Friday, September 30, 2022

Rocks

Rockhunter Northwest 

Felsic - "light" rocks, contain light colored minerals (Also low temp minerals See Bowen's Reaction Series above) (quartz, Potassium feldspar, micas) 

Mafic - "dark" rocks, contain dark colored minerals (Also high temp minerals See Bowen's Reaction Series above) 

(Pyroxene, Amphibole, Calcium Plagioclase) 

Mahogany Obsidia

 

Rock hunting 101 ... collecting Oregon Coast agate and 15 million year old fossil mollusks

Granite breakdown, How granite is formed

25 Most Common Rocks on the Beach: How & Where to Find Them?  

PNW beachcombing 

Picture Identification Guide for Polished Stones and Tumbled Rocks  

Dunite


Thursday, September 29, 2022

Patterns in life

For once I have nothing to blog about visually. 

Yesterday, while collecting the kids from their respective schools, sitting in a line of cars of parents, I started thinking about the patterns of life. 

There are so many schools in Matt and Bri's new neighborhood, families are thriving, pushing their babies with their neighbors and their new babies, walking to and from to schools. Kids running with their backpacks. These kinds of multi-ethnic neighborhoods are thriving here. 

I was remembering when I volunteered at Matt's school every Monday, picked him up from school at the same time every day, carried him to basketball, soccer practice, later the endless baseball games, and working the "snack shack" every Saturday cooking hot dogs. Everyday was a routine from the time we get out of bed until we do the homework, brush our teeth, read books and jump back into bed. 

Then there is work routine of like. Meeting every Monday. Lunch every day with co-workers. Scrambling to drive home in traffic to arrive in time to get back to the other living in your day. Making sure the laundry was done for baseball practice. Dinner is made. Dishes are done. Kids running in and out of the house. Things that happen day in, day out.

Patterns are a part of life. But that changes in retirement. Does a pattern in life keep you more sane? I have a pattern but it is pretty chaotic. Do whatever I want to do whenever I want to do it. I am not complaining but it does take some time to adjust and learn to be more coherent about what the purpose is to my day.

Today my purpose is to watch Noah and take a friend to go get some new glasses. Work on a funeral program for a friend of mine and beyond that ... it is just up to me. Cleaning should be a priority but it has not been lately.

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Root vegetables

Jamie Bennett

 
 



Ohn Mar Win
Unknown
Tanja Stevanovic
Lena Kurs

Who doesn't love a bumblee bee napping on a dandelion?

Ema Malyauka is a children's illlustrator from Belarus.

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Reindeer moss

Our reindeer moss is picked by hand, following strict rules in terms of environment and sustainability across an area of about 5.000 km² (5800 mi²). 

The lichen is picked in a checkerboard pattern, and only from parts above a specified length in order to allow for the best possible conditions for regrowth. No more than 20% of the amount is picked at a time, and the area is not revisited again for at least 4-5 years. The lichen grows the fastest during the spring period, and is not collected during the winter period during which the ground is covered in snow. 

Picking lichen requires a governmental permit and approval of landowners, which include forestry companies, municipalities, and private individuals. The collection of lichen maintains employment for rural communities, and is a requirement in some forest areas where overgrowth of the lichen inhibits propagation of plants and animals. The picking of the lichen is subject to a rigorous review (ISO 9001) conducted every 3 years and encompasses all company activities. 

Interesting facts 

- It is estimated that 6% of Earth’s land surface is covered by lichens! 

- Reindeer moss is not a plant, nor an animal. It is actually a symbiosis between fungi and algae.

- The lichen can cover immense areas, and as the common name “reindeer moss” suggest, serve as pasture for reindeer, moose, caribou and musk oxen in their winter habitats. Reindeer in the area in which our lichen is collected from are rare as their habitats are further up north. Although we occasionally do find a little poop in our harvest!

- As an adaptation for life in tough environments, lichens produce a wide array of biochemical compounds which serve to repel herbivores, kill microbes, and discourage competition for plants. Recent medical research has shown promise in reindeer moss hindering the ability of cancerous cancer cells to reproduce, as well as in the development of new types of antibiotics.

