More Yellowstone Photos

Here are some more photos from the next two days (Sat 5/23 & Sun 5/24) at Yellowstone.

My first wolf sighting in Yellowstone

Pronghorn

Big Horn Sheep

Baby Big Horn Sheep

Black Bear

Great Horned Owl

Hayden Valley

Babies Abound

We are in Yellowstone and it has been fantastic as usual.  Our first two days were spent near a seemingly empty Hayden Valley.  Seems all the snow is just now melting there and the animals have yet to move into the valley from the lower elevations.  We did however see some great sights and some of the more unusual animals in Yellowstone.  We saw Beavers near Fishing Bridge and a marmot near West Yellowstone.

We moved up to Lamar Valley the next two days and discovered where all the Elk and Bison were hiding out.  Along with the usual animals seen in Lamar, we have also seen badgers (with 4 babies), a wolf, moose, and a great horned owl.  Every day we seem to see some animal we have never seen before in Yellowstone.  It really is a magical place.

We head over to West Yellowstone tomorrow where we will have less animals but more geysers to see and photograph.  Here is a photo or two to tide you over till I get back home and sort through the hundreds I have taken so far.

Yellow-bellied Marmot

Reflection from Fishing Bridge

Brink of the Lower Falls

Cute Baby Badgers

Baby Bison

The Final Season at Yellowstone

As this is being posted, mom and I are again headed to Yellowstone National Park for the long Memorial Day weekend.

I’ve been to Yellowstone now 3 times; first in the summer ages ago on a family vacation through the west.  A few winters ago, our family spent the Christmas holiday in a wonderfully empty and snow-filled park.  Then last year, mom and I took a quick trip to Yellowstone in September to see the the park in the fall colors and see the elk and buffalo in rut.

Now, we are headed for the spring season.  Baby red-colored buffalo, momma bears with her cubs, and the ever elusive Yellowstone wolves is what we hope to see as spring hits the national park.

Not sure how much I will be able to post while gone… depends on internet access and time, but I will try to post a few photos while away.

Dublin or Bust

The travel arrangements are all in place now so it looks like I will be finally fulfilling one of the items on my bucket list….. to see a U2 concert in Dublin.  YAY!!!

My good friend Alana and her magic ticketmaster fingers got us great seats to one of U2’s shows in Dublin on their upcoming concert tour.   I was able to find a fairly cheap flight to London through Canada.  Cheap in that the airfare was almost the same price as all the taxes and fees.  I also just booked us a hotel near downtown Dublin.

So Dublin….here we come!  Can’t wait to see U2 in their hometown and can’t wait to catch up with my good buddy Alana in London.  It’s gonna be a fun summer!

Pain in the Neck

For the past month or so, I have had a sore neck.  Stiffness and trouble turning had me worrying that my Rheumatoid Arthritis has now moved to my neck and is now attacking the cartilage in my spine.  So, I went to a neck & spine orthopedic specialist.  First step was some x-rays which showed some measurement of the neck bones slightly off from normal by one millimeter.  That led to an MRI.  Never had one of those before and I now understand why folks who are claustrophobic may have difficulty with MRIs.  Yikes, that was a very small space… and loud!

Today I went and got the results. Apparently I have 2 bulging disks of the C6 & C7 (?) vertebrae.  These disks push slightly on the spinal column causing the soreness. Nothing bad right now and nothing to go under the knife for, but I now have some exercises that I need to do a few times per day to help build my neck muscles and strength. Apparently years of poor posture, sitting at un-ergonomic desks, and staring at computer screens all day is really not good or the back or neck.

So good news that nothing is really wrong with the neck joints.

I’m Alone Because

Back in my younger days, I wanted so desperately to get married.  Find that perfect guy, have that whirlwind romance, get married, have kids, and live happily ever after.  But life, as we often find out, is not the stuff of fairy tales and the perfect guy never showed up on my doorstep to whisk me away.  Many years later, I am more than fine with my single status.  I have a career that I love, hobbies that I enjoy immensely, and lots of friends to enjoy the finer things in life with.  I am content.

