Donut Day

October 31 was donut day at 4924 Upton Ave in Minneapolis. I think it is a tradition now. I've always had a hanker'n for donuts and cider in the fall and over the years it has been pretty characteristic for me to make them once every fall. Last year I went to Minneapolis to do it and they remembered so I got invited back to do it again. Halloween was the perfect time.

My donut recipe was given to me by a very special person in my life. Long since deceased, but fondly remembered, is a woman I grew up calling White. Her name was Elizabeth White and she was like a grandma to me. She gave me the donut recipe in her own handwriting and I have had it for over 35 years.

White was a surrogate, actually hired, grandma for me and my siblings back in the 60's and 70's. Having lost her mother at the age of 16, and having 6 children of her own, my mother needed help. As she tells it, she wanted more than someone to clean the house and iron dad's shirts. She wanted someone to be a grandma to her children. Enter White who came to our house a coule of days a week to clean, iron and bake; along with babysitting whichever of us 6 children who were still young and at home. Mom wasn't always gone. Many days they would work along side each other visiting and cleaning and sometimes White would just sit down and read the baby a story or rock him. And about once a year in the fall, White was assigned the task of making donuts. I got to help. My job was to dip them when they came out of the frying pan and then to lean them up against a glass on a tray so the excess glaze could slide off the donut. We dipped some of them in sugar, but my favorite were the ones we glazed.

White was an awesome baker and we children benefited from that and loved her. She made cinnamon rolls, pies, bread, and donuts for our mother.

There came a time when most of the kids were all grown and at college and mom and dad decided it was time to let White go. It was a tough but economic decision for them. So they let her go. But before long, she was back. We missed her. And we needed her. White had more than nourished our sweet tooth, ironed our clothes, and washed our windows. She had nurtured our family. She had nourished our souls and she had become a part of our family that no one could just cut out.

Its important to note that White had her own granchildren. They were our schoolmates and friends and they were generous enough to share their grandma with us showing no apparent resentment or possiveness. On a rare occassion we would get to spend the night with White and Clarence and that was a special time. I remember sleeping on the sofa in their very small 1 bedroom house.

One of my last and fondest memories of White was the year she and I went to Irving to cut a cedar Christmas tree. I was home from college and learned that the tree that was up was too dry and we weren't going to be able to plug in the lights on Christmas eve. That was unacceptable to me so mom let me take White with me to go cut another tree. Off we went to the ghost town of Irving where White had lived until the federal government made all residents move due to the buidling of the Tuttle Creek Dam. Tuttle Creek Dam was flood control for others but it was death to the town of Irving. White was always melancholoy when we walked around there and saw the old foundations and sidewalks. I think she had actually grown up in Irving so seeing only what remained of it was very sad for her. But we got the tree, cut it, loaded it and headed home with it where I had the job of un-decorating the dry one and replacing it with the fresh one.

I don't know how much White enjoyed that little trip but I will always remember it. She must have been in her 60's then but she was still a trooper.

The last time I saw her she was in a care center in Blue Rapids. I stopped to see her and wasn't sure she knew me. I never went back. She lived a long time in the care center not knowing her own name and when she died I was not able to go to her funeral. I don't remember why but I wish I had gone. My little grandma with the snow white curly hair. Here is her recipe:

1 cut warm water

1 cup warm milk

1 stick melted butter

2/3 cup sugar

3 T yeast

Mix in flour to form a soft dough.

Let rise about 2 hours

Cut donuts and let rise again. (about 45 minutes)

Fry in enough canola oil that donuts are floating over medium high heat.

Lake Cabin

A few months ago our nest officially emptied. We took Callie to college on a Tuesday and that same week on Friday, we closed on a cabin on a lake in Minnesota. I like to think of it as us getting home, looking through our 5 bedroom house to make sure we were alone, confirming to each other that all the kids were launched, sitting down and counting our money to see if there was any left and then saying "LET'S GO BUY A CABIN!".

But the truth is that we had been looking for a cabin for about 3 years and the girls had been kind in sparing our finances by earning academic scholarships. So, for 3 years we've been looking as ugly house after ugly house floated across our computer monitor. We've been patient. We are too young to buy a cabin and we don't have time to use one. But, the time was right. Its a buyers market, afterall, and when the realtor said she had something she wanted us to look at, though it was out of our price range, we looked.

And the picture you see is what we found. A cabin, built in 1955 about when we were being born; the first cabin on the lake; moved to a new location; this cabin was owned by the same family all those years. When the 94 year matriarch decided it was time to sell it, it was our lucky day.

