Baker's Corner: Christmas Cookies

I have a tradition of making Pepparkakor every year at Christmastime. My Grandma Norma used to make them, and I carried on the tradition. They are the Swedish version of gingerbread cookies, but thinner. However, the past couple of years my mom has baking them. I love them, but we don't need that many pepparkakors. This year I thought I'd try my skills on something different. 

Macarons

You may recall that I took a macaron class recently. I was super excited after the class, so I thought I'd make some macarons this year. To make them Christmas-y I decided on pistachio since it's green. Yay!

Let me tell you, macarons are not just mix the dough and throw in the oven type cookies. It takes time and patience. You need to be careful, and precise. These suckers took me all day. I ended up having to through three rounds of them too (the first time I accidently used blue food coloring, the second I mixed up 0.7 vs. 7 ounces, and the third time was a charm). On top of that, I had to make pistachio paste and buttercream. But I was determined, and the result was totally worth it. Now oogle over them please.

This isn't the recipe I used, but it's pretty close. If you're so inspirated. Check it out.

Candy Cane Cookies

I didn't want to leave it at just macarons. I wanted to make a cookie that screamed Christmas. I found these Candy Cane cookies and knew these fit the bill. To make them, I had to find the special kisses. Don't they look tasty?

Well, they are tasty. And they are even tastier in a cookie. They are sort of like peanut butter kisses, but pepermint style. And don't let the peppermint scare you; they aren't over-powering. (Note: I did use the peppermint extract, but I used only half what the recipe called for).

 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oh no, it didn't stop there. For weeks Josh has been begging for chocolate chip cookies. Poor guy. I told him this is the holiday season and is strictly for holiday cookies. Chocolate chip cookies fall into the year around cookie category and shouldn't take up good holiday-cookie-baking time. But he looked so sad, so I gave in. The recipe I've picked up later is from Pioneer Women. The secret ingredient is instant coffee - you can't taste the coffee, but it adds a lil' something-something to the cookie. It adds depth to the cookie (oh yea, that sounds good...depth). Recipe: Click here. Adjustments: I used all butter (skip the margarine); used all semi-sweet chocolate chips; the instant coffee I used was VIA; the flax seed I ground in an old coffee grinder. Boom.

 

By the way, did I mention I made these cookies all in one weekend? Yes, I'm crazy like that. I think the next batch will be after Christmas.

Party...On A Boat

Yes, I was at a party on a boat. You know...On A Boat! (Oh, you're not "in the know" - well, I'm referencing this SNL skit). So yea, I'm on a Boat. 

The party (on a boat) was actually my office party. Our office is cool like that...to have a party on a boat. Must be all the creative juices that flow in our office. 

It was Thursday night, and we all got dressed up in our cocktail attire. Don't we look smashing?

 

The party, that was on a boat, was on the MV Skansonia - actually an old ferry boat. There was all sorts of drinks, food, and sweets. I especially enjoyed the cake pops. Look at these goodies (picture taken by a fellow co-worker. I forgot to take pictures...too much fun!).

Oh, and did I say there was a flipbook booth. You heard me right, a flipbook booth. You remember those little books that you fan through really quickly that show a little movie? Josh and I had a pretty awesome video.

The Flipbooth

So, that's about it. We ate, drank, danced, talked, flipbooked, and had a jolly good time. Thanks Uncle Responsys!

Christmas is a-Glow

Look at our Christmas tree! It's all a-glow. Isn't it beautiful? I have a secret on how to take this photo. Check out this blog. Or, here's the stats: ISO 3200, f/1.8, ss30th. Note: You'll need a DSRL camera. 

With the same camera settings, I also got these shots:

 

As for the tree, we bought it the first weekend of December. Growing up my family always bought the tree mid-December. For me, this always seemed way too close to Christmas. You put all this effort into decorating it, so why not enjoy it for the whole month. So now, that's exactly what Josh and I do. 

Here's us at the tree lot. We caught a nice 30 minute window of no rain. Sweet!

The Christmas season is here, and I'm all a-glow! 

Mastering Macarons

Saturday I took a most awesome class at Sur La Table called Mastering Macarons. I went with my fellow baker and friend, Beth.

It was not just some demo class, but a hands-on class where you get to do the baking with a professional guiding you. The instructor, Mary, was a quirky one, but also quite qualified. She made it funny and informational.

