Postcards from Joshua Tree: Sky at Sunset

Postcards from Joshua Tree: Arches

Postcards from Joshua Tree

"If we all did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves."
-Thomas Edison

What A Difference A Day Makes

I run like a girl. Try to keep up.

Last weekend, Zenyatta appeared on Hollywood Park's track to bit adieu to her fans after being retired following her Breeders' Cup Classic win at the beginning of November.

There was a Zenyatta DVD and poster giveaway to celebrate the career of this grand mare. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was even in attendance to give a brief speech. Owners Jerry & Ann Moss (pictured left) seemed like proud parents as they talked about Zenyatta's career.

By the way, Jerry Moss was the "M" in A&M Records who produced The Police's third (and arguably their best) album, Zenyatta Mondatta. And that, my friends, is how Zenyatta got her name.

Zenyatta will parade one more time at Santa Anita on opening day, December 26, before she ships back to Kentucky. You can read more about the event here. I will be there to say so long to a mare who has been thrilling racing fans with her unique running style and her undefeated record.

Things That Make Me Happy: Numero Uno

This wind-up pony sits on my desk and provides me with much amusement during the course of an average workday.

Especially when I wind it up a lot and it clickedy-clacks across my desk, prompting my co-workers to ask (with a hint of annoyance), "What *is* that noise?" And then I laugh. Yes, my dear readers, I am really that easily amused.

Ralph

This is Ralph.

Ralph is your typical Basset Hound in many ways...

Adorable, content to just laze around,

and, um, short, with really long ears.

But Ralph also happens to be very shy.

Every so often he comes around though, and when he does, his eyes just make my heart melt. Or maybe it's the ears. Or his wet, black nose.

At any rate, when he looks at me like this, I want to dognap him and take him home with me. But then I realize that his parents probably wouldn't like that too much and he would miss them anyway. So I don't dognap him, but I think you could understand why I would want to...right? Right? I mean, really, who can resist a look like this?

R&R

"Light be the earth upon you, lightly rest."
-Euripiedes

Gazpacho

The last of the tomatoes are ripening on the vine, but I still need to use up the ones that I have already picked. So last night I made gazpacho for dinner, using Real Simple's Golden Gazpacho with Feta recipe as a starting point:

Ingredients
3 pounds yellow tomatoes (about 6), cut into large pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into large pieces
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
kosher salt and pepper
4 ounces feta, crumbled (1 cup)
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound thinly sliced prosciutto and/or salami (optional)
8 bread sticks (optional)

Directions
1.Working in batches, puree the tomatoes and bell pepper in a food processor and transfer to a large bowl.

2.Stir in the vinegar and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Divide among serving bowls and top with the feta, basil, pine nuts, oil, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

3.Serve with the prosciutto, salami, and bread sticks, if desired.

However, I didn't have enough yellow tomatoes, so I used about 3 small yellow tomatoes and about 3 large red tomatoes. Also, I only had a small amount of a red bell pepper, so I probably ended up with a proportion of 5 lbs. tomatoes:1 bell pepper instead of the 3:1 ratio called for above. I also added some dried red pepper flakes to give it a little kick.

I didn't toast the pine nuts, but given how good they are when they are toasted, I'd definitely recommend doing that. Oh, and it's good with prosciutto, if you're so inclined to have some.

Like Dandelion Dust

It's been busy around here, but I wanted to take a moment to mention a great movie, Like Dandelion Dust, that I saw last night at the San Diego Film Festival.

Here is a description from the 2009 Seattle International Film Festival website:

"What if you could disappear from a difficult situation as quickly as if you've blown the seeds from a dandelion puff? That's one couple's predicament in this moving adaptation of Karen Kingsbury's 2008 novel, 'Like Dandelion Dust.' Floridians Jack and Molly Campbell live peacefully with their adopted son, Joey, but their world is upended when Joey's biological father is released from prison. Rip Porter decides to get his life with estranged, long-suffering wife Wendy back on track. First, Rip seeks a visit with Joey, and then he seeks much more. The ensuing battle between disadvantaged birth parents and wealthier adoptive parents is an examination of the socioeconomic factors that shape families. Kingsbury's best-selling novel makes for equally volatile cinema. Like Dandelion Dust has been an emotional experience for audiences at this year's Vail, Sedona, and Sonoma Film Festivals. It simply and effectively taps into parents' most primal feelings of love and fear for their young."

