If I could jump for joy this morning I would, though I would not jump on the elevator.
Because, as you can see, many bad things could happen.
We are 387 miles from home and our own beds. It is all very exciting.
While we were gone the last huge section of the tree was cut down and removed, plus the three shattered windows were replaced. I’m anxious to see.
So the road calls! I’m ready.
It is dark. It is raining. I can barely see the white-capped waves on the lake.
We drove extra miles north of the interstate last night in order to stay at a Fairfield Inn because we love them.
We drove over 400 miles yesterday. We were up at six and on the road around 7:30. Banjo Man drove the first two hours. There was sun, there were farms, it was lovely. My turn came and the trip turned ugly: rain, construction and traffic. For hours.
Finally I had had enough and took the exit to Shipshewanna, Indiana, home of the Amish and many quilt stores. We had been here twice before, so we went right to a huge restaurant and scarfed down comfort food at the buffet.
I took a picture of mashed potatoes, but I hesitate to post it.
Uh oh. Time to hit the road. Pennsylvania and Banjo Man are calling!!
We’re in a Fairfield Inn in…wait a sec, let me think…
I have drawn a blank. Iowa, though. We’re in Iowa and we will be sleeping in Ohio tonight.
It’s a four state day.
I am in the breakfast room. Banjo Man is upstairs in the shower. It is 6:30 and will be a long day.
But…so far so good.
I love Montana:
And Wyoming? Glorious weather. And the sunrise?
Sometime on Friday we entered Nebraska and spent the night in Kearney.
This is a blueberry lemon margarita. It was delicious. I am pretty sure I chugged it.
Our adventures in Omaha will have to wait for another morning and another breakfast room.
It is time to get back on the road. There are miles to go before we sleep. But we are just fine and all is well, though definitely slower!
This lovely Highlander is ready to hit the road and head East.
We plan to get an early start this morning and drive the 380 miles to Bozeman. The last time we drove from Idaho to Rhode Island was September, 2015.
I read some of those blog posts and discovered we’d often traveled 550 miles a day. Our last day on the road was over 600 miles.
Not this year.
Honestly, I’m not sure how this is going to work. We’re hoping to drive 400 miles each day, but a lot depends on our energy levels, weather, traffic, construction and the stock market. Banjo Man often spends extra hours in the morning or evening working.
We will do the best we can. And we will never drive at night. I am not making hotel reservations ahead of time so we can stop when we need to or keep driving if we’re not tired.
So…wish us luck. We’re looking forward to it. The car was 80% packed last night. The pantry freezer and refrigerator have been emptied, cleaned and turned off. The floors are vacuumed, the garden shut down, the outdoor chairs covered, the deck cleared, kayaks stored and the house is in order and all set for next year.
Phew!
The car is ready and so are we.
Wish us luck!
Cougar Creek Band knows how to put on a party.
Joe, one of our younger members, had the brilliant idea to reunite the band up at Banjo Man’s newly-finished (after more than three years of renovations, repairs and finish work) 50-year old cabin up on the mountain.
We hadn’t played together in four years. Where did the time go?
It would be a potluck. Bring your own everything. The cabin has no plumbing and no electricity, but it does have a new outhouse.
My heart was full.
Retired Mountain Lady has a lot more photos on her blog. Grab another cup of coffee and head on over there to read more about one of the best days of the summer!
Dahlias, a pumpkin, an anniversary card and a new tablecloth all make me love this month.
And then there is this, another sign of fall:
Yesterday was the day to haul the bags of frozen apricots from the freezer and turn them into jam.
I have already canned a lot of peaches so I am done with “putting up food” now. We will be taking some home with us, but the bulk of the fruit will be stored for next summer’s meals and desserts.
From the window is the view of a very quiet lake. I try to go down to the beach for an hour or two each day, just to walk along the water’s edge, look for arrowheads, watch for eagles and enjoy the lovely calm that comes from the sound of waves.
It doesn’t get any more peaceful than this. I’m soaking it up!
I have no idea why I was wearing that huge white bow.
And…that bald head belonged to my sweet Great Uncle Mac.
The man in the pink shirt–because he couldn’t find a clean white one on the morning of the wedding–is Banjo Man, of course.
And here we were last night after dinner with Dancing Mandolin Player and her Boyfriend Bob.
September is the “Social Season” here at the lake. Company has returned home, grandchildren are back in school, summer heat is only a memory (it is 46 this morning) and gardens no longer require hours of care.
Which means it’s time to party.
Montana Kathy outdid herself last week. Can you tell?
Six of us gathered to eat and sip and talk and laugh beside the Clark Fork River. Lunch was seafood paella, roasted garden beets and freshly baked baguettes (thank you, Martha).
I tried a new recipe for my dessert contribution: French Custard Cake. The ingredients are put into a blender, mixed, then refrigerated for at least an hour but up to several days. I prepared the batter the night before, so the next morning all I had to do was slice the peaches (I wish I had used more than the recipe required), add the batter, sprinkle with sugar and bake.
I am going to make it with pears next time.
If you’re curious, here’s the link:
Enjoy!
Check out that rust-orange plaid tablecloth. It might be on one of my Thanksgiving tables this year. The ceramic pumpkins returned to the shelf. Just not the right color, though I thought they were cute.
But then again, I love pumpkin decorations. I had to resist shelves of them.
I finally picked out a glass one, but while Banjo Man was minding the cart it fell out and broke. He was mightily embarrassed and thought he had to pay for it, which amused the Home Goods cashier no end.
Banjo Man should have had his own cart, because he had his eye on a cast iron pot in which to make chili up at the cabin. I knew he was planning to give Cabin Tours, but I didn’t know he was serving lunch. He also purchased a measuring cup, dishtowels and oven mitts…for the cabin.
His joy continues…
Why were we in the city, you ask? We had taken George to the airport hotel, as he had an early morning flight home today. Which left us the rare opportunity to hit Home Goods on the way back to the lake. Next stop was Kohl’s, where I returned online orders that didn’t fit. And Banjo Man shopped for pants.
Pants? Again with the pants?
Yes, he assured me. He needed more.
It’s a mystery. But next time you see him, tell him how nice he looks.
Busy days here, but I’ll be back to blogging daily (hopefully) once again. There are fires north and east of us. They are in remote mountain areas and we wait for rain.
Oh, do we wait for rain!
In the meantime, I am canning peaches. Yesterday this happened:
Having a canning jar break was a first for me. I’m not sure how to explain it–or prevent it from happening again–but I have dozens of peaches to can this week. I hope there are no more surprises!
I tried a new recipe for roasting cherry tomatoes.
This was done at 250 degrees for three hours.
I may have been insane.
See you tomorrow. I’m taking a break from the kitchen and we’re off to Spokane!
Fourth of July
Glen the Banjo Man
LIVE at the Dump
is there any more pie? 