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!
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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.)

Oscar Night down on the Funny Farm

We had our annual Oscar night appetizer dinner last night. Here's the champagne, soda, shrimp, and stuffed mushrooms,

Accompanied by mini crab cakes, flatbread sandwich rolls, artichoke spinach dip, smoked salmon spread, cukes, roasted peanuts, ham roll-ups, pretzel sticks, crackers, flax chips, a trio of tasty sauces, and (not pictured) lemon chocolate drizzle cookies.

Anni watching the Oscars. She liked the music.

Alex and Ari watching the Oscars. They were pulling for our favorite movie of the year: The King's Speech. We all think Geoffrey Rush got gipped. He was fab!

Huh?

A strange pink landed among the kitchen clutter this evening.

It popped its hatch to reveal...

the extraterrestrial cupcake.

Okay, okay, it was Anni's fabulous peanut butter cupcake,

made in her very own cupcake oven. So much cooler than an Easy Bake!

And here are the rest of the crew, a half dozen peanut butter cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and orange zest.

I think I need to turn around and go back to the gym for a few more miles! Groan.

Julie Ann: Eek! Is this another space critter? An intergalactic space slug?
David: No, this is my world infamous raisin braid bread.

Julie Ann: Don't you mean famous?

David: You haven't tasted it yet.

Julie Ann: I think I might be full.

David: Chicken.

Julie Ann: Cluck!

(I did eventually try some. It was delish! Back to the gym again!)

Life in pictures

Here I am in Pasco, WA at Radcon 5C. I was the science geek (I mean guest) of honor. I participating in the opening ceremonies (here with Radcon Bob), gave the science keynote presentation, did visits with two high school classes, was a member of 11 panels, and briefly modeled for the auction. Phew!

Fellow writer, Jay Lake, just had to try my hat on. He bares a striking resemblance to a Star Wars ewok. (sorry Jay).

After nearly a week of con food. I arrived home craving organic veggies. Here are the fixings for homemade pizza!

Two veggilicious pizzas about to hit the oven. YUM!

Anni getting cozy with the tea cozy!

She thought Alex needed a turn too.

The snow decided to make a reappearance in Western Washington.

At first it was just a few flakes.

And then a few more.

It began to stick

until the ground was covered

and so was the greenery.

The guard owl was not amused.

Barkley? Are you out here?

Today, it warmed up just a bit and melted some in the sunshine. Sending warm thoughts to all of you.

And finally...

HUGE CONGRATULATIONS!!! to Ellie and Joey on the birth of their beautiful baby girl!

Finally, a new post!

Finally, a new post! I've been taking a blog hiatus to work on another project. I'm going to be the science guest of honor at a conference next week, meaning I had to come up with a key note speech.

Then, I said I'd be happy to fill in wherever else I might be needed. Now, I'm also giving a talk to two high school science classes and being a member of nine panels, on such varied topics as Alvin the submersible, Pulling an All nighter, Brain Plasticity, and Technology of the future! It's a lot of firing up my brain, but I'm having a blast!

Dinner on Tuesday: Asian chicken salad with wanton strips - delish!
Farm box on Wednesday: celery, broccolini, red leaf lettuce, greem beams, tomatoes, lacinato kale, mushrooms, shallots, apples, pears, oranges, tangelos, and a mango.