Voyage I

My first float went very well! Lenore didn't want to be a part of the first voyage (I can't imagine why), so she opted for documenting and also picking me up at the end, which was much appreciated. Oh, and also helping me schlep the vessel down to the river. I decided to pump it up at home this first time, just to make sure I did it right in the comfort of my own driveway. Next time, I'll carry it down all folded up and pump it up on the river bank. The foot pump actually worked better than the battery operated one.

Anyway, we put 'er in at the end of my street and I floated down to a forest preserve in Elgin. I think it's around 4 or 5 miles by bike. There's still a nice current, so I didn't really paddle all that much. I definitely need a longer paddle, and I think the skeg I ordered will also help in steering. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to paddle and keep on course though. I was half expecting to float down in uncontrollable lazy circles, but it stays pretty straight with minimal effort. I only had one nervous moment when a motorboat sped by, but thankfully the driver slowed down a bit, so the waves were manageable. My dad drove down to South End Park (about half-way) to wave as I went bobbing by. He threw me a baseball that he found in the weeds, which I managed to catch without capsizing. Along the way I saw a couple of great blue Herons and a couple of fish jump.

When I got to the end, Lenore was waiting. We got the boat deflated and stuffed in the back of the mini in about 5 minutes. Sweet! Here are some of the photos Lenore took. The ones from above are from the footbridge. I think I will christen my new boat Ducky III, in keeping with the theme of yellow toys (car, computer and boat). Thanks again to Laurie for the inspiration :)

Catching On With Rye

The first two loaves of sourdough rye bread came out OK. Not spectacular, but pretty good. The first one is tasty -- adequate rye flavor, but not much sourdough flavor. The texture is nice and chewy. If I make it again, I'll cut way back on the salt and add a little more liquid. It's good with hard-boiled eggs.


I was pretty pleased with loaf two because it rose nicely and has a good rye flavor as well. However, again, not so strong on the sourdough. I think I need to let my starter ferment a little more. The texture is nice, but it's not the dense chewy bite I'm looking for.


Back to the drawing board. As I type this, I've got a Russian rye loaf going and some starter bubbling on the counter that I'll use in the morning. The pumpernickel's got a lot goin' on: cider vinegar, instant coffee, onion, coco powder and apple cider, which I didn't have so I substituted cranberry juice (!). Plus it's got sesame seeds, caraway seeds, 3 different flours and wheat germ in it. If nothing else, the squirrels will be getting a wholesome treat in the morning.

Update:
Wow, the Russian rye turned out great. It's pretty close to what I'm after. I've incorporated some of the ingredients -- coffee, coco, and vinegar -- into the sourdough rye recipe, so I' hope that one turns out as well. Here's a picture of the Russian rye:

In the Market for a Captain's Hat...

Roland sent me a Craig's List link to this inflatable kayak. I got it for $40 bucks with a paddle. Now I can marry people! I just ordered a rudder thingee (a skeg), which I think (based on reviews) will help greatly in tracking. If the weather holds, I'll try it out (sans rudder) this weekend. I need to get a life vest for Hoops! Film at 11.



On the job front (but having nothing to do with work), there is a ginormous fiber arts festival starting today at the college. I'm told it will involve llamas, so I hope to meet one before I go home. I can tell you that hundreds of fiber arts vendors packed throughout the hallways of a small, and it turns out, not very well ventilated community college makes for an interesting olfactory experience. Or, as co worker Jesse noted (none too quietly), "It smells like butt!"

Update: No llamas, but there will be alpacas on Saturday. The photo above is the only one I was able to see today. Rats.

Here are probably two too many pictures of wool. But I thought they looked neat.



The corn roaster in the food area sports a face!


Other weekend plans include a Chicago Bandits game, buying more southern IL peaches at the farmer's market (they are SO good) and seeing Wall-E and Batman. Lenore won't watch Batman with me, though, so I think I'll have to recruit my dad. I will also try some experiments with rye bread. Tom and Ingrid sent some Latvian rye bread home with Lenore for me, and it's SO good. I'm trying to come as close as I can to a bread machine version of Latvian rye bread without actually taking two days to make it. My first attempt is in the machine right now -- it's a sourdough rye bread recipe using an overnight sourdough starter recipe I found in the Internet. I don't have much experience (OK, any) with sourdough starters and what not, so this is a new genre of bread to be sure. Stay tuned...

