Spring has sprung!

Happy vernal equinox! Oops, I mean Happy Spring!
We had another nice day here in the Pacific Northwest. Translation: It was not pouring!

We went for an afternoon walk at Juanita Bay Wildlife Refuge. Here's a cormorant enjoying the weather.

All the trees are beginning to show their spring finery.

A mud hen explores the shallows.

Lichens dot winter bark.

A hawk keeps watch.

Fluffy cattails blow in the breeze.

Filmy fungus grows amongus.

Intrepid springtime naturalists.

And a final shot of the amazing moon.

Folks have been wondering where the recipes went. They're still around! This month, we've been cooking up all kinds of Celtic recipes. Here's one of our favorite creations: Celtic Pizza. Don't let the number of ingredients intimidate you. It's easy and delish!

CELTIC PIZZA

Ingredients (makes enough for 2 pizzas)

White Sauce:
3 Tbsp margarine or butter

1.5 Tbsp flour

1 cup milk (soy works fine)

3/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp sage

salt and pepper to taste

Toppings List:

8 oz. sliced mushrooms

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2-3 breakfast sausages, sliced into 1/4 pieces (or more mushrooms)

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2-3 small Yukon gold or any good new potato, washed and sliced very thin

1 cup chopped fresh baby spinach

1 Tbsp fresh parsley

1 cup finely grated monzarella cheese (or your fav. cheese)

Olive oil

Crust:

Your favorite 12" pizza crusts

Garlic salt

1 Tbsp dried minced parsley

How to:

1) Place sausages, mushrooms, olive oil, thyme in nonstick skillet. Cook over medium until sausages are cooked through and mushrooms are browing. Turn off heat.

2) Make white sauce. Heat butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk for 1 min. Whisk in milk, spices. Bring to bubbling boil while stirring. Remove from heat.

3) Boil potatoes in salted water for 1 min. Drain immediately. Rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Drain and place on kitchen towel to dry.

4) Prepare crusts. Sprinkle crust lightly with garlic salt and dried parsley.

5) Preheat oven. I used 425 degrees.

6) To assemble: Spread 1/2 of white sauce over bottom of each crust. Top with spinach, sausage, and mushrooms. Add a good handful of cheese over each. Layer potatoe slices and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.

7) Bake for 16-18 minutes, but check after 12.

8) Remove from oven. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Serve up with large leafy green salad and an Irish red brewski. Delish!
div>

Calling coyotes under a big, full moon

Today, we did two really cool things. First, we attended the high school robotics championships in Seattle. Lots of schools from all over the west were taking their creations through robotic games to be the supreme champions. There was music, millions of high schoolers, mayhem, and lots of fun. We had a blast!

This is the beginning of moonrise over the by the Sammamish River trail.

We went for a long evening walk after dinner.

We heard a coyote howl and howled back. It answered and came closer. We kept calling until it was about twenty yards from us. Then it figured out we were human.It took off down the trial to howl with its two other brother and sisters.

Tonight was a special moon. By the horizon, it appeared much larger than a normal full moon as it was much closer to earth than usual. Way cool!

Back from the Rain Forest!

I recently attended the Rain Forest Writers' Retreat.

No, this would not be the balmy warm tropical rain forest.

This would be the temperate, or more rightly temperamental, rain forest of Washington state.

We stayed right along the banks of beautiful Lake Quinault.

The sunsets were spectacular!

We had every kind of weather: rain, snow, light rain, ice, heavy rain, thick clouds, more rain, light clouds, and finally a bit of cool sun.

Bear's bread on a log.

Snow on the elk field.

One of many impromptu waterfalls, I encountered on a hike.

An early skunk cabbage beginning to bloom.

Ice patterns, taken on my early morning run. Brrr!

The writers in full retreat! (I'm in the middle.)