So, the other day, I found this article and thought it did an excellent job of listing reasons why some single women don’t mind being single.   Several of the comments rung so true to me and I listed a few of them below….

I’m alone because:

… unlike men, when a woman reaches a certain age, no matter the packaging, she seems to pass her shelf date.

… I find myself sitting in front of the computer, and three hours later I look up and the sun is down and it’s too late to ask someone to go out to dinner, so I spread some cream cheese and mild salsa on wheat crackers and watch Olbermann. And I’m fine with it.  (Don’t watch Olberman, but had the cheese & cracker dinner many a night!)

… I ‘m now used to getting up when I want and drinking from the juice bottles and not shaving my legs and leaving dishes from the night before on my bed and getting up at 3am and seeing a movie and going back to bed at 5am and not hearing a word of scorn, and not that many people can deal with that kind of thing. (Not quite this extreme, but I do like being able to have my own schedule at home)

… I appreciate solitude.

…that big cat rubs against me and sits next to me and follows me around all day and sleeps with me all night, and feels like a small furry man when she spoons my legs. So I don’t feel alone. (This is my Buttercup to a tee.  My other cat, Houdini, is far less clingy).

… it’s peaceful.

… I have friends who laugh and go out to concerts and play Scrabble and keep me occupied when I want to go out and we seem to laugh more than our married friends and we even look happier, even if we aren’t, but I suspect we might be, at least more so than many.  (Thank goodness for friends, both married and unmarried, who still want to hang out with a crazy chick like me!)

… I can watch movies at home and don’t have to drive to the Multiplex anymore, which I hated to do alone.

… I’m independent and outspoken and most men don’t much care for women who debate them and who don’t hope to get married and cook for them.  (Amen!)

… I have an iPhone that I can play with anywhere I go to keep me company and I can always share experiences with someone. (iTouch for me)

… my adorable granddaughters provide the passion, and I long for them like I used to long for a lover.  (My nieces and nephews and my friend’s kids provide a lot of joy for me.  I enjoy watching them all grow up)

…my memories and dreams are often X-rated and I can return to them when I want a thrill.

… I’m comfortable in my skin. (Trying to reduce the size of my skin, but I am comfortable with who I am).

… you’re more alone in an unhappy relationship than you really ever are without a relationship at all.

… life doesn’t always wind up the way you expect it to, and you roll with it.

… I choose to be.

… I’m able to be.

… I’m alone but not lonely, but I’m still open to options, and do understand the beauty and wonder — and blessing –of a good relationship.  (This one is very important…. just cause I am content being single, doesn’t mean that I am not open to meeting guys and exploring those options should they occur.)

Calamari – Part 2

I posted the Calamari recipe in my previous post after making it in my cooking class.  This past week, I decided to try this at home by myself.  Unfortunately, the results were not as great.

I went to my local Central Market grocery store, known for having a decent seafood selection.  They did not have fresh squid, however, only the frozen, already cleaned kind.  I think this made a huge difference as the finished product just didn’t have that fresh taste to it once battered and fried.

The second mistake I think I made was to over batter the calamari rings.  The squid goes through the flour mixture twice, but I sent them in for a third dip in the flour cause they just didn’t look battered enough on the plate after the 2nd time in the flour mixture.

The third probably mistake was under seasoning the flour mixture.  The calamari we made in class seemed to have just enough zing to them with the paprika and cayenne pepper flavor, however, the batch I made this week just tasted rather bland… no zing.  Maybe it was the frozen squid, but I wonder if the flour mixture could have also been under seasoned as well.

I am willing to try calamari again, but I will seek out fresh squid to use, even if I have clean them myself.  Hopefully the second attempt will turn out better.

Calamari

I found this post in my drafts and realized I forgot to actually post it a few weeks ago. Doh!

