Peaches too

Peaches for cold winter breakfasts

I have to make a post to the canning blog the other day. Mom came over this week and we put up 17 quarts of peaches. These where fun to do. I had gotten a box of Elbertas from our local orchard down the street. They where a bit green for mom but I really didn't have much choice. If I wasn't off to Greece in a week we could have waited a bit. I've had a few peaches from Hays this summer and they where good, but these, where... wonderful!! The taste of a tree ripend peach is one of lifes great treats. I'll be going to this orchard for my peaches from now on.

Mom packs peaches in a water bath canner. We dipped the peaches in boiling water for a few minutes, slipped the skins then halved the peaches and put them in the clean jars. We put on the lids and rings and added a sugar solution of 1/3 of water (4 cups sugar/12 cups water). We put them in the canner of boiling water for 30 min.

It was a joy. We had fun together and I have rows of beautiful jars in my celler. I guess I'm going to have to put canning back on my list of home skills. I will remember mom whenever I can. Now I've got her recipes written down too, so I can pass them on to my children or grandchildren some day.

Mom with her peaches

Canning with mom

Learning from the expert

Mom has been canning for about 50 years. I haven't canned for several years. It just got to be such a hot complicated process. Canning just seemed to take too much time and energy while working and raising a family. Since the economy has soured and a return to home grown produce canning is getting more popular. I have several friends who are attempting canning.

I gathered all the jars I saved in the basement. Sterilized the jars in the dishwasher and looked up directions on the internet. I still had 2 dozen jars, my jar lifter and a water bath canner. Mom insisted we get a box of Wapato Tomatoes. The best tomatoes you could buy, she proclaimed. So about $17 for 22lbs. I also had to buy a jar funnel and lids. These items cost about $10. Canning isn't always cheap. I figure the tomatoes cost about $2.70 a jar. Oh, well. They'll taste great.

Mom has never been one to write down a recipe. Canning is something I think that you learn from your mom. She learned from her mom and so the tradition, the stories, the jars get passed on. I will always think of mom during late summer. There is a feeling of going back to school, the smell of cooking tomatoes or ripe peaches. I think the thing I remember most about canning is standing over a sink of peaches, pealing, cutting, reminising, telling stories about long ago times.

I'm sure mom enjoyed today much more then I will ever know. Her smile in the picture above tells her joy. I'm so glad I dug out the old jars and spent the day canning tomatoes with mom.

In case I forgert her recipe here it is:

1 box Wapato tomatoes, they should be ripe.
1 dozen wide mouth jars, lids and rings
salt, add 3/4 tsp to each jar

Sterilize the jars in the dishwasher
put them in a shallow pan boiling of water on the stove to keep them hot
blanch the tomatoes just to slip off the skins, put in ice water, slip skins
Chop tomatoes into small pieces and place in large kettle
When kettle is full place on the stove and cook the tomatoes (I always followed the directions on the canning recipe... involving hot water bath for 30 min... mom says she never needed to do this)
Cook the tomatoes until they're mushy.. pretty vague, but she said you don't have to worry much on this
Put funnel into hot jars and ladel tomatoes into jars with 3/4 tsp added salt, leave about 1 inch
lids should be in boiling water and hot to place on jars.
Quickly screw on rings as hard as able. Place on wooden cutting board and let them cool
The lids should "clink" when the seal is set!

So, there you go, spaghetti ala Eleanor soon!!!

Kherete Keereea (Hello sir)

Here is the tour I'll be on

I got this map from Helen and our tour guide in Greece. Be sure and scan out from the original spot from the map here.

We have one month to finish all the details. I have gotten everything set at work so that should go smoothly. Corrie is going to check in with mom once a week or so and hopefully I'll figure out how to access all this from the internet cafe's. Helen says they're all over in Greece. I've been listening to my Greek language tapes and packed and un packed several times. I haven't been on the bike a lot lately but it doesn't look like we'll be doing long rides. We had originally talked about taking our bike pedals and shoes but I think I'm just going to take my saddle... that might not even be a big deal. We're not going to have long miles. Helen and Tamara and I are hoping to have a chance to get together in the next few weeks to plan a bit. Time is sneaking up on us!! We where planning on having another lady join us but that hasn't worked out. So it looks like it's just the three of us. Andeeo (goodby!)