There were about fifteen of us (or so), and we broke out into four groups and we each got our own workstation. Beth and I lucked out and got our own station, right next to the instructor...score!

For the class, the instructor would show us a technique, and then we got to try it out ourselves. Each station got a different flavor macaron. We got banana.

Some tips I learned, and will now share with you (because your special):
- Take the egg whites out at least three hours ahead of time
- Shift the flour four times (yes, four!)
- Don't over beat the eggs - soft peeks, not stiff peeks
- Wait to put the macarons in the oven (patience, my friend)
- Cool them upside down

Some of the flavors we all baked were: chocolate, hazelnut, pistachio, and banana. For fillings we made: chocolate ganache, banana, and praline buttercream. Look at these beauties...

Next weekend's challenge is making some on my own. Yay!

Wedding Then Anniversary

I was originally going to break this up into two posts, but time kept slipping away. Then as I was taking a shower this evening (yes, I'm a night shower person, deal with it), I had a revelation...wedding, anniversary, those go hand-in-hand, I can easy make into one.

And so, my friends, this is a single post about my two weekends in November that involved a wedding one week and an anniversary the next.

First, the wedding. 

Josh and I headed down to see our college friend, Manuel, get hitched. And Josh was special enough to be in the wedding. What better place to see your college friend get married, than at the church on your old campus, eh?

It was nice to be back in our old stomping grounds and hanging out with "the gang" - just like the good, old days (wow, I'm already using that phase). However, it was weird to be in our old stomping ground, but not living there. It's not like you need to do tourist stuff. So then there's shopping, but we only brought a small suitcase (and there's that money thing). 

But I digress; back to the wedding talk. The wedding was very beautiful. Alley, the bride, now friend, was gorgeous and radiating happiness. I just love weddings. They are just so happy! The ceremony was at the Mission Church, and the reception was at Dolce Hayes Mansion. I have to give it to the bride & groom, they went all out with the reception. There were chandeliers, uplights, and a photo booth. 

 

Did I mention, there was a photo booth? Oh yea, we had fun with that. Good times were had by all. And so as not to bore you with all my pictures, here's a college. Or better yet, check out the wedding photographer's photos.

Next, the Annivesary.

Big news for my parents...they have been married 40 years. That's a mighty long time together, and they're still going strong. I flew down home to join in the celebrations.

We did all the usual Heather-at-home activities. We went to Honey's for breakfast (I got a muffin, big surprise). We went to the Forum, UTC, and Golden Spoon yogurt. But, the big event was Saturday night dinner for the big celebration.

We went to a restaurant called Hexagone in Hillcrest (French, of course). Sadly, the restaurant didn't live up to our expectations (this reviewer says it all for me). But, all that aside, it was good to be with friends and family.

Brunch at the Cottage the next day made up for Hexagone's mistakes. We had them put candles in the french toast, and they gave my mom a free bag of granola. And everyone was happy once again.

It was great to celebrate with my parents on their big 40th anniversary, and I'm so glad I was able to fly down and join in the fun.

Now, you know why I was so busy in November. Two back-to-back weekends of travel, with crazy busy work weeks in between. I think I'm almost caught up now, almost. ; )

Turkey Eating

As I mentioned in my post on Thanksgiving, Josh and I were doing Thanksgiving on our own this year. As you may have picked up from reading my blog, I actual enjoy the kitchen. I decided to take on the turkey challenge this year. Alright, not a whole turkey, but a turkey breast (and I got a thigh, too - that sounds funny). 

You can't have turkey without all the fixings, so make a couple of sides, too. To Josh's dismay I passed on stuffing this year. Honestly, I haven't found a stuffing I really like. And with me being the cook, I decided it was not a priority. However, I did make my favorite Sweet Potato Casserole (recipe here). It's oh-so-good. It's practically dessert! And to tempt you more, it's from Cooking Light, believe it or not! 

I also make some Brussels Sprouts. I steared away from my usual Brussels sprouts recipe this year to try a different variation, Caramelized Brussels Sprouts (recipe here). This recipe is from a blog I've recently started following called Eat Live Run. She has some pretty good looking food, and these sprouts didn't disappoint. Plus they are on the stove top and my oven was busy. 