Look Up in the Sky...

I made the mistake at work of talking up my long dormant but wicked cool stunt kite before assessing its condition. Turns out a key component had been lost, which necessitated a rather drawn out internet search for a kite company who could help me replace "that one short stick that holds the wing part off of the crossbeam thingee."


At long last, I found someone with patience at a place called Into the Wind and got the part ordered. Other places, not so helpful. You would think people who fly kites would be a little more customer oriented for godssakes. The spar only comes in 48" piece (I only need about 10"), so my dad helped with the cutting and filing. I'm happy to report the repair worked and, despite inconsistent wind gusts, the thing actually flew pretty well. I also learned it's pretty much impossible to take a picture and fly a 2-line kite at the same time. Good to know.

Later that same day...Jesse and I flew at lunch, but there was a tragic crash, resulting in another call to the kite store for more parts. I'm now on a first-name basis with Nate, the parts guy. I love small businesses. Especially in Boulder, CO. If you're in the market for a kite, I recommend Into the Wind.

In other news, my co worker, Hua, was frightened by some organic eggs she bought because they all had two yolks. So she gave them to me. They were delicious.

Karsts Polsteris

Lenore made it home, but not before unloading one last potholder on an unsuspecting Latvian. This is Aina in the garden of Lenore's mom's childhood home. As you can see, she's absolutely thrilled with her new karsts polsteris.

Thanks to Pat for researching a possible name for "potholder" in Latvian (literally "hot pad")! We also came up with katla tureetajs (katla=pot, tureetajs=a thing that holds something).

Last of the Harvest

Joules came over to pick a few more cherries, complete with an official harvesting apron. Note action shot of cherry falling into said apron. It's a splendid accessory, and I want one.


I am doing serious battle with the Japanese beetles, which, when not chewing leaves and shamelessly fornicating, are competing mightily for the last remaining cherries. Sadly, I am losing. I've tried spraying the tree with soapy water (read it on the internet, so it's gotta be true!) but all that resulted in was clean, screwing beetles. I seriously considered a dose of Sevin, but then bought a JB trap instead, which, come to find out later, is not a good idea, because it can attract more beetles to your yard than are actually trapped.


A raccoon made short work of my trap anyway -- I found it all chewed up, not a beetle carcass to be found. The kit came with 2 bags, so I hung the second bag, but I think I'm gonna take it down tonight. I've also read that the dead beetles stink mightily and can be a deterrent, so maybe I'll make a JB smoothie and spray that on the tree (also said to be a remedy). Then again, maybe not. That's just gross.

Cue the Barry White music...


I used the last of the cherries to make some cherry bounce. It's basically cherries (unpitted), sugar, and booze. This batch should be ready just in time for Christmas. I did some with vodka and one jar with whiskey. Hopefully it turns out and doesn't make anyone go blind.

We Still Don't Have A Latvian Word for Potholder...

Even though Riga, Latvia is now overrun by Perky Potholders, there is as of yet no way to talk about it, because they don't have a word for potholder. What is up with THAT?? I'm waiting for Lenore's family to make one up so that we can enter it into the modern lexicon. Lenore sent this documentation:

From left is Gunta, Sandra and Ilze Amola at their house in Riga.
We had a fantastic dinner of rasols, beet herring salad, bread ... oh I'll just send the picture" then she added "also bread, skubrija fish, cherries, janu cheese, chicken and pork slices, herring with beet salad (herring in a fur coat) and rosols"

I love spreads like this...rosols is a kind of potato salad with finely diced potatoes, peas, ham and pickles. (Lenore is currently surviving on rosols, potato pancakes, beet soup, yogurt and coffee, of course.)



And let us not forget the whole reason for eating dinner in the first place: dessert!