 - For humans, the high acidic content of lichens can cause an upset stomach if it is not well cooked. It is possible to eat reindeer moss after draining out the acids.

- Lichens do not have roots and absorb water and mineral nutrients from the air. This also makes lichen sensitive to pollutants – they only grow where air quality is high.




 

Monday, September 26, 2022

Chef's Table, so much more than food

I searched this blog for Chef's Table and I am shocked that I have never mentioned or blogged about this show? If I really have not, shame on me! And I apologize for that.

I have been addicted to Netflix's Chef's Table for many years now. Not only does it have my favorite piece of music as the opener, the chefs they highlight are just fabulous. 

 

You think it is just going to be interviews with people who cook something fabulous and it is much, much more. Most usually bring tears to my eyes. Every season is has been amazing. Chef's Table is about innovation, regions, cooking, sustainability, family, restaurants industry, and so much more. The recent delivery is about pizza but I also ran across one that features a family restaurant in Spain. One of the brothers is a pastry chef, it focuses, Jordi Roca

The brothers, who own and run El Celler de Can Roca talk about the region where they grew up and the smell of the earth. They visit and collect some dirt where Jordi breaks it down and showcases it his “The Rainy Forest” ... distilled dirt as one of its edible components, to evoke a sense memory from childhood. 

 

He also infuses ice cream with cigar smoke for his "Trip to Havana". For Joan and Josep Roca, A Trip to Havana is the moment they realised Jordi had finally found his way as a dessert creator. “I began to get deeply involved in ice cream making techniques under the wing of the Sicilian Angelo Corvitto,” says Jordi. “One of the rules the master continuously repeated to me was that the work atmosphere needed to be kept completely pure. And that’s absolutely true. An ice cream is an emulsion in which air is a very important ingredient. An ice cream is a sponge for scents. This golden rule is what sparked my imagination. What would happen if I added smoke on purpose?” With the help of his father, Jordi created a water pump that drew smoke from a cigar directly into the ice cream maker. The ice cream was then presented in a cylinder of dark chocolate, to create a ‘cigar,’ and served with a 'mojito.'

I think it is the innovation, out-of-the-box thinking and devotion to family that inspire me the most.

I am going to include some trailers to convince you of how lovely and thought-provoking Chef's Table is. 

 

  

  

 

Victorian Hand-Prints Wallpaper

Looking for a random turn-of-century wallpaper for the background of some art, ran across this Bradbury & Bradbury Art Wallpapers magazine of their wallpaper samples. David and I ohhhhh and ahhhhhhed. 

"The Victorian Era, which stretched from 1837 to 1901, was a period of unprecedented transformation. Europe and America in the 1830s were traditional agrarian societies; travel was by horse or by sail, lighting by oil lamp and candle. By 1901, the span of a single lifetime, there existed electric light, automobiles, skyscrapers and telephones.In the decorative arts, this vibrant era did not produce merely one style—it produced a myriad. Historical revivals, an anti-industrial return to nature, ardent futurism, and Oriental exoticism all coexisted in the public imagination, and were often found in enthusiastic, if not startling, decorative combinations.Our Victorian Collection is divided into chapters that represent these varying design styles. Coordinated colorings run throughout the collection, making it possible to mix and match varying patterns and styles in the true spirit of Victorian eclecticism." 

Have a look through their digital catalog.

Sunday, September 25, 2022

Hot totties, en masse

Thankfully, I had a bunch of post scheduled because I took to my bed for 3 days and have only just emerged. I took a beloved shower to wash it away. 

Just a cold that I caught from Noah. I thought it was an allergy but then thought better of that. I think because I have not had any colds or such in over 2 years, this really brought me down.

Tony Meeuwissen

The enchanted illustrations of Tony Meeuwissen
Discovered this great site Raw Draw

Saturday, September 24, 2022

Crabby

Have not identified the artist. Sorry.