After a brief hiatus, on a beautiful summer morning, the sloop Winsome sails again! Cruising down San Rafael Creek The highlight of our sail was when we spotted a harbor porpoise at San Pablo Strait! We glimpsed the dark gray of its back and dorsal fin several times as it swam south from the west… Continue reading The Sloop Winsome Sails Again
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienzable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Happy Fourth!
Yesterday, Garrison Keillor signed off from The Prarie Home Companion. And the world got a little bit sadder. Having lived in Minnesota for 10 years, the News from Lake Wobegon always brought on a bout of nostalgia. Both funny and sad, it reminded me of why I loved Minnesota, and also why I left it. “The… Continue reading Farewell, Lake Wobegon
Nestled among the golden rolling hills of the Marin Headlands, Point Bonita Lighthouse, the last manned lighthouse on the Pacific Coast, continues its stalwart mission to guide ships to safe passage in the Golden Gate straits. Before heading to the lighthouse trailhead, we took a short side trip to Battery Mendell in Fort Barry. Now a… Continue reading A Beautiful Beacon: Point Bonita Lighthouse
After years of itchy, scratchy summers, I’ve arrived at the inevitable conclusion: I’m a walking mosquito repellent. For other people, that is. Stick with me and you’ll practically be bug-free, no citronella candle needed. The skeeters will be too busy feasting on me to pay attention to anyone else. So the first time I saw… Continue reading Mosquito Eaters That Don’t Eat Mosquitoes?
Ring Mountain Open Space Preserve in the Tiburon Peninsula is a triple threat of Bay Area trails, providing superb 360-degree views of the bay, rich geologic and Native American history, and a display of rare, native wildflowers. While its name suggests otherwise, this preserve has nothing to do with Frodo’s quest to destroy the One… Continue reading Triple Threat Trail: Ring Mountain Open Space Preserve
The day has come! The final bake: sourdough bread. After a week of yummy treats, I was eager to get on to the main attraction. Cultures for Health’s Traditional Sourdough Bread, complete with a video tutorial, seemed like a good place to start. After the franken-caccia debacle, I tried to be especially careful with how… Continue reading Seven Days of Sourdough – Day 7: Traditional Sourdough Bread
Once upon a time, on the longest day of the year, villagers gathered in a fairytale castle for a labyrinth moonwalk to renew their spirits under the glow of a full strawberry moon. That time was yesterday, the village was San Anselmo, and the setting was Geneva Terrace at the San Francisco Theological Seminary. In… Continue reading Summer Solstice, Strawberry Moon in a Fairytale Castle
Ok, home stretch! Two more bakes till Sourdough Sam goes back in hibernation. We had some bananas that were way past their prime so this was a no-brainer. I tweaked Food.com’s Sourdough Banana Bread recipe, using more bananas, substituting brown sugar for sugar, and almonds for walnuts. Ingredients: 1 stick butter 3/4 cup brown sugar,… Continue reading Seven Days of Sourdough – Day 6: Sourdough Almond Banana Bread
Sourdough Sam was getting out of control. Despite my resolve to use every last scrap of starter, Day 4’s bake – while the gastronomic equivalent to Beethoven’s Ode to Joy – only used a 1/2 cup of starter. I was drowning in the stuff. Sam was crawling out of his bowl after each feeding, oozing all… Continue reading Seven Days of Sourdough – Day 5: Sourdough Crackers
Exploring Marin 