Memorial Day Outing

Dan and I got up this morning and, after a stop at Krispy Kreme, we headed down to the Quarai ruins, north of Mountainair. This was Dan's first time to see Quarai, although I had been there before (and even blogged about it, as some of you might remember).

Today's weather was wonderful, with warm temperatures and clear blue skies. The drive down was nice. This is what the countryside looks like for most of this drive, once you leave I-40.


On the way, I was telling Dan that one thing I liked about going to the ruins was that it's off the radar for tourists, so it's usually quite deserted, but I didn't think about it being a holiday. When we got there, there were lots of cars and a bus already parked near the visitor's center. As we walked up to the Mission, we heard what we thought was a public speaker, of some sort, inside the ruins. As we got closer, we discovered that there was a Catholic mass being conducted inside.

Not wanting to disturb them, we left the ruins and walked the path that leads to a beautiful, shady picnic area.


I'm not sure what was growing along that path, but something was giving off a wonderful, sweet aroma. It might have been these pretty blossoms that we kept seeing. (Some sort of wild rose?)


When we got to the picnic area we sat down and ate the lunch that we'd brought. Our picnic table was under some huge, old trees, and looked out to this sunny meadow. The shade and a light breeze made the temperature pleasantly comfortable.


About the time we were finished with our lunch, the mass let out and the people came streaming over to the picnic area, with their box lunches. We decided to trade places with them, so we gave up our picnic table and headed back to the ruins.

As we neared the ruins, we met one of the Franciscan Friars who was with the group. Dan stopped and talked with him briefly. We learned his name was Friar Pio. He told us about "Saint" Pio, from whom he took his name. He agreed to stand in front of the Mission and have his picture taken. And after our short visit, he gave us a blessing as we parted ways.


Quarai's red rock, the blue sky and the surrounding greens are startlingly beautiful. Its history is interesting. I'm not sure when this mission was built, but it was abandoned in 1675, due to famine and raids from hostile Apache Indians. There's something humbling about touching these rock walls, that were built with the hands of people who lived some 300 years ago. The walls are very high, and when we stood inside, we felt small. Sadly, the folding chairs from the Catholic mass were still set up, so it limited the pictures I was able to take when we went inside. This first one, though, was taken from inside the walls. The sun was nearly overhead, so the walls were flooded with light.


These are a few exterior views, from different angles.






In this shot, looking up the wall on the outside of the ruins, I serendipitously caught a jet contrail streaking across the corner. I didn't see it at the time, but when I downloaded the pictures I thought the juxtaposition of the ancient and the modern was fun.

Reading Log - April and May

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer & Anne Barrows

Written as a series of letters, telegrams and journal entries, this was a delightful book to read. Through the writings of the various characters, the reader learns of the interesting, and sometimes humorous, experiences at having survived the WWII German occupation of the Isle of Guernsey, one of Great Britain’s Channel Islands.

The key character in the book is Juliet, an author looking for her next great idea, who, initially through her correspondence and later through her personal interaction with the people of Guernsey, finds rewarding new direction for her life.


Embassy, Richard Doetsch

Reading Embassy was an experiment for me, for it was my first vook. A vook is a new type of media, a combination of video and book. In this particular vook, there were short video clips that advanced the storyline embedded into the chapters. I read it from my iPhone, although my understanding is that vooks can be read from any computer screen, as well. This particular one I got for free, as a promotional offer.

Embassy is a suspenseful thriller, with a little bit of magic thrown in for fun. Much of the story takes place inside the Greek Embassy, in New York City, where a kidnapping and hostage situation has taken place. This setting complicates things since inside the Embassy the FBI has no jurisdiction.

The continuing twists and turns of events keep the reader wondering who is the "bad guy" and who is the "good guy." The story is not long, and though it was fun to try out a new media, I didn't find that the video clips added much, if any, to the enjoyment of reading. I couldn't help but feel it was only a gimmick. But then, I could be wrong, like the president of the Michigan Savings Bank, who, in 1903, warned Henry Ford's lawyer not to invest in the Ford Motor Co.: “The horse is here to stay but the automobile is only a novelty – a fad.”


Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, Helen Simonson

Major Pettigrew is a widower, a proper Englishman with classical tastes. "I was raised to believe in politeness above all," he says, and that's how he lives his life. At the moment that he is deeply grieving the loss of his brother, he meets, not for the first time, but with fresh vision, Mrs. Ali, the windowed shop-keeper of Pakistani descent. This is a love story, but one about two people who thought they were finished with love; one that bristles with issues of cultural conflict and generational discord. It is a gentle story that tells of a rebirth of sorts, for both Major Pettigrew and Mrs. Ali. It's a story that shows the reader that falling in love at an advanced age can be richer, fuller, sweeter, even, than at sweet sixteen. It's a story that says take a chance on love.

I enjoyed the book and am glad I read it. It is slow-paced and thoughtful, so not for a reader wanting action. I think it could make a great movie.


The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Alan Bradley

Flavia is eleven years old, bright beyond her years, in love with both science and mystery, and forever disgusted with her two shallow and haughty older sisters. When a murder takes place on the family property, Flavia can't help but jump in with both feet to solve it, especially after her father is falsely arrested for the crime.

It's uncommon for a protagonist in an adult novel to be a child, and I have to admit I was uncomfortable with this particular child. I couldn't decide whether the author wanted me to take Flavia seriously or whimsically. The novel certainly did have a lot of humor and made me chuckle several times, but Flavia is either a child acting as an adult, or an adult who has slipped into a child's body, in my opinion. Flavia left me a little conflicted, even though I saw some of myself in her, for I, too, had a chemistry lab set up in my bedroom when I was in school (true confessions!).

The mystery plot, itself, was an interesting one and rather complex - too complex, I maintain, for this eleven-year old girl to have solved it before any of the adults in the story. Flavia wasn't a credible character, and I wonder if the author meant her to be?

The Daring Bakers' May Challenge - Croquembouche

(Just in the nick of time!)

The May 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Cat of Little Miss Cupcake. Cat challenged everyone to make a piece montée, or croquembouche, based on recipes from Peter Kump’s Baking School in Manhattan and Nick Malgieri.

Croquembouche, which translates into English as "crunch in the mouth." is a batch of small, filled cream puff pastries stacked, traditionally, into a cone shape and held together by and drizzled with either a chocolate or caramel glaze. I actually used a white chocolate glaze for mine.

This month's challenge almost didn't get done! I could say it was because I was out of town for a good part of the month. I could say it was because of some medical issues. I could say it was because we've been incredibly busy at the office this month. All of those are true, but the real reason I came close to not completing the challenge was . . . procrastination. There I was, on the eve of the posting date, mixing up pate a choux and baking cream puff shells; making vanilla crème patissiere; and, on posting day itself, stirring up a batch of chocolate glaze and building the croquembouche tower.

Even when the recipe was finished, the challenge wasn't, for a big part of the challenge is to photograph and blog about the experience. So here I am, with very little time remaining, doing just that! Considering the time crunch, I'll keep my blog brief and simply post a couple pictures.

Here are a few of the puff shells. They turned out a perfect golden brown. I brushed them with an egg wash before baking, and that helped to make the top of the shell a little glossy.


Mmmmm. Be my guest . . . Just pluck one of those cream puffs off and have a taste!


See recipe HERE.

CLICK HERE NEXT (QUICK BREADS)

Have You Ever Put Your Foot In Your Mouth?

(A few more pictures from our visit.)

It seems Robert's favorite chew-toy right now is his own foot. I wish I had this agility! In this first one, he is lying on a bath mat while he waits for his little tub to fill with water.

Here he is in his car seat. Nibbling his toes helps pass the time.

Oh, yes. They're just as tasty with shoes!

That's a foot - not a hand - up there by his nose. I think it started out in his mouth, but slipped out when he fell asleep.

In a pinch, a giraffe's foot will do.

Kelsey reports that Robert's first tooth popped through a few days after we left. Hope he doesn't chomp down too hard on one of those little "piggies."