damned cute.

---Mango

Gold hill trail vista

2009-08-24T19:07:00.000-07:00

Karen and I took a long and rewarding hike through the trees and along the river, through a high mountain meadow, ending on a knoll above tree line in the Taos ski valley area. This is the view from our lunch spot. These are the Sangre de Cristo mountains, which are toward the southern end of the Rocky Mountains. This was a view worth hiking for!

--nancy

The sisters in Taos!

2009-08-23T21:54:00.000-07:00

We had a fab time in Taos. Here is a pic of Mango and Huggie near the Rio Hondo in the Taos ski valley.

--nancy

Peekaboo

2009-08-23T19:17:00.001-07:00

I don't know who is cuter! It's great to be home-at least for a few days!

schmapp!

2009-08-15T12:06:00.000-07:00

until a few weeks ago i had never heard of schmap, but i recently received an email from them via flickr that they wanted to include one of my photos in their SF guide. this is the photo, and here's a link to where it lives on schmap (on the upper right side of the page). yay!

--ilkea piru

giants vs dodgers

2009-08-13T21:50:00.000-07:00

yesterday my lab went to a day-game at at&t park in which the giants and dodgers battled it out in a 10-inning game. there was much excitement with home runs, a zillion strike-outs, near fighting, people being ejected, and unrelenting sunshine.

you can see more pics here, in my picasa album.

i've also been told by numerous people that the bujnowskis *loathe* the dodgers, and karen further informed me that there's a story behind the hatred, so let's hear it!

--ilkea piru

extreme salad close-up

2009-08-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

Mmm... spinach, toasted walnuts, strawberries, goat cheese, and onions for garnish. delish!

Grandma Carr's family in 1939

2009-08-06T12:07:00.001-07:00

Grandma Carr's family in 1939
Originally uploaded by El Honcho

Here is another picture that was on the CD Clifton gave me (see entry
below). It is a picture, shot on their farm, of Grandma Carr's family,
the Taylors, on Mother's Day in 1939. From back to front, left to right
are: Ellis, Vistula, Elbert, Carolyn, James, Myrtle, Woodrow, Lucille,
Charles and Ruth. I had never seen this picture before either.

Grandma Carr At 18

2009-08-06T11:52:00.001-07:00

Grandma Carr At 18
Originally uploaded by El Honcho

When I went to Alabama for my cousin Bill's funeral, another cousin,
Clifton, gave me a CD with genealogy information and lots of old family
pictures that he has collected from various aunts and uncles. Actually,
he got them from other cousins since all my aunts and uncles have died
but they originally were in my aunts and uncles possession. Among them
were pictures of my mom when she was a teenager which I have never
seen. This one is her high school graduation picture. It was taken in
1929. Doesn't she look like a "flapper."

Moody Blues in Concert!

2009-07-29T19:07:00.001-07:00

Moody Blues in Concert!
Originally uploaded by portland huggie

Bobby and I went to see The Moody Blues last night in Portland. What a
great concert! They've been around for 40 years. The placed was
packed, and the crowd very enthusiastic. They played a lot of old
favorites, and the lead singer's voice is still very strong and melodic.
They had two flute players (flautists?), two drummers, a sound mixer,
keyboard player, bass and lead guitar. We commented that we hadn't seen
that many baby boomers in one place for a while. I laughed when I heard
someone our age walk down the aisle saying "30 years ago we wouldn't be
carting bottled water into a concert...." Good times :-)

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huzzah!

2009-07-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

this sunday nanio ran in-- and more importantly, successfully completed!--the san francisco marathon. congrats to him, despite his refusal to smile in this photo! (i *suppose* he may have been a little tired...)

--ilkea piru

Hey Peaches!

2009-07-27T13:45:00.000-07:00

I've been harvesting peaches from the first tree, spreading peachy goodness to the neighbors and eating them myself. I will have to get freezing them because, honestly, one can only eat so many!

