One word to describe this book - amazing! I wasn't sure how much I was going to enjoy this book give the western theme, turns out that was a needless worry. I don't care what genera you enjoy I suggest you read this book. Did I mention it won the Pulitzer Prize?
For those of you that don't know what it is about:
The Hat Creek outfit (cowboys) lead a heard of cattle from Texas to Montana. There you have it, the general gist of the book. Of course there is a lot more to the story (at just under 900 pages there should be) but you will have to read it to find out.
Happy Reading!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Pheasant Hunting = Success
Smothered Grouse (or Pheasant)
 |
We had pheasant for dinner last night! Matt works for the state and due to the current budget woes they are subject to ~1 furlow day/month. Yesterday was that furlow day and Matt took full advantage of the break in the weather to get Jacks out pheasant hunting. Since I didn't get the day off I cannot say much more then they came home happy and wet with their winnings.
 |
| Well deserved nap |
From what I can gather pheasant hunting around here is a zoo. The pheasants in our area are put and take. Meaning 3 times a week farm raised pheasants are released into designated hunting areas. The following day mass amounts of people line up to try and shoot their limit (2). It sounds frustrating at best...
- Skin, wash and quarter the bird
- Preheat oven to 350
- Chop-up onions, celery and carrot - saute in butter until tender
- Once tender put the veggies in a shallow baking pan
- Mix flour and a little salt in a brown paper bag. Shake the meat pieces in the bag 2 at a time until coated
- Melt butter in the same pan the veggies were cooked in and brown your meat on both sides
- Put browned meat on top of veggies
- Add a small amount of liquid to the bottom of the baking dish
- I used chicken stock; Matt recommends wine
- Cover with parchment paper and bake for 1 hour or until meat is tender
- Server over rice
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Hobby Quandary
Sigh...there are just too many things I would like to do during any given day. I am somewhat envious of people that have a singular passion, something they can pursue with undivided attention. Me, I am more like a fly on a fart - I can so easily switch directions it is ridiculous. This trend is somewhat counterproductive towards really becoming accomplished at something. I fall under the category of "doer of many, master of none".
I suppose this isn't awful, it is just it lends itself to my always feeling somewhat disappointed. Disappointed because I didn't do my best at something because I didn't give it my full attention. Disappointed because I did focus my full attention on something and it came at the cost of not doing other things. As you can see this isn't exactly a quandary I can solve, either way I find myself somewhat displeased.
Why you ask am I bringing this up? Well, I spent the better part of my summer running and loving every minute of it. However, now that summer is coming to a close I find myself reflecting back on the things I wish I had done more of - namely climbing. I can tell you the last time I touched rock - it was the debacle in the Tetons. Since then nothing, nada, zilch.
I have been running forever, at this point it is a part of who I am. I started in 7th grade and have never stopped. Sure, there were times when I wanted nothing to do with it. After college running held no appeal for me, however, after a year of not running something happened, I couldn't wait to lace my shoes up and get out. I guess I just needed a brief respite. None the less, I don't think that running is my passion. It is just an activity that I am hardwired to do.
Climbing or better put - mountain activities. I think that may be where my true passion is. It is the thing I dream about, the thing running gets me in shape to do. Hopefully I can figure out a way to better share my time among activities.
Upcoming events:
I suppose this isn't awful, it is just it lends itself to my always feeling somewhat disappointed. Disappointed because I didn't do my best at something because I didn't give it my full attention. Disappointed because I did focus my full attention on something and it came at the cost of not doing other things. As you can see this isn't exactly a quandary I can solve, either way I find myself somewhat displeased.
Why you ask am I bringing this up? Well, I spent the better part of my summer running and loving every minute of it. However, now that summer is coming to a close I find myself reflecting back on the things I wish I had done more of - namely climbing. I can tell you the last time I touched rock - it was the debacle in the Tetons. Since then nothing, nada, zilch.
I have been running forever, at this point it is a part of who I am. I started in 7th grade and have never stopped. Sure, there were times when I wanted nothing to do with it. After college running held no appeal for me, however, after a year of not running something happened, I couldn't wait to lace my shoes up and get out. I guess I just needed a brief respite. None the less, I don't think that running is my passion. It is just an activity that I am hardwired to do.
Climbing or better put - mountain activities. I think that may be where my true passion is. It is the thing I dream about, the thing running gets me in shape to do. Hopefully I can figure out a way to better share my time among activities.
