Sylvia's Simple Shots

A nice walk in nature on a Saturday morning with my aunt. We walked along the Sturgeon River.  The wildlife was mostly missing from this day.  A few ducks on the river, no insects to photograph and a few flowers along the path.

I did get a wicked bite on my hand when we walked through a couple hundred feet of bush to get from one parking lot to the other. 

We stopped at the Farmer's Market for fruit.  I picked up some freestone peaches and her some blueberries.

Of course, the main event was the Rock'n August car show.  I wanted to go before the festivities started so I could be gone before the crowds got too large and the noise was at a fever's pitch.

Car show participants were setting up early so we saw a lot of beautiful vehicles.

]This one reminds me of a car my Dad had in the early 70s.  Ours was white and we piled 8 kids and Mom and Dad into it.  No seat belts in those days.

There were hundreds of vehicles on display, a lot of loud music, fundraising and generally a good time being had by most.

We walked out at about 10:30 am which was half hour after it opened.  We only saw about 1/4 of the cars on display.

My sister and I were joined by my cousin this year on our annual Saskatoon picking adventure.

The price was very good as it was nearing the end of the season.  It must be a different variety than we have picked at other farms. 

I picked 2 ice cream pails which gave me 4 bags of frozen berries for this winter.

I have purchased cultured blueberries at the grocery store.  They were 2 lbs for just under $4 which was a great price.  I have 3 bags of those in the freezer.  I did manage to defrost the freezer so that is all in hand.

I read this book this week - The story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski.  The story is of a mute book growing up in Wisconsin on a farm where his parents Gar and Trudy, raise "Sawtelle Dogs". 

They use signing to communicate which is a hybrid of the traditional and a bit of their own unique way of doing things. 

Things are going very well until the Dad's brother Claude comes to stay a while after being released from prison. The brothers still don't see life in any way the same so discord rules the day.

The day comes when Gar is killed, Edgar knows more than he is aware and when the work load is too much for the two of them the brother Claude comes in to fill in the gap in more ways than one.

Later, another death occurs at the farm when Edgar is about 14 years old. Trudy sends Edgar away to keep him safe.  He takes some of his litter with him.

He roams the Chequamegon National Forest with the dogs.  Scavenging food from summer cabins along the lakes, eating berries that grow wild, and making do with very little some days.  He decides to head for Canada. When one of the dogs get hurt he receives help from a man Larry who lives in one of the cottages.  He exchanges labour for food and a place to lay his head.

The story has a very sad ending.  There are mystical aspects to the story which are intriguing.  

The story does leave some questions though for me.  

Edgar goes to school but I don't know how he manages communication there.  There are several times in the story where he is unable to communicate with those outside the family which causes problems.  There is a lot of written about raising dogs in the book. Processes, procedures, documentation, etc which at times becomes a bit long. 

Forte is a mystery dog in the story - Edgar has seen him, there is a connection with Claude. He plays a vital part but we don't know much about him.  Was he a Sawtelle dog? 

Again, Claude is clouded in mystery.  He has been in the navy.  Is that related to the bottle with oriental writing on it? 

For me the time Edgar spending in the forest and with Larry was the best part of the story.  The early part of the book was good as well. Edgar's relationship with the dogs is so good.

There were birds at the car show.  A lady brought her exotic birds to interact with the public.  I don't believe they were restrained in any way.  They sat on their perches, walked around on the ground and returned to perches as they wanted to.

She had African Grey Parrots, Cockatoos and Blue and Yellow Macaws.

On the left, are African Grey parrots who live from 40-60 years in captivity.  Often a succession plan is needed to ensure their care beyond the life of their owners.  Love the red tails.

The Macaws are huge birds.  

I have seen them at zoos before but to see them sitting outside along the river was wonderful.

It's been a good week with a bit of very hot weather but not overwhelming.

Saskatoons

I picked 2 ice cream pails of saskatoon berries today.  

Between my sister and I we picked 6 pails some of which are for Mom and another sister.

It rained over night so the bushes were wet but overall it was very good picking.

We visited a new place this year which has acres of bushes!  They opened on Monday and we picked on Wednesday but it was easy to pick around the unripe ones.  This gave me 4 plastic bags in the freezer.   

We visited the ice cream place nearby after we had cleaned our berries and has supper.  It was great dessert and they had Maple Walnut hard ice cream.  The best.

This was one of the first times where we got a little closer to NORMAL.  We are all vaccinated so we were careful but it was very good.

There was a couple of good storms - one was just wind and bluster but the second one was pea sized hail.  My car was protected in the garage.  

Thanks so much!  I  also got 4 freezer bags of BC Blueberries.

Recent Photos

I was so thrilled to see my first BIG bird.   I was at Patricia Lake early one morning this week and investigated a white patch across the water.

It was a Blue Heron.  This is the best shot I got and was hoping he had decided to go fishing or at least stand but he was content to sit there and look at me.

I will go back in a few days but they must into migration already headed to the States so it likely will not be there when I return.

