DAY THREE

Posted on May 20, 2011 by snowbirdredux

It seemed like a good omen that we stayed in room 110 at the Thunderbird in Elko, Nevada and tonight in room 110 at the Comfort Inn in Idaho Falls, Idaho.  And both places take cats. On the other hand I would like to put out the word to boycott Great Western because they have a policy to take dogs but not cats!  What is that about?

Our drive today was uneventful.  It began with wondrous clouds  however, throughout Nevada – the kind that are so stunning that you are  dumbstuck, as they say, and realize just what you have missed all these years and why all that Big Sky Country is the real deal.  One can also credit the gambling industry for the excellent highways there, and the change was immediate as we crossed into Idaho, which resembled the disarray we are experiencing in California today.    I’m certain there are fabulous places in Idaho, but our journey across the lower half of the state didn’t overwhelm.  Our son Steve, had touted the Snake River area and it was magnificent with deep sculpted cliffs at a view spot at Twin Falls, and again here at Idaho Falls where it crashes and cascades through the town.  Pretty impressive.  And I’m sorry to say, Susan, we were past the exit to the Crater of the Moon before we realized and couldn’t find a convenient turn-around.  Oh well.  Cosmo was having a deep snooze in my lap at the time and I hated to upend him since he had been such a good sport all day.

Not to sound like sour grapes, but the Comfort Inn wholeheartedly recommended a restaurant called O’Brady’s as the best treat in town.  Take our word.  DO NOT EVER if you are passing through Idaho Falls, go there.   How do you cook a hamburger patty that has to be “sawed through”?  Would you serve over-boiled canned green beans?  Would you expect mashed potatoes FROM IDAHO that taste like they come from a box!  At least we came out laughing.  And hot-footed it back to the room for a glass of wine.

The scary weather didn’t materialize today and that was a good thing, as it looked at times  as if we were driving  into big trouble.  Tomorrow we’re off to Jackson Hole and Yellowstone.  Looking forward to that.

ADDENDUM

As we were driving today, I was reading the latest copy of Vanity Fair, and particularly a piece by Christopher Hitchens which was brilliant and heartbreaking and I especially want to recommend to Mickey and Susan and anyone who loves great writing.  I was really mad at Hitchens over his support for taking out Sadam Hussein  (and what was that about, as he seems to be a political liberal at heart?)  but I always admire his ability to turn a phrase and stimulate thought, and I thank him for turning me on Phillip Pullman, and I love him for being a best friend to my favorite author, Salmon Rushdie.  So get the latest copy of Vanity Fair, and weep.

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DAY TWO

Posted on May 19, 2011 by snowbirdredux

Day One is best forgotten.  Last minute cleaning and packing and panicking because of course the items designated to fit in the van far exceeded the square footage of the vehicle and I wasn’t prepared to start weeding out my clothes and Cosmo.  This followed by a horrid dash up the dreaded Highway 5 along with most of the semi trucks in the state of California in order to get as good a start in our journey as possible.  Where we stopped for the night is also best forgotten.

And speaking of Cosmo – he has been a champ!  And when he vomited about three days worth of food on my down pillow, that really wasn’t his fault because we were on a rollercoaster-tilt-a-whirl-road at the time.  I took my friend, Susan’s advice and made him a hidey-hole in a cozy basket filled with Robert’s cashmere sweaters (they have holes).  But he must have recalled something of his youth when he loved to ride along to the grocery store, because he immediately jumped to the highest box in the back of the van so he could look out at the passing scene.  Until he threw up. For the rest of the day one and day two he has spent most of the time on my lap – relaxed and snoozing.

But on to Day Two.  Now we’re talking.  If you’re ever going through Auburn, California you must stop at Tsuda’s Cafe and Artisan Bakery.  We happened upon it just because there was a spare parking place in front not suspecting that Sunset Magazine had named it “Best stop for Tahoe Travelers” and something called Diablo Press claimed it was “Healthy, Hip and Historic”.  They had selections like Knuckle Sandwich (panini, peppers and onions) and Nothing Like a Hot Chick (with spicy chicken of course) and  Caesar the Day.  Good fortification in a quaint old western town before we started up the pass over the Sierra Nevadas.  We did encounter a large flashing sign warning us of unstable weather ahead and advising us to tune in to our radio for developments but it was not only a breeze going over Donner Pass (and you know what happened there once!) but it was glorious – snow covered evergreens and occasional flurries just to make it magical.