An Easy Does it approach to RAMROD

An Easy Does it ride to Mount Rainier

Corrie has encouraged me to come up with a statement that describes an Easy Does it Ride and I guess I could use this blog to do that. This week Corrie and I and Jim McKraken and his wife Claire went to Mt. Rainier. Corrie, Jim and Al Coons had signed up to do RAMROD (ride around Mt. Rainier in one day). This is a beautiful ride, but the distance (150 mi+) scares all sane people away. The three of them where ready for this ride, though. They had put the miles in. The record breaking heat was a critical added concern though.

We stayed at Crystal Mountain Lodge. This alpine ski lodge is set in the Cascades among towering tree lined slopes that are part of the pacific crest trail. The Lodge is a quaint 1960's vintage experience. This means no TV, limited cell service and nothing to do but sip a cool drink while conversing with friends, read or hike/bike the surrounding hills. It was a perfect place for me to spend the day while Corrie sweated it out on his 150 miles around Mt. Rainier.

Hiking around Crystal Mountain

An Easy Does it Weekend for me doesn't necessarily mean I'm planning on sleeping in. I've always been up early, especially when it turns hot. Corrie left about 3am for the ride, so I found myself ready for a hike or run about 6:30 am. I headed out to the parking lot and met an early morning hiker Rick and his dog Hoss. Rick was out for an early morning hike and he invited me to join him. We hiked for about an hour up the ridge. Rick pointed out the hillside of huckleberry bushes. They weren't quite ripe yet, but in a few weeks the hillside would be loaded with berries. Rick and Hoss insisted on following me back down the hillside. I was glad they did as it might have been easy to take a wrong turn on the trails.

Hiking with Hoss

After my trek I had a leisurely breakfast of coffee, fruit and muffins. It was going to be hot so I planned on setting off for a bike ride while it was still cool. It was about 6 miles to the main highway from the lodge, then an easy uphill ride to Cayeuse pass. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, so the mountain was glorious. I was glad the ride was only 30 miles. The temperature rose to 97F, the highest recorded at Crystal Mountain Lodge.

Corrie came through the lodge parking lot (it was one of the rest stops on Ramrod) about 2:30 pm he was hot, but felt good. He had about 40 more miles, which where mostly down hill left.

I spent the rest of the afternoon reading and chatting with Claire (wife to Jim McCraken, who rode with Corrie).

Ramrod is 150+ miles around Mt. Rainier. This Easy Does it girl did 30 miles in the cool morning followed by an afternoon of relaxing and conversing with a friend while enjoying a cool "Mile's Hard Lemonade". Now that's the way to enjoy Ramrod.

An Easy Does it Ride:

1. Ride to a beautiful destination
2. Ride as long or short as you want. My Easy Does it Rides are about 2 hours.
3. The pace depends on who you're with, your biking skills, your time. I try and go easy so my rides are usually about 10-12 miles per hour. This is a very comfortable pace.
4. Always enjoy the ride, so take any tools for a surprise flat tire, a cell phone, a few dollars for a surprise shopping trip or treat and of course water.
5. Commuting to work or to the grocery store is a great way to get a few daily miles in.
6. Invite friends to join you. I will have a few Easy Does it Rides every month posted on the Twin Rivers Cyclists web site, be sure to email me if you're interested in joining me.
7. I would encourage any new rider to take a class from a LCI (American League of Cyclists Certified Instructor). Corrie is certified and and another TRC rider Jen offer a class through the Lewiston Parks and Rec. each spring.
8. Longer rides are very doable. It's a great way to see the countryside and there are rides offered all over the Northwest. Each major town has a bike club website and a calender of local rides. There are also detailed maps from Adventure Cycling and tour groups that offer week long catered tours. We have been on several tours with Oregon Bike Ride. So no excuses.

Anyone can enjoy bicycling if you have an Easy Does it approach. Visit TRCs Easy Does It Page for more information.

Santorini, Greece

I'm going to Greece this Sept. My girl friend Helen and another friend Tamara are going to bicycle around the Peloponnese Peninsula then spend another week in Santorini, Greece. Helen arraigned this tour with a guide she has met on her tours. He is a native Greek and has agreed to arrange this tour.

