Lemon Tonic

Lemon Tonic

If you like lemonade, if you like tonic water, try this. Refreshing.

Grape Salad Dessert

Grape Salad Dessert

The ingredients sound strange together, but it is knock your socks off good, extra rich, mostly unhealthy, etc.

Burney Falls in the Winter

Burney Falls

I took this photo a few years ago in December. It had snowed the night before so I thought I might catch a good snow scene at the falls. As you can see there is a little snow on the right side of the falls but definitely not a snow scene.

The area was so contrasty with white falls, light sky, and dark rocks and trees that I decided to try HDR. I also wanted a very high resolution image so I took four overlapping vertical shots at three different exposures each. After combining all these images (12) this is what I got. I also took numerous single shots at various exposures, none of which could render all the contrast.

Usually a photo from this spot, especially twelve exposures is not possible due to mist and spray. I had just the right wind conditions on this morning.

Roaring Creek Falls

Roaring Creek Falls, a photo by Jim Arnold (jga154) on Flickr.
Garry and I decided not to go to the bottom this trip. Maybe we can talk Frank into going with us and going to the bottom. He has another rope and we might need two. There are two falls on roaring creek (at least). The maps I have don't name them. Garry decided to call this one the lower falls for one obvious reason.

It is a nice falls, similar to Potem Creek Falls, but a little smaller. Not too hard to get to this point, but on down requires a rope for hand holds even without camera gear.

Roaring Creek Falls

Roaring Creek Falls, a photo by Jim Arnold (jga154) on Flickr.

Garry wanted to go up and photograph this falls. It was an adventure. Pretty difficult to get to due to berry briars, downed tree branches, huge rocks, slick leaves, steep side hills, and the list goes on. This was the only view I could get to this time of the year. The rocks were too slippery to navigate much closer.

Garry wants to go back with a rope to lower ourselves down the even steeper other side. Then we will have better access to the falls...he thinks.

Blind Bird Photography

I spent the morning with Frank again making birds perch where we wanted them to. It is quite a chore but baiting them helps. Figuring out how to get a bird to pose just right is another problem that is just...well, left up to the bird.

We also have to be sure the background is good. Nothing that looks architectural, even though our lenses do a good job with bokah (blurring the background). Large very light areas are out also as they pull your eye to them and away from the bird.

Shooting from a blind lets us get fairly close (15 to 20 feet) which is where we need to be for these close-up shots.

Here are a couple of keepers from this morning. I posted a few few more on Flickr and Facebook.

An Oak Titmouse on a Sugarpine cone.

White-breasted Nuthatch

Downy Playing Hid-n-Seek

A Downy Woodpecker staying behind the Bark Butter laden pine cone.

Orange Variant - House Finch

This is a nice example of an orange variant, House Finch. Frank always seems to have one hanging around his place. Sibley Field Guide to Birds attributes the variation to diet. Anyway he matches the berries well.

Frank got an image of him trying a berry, but he didn't seem to like it much, and only tried the one.

Token Snow Patches

Mary and I made a day trip on Wednesday up to the west side of Lassen Park. Not actually in the park, but not much over a mile from it's west boundary either. I didn't find one road that I couldn't drive because of snow. Even at an elevation of 6,800 feet at times. There were patches of snow here and there though. Poor Mt. Lassen looks like summer.

Of course we were also geocaching and found most of them we looked for. Big ones like this are easy. It's the film canisters that are easy to overlook. Wish Jack was with us cause there was loot in this big one.

The rock formations up here are quite surprising. We found lots of holes, cracks, and figures. They must be fertile rocks too as there are trees growing right out of the middle of many. It seems to be decomposing granite, but who am I to say.

I found a couple of unobstructed views of Mt. Lassen. Most of the time trees block part of it. Might be good for an evening shot with the right clouds, etc.

I plan on going back for more exploration in the summer. The winter days are just too short and usually to deep with snow up there.

The Holes Are Right

I have been experimenting with my sourdough bread for about a year now. The flavor of the loaves has been nice for a long time but I just couldn't get the holes right. By holes I mean the texture of the loaf. Gluten development traps water which turns to steam and makes the holes.

After trying what I thought was everything, at least everything I could find in online sourdough bread baking sites, I had given in to the no hole texture bread. It is very good, just not what I was looking for. I guess what I was looking for would be sourdough French bread style.

By accident I discovered the resolution. The main application I have been using was a San Francisco style sourdough style website. The author suggests using a covered stoneware bread baking dish. This has distinct advantages as it keeps the heat very uniform and traps moisture inside while baking. The trapped moisture makes for a nice glossy topped loaf. He also says not to preheat the oven. So, I didn't preheat...ever.

Come Alton Brown and his "Need Not Bread" application. Alton uses a dutch oven that is preheated to bake sourdough (which in my opinion is not true sourdough) bread. I tried it, burned it (too many briquettes) in my camp style dutch oven, and got perfect holes. Mary was happy and I was happy.

After experimenting with my "real" sourdough, cooking it in a preheated stoneware dish, in the gas oven I found, that was it. Very happy with my bread loaves now.