Incidentally, Nancy, remember that Zeke was calling you "Peaches" on the San Juan trip? I can't remember why, but I just remember him saying to you, "Hey Peaches!---Mango

Potato, Squash, and Goat Cheese Gratin

2009-07-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe in my Google Reader feed and knew I had to try it. I sent it to Mango, who got right on it with her own modifications and pronounced it delicious. I made it last night as written, and had it along with some leftover rotisserie chicken Howard and I cooked up the night before. (He's out of town at the moment and missed out, sadly.) Oh my, what a meal! Perhaps Mango will share her own spin on this yummy dish.

--nancy

birthday cuteness

2009-07-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

i have several new additions to my decorative family... all very fitting!

--ilkea piru

High mountain hike

2009-07-23T18:31:00.000-07:00

We had an enjoyable hike Tuesday on the Winsor-Puerto Nambe trail. We saw these gorgeous flowers, called Fireweed, at a bathroom stop before reaching the trailhead. Rain threatened as we ate lunch in view of Santa Fe Baldy, but we never got more than a brief sprinkle on the way down. The temps at the start were in the low 60s, bliss for us Albuquerqueans suffering through high 90s at home.

--nancy

Odell Lake 2009

2009-07-21T12:17:00.001-07:00

Odell Lake 2009
Originally uploaded by portland huggie

I finally downloaded Picasa and (hopefully) sent y'all my album via
email. We had a fun and relaxing time, connecting with Nature and each
other! This is a picture of Odell Lake taken from the front of the
lodge.

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Drawing class!

2009-07-20T20:22:00.001-07:00

I was so disappointed when I discovered the drawing class I wanted, "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain," at UNM Continuing Education, only to find it full. Today I went online and saw there is a new session starting in late August, and I'm in! Can't wait to join Mango in the search for my inner artist.

--nancy

Fire on the hill

2009-07-20T17:33:00.000-07:00

We became aware of a fire burning in the western hills about two hours ago. All the bombers and helicopters and spotter planes are out in force, trying to keep it from spreading. I walked up the street (that's our street looking directly west at the smoke!) and talked with the neighbors. Maureen, who grew up in the house she lives in, told me she remembers the "big one" in 1958 when she was nine years old. Apparently, the fire then came down Toyon canyon and ended up about 30 yards from her fence. Yikes! That's pretty close. However, this current fire appears to be burning much farther away and heading west. That said, it may affect folks up the hill that we know and like. Fingers crossed that the firefighters will have it in hand in short order.

---Mango

We're off to Mount Shasta

2009-07-13T07:02:00.000-07:00

We're staying at our usual place.http://www.stewartmineralsprings.com/ We are going to hike the Mount Eddy trail again, which is 10 miles round trip and has an impressive elevation gain from the trailhead. Lakes and wildflowers, and a killer view of Shasta from the top. We hiked this trail 11 years ago. We were younger and had less poundage then. Wish us luck. We also want to poke around the town of Mt Shasta, which is a nice friendly small town with an eclectic mix of people. At one time, we considered buying property in the area with a view to retiring there. http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/151690/mount-eddy.html

We're back Thursday evening. Y'all behave yourselves while we're gone. Rocko is on to us-he sees coolers and Coleman stoves being hauled out, and he knows nothing good can come of it.

---Mango

And Then There Were Four....

2009-07-11T10:44:00.001-07:00

And Then There Were Four....
Originally uploaded by The Dough Boy

We said good-bye to Romeo today. He was pushing 18 and had been suffering
from asthema type symptoms lately. - at least we thought it was asthema and
we had been treating him with anti-biotics and Prednesone. He seemed to
respond slightly but it was clear he was still laboring to breathe and he
had basically stopped eating. He was the one with the thyroid issue and we
gave him the 'magic bullet' Iodine-139 treatment which worked amazingly
well. But he had lost quite a bit of weight over the last couple of weeks
and knowing we would be gone for several days next week we decided it would
be best to put him down so we could be with him rather than have him leave
when we weren't around.

Romeo was the eldest of the brood and was a very independent cat. Over the
last few years though he became more a part of the family and spent time in
the house during the winter months. He loved to hang out on the top of
Mango's car hood and we would even feed him there! We will miss his reaching
out with his paw as we talked to him while he sat on the car. We won't miss
his stealth spraying!! This photo of him was taken only about a week or so
ago......See you down the road Romeo.....

Our hike was a hit!

