South Pass City

 South Pass City was a station on the Oregon Trail and a mining town. It became a ghost town after all the mines were closed. I really enjoyed this walk into the past. Here are photos of various buildings - they are pretty much self-explanatory.  I think you can click on photos to make them larger if you care to.

Trip to Georgia - September 2024

 In September, I decided to drive back to Georgia to see my son, Rob.

I started by freeze drying a lot of food

and packing up the van for the long trip.

First stop was at my favorite waffle place in Amity, Oregon.

Next, I dog-sat for my son, Cameron for a week in his lovely riverside apartment in Vancouver, Washington.

Jean Luc wants to take a walk!

The view from his living room is gorgeous!

First night was spent up in the Gorge.
I had a wonderful view of the river. 

Next day I stopped to see a waterfall, then drove to the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Baker City Oregon. I enjoyed the exhibits very much.

Next I traveled to see the World Center for Birds of Prey

in Boise, Idaho.  They had some beautiful birds there and it was definitely worth the visit!

Harpy Eagle

I also enjoyed the Condor exhibits. I saw a Condor in the wild near Pismo Beach when I was 15 and I've never forgotten the experience. 

I spent the night in a pretty roadside park. 

Breakfast was at Choat's Family Diner. Then on to Lava Hot Springs where I parked for the night and enjoyed the nice, hot water. 

I had a nice shady place to park for the night.

Next stop was Fossil Lake in Wyoming. I think this was one of my favorite stops. The displays were incredible and I could have spent a lot more time here - I hope to return someday.

Driving through Wyoming was pretty boring. 
I did take a little side stop to see some of the original Oregon Trail ruts left by wagons on their way west. 

Next I stopped at South Pass City. 
I'm going to ssave that for a whole new post as it is very photo heavy.

Cirque du Soleil in August

In August, my son Cameron took Joe and I to Cirque du Soleil in Portland, Oregon. We had a wonderful time! We weren't allowed to take photos during the show but my son bought VIP tickets so we got food and drinks and beautiful seats!  Had a great time!

 

Celery and Kale in the Freeze Dryer

 Today I harvested my celery. I didn't quite have enough to fill 5 trays in the freeze dryer so I filled the last tray with kale. 

Me in my big old linen sack dress with my arms full of celery.

This is what went into the freeze dryer. 

It all dried so nicely and I've used it all winter. (Posting this in February!)

What's in the Freeze Dryer 6/21/24?

 

Today I finished up the following:

2 trays of hominy corn nuts
(This was a #10 can)

1 tray of canned mixed veggies
(carrots/peas/corn) for soups.
I put most of it in a mylar bag and
put the leftover in a jar. 

2 trays of canned beets for chips.

The hominy corn nuts are really good! 
I seasoned one tray with a Cajun Seasoning
and one tray with garlic/salt.
I like the Cajun ones better.
We'll see what Joe thinks.

I absolutely LOVE the canned beets freeze dried! 
They make a wonderful sweet/savory chip for dipping.
I'll be doing more of these!

The canned mixed veggies
take up a lot less space now,
opening up shelf space.

I'll be doing canned green beans this week
for the same reason.
Time to turn over cans that are close to being outdated
and get them off the shelf and into mylar bags.

So far, I'm loving this Freeze Dryer
EXCEPT for the noise!
It is very noisy - but I'm learning to live with it. 

More soon...

Love, Annie