Dizzy Swallows

Croquet and Matcha

July 29th, 2010 1 Comment

Hello my dears! It has been so lovely to be back in the Northwest seeing friends and family that I can hardly seem to sneak away for a moment to bust out some dizzy.

Being back on the island for visits is always a fine balance (which I often fail at) between familial duties and spending time with various pockets of friends. As I may have mentioned already, for the last two years my mother has been running an organic mini-farm on the three plus acres where I grew up. At the same time, she continues to run and expand a non-profit language academy and cultural center. Needless to say there is always work to be found and delicious produce to be munched.

The first thing I stuffed greedily into my mouth was, of course, cherries. Beautiful, shining, the color of a Mexican sunset, these were the little ambrosial … Continue reading

Tarte aux Pêches

July 26th, 2010 2 Comments

Another weekend has evaporated into golden nothing whilst I was busy rummaging in my spice cupboard. Lurking behind the cardamom and tarragon, I rediscovered a charming little blue bottle of rosewater that I’d carted all the way from Seattle. In my humble kitchen, this is often the kind of seemingly random inspiration that sparks serendipitous culinary invention.

For several days I’d been staring a bowl of peaches in the face as they wrinkled into what increasingly resembled a certain male body part. As my mother always said, however, just because it’s a bit ugly doesn’t mean it won’t taste good (this is the peaches we’re discussing here people, get your minds out to of the gutter).

Though slightly past their prime, the peaches held their shape nicely and proved absolute perfection for a simple tart. I whipped it together Saturday morning in under an hour and we whittled thin slices … Continue reading

This Moment

July 23rd, 2010

Taking a cue from the wonderful Amanda Soule over at Soulemama.com:

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.

I do have to caveat this with a brief explanation: Jacob took this photo of my mosquito protection outfit with which I gird myself before watering the fig tree in the evening. Wishing everyone a lovely weekend!… Continue reading

Devil Town Part II

July 21st, 2010

We rolled into Huntsville around 8am after spending the night in Fayetteville. It was clear why Dad had chosen the Jeep once we pulled onto the backcountry road leading up to my grandparent’s property. A lesser vehicle may just have been engulfed in its maw of mud, brush and wild grasses.

The last time I’d made this trip I was about 6 years old. I remember driving the car straight through the gulley and waters of the creek. Now a concrete bridge spans the gap, killing some of the adventure but hopefully lessening harm to the creek’s little ecosystem.

A cacophony of insect song and wet heat engulfed me as I hopped out to shoot a few photos. Arkansas has hands down the largest bugs I have seen outside of the Amazon rainforest. Dad spotted a tardy moth the size of my entire hand fluttering about in the morning sun.… Continue reading

Devil Town Part I

July 19th, 2010 2 Comments

I slept in past 9am this morning. Oof. Dad and I rolled into Fredericksburg yesterday evening after 10 hours of driving, and I must say a solid dose of sleep was in order. I may have lingered in somnolent gluttony even longer had it not been for the persistent ring and thud of hammers outside my bedroom window. Peeping warily between the blinds, I narrowed my eyes at the three camouflage swathed worker-types erecting a new fence around our yard. But once conscious, the mountain of chores and responsibilities demanding my attention could not be ignored.

Dizzy of course, is anything but a chore. I hope you enjoy this first installment of snippets and photos from our trip to Arkansas. I’ve even provided a soundtrack for your listening pleasure:

In case anyone was in doubt, Texas is huge. We left Fredericksburg with the morning sun slanting across the grassy fields … Continue reading