This blog has ended. I have started again here.

Kind of a crap-out

The reality is, I don't have the energy to write up multiple posts on our amazing 5 night 20th Anniversary Trip to St. Maarten.

Suffice it to say, it was everything one hopes for in an island trip. Now granted, we haven't been to Hawaii, which, from all I hear, is one of the ultimate destinations in island vacations, but our time in St. Maarten was pretty darn nice.

I am not going to throw up a bunch of pictures here with all sorts of annotated blurbs.

Just go here, and set it on slideshow (you can adjust the speed with which you want to spend with 113 images) and you will get a flavah of our good time!

Images by Others that I Like

I think, I will try and get some rather more regular quick posts up of various things without having to worry about the images that accompany my text.

So, today I inaugurate a new series. This is when I will provide the link to an image that catches my eye and why. In many cases, I have already posted a comment to the image back on the photographers blog, so there may be a little bit of repeat here and there.

On the photoblog artographer, there was this image which I totally love because:

1. amazing but muted colors
2. the water and reflections
3. he got it all the elements from foreground to background in the frame in an integrated manner.

Do you love this?

Due to very important copyright images, I am not going to post a copy of the actual image so you'll just have to click away!

http://artographer.shutterchance.com/photoblog/gear_/

Can't Play Without Sticks - Evidently

So, we are back from St. Maarten (blog post coming up) and trying to get back in the swing of things in a non-Caribbean island way. Very hard, let me tell you. I keep looking at the island pics and sigh!

Oh well. So, back to the routine of life. It was good to see the boys and the dear daughter again. And feeling somewhat guilty, we rounded up the boys to take them to the park so they could get WET!

From our house, Dumbarton Oaks park is +/- 10 mins away on a normal day. On this day it took nearly an hour. The dutchman was cursing a bit - certainly not the easy peasy way of life we had just experienced in St. Maarten, but full on weekend traffic construction DC nonsense. How long does it take to fix a road? 500 years? AARGH!!!



The picture above is taken out the side window of the jeep. Bo is in his usual position, tongue hanging out, big smile on his face. It doesn't seem to matter where we go; it's all an adventure for them. You can sort of see the bicyclist on the top (the path we were trying to get to), the traffic cones and the line of cars behind us. Very frustrating.

We finally made it and took the straight path to the water. Many other dogs were there and Tucker, being the extrovert of the two, made some friends, but the day was basically devoted to the getting, and moving and teasing and throwing of sticks.



In our two golden household, the boys very much have preferences. Tucker is all about the sticks. Sticks all day, every day, in every situation and flavor. Bo is the tennis ball freak. Sticks are a distant second choice. But here, because we forgot to bring any balls, sticks had to suffice for Bo which totally cuts into Tucker's dominance of the stick game.



Tucker pretty much did not have a moment when he didn't have a stick in his mouth. Is he ever going to outgrow these obsession? Our backyard would really breathe a sigh of relief if he were to move on to something else ...



Luckily, there were some moments of sharing.

A Safari to the Tidal Basin

They actually call it that - a photo safari. I had signed up for my first photo group experience online not knowing what to expect. This one was billed as Sunrise with the Cherry Blossoms. Essentially, it meant turning up at the paddle boats at 6:15 armed with camara, lenses and tripod. That's right. You read that right. 6:15 am!



All I can say is I must really like to take pictures to wake-up, get dressed, and make my way in early morning dark. Sunrise was supposed to bring that wonderful light that illuminates the cherry blossom petals and makes the water glow.

Well, so I get up, get dressed, and drive to GW (no parking at the tidal basin), and take a taxi to the meet-up spot. Only, there's no sunrise. There's darkness and gray and fog.



Ha! Is it murphy's law? I was rather excited to do this photo shoot and hoped to learn some tips and techniques and get some nice pictures. I had even ordered a new fast zoom lens, the Sigma 50-150 f/2.8 just for the occassion.



