Canning Season

Fall is my favorite season. Not only do fall holidays have great food (candy for Halloween, turkey & stuffing for Thanksgiving, and more candy for Christmas) but it's when we get to harvest all the work of the year. Unfortunately, our tomatoes did not turn out this year. I have yet to dig up the potatoes but I'm sure they will be tasty.

Local fruitstands now have peaches on sale so we decided it was time to bottle some. Why is it that when you see a box of peaches they look like they may not make much but when you get them home and start blanching, peeling, slicing and canning that those two boxes look overwhelming?


I also made a small batch of salsa trying a new recipe. The first year we made salsa it was good (except for the salt) and we are still looking for a great salsa recipe. So we make a little here and there hoping to find that perfect recipe.


While we were between processes, we put together the puzzle we never made it to at Bear Lake, aptly names the Bear Lake puzzle by Dowdle.

Bear Lake

Last weekend we enjoyed a nice 2-night camping trip at Bear Lake State Park. Straddling both Utah and Idaho borders, the natural lake is one of the prettiest lakes around. The park was on the south end of the lake, and about 5 miles away from Garden City, a quiet little community (that even has a library). We left after DeeAnn got off work and drove up through Evanston in order to avoid the construction zone we call Utah.

The obligatory visiting library picture.

The lake and "beach" from the campground. It was a lot closer than it looked. The best beaches are on the west side of the lake.

I don't know why, but there is this old cabin at the park. It is identified as the "Trading Post" and is open to walk through. I have no idea why there is a totem pole in the campground either. But it's interesting.

Harvey at his spot at the park.

Melanie and her family's camping spot. It had a very nice view of the lake.

I cooked dutch oven ribs, Melanie cooked potatoes. Yummy! And served on Mickey plates made it much tastier.

Th boys enjoying their giant marshmallows.

Bear Lake State Park was very nice. The only bad thing was the gate attendant who was totally indifferent to us, didn't want to be bothered with giving us directions, map, or anything at all. The weather was nice enough that we didn't have to use the air conditioning but certainly had to use the heater in the evenings. The campgrounds along the north end of the east section were shaded and would be great for summer time camping. We look forward to returning.

Sunrise over the Mountains

One morning on the way to work, I noticed this:

Review - Queste

Camping gives me a lot of time to read, so I was able to finish Queste by Angie Sage. This was the fourth book in the Septimus Heap series.

The book is very much a continuation of the third book, Physik, where Septimus' brother Nico and Snorri are trapped in a different time dimension. Septimus, with his sister/princess Jenna and his friend Beatle, embark on a queste to find them. This takes them to the House of the Foryx and a very dangerous journey along the way.

I loved this book. it read fast, I could hardly wait to pick it up and read what was going to happen next.

Now I am reading Artemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer.