1. With it being a rainy day, I hunkered down and, for much of the day, edited and posted pictures that I took on my trip to Bonners Ferry and Crawford Bay, B.C. I also spent a lot of time thinking about how I might improve my picture taking in the future, particularly pictures of creeks and waterfalls. I have to be lenient with myself about one thing, though: upon reading some articles by professional photographers, I realized that when I hike into a watershed, taking pictures is not my primary reason for being there -- it's secondary to my immediate experience of what my senses experience and to the ways these places nourish my spirit. The articles I read were by photographers who go to a place with the primary purpose of photographing it -- they enter the water, carry equipment, and make decisions about when to go into these places based on the best times to photograph them. I don't do any of that. But, even though I'm not even close to being a pro, I am always looking for ways to improve. I snapped quite a few pictures (that I didn't post) where I made mistakes I'd like to cut down on.
Here are the sets of pictures I have posted online so far:
Copper Falls, here.
Kootenai Falls and the Swinging Bridge, here.
Myrtle Falls, here.
Pilot Bay Lighthouse, here.
Pilot Bay Trail, here.
Lockhart Creek and Beach, here.
2. In order to carry out my cooking project for today, I needed a few groceries. As I was checking out, to my delight, Shawn and Teresa were behind me. I have kind of a running joke going with both Shawn and Ed in which I exaggerate the wonder of the fact that I succeeded in carrying out a home repair or home improvement task. So, immediately, I told Shawn I had big news for him.
"Yeah...what is it?"
I puffed out my chest.
"I changed the batteries in the thermostat today all on my own and didn't even have to call you!"
Shawn and Teresa both laughed and we talked about some other things. I mentioned that Debbie was in Chicago for her 50th high school reunion and that I was feeling especially wild and frisky tonight so I was headed home to make carrot soup.
That was good for another pretty good laugh in the parking lot as we both piled in our vehicles and left.
3. So, when Adrienne, Josh, and Jack were here, it seems like whoever went to the store always picked up yet another package of baby carrots. When I arrived home from my North Idaho/B.C. trip, I realized we had quite a surplus so I decided I'd like to make some sort of carrot and ginger and yam soup and puree it in the blender. So, I chopped up onion, garlic, and fresh ginger and cooked them in the Dutch oven until tender and added in chopped yam, all the baby carrots I had on hand, and a box of vegetable broth. I brought this to a boil and then simmered it until I could put a fork through the carrots and yams and then added a head of fairly finely chopped cauliflower, turned off the heat, and let the soup sit for a while. I got out the blender and pureed batches of this mixture, put it back in the Dutch oven, added just a little too much salt, and decided this soup would taste good with cinnamon and added that. I added even more cinnamon to both of the two bowls I ate and, if I remember, I'll pick up some ground nutmeg at the store and add it, too.
I enjoy pureed (and cream) soups a lot. The rainy and cooler weather and cooking only for myself combined to make this the perfect day to prepare and enjoy this soup -- and I have plenty left over for the next couple of days to play around with -- nutmeg, red pepper flakes, and who knows what else?
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