Turns out I didn't learn much of anything. It wasn't really a lesson, just a faciliated group experience. What I got out of it was the safety of people around at a time and place that I would never go to alone. Surprisingly, all of the 15 or so people that signed up for this particular safari were women. I read somewhere that 51% of DSLR buyers are women, so maybe it shouldn't be so surprising. I used the tripod for the first time ever and was really clumsy with it. Seems like I will have to get some practice with it to figure things out. In the end, I mostly bagged the tripod and carryed it around with me ackwardly. Still, all in all, I'm glad I did it, and will do more of these. Hopefully, next time the light will cooperate.

Here's one of my fellow safari members taking a picture down low.



I have two favorites from the morning. Gotta make lemonade from lemons, right.





One of the benefits of being there at 7 in the morning is you catch a seat at a picnic table

Finding flaws

Don't you hate it when things you think are great have flaws? So, the other day I was heading to Whole Foods to pick up a few things and, like I often do, I had my camera slung over my shoulder.

I swear I didn't know about it ahead of time for sure, although I had the "possibility" of it in my head somewhere, but I told myself, nah, that's just paranoia.

Turns out, Whole Foods has this really paranoid and all corporatey rule about photography in their stores. As in, no photography ever. You probably knew about this already but I didn't.

So there I was, in Whole Foods and I came across a display that looked interesting. I pulled my camera up to take a picture and before I could hit the shutter for the third time, a whole foods employee came up to me to tell me not to take picture. "Corporate Policy."

I'm not sure about this, since I never really asked, but it seemed that the security guard was everywhere I was. And in fact, when checking out, there he was again at the end of the line just hanging out. Icky. Generally I am one of the converts. Love the whole vibe of the place. Ask me if I felt completely let down. I did. I will still shop at WF, like I have a lot of WF-like choices, not, but still ...

Who do you love?

The dutchman would (should :-)) say the obvious things. But there is a new love in the mix these days.



He doesn't have a name for it, like red rider or rocketman or whatever boys name their powered and mechanical toys. But the unamed toy is a thing to be savoured, and stroked and dreamed about. Or so he tells me. I can sort of relate as I have those feelings for my camera but, I don't quite think it's the same.



Like many things in life, when you buy a bike, it's just the beginning. There are endless things to attach and modify and change and improve. A couple of Saturday's ago, a very happy couple of hours was spent installing a fancy-shmancy new seat.



The installing didn't take all that long, but once you've got the tools out, and the polishing cloth is there, why, time doesn't matter. And even the boys got in the action.







They call it Honda Love

A Tale of Two Sauces

Green Sauces that is. Did you know my love for greens is not limited to salad leaves and spinach and chard? My rock-solid real greens love is reserved for herbs. And that would, of course, mean fresh herbs. Part of my spin through the market on sunday is to stock up on my herb trifecta: parsley, cilantro and dill.



Yes, there are other herbs out there. Basil, rosemary and thyme come to mind. But week in and week out, the trifecta stands tall. It's a sad day if I open the fridge and there isn't one of the big three in there waiting for me to yank a hunk for one thing or another.


Hunks of herbs to garnish are one thing, but sometimes you need the full monty. You need entire bunches to make yummy, herby green sauces.



I am sure you have your own secret stash of green sauce recipes, but that's ok, they can remain secret. I, on the other hand, will magnanimously share with you the top bananas in my stable: Green sauce, and Cilantro green sauce. Yes, I know, really exotic names for these sauces but what can I say. Green sauce can be distinguished from Cilantro green sauce by the fact that it does not, in fact, contain cilantro. Parsley and Dill are the main actors in this sauce.

And since I am really inconsistent with my exact measurements and directions, I have visual aids this week. Here is the cookbook from which the base recipe is taken from



and the page with the specifications (if you want to see the recipe, click to make the image bigger)



You can see from the picture that I have pencilled in a few extra things. Basically I take a bunch of italian parsley (flat-leaf) and a small bunch of dill and wash and rinse the mostly de-stemmed herbs. I give them a rough chop.