To wrap up the food goodness, I made a Sweet Potato Pie. Now, I was extremely worried about this pie. You can ask my mom or Josh -- I talked to them both as it was in the oven. I said, "I just don't know, it's not setting." I was very upset. All this time to make it by scratch and it was failing. NOOO! But, luckly I was wrong. The pie came out great. In fact, it was crazy delicious. I wish I could mail you a piece. I think it's the strusel topping that took it to the next level. I'm salavating now. I should go grab a slice.

Do I have you begging for the recipe now? Okay, my Thanksgiving gift to you...

1. Make a crust. I grabbed the crust from this recipe. (I actually want to make that pie too)

2. Make the rest of the pie using this recipe. (I bet you can use this strusel topping on any pie!)

3. Bake and eat. 

I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving. Now....on to Christmas!!!

Give Thanks

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

As corney and cliche as it sounds, today I've been thinking of how thankful I am for my husband, family, friends, and country. I love you all so very much. Now...let's eat Turkey!

Okay, not quite yet with the turkey. It's still in the oven, but it smells heavenly. It's just Josh and I this year sharing a little feast of our own. I'll share photos and recipes later (if it turns out good that is, if not, I don't want to share any "loser" dishes, ya know?!). 

We started our Thanksgiving out with some Peet's Coffee (I had a delicious Gingerbread latte...yum!). I thought their coffee carrier turkey was too cute:

 

While I cook and wait for my food, I thought I'd enjoy a nice glass of sweet, sparkling white wine. I just bought it at Whole Foods this morning - Fior d'Arancio. So delicious. Me and sweet wine! Probably why I'm so sweet (cough cough). And you guesssed it, we're having Brussels sprouts as a side dish (see the prep work going on behind my glass?).

And while you wait for your supper, or get over the food comma, have some laughs with this guide to Williams Sonoma that I found. HA! 

Still Here

Dearest Blog-reader friends,     

I am still alive. I am still goign to write this blog. I am sorry. 

Seriously, I've been away the past two weekends and the week inbetween the weekends have been hectic. But fear not, I have lots of good content to wirte about and I'll be writing again soon.

Forgive me?

Sincerely,
Heather Joy

P.S. Until I write again, feel free to draw some stick men.

Circling Seattle

Back at the beginning of October, Josh and I visited the latest addition to the Seattle skyline, the Great Wheel Seattle (or simply known as a ferris wheel). 

It's a pretty cool ferris wheel on the Seattle waterfront. It is enclosed, so less freaky for me (recalling my freak-out going in the Chicago ferris wheel). And it keeps out the rain. Luckily, it wasn’t raining when we went around (but it rained shortly after--hey, this is Seattle, what do you expect?). 

 

You know what else? It goes around not just once, but five times. That’s five times more than Chicago’s wheel (sorry Chicago, just sayin’). 

As you circle around, you can see Puget Sound, ferries, and skyscrapers. 

 

I think just the ferris wheel itself is cool. All the beams, and the shape. It just interests me. Is that weird? 

 

All in all, it’s a nice addition to the Seattle skyline. We enjoyed our go-around, and it was a great activity for Josh’s birthday.

Bakers Corner: Pumpkin

I know I already told you about pumpkin. But when you love somethinig, you really feel the need to share it (or push it upon others). Really, you MUST try this. I KNOW you'll love it. Hee Hee.

Josh asked me the other day, "Do you think you'll get tired of pumpkin?" My answer was, "Nope." I will not tire. I will continue to eat pumpkin everything all season. In fact, I'll eat it all through fall, winter, and into spring if I can help it. 

So, let's talk about pumpkin. My favorite so far this season...Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. No joke, these were a HIT. A hit with our church friends, a hit with my co-workers, a hit with Josh and me. They were heavenly.

You're probably drooling. No? Well, out of the kindness of my heart, I'll share the recipe. I combined two recipes: Use this for the Whoopie cookie, then use this filling instead. Have fun with that.

Wait? You want more? Alright, if you insist. I also made a tasty pumpkin coffeecake.

This was very good. And guess what, if you want, you can eat it for breakfast. Here's the Recipe.

Today I'm either going to make Pumpkin Toffee Cookies, or Pumpkin Gingersnaps. Tough decision.