We drove straight across the middle of Nevada and I don’t know what it was I expected of this state – I’ve been to Las Vegas twice in my life and that’s the extent of it.  But we oohed and aahed all the way to Elko.  Just about the best cloud/hills/expanse one could imagine.  A good day’s drive.  We’re both feeling the strain and stress of the past few weeks drain away.  Looks like BIG WEATHER AHEAD.  Stay tuned.

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THIS IS IT!

Posted on May 16, 2011 by snowbirdredux

THIS IS IT!

I’ve cleaned all day until I must smell like a combination of Murphy’s Oil Soap and Lysal Disinfectant.  A far cry from the Opium perfume I sold at the garage sale. And all the tine I was scrubbing inside, a professional window washer was working magic inside and out and it made me wonder why we had never sprung for that service before.  They must have a secret beyond Windex.  And a very tall ladder.  He was able to come extra early because his other jobs had cancelled due to the impending rain.  But we just went ahead because tomorrow is the last day at Castenada Lane and rain or no, it needed to be done.  And as Grandma Marie would have said – “You got rid of the old dirt.”

I took a break at midday and hiked down in the lower field to take a picture of the Chumash Indian artifact.  Carved into a four foot flat rock which sits just  at the bottom juncture of the field, is an engraving of a sun sign.  We went to the natural history museum in Morro Bay and found the exact symbol attributed to the Chumash tribe, who at one time inhabited the central California coast 20,000 strong.  As a tribe they are best known for living in balance with nature, taking only what they needed from the land and sea, believing that they must always preserve and leave enough for future peoples. There’s a philosophy we need more of in our world.   Our sun sign has faded out a bit just in the years we have lived here, but it still seems special to me.  In the photograph, which obscures the symbol even more, it shows if you look closely, a circle with a dot in the center, and four long rays interspersed by four shorter rays.  A compass?  And why in this particular spot?  Whatever the history, I think it is a good omen.

The Sun Stone

Lichen on the Rock, almost in the middle of the Sun

And here’s a good omen for the road.  On our early 70’s trip we made a quick stop in Las Vegas.  Just long enough to run inside (I think it was the MGM Grand) and I put one nickel in a slot machine.  And hit a jackpot!  Granted I only won $10.00 but I was thrilled.

JACKPOT!

I know we won’t be stopping in Las Vegas this time, but it’s always good to look for omens.  And I do intend to write and post along the way so stay tuned for the journey.

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COUNTDOWN

Posted on May 16, 2011 by snowbirdredux

THE GARAGE SALE IS OVER!

And enough of that.  We sold NOT enough but it will help to pay for the moving expenses.  Unfortunately we have a big job taking everything that was rejected  to the thrift store.  “Come In Lance!”  Who wouldn’t want a smelly old golf bag or a long ago bitten into sugar Easter egg?  And we tried to give away the old front door and the concrete fountain.  After a 50% reduction we did get rid of the table saw and the almost pristine barbecue.  And I was pleased with my displays.

Here’s the really good news.  We knew that daughter Sheila and son Steve were dropping by, but were taken by surprise when Tony and the two divas popped in and BIG surprise – son Kevin appeared all the way from Portland.  And that was topped off by the arrival of Max.  So it all turned out to be a perfect ending to a very stressful day.  Happy and wistful and all together. Many tears were shed.

Robert, Kevin, Tony, Sheila, Steve and Max, and the Divas

Robert, Kevin, Tony, Sheila, Steve and Max – Divas in front

Today we frantically packed the last minute boxes.  And the Moving Van arrived.

Jeison, Juan and Francisco loading the van

Tonight we will be opening a nice bottle of wine and camping out on our foam pads on the floor because they have taken the mattresses.  Oh, and Robert, it seems, packed our pillows in the last throes of mania as we were stuffing this and that into the last boxes.  OOPS!

More tomorrow…………

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ALMOST THERE

Posted on May 14, 2011 by snowbirdredux

Today I re-displayed the garage sale stuff.  I know, I know, you’re supposed to plunk out the goods – higgely piggely, and what does it matter?  Well it matters to me.  My job description at the Post Ranch Mercantile did include the word “DISPLAY” and I know this is not a first class retail showroom, but it’s just sort of in my bones to juxtapose and arrange.  So I started all over again and it took me all day, but I feel much better now.  Call me silly, but I didn’t want people tromping through the house unless it looked tasteful and appealing.

