Winter's last gasp

 

We hope. Snow is falling this morning, starting out like sifted powdered sugar but now coming down pretty good. It won't last long in the valley with rain by afternoon, but piling up in the mountains. 

 

 

My friend Karen has to drive over the Loup Loup Pass to Omak for an appointment today, which is an 80 mile round trip. Amanda makes that drive weekly to work at the clinic there, often coming and going in the dark. And it gets truly dark here. You have to be stalwart (and put lots of miles on your car) to live here.

Tomorrow should be a better day for travel. I'll head back to Seattle then. It's peaceful hanging around the warm house and I'll go over to Carlton later when everyone gets home from work and school. 

 

I've been killing time working on this farm puzzle, which I should be ashamed to show you because it is only 300 pieces, but challenging enough for me. 

 

Shoulder season perk

 

It was quite chilly but sunny yesterday, so we took a short hike on the Rex Derr Trail at Pearrygin State Park. 

This is a really popular place in the summer, swarming with campers, but peaceful in the late fall and early spring. Only one other car in the huge parking lot, and we had the trail to ourselves. 

It was my birthday, and what a memorable one.  Our neighbors invited us over for dinner and we always enjoy their warm company. 

Oh yes, John gave me thoughtful and useful presents as he always does, including a nifty cherry pitter that does several at once. Stay tuned. 

Hum. Might he be thinking of pie? 

And from Amanda, this cozy and stylish fleece coat. A step up from my worn out Costco puffy jackets.

Well, John is heading to Seattle now, but I have no reason to rush back into city life, so will stay until Thursday. The fickle spring weather is changing again, with rain and snow tomorrow. 

Cock of the roost

 

All of us get such a kick out of the chicken flock, always doing something funny or amusing. They have the run of the orchard, happily eating bugs and "helping" with the pruning. Tom is constructing a new large enclosure. Soon more chicks and ducklings arrive from the feed store. 

 

Not so amusing is this secret egg nest discovered in the undergrowth. 

 

Maybe they are reverting back to their jungle fowl ways. Amanda was wondering why the egg production was down lately...

In other farm news, Nica had a close encounter with a skunk behind one of the outbuildings. Fortunately, not a direct hit, and nothing an early morning Dawn bath can't handle. Tom got the honor of the job.
 

 

The weather has been grey and cold the last few days, but today a beautiful sunny morning. We might go up to Pearrygin Lake for a walk this afternoon, then dinner with our neighbors.

Last night, a lovely early Easter and birthday celebration at the farmhouse. We are truly blessed. 

 

 

Changes

 

 

We've been coming to Twisp for about 18 years, and it seemed like nothing much changed for the first 10 years or so. The TwispWorks Campus was acquired in 2008, and it eventually became a big catalyst for change in town. The once unsightly former forest service site is now an inviting local hub for arts, education and business. 

Did you know, Twisp is also a member of the Washington State Creative Arts District program, making it eligible for grants and other arts support. 

In fact, Twisp is generally successful in acquiring funding for various public works projects, and recently won the largest ever Complete Streets Grant from the state. 

Glover Street is about to get started on a 3 million dollar makeover, with new sidewalks, awnings, pavement and underground utility lines. That will make for a chaotic and noisy summer that no one is looking forward to, especially the businesses on Glover Street.

Small business come and go, especially restaurants. Failure is assured if the locals don't embrace your business, and the locals here can be fickle. The restaurants that survive are the ones that keep consistent hours and give good value. The nearest fast food outlet is still 40 miles away, but a gourmet hamburger place just opened that seems to be immensely popular, judging by the cars in front.

New houses are popping up all over town, and a large apartment complex is going up behind the grocery store, in what was once an old orchard. Down by the city park, a retirement/nursing home facility called Jamie's Place is under construction, along with a co-housing project. 

Down here in our little backwater neighborhood, I'm happy for the lack of "revitalization." The sun still comes up behind Mill Hill, and we look across the the river at a view so far devoid of construction. 

You would never know there is a town outside the back door. All we can do is enjoy what we have, while we have it. 

  

Look up

 

 

Oncoming Storm, by Eric Sloane

Eric Sloane (1905-1985) was an American painter known for his landscapes and beautiful depictions of sky and clouds. Art for the window seat lovers. 

 Bright as Day at 10,000 Feet

He was fascinated by weather and aviation, and during WWII concentrated on illustrating military aircraft. 

 Clipper Ship at 7,500

The United States Army took notice, and Sloane contributed to aviation training manuals.

 

 

His teaching style tended toward the comic and graphic, perfect for the new pilot recruits, many just out of high school.

Speaking of young fliers. Oh, what a heartbreaking accident that took the lives of two Canadian pilots. And the list of airport nightmare stories this week! It is a terrible time to fly. 

It's also a terrible time to fill your tank (gas over $5 around here.) Never mind that, I'm heading over to Twisp tomorrow for a short reset. 

Recipes

 

 

I get the NYT cooking newsletter delivered to my inbox every morning, mostly for inspiration. Unless the recipe says "quick and easy" or "simple ingredients" I rarely try them. 

Those NYT food editors like to turn ordinary dishes into complicated projects with unusual ingredients no one keeps on hand, like curry powder made from scratch. 

Having said that, I've run across some keepers in the NYT cooking section, like a pizza dough I make over and over, and that honey garlic shrimp (above.) 

 

It's impressive, for being so quick and easy. The raw shrimp is marinated in soy sauce, honey, garlic and ginger, then patted dry and seared in a hot skillet.

The remaining marinade gets thickened slightly with corn starch, making a quick sauce.

And it's not often you can say this, but mine looked as good as the dolled-up photo on the Times. Except I pulled the tail shells off because we don't like wrestling with them.