There was a Q&A session following the screening with director/editor Jon Gunn, actors Max Cotton (Joey), Barry Pepper (Rip) and Kate Levering (Molly), as well as screenwriter Stephen J. Rivele. This session gave me a new appreciation for all that goes into creating a film, as this one was 2 1/2 years in the making, 8 months of that spent editing. The film faced other setbacks, as Kate Levering replaced another actress only 30 hours before filming was slated to begin. But fortunately her previous work with Cole Hauser (Jack), as well as her ability to adapt her own emotions about being amongst an unfamiliar group to those of her character, carried her role consistently throughout the film. Kudos to screenwriter Stephen Rivele for developing Rip into a character deserving of some sympathy and Barry Pepper for bringing this character to life.

It has not yet been released for mass distribution, but you might be able to catch it at select film festivals throughout the country. Check out the dates on the Like Dandelion Dust blog. You might want to bring some tissues; it's pretty powerful stuff.

Where I Wish I Was Today

It's opening day for the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita; first post is at 1 pm PST. Colorful silks, roaring crowds, thundering hooves...there's bound to be excitement in the air. And I say "bound" because I'm not actually there, so I really can't say for sure. But I'm willing to bet on it. Speaking of bets, I'm off to do some handicapping.

Lost & Found

Oh wow. It's been so long. I feel like I might have gotten tangled up in everyday life.

Happy Mexican Independence Day!

Just for You

Zinnias from the garden.

Summer Snack

The French have long promoted the use of melon and figs and prosciutto. And now I know why. It's genius, really, combining the saltiness of the meat with the sweetness of the fruit.

Three ingredients is all you need: fresh figs, a melon (I used a type of muskmelon, but a store-bought cantaloupe would work just as well) and some prosciutto. You could add some cheese or sliced baguette if you wanted to round this out into a more substantial appetizer or a light evening meal. This would also provide enough variation to accommodate vegans, vegetarians and carnivores, making it a very versatile plate.

I bought the figs and melon at Chino's over the weekend, but then last night a neighbor brought over some home-grown figs and lemons in exchange for some of the vegetables from my garden. I have to say, I really enjoy this bartering system.

I like the idea of using a knife to hold the prosciutto, as this way people can just tear off how much they want, and it's much easier than having long, thin strips out. Plus, I just think the presentation looks a little more edgy.

One-Two-Three

I can hear the horses long before I (or my camera) can see them. The sound that predominates on the track is a gentle noise that defies description; it sounds as though you were to put your lips together and breathe out hard, and then repeat in a rhythmic in a phhhhhph-phhhhhph-phhhhhph-phhhhhph. And that sound is followed by a slow crescendo in 4 beat, as the horses gallop toward you.

It's a sound (and a feeling) that is both comforting and exciting. It's the sound of horses on the track.

Stride for stride, these horses seem to be in sync (not to be confused with the boy band).

Ready, set, go baby go.

Don't Look Now

But it's a celebrity, a racetrack sensation, by the name of Colonel John. You pretty much know that you've made it when you get a Wikipedia entry.

You might remember him from last year's Kentucky Derby, where he got some favorable betting, and ultimately finished sixth. Boy, he's a handsome fella. But I may be biased towards bay horses with a star. Especially when they stick their tongues out.

When Matchy-Matchy Doesn't Actually Bother Me

I caught this horse and rider in repose before a Sunday morning workout, quietly taking in the sounds of the track. I have to wonder how much of this coordination was intentional.

Horse Power

"Horse, thou art truly a creature without equal, for thou fliest without wings and conquerest without sword." - The Koran

Up Close and Personal: Lilies

Stigma, stamen, anther, sepal. I want to think of these words as being fictional animals, but they're not. These are actually parts of a lily, along with the stem, petals and leaves.

The gentle curves and turns are so elegant.

This lily looks like it has freckles. I like freckles, but maybe it's because I have them.

