Yes, there are hundreds of ripe apricots falling off the tree in my backyard. No, I’m not going to make a batch of apricot wine. Nothing against fruit wines, but I already have 5 gallon batches of apple cider, currant wine and cherry wine sitting in the basement that may never get bottled. I just don’t drink the stuff, nor do most of my friends. And I’m running out of space needed for my grape wine endeavors. I probably will bottle some of each, but five gallons makes about 25 750 ml bottles, way more than I would use. I’ve heard of people cooking down unused fruit and wine and making brandy. Now there’s an idea that would take up less space.

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Naw, it’s just too hot.  So in the continuing effort of this here blog to aid and assist readers in their attempt to get through this bout of summer, I offer up The Ronettes…..

And The Ventures….

There.  You feel cooler now?  Good.  Back to the business at hand…..

Last week, I mentioned 3 guys in monkey suits.  OK, so I didn’t actually say that, but that’s what you’re going to get, courtesy of Ernie Kovaks.

Enrie was soooo ahead of his time.  A pioneer in television and an inventor of the black out sketch, it could be said with out any problem that shows like Laugh In, Monty Python, Saturday Night Live and a whole host of “innovative” TV shows all owe their soul to Ernie and his late 50’s and early 60’s endeavors.  The following is one of those.  A Robert Maxwell song,  “Solfeggio”, the monkeys are probably Jack Lemon (with the mallets…Frank Sinatra played the part sometimes) and Edie Adams (piano).  I’ll let you guess who the one with the cigar doing the slow burn is.  So, for your entertainment and education, I present The Nairobi Trio…..

Have a great weekend……

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I was directed to this link on Twitter this morning.

It’s always sad when you hear of animals perishing in wildfires. So when there are stories of saved animals, and especially save BABY animals, it’s heartwarming.

Even more heartwarming: Save baby animals that are natural enemies becoming best friends.

It’s almost too much to handle, it’s so sweet. But it sure perked up my morning! Click on that link above to see the photos and story.

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This is “Level” by The Raconteurs, and it is perhaps the finest rock song to be written in the last five years. For starters, it’s got an excellent little keyboard riff that lays the foundation for the whole song. Add to that a completely danceable drum beat, fist-pumping power chords, and fantastic vocal interplay by Brendan “The World’s Best Sidekick” Benson and Jack “Ruler of All Things Rock” White, and you’ve got the makings of an instant classic that should last for five minutes, but on record barely reaches three.

The reason this tune could be stretched a few dozen bars is simple: the middle section is tailor made for an extended guitar break. Whether on not that break lasts long enough is a moot point, however, because the solo White and Benson have committed to tape cannot be improved upon. It is perfect. Go to the 1:40 mark in the video, and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

White opens things with his trademark whammy pedal genius, shifting the pitch up and down on otherwise simple B.B. King licks, therefore taking tired blues guitar soloing into another dimension. About 15 seconds in, Benson joins for some sonically pleasing harmonized leads, and then White steps back to copy the keyboard riff (taking it up an octave or two).

Now, here’s where the song normally kicks back into the verse, but in this live version White takes four more bars to himself. Time well spent, if I say so myself, as White creates an insane ping-pong like effect by mixing ferocious shredding and some whammy pedal insanity before finally settling back into the groove laid down by his capable backing band.

From there the song only enters one of the best rock vocal duet parts of all-time, but after a solo like that, it’s hard to be impressed anymore.

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I love our workplace. Throughout the summer, the table in the middle of the newsroom plays host to the bounty of my coworkers’ gardens and orchards — and the harvested fruits and vegetables are always up for grabs. Then, in the winter, the table is often found graced with cookies, cakes and pies. None of these treats last for long.

Last Friday, a day after a short discussion about the hardiness of copy editor John Moffat’s kale, I found a vase full of the vibrant green leafy vegetable at my desk. He told me that he often roasts the kale (at 400 degrees) with a bit of olive oil and topped with pepperjack cheese, kale nachos, if you will. (He also suggests leaving the cheese off for crispy roasted kale.)

A couple of days after receiving the gift of kale I made the kale nachos as John had suggested. I like leafy greens and loved the nachos, my mom, sister and brother-in-law liked them less, but agreed that — for kale — they were pretty tasty. My sister, always one to make food healthier, noted that the kale nachos were even better when placed on a tortilla chip.

I’m thinking about adding kale to my garden for this fall and will certainly keep John’s kale nachos on my list of foods to make again.

