A Sunday Country Drive

We love meandering down country roads, just to see where they lead and what little treasures we might encounter. Beautiful vistas, wildlife, yard art - much better than sitting at home in front of the television. Well, unless TNG is having a marathon :-)

A few days ago, we decided to forego our usual list of chores around the house and yard, pack a picnic and hit the road. Bruce had a vague route in mind, but we were open to the possibilities.

We headed north out of our little town and made a circuitous path through farmland and woods.

HooDoo Mountain - gotta love that name!

Shall we pick some berries for our picnic?












We hit the Pend Oreille River and turned east.

Yet another boat trip in our future!

We drove along, occasionally taking side roads toward the river just to see what we could see. Eventually, we saw a road with a big sign next to it: "Seneacquoteen". Of course, we had to see what the heck that was.

It was an old cemetery! Bruce and I love old cemeteries. I later learned that Seneacquoteen means "the crossing" in either Kalispell or Kootenai language. It designated the area where people crossed the Pend Oreille river. Of course, it also signifies the crossing from this life to the afterlife.

The first thing Bruce did was smell a tree. OK, he smelled the sap seeping out of the tree.

What can I say? He's an old logger.















I loved all of the family plots. Generations of families together, dating back to the mid-1800s.

We especially loved the fact that most of the grave sites were very well maintained. Fresh flowers, ornaments, keepsakes and figurines were lovingly left by descendants.

I like this idea - just keep hanging new plaques.











We found some folks who hailed from Bruce's ancestral land of Orkney, Scotland.

A peaceful place to rest.

I was most happy to come across this plot. Six little birdhouses surrounded it. If you know me, you know I love miniatures!

Bruce, just giving you some ideas...











We bid adieu to Idaho's ancestors and got back on the trail. We saw "Ferry Road" coming up on GPS and decided that might be a good place to see the river.

Hmmmm, where will this lead?

Oh, here we go. The road disappears right into the river. Perfect place for a picnic!

I don't know why, but something about that cemetery tour really worked up an appetite. Good to be alive!












Here's the view as I chewed. Too bad I can't add the sound of the water lapping against the shore and the birds singing.

After lunch, we kept meandering east to Highway 95 to head home.

Beautiful country around here.

Bruce spied a heron searching for his supper in this marsh.

I hope he found something tasty.











One of the last sites we saw on our idyllic journey was Brown's Mill Pond. A perfect ending to a perfect day!

The Garden of Weedin' - Phase III

When last we left the Garden of Weedin', we had six empty garden beds. That didn't last long.

We had 17 yards of garden soil delivered and dumped into our driveway, next to the gravel. Here's the first delivery...

Be careful, Bruce!

Uh oh. Oh, wait. I see his sleeve there behind the truck. Whew.









The inaugural load of soil goes to the garden...

Gotta love the Truper.

That is some good-looking soil there.

Cody took a liking to the dirt under the teepee next to the garden. He could see in all directions and keep an eye on us while we worked.

Nice bed!












We got two more deliveries of soil while we worked to fill the other five beds. I hope it's enough.

Two apple trees and one plum tree joined our little family and got planted in the garden.

A Haralred (we named it Harold, after my dad) and a Honeycrisp are now growing happily together in the back corner.

The Italian Plum tree was planted in the front, near the gate.

It took us several days to fill all six beds. Each bed took about 12 Truper loads of soil. Who needs aerobics?

I started planting seeds and starter plants as we filled the beds so they could start grrrroooowwwwing.

Each bed got three bags of manure added, along with a sprinkling of super-duper fertilizer.

Now that's a load of crap!












Before planting could begin, we had one more thing to add to the beds. Worms! We bought seven containers of big, fat nightcrawlers from our local hardware store.

These critters are usually bought to get stuck on a hook and thrown into the lake. We rescued them to be our garden pets.

I named this one Homer.











We planted a little bit of everything. Pumpkins, radishes, kohlrabi, tomatoes, basil, beans, potatoes, carrots and much more.

We're going to be very busy once all of these plants start producing.

Finishing things off, Bruce filled in the aisle with gravel.











We're going to put some pavers under the patio furniture. This will be a pleasant place to ponder the plants.

We did it. We got everything done and planted before the end of May. Whew. Our Happy Garden!

What's For Supper - Fish Cakes

I've made this recipe twice now, once with cod and once with mahi mahi. Both were delicious!

Of course I don't measure anything - sorry. I'll guestimate for you and you can go from there.

Start by baking the fish with olive oil, salt and pepper in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes, until the fish is about 120 degrees.

Let the fish cool until you can tear it into bite-sized pieces.











Assemble your other ingredients.

Along with olive oil, salt and pepper, you will need:
Mayo
Bread Crumbs
Old Bay
Chili Powder
Lemon
Egg
Chives or Green Onion








Zest the lemon and squeeze out about 1 tablespoon of juice.

Separate the egg and reserve the yolk.

Add the zest, juice, egg yolk, chopped chives or green onion, Old Bay (about  1 teaspoon), chili powder to taste, mayo (about 2 tablespoons), bread crumbs (about 2 tablespoons), salt and pepper to the fish.

Mix it all together and check the consistency. You should be able to form a ball with the mixture that BARELY holds together. If it's too dry, add a little more mayo and/or lemon juice. If it's too wet, add a few more bread crumbs.

Place about one cup of bread crumbs on a large plate. Start heating a little olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Divide the mixture evenly into how many cakes you want. Take one section and form it into a ball, then flatten it slightly into a cake.

Very carefully, dredge the cake in the bread crumbs. The cakes will be really delicate so you'll need to baby them. 

If pieces fall off, just stick them back on. 

Immediately place the fish cake into the skillet. Form the other cakes and place them in the skillet. 

Cook the cakes until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Use a large spatula. You may even need to use two spatulas to help the cakes flip over without breaking. 

But guess what? The cakes taste just as delicious even if they don't make it to the plate in one piece! 

I served my mahi mahi cakes with good ole' tater tots and a scrumptious homemade cole slaw. The cakes were so good, I didn't even serve any kind of sauce for them. Enjoy!