4th Columbia Basin

Out in Grant County, Washington you can surely catch some summer rays and activities. Spending the 4th of July weekend camping and venturing around the Grand Coulee Damn is an excellent choice to escape the rain of Western Washington. There is plenty of hiking, biking, swimming and boating near by.

Banks Lake hosts multiple State Parks and camping facilities. Osborn Bay is one of the campgrounds, with only a vault toilet and a boat ramp. The flat golf course adjacent to the site flattens the horizon for a great Eastern Washington sunset.



Seven miles south on Highway 155 lies Steamboat Rock State Park, a giant plateau jutting up above Banks Lake. It's about a 2.5 mile climb to the top and you can walk all along the perimeter. The views are incredible.



On the 4th you can gaze at the firework show from a grass knoll below the Grand Coulee Damn. They also feature a lazer show every night during the summer and project it across the water.



The 2010 headliner was an Elvis impersonator. Such an event brings out the true American in all of us.



On the way home from your event-filled weekend in the sun, you can stop at Lenore Lake Caves and relish in the exquisite views.



But watch out for those Park Rangers, they might just tell you to "GO TO BED!"

Distant Relatives Live in Seattle

The time was Sunday May 23rd 9 PM, the place: Showbox Sodo. It was a sold out show for 2,000 people, and we thought getting there that early would beat the crowd. We were wrong. It was already packed and the venue was big and flat.

Opening for Damian Jr. Gong Marley and Nas was Nneka, a Nigerian singer with an excellent afro. She lulled me with her bittersweet poetic prose. But I was ready to get the energy going for the next act.

The only way for us short people to see was to push to the front. So after a couple $13 doubles and the opening act, we made our way through the audience. People were crammed like sardines in a can, but we used that to our advantage. Bouncing off the backs in front and bodies behind us, we produced a vibration of energy and spread it through the crowd, getting ready for the headliners.

"As We Enter" was the song they came one with, and the live band got us bouncing. Maybe a lot of people didn't know the new album Distant Relatives because the people around me weren't that excited. I found it enthralling and it inescapably got my feet moving and my hips gyrating.

Nas and Damian Marley preformed multiple songs from their new album and then took turns with an individual sets.

Damian Jr. Gong Marley



They delivered exactly what I needed to hear from them. Their new hip-hop and reggae influenced songs with its consciousness rooted in the African motherland are deep and true. Nas and Jr. Gong together, as well as separate, are indisputable champions.

Camping at Cape Disappointment

Bryan got off work late the night we were planning to leave. That couldn't stop us, we even recruited the whole family to roll. On the drive down to the southern tip of Washington was uneventful, except the fact that we finally arrived there at 1:30AM Saturday morning. The trip was longer than previously calculated, but it was well worth the drive.



To get to this view, we were challenged with removing a u-shaped lock on our bikes. We called locksmiths, went to an auto parts store, and ended at the hardware store to buy a special plier to cut the steel lock. The guys tried together to cut it unsuccessfully. It was the then that people around started to stare at them cutting a bike lock. A bigger older man came up and gave the pliers a try. He lodged one handle against his belly fat and pulled the other one towards him, and snap he cut the steel rod. I mentioned that maybe the guys should fatten up so they could cut steel.

Finally we succeed to ride out on our bikes! We rode out from our campsites to the top of a bluff to check out the view from the Northern Lighthouse.



One person was still practicing riding a bike. The bike path that stretched 5 miles down the beach was the perfect place to test the waters. It sloped up and down, curved this way and that. At the entrance to the trail we even saw a huge Blue Heron fly directly above us!



There were multiple places to stop and chill on the beach. It was a warm, sunny day and people were gathering drift wood for bonfires.



We stopped at one spot where a grey whale's skeleton had been found in 1806. Long beach is also where they have the Washington State International Kite Festival, August 16-22, 2010. This was the perfect weekend for a ride down the beach.



