The Road - Cormac McCarthy

I love Cormac McCarthy. This book is far different from his last one, No Country for Old Men. It's about a man and his son who are making their way down The Road several years after a war that's caused most life to be destroyed. All wildlife and plants are gone and all food is scavenged from abandoned homes. There are few people alive, and they must avoid the bad guys and carry 'the fire' because they are the good guys. The book's main theme is the relationship and dialog between the man and boy, their dependence on one another, and the drive to stay ethical in the worst of circumstances.

It's a very quick read. Keep your kleenex handy.

Book Group: Saving Fish from Drowning - Amy Tan

As usual, Amy Tan kept me entertained, almost from cover to cover. I loved the voice of the narrator. She died at the beginning of the book so she spoke as a ghost who could see inside of all the characters, yet filtered everything through her own experience. Very fun and interesting.

The story is mostly set in Burma as a group of tourists who she was scheduled to lead on a sightseeing trip, turn up missing. Since she's a ghost, we get to know what's happening to all the characters during the entire story.

One thing bothered me. At the end, she did a 'where are they now' section. Not so interesting.

Other than that...two thumbs up.

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant - Stephen Donaldson

I originally read this series when I was a teenager and remember being quite taken with them. In fact, they've moved with me for the last 25+ years. This time around, Lord Foul's Bane was a disappointment. Copycat ideas fron TLOTR. So I won't be reading the rest of the series.

This graphic of the cover is the same edition I have and it was publish in 1977.

Spring Break

The kids' spring breaks were consecutive weeks at the end of March, so we took a vacation to Sunriver that overlapped on the weekend. Joel flew back to Spokane to ride with his friend Michael down to Sunriver.

Thursday, Pat and I took a nice long walk, had coffee, and visited the charming local library. Then, we had a beautiful day on the mountain on Friday. The sun was out and the snow was terrific for skiing (not so good for the snowboarders). Skiing on the Summit run was unbelievable...let 'er rip!!

Jill and Nathan flew in Friday evening and we took another long walk in the morning on Saturday. After attempting to visit Lava Lands (closed) we drove near Benham Falls and hiked the rest of the way there. On our return, we decided to off road it in the Lexus. It road so well, we could hardly tell we weren't on the main highway.

Sunday took us back to the mountain for another day of fun. About 5" of fresh powder greated us and the snowboarders were in heaven. We all upgraded to helmets and it was a good thing; I managed to use it during an accidental flip on the ice.

Joel and Michael had to make the long drive back to Spokane, so they left from the mountain, the rest of us had an enjoyable evening with a visit to the hot tub, and left early the next morning.

The rest of Jill's spring break was spent golfing and wedding planning. We also had a nice birthday dinner for my mom and congratulations to Jill and Nathan. Oops, forgot to take pics. All in all, a great vacation and the first time Pat and I took a week off without leaving town (ok, Sunriver doesn't really count).

Power Meal: The Best Summer Burger - Men's Health

Power Meal: The Best Summer Burger - Men's Health

WHAT YOU'LL NEED
1 egg
1 lb lean ground beef
1⁄2 c oats
1⁄3 c diced onion
1⁄2 c chopped spinach
2 Tbsp reduced-fat shredded Mexican-blend cheese
4 whole-grain buns
Salt and pepper to taste
HOW TO MAKE IT
In a large bowl, whisk the egg. Add everything else and mix -- your hands are the best tool -- until well blended. Form the meat into four patties. Place the burgers on a grill pan or nonstick skillet that's heated over medium high. Cook for 6 minutes per side or to the desired level of doneness.
Makes 4 servings. (Wrap any extra burgers in plastic and freeze them for later.)
Per Burger: 263 calories 27 grams (g) protein 8 g carbohydrates 13 g fat (5 g saturated) 1 g fiber 416 milligrams (mg) sodium

Books I Want to Read

Rabbit is Rich - John Updike
March - Geraline Brooks - Read 2008
Gilead - Marilynne Robinson - Read June 2007
Winter's Tale - Mark Helprin
Westing Game - Ellen Raskin
The Stolen Child - Keith Donohue
Johnathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clarke Tried to read
Sarum - Edward Rutherford
Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson - Read 2008
American Gods - Neil Gainman
The Eden Express - Mark Vonnegut
The Quiet Room - Lori Schiller

Flashman: A Novel (Flashman) bu George MacDonald Fraser

I have such mixed feelings about this book. It is well written and entertaining; but just so wrong. Flashman is a cowardly British military officer in the 1800's who runs from danger but somehow is hailed as a hero all the time. He's quite the cad; it's not uncommon for him to have his way with women when they don't respond to his advances and he degrades those he perceives to be lower than him. If one can look past that, the stories in this book are historically based and interesting as is the writing style. I can't decide whether or not to read the next book in the series.

Kiss in the Hotel Joseph Conrad by Howard Norman

I'm not a huge fan of short stories, but a friend loaned me this book and it served its purpose keeping me entertained while on the treadmill.

Mom's Visit

Darla and I spend last weekend with Jill & Nathan. As usual, we had lots of fun: golfing, shopping, planning for the big event, eating & hiking. It was wonderful getting out of the cold, wet northwest to sunny, warm California. The smog was away and spending time outdoors with loved ones is rejuvinating. I didn't take too many pictures, but here are a few from our hike.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillippa Gregory

I couldn't put this book down. Highly recommended. Can't wait to read another book by Phillippa Gregory

Senior Recognition Weekend at UCA

Senior Recognition weekend was great fun. We flew to Spokane on February 16 to spend the weekend with Joel. There were events Friday (Vespers), Saturday morning (Church), and Saturday evening (talent show). The Seniors provided all the music and talent. It was really nice and the performers were very talented.



















