Away From the Heat and the Smoke

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water ripples

One of our favorite scooter destinations is Silverado Canyon, and that was the plan, until yesterday, around 10:00 A.M., when a wild fire started in Silverado Canyon. I spotted the tell tale cloud of smoke around 1:00 P.M., as I headed off to a  class, and by the time I arrived home at 4:30 the fire had obviously grown in size. There was no wind thank goodness, so the fire was not being pushed along as so often happens here in Southern California.

This morning when we woke we could smell smoke, and according to the weather report we were in for another scorcher. We made the decision to ride our scooters to the coast and see if we could find some cool, smoke free air. We weren’t the only ones looking.

yellow sails

As I write this we are home, about ten miles from the fire, which is still burning. The canyon has been evacuated and brave firefighters work to save homes. We are sending them good thoughts, and wishing the residents of Silverado Canyon a quick and safe return to their homes.

Delicious Ginger Snaps

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Tea and cookies

Ginger snaps were my Nana’s favorite cookies. I must have inherited a love of  ginger from her. They are delicious, and perfect with a cup of tea. I have not made them for several years, but with fall almost here,  I decided it was time to do some baking. The oringinal recipe was from the London Free Press newspaper which is published in London, Ontario, Canada. In a previous post I wrote about Molasses Brown Bread, which was another recipe from the Free Press.

Today I decided to try something new and mixed it in a food processor instead of using the hand mixer. It worked well and was a lot less work. I also made two changes to the original recipe. Instead of all purpose flour, I used whole wheat and instead of 3/4 cup butter/margarine, I used 1/2 cup butter and 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce. I believe these two changes make for a slightly healthier recipe, without losing any of the wonderful flavor. Next time I may go for just applesauce and omit the butter all together. I certainly hope you give this recipe a try.

 

1/2 cup butter                                                 3 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup applesauce                                        1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 7/8 cup sugar                                              1 Tbs. powdered ginger

2 large eggs                                                   1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup molasses                                           1/4 tsp. cloves

1 Tbs. vinegar                                                1 cup raisins optional

Measure sugar and butter into food processor bowl. Mix until creamy.

Mix in eggs and applesauce. Add molasses and vinegar. Next add all of the dry

ingredients and mix slowly until combined. Fold in raisins last if used.

Drop dough from teaspoon onto greased cookie sheets in one inch mounds.

Bake at 325° F. for 9-10 minutes.Watch carefully, because the molasses tends to make them burn easily around the edges.

After I finished my baking, I just had to sit down with a cup of tea and a cookie. Well, actually two cookies. I just couldn’t help myself. I do hope you will try this recipe for my Nana’s favorite Ginger snaps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Polishing The Brass

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Brass

 

 

Recently, I went to one of my favorite blogs, Inspired by Charm, authored by Michael Wurm Jr.  His post in the DIY section on August 27, titled How to Polish Brass, caught my eye. Michael points out that brass and gold are again popular for home decor, and he explained a fast and easy way to clean brass. I immediately thought of some lovely brass pieces we virtually gave away at a recent garage sale, and was suddenly glad that three pieces had gone unsold.

This experience provides yet another example of why it’s difficult for people to clear out cupboards, closets, and garages: We fear that as soon as we get rid of something, we will wish we hadn’t.  My mother had given us several brass pieces to garage sale for her, since she was tired of cleaning them the traditional way. Although I was a little sad to see my parents’ brass collection go, I also hadn’t wanted the chore of polishing them.

Now, after reading Michael’s blog post, I bought the inexpensive product he recommended and gave it a try. He was right … It was easy, and the picture above shows what I accomplished in a couple of minutes. I couldn’t help but remember the hours my parents, especially my Dad, had spent cleaning brass. Since Mom had saved a few pieces, including two large bells, I quickly shared Michael’s advice with her.

This afternoon she called to say the brass bells were shining, and she couldn’t believe how easy the job was. Later she texted to say her kitchen sink, faucet, and taps were also now shining like mirrors, and she was happily polishing her way through the house.

Thanks to Inspired by Charm, I can easily keep our three remaining pieces of brass clean and polished. If you would like to read details of how to shine brass quickly and easily, do check out Michael’s posting.

 

A Local Treasure in Dana Point

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The Dana Point Headlands Conservation Area

The Dana Point Headlands Interpretive Center

You may have read that our south facing beaches here in California have had enormous waves the past week or so. The authorities are asking us to stay away, because several people have been injured while surfing or swimming. This morning our curiosity got the better of us and we decided to have a look. We drove to Dana Point and had lunch at Smokey’s House of BBQ on Pacific Coast Highway. We are familiar with Smokey’s because our San Clemente Scooter Club often meets there for dinner.
After lunch, we went to the Dana Point Marina, where we drove up the very steep Cove Road, and then spotted Green Lantern. This was a road we had never noticed before, even though for many years we kept a sail boat in the Dana Point Marina.

We turned on to the street to see where it led. It was then that we spotted the sign announcing The Dana Point Headlands Conservation Area. We parked and went in to the Interpretive Center. We were welcomed by two docents who showed us around and told us the building had been there for four years, which was quite a surprise to us. They also told us about the hiking trails that were part of the conservation area. After looking at the exhibits, we headed out on the trail.

Martin walking

Here you can see my husband, Martin, walking the sandy trail, with the beautiful Pacific in the distance. The trails were easy to follow, and very well tended.

 

ocean view 2      panoramic view

 

 

 

 

The view was absolutely breathtaking. We hiked for a little over thirty minutes and then turned back. We had not planned on a hike, so were not carrying water, or sun screen. We were so happy to have found this wonderful treasure, so close to home. We plan to return soon, carrying the proper supplies, and hike farther next time. Oh, by the way, we never did get to see the waves up close. That is probably a good thing as the lifeguards are busy enough, without us adding to their work.