Last summer Helen began to talk about this tour. She had originally hoped to get about 10 friends to tour. The financial meltdown last fall made this tour too expensive for many. Corrie and I talked about going together but when we checked finances and Corrie thought about being gone for a month, he decided that he wouldn't be going. We decided that this would be my trip, and just Helen and Tamara where going to tour.

I bought the ticket last fall as Helen directed. We'll all be traveling on British Air. ( Helen said this was the best airline in her experience) We'll be leaving from Lewiston, ID at 6 am. We'll fly to Seattle, then LA and from there to London, Heathrow Airport.and then Athens. The entire ticket from here to Athen's and back was about $750 with frequent flyer miles applied.

I'm looking forward to going to Greece, mostly because it will be so differnet then the states. A foreign country offers Americans a chance to see the world with a different perspective. Helen gave me a Greek language tape this Christmas. I've been soaking up the language as much as I can. I also found a guide book with Greek language and some great information on how to get around in Greece. Harper Collins Language Survival Guide; Greece. It has a menu-reader, signs I'll see, and a visual phrase book. I'm sure I'll have trouble with the language but I'll be able to at least say hi, thank you and please.

Helen swears by packing very light. It makes sense to keep the baggage to a minimum especially if we're going to be touring by bicycle. I've had lots of suggestions on how to pack for an over seas trip but here's my list so far:

1. Travel Card by VISA: AAA has a card that you pay for and add money from your credit card. It can be used anywhere a VISA card is accepted. It doesn't come from my account and you can add extra funds to it. I got a second card, in case of loss.
2.Skirts, shorts, long black pants, 2 tank tops, 3-4 tops that match, underwear, sleep tops, running shorts for night, sweater,
3. mascara, moisturizer,lip stick, deodorant, shompoo, toothpaste and brush, laundry soap,
4. Journal, pencil,
5. camera, charger
6.small pillow case
7. Helmet, bike seat, 2 biking shorts, arm warmers, 2 tops
8. meds for nausea, headache, sleeper
9.Check my medical insurance for over seas trip. Get a E111 card from Post office when arriving.
10.Copy my cards, pass port, ticket etc. make a copy for Helen
11.$100 in Euros?
12. Plastic bags

I'm sure I'll have more then I need. I hope to be able to blog while I'm in Greece. I'd like to be able to down load pictures from my camera too.
So I'll keep adding to this post as I get closer.

A weekend with my friend Mary

Mom and Dad

I spent this weekend with my good friend Mary. We looked at old family photos and got caught up on what our kids have been doing. We enjoyed a going to a wonderfully funny production of "The Producers". We both laughed ourselves silly over this raunchy Mel Brooks satire. Besides a love of live theater, we've found we share many things such as; we're both fiercely democratic, love peanut butter, we both are very active. Mary keeps busy playing tennis 3-4 times a week, and dancing the tango regularly with a group in Spokane. We compared our mutual problem with loosing keys and many small everyday items.. she claims it's a typical Irish problem. She has also just returned from a trip to Spain and Santorini Greece with her adult son and daughter. As I'm heading off to Greece and Santorini this September she eagerly answered all my travel questions. Mary had many suggestions for what to wear and she insisted on giving me several beautiful skirts, that of course fit to a tee. I smiled and enjoyed her sharing nature. As my birth mother, Mary has opened herself to me fully.

As an adopted child from the 1950's I was ignorant of much of my genetic history. In our family though it never really mattered. In my childbirth classes I always emfasize how important a birth story is to a child and I was blessed with a wonderful story. My brother and I always knew we where adopted, but mom and dad presented it as their chance to "pick out" the best little boy and girl. We where special in their eyes and we consequentlywe felt the same. Mom would tell the story of getting us from St. Anne's over and over and this came to be my birth story.

The question of my birth family was always presented as a loving family that gave us up for adoption because they where poor and couldn't take care of us. As we grew older mom filled in what she remembered of our birth records, which was pretty sketchy.

Mary has answered many of my questions about my birth and my genetic background. She came from a large Irish family. She was the youngest of 6 as is my adopted mother. Her mother was especially talented musically and played the piano by ear. Many in her family are musical and several have even professional musicians. I guess this helps to explain Tony's talent and love of music.