This creature was a more cooperative.  It is a Yellow Dragonfly.  I love the bright spots a the ends of its wings!

The structure on it's back where the wing attach is very interesting and detailed.

It has big eyes and looks like a being a person could connect with.

I was glad to have spotted it in the yellow green grass in the meadow.

This the latest book I had on my night stand.  "The Road to Paradise Island" by Victoria Holt.  My Mom had read the book and passed it onto to me.  I enjoyed the book very much.



Annalice Mallory, the sheltered daughter of a family of map makers, discovers the cryptic diary of her long-dead ancestor that includes a map of a mysterious far-of island. Philip, Annalice's brother, sets sail for the island, lured by the promise of incomparable riches to be found. But when he doesn't return, Annalice sets out to find him -- and the secrets of the diary -- in a desperate journey that leads her through the worlds' most exciting outposts . . . and finally to the tropical islands of the South Seas, where she encounters heart-stopping peril, but also the promise of love.

I found the discovery of the diary very compelling.  She grows up from a teenager to an independent woman during the experience of searching for her ancestor.  Set in England in the early 1900s and included travel on a ship to Australia. It all ends well in the end. 

Eleanor Alice Burford Hibbert (1906–1993), better known to readers as Victoria Holt, Philippa Carr, and Jean Plaidy, was one of the world’s most beloved and enduring authors. Her career spanned five decades, and she was heralded as the “Queen of Romantic Suspense.” She continued to write historical fiction under the name of Jean Plaidy and romantic suspense as Victoria Holt until the time of her death.

Of course, it is time to harvest so I was fortunate to be able to pick raspberries in a friend's patch on 2 Sundays.  The first Aug 4th garnered enough to make a double batch of Raspberry Bavarian with my Mom's recipe.  I shared half with my sister and brother in law when I visited to pick saskatoon berries last week.  I have frozen a container of raspberries with enough to make Bavarian again!  I picked saskatoons at our regular UPick - Farrant Junction on Wednesday last week.  The berries were really nice and big and the picking was easy.  I picked 2 ice cream pails which made 4 bags of berries for the freezer.

I was driving down to my sisters to pick berries and it rained the whole way.  I was concerned berry picking would not happen.  I was prepared to pick in the rain if necessary. We decided to make our other preserves on Tuesday and hope of better weather on Wednesday. I made chutney and she made berry syrup which she serves with club soda on a hot day.

I stuck to last year's recipe with a few tweeks.
I halved the sugar in the recipe this year but did add a few extra dried cranberries.
I added garlic which was not in the original recipe but I like it.
I switched from dark raisins to golden raisins to keep the color in the gold colors.

I made 6 one cup jars this year.  That will be plenty.  I have some leftover jars from my experiments last year.  It is great to spend time with family and put some good food away for winter.

Sharing with Through My Lens #203 hosted by Mersad.

Harvesting and Preserving

My sister and I had a conversation about chutney. She had received some yummy plum chutney from a friend and we decided to get together and see what we could make.  After some research on the web I decided on an Apricot Ginger Raisin Chutney and she decided on a Black Currant Chutney.  This is my chutney in the pot while it cooked down.   Once the right consistency and flavor we put it into jars and processed in hot water bath for 15 minutes.  

I am enjoying mine with cheese and crackers on these hot days of +30C temperatures.  I chose to put cranberries and dark raisins in mine instead of golden raisins.  I think I will go with golden raisins next time so it gives it more of a warm look and cut back on them as well.  I loved the taste before processing but I am finding it a bit too sweet and not enough punch from the cider vinegar eating it a few weeks after processing.  I am appreciating putting away my own food rather than depending on stores for over sweet and over processed condiments.  With the abundance of fruit at this time of year it is ideal to put some summer in a jar for winter.

With no more access to Mom's great raspberry patch I was wondering if I would get some this year.  A friend with raspberries was going away for the weekend at the end of June and I could have the one day of picking the raspberries if I watered the plants and garden.  I was is in!  With a great hose that reaches everything watering was no big deal.

I picked less than a gallon but I had my fill of eating them fresh and I made Raspberry Bavarian which was one of my favorite things my Mom made.  I have posted the recipe before in this post.  I got 8 servings by doubling the recipe and I have enjoyed it as a treat for at least week.  Perfect!

On July 24th my sister and I visited our favorite Saskatoon u-pick farm for our yearly picking. We picked later in the day around 4:30 pm.  Some trees were completely ripe and the picking was great!


I picked 3 gallons. After cleaning I froze 5 bags of  fruit which will taste great on my breakfast during the winter months.  I also brought some home fresh to eat for the week.  Yummy in my tummy.



Sharing with Share Your Cup #301 hosted my Jann at Daily Cup with Mrs. Olson.

Recent Photos

My window sill art for this morning.  It's nice to spend a few minutes putting together small arrangements to enjoy through out the day and week.  My trip to the thrift store added the small green vase to this sill.  You can check out this post for the details on how I discovered this art.

