flynn070

Paul, Cindy and I drove to the coast today. It was a rainy start but cleared up soon and turned out to be a sunny but cold and windy day. Our first stop was Astoria where we stopped at the Maritime Museum then had lunch at Baked Alaska. We regretted that we did not have time to do and see everything. They loved Astoria and hope to return on a future trip and spend a night and an entire day here.   The maritime museum was fascinating and I feel like I learned quite a bit about the shipping trade as well as the geographical features of the Columbia River. I especially enjoyed reading about the trade routes and the items that we ship (and receive) to and from other countries. There was so much to see and read about here that we simply did not have time to view it all. Oh, and the gift shop was pretty fabulous too! We had lunch here at the Baked Alaska restaurant.   The view from our table.   I had fish and chips and actual Baked Alaska for dessert! We then drove on to Cann...

I visited Mt. Hood back in late August - what a difference it is now! There was barely any snow and now it is piled thick along the sides of the winding road leading up the mountain to Timberland Lodge and dripping from the forests of massive conifers. It is so beautiful. Our friends Paul and Cindy are visiting from Alabama and we drove up there today before another storm hits tonight. We enjoyed some delicious corn chowder inside the cozy Timberland Lodge and had a magnificent view of Mt. Hood outside the window. There were many skiers out enjoying the day. It was cozy and warm inside the lodge with blazing fires going and Christmas lights twinkling. The view outside our dining room window   A view outside the window of a stairwell. Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Happy Thanksgiving! Today is rainy, dark and a bit dreary which I think is perfect weather for a holiday. I love the coziness it gives when you are all warm and cozy inside the house. I am re-posting my Slow Cooker Cornbread Dressing recipe which I just got in the crock pot. Slow Cooker Cornbread Dressing 6 cups prepared cornbread (Michael made me some cornbread the previous night. You can also use Jiffy mix cornbread but I suspect it would not be as tasty). 8 slices of day-old bread (I just used regular loaf bread) 4 eggs 1 medium onion, chopped 1 1/2 tsp of poultry seasoning or Sage (I used a combination of both) 1/2 tsp black pepper 2 10 1/2-oz. cans of cream of chicken soup 2 10 1/2-oz cans of chicken broth 1/4 cup butter 1/2 tsp. salt Lay your bread out on the counter the night before you prepare the dressing so that it will dry. Crumble the breads in a large bowl. Add all other ingredients except butter. Stir the mixture with a large spoon and transfer to the crock pot that has...

The baking group I participate in (The Cake Slice Bakers) starts baking from a new book this month. "World Class Cakes" by Roger Pizey features recipes from around the world. The group's previous book was by Maida Heatter and I have been baking from her books for years (see my blog Mad About Maida ). I learned quite a lot from Ms. Heatter but it is good to try my hand at some other recipes. This month's selection of four recipes included Chocolate and Rum Canneles (I didn't have the pans to make that), Maple Syrup and Pecan layer Cake (tempting) and Bee Sting Cake (I almost selected it). I opted instead for the Danish Apple Cake. This is a popular cake in Denmark. The cake was fairly simple with just a few ingredients. It is made in a spring form pan. The batter was very thick and you press apple slices in the top (I used Granny Smith apples). A sprinkling of brown sugar goes on top before baking. The cake turned out nicely but was slightly underdone in the middl...

The last of the leaves are falling and the days are getting noticeably colder. It is rainy again (hooray!) and I am so happy to see the grass green again. It saddens me to hear about the drought in Alabama. I know I would be a basket case if I were there. I do hope they can get some rain soon. The excessive moisture here is bringing back the moss on our driveway and mushrooms are popping up all over the lawn. I have been working my butt off at Target (literally - I have lost over 5 pounds!) but I am loving the job. It is hellacous on my poor feet but a lot of fun and my co-workers are some of the nicest people I have ever met. In the meantime, when I do have time off, I have been trying to get all of my new plants in the ground.   I am finally getting the front border filled in. I know it doesn't look like there are many plants here but I am actually already running out of space. I have been concentrating on the area outside of the fence. I intend to use drought-tolerant and low-gr...