Oh, and I ain't done yet. I don't always bake, you know. I buy tasty things too. Like these pumpkin macaroons that we picked up on our fly-by trip to the Bay Area from Chantal Guillon. I've recently discovered my like of macaroons. So light and tasty with a slight crunch. I'll have to try to make them myself someday (but they seem kinda hard to make). Aren't these little treats cute?

 

I will leave with this: pumpkin is everywhere. In your ice cream, in your coffee, in your donuts...everywhere. Get with it, and eat it.

 

Bay Area Fly-by

I'll keep this post short...mainly because the trip was short. Super short. Like 24 hour where 7 of those hours were sleeping, short. But, it was sweet...short and sweet, that is.

Last weekend we were doing in the Bay Area from Nick and Annie's wedding. Nick is Josh's cousin, who also happened to go to Santa Clara University. We headed down on Saturday morning to catch the wedding Saturday late afternoon. Unfortunately, we got stuck with fog. Darn you SFO and your stupid fog! And luck was not our side, as the rental car line was crazy long, and there was random traffic on the 101. Sigh.

Alas, we missed the ceremony, but we made it in time for the reception. We were bummed to miss the ceremony (it was at SCU Mission!), but...

Luckly, the reception was a blast. It was at the Allied Arts Guild which was a top runner when Josh & I were considering getting married in the Bay Area. It's a little gem of a place in the middle of a Palo Alto neighborhood.

 

Nick and Annie were a beautiful couple, and we were happy we made it (or, at least to part of it!).

Sunday we had breakfast with the family. Being Seattle coffee snobs, we were sure to grab a coffee nearby at Philz Coffee (I mean, who wants hotel coffee!). This place seems to be all the rage. They do the pour over method. Not half bad...

Before hitting up the airport, we made a quick escape Now, where do you suppose I'd go if I got 30 minutes time in the Bay Area? If you know me, you know it's...YUMI.

 

And that was basically it. Fly down, party, sleep, hang with family, yogurt, fly home. A fly-by trip for sure. And we came home to this:

Good Stuff

Ahh, I'm seriously behind on my blog. So, please take this time to enjoy some random, but fun links I've compiled.

*Dog Shaming - This was "trending" a few weeks ago. But, it's freaking hiliarious and cute at the same time. Those naughty animals.

*This Advertising Life - Okay, you may only get this if you're in the advertising slash marketing slash creative world. But, I think it's awesome. And too true. But for all of you in an office, this might resonate.

*Bloopers - Now, who doesn't like a good bloopers wheel?

*Anderson Cooper - You didn't see this? Really, you're

*Go Pugs - I this this is pretty funny. My favorite is the last pug picture with the googles.

*What to Read - You just finished a great book and you don't know what's next. Check out this handy 

Over and out. 

Goodbye Summer

Goodbye summer, it's been nice, hope you find your paradise ... I've really enjoyed my stay, but I must be moving on. Come on, sing along...

Okay, that was dorky, but that is literally what I start singing to myself when I hear, "goodbye summer." That's me; welcome to my world.

Now let's officially say goodbye to summer by revisiting some moments (via Instagram):

 

In June, Josh took me to Cave B Inn for my birthday. We stayed in a Yurt. It was so beautiful there, but so windy. We thought we were going to blow away that night.

I switched decades this year. I turned the big 3-0. Sigh. Ahh well, doesn't really feel much different anyways.

 

After living in Seattle for two years, we finally made it to the Woodland Park Zoo. I realized that I was spoiled as a kid with the San Diego Zoo. But, who doesn't like to see giraffes and tigers?

I made my first ever whoopie pie and it won Crowd Favorite at the Oddfellow's Annual Whoopie Pie Contest. Mine was a lemon lavendar whoopie pie. Yummie.

  

My parents came and visited us, and we all headed out to Leavenworth. It was hot, but the pretzels and beer made up for that.

Seattle gave us some awesome weather. We got to see the sun for three entire months, it was glorious. This sunset was taken over in West Seattle.

 

For work I went out to New York City for a two day onsite. I got to slip away for a few hours and be a tourist. Now, I want to go back and be a total tourist.

Or, why not be a tourist in your own town? Josh and I like to do that. We go downtown to Pike Place Market and walk around. I just love the flowers there. I heart Seattle.

 

I really enjoyed this morning. The sun was shining, I had a steamy cup of coffee, and my PB and banana biscuit was on its way. Loving the mornings (only if it's after 9am though - one must sleep in).