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Vessel: The Speedway, a 62-foot wooden excursion cruiser in service almost 70 years (1929-1998) for the Lake Chelan Boat Company. Outfitted with two 200-horsepower gasoline engines, she carried up to 75 passengers in her prime at a maximum speed of 17 mph. Location: A dry, weedy, vacant field next to the Mill Bay Casino in Manson. Site description: From the casino parking lot a dirt road curves northwest, slicing between an unused golf course on the left and a vacant field on the right. In the center of the field, at the end of a make-shift driving range, the boat sits open to the elements — paint peeling, windows shattered (either by vandals or skilled golfers). Closest water: The shores of Lake Chelan are about a quarter-mile due south. To the northwest are Wapato, Roses and Dry lakes. Of note: This boat has a rich history. She caught fire twice, she sank during a storm, she helped rescue a barge full of horses, and she was instrumental in helping salvage a barrage balloon and a crashed airplane in WWII. (Dick Simonds of the Lake Chelan Historical Society provided details and guidance in gathering this information. Much of the info comes from Lake Chelan author Tom Hackenmiller’s fascinating book, “Ladies of the Lake: Tales of Transportation, Tragedy and Triumph on Lake Chelan.”)

See more Boats Out of Place: Douglas, Airway Heights, Othello.

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I’m doing my best to live up to the “Mom About Town” name.  In the last three weeks we’ve visited Smallwood’s Harvest, Rocky Reach Dam, Leavenworth Fish Hatchery, Quincy Aquapark, Wenatchee Library, Will-n-Essie’s Toybrary, the Wenatchee Valley Farmer’s Market (try a Whoopie Pie from Gayla’s Pastry) and the Chelan Library.  Here are some brief highlights of our local adventures…

I’ve written about Smallwood’s before but until 3 weeks ago, I hadn’t experienced the joy that is the cow train.  It’ll set you back $1 per person.  I took a ride with our 1-year-old on my lap and our 3-year-old rode alone in front of us.  We all had big smiles.  As soon as the “train” came to a stop E said, “I want to go again!”  I told her, “Cough up the dough and we can go!”  I kind of hoped she would. 

Rocky Reach Dam is a beautiful park.  The playground toys are fun and there is a lot of shade.  The Visitor’s Center and Museum are fun and FREE.  When you go make sure to travel light – your bags are checked at the door.  You’ll want to go downstairs in the Visitor’s Center and look in the fish viewing windows.  As the security guard at the front said, “They are large in number and in size.” 

The same can be said for the Leavenworth Fish Hatchery.  The staff is very friendly and they’ll happily offer maps and directions around the complex.  Bring a few quarters so you can buy fish food from the little vending machine.  There are some nice trails for a little nature walk, too. 

The Quincy Aquatic Center was, as expected, great for preschool aged kids.  It has a zero-depth entry pool and two slides that E enjoyed on my lap repeatedly.  I noticed that the lifeguards are very attentive, which is certainly a plus.  We didn’t have any problems, but judging by their response to another little swimmer there, they knew what they were doing.  Sadly the pool opening time coincides with nap time at 1 p.m. but the kids swam from 1-3, then they slept peacefully all the way home and then some.  The price is great – kids under four are free, adults are just $3.50. 

There is about a month left in the North Central Regional Library’s summer reading program.  This is not limited to school-aged kids.  Kids are rewarded for reading and being read to.  Kids can earn prizes when they’ve read a cumulative two hours.  Their reading time is counted on a reading log, which can be obtained in the children’s section of the library.  Yesterday, we visited the Chelan Library to hear Erik Brooks, an author and illustrator from Winthrop.  I personally found it fascinating.  When one reads about 10 children’s book per day, one has questions about the process.   

This is getting long, but I’ll quickly say this:  If you know a kid, you should visit the Toybrary and see what it’s all about.  They are open Wednesdays 9 a.m. to noon, Thursdays 3 to 6 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to noon. 

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On last weekend’s camping trip my sister shared some homemade apricot leather. It was so good that I decided to make some myself. However, I didn’t really want to keep my oven at 150 degrees for 6 to 8 hours as she had done. Instead, remembering this Serious Eats post, I chose an environmentally-friendly (not to speak of house-temp.-friendly) alternative. I made fruit leather in my car as it heated up in the parking lot while I was at work.

After the first day, the fruit leather was still quite gooey, so I left it in for a second day. Next time, I’ll try a day and a half, because it worked just a little too well. My resulting fruit leather was actually a bit brittle.

As long as these temperatures stay hot, I’ll keep trying for perfect car-oven fruit leather and just check on my concoction frequently.

