Linda and I decided to take time off from our usual yard work last Friday and take a day trip to Ellensburg. This small town is only about 30 minutes away, and we like to go there from time to time just to walk around downtown and see what's new. On this trip we really didn't find much new downtown, but we did visit their Goodwill store for the first time. Linda was delighted to find a few books that were on her "want" list, at a reasonable price. After a chilly, windy walk through the downtown (we even had to wear jackets!), we headed to the destination that was the REAL reason we made this trip. Several months ago our local newspaper, the Yakima Herald-Republic, published their list of the best pizzas to be found in and around Yakima. Topping the list was Cornerstone Pie (<--link), located in Ellensburg. Ever since I read that article I have wanted to go there, so we did just that on this trip. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. First of all, this is a pizza place in a college town, so you know it has to be good. And they have a lot of outdoor seating plus a small venue set up to have concerts. Secondly, the sound system was playing rock songs from the 60's (yay!), and there were framed vintage posters all around from that era. You can even buy them if you want, but just so you know, the one that Linda is pointing to in the picture below was $1500.
Thirdly, they offer personal-sized pizzas, so we were both able to get whatever we wanted from their wide variety of fire-roasted pizza. Linda had the "Tre Fungi" pizza, which consisted of tomato sauce, loads of mozzarella cheese, and three different kinds of mushrooms. Being the Southerner that I am, I was intrigued by the "Carolina Pulled Pork" pizza. I opted for that one even though I knew it would not be authentic "pulled pork" like I was used to. Nonetheless, it was very, very good. The pizza had a Kansas City-style sauce (sweet) called "Bourbon BBQ Sauce." This sauce was very tasty, with just a hint of bourbon and heat. The crust was nice and chewy, which is the way I like it. Let me pause here for a moment to educate everyone on Eastern North Carolina Barbecue and the accompanying sauce. The sauce is made with vinegar, cayenne, black pepper, crushed red pepper, hot sauce (usually Texas Pete, which is made in Winston-Salem) and sometimes water is added. This sauce is constantly mopped over the whole pig while it is being cooked in a huge smoker. It is also served on the side in case you want to add some to your plate. And while I am at it, let me just say that the meat is always, always chopped, and is called "barbecue," not "pulled pork." But that is the way it was made just in my region of the state, as there are other styles and types of Carolina Barbecue. There are probably as many different kinds of barbecue (or pulled pork, or whatever you want to call it) in this country as there are states. Having said all that, suffice it to say that this particular pizza was excellent, in my opinion, and I definitely want to go back.
On our way back from Ellensburg we decided to take a detour and ride through the Yakima River Canyon. This scenic drive is on a two-lane road which runs right alongside the Yakima River. The views are gorgeous and there are numerous places to pull off the road and enjoy the scenery if you are so inclined. Below are a few pictures that I took with my phone.
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| View of surrounding hills from the Canyon |
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| It was a perfect day for rafting and canoeing on the river |
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| Gorgeous views |
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| High desert beauty |
IN THE FRONT YARD
After our day off on Friday, we returned to our yard work on Sunday. Linda was still hard at work transplanting flowers in the front yard and watering them in, and I helped her briefly with moving some rocks. Then I turned my attention to taking pictures for the blog. I usually take my pictures in the back yard, because that is where the vegetable garden is located. But on this day I decided to take some in the front yard for a change. Linda suggested I take some pictures of the Snapdragons, since we have so many different colors in our yard.
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| Snapdragons on display |
On the last picture I took, I got a surprise. Just as I clicked the shutter, a bee flew toward the flower I was photographing. If I had known he was coming, I would have focused on him!
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| This flower had a visitor |
While roaming around the front yard, I got a few more flower pictures. I seem to get more comments on my flower pictures on the blog than I do on anything else. So I am assuming that is the favorite feature. I like to take flower pictures anyway, so rest assured there will always be plenty of them on my blog.
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| Yellow Gallardia |
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| Sunflower with bee |
My favorite flower has got to be the rose, and we have several in our yard. The two pictured below are somewhat special. The one on top is called the "River Rose" because one of Linda's students (named River) gave it to her. The rose below that is one we have named the "Dad Rose" because it came from Linda's dad.
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| Special roses: River Rose (top) and Dad Rose (bottom) |
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| Another rose we got from Dad's house |
I need to insert a picture from the back yard at this point because this one is my favorite rose, named the "Mary Rose" because it came from a cutting of one of my mom's roses.
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| Another special rose: Mary Rose |
While we were out in the front yard we had loads of bees flying all around. Of course, I can't resist getting a video or two of them, since we love them so much. This guy below looks like he is wearing yellow pantaloons, but it's just the pollen stuck to his hind legs.
Taking the time to photograph things in nature allows me to focus on what's around me. I don't always get the picture or video of what I see because sometimes it just happens too fast. But when I can, I like to stop and look around and just document on record something that catches my eye.
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| Feather on the wind |
BABY QUAIL UPDATE
We continue to see the baby quail every now and then. They are starting to get big now, and they even have feathers that make them look more like a quail. And guess what? They now have tail feathers!! Gone are those cute little pink butts. Oh, well. They can't stay babies forever.
SIGNS OF AUTUMN
We are seeing signs of Autumn everywhere, even though it is still August. It seems like the temperatures are starting to cool off a little earlier this year. We have actually had to wear sweat pants and fleece jackets (our winter uniform) a couple of days this past week. Evidence that it isn't just all in our heads can be found in these pictures below.
PARTING SHOT
While Linda and I were out in the front yard on Sunday, Summer Girl was out there with us, too. She managed to amuse herself while we were busy. Some days she just amazes me with her antics.
That's about it for this week, my friends. I want to leave you with this thought, which I saw posted on the art board at Emily's house:
"Your neighbor is still your neighbor, no matter what has happened."
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