Josh has had a hankering to go to the EMP Museam forever. When a German girl visited us (that's another story), we took her here. It was the history of Seattle music. A fun music if you're into music. 

 

We rarely see Mount Rainer in the winter/spring because it's so gray and rainy. Summer is the magical month when we drive around town and can see the mountain towering in the distance. You know what I think when I see it, "man, what if that think erupted!" (Yes, I'm morbid like that).

We took our annual, big trip to Vegas and Zion. This is the Eiffel Tower in Vegas, not Paris (but if we were in Paris, that would have been awesome). But Vegas was fun, especially since the last time I saw it, I was about 8 years old. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas (or not).

 

As I said above, our big trip for the year was in Zion. My in-laws where there and we all had a blast. The picture is of our "backyard" for the week. Not too shabby, eh?

I baked a ton. Even in the warm weather, I baked. I love baking. These nutella banana cookies were the bomb.

 

You can't let summer go by without a little happy hour and mojitos. Mojitos are a fav of mine.

I rocked these pink heart sunglasses. I'm pretty cool. And that ice cream was oh-so-good.

And that, my friends, was our summer. Now...

Hello Fall. 

You had me at Pumpkin

It's no secret, I love pumpkin. When fall hits I get super excited because it means pumpkin time. If you add pumpkin to any food name, I'm instantly attracted to it. Pumpkin cookies, pumpkin cake, pumpkin latte, pumpkin pasta...you get the idea. 

For me, Saturday was a pumpkin-full day. For breakfast it was pumpkin pancakes, then a pumpkin smoothie in the afternoon, and to top it off, Pad Pumpkin for dinner. Can it get any better? Well, getting dessert would have been nice, like a pumpkin froyo, but I guess you can't get everything.

 

So the pancakes were quite good. Next time, I might add more sugar (maybe double it) because I have a pretty crazy sweet tooth. If you put maple syrup on top, though, that does a pretty bang up job. Here's the recipe. It's actually pretty quick & easy. You should do it.

Then there is the pumpkin smoothie. When I had my first sip, I knew there was a reason why I was stalking Jamba Juice the past few weeks. It was heaven...pumpkin pie in a smoothie. Can I even call it a smoothie? It's so creamy, good I think it must be a shake. Oh man, go to Jamba. Do it.

A tip from a girl that loves Thai food: get the pumpkin stuff. Pad pumpkin, pumpkin curry, pumpkin whatever, it's guaranteed to be delish. They use kabocha pumpkin, and it's so tender and sweet. Yumm.

So, anyways, that was my day of pumpkin. But, it doesn't stop there. Pumpkin must be had all season. Here's so ways to get more pumpkin:

Pumpkin Beer and Cider - Now, I don't like beer. Not one bit. Josh is always trying to get me to drink beer. So, I tried pumpkin cider. It was awesome. This had none of that hoppy stuff, just plain sweet. Go try Woodchuck Pumpkin Cider, you won't regret it. Or, if you like beer, so far, Josh's favorite is Pumking. 

Pumpkin English Muffins - My mother in law told me about these precious things. How can you go wrong? With a lil' butter or cream cheese. A nice late-night snack. Oh yes, these do exist.

Pumpkin Froyo - This is my FAVORITE. If you know me, you know why. My two loves froyo + pumpkin married together in total awesomeness. 

The list is endless, here is all sorts of Pumpkin Treats, but I have my eye specifically on this one next, Pumpkin Cinnamon Strusel Coffee Cake. Oh gosh, or these bad boys. Or, have I died and gone to heaven cupcakes. Eh hem, muffins anyone? Too much to bake, too little time. 

Pumpkin is the best. Now EAT IT.

Vegas - Zion Recap

Now that it's been a week, my trip seems like a long ago memory. A great memory, but feels like ages since I was there. But, I'm not ready to let go yet, so let's do a quick recap of what we did on our trip.

Saturday & Sunday: We arrived at the Las Vegas airport, and that's where we started our trip. I can't tell you what happened there because...what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Okay, we're not that crazy, I'll tell you. We walked around the hotels, ate some good food, and saw a fab show. Read more at my post: What Happens in Vegas

 

Monday: Mostly a driving day. Don and Nada drove us out to Zion. We did a stop for delicious shakes in St. George. Banana Cream Pie shake, uh hello delicious. Once we arrived at Zion, we did a quick park preview, and had dinner in town. 