Ok - did you notice the knife? Yeah, it's a bit artistically buried in the mound of wonderful parsley and dill. But, for the record, it's only my favorite knife in the whole world, and it comes to me via my very generous & savvy sister (she knows the good stuff).

Here is another shot of my Shun knife just because it's knife love. Go ahead, click on the image so you can see the Shun goodness.



In the processor goes garlic (to taste 1-4 cloves; I usually add 2 small ones since even though I love garlic, sometimes it overpowers and this is one of those instances) and that gets whirred until minced. Then I stuff the parsley and dill into the processor and whirr away for awhile.



Into the bowl goes a little water, some cider vinegar, a little lemon juice, a little dijon, some olive oil and a couple of spoons of sour cream or creme fraiche. A little salt and pepper. Really, I can't even begin to figure out measurements. Take a look at the recipe and go from there, although I have to say I don't use anywhere near 1 cup of olive oil and I usually have way more than a half cup of parsley. Which doesn't really help you, I know. Experiment.



The other extra that I use is Sambal chili paste (see pic way below). It's the secret - bam - ingredient. Only use about a teaspoon or two though as it's pretty potent.

It should be smoothish - I can't get it completely pureed but that's ok. Stick it in the fridge and it will thicken up somewhat.

Cilantro green sauce (cilantro chutney) has - drum roll - cilantro as the star. This is a very piquant sauce to slather on almost anything. Well, you would slather it on everything if you were me. It's basically an Afghan green sauce that I used to obsess over many years ago when Kabul West was open in Bethesda. The cilantro chutney at at that restaurant was the highlight for me. I would always ask for seconds and thirds of the condiment as if it were the main ingredient and everything else on the menu was in support of it. Ass backwards. Alas, Kabul West went the way of many a restaurant and is no more. Luckily for me, I found a reasonable substitute and have been making it ever since. At the end of the post you will find the basic recipe. You decide what modifications you want to make.

All you do is take a bunch of cilantro, de-stem most of it and spin it dryish.

Check out this mini salad spinner from OXO. Another kitchen gadget love. I've got the baby and the big mama spinners and seriously don't know how I would live without them.



Into the food processor, chop the garlic and once in little pieces, add the cilantro, some toasted walnuts (crucial ingredient in this chutney) some cider vinegar/lemon juice, salt and pepper. The secret ingredient here again is the Sambal chili paste. Remember a little goes a long way.



It should look like this. Of course, adjust for your tastes but it's meant to be a sharp and assertive and, like the other green sauce, packed full of vitamins. Did you notice that this chutney doesn't require oil. That's not a typo.



Can you tell which sauce is which? The parsley green sauce is on the left and the cilantro chutney is on the right. I have to say, in looking at the pictures of these sauces that the parsley sauce look a bit runny and not quite creamy enough (I do believe I totally forgot the olive oil altogether which would have emulsified the sauce a bit more and it should be a tad creamier looking. But, it still tasted mighty fine and it's quite a bit thicker now than it was when I took these pics). which all goes to show just how much leeway you have with these things. Still, I'd start with the recipe from the book before you stupidly leave out things like the emulsifying oil - doh!

I don't have a long list of suggestions for what to use with these sauces. The parsley and dill sauce is a must with chilled salmon (and cooked salmon for that matter), and the cilantro chutney gets glopped onto everything and anything. And in the winter, you really can't beat these uncooked, fresh and raw green sauces to cut through all the stolid winter fare.

Enjoy.



Afghan Cilantro Chutney
(base recipe)

1 cup roughly chopped cilantro
2 garlic gloves
1 green chili
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup lemon juice/vinegar
salt

place ingredients in processor and process until a textured paste is achieved.

Another sunday, another morning at the farmer's market

I actually skipped two sundays. That's two sundays where I didn't roam the vendors and stock up on local and healthy goodies.



You know, it's sometimes good not to be too obsessive about things. I find that when I don't make it to the weekly market, I appreciate it all the more the next time I do go.





