...California here we come

Margaret Winters Madsen passed away at the age of 93. She is Dave's grandma. So, last weekend we drove to Chico, CA to attend her funeral. I love the drive over the Salt Flats and through the deserts of Nevada. I love the old railroad systems and run down mining towns. I especially never get sick of the Great Salt Lake. This day it was a brilliant green.

There was a snow storm which closed I-80. Luckily, Kent told us about California State Route 70. It crosses the Sierra Nevada near Beckwourth Pass via Feather River Canyon at a lower elevation than Donner Pass. It was dark, and snowy, and cars were sliding off the road, but Dave likes driving in those conditions. He claims he has "velcro tires." We could just pick out dark silhouettes of trees and canyons, but we knew we were driving through beautiful country. This is what it looked like to us.

Thanks to Wiki, we know what we missed.

At 10:00 pm we were starving as we pulled into the quaint town of Belden. As of the 2000 census, Belden has a population of 26 people. Yee haw! Across the river we saw a bar/restaurant that was bustling with activity. To me it looked like people might be playing pool and having a good old time. So we crossed the historic Belden Town Bridge (1912) looking for food--even bar food. 

We pulled up to the restaurant and splashed through the slush to the back door. An older sophisticated woman with beautiful white hair passed us on her way out. Not the type I expected to see in the bustling bar at 10 pm. We stepped inside and looked around in confusion. There were hundreds of microscopes lined up on long tables filling the whole room with people quietly sitting and chatting with petrie dishes in their hands. We spotted a bartender type man and asked what was going on.

     "A moss convention," he said. Moss convention?

     "Are you serving food?" Dave asked.

     "No, kitchen closed at 7," the bartender replied and walked away. 

Poor timing for a moss convention--for us and for them. Three feet of new snow outside and no food for our grumbling tummies. We made it to Chico and ate frozen burritos and Lean Cuisine sold at the hotel front desk. The next time we make this drive, I want it to be in the summer and in the daylight. To be continued...

...fun times were had by all

I got super stressed out last week and gave myself an ulcer...I think. Between school, the house hunt, and job searching, I had a lot on my mind. Good thing I'm married to Dave "fun times" Madsen. His fun quota had not yet been filled for the week with heli skiing in the Ruby Mountains on Tuesday and early tram powder runs on Thursday, so he packed up the 4-Runner with our bikes and tent and ordered me to get in the car. I didn't complain because we were going to Moab!

Little did we know the Canyonlands Half Marathon was taking place in Moab this weekend. We got the last campsite on Potash Road. Phew!

I boycotted Chaco by wearing my sparkle shoes around camp instead. I like my sparkle shoes. I need to start my own camping clothing line. Everything will be very impractical and steezy steez steez.

Carrying on the Pat Sorensen tradition of taco salad for at least one dinner on every camping trip. Olives for Dave, tomatoes for me. 

I was anticipating the billions of stars at night in the desert, but it was a full moon instead. Which was cool too. On Saturday, March 19,  the moon was closer to the Earth than it has been in 18 years. It's a supermoon. Do you think it played a role in the Japan tsunami? 

We drove through Arches National Park and hiked to Delicate Arch in the almost full moon on Friday. Saturday night was cloudy, so I'm glad we didn't wait for the "supermoon"to take our hike. 

I usually feel bad for the other arches because Delicate Arch gets all the attention. But look at it! It deserves the attention. It's absolutely stunning. 

Sorry other arch on the way to Delicate Arch, you're just not as cool. 

If you travel alone in Arches on a full moon, watch out for the computer chip hooded hairy man with a bad eye. He looks menacing, but really he's very amiable. The worst he'll do is snore and maybe toot a little.

On Saturday we mountain biked out to Klondike Bluffs and hiked up Negro Bill Canyon. The canyon has a pretty stream that you follow all the way up to a natural bridge that is still forming. 

I didn't know my sister, cousin, their significant others, and co. were in town for the half marathon. So we all met up for dinner at Fiesta Mexicana, or Fiesta Americana, as Dave likes to misname it. The man in the middle is not an employee. Cousin Spencer really has the Fiesta Mexicana spirit!

I love the desert. Someday I want a house sitting on red dirt with junipers, cactus, and sage brush for a yard. And maybe a lizard like Rango for a pet.

My life would be all seriousness and stress without "fun times" Dave. Thanks for the great trip to Moab darlin!

...let's build one on Lake Temiskaming

I love this Canadian glass cube lake house. I might do some interior tweaking, but I love the idea. Sunlight, rocks, trees, water...no need for elaborate decorations. Simple and beautiful. Wouldn't it fit nicely on the edge of Lake Temiskaming or the Kipawa River?

...I could get used to Deer Valley

Dave, Dad, Mom, and I skied at Deer Valley this last week. It was my first time ever skiing there. We checked out the new Montage hotel. Pretty beautiful.

Then we ate an amazing lunch. Never had food like this at a ski resort! Kind of hard to get up and ski afterward though.

The Deer Valley influence did bring out the silliness in Dad...Dr. Suess style. Is that what I look like in my hat?

For some luxury skiing and fashion tips, you can't beat Deer Valley. I saw some pretty hot uni-suits and multiple women rockin' the furry dog boots. I need to work on my steez!

...you're singing your way to Nashville

Dave has been singing lately. Not in a choir, not with a guitar, and not even really out loud. More just under his breath. I caught him singing this the other morning:

     

     Doe a deer... (long pause)... I call myself...

     I burst out laughing and he looks at me, "What?" he says with a hurt look on his face.

     "Nothing, please, keep singing!"

     Ray, a pot of golden sun

     Tea, a letter in the alphabet...

    

I start giggling again and he stops abruptly, continuing to do his work in silence with an annoyed look on his face. If only I had kept my mouth shut I could have heard the rest of this excellent and improved rendition of Do Re Mi.

Don't mind my giggles darlin. You'll soon be a lyricist in Nashville if you keep this up.

...I can't believe I can make quiche

Quiche is one of those things I thought was hard to make. Like sushi--you just don't make it at home--you save it for going out...or you buy it at Costco. But this quiche isn't tough to make and is so tasty. I think it's pretty too and makes me feel like a gourmet chef. It shows that I can actually make something that doesn't have cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup in it! This recipe comes from The Whole Foods Market Cookbook--which I love.

Spinach and Pine Nut Quiche

1 (9 inch) frozen ready-made piecrust

1 1/2 tbls olive oil

2 large cloves garlic, sliced

6 cups fresh spinach leaves, washed and dried

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 tsp dried sage, or 1 tbls chopped fresh

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup milk

2 large eggs

1 large red bliss potato, steamed until firm-tender, sliced 1/4 inch thick

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove pie crust from freezer and let thaw for 10 minutes. Prick bottom with a fork and bake for 7-10 minutes until lightly browned. Remove crust from oven to cool.

Heat olive oil in saute pan. Add the garlic, spinach, salt, pepper, and sage. Cook, stirring constantly for about 1 minute, or until spinach is just wilted. Stir in pine nuts.

In a small bowl, mix the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. In another bowl whisk the milk and eggs together. 

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture on the piecrust. Top with half the spinach mixture. Place the potato slices on top of the spinach. Add half the remaining cheese mixture and then the remaining spinach mixture. Top with the rest of the cheese. Place pie pan on a sheet pan. Carefully pour in the milk mixture. Bake for 45-50 min, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool slightly before cutting.

...rustic and modern can go together

This home in Park City does a very good job of combining rustic architecture with modern interior design to create a wonderful feeling. My favorite aspects are the large windows, wood & stone, and the non-bulky furniture. It can be yours for $3,795,000! What a deal.