Tuesday: This was basically my introduction day to Zion. We went to the lodge, took the tram, checked out the visitor center and natural museum, and had lunch at the lodge. Then we headed to the east side of the park to capture some pictures of hoodoos and of Checkerboard Mesa. Isn't hoodoo a fun word? Are you even sure you know what it is? Here's a photo:

 

Wednesday: Did you know the Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Zion are all on the Colorado Plateau? We took the day to go visit Bryce. What a crazy place?! You just look at the canyon and see thousands of hoodoo and doohoos (I made up the 2nd word). Read all about my day on my post: Flip Flopping in Bryce

Then, on our drive back, we saw buffalo - right up against the fence! And some big horn sheep, which I hear is rarther rare (and we saw a whole herd!). And captured a cool tree. Ready it on: Buffalo, Sheep, and a Tree

Thursday: This was our big hike day. We hiked the Narrows. Basically you hike through the river with towering canyon walls on either side of you. Crazy awesome, and beautiful. Probably one of the best hikes I've done in my life. Read my post (do it): Walking in Water

Friday: Do you love lazy days? I do. So relaxing. Friday was pretty relaxing (and time to recuperate from the hike). We celebrated our anniversary with a tasty lunch at the Flying Monkey (great pizza, btw). We randomly saw my Aunt Jan & Uncle Dave at the grocery store - crazy weird. We picked apples at the orchard, I make a dang good apple crumble. To top if off, we visited Grafton. Read more: Ghost Town and a Tractor

Saturday: We did some driving in a beautiful area called Kolob for the first part of the day. We saw some changing colors of fall. And just some beautiful sites. At the end of the day, we saw incredible petroglyphs. Can you believe people like 7000 years ago roamed the Earth? Hear more about my thoughts on this matter: Off the Beaten Path

 

Sunday: Today was a celebration day...Nada's Birthday (my mother-in-law). We did a little walking around Springdale, and then enjoyed some time at the spa. Ahhh spa.

Monday: What a sad day...our last day. We finished it with a hike to Emerald Pools. Then it was back to Las Vegas airport and back home. Tear.

 

What a great trip! 

"Iconic" Zion

1 Year Anniversary

Today I'm playing the "last year at this time, I was..." game. It's hard to believe its already been a year. Dang, time flies. To clue you in on what was happening last year at this time, I was getting married!

No joke, it was the happiest day of my life. And this past year has been fabulous. I've heard that the first year of marriage is the hardest. If this is true, then the rest is gonna be pretty darn good. I'm a happy girl.

Let's do a flash back to the wedding...

The Bride and Groom:

Family, Wedding Party, and more:

Good times. Good memories. And Happily Ever After. 

Happy Anniversary to us! 

Off the Beaten Path

There is a secret in Zion, and it's off the beaten path. There are petroglyphs in some of the mountain sides, but it's off an un-marked trail. Once you get there, signs are posted about the petroglyphs...you just have to be "in the know" to see them.

Just think about it. People were roaming around Zion 7000 years ago (some even earlier). That's a looong time ago. It's hard to even fathom what that must have been like, or what the people were like. Crazy thought; blows my mind. And they left us signs and cool drawings of their lives. 

These petroglyphs are very clear, which I found amazing. Here we have towering mountains created by the erosion of water, wind, etc and yet these survived. They are in a overhang, and sheltered area, so that probably helped. Look at these:

You can see rivers, people, sheep, and a series of circles (of life?). There were hunters, and some others we couldn't quite pinpoint. Check out the bigger pictures of the petroglyphs on my Flickr page.

Speaking of "off the beaten path," we did something else that fits into this catagory. We had a picnic on the top of mesa in Zion at sunset. To get to the mesa, we had to go onto a dirt path (again, not really marked), and up the side of the mesa, on a single car, dirt road. Yikes!

Don and Nada found this special spot exploring one day. What a great find! We certainly enjoyed our meal, and the view. Not to mention, a beautiful sunset.

Need a closer look at that gorgous view. Oh, well try this:

That's us. Trail blazers. 

Ghost Town and a Tractor

All my life I assumed a ghost town had ghosts; that it was haunted. I don't think anyone has ever told me this directly, but I just assumed with the word ghost. I guess I assumed incorrectly. Apparently it's just a town that has been abandoned. 