Mary herself is a very active person. She was a yoga instructor for several years and she continues to practice these skills in addition to keeping active with tennis and dancing. At 76 she is the picture of an active senior.

As far as a health history it looks like I have not much to worry about. Mary has had no problems health wise except for a tendency to not go to a Dr. The family has some history of a tendency to drink a bit too much, but she claims this is typical in an Irish family. There is no real history of cancer or even much heart disease.

Mary was able to meet mom and dad the fall before dad died in 2003. I'm sure they where all pretty nervous about this but Mary instantly put them all at ease. As I introduced them all she gathered both mom and dad into a hug and proclaimed "Well, it looks like we did pretty good with our girl". It was a wonderful opportunity for all of them to talk about my history and to show off photos. Mary and mom have become friends through me and I find this a deep joy. I have been blessed to have been raised by a mother and father who gave me a wonderful childhood and start in life. Without the choices Mary made many years ago I would never have been part of their life. I can't thank my parents enough for what they have given me.

An Easy does it girl can do this ride

Twin Rivers Cyclists offers many rides during the summer and we invite everyone. We usually have a mixed group of riders for our weekly Ice Cream rides. These rides are short, easy and can be as short or as long as the riders want. The group makes a point of never dropping a rider, but many slower riders are reluctant to take on the longer rides.

Sunday June 28 we scheduled the Winchester Ride. This ride is long (68mi) and involves the Winchester Grade, which is not an easy climb. I've never been a fast rider, but over the years I've found my pace and the "Easy Does it Philosophy". This discovery has made any ride possible for me.

Bike riding begins with a good bike. A bike should be comfortable and for anyone who wants to follow the Easy Does it Philosophy (EDP) should include plenty of low granny gears. We used eveyone of those gears on this ride.

Another aspect of EDP is the realization that there are rabbits, strong riders who are fast, strong and can handle any number of miles without beating an eye. I am not a rabbit, but I find I can cover the same ground, enjoy the ride and the climb and get to the same place as the rabbits with a smile on my face.

Food and water will keep any rider going. My favorites include peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat and gatorade in a polar bottle. This keeps the drink really cold for over 2 hours. I found a new product Sunday that I'm definitely put on my list of 'good to have with you" The sport jelly beans put out by gatorade. They didn't melt in the sun, and they where just enough to give me a boost on the grade Sunday.

Carol Ellis and I traveled together Sunday. The core group of about 10 riders, including our rabbit husbands where miles ahead of us. Sunday offered almost perfect temperature and a slight cooling breeze to make this beautiful ride, just about perfect. Carol and I had a great ride thanks to another important EDP tool.. A sag wagon! My son Tony volunteered to be sag for the Winchester ride. Unfortunately he wasn't familiar with the route and missed a few important turns, but he showed up at lunch and we all could relax. A sag wagon can be available for all the riders in the group for extra water, a bicycle floor pump, or just encouragement and information about how the group is doing. A sag wagon can also help out riders if they have an accident or just need to take a break. We have offered a Sag Wagon on a few rides in the last few years and it is really important for new riders and the EDP rider. I've had times when I was able to do the hardest of rides but sometimes not. I find it a great way to humbly enjoy the best parts of the ride but call it quits when your body, the weather or the ride says.. this is going to be really miserable. No one should ever be ashamed to call for a sag. Some times it can save a life.

This ride is a challenge and no one should take on a climb like Winchester without knowing what it means to climb for 7 miles in the heat. Winchester offers a bit of shade though and the hill is pretty similar to the Lewiston Grade, with plenty of easy switch backs but any rider, especially someone with an EDP needs to really plan for a climb and 50 miles after the climb. I would encourage any rider to come out for longer rides. Our group offers lots of opportunities to give bicycling beyond the bike path a try. As long as you have an Easy Does it Philosophy, you can enjoy any ride.

I just read Corrie's account of his ride..
did you notice not a single easy does it rider in the group picture he has of this ride!! That's cause we where still on the hill.... Good thing I wrote up our ride a bit. When you take your time and forget about hammering you can enjoy a summer day on your bike.