The movers are scheduled for Sunday and the window washers for Monday, hopefully the carpet cleaners thereafter. Then it’s into the car and off.

We still have not decided on the route and I thank everyone for the suggestions, which have all been enticing.  We’re taking them to heart and hopefully we will have a moment amidst this cacophony and madness to sit down and spread out the atlas and make some fun plans.

And again, I am reminded of the stark contrast of what we will be experiencing and the harsh reality of the journey taken by my ancestors. I’ve written about Grandpa Johan, on the boat with his brother, two little boys alone in the hold of a ship on a scary sea. And great Grandpa Jorgen who built his trunk out of the storm rubble of his fishery.

When Grandma Marie came to the Prairies from Varmland, Sweden as a girl of eight, she and her father joined her mother and siblings and started life in a little log cabin outside of Comstock, Minnesota with  aunts and uncles and cousins – all living in the same small structure!  And they may have kept the cows inside too!  It’s still there on the Dahlstrom farm.

And yet, just about 20 years later my mother and her widowed mother, Marie, were living with aunt Ida and Uncle Joel (who also came out of that very same log cabin) in this grand old house nearby.

Harriet in front of her girlhood home - Joel and Ida Anderson's

Just goes to show what a lot of hard labor and a ton of alluvial soil can do.

I think I’m about finished with hard labor at this stage, but I’m certainly looking forward to some good soil.

Complicata, R. canina - a wild ancient species ( in spite of bad soil)

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MOUNTAINS AND MALLS

Posted on May 12, 2011 by snowbirdredux

I’ve been googling route suggestions from the Crater of the Moon in Idaho (Susan) to the Painted Dessert in Arizona (Maryanne) and points in between.  My friend Mickey suggested, and you might not know if he was being “tongue in cheek” or serious, that rather than the scenic wonders of the world he would vote for the Mall of America because he’s a “concrete and steel guy” who mainly appreciated “The Human Being” and  “massive industrial accomplishments”.  And then my cousin Marlene said “Yeah” to that because they live in Bloomington a few minutes away.  So now I’ve got some researching to do.

Mickey is a friend of many years standing, and so good in fact, that my daughter Noelle was the “best man” at his wedding about twenty years ago.  He was really a friend in deed last week when he showed up with his car crammed full of tools and took upon the many carpentry fix-ups that needed attention.  For that he gets many gold stars in heaven.  And we laughed and reminisced and philosophized and generally had the grandest time. I didn’t take a picture of him resizing the cabinet for the dishwasher or pounding down the deck boards, but I caught his back when we went to Lance’s house one afternoon.

MICKEY’S BACK AND ROBERT AT THE TIKI HUT

That will have to do and it reminded me once again – that’s it’s all about friends.  We haven’t seen Mickey in ever so long, and we see Lance on a regular basis, but they are both friends in the very best and truest sense of the word. If left to his own devices, Robert would most likely be a rather insular fellow, happy to watch his birds and read some good books and play some poker and cook great meals.  Lance, on the other hand, naturally gravitates to fellowship and comradery so that now, his friendship will be sorely missed.

Lance, serving up pizza, banana splits and libations

So we’re talking up the lakes and the Otter Tail River, and of course, the Mall of America.

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MOVING MEDITATION

Posted on May 11, 2011 by snowbirdredux

I have been preparing for the weekend moving sale. It is NOT a pretty picture!

Well – you get the picture.  My friend, Melanie was always talking me into having garage sales with her and it was always the last thing in the world I wanted to do, and I grumbled and whined before, during and after.  They are fun to go to and dig around for bargains from someone else’s trash.  But I personally abhor putting out my own trash.

But here I am, and I must admit that my grumbling and whining and generally bad behavior has led Robert to the depths of misery and so he just informed me that I needed to “go and meditate”.

How better than this – and what a contrast to the above.

Front Yard Garden

Here’s a happy accident. I usually ponder and plan my plots out with a determination and carefulness that would have pleased even Gertrude Jekel, that grand old lady of British landscaping fame.  But here – I got into a hurry in this corner and just plopped some plants into the soil. Serendipity!  I can’t imagine that any carefully planned execution would have turned out any better.  Look how they compliment each other.  The cotinus, the smoke tree on the right and the varigated broom in the middle and the kniphofia or Red Hot Poker on the left – all red and yellow against the rusty brown.