2009-07-09T19:56:00.000-07:00

We led the hike with our group that we previewed on Monday and it was a big hit. It is at 8300 ft. in the Jemez Mountains, in a valley with San Antonio Creek flowing through. We had great weather--no rain, just intermittent sun and clouds. Many people said they felt like they were in Colorado or even someplace in Europe. The meadow was full of wildflowers, and the columbines were the most beautiful ones we saw. For more pics, go to my Flickr set.

--nancy

More goodness from the garden

2009-07-08T18:02:00.000-07:00

Honcho went out to water the veggie garden this afternoon and was shocked to find this Armenian Cucumber, big and ready to eat. Just a few days ago it was half this size. We sliced it up with a vine-ripened tomato from the growers' market and served it with Zucchini Ricotta ravioli topped by a wonderful tomato sauce, both by the local artisanal company, Pasta Divina.

This type of cucumber, introduced to us my Mango, who pointed it out at the growers' market on one of her visits, is actually closer botanically to a melon than a cucumber. It is mild, crisp, and delicious. Here's to many more surprises and treats from the garden!

--nancy

First green beans of the season

2009-07-07T18:19:00.001-07:00

We picked the first green beans from our garden today. We were so excited to find these on the ground under all the foliage! Foolishly, we kept looking at all the baby beans near the top of the plant. I steamed them and served them with bison burgers hot off the grill and some vine-ripened tomatoes from the downtown growers' market. A little avocado and some leaf lettuce and we were in business!

When I was washing the beans, I tried one raw and the taste immediately swept me back in time. I was out in dad's veggie garden with the little Tupperware salt shaker, squatting down to pick the beans and eat them on the spot. Must be because we are growing dad's beloved Blue Lake bush beans. Thanks, dad, for the recommendation!

--nancy

Happy birthday Val!

2009-07-07T17:53:00.000-07:00

black wednesday

2009-07-07T14:39:00.000-07:00

i turn 30 tomorrow, and this is how i feel about it.

--ilkea piru

Rio Grande Gorge Bridge

2009-07-07T08:38:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pics from our recent trip to Taos.

--nancy

My white whale

2009-07-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

You may remember my post last Fall bemoaning the fact that the neighbors across the street parked their ugly massive white trailerhttp://minnecalexico.blogspot.com/2008/11/trailer-trash.html directly in our "viewshed". Well, at least the view from the office, where we spend time on the computer and can't help but notice IT, rather than the front garden. Well, today, they got back from their vacation with said trailer, and have now moved the big white whale into the backyard behind a wooden fence where it belongs. And there was much rejoicing at 257 Valley View Road!!! Behold the pastoral view sans trailer! Huzzah!

---Mango

Happy Birthday, Yelly!

2009-07-03T12:41:00.000-07:00

We wish you health and happiness today and in the year ahead!

Ode to the Pomegranate

2009-07-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

The Pomegranate is finally getting its due. Pom juice is extremely popular and good for you. But what about the tree? I'm glad you asked. It flowers, it fruits, and it's sun tolerant and heat tolerant and grows in just about any crappy soil you give it. The hummers love the flowers for their nectar, and the cute little Poms, when they set, are so fun to watch grow. Here are some pics of our trees, which have been blooming since late May. We had cooler weather than normal for late Spring, so they seem to be blooming forever. Oh, and the Fall color (golden) is just gorgeous! One of the five top small trees for Western gardens. Long live the Pom!

---Mango

Mark your calendars

2009-07-01T15:09:00.000-07:00

Breaking news! Points North finally has a gig in Ukiah! They will open for the Travis Larson Band http://www.travislarsonband.com/index.html at the Ukiah Brewing Company on August 7th. It will be so great to drive five minutes instead of two or three hours for a show. The guys opened for Travis's band this past Saturday night. TLB is another instrumental rock/fusion band with Steve Morse and Rush as major influences-same as Points North! Plus, TLB are extremely nice folks. I was so impressed, I bought one of their CD's. The two bands immediately formed a mutual admiration society, and can't wait to share the stage again. Now our job is to rally the home crowd to turn out for this show-I need to go into serious nagging mode... ---Mango

Birthday, Taos-style

2009-06-28T20:48:00.001-07:00

We celebrated my birthday in Taos by hiking in the mountains to Williams Lake. After we came back to the trail head, we had a delicious lunch and some excellent German beer at the Bavarian Restaurant. Just about perfect, birthday-wise.

