Food is one of life's great pleasure's, don't you agree?  I love this time of year, there's so many luscious fruits and vegetables available now through September.  I always feel like my Spring and Summer menu's are so much more fun, and imaginative.  Although there's not much one needs to do to a bowl of fresh off the farm sugar snap peas, or alpine strawberries, or a beautiful bunch of baby carrots in shades of purple, pink and orange...,  just rinse and crunch! - Heaven:)

I guess for me food and food preparation is mostly fun, I LOVE to try out new recipes, and easily get stifled if I have to make the same old stuff over and over again.  By trying new recipes I get to feed my family and my creativity.

Speaking of culinary creativity, I am really looking forward to this movie coming out in August, not only because its about food, but it stars a couple of my favorite actors, Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci, and directed by Nora Ephron.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXklTRsLui4

I hope that this link works for you, if not, you can just utube Julie and Julia trailer. (this is my first attempt at linking a video - apologies if it doesn't work!)

On a recent trip to Portland International Raceway, I had the opportunity to do some birding.  It is without doubt my favorite track to visit, due in part to its location.  The track is now owned by the City, but at one point was being sought after by bazillionare Paul Allen, who had plans to "develop" the desirable property, probably into something with Pizazz, I'm sure, but I can't remember.  The truth is this track is a stunning park, surrounded by beautiful waterways that are filled with wildlife, and what I've noticed is an amazing balance to be found between the racing metal boxes tearing around the tarmac at break-neck speeds and the crazy humans that drive them and the business as usual, life goes on, matter of fact-ness attitude of the birds and mammals there.  

On a trip to the public loos our friend Richard was almost mown down (slight exaggeration) by a starling who disappeared into an electrical box on the side of the building.  Richard came and got me (he knows I'm partial to birds.)  We opened up the box and took some photos - take a look at what we found...

A few days before leaving for our trip to try out a new race track in Eastern Oregon, I started to worry that "there might not be anything to do,"  We'd been warned by the event organizer, to "plan on bringing everything we need IN with us" (as if we were going on a dangerous,  hike into the Amazon jungle and to be ready for any perils that may besiege us!)  So we literally took everything: water, petrol, lots of food, extra clothes (we were staying at a motel every night, 26 miles away, so its not like we were exactly roughing it.)  In fact the toughest part for yours truly was having to use the track portaloos!! (yukkkk - give me a wall to squat behind in a grassy field anyday!)  But that's what was so funny about all of this is,  yes we were in the middle of what seemed like nowhere, there wasn't even a wall to squat behind, there was nothing at all for miles, except in the distance we could see the profiles of snowy covered Mount Hood, Mount St. Helens, Rainer, and Jefferson.  The quiet (when far enough away from the sound of the racecars) was unfathomable at first for me...  I cannot remember the last time I felt such stillness, peace and quiet, (except for the birds and bugs, which were in abundance.)  I spent the two days mostly bird watching and doing collage art....  I've discovered that I LOVE to go racing..., even in the midst of the racing fury going on around me, I can still find peace through doing what I love

                                                         A peaceful garden in Ashland

So this week found us in Ashland Oregon, to explore and check out the University of Southern Oregon.  Last week,  Sophie and I toured the University of Oregon at Eugene.

I am so very grateful for this opportunity - to view, experience, observe with Sophie.  This next step in her life is SO big and exciting.  I never got to have "the college experience" fresh out of high school..., in fact I DETESTED high school and couldn't wait to be finished with the whole school thing, and be free of people "telling me what to do deal" (here's where I do a big maternal sighhhhhhhh at my younger more foolish, inexperienced angry self..., if only I'd known then what I know.... , well, you know the rest.)  So, for my kid to be able to have the opportunity (and desire) to go to college, is a big one for me too, and I am thrilled for her.  Just touring the two colleges and being exposed to all that youthful energy, bicycles, coffee shops, schools of  Drama (Ashland), Journalism (Eugene), all that culture, confidence and sheer excitement ... I feel like through Sophie's experience, I'm being allowed to have a taste of the life that she's preparing to step into..., and I feel so very blessed.

Its been a while, I apologize for not posting sooner, I need to get in the practice of daily postings...  I find the blogs that I am most loyal to are the ones that post at least weekly news or articles.  I have no excuse, other than traveling a couple of times in the past two weeks.  

I took a three day business trip with Caelin to New Mexico, we met with an audio reviewer, had lunch and listened to his state of the art music system, then headed to Santa Fe.  Both Caelin and I LOVED our time there.  We spent our two days enjoying the sunshine, eating delicious SouthWest cuisine, walking around the old part of town, gazing at incredible art and being amazed at the laid back unhurried pace of life... We found ourselves asking "why don't we live here instead of the rainy grey Pacific Northwest?"  Good question...  However, on the morning we woke to drive to Albuquerque airport to catch our flight home, we found that during the night a foot of snow had fallen!  Wow, we had to excavate our car from the parking lot, fortunately our rental car was a four wheel drive, and we were able to make our flights on time.. But oh, how beautiful Santa Fe is in the snow.

Spring is just around the corner..., honest, really,,, I can feel it..., actually I'm surprised I can
feel anything after we spent this past weekend freezing our extremities off at Pacific Raceways track for the opening race season 6 hour enduro. But seriously folks, look at the pretty flowers
(taken at my friend Billie's house just last week.) Hellebores, or Lenten Rose (because they bloom around Lent,) bloom in early SPRING, and these beauties are all blossoming like crazy.. so THEY know that spring is here. So I have told myself that these ongoing snow flurries, and nightly drops below freezing temps, are winters last stand, and soon we will be happily basking in positively balmy 50 and 60 degree temps, and we will finally be able to put winter behind us:) Neinah

Tis the Season,,, well, almost - again

Well, a new season of racing is almost upon us, and as you can see from the above photo,,, Caelin is beside himself with extreme joy and anticipation.  I am reminded of the iconic 70's racing movie Le Mans, with Steve McQueen, where his character is describing the emotions of the sport.  "When you're racing, its life.  Anything that happens before or after that is just waiting."  I see the same wistful expression on most race driver's faces..., once they've been "bitten" by the racing bug, they're never the same again. So, Vrooooom Vrooommmm ,,,, screeeeeeechhhhhh!!! Here we go again:)