Constance Spry

Constance Spry was the first of the David Austin English roses and she arches across the path in the lower garden across from the frog pond.

Graham Thomas

Another Austin English rose – Graham Thomas covers the arbor and is my favorite of the “yellows”.

Abraham Darby, English Rose

They don’t get any more luminescent than Abraham Darby!

So THERE!  This is my moving sale meditation.  And I’ll try to be nicer tomorrow.

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CONTEST

Posted on May 11, 2011 by snowbirdredux

Noelle, Mom and I at the Teton Lake

It’s countdown time.  We haven’t gotten the exact date from the movers, but it should be the 16th or the 17th of May, which by my calculations is less than a week away.  Then it’s carpet cleaning and general cleaning and into the car and off!

We decided that we would make a fun trip of it – take our time and explore the country from California to Minnesota.  Cosmo is not going to be thrilled with that decision, but hopefully he will adjust. So now, Robert is entranced with the idea of planning a Route. I thought  seriously about duplicating the path I drove in the 70’s.  That’s a possibility.

Any "Entry" to somewhere?

And then a Buffalo?

Yellowstone geyser

Into the deep

The frozen water at Yellowstone

Of course, the Grand Canyon

We asked our neighbor, Sue who is a Minnesota farm girl and has driven back and forth by various routes depending on the weather, what she would suggest.  We took out our United States Atlas and began to pore over various plans.

When we had our ultimate best vacation in England many years ago – we planned by putting a big map of the country up on the wall, doing research about locales, discussed endlessly the various possibilities, debated our favorite and ultimately necessary stops, used red pins to highlight the route, and then just “followed our nose” once we actually got there.  But the Red Pins were vicarious fun and set the tone.

So once again, we’re open to suggestions. And that is what the CONTEST is all about.  For instance, I had decided that the Tetons are a worthy stop on the route between California and Minnesota.  And just as I thought of that possibility, two people, our son Steven and my good friend Mara, both emphatically stated that we MUST go by the Tetons.  That seems like a sign.

The Tetons

Yet what other wondrous possibilities on this journey might we be missing?  Or need to experience?  Or be sorry that we missed?  We’re not sure if we should be going up the coast and across the Canadian border, or across the Sierras, or south to New Mexico and up the great Prairies.

So I’m asking all the readers of snowbirdredux to send in their comments and suggestions.  What place and locale speaks to you?  What do you advise we take to heart and consider a personal pilgrimage?

Other than the Tetons  (which just might be a “must”) if we are inspired to journey to your special place, I will send you a treasure from that very locale. It may be a rock, an amulet, or just a souvenir.  But we welcome all suggestions for our migration.  Please advise!

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SALAD

Posted on May 10, 2011 by snowbirdredux

Marlene, Maryanne and Aunt Verna - 1970's

SALAD

Turns out that Salad comes from the Latin “salata” from sal or “salty” and that was first likely a part of the cuisine in the 14th century.  Then Shakespeare in 1606 mentioned one’s “salad days” as a time of “youthful inexperience” and that seems inexplicable because I think of salty as experienced and seasoned. Don’t you? I also read that the Babylonians  started dressing greens about 2,000 years ago, but in America we had little interest until after the Civil War.  What followed was the German invasion with their Hot Potato Salad and the Shakers with Fruit Salad and then finally in the 1880’s, what we think of as green salad became a part of the menu.  But salad today can be anything thrown together in a bowl.

I’ve already shared the “Meat Salad” we served at Mirage and at the Stagedoor Café.  There were two other favorites I’m now prepared to reveal, simply because we will most likely never have another restaurant, thank the Lord, and because I think they were such special favorites that it is only fair.

Along with the “Meat Salad”, which was really a Taco Salad (see earlier post), the winner for overall popularity was our Chicken Wonton Salad which most restaurants call a “Chinese Chicken Salad” and I think it beats out all other versions you see today.  Customers would come day after day and order the same selection, and I would ask them how they could possibly be happy with the same lunch so many times, and they just told me that they “were addicted”.  (It might have been the sugar, but I’m just now admitting that.)

Our Chicken Wonton Salad, like the Taco Salad, came a bit ahead of the popular versions which are endemic now. And not to brag, but like the Taco Salad, I think it is a better version of the now popular favorite.  I’ve never given it out before – but here it is!