Taking the camera with me has become de riguer of course, and I am very excited about the changing nature of the market as we transition from winter to spring. But, for the moment, things are still very much in winter mode with most of the vendors. At the Dupont market, you know spring is around the corner when the hours change, as they will next sunday.





On this sunday, however, I was drawn not to the apples, my normal magnetic north (say it ain't so), but to the chard, swiss chard that is. There is no way you don't smile when you see this green. Mother nature outdid herself when she designed the stalks of chard.

Sometimes it's one color, like this orange sherbert chard



but often, one bunch of chard will be a mini rainbow






you imagine that the chard is really masquarading as an uber healthy green, when really the stalks are candy sticks



but it's not all food, healthy or otherwise at the market



the flowers and plants are just as important



the lillies were gorgeous as usual, and it's hard to resist them when they are massed together





Of course, it's even better when you combine the two

More signs of spring

I've got a date with a Photo Safari coming up next week. My first photo workshop of sorts. This one involves getting to the tidal basin at 6:15 am. Yup, you read that right. I have to be there at 6:15 to capture the cherry blossoms as the sun rises. Long-range forecast indicates rain so ask me how I will feel about the 5:00 wakeup call if it's pouring down. Fingers-crossed the forecasters are wrong.



In the meantime, when there has been nice light, and even when there hasn't, I've been out and about trying to catch a few budding signs of spring.



I am sure I am the only one who can't identify these plants, but there you have it. Still horticulturally challenged. Maybe by next spring I will actually know the name of what I am shooting.





There are some things I do know like pansies (aren't I clever?)



and tulip magnolias (or would that be tulip poplars)



and hyacinth of course



and this tree in my neighbors back yard that I have been shooting from bud to budded - I think I once knew the name but it's escaped me now

Back from Shanghai to ... the life mundane?

The Flying Dutchman returned home to a bit of nippy spring, but spring nevertheless. And spring conjures up - for the practically inclined - spring cleaning. There are a variety of tools that one can yank out of the closet for this task, but trust the Dutchman to yank out tools that are powered.



Now when I say spring cleaning, that doesn't mean hauling the rugs outside and beating them with a rug beater, or rotating the mattresses, or cleaning out the pantry. What it does mean is yard cleanup. Now do you understand the need for power?





The other thing he came home to was March Madness. It's a bit of a sad march madness for the Dutchman as, once again, his alma mater (and mine too) did not make it to the show. Still, hours of college hoops was his reward for two tough weeks in China. And despite not having UMD to root for, one does develop alternative allegiences. But, sometimes even the alternative teams disappoint (and Tucker seems to concur).



But it's the quality time with the dogs that he missed the most (of course, just below his missing of me and the dear daughter - at least I think we rate higher :-))

A Day At the Zoo

So, Friday was interesting. The Dear Daughter was up very early to catch her flight to *cough* St. Thomas *cough*. Yes, you read that right. Spring break in the Caribbean. Sigh. I can tell you that when I was 19, the casual trip to the Caribbean was not so much in my reality. Ah well.

I actually took the day off from work as the Flying Dutchman was still in Shanghai and little Tuckie had a date at the vet for his de-manning. Poor boy. I really didn't need to hang around the house as he was going to spend the night recovering at the vet, but it was a long two weeks as single mom to the boys and I felt like it. So there.

So what did I do with my day?

I went to the zoo. Alone. By myself.

Turns out, it was really, actually, surprisingly nice. I enjoyed my freedom to linger or hurry without having to answer to anyone else. Of course, in casual observation, I was the only one without a child, or a parent, or a grandparent, or a tour group, or a boyfriend/girlfriend. No matter. When you have a camera, people accept your alone-ness, as if the camera legitimizes that state. Whatever. The weather was fine and it was a really enjoyable couple of hours.

It's really worth clicking on the images to see the detail on some of these. Almost all of these were shot with my 55-200mm budget zoom. Not too shabby for an entry level zoom.

The orangutans were in fine form on their overhead transportation system, called the O Line.

