Moving Hat 2

I'm catching up with some posts and some pictures since we've been moving the last couple of weeks and thought that some family members would appreciate this one of "the moving hat." We're sending it along to the next person who is moving...I wonder who will get it!


And here is a picture of my office - what a mess – but at least I kind of know where everything is and can get through a day without too much disruption. I don't have to stand on my toes to see out the window but I do look out over the street and Mt Jumbo.


And who said that cardboard box furniture can't be "classied up" with a handknit doily!


I've also posted some pictures on flickr - the before pictures. We don't have an after yet…that will come in the next year! The house is still a mess but we are getting there and starting to find places for everything.

Here are some view pictures, also on flickr.

Food, glorious food!

One of our last big meals at our old house was prepared by our friend Bob, who is an exceptional cook and wine conesoiur. We had some nice halibut in the freezer and he made us an incredible dinner using the halibut as the main showpiece. Here you see sauted leek straws and grated horseradish and thyme encrusted halibut with a clive oil drizzled over top - incredible!

For the chive oil take a bunch of fresh chives and 1/2 cup of nice olive oil (or until they are covered) and put them in a blender of food processor and puree until smooth. You can strain it through cheese cloth or a small strainer if you want to.



And we had enough of the halibut to make sandwiches the next day and they were equally as delicious as leftovers!

Christen and I were talking about kiwiberries when we were in Denver together. One of us most have seen a recipe somewhere or saw in on a menu. Every since our discussion about them, they have been on my mind. And boy, was I surprised, when a 1/2 pint of them showed up in my food box last week. They are really delicious - just like a mini-kiwi with an edible skin much like a guava. They seem to be really ripe so I had to eat them quickly before the spoiled. Plus I popped a few in the freezer to try out later, much as I've done before with grapes. A juicy little popcicle to roll around in your mouth!

Mt Roberts Trail

Before moving, before all the travels, Tim and I had a fantastic hike up the Mt Roberts Trail without the benefit of the summer-time tram to get us to the top.

We started out on Basin Road and slowly climbed through the woods.


The trail was a little muddy but not as bad as it could have been. We went on this hike before we had any big rain deluges so common in September and October.


Just after where the trail meets up with the Star Hill neighborhood trailhead there is a nice little lookout with a bench and a covered sitting area. This looks out over the "flats" and the federal building.


And the view from the tramway area looking up and down the gastineau channel can be breathtaking!




On the way back we thought we'd sit a spell!

Go Avs!

Ashley scored some amazing tickets for the Colorado Avalanche-Detroit Red Wings hockey game while we were in Denver. The Pepsi Co. Stadium was just a short walk away from our hotel and we grabbed some dinner along they way. It was a great game - the Avs won 3-1. But the company was even better - Tim and Heidi won!

Sitka Weekend

We had a great, but fast, visit to Sitka this last weekend. We took the ferry over and it was an enjoyable 4-hour cruise both ways. The schedule changed a little from normal due to a wrestling, volleyball, and swimming tournament/meet in Sitka. When we heard that there might be a bunch of HS kids on board we were prepared for a lot of energy. I have to say there were a bunch of really nice, well behaved kids on board. Most of them were doing their homework or sitting and listening to music. We happened to be sitting by one of the wrestling teams. Their coach had brought the scales aboard and they all had to weigh in. I felt pretty guilty and didn't really enjoy having my snack while watching some of the boys put on all of their sweats, overshirts, down coats, hats, etc. and do jumping jacks, sit-ups, etc. for hours while I sat on my butt eating and knitting. Tim kept making slurping noises in hopes that it would help them to loose weight by drooling.

Sitka is such a beautiful place and just about every time we got there we have nice weather. This weekend was no exception. The wind came up and blew for a bit and we had a rain storm just as we headed out the door for a walk, but neither one lasted very long and we enjoyed walking from the folk's house to all the harbors looking at boats, watching the birds, and enjoying being outside.

I have an admission to make. I started this post in April after I went to Sitka to meet up with Tim after a work meeting. I had the opportunity to walk around Sitka by myself, looking and going where I wanted to. It was a glorious day and I had fun exploring.

Here are some pictures from that visit:

Cresent Harbor with the Lighthouse in the background:




Russian History is much more prominent in Sitka than in other places in Alaska. I haven't been to Kodiak since high school but I image that Kodiak has a similar atmosphere.

Here is a replica of a Russian Block House used when the Russian-American Company was doing business.




And the lighthouse - I'm not sure if you can still rent this out for sleep-overs or not. I've had friends in the past who have done that and have had fun. We often thought about doing for Thanksgiving or a long weekend but haven't acted on it.


And looking back towards St Michael's from the bridge:


And the commercial harbor from the bridge:

The sun is getting lower in the sky - only the tops of the mountains are seeing much sunshine.