That Saturday night we drove into town to find some entertainment, and on our drive home we took the full loop of Highway 100 that encircles the park. Out of nowhere we saw a medium sized black bear that had just crossed the road and ducked into the bushes! Even though we were in a car, I was frightened!

The next day we just chilled on the beach and enjoyed the solitude and expanse that a State Park in the spring time can offer. We even made a see-saw with some drift wood!

Capable and Dedicated Worker Available Now

Wow, how long has it been? Too long. I get set in my routine and away the time flies. Less than content with the work I do but I'm not taking any action to change things. Is the market looking up, will there be more jobs available soon? Can I find a job that is both challenging and fulfilling? I am confident I have the skills and drive to accomplish any task. All I need is the opportunity to prove my capabilities and whomever chooses to employ me will benefit greatly from my diligence and hard work. That should probably be posted on facebook and twitter everyday. Then maybe I will get somewhere?

Resources are at hand and must be used. My first Spanish discussion group meets this weekend. I seem to always be meeting people in the social arena, now I need to send my energy to meeting people in the professional arena. I had planned to attend the Green Drinks Seattle meetup this month, but of course I let it slip my mind. I should be asking myself, where is the next place I can volunteer? what other organization can I help to improve the lives of my fellow global citizens?

At least I can say that I take care of my family. Yep, my husband and adopted son are well fed, warm and happy. We live in a comfortable household, and if anyone needs a roommate we might be looking...

Wait, this isn't supposed to be a solicitation...

Mexican Adobo Chicken Steamed in Parchment Paper

This meal took me all day to make. It involved over 2 trips to the store, 2 hours of steaming, and 1 sick day at work. That's not to say I was playing hooky, I guess it was just allergies. Here's how it unfolded: I blended a chili sauce with garlic, applecider vinegar, and cumin seeds. Using whole organic chicken legs, I wrapped them into a little pouch of parchment paper with the sauce and bay leaves (I didn't know where to find avocado leaves). I steamed the pouches for two hours. The meat came out amazingly tender, falling off the bones.



On one side soupy black beans, on the other a swiss chard, beet and oaxacan cheese blend with raisins. Each person unwrapped their pouch individual. A fork easily separated the meat from the bone and we wrapped it in corn tortillas with a fresh green salsa made from tomatillos and cilantro. (Also known as "epazote" I recently learned). Delicious and worth the 6 hours of laboring over the stove.

Stuffed Strawberry Bliss

As I was coring fresh strawberries and contemplating what to eat them with, I thought of the creme fraiche in the fridge.  Oooh, sounds delightful.  Stuff the strawberries with smooth, silky cheese and dip it in cane sugar.  Sweet, salty and sour all at once.  For some reason it reminded me of those salted caramels that Franz makes.  Yet less rich and artery-clogging.  It was a complex, fresh bite of bliss.

Fiesta latina de la comida

Yummy, spinach stuffed poblanos smothered in goat cheese and creme fraiche.  The roasted pine nuts and raisins added a nice bite and touch of sweet.  Complemented by soupy black beans, partially seasoned white rice and for the carnivores turkey tacos, all in all it was an enjoyable evening to share with friends and family.  Gluten free and vegetarian, my friend enjoyed a complete meal.  I do have to say, Popeye sure was right about spinach.  Consuming it does make me feel stronger and healthier.  While there's nothing wrong with frozen spinach, I wouldn't choose to eat canned spinach.  I worry about the BPA's from plastic inside the can that are so ubiquitous.  Recently I decided to attempt to rid my life of canned products.  My means of making the change involved buying dried beans and avoiding canned soups.  The one thing that prevented my full adherence to the cause was coconut milk.  I suppose the powder works just as well.  So remember, frozen fruits vegetables good, frozen meals usually not good, cans mostly contaminated, and don't microwave things in plastic.  We have to be aware of and prevent contamination to our bodies from all aspects of our society, including the water and products we wash our bodies with.