CHICKEN WONTON SALAD, for 6-8 Servings

1 lb. cut-up bite size cooked chicken breast

½ cup green onions, sliced

½ cup celery, chopped

1 ½ oz. Won Ton Wrappers, cut into strips and deep fried

6 ounces of romaine, chopped

6 ounces of head lettuce, chopped

1 tsp. Toasted sliced almonds

Sesame Dressing – just to coat

SESAME OIL DRESSING

1 ½ teasp. Sesame oil

1 tbsp. Vegetable oil

¾ cup white wine vinegar

1 ½ Cups sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Whip together until sugar dissolves.

WON TON STRIPS

Cut won ton wrappers into strips.  Deep fry in oil for a few minutes until wontons are golden brown.  Drain on paper towels.

In large bowl, combine chicken, green onions, celery, and lettuce.  Add dressing until just coated – not too much to make it too wet, but enough to coat. Taste to see if it is the right amount.  Toss and add slightly crumbled won tons.  Mound in serving bowl or individual plates and top with toasted almonds.  (Eat immediately or it will get soggy.)

AUNT VERNA’S NORWEGIAN CABBAGE SALAD

Along with sandwiches as a “side”, we always served a good potato salad or a choice of the above.  I say Aunt Verna, but I think it  actually came from her sister Anne.  The picture at the top is of Aunt Verna and my cousins Marlene and Maryanne, and I believe that the fruit salad in the cut-out watermelon may have actually been Marlene’s contribution.    But the Norwegian Cabbage salad  has been a fixture, not only in our restaurants of the past, but for large family get-to-gethers, for it is a winner and easy to make and will keep without much refrigeration, making it handy to make ahead and especially if you have other dishes that need extra care and coddling.

Trust me – this salad will be an old standby before you know it.

1 3-ish lb. head of cabbage, chopped

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

2 medium white onions, finely chopped

1 cup salad oil

1 cup white wine vinegar

1 ½ cups sugar

2 tbsp. Celery seed

1 tbsp. Salt

½ teap. Pepper

Mix together in large bowl or pot, cabbage, pepper, onions and salt and pepper.

Bring to a roiling boil the oil and vinegar, sugar and celery seed over high heat.  Pour hot dressing over vegetables, toss to coat and wilt and let stand a few hours to season.  Drain, if need be, before serving.  Will keep at least 9 days – longer if refrigerated.

The fruit salad shown in the photo from our 1970’s trip to Minneapolis is easy to reproduce if you have a good sharp knife and an easy hand.   I like to add a splash of lemon or lime to my fruit compote and toss it with honey and cinnamon – to taste.  I keep adding and tasting until it is just sweet/spicy right.  Bon Appetit. Or rather, I should say – Takk For Maten!

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MOM

Posted on May 8, 2011 by snowbirdredux

I’m going to frame the Mother’s Day card that Noelle left for me to find after she was gone last week.  I must admit to getting a bit teary, for it showed her support for the journey we are about to take and that was very important to me.  And when she called to “check in” after her long drive home, she also let on that she had stopped at the discount store on the way and purchased a pair of Ugg boots to wear when she visits in Minnesota.

Motherhood is such a complex job and I know within my heart that I could have been a brilliant mother, if only I had started at a reasonable age. Grandmothers I’m sure, make the very best mothers. That’s probably why we especially revere them.

Grandma Marie with Kevin and Noelle

I know I could be a shining example today, but barely eighteen is not the best place to start. But however it may have played out, I did my best at the time and I know I gave my children an appreciation for literature unparalleled and I took them to theatre and musical events and tried to give them a sense of wonder and magic in the world.  I feel good about all that.  And the fact that I was also trying to grow up and find my own way in the world was just the way it had to be.

Harriet, my mother, who was widowed at such a young age, was a paragon of courage – an example of what it takes to put one foot in front of the other and tackle whatever needs to be done. To “take in” boarders and clean houses and babysit until she got her California teaching credential, and to always maintain her sense of delight and spirit of adventure throughout the process.  My cousin Maryanne wrote about our Lady Astor – “She was so much fun and always game for something to do. I was always amazed at the big hoop earrings and, of course the stylish Capri pants she wore so well!” I don’t have a picture of the capris right at hand – I’m sure they’re already packed away – but I did dig up some glamorous shots from a later time.

And as my Mother’s Day treat to myself, I’m posting my favorite picture of Kevin and Noelle.

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