Or so they think, how could a town that was first flooded, and then attacked by Indians, not have ghosts? I'm pretty sure there must be a ghost roaming somewhere, right? Think about it.

When I was there, I didn't get goosebumps, or feel a cool breathe on my neck, but I did see a neat cemetary and a few houses at Grafton on Friday.

Here's the town. (This awesome panaramic was taken with Josh's iPhone using the new iOS6.) 

 

There is a church-schoolhouse, a two-story home, and an older, single home.

 

Just a short jump-skip away is the cemetary. Ohh, spooky. Any ghosts here? Maybe. I just didn't see any. The cemetary is relatively small, but the graves are cool. They seem to date mostly in the 1800s. Unfortunately, I hear there were headstones that were stolen not too long ago. But some still remain, like the Ballard family. I think they passed away due to diphtheria. Others killed by Indians, or fallend off a swing. Crazy to think about their stories. (got this info from the sign, and this site...if you need me to quote sources).

 

And in the field nearby, we came across a tractor. Maybe the ghosts are running the tractor? Probably not. But it made for some great photo opps.

Here's a cool close up.

Do you believe in ghosts? If so, you might want to invest in a app for it.

But to end on a calmer note, here's the beautiful Grafton view.

Flip Flopping in Bryce

On Wednesday we took a day trip out to Bryce Canyon. What's cool about Bryce is you get immediately "wow" factor when you see the canyon. You look out and you see red hoodoos popping out everywhere...it's just...wow.

From what I can tell, Bryce is more popular than Zion. When I told people we were going to Zion, many didn't know where it was; however, they always seem to know Bryce. And yet, Bryce is smaller than Zion. It's gotta be that immediate wow-factor. Anyway, I like them both as they are both quite different. They may have the same stone, but the way they eroded over the years is different - Zion has high, towering walls, but Bryce dips down. Zion is more flat surfaced, and Bryce more curvy. In my opinion. 

I have to say, I was wow'ed by Bryce. In fact, I think I said, "oh wow!" when I stepped out of the car. I mean, look at it:

We stopped at several points around the park. My favorite was Sunset where there is the most awesome trail, The Navajo Loop Trail. You hike down into the rocks and see everything up close - trees and rocks soar upward. 

 

Then you get to points where you just look out into the canyon. In this picture, I peek out from a rock "window." The colors are awesome.

At this point, you might be wondering why I chose to call this "Flip Flopping in Bryce." Well, I forgot to change out of my flip flops for the Navajo Loop hike, so I hiked in my flip flops. I'm talented like that. 

We topped off our visit with a stop at Ruby's Inn for a lil' snacky-snack.

 

Oh, and on the way out, we were sure to get a glimpse of Red Canyon. It's also pretty "wow" too.

In a nutshell, it's all just WOW. So you should go someday and be "wowed."

Buffalo, Sheep, and a Tree

Thursday we took a day trip from Zion and headed out to Bryce. I'll write about Bryce later because right now I want to tell you about the buffalo, some sheep, and a tree.

That might seem like an odd mix, but this is exactly what we saw on our way home from Bryce. First we were driving along and saw just a herd of buffalo munching on the grass. Don did a U-ie (aka a U-Turn), and we hopped out of the car. 

These buffalo were super close to the fence; it was crazy. And the light was perfect. It was the "magic" light time. This is really, no joke, a photography term and is a photographer's dream time of day. So, Don, being my photography teacher for the week, thought this would be an opportune time for some lessons. 

Here's the buffalo shot I got:

We kept driving, and around the Checkerboard Mesa area, we saw some cars pulled over. This is a telltale sign that there is some wildlife present. So, we stopped. And I look out the car window, and standing right there is a huge heard of Bighorn Sheep. It was absolutely amazing. I couldn't get a good shot, but in the distance was a big ram with the horns that circle around. This is one of the photos I got from my window. They look so unreal...crazy.

Lucky for us, it was still the "magic" hour when we passed by this super cool, twisted tree. Don and I hopped out and climbed up to get some shots of the tree. My favorite is the close up I got from the tree:

Here's another angle of that same tree. Isn't that light great?

And that, my friends, is the story of how a buffalo, sheep, and tree are related.