Stamen and anther, you are truly a thing of beauty. I'm glad you're not a fictional animal.

It's a Bird!

Let's take a trip back in time, shall we? We'll go back to my East Coast trip a while back (I'm not going to mention how long ago it was because I feel terribly guilty for not posting sooner).

So welcome to the Norman Bird Sanctuary, located in Middletown, RI. According to their pamphlet, the Sanctuary protects over 300 acres of various ecosystems including ridges, forests, thickets, fields, ponds, streams, salt marsh and sandy beach.

Established in 1949 at the bequest of Mabel Noman Cerio, the mission of the Sanctuary is "for the propagation, preservation and protection of birds, and where birds and bird life may be observed, studied, taught, and enjoyed by lovers of nature and by the public generally so interested in a spirit of humanity and mercy."

Sounds like the perfect place to live. When can I move in?

Along the main path and just beyond the main buildings pictured above, I stumbled across a small cemetary. Rhode Island is home to a number of small cemetaries in very random places.

I headed out towards the pond, where I saw, of all things, a pond! Shocking, I know.

The field in front had showed so much promise for viewing birds. But alas, though I could hear them, I couldn't seem to spot them.

Until up in the sky a silver bird appeared! Wait, that's not the kind of bird I was looking for. Neither were the man-eating mosquitoes that I kept slapping away from my legs. Apparently, a skirt was a bad idea.

Unfortunately, that was the only bird I saw. Heading back to the main buildings, I felt a bit dejected.

But then, across the street from the parking lot, I spotted a bird. Can you see it? Look closely at the birdhouse, second from the left.

A bright yellow spot in my day, unlike the sun, which failed to make an appearance my first day in Rhode Island.

So, boys and girls, what have we learned from this experience?

The parting thought this season: Check for Ticks! Ticks suck. Literally. So do man-eating mosquitoes.

Mussels. In a Pot.

I made these mussels for a dinner party I hosted over the weekend. They were quite delicious, if I do say so myself.

The recipe isn't mine, after all. It's one that I snagged from Real Simple, but I'm going to copy it here for you. As you may know, I rarely take the time to measure; instead, I opt to eyeball most of the stuff, so nothing probably ends up being exact. But this recipe is forgiving with inexact measurements, and since it's so good, it's earned a permanent place in my recipe book. Try 'em, you'll like 'em. And don't be afraid to eat the tomatoes and onions with the bread either!

Mussels with Tomatoes and Olives

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 cut dry white wine
1 pound beefsteak tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped
2 pounds mussels, scrubbed*
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 small baguette, warmed

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until just tender, 4-5 minutes.

2. Add the wine and simmer until slightly reduced, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and olives. Add the mussels and cook, covered, until they open, 3 to 4 minutes. Discard any mussels that remain closed. Stir in the parsley.

3. Divide the mussels and cooking liquid among the bowls. Serve with the bread.

Quick Tip: Refrigerate mussels as soon as you get them home from the store. If you can't cook them that night, remove the packaging, transfer them to a bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and keep in the refrigerator for no more than 24 hours.

Soy-oy-oy-oy-oy

The title reminds me of this limerick I used to sing as a kid, along with Wee Sing Silly Songs:
Aye aye aye aye
In China they never grow chili.
So sing me another verse that's worse than the first verse.
Make sure that it's foolish and silly!

I wish I had a good segue for my post about food, but I don't. Okay, so for lunch today one of my co-workers made these delicious soy burgers from scratch. He just bought a bag of soybeans for a buck, soaked them and then chopped them up in the food processor with some vegetables. I'm going to work on developing the recipe, but basically you can make 15 large patties with one bag of soy beans, 2 extra large zucchini, 1 large bell pepper, 1 1/2 bags mushrooms, 1 1/2 bundles green onions and a little cornstarch and cornmeal. And they are good. That means that for around $5 you can feed a whole slew of vegetarians at a barbeque! Not bad, my friends, not bad at all.

Enjoy your second weekend in August.

A Horse, Of Course

"There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man." -Winston Churchill

Boy, Remy, you sure are cute. Even with your mouth full.

Good Dog

“A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker.” –Buddha