Author: jstv

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Nothing typical about this week

This week has been interesting to say the least.

For the last six months we’ve been observing pandemic guidelines. Now to be honest, I rather like the whole social distancing part. It’s nice not having someone crowd you at the checkout, so waiting 6 feet away is actually preferable.

But then,  just after Labor Day came the  wildfires. Oregon was hit with a series of blazes on the west side of the Cascades. Large fires, unlike anything that side of the state has seen.

 

The result … air quality at hazardous levels.

For the past week, or more, we’ve been inside, unable to spend any time outdoors. There have been small breaks with the worst of the smoke coming late afternoon and evening.

An eerie haze hangs over the landscape. Face covers, mandatory for interior travel, are now necessary outside as well.

Just taking Tip for a walk brings tears to our eyes.

Friday finally brought a shift in the weather. It rained for the first time in weeks. Wind direction shifted and moved dense smoke out of the Willamette Valley and into Central Oregon. Hopefully it will keep moving east and while the fires still burn the really bad smoke / air quality is on the way out.

In the meantime, we are getting caught up on reading, cleaning and home organizing projects.

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Oregon’s on fire … Lets have Tea

The perfect storm hit the west side of our state early this week and started what is likely to become a record breaking wildfire season.

Towards the end of the week, smoke from the thirty plus fires had put Portland and many parts of Oregon at the top of the list of the world’s most hazardous air quality.

We were just thinking about the Covid-19 pandemic and social distancing when proposing to host our annual Pumpkin Tea … Virtually.

It seems to have been a good choice, given the current state of the state.

Making use of Zoom (an online streaming site which has gained users with the pandemic), we got together with family members on Saturday morning.

The menu was simpler this year. In a package we mailed earlier in the week, we shared orange zest sugar cookies and a lemon pound cake, as well as TyPhoo tea.

We also included flashcards for a little bit of virtual fun. Everyone whipped up a batch of scones and gathered in front of their computers to share a cuppa.

Saturday morning came and it wasn’t as chaotic as feared … the one slight hiccup came in the actual invitation to the meeting that needed to be sent from the same computer hosting.

We chatted for about an hour, got caught up on the family news, and set up a repeat meeting for next month. So I guess in the overall craziness that is 2020, this year’s tea offered a moment of calm and normalcy, despite the smoke and chaos outside.

Print Recipe

Chewy Sugar Cookies

A quick and easy sugar cookie recipe with an orange / citrus flavor

Ingredients

  • 2 cups AP flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 16 Tbsp unsalted butter soften but still cool
  • 1 cup sugar plus 1/2 cup for rolling dough
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 tsp Fiori di Sicilia optional: Vanilla Extract for vanilla flavor.

Instructions

  • Adjust the oven racks to the upper and lower middle positions and heat the oven to 375º. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and spray them with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
  • Either by hand or with an electric mixer, cream the butter, the 1 cup sugar and the brown sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, as needed. Add the egg and Fiori di Sicilia; beat at medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl as needed.
  • Place the ½ cup sugar for rolling in a shallow bowl. Fill a medium bowl halfway with cold tap water. Dip your hands in the water and shake off any excess (this will prevent the dough from sticking to your hands and ensure that the sugar sticks to the dough).
    Roll a spoon full of dough into a ball in the sugar and place on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, moistening your hands as necessary and spacing the balls about 2 inches apart.
    Using the butter wrappers, butter the bottom of a drinking glass and then dip the bottom of the glass in the sugar. Flatten the dough balls with the bottom of the glass until they are about ¼  inch thick, dipping the glass in sugar as necessary to prevent sticking.
  • Bake until the cookies are golden brown around the edges and their centers are just set and lightly colored, 12 - 13 minutes, rotating the sheets from the front to back, halfway through the baking time.
    Cool the cookies on the baking sheets, about 3 minutes; using a wide metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.
Print Recipe

Ultimate Lemon Cake

The best lemon cake ... ever.