There were three orangutans out on the lines. Monkey nature is as interesting as human nature. There were some fascinating power issues played out up there on the lines.

This is Kiko, the oldest and biggest male. Doesn't he look he he shouldn't be messed with?



Kiko would hunker down in the middle of a line, effectively making it difficult for the other organutans to pass and move on from tower to tower. He seemed to find it all quite normal to drive the other orangutans a bit irritated as they tried various manoeuvres to get round him.





Kiko was slow and deliberate, but the females were all quickness and grace.



Back in the outdoor areas of the Primate house, a couple of gorillas were hanging out. This is one of my favorite shots of the day. The female seems to be saying, "you talking to me?" Is the male droning on or yawning?



More interplay from the couple



What is this green stuff?



Went by the Panda quarters and one of them was out but he/she was at the back of the enclosure and my 200mm didn't have quite enough reach to get nice close-ups.



At the farm animals exhibit, the zoo workers were out and about with some animals the kids could pet like this billy goat. I just had to include this shot of the kid who was not terribly interested in the goat. Gotta love his designer sunglasses though ...



Of all the exhibits, I found the elephant house to be the most depressing. Actually, I feel quite schizophrenic about the whole zoo experience. I love to see and watch the animals. I mean, how many of us actually gets to go on an african safari? But, the very fact that they are caged and confined and gawked at makes me a little uneasy. There is something not right about that. Still, the elephants were in this ugly dusty area (not really a huge area either). They looked resigned and apathetic. It wasn't terribly hot or cold; in fact, it was perfect weather (mid to upper 60's). I took a lot of shots but ended up keeping only 2 and even then, looking at them makes me sad and wistful for their obvious intelligence and regal bearing.



There was a pond-like area where massive amounts of turtles were sun-bathing in family clusters.



The birds were also soaking up the sun



But my favorites are always gonna be the big cats. They are beautiful, vicious, striking, fascinating.





and my most favorite of the big cats? Cheetas. It's quite possible that these beautiful creatures will be extinct in my lifetime. There is something so unutterably wrong about that.

It's a Salad Day Every Day

I think I said in a former post that I take salads very seriously. It's true. If you were to ask me what food(s) I crave most often, I would most likely answer: "my salad." The thing is, "my salad" is way more than your average throw together accompaniment to dinner. All the major food groups are represented (well perhaps not all of them, but enough to past muster) in this meal in a bowl.

A few things are optional and a few are mandatory. The green part of the salad is usually some mixture of lettuces - mesclun, romaine, arugula, butterhead - I get at the farmer's market. I try very hard to not buy lettuce at Whole Foods, mostly, but not wholey, because I prefer, when possible, to eat produce produced locally. But, in as far as that is my preference, I don't not buy from Whole Foods if I haven't been to the farmer's market. You know what they say about dogma...

So, you may ask, what, pray tell, is mandatory in my salad? Mandatory is a little fungable. Well, I always cut up an apple, cold from the fridge; I almost always throw some of my agave pecans in; cut-up tomatoes, local in season, but little organic grape tomatos in winter; some sort of cheese, usually danish blue, is in the mix; and usually, but not always, a hard-boiled egg. Quite often, say 7 times out of ten, I make some bacon or little bits of fried prosciutto to toss in. So, you see, you've got quite the full spectrum of yummy, carb-free (ok, except for the apples and tomatoes, but they don't count in my universe) goodness. Greens, dairy, protein, vitamins - what more can you ask? I ask you.

But the main ingredient that I haven't mentioned, and the one that above all, will determine if I go to the hassle of all the rest of the "my salad" prep, is the dressing. Honey Shallot Vinaigrette to be exact. This dressing is the only dressing I make these days. I am sure I will tire of it, but it hasn't happened yet. If it's not made and in the fridge, then it's quite possible I will not have salad for dinner because, despite the fact that it's not hard nor time-consuming to make, when you are in the mood for "my salad," the dressing needs to be there, already made.