Joel --- All dressed up














The TVJA gang (minus Nick)
















Familiar -- video games and moms forking over $.

Spokane is a nice city. We had coffee and took a nice walk along the river.

Sunriver

We spent a great weekend in Sunriver. The weather wasn't great but we managed to squeeze in a long walk Saturday morning. The Sunriver Coffee Shop was missing!!! But...after a bit of exploration, it was found. Across the street. Phew!! That evening, we met up with some old friends and had a wonderful visit and dinner at the Pine Tavern.

Sunday was spent on the mountain. I believe we were the only people skiing that day. The weather was marginal..snowy and poor visibility..but the the snow was great and there were no people. We worked our way from the Sunrise Lodge over to Pine Marten and ultimately to Outback. We saw very few other skiiers on most of the runs and wore ourselves out.

Afterward, we were rewarded by a large (really large Nacho) and cool beverage. Fun times.

Warm Lentil Salad with Sausage

This recipe was pretty good, but could have used more seasoning. It would be a better side dish, than served as a main dish. In fact, I thought it would be good with the Balsamic Glazed Chop.

We really liked the kielbasa (we used low-fat turkey) with the lentils and the dressing was quite good. Next time, I'll add a little more dressing. Green lentils weren't available at the local grocery store, so I ended up using regular lentils and my last yellow onion was used the day before for Tortilla Soup so had to substitute shallot and a little red onion, which added an interesting flavor. Lots of leftovers!!

Socks!!

Last summer, my friend Stephanie gave me two #2 circular needles for my birthday after I'd mentioned that I'd like to learn how to make two socks at the same time. Until about three weeks ago, I didn't take the time figure out how. After a few missteps, taking the socks off the circulars, putting them on dps, rearranging and knitting them back on to the circulars, I finally have it figured out. It's a great process, but a person can really get tangled up in yarn and needles. Well, here they are so far....heels done, gussets done, now only the foot and toe remain. Yay!

Strangely, I met an old acquaintance (from 1982) at a class I was taking for work and found out she teaches a toe-up, two at a time sock class at a knitting shop, Tangle. I really want to learn that method, so may take her class in the near future. She also has a great blog, www.persistent illusion.com.

Gratineed Gnocchi with Spinach and Ricotta

Such an easy recipe, really nice looking when it comes from the oven.

Balsamic Glazed Chop

Fabulous recipe, try making it with a Rib-eye steak. We made an extra and it was even better left-over.

Book Group: The Memory Keeper's Daughter

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, picked by me. Dinner will be in February at the Culinary Institute

Book Group: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, picked by Farzaneh. Dinner at Andina in January 2007.

Book Group: The March - E.L. Doctorow

The March by E.L. Doctorow, picked by Diane Coulson, dinner at Five Spices in Lake Oswego

Chicken Curry in Roasted Acorn Squash Recipe | Recipezaar

Another great recipe from Men's Health Magazine

Frozen Southern California

We had another great trip visiting Jill & Nathan. The Arctic winds were blowing in the NW and we thought, "Great, we'll go to the warm weather." Right. It was incredibly cold all weekend. We all spent Saturday in San Diego with Heather, Jason, Sidney. Took a nice walk along the waterfront and had a great lunch.

On Sunday, golf at Carmel Mountain Ranch was on the agenda. The usual teams, Red Balls and Sweet Vipers, and the usual winners. Then all you can eat Sushi...and we ate all we could eat.

We stayed Monday, too and Pat and I golfed at Menifee Lakes Country Club. It was still quite cold and very, very windy. We tied (Pat gives me strokes) until the last hole...he won.

I intended on making Corned Beef and Cabbage for dinner, but had a food accident. Put the corned beef in the crock pot, turned it on and promptly unplugged it to make coffee; forgetting to plug it back in. Got home after golf to scary, uncooked meat. So the fallback plan was spaghetti.

Spent our last evening watching the Chargers - Patriot game recorded on Saturday.

Then home to 4" of snow. Took a couple hours to get home from the airport. All in all, a great time.

Team "Red Balls"



















Winning Team "Sweet Vipers"

Variation on Salad for 2

Chop some fresh spinach and use as a base for salad, substitute cucumber for tomato and add crumbled gorgonzola.

Avocado Salad for two

3+ Vine tomatoes - cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 Avocado - cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 Pear - cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1-2 Tbsp Red onion - diced fine
Creamy salad dressing of your choice.

I like 1000 Island for this salad, Pat used Ranch. It doesn't take much dressing, just a little drizzle over the salad.

Pesto Shrimp Pasta - Men's Health

We've been trying recipes from the Men's Health Magazine and last night made this yummy dish. You can use any cooked meat like chicken or if you prefer a vegetarian option, tofu. No kidding, this was the fastest dinner we've made in a long time. You do all the prep work while the penne noodles are cooking. Drain the noodles, return them to the warm pot (over low heat) and mix in the rest of the ingredients until they are hot.

Since the recipe includes quite a bit of spinach, we didn't make a salad and just served it with a thin slice of nice Italian bread.

Ingredients:
4 oz Barilla Plus penne pasta
12–14 medium-size precooked, peeled shrimp (or cooked chicken or tofu)
3 c chopped baby spinach
1 tomato, chopped
3 Tbsp ready-made pesto
3 Tbsp crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
2 Tbsp diced walnuts (pine nuts would be good instead)

Getaways & Deals

Oregonlive.com: Search
Article with some interesting weekend getaway ideas.