I finished this book this week.  It is about a female war photo journalist who followed in her father's foot steps.  After her father passes away she goes through his large collection of photos to produce a book of his work.  She discovers some interesting photo which leads to the secret the family and friends have been hiding from her.

The locales of Venise, Nice, and New York make for some terrific back stories.  Who would not love to live in a large house in France with a house keeper.

The relationship with the 3 sister was interesting but I found the love relationship was to tumultuous for me.  He is a war correspondent as well which adds wrinkles.






This morning was a breakfast of yogurt, rolled oats and saskatoon berries.  I had some Rooibos Chai tea steeped in a cute leaf green tea pot.

The green plate under my cereal bowl is very old and dates back to the 30's  by the Stanley Potteries in England.  I bought it because it reminds me of dishes my Mom had when I was a kid.

I was very fortunate to put away several bags of saskatoon berries last summer.  Delicious.

The white tea cup and saucer is by Johnson Brothers - White Regency.

I have 4 set which can easily be paired with my Blue Nordic or blue "Hunter".  The Rooibos Chai is a great tea and I discovered in my cupboard a bag which is several years old but having been stored in Tupperware still tastes great.

Sharing with
Jann at Daily Cup with Mrs. Olson who hosts Share Your Cup #288
Bernideen who hosts Friends Sharing Tea
Ruth who hosts Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Share Your Cup - This Week

I had a visit with my sister in the last couple of days.  We planned our annual saskatoon picking to coincide with a paper crafters garage sale being held in a Red Deer.

I certainly do no need anymore paper so I was looking for some tea related tools. 
My niece had send a wish list as well.  We managed a few things on her list.
I brought home a nice balloon die (maker unknown), Stampin Up Stars Framelit dies, a punch to make 2 holes for the center of a button, some sheets of dark green card stock and some free chipboard. All for less than $15.  Excellent.  I have the stamp set which coordinates with the Star dies.

We headed to Gull Lake in hopes of getting some sunset shots.  A storm had passed earlier in the evening and these clouds remained which hid the sunset.  It was very cold and as you can see the water was very choppy. No bird photos either. 

We did stop at the village store and got some great Maple Walnut ice cream cones. Yum!

We had to enjoy them in the car as it was not nice enough to sit outside.






My sister has a wonderful garden so she brings fresh flowers for her vase regularly.  They add lot to a table.  She had calendulas and dahlias in her vase this day.

We had tea from a new to her tea pot.  What a lovely tea pot.  It is stainless steel double walled Dorothee by Bredemeijer which is a manufacturer in the Netherlands.

I can see photographing it presents certain challenges but it is really lovely.  She purchased it a thrift store but upon research on line this is a pricey teapot.

Of course, I had Masala Chai.

We picked saskatoons at the U Pick just north of Blackfalds.  The clusters were all ripe and picking went fairly fast.  We picked 3 ice cream pails in a couple of hours.  Excellent. On the left is a pail of the berries. I freeze them on a flat pan like a cookie sheet or pizza tin so that they don't stick together. They are then placed in a freezer bag, later I can remove just the amount I need.

Sharing with Jann at Daily with Mrs. Olson who hosts Share Your Cup #257.

Saskatoon Berries - Very Good

My sister and I found some wonderful Saskatoon Berries at a U Pick orchard.  Central Alberta's crop was mostly wiped out by frost when the flowers were in bloom.  Our regular place had none.  That has to be tough when that is their business.
We started searching and finally found this place, Saskatoon Valley Orchards.  The berries were plentiful, all ripe, easy to pick and we had a blast.  The price was good as well. The variety is Thiessen.

Check it out if you want berries for the freezer.

Blues Mosaic

I prepared this mosaic then was reminded that Mosaic Monday is on a break till next week so I'm posting it anyway.

I decided to go with blues. I placed a sky with clouds as my background. I took this hosta flower this week. I found the edges of the petals looked like a photo filter but this is just how I took it with a bit of a crop.  The fountain was looking good and feeling cool.  The last of my fresh saskatoon berries for breakfast on this last week.  The blue fountain in the park a couple of blocks away.  The sound of moving water is so terrific.  This large purple blue flower was in a flower bed close enough to the sidewalk so as to not invade their yard to take the picture.

Enjoy your week!

Great Weekend!

These are pics from my weekend.
The first 2 pictures are from the feature pyramid at Muttart.  Theme is Journey to Middle Earth.  The hobbit house is terrific and Smaug the dragon had "fire" coming from it's nostrils.
On Saturday, I joined my sister to pick saskatoon berries at a U-Pick.  They were just perfect. We picked Nan King Cherries also but I forgot to take a picture.
Jasmine Green Tea Dragon Pearls which I received from a friend.  It was very good!
I have been craving hot dogs roasted on an open fire.  My brother in law made the fire and the hot dogs were just as I had imagined!  Thanks.
The canola fields are turning a wonderful yellow. I chose to have the barn in the background.
It was a perfect Alberta summer weekend.

Submitting this to Mosaic Monday hosted by Judith at Lavender Cottage.