Upcoming events:
- Matt and I are meeting some friends at Smith Rock this month for a weekend of climbing!
- Capitol Peak Fat Ass
- Orca's Island 50k
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Banned Books
One thing that never ceases to amaze me are banned books. Seriously, who do these holier than though people think they are? What gives them the right to remove perfectly good, if not fantastic literature from children's grasp because they are too repressed to see the value in it.
I really would like to rant and rave about this, however, I suppose that isn't very productive. Instead I will say that I hope people can stop for a moment and see how repressive they are being. What happened to parents having control over their kids? Now the answer seems to be that the material needs to be removed from the library so their child doesn't have access to it. Okay, so maybe I indulged in a little ranting...
If you are interested in checking out a list of Banned Books click the link.
I really would like to rant and rave about this, however, I suppose that isn't very productive. Instead I will say that I hope people can stop for a moment and see how repressive they are being. What happened to parents having control over their kids? Now the answer seems to be that the material needs to be removed from the library so their child doesn't have access to it. Okay, so maybe I indulged in a little ranting...
If you are interested in checking out a list of Banned Books click the link.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Hunting
It appears that Matt is not so good about updating our joint blog. So, I will update it for him:
Early elk archery = FAIL
Early deer archery = FAIL
Opening day Pheasant - FAIL
Trout fishing - 2 (cut and rainbow), no pictures to prove it...
Maybe now he will update it himself...
Early elk archery = FAIL
Early deer archery = FAIL
Opening day Pheasant - FAIL
Trout fishing - 2 (cut and rainbow), no pictures to prove it...
Maybe now he will update it himself...
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Kindle vs. Nook (E-reader)
E-readers... When the first hit the market a few years ago I was ADAMANTLY opposed to them. I couldn't figure out why someone would want to forsake holding a real book in their hands for a gadget, an expensive gadget at that. Plus, what happens if the world goes to hell - how would I read my books without electricity to charge my device. In my eyes this was much too large an issue for me to overlook! Visions of book burning (in an electronic) sense filled my head. People would migrate to an e-format and good ol' paper books would be a thing of the past. Again, what happens if we lose electricity. Do we lose a wealth of knowledge with it? Ridiculous - yes...
As seems to be the case with me I have come around to see the utility in these little devices. This change in heart was initially fueled by the drastic price decrease these devices are seeing. No longer are they asking upwards of $350, but a more reasonable (in my opinion) $150/or so. That coupled with the amount of travel time I have and my love of reading has added up to me wanting one. How awesome is it that you can put a number of books on the device and have at your fingertips whatever you are in the mood for.
So began my extensive search and agonizing over the perfect device. Did I want a Kindle (amazons) or Nook (b&n).
Things about the nook that appealed to me -
It is amazing the pull that a known name can have. As you can see from above it seems obvious that I was much more interested in the Nook then the Kindle, however, you always hear people talk about the Kindle. This made it hard for me to accept that it may not be the best device for me. It makes so many other people happy, why wouldn't it make me happy?
In the end (if you haven't already determined this from the lack of Kindle information above) I went with the Nook - I LOVE IT! I cannot think of anything that I do not like on it, other than the mentioned extra weight. However, I think it is a fair trade-off for the other options I did get.
If you are in the market for an e-reader and want to hear more about the Kindle I am more than happy to pass along what I learned. I wouldn't count it out, it just wasn't for me.
Happy Reading!
As seems to be the case with me I have come around to see the utility in these little devices. This change in heart was initially fueled by the drastic price decrease these devices are seeing. No longer are they asking upwards of $350, but a more reasonable (in my opinion) $150/or so. That coupled with the amount of travel time I have and my love of reading has added up to me wanting one. How awesome is it that you can put a number of books on the device and have at your fingertips whatever you are in the mood for.
So began my extensive search and agonizing over the perfect device. Did I want a Kindle (amazons) or Nook (b&n).
Things about the nook that appealed to me -
- You can check books out from the library
- You can lend books you own to other Nook owners
- The device is run on the android platform (smart phone) making it updatable
- It is an open platform (non-proprietary) so you can get books from any location
- In store customer service
- It is slightly thicker and heavier than the Kindle
It is amazing the pull that a known name can have. As you can see from above it seems obvious that I was much more interested in the Nook then the Kindle, however, you always hear people talk about the Kindle. This made it hard for me to accept that it may not be the best device for me. It makes so many other people happy, why wouldn't it make me happy?