Ingredients

Citric Sugar topping

  • 3 Tbsp bakers sugar (fine sugar)
  • 1/4 tsp citric acid powder

Cake

  • 3 sticks unsalted butter
  • 8 oz cream cheese room temp
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 pkg lemon instant pudding 3.4 oz
  • 6 Lrg eggs room temp
  • 3 cups cake flour sifted
  • 3 1/2 tsp lemon zest

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325, grease a 12 inch tube pan or bundt and sprinkle with about 2/3 of the sugar glaze on bottom and sides of pan.
  • Add room temp cream cheese, butter and salt to large mixing bowl, cream until smooth.
  • Slowly add sugar and instant pudding to bowl and cream until light and fluffy about 5 min.
  • Lower speed of mixer to medium and add flour one cup at a time until just incorporated. Do not overbeat. Add lemon zest and incorporate.
  • Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 20 min. or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • While still warm out of the oven, sprinkle top of cake with remaining citric sugar topping (you may have to make more) and allow to cool completely.
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A Pine Tree Maze

 

A favorite day trip spot is the Upper Deschutes river. This point is too far upstream for sea run or any of the huge fish the Deschutes River is famous for. However, the stream IS full of 8 to 10 inch Rainbow and Brook Trout.

There are about eight miles of stream from Lava Lake, the headwaters to Crane Prairie Reservoir. Along that stretch of highway are pullouts and parking spots, as well as a day use area on the northern end. We usually find a great picnic spot along the bank and not see another person all day. It is also a favorite river for Tip to fetch sticks and floatie toys.

Unlike the lower river, this stretch of water meanders through flat pine forest and grassy marsh land. There are lots of open meadows, but there is also a hatchwork of deadfall. The paths that lie either bank are an obstacle course of weathered logs. In places the downfall resembles jacksticks.  This makes it a bit more difficult for old legs to navigate, but only to the point of slowing us down a bit … Tip finds the steeple chase an extra bit of fun.

 

 

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The Morning Ritual

 

Wild fires have wreaked havoc on the west. Even without a fire burning in your area, the smoke from a regional blaze has likely drifted over your house.

A smoky haze obstructs views and along with acrid air, you’ll swelter in the summer heat. All this makes being outdoors difficult. We’re constantly checking the air quality alerts before going anywhere.

Regardless of the reduced outing schedule, we don’t miss the morning walk. Typically in Central Oregon, even a blazing hot day starts with temps in the low 40’s.

The neighborhood remains in a perpetual state of construction. There are dirt roads linked to paved paths, all of which run through forest and fields.

We’ve settled into a route that takes nearly an hour, stretches our old legs and gives the pup plenty of sniffing time.

While it is a developed neighborhood, we’re still treated to encounters with wildlife, mostly deer, rabbits, coyote, and a wide variety of birds. And while there is highway din, the forest is relatively quiet at dawn.

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A Summer Lake Overview

 

For us, there are regular excursions to Summer Lake area and the wildlife refuge there. It’s a favorite spot to bird and shoot weather images.

But this week we are looking at Summer lake from a different angle.

 

Winter Rim. The Western edge of the Summer Lake Basin is lined with basalt columns with vertical rock walls plunging to the valley floor below. This offers a beautiful backdrop for the many photos we snap while exploring the refuge.

There is a trail (Fremont NFT #160) running along the top edge of Winter Rim. The Southern OR. Intertie Trail extends from the northern boundary of the Fremont NF to the southern edge of Summer and Albert lakes. At the top of Winter Rim, the views of Lake County are stunning.

At the point we  intersected it, there’s a picnic table that hangs quite literally on the edge of Winter Rim. The view was obstructed with smoke haze on this day, but still very impressive. There is also a rental cabin at this site.

 

We have always used US 31 to get to Summer Lake, but this trip we found a whole new area to explore on the western side of Winter Rim.