Fresh & Clean Squid

I am still making it to my cooking classes and enjoying them quite a bit.  This week in our Finger Foods of the Mediterranean class, we tried out a few recipes from Spain.  As soon as I saw Calamari on the menu, I knew exactly what I wanted to make.  Yummm!  I love Calamari, but have never been brave enough to try to make this on my own.  Fried Calamari is great to eat cause it doesn’t really look like squid.  Little ringlets all breaded up kinda hide the fact that your eating squid.

But our first task was to face down a bowl of fresh squid and clean the little suckers.  Needless to say, cleaning squid is not a job for the faint of heart.  It involves pulling off heads, squeezing out snot-like innards, pulling out a plastic like backbone, and then peeling off their superfine layer of skin.  Not to mention, chopping off the tentacle bits from the heads you pulled off earlier.  Now apparently, if you buy your squid from Whole Foods or Central Market, you can get them already cleaned & peeled.  I personally think this takes all the fun out of preparing this particular dish.

Calamari... YUM!

After all that, you cut up the squid bodies into little ringlets, dry all the squid pieces, and then dip into a flour, paprika, & cayenne pepper mixture.  Then comes another sticky step with the bath in the egg mixture then one last dip back into the flour & spice mixture.  The actual cooking process is very quick with a deep fry of only 20 seconds.

The results….. Delicious!  I even surprised

myself at how good they came out.  Much better than any version I have had at any restaurant and our huge pan-full of calamari was devoured in just a few minutes by our classmates.

One ingredient that I need to go find is some Spanish Paprika (or smoked paprika). The difference between your regular grocery store paprika and this special smoked paprika is quite evident as soon as you smell the two side by side.  We used a the smoked paprika on the Calamari and several other dishes that night and you can definitely tell the difference.

Fried Calamari

• 10-12 fresh squid, skinned & cleaned (or buy the already cleaned versions from Whole Foods)
• 1 tsp paprika (regular or smoked – I used about a 1/2 tsp each)
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 cups vegtable oil
• lemon wedges

1. Cut the squid bodies into narrow rings and dry rings & tentacles with a paper towel.
2. Mix flour, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt & black pepper in a paper (or Ziploc) bag.
3. Add squid to bag and flour lightly.  Dip squid into egg and then back into bag to flour again.
4. Heat oil to smoking point, then reduce heat slightly.
5. Fry the squid in small batches for about 20 seconds only.  Remove with slotted spoon or strainer.
6. Drain well on paper towel before serving hot with lemon wedges.  Also serve with Aioli recipe below.

Aioli

• 5 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. In a mortar, mash the garlic and salt together until mushy.
2. Transfer to a food processor.  Add the egg and process for 30 seconds.
3. With the processor running, slowly add in the oil until fully absorbed.
4. Keep refrigerated for up to 3 months.

All Work and No Play….

Apologies for not posting in a while.  Work has significantly picked up and we are now working 12 hours shifts including weekends.  Yikes!

So, with 12 hours shifts, travel time to and from work, 7-8 hours of sleep, and an occasional meal,  it doesn’t leave much time for anything else. The rest of my Baja photos are sitting on the hard drive waiting to be processes and the TiVo is filling up quickly, but those will have to wait a few weeks until this initial push of testing is completed.

The positives about all this work is the massive amounts of overtime I will make in the next few paychecks which will help fund a few upcoming travels and maybe that new Canon 5D Mark II that I have been drooling over for a few months now.

Whirlyball?

Whirlyball

The other weekend, a co-worker invited me out to play Whirlyball.  What is whirlyball you ask?  Yeah, I had to ask the same question.  Whirlyball is a game that is a combo of bumper cars, squash, and basketball.  Still confused?  Two teams of 5 bumper cars, each person with a plastic squash-like racket. Throw in a whiffle ball and two baskets and you got a wild and crazy game.

I was pretty good at the passing and scooping things, but I kinda sucked when it came to shooting baskets.  It was a fun night.