In the end (if you haven't already determined this from the lack of Kindle information above) I went with the Nook - I LOVE IT! I cannot think of anything that I do not like on it, other than the mentioned extra weight. However, I think it is a fair trade-off for the other options I did get.
If you are in the market for an e-reader and want to hear more about the Kindle I am more than happy to pass along what I learned. I wouldn't count it out, it just wasn't for me.
Happy Reading!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Cle Elum 50k - Race Report
This past Saturday was the day of the race I have been looking forward to. After months of training it was finally time to toe the line and see what I was made of...
Matt, myself and the dogs drove to Cle Elum Friday night where we camped at the Forest Service campsite that doubled as the race start. After getting set-up the guy in the tent across the way invited us over to visit around his campfire. We spent the evening chatting with him and another runner while sitting around the fire and getting rained on. We learned that they both have a number of ultras under their belt. One had just run Cascade Crest 100 three weeks prior and the other had a big weekend ahead of him. He ran Cle Elum 50k on Saturday and another 50k Sunday... He is part of marathon manics and come Thanksgiving will have run 52 races that are equal to or longer than marathon distance in 10 months. And here I am proud of myself for completing one 50k!
Friday night we went to bed around 10pm to find that there was a puddle in our tent. That compounded by two very wet, very dirty dogs made for a somewhat uncomfortable sleeping situation. Not that it really mattered, I am sure I wouldn't have been able to sleep much no matter the circumstances...
Race Day!
We woke-up Saturday morning to find that the rain had stopped. The weather channel predicted that it would hold off until around 5pm and it did. None the less everything was wet and soggy from the previous days of rain we had been getting. Matt made me breakfast (oatmeal with chia seeds and coffee) while I went to the registration table to collect my number. I tried to eat and was only able to choke down a couple of bites, my stomach was nervous and rebelling against holding anything... This worked out okay since we woke up a bit later than we should of. I hurried up and changed and we headed over to the start.
What I wore:
7am - all of the early starters lined up in the road, got a quick briefing on the course and were told we could start running. The first mile of the course was down the road until we reached the trail head - at which point we began 17 miles of climbing. I saw Matt 2 miles into the race, I wouldn't see him again until the end. The aid stations were not easily accessible so it didn't make sense for him to try. Instead he and the dogs spent a few hours fishing.
The course contained 7000' of elevation gain/loss. The gain was almost entirely in the first 17 miles. The trail climbed, and climbed then climbed some more. I was fortunate enough to be running with two other gentlemen who were experienced ultra runners, so I walked when they walked and ran when they ran. The best part - they were talkers! The first 15 miles or so flew by as I listened to them chat. After that they pulled ahead and I wouldn't see them until the finish. In fact I wouldn't see very many people period until the finish. I ran alone for the last 16 miles.
Anyhow, back to the course. The race direction mentioned that it isn't the best trail at the start of the race, he wasn't kidding. It is shared with dirt bikes so it is very rutted and rocky. And we are not talking little pebble rock, oh no, they are large chunks of rocks. After climbing for 17 miles you reach the ridge, which I can imagine would have beautiful views. Sadly I was not to see them. It was so socked in all I could see soupy white in every direction.
Thus began the downhill...
Oh dear god, downhill running is not my thing. As a matter of fact I will go so far as to say 'I Suck' at running downhill. When I say downhill I am sure you are thinking your local hill in town - no, that doesn't even begin to describe the first downhill segment. It was ridiculous steep, narrow, and rutted. As I mentioned previously, this trail is mainly for dirt bike use. This portion in particular was very narrow, the width of a dirt bike tire - which made for difficult running. Once that segment was done everything was back to normal and it was a usual trail downhill, steep, but not bad. The trail also began to become nice, at least in terms of what you found underfoot. The rockiness from the first 19 miles or so was replaced by a softer forest floor. This too had its downside - it had A LOT of ruts, which were full of water (remember the rain?). None the less, it was appreciated since my feet had started to become very tender.
I continued to trudge along and realized that when I am really tired I get a funny hitch in my run. The best I can describe it is I feel like my right leg is still rotating normally and running while my left is just kinda along for the ride. I ate at the aid stations and continued to drink my water/Nuun. I never had any issues with feeling like I was going to bonk or that my stomach was going to revolt. I suppose all the eating practice I did during long runs paid off.
