Castlewood

Jonathan and I decided it was time for another hike this weekend. We went to Castlewood which was nearly 45 minutes away from the city. It was the *perfect* day and the woods held so many beautiful views...

The Maramec River

Some guy was playing with his adorable doggy in the river.

Go find a trail and happy hiking!

Smiling judah

what the cute!

"Rivers and roads, rivers 'til I reach you"

We saw the head and the heart last night. They. were. *amazing*

Physics moment

So this is a bit of a nerd moment for me but it is truly fascinating. So I'm learning about "Resonance frequency" in physics. without all the equations, it is basically the one magic frequency that picks up the one special signal we are looking for, whether it's our phone or radio (tuning), it's that one magic frequency that amplifies the signal we are looking for.

For example, like a pendulum. when we were kids we learned to swing on the swing set. We had to find that perfect rhythm of pumping our legs to go the highest.

Another example is of course the sounds waves of a soprano breaking a wine glass.

The video below is what happened to this bridge in Washington in 1940 that went across the Tacoma Narrows strait of Puget Sound. What happened was the wind created a periodic frequency that matched the natural structural frequency of the bridge, and it collapsed!

"Much of the catastrophic collapse was caught on motion picture film thanks to Barney Elliott, the owner of a local camera shop. Examination of the film, the bridge’s remains, and tests with scale models determined that resonance was responsible for Gertie’s demise. Due to the design decision to replace the lattice supports with “I” beams, the wind was unable to pass under the structure as readily as it it passed over it, causing a difference in pressure much like an airplane wing. Once there was sufficient sway to tilt the deck slightly, aerodynamics caused the roadbed to twist to the point that it sprang back, causing a repeating cycle of back-and-forth twisting. During this process, the steadily blowing wind added more and more energy to the vibrations."

"Though no human life was lost when Gertie fell, Tubby the cocker spaniel did not survive." (Sad!)

He was the little puppy in the car that you can see in the film. Apparently the driver got out of his car to run for his life, and left his dog! Sad!

There's your physics lesson for the day!

St. Patty's

We've decided, if our godson happen to be native american, his name would be: "wet-shirt". He is one slobbery little boy!

This St. Patrick's Day we got together with some friends but before we shared a meal and played "time's up" (which was awesome btw)...

Jonathan and I got some one-on-one time with our beautiful little godson, Judah.

While cooking, he fell asleep in the sling.

and what else would we have other than corned beef and cabbage, guiness, & stout floats for dessert. (apparently Elliott *loves* corned beef, this was news to me! he wouldn't leave it alone until he got some!)

I am currently teaching myself to play the guitar. I can play Mr. Tambourine man and Country Road. sort of. Yay!

Happy St. Patty's!

Spring cleaning

We have this little "sun room" right off of our bedroom in the back of the house. it's been such a transitional room because the temperature varies drastically though out the year. The insulation isn't the best so in the winter it's ice cold and we just keep the door closed all winter long. Finally, spring has arrived and I've cleaned it out and made it into our little reading/napping room.

It's become my *favorite* little haven as of late because I can open all the windows and listen to the birds, read a bit and then nap!

Not to mention, it's one of elliott's favorite perches too. He loves to watch all the squirrels and birds. When Jonathan isn't home and I've got an extra hour or two, elliott is my co-napper.

Happy weekend!!

oh ryan

Spring!

With a high of 73 degrees today, it's hard to deny spring fever. I love love love spring. I can't wait to see all the things that were seemingly dead now come forth bursting with life!

Happy Springtime!

ice cream, you scream! homemade ice cream that is...

A friend lent this book out to me and we tried out some of the recipes this weekend. They were great! We made "Salted Caramel ice cream" and "Cognac with roasted pecans". Mmm...

Salty Caramel Ice Cream
Makes about 1 quart

INGREDIENTS
2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.

Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth.

Mix the cream with the corn syrup in a measuring cup with a spout.

Fill a large bowl with ice and water.

Heat the sugar in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat until it is melted and golden amber in color (see note below).

Danger! This is the dry-burn technique. I don't add water to the sugar before putting it on the heat, as some chefs do. Caramelizing sugar dry means it goes faster, but you have to watch it more closely and be ready with your cream. Here is an overview of what you are going to do:

Stand over the pan of sugar with a heatproof spatula ready, but do not touch the sugar until there is a full layer of melted and browning liquid sugar on the bottom with a smaller layer of unmelted white sugar on the top. When the edges of the melted sugar begin to darken, use the spatula to bring them into the center to help melt the unmelted sugar. Continue stirring and pushing the sugar around until it is all melted and evenly amber in color — like an old penny. When little bubbles begin to explode with dark smoke, give the sugar another moment and then remove from the heat. Immediately but slowly pour about 1/4 cup of the cream and corn syrup mixture into the burning-hot sugar. Be careful! It will pop and spit! Stir until it is incorporated, then add a bit more cream and stir, then continue until it is all in.

Remove from the heat and, stirring constantly, slowly add a bit of the cream and corn syrup mixture to the caramel: It will fizzle, pop, and spurt.

Stir until well combined, then add a little more and stir. Keep adding the cream a little at a time until all of it is incorporated.

Return the pan to medium-high heat and add the milk.

Jeni must have forgot this step, stop for a bit to play with a cute kitty. It'll make the ice cream taste better, it just does.

Bring to a rolling boil and boil for 4 minutes. Strictly 4 minutes!

Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry.

Bring back to a boil over medium-high and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. If any caramel flecks remain, pour the mixture through a sieve.

Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and whisk.

Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

While you wait the half hour, we flipped through all her other recipes.

Caleb picked *all* the strange ones

Pour into frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy.

Pack the ice cream into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid.

Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

The Salted Caramel was amazing!!

We then made Cognac with roasted pecans, which didn't freeze in time to try the night we made it, but I tried it just now and it was great too!

Try making your own ice cream, it's not that difficult and it's so much tastier than store bought! Happy ice creaming!