La Tarte Des Demosoielles Tatin

I watched Julia Child make something like this on tv so I tried it myself. It was delicious. It was made in a cast iron frying pan. I am pretty suer I overcooked mine which resulted in a soft apple filling.

Close up of flaky butter crust. This tart is meant to be served with creme fraiche. Whipped Cream would make an excellent substitute. I just ate it.

Is this your marijuana?

Someone left his/her weed at my righteous party palace. If you want to come and get it please do. No questions asked. The police will not be involved. Incidentally, it is mostly shake and smells like hay.

I did have a party recently but I did not realize it was that kind of party. Goodness.

Free Range Hobo Spider

This dangerous Hobo spider was in my bathroom sink. I have seen it or others just like it in my sink on other occasions but this time it was there all night. I caught it and released it into my back yard. It was a big spider but that's O.K. because I have a big back yard.

Warning: There is music (They Might Be Giants) to the video.

Art

This was my favorite painting at the Western Idaho Fair this year.

This was my second favorite painting at the fair. Both paintings were by the same artist. The frame was not curved, it just looks that way because of the wide angle lens.

Robin Red Breast

I was walking on the south shore of Echo Lake when a small hawk, either a sharp-shinned or a copper's hawk, flew in front of me, almost dropped but cought, and then actually dropped this poor robin a few feet in front of me.


Then a day or two later an associate and I were walking south of Lake Aloha and found several endangered Mountain yellow-legged frogs, blueberry bushes and a water shrew.

Did not manage to photograph the water shrew.

Thompson Bros Boat

Ellis Bros Boat

This is the boat I borrowed last week because the battery in our boat was dead. If you happen to know or be one of the owners of this boat please note that the boat was tied with both bow lines so it would not rub or bang on the dock. I am not one to look a borrowed boat in the mouth, but this boat has caused a problem. After driving this boat I have become obsessed with owning a charming wooden boat.

Julia and Julia

I had this idea: Cook every recipe in this book for a year and then blog about it. Then I realized I had just watched the trailer for a movie with exactly that premise. So that made me realize that I did not have an idea.

Grocery

I went to the grocery store and bought some food. I mean Fud. You will be happy to know that it tastes just like food.

Mouse Update

The trap was still set in the morning and there were no new droppings. I guess the mouse moved. If not, the mouse just got a free ride to Idaho.

Mouse

A mouse ( probably Peromyscus maniculatus or P. leucopus) has been living in my car for a while. Long enough to eat about 70% of an Odwalla bar, an airline-sized bag of peanuts (airline-sized makes it sound big. I mean the size served on an airplane and not the size of an airplane) and an undetermined amount of dog food. It has also been in the car long enough to leave a few hundred ant-sized poops in the car. Black ant-sized poops. I am going to try to kill the mouse. I do not relish the idea of killing this mouse or any animal but I do not know what else to do. If the mouse stays, it may start chewing wires, upholstery, old parking tickets, or cassette tapes. Or it may die in a hidden spot and leave only a rotten smell behind. So as I type there is a mousetrap bated with Skippy, America's favorite peanut butter, in the backseat of my car. Since this is assuredly an American mouse, I doubt he will be alive tomorrow. He already took a piece of dog food from the same set trap without injury but peanut butter cannot be lifted in one piece. Ideally it has left on its own accord. Or moved to a Honda Accord. Either way.

In America

In France

This is me in France on a mountain road called the Col du Platzerwasel. My jaunty hat was ruined the next day while I waited for hours in the rain to see a bunch of guys ride by on bikes for about 15 or 20 minutes.


The gentleman in the center is Alberto Contador from Spain and the gentleman on the left with no head is Lance Armstrong from Texas.
I cannot tell who these guys are while I am photographing them.

Thirst

My Life in Text

I'm reliving the last year by reading then erasing texts one at a time. Gems like: "R u here?," "Dude," "Yay, breakfast," "Sure," Ready for Pancakes," "Delayed," "M," "I'll check with Ted," "Hmmm?," "Look outside," "No," "Where are the grads?," "Be there in 15," and one of my favorites, "Want a cupcake?"

Dirty Laundry

I took my laundry home to my mom's house this summer. I had about 9 months of laundry to do. No problem, she had it done in a couple of days. But my mom seemed a bit disappointed that I had  also brought my dishes. Nine months of dirty dishes. But in my defense she has a dishwasher and I do not. 

Kitty

It is hard to remember your kitty's name when your kitty's name is Kitty.

Who Going Camping?

We going camping. In France. We being Luke and I. We are going to camp along mountain roads to watch people ride bicycles up hills.


I'll post my own photos after I take some but until then, this is Mont Ventoux.

Scofflaw

I flew all the way from Albuquerque to Chicago without buckling up. Also, I left my computer on.

Jackson Fawcett

Not a bad name.

Mom

My 80 year old, diabetic, heart diseased mother - I mean my beloved 80 year old, diabetic, heart diseased mother called me yesterday using her most pathetic sick person voice. You may be familiar with the voice if you ever were a kid trying to get out of school. When your beloved mother has had two heart attacks and has diabetes and leaves a pathetic sounding message on your phone you have to take it seriously. The message was something about being at home, being sick and imploring me to call as soon as convenient. Convenient in this case meant right away. It is illegal to talk on the phone while driving in California so I stopped every few miles to call her. Each time that she did not answer I pictured worse and worse scenarios. One scenario included a little dog (Diego) lying faithfully next to her prostrate body. Every traffic light and stop sign added to my anxiety. When I finally pulled up to her house my phone rang. She had left her phone in her bedroom and could not hear it ring. She wanted me to pick up fish tacos on my way home.