--nancy

Hollis Stands

2009-06-28T19:17:00.001-07:00

Hollis Stands
Originally uploaded by hamiltoncarr9750

for doughboy

2009-06-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

while in LA a few weeks ago, i went to a bakery where i spotted these guys on a back counter, waiting for pickup. holy GOD. how badly do you just want to tear into one of those??

--ilkea piru

Scalloped new potatoes

2009-06-24T19:54:00.001-07:00

Let's see if a food post can draw Val out of her nerdy science lair. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/scalloped-potato-gratin-recipe/index.html

I substituted soft Asiago cheese from Costco, and left out the thyme. I also used half and half to lighten it up. The Asiago thickened the sauce nicely. For an added kick, you can grate pepper jack over the whole thing and bake it uncovered for 45 minutes. No broiler time needed. Yummers....

---Mango

Off to Taos

2009-06-22T22:01:00.000-07:00

Honcho and I are off to Taos tomorrow and will return on Friday. We've never been and are excited about a new adventure. We hope to have lots of pics and a report when we return.

--nancy

i'm not dead yet

2009-06-22T13:12:00.000-07:00

sorry, sorry for my extended absence from the blog...

it's been a rather crazy few weeks, starting with a lab trip to wine country, followed immediately by a trip down to LA for my friend's phd graduation, followed immediately by a week-long conference. but! it's all over now and i am ready to return to my regularly scheduled programming ;)

ps, this is a photo taken by nanio of myself and several boston coworkers who were in town for the conference. fun!

Has anyone seen this woman?

2009-06-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

She seems to have gone missing. Hmmm....hope she's not living under a bridge somewhere with her stash of Fetzer wine and no internet access....

HAVE A GREAT WEEK, EVERYONE! WE'RE OFF TO THE LAKE

2009-06-22T09:03:00.001-07:00

HAVE A GREAT WEEK, EVERYONE! WE'RE OFF TO THE LAKE
Originally uploaded by portland huggie

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This is Odell Lake lodge, which has a nice restaurant. We are staying
in a cabin, but when we get tired of our own cooking, we can have a nice
meal there.

--Huggie--

My big fat gardening project

2009-06-22T06:51:00.000-07:00

I got a phone call from my former employer (Fetzer) asking if I was interested in a consulting job. They want to reduce their landscape water use and maintenance at the winery/production site by about a third if possible. I was a little scared to take the job, because of the scope of the project (huge) but then Jim at the college said, "hey, you'd be crazy not to take it." He went down to the site with me to give me his thoughts, which was really helpful. So I did a fee proposal, estimating my hours and giving my hourly rate, and I'm just waiting to hear back. Very exciting, and will look good on the old resume. Wish me luck! ---Mango

2009-06-22T06:30:00.001-07:00

Happy Summer everyone! Here's an interesting link:http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2334/ I think this picture, taken on an Idaho river trip four years ago, is the very picture of Summer. Nancy, that's Drifter and Sue in the lead boat! ---Mango

My turn for the couch shot!

2009-06-21T19:55:00.001-07:00

My turn for the couch shot!
Originally uploaded by portland huggie

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We have to find a different spot for a photo, perhaps?!? I had to dig
up mine, and Valerie was kind enough to take this picture when I stayed
with the folks in March of last year. It was great to talk to them
both, and Bobby and Lindsay also got to chat with Dad/Grandpa. We are
so fortunate to have them around.

--Marian--

I miss my daddy!

2009-06-21T19:37:00.000-07:00

Dad sounded good on the phone today, as did mom. I wanted to transport myself there and plant them a tomato in a pot-they are really missing their home grown tomatoes! Maybe Marilyn can find a farmers market nearby, so that they can get their fix. Happy Daddy Day to all you dads out there!

---Mango

More Father's Day goodness

2009-06-21T16:29:00.000-07:00

I searched through the archives and email and found two more pics to celebrate Father's Day. Here is Grandpa B with Caleb as a baby, and Bobby with his daughter and her hubby, who is also a dad! Happy Father's day to all!

