Paulina Lake (January 2011)

My aunts insisted that we use their Sunriver house (click HERE for info and rental rates!) the second weekend in January, which happened to be Brad's birthday. Our first order of business was cross-country skiing to Paulina Lake a few miles southeast of the resort.
We'd heard good things about the area and made plans after looking it up online and in trail books. We parked at 10-Mile Sno-Park and decided to take the 3-mile Ponderosa Rim Trail to the lake and return on the 3 1/4-mile View Trail (we were never sure what the view was supposed to be... it was all very wooded).
There was lots of snow the previous holiday weekend but none since, so it was a bit icy in spots -- not the best conditions. But the heavily forested trail was very clearly marked and easy to follow. It's also a very popular snowmobile spot, so the sounds and smells of nature were occasionally interrupted by the roar and stench of two-stroke engines.
We followed a canyon ridge and could hear water below. After a while we saw this sign and thought we'd check out the falls.
What a payoff! The trip was worth it just to see the frozen falls:
I put on my puffy jacket and brought out my lunch while Brad went nuts with his camera and new filters.
When I was too cold to take it anymore, we packed up and skied the short distance to the lake. I thought I could smell a wood fire when I saw this sign. Boy, how the mind plays tricks.
But then we skied a short distance and spotted the restaurant - open with smoke drifting from the chimney!
It was late in the day, so we didn't want to use up daylight to go inside for hot chocolate :( Next time! The resort looked mostly occupied by snowmobilers, but the cute cabins and lake views sure looked tempting.
After getting more pictures, we hit the road and headed mostly downhill toward the parking lot. We checked the map along the way and appeared to be right on course. But then we arrived at a road and weren't sure where to go. The excellent trail markers and signs had vanished. We took our best bet and did come out right at the car. Not sure what happened to the signs right at the end.

The weather was excellent and the snow wasn't horrible. We enjoyed exploring the new trail and seeing the icy falls and lake. Next time, we'll go early enough for hot chocolate!

:)

Cocoa-nutmeg snickerdoodles

This cookie recipe was delivered right to my in box, thanks to BHG.com, so I had to try it out.

1 c sugar
1/3 c butter or margarine, softened
1/3 c dairy sour cream
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 t vanilla
2 c flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t baking soda
2 T sugar
1 1/2 t cocoa powder

Beat the 1 c sugar and butter or margarine in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sour cream, egg and vanilla. Beat till just combined.

Combine flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and baking soda in a small bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to sour cream mixture, beating till just combined. Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours or till easy to handle.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Combine the 2 T sugar and cocoa powder. Roll balls in sugar-cocoa mixture and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 10 to 11 minutes or until the edges are golden. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

~~~~~
I didn't have the patience to wait for these to chill, so I went ahead and rolled them while they were still sticky. It worked just fine.

These turned out pretty good. They were very soft and tasted very much like a traditional snickerdoodle, though my chemist friend Jan took one bite and instantly knew there was no cream of tarter. You could not taste the cocoa at all. The main flavor was the nutmeg... it tasted like eggnog.

I didn't love this recipe, but it was good enough for a quick, easy cookie.

:)

A night out with the girls

I had just a fabulous, relaxing, fun weekend!

It started with sleeping 12 hours Friday night. Then I spent Saturday getting some things done, reading my new novel, napping and going for an awesome run in the rain. Then Laura picked me up about 2:30 p.m. and we spent a couple hours shopping - SO girlie!

Then we met some friends for girls' night at Swagat in Beaverton.
I'd never had Indian food, so they helped me pick out something I might enjoy.
I settled on tandoori fish tikka, and I went for the dinner to get the whole experience.
It was good. I don't know that I would go back on my own, but I'm glad I found something that I could eat :)

After dinner, we headed back to my house to drink tea, eat ice cream and chat. We did a lot of catching up and vowed to get together again soon.

Sunday, we decided to sleep in and go to the 5 p.m. service at our church. So we spent a lazy day reading, watching football, baking cookies and working out. It was lovely! At church we talked about The Rev. Martin Luther King and his commitment to God and to civil rights. We ended by singing "Precious Lord, Take my Hand," MLK Jr's favorite hymn. It was very moving. Take a listen:

Precious Lord, take my hand

Lead me on, let me stand

I'm tired, I’m weak, I’m worn

Through the storm, through the night

Lead me on to the light

Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

When my way grows drear precious Lord linger near

When my life is almost gone

Hear my cry, hear my call

Hold my hand lest I fall

Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

When the darkness appears and the night draws near

And the day is past and gone

At the river I stand

Guide my feet, hold my hand

Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

Precious Lord, take my hand

Lead me on, let me stand

I'm tired, I’m weak, Lord I’m worn

Through the storm, through the night

Lead me on to the light

Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

(Words from here)

4 seconds

This one made me laugh this morning :)

Milking it

Brad turned the big 3-5 more than a week ago, and we had a proper celebration by going to Sunriver for a weekend of skiing and relaxing. This week we invited family over for banana splits for another celebration.
Pa picked out this card:
Ha ha ha!!

From his folks, he got ribs and pulled chicken - a huge treat since I haven't bought meat for the house in almost a year after watching Food, Inc. (except for a free-range bird for Turkey Feast 2010 and a free-range pork roast for New Year's Eve).
He also scored gift cards for Powell's, Olive Garden and Jamba Juice, a new climbing book and some fancy rechargeable batteries. And some awesome new kicks:
When we were fitted for running shoes and insoles, the Nikes were his second choice. Now he has two pair of great shoes!

:)

Soggy sneakers

I set out Saturday to do a little running experiment. My usual distance is about 3 miles. And I can do it without too much effort. Several years ago, at the start of my running career, I trained for and completed a 10K. Not fast, but I finished. That was the last time I ran more than about 3 miles.

But now I'm training for several 10Ks and a half marathon in the fall. It's time to kick up the distance.
So I tucked my Garmin under my sleeve and started out on my "regular" route - in the pouring rain. I ran slowly, wanting to see just how far I could go if I wasn't keeping track of time and distance. I reached the end of my route and kept going. I was feeling good, so I kept adding little bits along the way. I never felt like I was working particularly hard - just slow and steady. Fairly comfortable.

Because of planned evening activities, I called it quits before I really needed to. I got to my stopping spot, not knowing how far I'd gone but sorta thinking I was probably around 10:30-min miles.
I went 4.81 miles and averaged 9:50 - without even trying! I know I had it in me to finish 5 miles. Really, I think I could have completed 6.2 (the 10K distance) without much more effort. WOW. This is seriously huge for me.

No other runners were in sight during my 47 minutes on the road. But the rain didn't bother me (it was about 55 degrees - plenty warm). I had my tunes and my soggy sneakers and I just pounded out an easy 5 miles. I never thought I'd say that!

:)

Banana bread

3 c flour (I used 2 c all-purpose and 1 c whole wheat)
3 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
cinnamon to taste (I use just a dash)
2 eggs
mashed bananas (whatever you have on hand)
1 1/2 c sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil
chocolate chips
dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use and electric mixer to combine everything in a large bowl. Pour into two prepared loaf pans. Bake for 45 - 55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. For nice, clean slices, cool before cutting. (Modified from Better Homes and Gardens)

This is my go-to banana bread recipe, perfect for those blackened fruits dying on my counter. For this one, I threw in some whole wheat flour and some chocolate chips and dried cranberries. It's equally yummy without the extras or with nuts or other combination.

Enjoy :)