It's not terribly unique - I mean - how unique can a basic vinagrette be? I can thank Kathleen for the basic recipe, which I have tweaked to match my need for acid. Like all vinaigrettes, there is vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. There is also grainy dijon and honey and chopped up shallot.



I am so bad with measurements these days. Almost everything is by eye. At the end of this post I have listed the orginal recipe which should serve as a proper starting point.

Whither Spring? It's coming

it's worth clicking the image to see the detail on most of these

We all know just how much I hate February. But it seems that it does, eventually, turn into March. There are signs and signals everywhere - all of a sudden - that suggest the worst is over. Ah, but you know that March is a trickster, don't you. Still, you can't help but put the happy face on when you are out walking the dogs and spring is starting to reveal itself.

The dutchman, unfortunately, is, yet again, not here to enjoy things. And thanks to Michael, he is now the Flying Dutchman. Apropos I think. This time it's Shanghai. And for two weeks. So, for the Flying Dutchman, here's a taste of spring at home:

Forsythia (even I know that, duh!)



Cherry tree or pear or ...



So, here's where I really show my botanical ignorance, cuz I have no idea what it is



or this (same kind of bush I think, but looks very different - perhaps it gets more sun?)



more flowering something ...



and this spider cluster thingie (two views)





and of course, the dependable crocus

I've been a bad, bad girl

cue Chris Isaaks... and since this is photo post, click the images to see detail

You see, it's a disease. A disease, I tell you. It's not my fault. It's not because I am weak.

I am a lensaholic. That's right.

One lens isn't enough. Neither, apparently, is two or three. And I very much doubt that four will be either, You see, they all do different things. And, again, apparently, that matters.

So, for the record, the two new babies are the Nikkor 55-200mm VR zoom, and the Nikkor 85m f/1.8 prime lens.

The zoom is cheap as zoom's go. I haven't played with it a lot but it will be handy for those days when I want a relatively light lens that gives me a range of focal lengths. I have been having some trouble freezing the boys into nice sharp images. They won't stop moving! You may have noticed that from my many posted pictures of the boys. Almost all of them are all ever so slightly blurry; some more than ever so slightly :-). The jury is still out on whether this lens is the solution to sharp dog pics, but I think it may be a closer step. The downside is that it's absolute crap when the light fades but until then, it works fine.

This was taken all across the yard with me on my back porch. I should learn that only mad dogs and englishmen go out in the noonday sun. Rule # 10 of photography: Don't shoot picture in the harsh light of day. If you click on the image, you will see what I mean. Ouch. could have been a cute photo. (But I still love it cuz Tucker looks like a teddy bear).



Bo is not really so fierce as he seems here ... did you notice, the stick is magically suspended. I am amazed it's as focused as it is (of course, it could be lots better, but this is me taking the pics, remember). Reasonable light, although sometimes dappled light is not what you want, their coats look nice and actually a little lighter than reality. Don't think I did too much in Elements for this one. I am trying, actually, to ramp back the amount of post-processing I do for each photo. I like the natural look generally, although, I reserve the right to totally swing the other way when the mood strikes.



This was also taken from across the yard. Much better light but still a little in the harsh range. You can tell by their coats. I may have even de-saturated some of the reds and yellows, but I don't remember. Focus is good though. Happy with this one.



But it's the 85mm f/1.8 that I have fallen in love with. It's a prime lens and fast and while it doesn't auto-focus on my camera (yes, another one, sigh!), and it cost almost as much as the camera itself, I already love it. This one, and my 50mm f/1.8 give me that magic combo of sharp with creamy, dreamy backgrounds. At least theoretically. Now, I don't often get those pictures, but hopefully I will with time and practice (and a new camera on which the lenses will auto-focus, isn't that right honey!). And while the dogs pics below aren't that magic combo, I did say I need to practice. And sometimes, you want more sharpness and less fuzz.



I may be a lensaholic but the Tuckster is a stickaholic!



Is this a kiss or a cheek grab?