Roadside Rock

My dear, dear reading public:

Today was the kind of day that makes life worth living.  Often I stopped and laughed out loud I was so pleased to be where I was, with friends, having a simply delightful time - and all the while, it seemed I could feel the Earth moving beneath my feet, the passing of time, and hot damn there I was!  Glad, so glad to be alive.  It's the kind of feeling you try to recall at the end of a hard day, during challenging times, to remind you why you keep on keepin' on.  There's no question in my mind that luck and persistance are both on my side that I am blessed enough to enjoy days like today.

Are you drooling and at the edge of your seat for me to tell you what I was doing?

...



How about now?

Hints:

1) We were outside

2) One, if sane, needs lots of gear to proceed safely

3) French is involved

Answer:

Rock climbing!

Lovely Shawn and Amber took me out for my first rock climbing adventure, and we had a blast.  Perfect cool, clear weather, the sun at our back, we did three routes the least of which was a 5.8 (Ya like how it sounds as though I know what that means?), everyone getting a chance at each, and perhaps I'll shut up and show you the pictures.  Suffice to say, I had so much fun (and, maybe my fingers are a LITTLE raw) that I kind of want to live in a van and be a climbing bum.  Three cheers for hobbies and goals!

Enjoy!

Gettin' 'er done.

How awesome is THAT - Go Amber!

Thanks for keeping us safe, Amber!

 



Shawn's not relaxed or anything...
If you can't tell, his feet are crossed!

I'm about to be face to face with a LOT of bat guano.

Look!  I completed the route!

PUPPY!

Pictures are worth a thousand words, so here's a bunch.

She's already pretty potty trained, and a wonderful snuggler.  She's so darn cute I bet she'd be a great smuggler, too.

As of today, she doesn't have a name. The leading suggestion is Jane, after Calamity Jane (thanks, Todd).

Suggestions welcome!

Fasten Your Belts...

Shop time, holding you pants up, fashion slavery... I made a belt buckle, and I'm pretty darn excited about it.  In fact, I'm wearing it right now...

If you're interested to have one similar to the prototype pictured below, let me know and we can haggle.

Huzzah!

Missoula, Pt. 1

Missoula, Pt. 1:

It's short, it's really sweet, and all blurry pictures!

Enjoy.

 Little girl puppy!

Same little girl puppy!  SO CUTE!

Little boy puppy!

I have to wait until they have some personality...right now, they're really just little lumps of sleeping, squealing fur.

More soon!

xo

Elizabeth

Here in Montana...

...The quality of eggs is simply better.  Sometimes, they even go the distance to disguise themselves as store-bought eggs.  This one took a page out of my grandpa Gene's book, and donned a toupee.

I FINALLY HAVE A TON OF PICTURES OF MONTANA!  Stay tuned, check back after these messages from our sponsors, adjust your rabbit ears and unplug everything else.  The first act of your feature presentation is, really, I promise, about to start.

With love,
from Montana

Bud Light and Big Hats

-At the Madison County Fair!  This moment was about the peak of the event for our group, it went downhill, and quickly, from there.  Some parties not to be named might have been scolded by, well, vague is better.  Just sayin', this was a great moment...

Ellis, me, Marguerite, Todd, and Brad in front of the demo derby arena.

<3

P.S. Our birthdays this week are...
 ANGELA BRANCO, TAYLOR CHEAIRS, and CHRIS RUSSELL!
Congratulations, happy birthday, and eat cake!

Arm Yourself! With Knives and Orzo!

Dearest Readers,

Many have fantasies of their own armouries, slaughtering their way through a zombie apocalypse (or a zombacalypse, depending on who you ask), or just enjoy nerding out with fellow hunting buddies about what magnification their new scope offers.  The truth is, family and friends, that I, too, am part of this growing slice of American society.  And I love it.

My recent accomplishments include firing my first AK-47 (I hit a reasonable number of the things I was aiming for), and getting a tour of the Zombie Tools workshop in Missoula, MT with the owner, Maxon McCarter.  Zombie Tools is a bladesmithing outfit that offers killer cutters with names as sharp as their blades: Urban Bone Machete (versus the Backwoods Bone Machete) and the Phalanx, just to name a few.  Between the forgework, machining-like precision, and zombie-massacring potential, I was in heaven.  Huzzah shops!  Thanks to Maxon, I have some pictures to show you lovely readers of some blades in the final stages of finishing.

The shop

Maxon McCarter at work

Wax prep for...

Acid etching!

 Aah, the glorious finished product, ready to ship out to zombie slayers around the world.

~

After a whirlwind weekend in Missoula, Marguerite and I returned home and enjoyed a delicious cold orzo salad of her own creation:

Cold Orzo Salad:
-3 cups dry orzo, cooked (nearly doubles in size after cooking)
-1 cup drained artichoke hearts, cut into bite-size pieces
-1 cup sundried tomatoes
-1 medium size red bell pepper, diced
-3 large cloves of thinly sliced, lightly sauteéd garlic
-1/2 cup crumbled plain feta
-salt and pepper to taste

with Dressing:
-1 T dijon mustard
-splash balsamic vinegar
-2 T olive oil
-1 T lemon juice

Cook orzo according to package instructions, set aside or refrigerate uncovered until cool.  Then, combine remaining ingredients and dress.  It's ready as soon as you think it's ready, but as with many cold salads, the flavours combine as they sit and are much better after 24 hours in the fridge.

ENJOY!  Thanks, Marguerite!

Please visit the Zombie Tools website:
http://zombietools.net/

Oodles of poodles of love to you all, be good, always use the safety on your firearms and cut away from yourself!
-Elizabeth

OH!  I almost forgot to remind you to check back soon for recipes for Basil, Zucchini fritters and Purple-Potato, Cauliflower, and Blue-Cheese frittata!