The miles seemed to both drag by and fly by at the same time. Don't ask, I can't explain it. I kept the same pace the entire race - walking hills and running the downhill and flats. I never pushed myself, my goal was to finish and get some experience under my belt. When I reached the last stretch before the finish I picked-up my pace knowing a beer and chair were right around the corner. It feel good to run faster, I think my legs appreciated the change of pace.
I finished in 8:21. Sure, I would have loved a faster time, but time wasn't really my goal. I had a great time and met a lot of awesome people. I will definitely be running another ultra. In fact I signed-up for my next one the day after the race - Orca Island 50k. This one has 8000' of elevation gain, guess I better work on my hill running abilities!
All in all it was a great race. The only part of me that was sore afterward was the bottom of my feet. Otherwise I felt fine.
Stats
Distance: 31 miles
Time: 8:21 (hr:min)
pace: 16:10 (ouch!)
Friday night we went to bed around 10pm to find that there was a puddle in our tent. That compounded by two very wet, very dirty dogs made for a somewhat uncomfortable sleeping situation. Not that it really mattered, I am sure I wouldn't have been able to sleep much no matter the circumstances...
Race Day!
We woke-up Saturday morning to find that the rain had stopped. The weather channel predicted that it would hold off until around 5pm and it did. None the less everything was wet and soggy from the previous days of rain we had been getting. Matt made me breakfast (oatmeal with chia seeds and coffee) while I went to the registration table to collect my number. I tried to eat and was only able to choke down a couple of bites, my stomach was nervous and rebelling against holding anything... This worked out okay since we woke up a bit later than we should of. I hurried up and changed and we headed over to the start.
What I wore:
- My trusty red Adidas shorts I have had since high school
- Icebreakers wool t-shirt
- Moving comfort sports bra (this is the only one in my arsenal that didn't cause terrible chafing during training runs...)
- Smart wool socks
- Dirty Girl Gators
- Patagonia Tsail trail shoes
- REI running cap
- Mountain hardware fanny pack/water bottle holder
 |
| Start of race |
Anyhow, back to the course. The race direction mentioned that it isn't the best trail at the start of the race, he wasn't kidding. It is shared with dirt bikes so it is very rutted and rocky. And we are not talking little pebble rock, oh no, they are large chunks of rocks. After climbing for 17 miles you reach the ridge, which I can imagine would have beautiful views. Sadly I was not to see them. It was so socked in all I could see soupy white in every direction.
Thus began the downhill...
Oh dear god, downhill running is not my thing. As a matter of fact I will go so far as to say 'I Suck' at running downhill. When I say downhill I am sure you are thinking your local hill in town - no, that doesn't even begin to describe the first downhill segment. It was ridiculous steep, narrow, and rutted. As I mentioned previously, this trail is mainly for dirt bike use. This portion in particular was very narrow, the width of a dirt bike tire - which made for difficult running. Once that segment was done everything was back to normal and it was a usual trail downhill, steep, but not bad. The trail also began to become nice, at least in terms of what you found underfoot. The rockiness from the first 19 miles or so was replaced by a softer forest floor. This too had its downside - it had A LOT of ruts, which were full of water (remember the rain?). None the less, it was appreciated since my feet had started to become very tender.
I continued to trudge along and realized that when I am really tired I get a funny hitch in my run. The best I can describe it is I feel like my right leg is still rotating normally and running while my left is just kinda along for the ride. I ate at the aid stations and continued to drink my water/Nuun. I never had any issues with feeling like I was going to bonk or that my stomach was going to revolt. I suppose all the eating practice I did during long runs paid off.
The miles seemed to both drag by and fly by at the same time. Don't ask, I can't explain it. I kept the same pace the entire race - walking hills and running the downhill and flats. I never pushed myself, my goal was to finish and get some experience under my belt. When I reached the last stretch before the finish I picked-up my pace knowing a beer and chair were right around the corner. It feel good to run faster, I think my legs appreciated the change of pace.
 |
| Almost there! |
I finished in 8:21. Sure, I would have loved a faster time, but time wasn't really my goal. I had a great time and met a lot of awesome people. I will definitely be running another ultra. In fact I signed-up for my next one the day after the race - Orca Island 50k. This one has 8000' of elevation gain, guess I better work on my hill running abilities!
All in all it was a great race. The only part of me that was sore afterward was the bottom of my feet. Otherwise I felt fine.
Stats
Distance: 31 miles
Time: 8:21 (hr:min)
pace: 16:10 (ouch!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)