--nancy

To all the dads out in Minnecalexico land...

2009-06-21T15:57:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's Day!

--nancy

Purple sky at dusk

2009-06-19T21:41:00.001-07:00

I don't know what you'd call this color, but purple doesn't seem to do it justice. Is it amethyst? Mauve? Orchid? Whatever it's called, I don't think I've ever seen a sky quite this color. I spotted it out the living room window as I walked by, and hurried to take a picture before it was gone.

--nancy

We're hoping to catch more of these

2009-06-19T19:24:00.001-07:00

We're hoping to catch more of these
Originally uploaded by portland huggie

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We caught our dinner two years ago at the lake - nothin' like a fish fry
outdoors! If anyone has spice/cook method suggestions for tasty fried
or grilled trout, I'm all ears.

Going Back to Odell Lake

2009-06-18T20:53:00.001-07:00

Going Back to Odell Lake
Originally uploaded by portland huggie

Bobby and I leave this Monday for four nights in a cabin right on the
lake. That's me on the dock from two years ago, thinking about renting
a boat! We will bring the digital camera, and I will share some pictures
when we return.

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Chicken on a spit and Mediterranean goodness

2009-06-17T20:50:00.000-07:00

We cooked a whole chicken on the rotisserie attachment of our grill the other night. We basted it with melted butter, salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder and let it cook for 1 1/2 hours. So good! The crispy skin was especially delish. I decided to mine the Nick Stellino cookbook for some sides, and came up with Pesto Peppers and Rice Pilaf with Currants and Pine Nuts. The red peppers were stuffed with chopped roma tomatoes and basil pesto (made with basil from our garden), then topped with Italian bread crumbs, Parmigianno Reggiano, and chopped Greek olives (on mine). Oh this was so good, and the rice was a big hit. We sat down on the patio with a cold beer, turned on the fountain and the outdoor speakers, and settled in for a meal worth blogging about.

--nancy

Why you need a Butterfly Bush

2009-06-17T10:33:00.000-07:00

This guy was reallly working my 'Pink Delight' B. Bush. He kindly posed for pictures, and I thought you all needed to see these. I love how in the shady shot, you can actually see the furry hairs on his back when you blow it up to full size.

---Mango

Giant Purple Zinnia

2009-06-16T20:39:00.001-07:00

We grew these from seed at the college. This is my first flower, and it's about the size of a small bus! I love to watch the giant Zinnias unfurl their parts. Notice the yellow flower within the flower around the purple center. Eventually, there will be these yellow star-like flowers all around the center, but they are still opening, one by one. Pretty cool, eh? It's going to be a good year for cut flowers in casa Mango-Aiello.

Flowers on the La Luz trail

2009-06-15T14:20:00.001-07:00

We saw quite a few wildflowers on our La Luz hike. Below are wild iris of some sort, New Mexico locust, Cliff Primrose, and, I think, some sort of pentsemon. Mango, I need your help again on flower ID!

--nancy

Watercolor DVDs

2009-06-15T11:07:00.001-07:00

I found this guy (Bob) on the internet whilst perusing watercolor tutorial videos, and I really liked his teaching style. He focuses on landscapes, and all the elements therein. After looking at two or three of his tutorials for free on the website, I decided to order the 9 DVD full course. It helped that they discounted it heavily-I am my mother's daughter, after all. I got 9 DVD's plus a bonus DVD all for 50 bucks plus 7 dollars shipping (all the way from the UK!) Here's a link to the website and one of the tutorials on trees. http://www.how-to-draw-and-paint.com/how-to-paint-watercolor-trees.htmlCheck it out, and see if you aren't impressed by "Uncle Bob", as I have come to call him. I have watched most of the DVD's, and can say I got my money's worth and then some. I would recommend this course to anyone wanting to paint watercolors-it's fabulous!

---Mango

We hiked La Luz!

2009-06-13T20:58:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time hiking the La Luz trail in the Sandias with our friend Dean. He's 76 and has done this hike about 40 times. He announced that this would be his last, and here it was our first. We had perfect weather and enjoyed the cool mountain temps, lots of wildflowers, and a bright blue sky. Our reward was a delicious Green Chile Cheeseburger and fries at the High Finance restaurant, next to the tram. We felt very proud to buy a one-way ticket to the bottom. Here's to many more trips on this famous trail.