How to make car fruit leather:

Puree fruit (about a pound) with a couple of tablespoons of sugar and juice of a half of a lemon. Cover a sheet pan with plastic wrap or place a silicone mat on a sheet pan. Pour the puree onto the pan. Spread until evenly distributed. Place pan on a flat surface in a car. Leave car for 6 to 8 hours in hot sun (it must be hot outside for this to work, really hot). Check on fruit leather. If not leathery, continue baking in car. Check on the fruit leather periodically and remove when it lifts easily from the plastic/silicone mat. Roll up in plastic wrap.

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Inexpensive adventures seem hard to come by these days (unless you’re either especially imaginative or easily amused) so KEXP’s Concerts at the Mural couldn’t come at a better time.

On those days where you just really want to get out of town for a while, do you ever find yourself uninspired for what you might do once you get where ever you’re going? There’s nothing wrong with grabbing a bite to eat, or maybe doing a little shopping, but sometimes it can turn out to seem less eventful than you’d hoped it’d be. But if you want to do more, it requires a lot of planning ahead and/or a lot of wear on your wallet.

What you get with Concerts at the Mural is a series of free outdoor musical performances at the Mural Amphitheatre on the Seattle Center lawn. And they’re by fairly well-known artists, so the free admission is a steal!

Check below for what’s coming up in the series, which starts tomorrow:
(more…)

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For Thursday to Thursday (July 30 through Aug. 6)

Think “round” in the coming week to expand your sphere of influence. Shells, bocce balls, rain drops and — who could forget? — the Green Corn Moon are all on our agenda. Yep, you can have lots of fun this week, if you have the, um, orbs for it. Take a look at all the affordable fun:

√ Brrr, It Sure Is Hot (Friday) — We forecast that atmospheric scientist and popular radio guy Cliff Mass (shouldn’t he be a geologist?) does a good job discussing the Pacific Northwest’s wacky weather  at a 7 p.m. presentation at the Barn Beach Reserve, 347 Division St., Leavenworth. As expected, the agenda is up in the air — our world-record snow, our super-strong storms, our climatic shifts from desert to rain forest — any and all could be discussed. (You know what they say about weathermen? They’re all over the map.) Info: 548-0181. At 1 p.m. Saturday, he’ll sign copies of his lastest book — “The Weather of the Pacific Northwest” — at A Book for All Seasons, 703 Highway 2, Leavenworth.

√ Art in the Park (now through October ) — For the rest of the season, some of our area’s best artists (who, believe me, know how to merchandise) crowd Leavenworth’s downtown park to peddle their wares. The peak of summer brings a spike in numbers of artists and different media, with fabrics, paintings, hand-crafted jewelry and excellent landscape and wildlife photography taking the spotlight. Lots of other stuff, too. Some of it’s a bit touristy, but a lot of it is fine work. Village Art in the Park is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays.

√ Hey, There’s Something Fishy Going On Here (Saturday) — Kids can celebrate the planet’s swimming Death Machines … no, let’s start over on this topic. Kids can learn about the beauty of our natural world — including shells and sh-sh-sh-sharks — at a special Art in the Park watercolor workshop sponsored by the Lake Chelan Arts Council and Karma Vineyards. The workshop, which will include real shells and no real sharks, is aimed at kids age 4 to 10, but we’re sure the young at heart will also be welcome. The class runs 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Riverwalk Park Shelter. Fee: $2 per person. Info: 682-0635.

√  Don’t Botch Your Bocce (Tuesday) — Umberto Granaglia, greatest bocce player of the 20th century, undoubtedly rolls over in his grave when hearing lunkheads like me describe the classic game as “bowling croquet.” There’s more to it than that, and you can listen on Bocce Day 2009 as members of our local Sons of Italy Lodge 2797 teach up to 30 kids how to play the roll-n-toss sport. The free two-hour workshop, part of a Chelan PUD kids activity program, starts at 10 a.m. in Shelter No. 1 at Walla Walla Point Park in Wenatchee. Get there pre-workshop (between 8 and, say, 9:30 a.m.), and you might get a lesson for yourself.

√ Lend Me Your Ears (Aug. 6) — When your pappy’s cornfield greens-up, you got yourself a Green Corn Moon. Problem is, of course, corn matures at different times around the country, so the traditional Cherokee name of Green Corn Moon refers to a full moon in June, while folks up in, say, Tonasket don’t see their cornstalks green and lush until August. Discrepancies abound. There’s no dispute that Aug. 5 is the full moon, however, so if I hear howling around midnight, I’ll know you read this.

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