--nancy

Ag Dep't. Bio control of ground squirrels

2009-06-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

Jim took these pics of a fox the other day. We think he's hanging around our upper hoop structure because of the ground squirrel population-good eats! There is forest right behind, so he has cover as well. I walked into the yard today, and happened to look over behind the hoop structure, and there he sat on top of a large box at about my eye level. We stood looking at each other for a while, and then I looked down and reached for my cell phone to call Kevin and tell him what was happening. Then I heard a "bark!" like the bark of a dog. The fox was barking at me! But he remained standing there. Then he barked several more times, and sidled off into the forest. What a great experience. I like to think he was trying to communicate with me in a non angry fashion. I remembered the foxes in the movie, "Grizzly Man" and how the guy interacted with them, and they followed him around like dogs. There was obvious affection there. I like to think our fox will become our friend, and stay with us for a long time. Long live the fox!

---Mango

Hiking in the Sangre de Cristos

2009-06-11T20:45:00.001-07:00

We had a lovely hike north of Sante Fe in the ski area, near Hyde Park. The air was cool and the forest was lush and alive with birdsong. We saw lots of wildflowers. Sorry the first flower pic is out of focus, but I had to include it because of the bright colors. I thought it was a shooting star, but now I'm wondering if it is a columbine. Mango? The other one is spotted coral root, in the orchid family.

This will be good practice for our La Luz trail hike tomorrow. We'll hike it all the way to the top of the Sandias, have lunch, and take the tram down. Wish us luck!

--nancy

lab trip to healdsburg

2009-06-11T11:03:00.000-07:00

i just returned from a lab trip to healdsburg, a fabulous part of wine country about an hour north of SF. we drove up tuesday morning and met up for lunch in downtown healdsburg, then we split up in different cars to try out the vineyards of our choice. in my car we tried zichichi, preston, and bella vineyards. preston was my favorite for a variety of reasons... it was all organic, there were cats roaming everywhere, and the wine happened to be my favorite as well. k&k, are you familiar with any of these places?

post wine-tasting we headed to a gynromous house we had rented for the night... given that there were 20 of us, it had to be huge. there was a pool and hot tub, and the house was three stories (making for a great game of hide and seek later that night). we all brought food for a potluck-type dinner, so we BBQd and generally consumed large amounts of wine.

super fun times!

--ilkea piru

Mr. and Mrs. K. K. Viking

2009-06-10T14:34:00.000-07:00

This was taken at the Saturday night gig. I think there needs to be a thought bubble over Kev's head. What is he trying to convey with that mouth action? What's he thinking? Could the gin and tonic have something to do with it? You be the judge.

---Mango

Art and music!

2009-06-08T15:02:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a fun day. We visited 7 or 8 different artists, one of which was this guy, who did air brush realist art. It's a highly technical type of art that yields almost photograhic results. The drive was really scenic, with long, windy roads to some of the places where the art was shown. These poppies where blooming at one house-quite spectacular! Finally, we headed to San Francisco, where the guys played an energetic set, and introduced 4 of their new tunes to an appreciative audience. A good time was had. There were even viking hats and feather boas involved, oh my! Wish you all could have been there.

---Mango

Art crawl

2009-06-06T09:21:00.000-07:00

Doughboy and I are heading down to Sonoma County (Sebastopol area) for an open studios art crawl.http://www.artatthesource.org/ We will have a map, and have highlighted the artists we want to visit. It's a pretty, rural area, and usually there are cool gardens to check out as well. There is a watercolor artist, a woodworker, and other painters that we'll go and see. Then, Doughboy has a gig to play in San Francisco tonight at Beale Street bar and grill. The guys will be introducing their new tunes that they wrote in Hopland when the band came up for their retreat in January. It should be a fun day-I will take pics and hopefully have something to post tomorrow. Bonne weekend, everyone!

---Mango

Canyon de Chelly

2009-06-05T18:03:00.000-07:00

We're back! We had a wonderful time and fell in love with this magical place. More to come, but here's a quick peek.

--nancy