So what do I like best? Is it the lake? Is it the living in small space challenge? Is it that we have a new dream to realize and work on together? The enjoyment of working together with the girls as we turn it into our cabin? I can't isolate just 1 thing. I'm torn between wanting to get it turned into a cabin we can use and not wanting the process to end. I can't wait to sit by a toasty stove and watch the snow fall as I look out over the lake. Or listen to a loon as we drink coffee in our adirondack chairs and watch the sun come up. Or take walks around the lake and return to our little nest to make hot chocolate and read a book or knit. I guess I'm a dreamer and have alway been a nester. Empty, or full to brimming with a family, I love making my nest and if the children are raised, then I can picture their families and the times we can share with them when all 600 square feet of it is full to bursting! So here's to vertical living and finishing our cabin!

Launching a Spiritual Experience

It will be on a fast track but the quilt I am about to make has been a long time in the think tank. I really mess up Christmas ... every year. I have sent gifts to Chile that should have been sent to Minnesota, bought "surprise" evening bags that one daughter said looked like a case for CD's (affectionately said, of course), and just saved Christmas 2010 by returning a coat I luckily learned was too small. So after Christmas last year I resolved to return my gift giving back to the years when I made gifts; to return to a homemade Christmas. My plan was to make each daughter a killer; the name we give our old family comforters that are crafted from wool and heavy cotton batting; appropriately named killers for their weight should one not be able to get out from under them.

By September I had accomplished having my sewing machine over-hauled, pricing my fabric, sketching my pattern and consulting an expert about the batting. But I had yet to make the plunge and start the project. Until ... a daughter home for the weekend was musing aloud how she liked the Pottery Barn comforters and I disclosed my secret plan. We made a trip to Bonnie's Quilt Shop in Pocahontas. So much for the surprise! The colors were selected by her with some help from me.

As I was telling this story while skyping a friend, she advised me to make this project a spiritual experience and to let the quilt become itself without too much thinking. That was like permission to not think ... which can get me in trouble at Christmas! So, here I go. I am going to launch a spiritual experience and not be burdened by over-thinking the outcome. Merry Christmas to me!

Celebrating Des Moines East Village

Hank in the Alice in Wonderland Garden

View of the West Side from the Riverwalk

A recent stay over in Des Moines has me championing the little city's most charming attraction ... East Village. I was in Des Moines staying at the Embassy Suites babysitting my grandson Hank and so totally enjoyed the amenities of the community that I am compelled to write about it.

The best part of the stay is the walking access to destinations in every direction. Though I didn't have time this time, I hope to walk to the west side across one of the walking bridges next time and have coffee on Court Avenue, sit and gaze at the reflecitng pool on Locust, and visit the public library and sculpture Garden.

But this time, I stayed strictly to the east side and enjoyed a choice of Greek, Itallian, Lebanese, and American food restaurants. Those are the choices I "dumbed" past; there may be more. The Greek restaurant I ate at was very modest, clean, and affordable with a decor that fit its menu. Another night I had delicious tomato bisque soup at the Baby Boomers Cafe. The Lebanese cafe will have to wait for another time; it was full and we had a tight schedule so we didn't wait.

I love the patio restaurant overlooking the city on the top of the Historial Museum and was very impressed by the museum but Hank and I were ready to hit the sidewalk and visit the Botanical Center before it was time for lunch. So off we went on the Riverwalk and spent some time visiting the gardens before taking a rest and sharing a sandwich and iced tea at the Riverwalk Cafe right there in the Botanical Center.

With my bicycle in tow, I was able to ride north of the botancial gardens and discovered Union Park, which wouldn't be walk prohibitive for the person who loves to walk. There I found a beautiful operating carousel and the perfect "free" pool for Hank to splash around in.

I also took a short ride north on the bike trail and turned around at Waterworks Park for lack of time but I could have gone further and easily looped back to my hotel after circling Gray's Lake.

I guess besides the walkability of the area, I appreciate the European flavor and the friendly people. The shops are definitely up-scale and I am likely to just say to a sales clerk that I am just looking but ... well, you never know! I keep my wallet handy but I can have a great time without spending very much at all!

This is my knit shop. I am starting to mourn the loss of it as the owner and my good friend will be closing it in August to move to Oklahoma where I will still be able to buy from her online and get help with instructions by skype. I love the colors in this picture and the busyness of it all. It has been a cozy place to take my coffee and my project and sit for an hour or more knitting, laughing, and visiting about life, parenting, and any number of things we have in common. We have even been known to bitch and gossip but that is rare as opposed to frequent, I am proud to say!

When I opened my studio I was thrilled to be right across the street from the knit shop and looked forward to "sneaking" away with a sign on my door whenever my work was done. I have done that less than I had hoped but obviously more than I will be able to going forward.

My knitting will continue and my friendship with my knitting instructor will be by long distance now, but I will not dispair. I will learn to fill my time with something new and enjoy more time with a dear friend who lives in Pocahontas and is resigning her teaching position after this year. We will walk more, I will do more yoga, and I will take my knitting to the studio where I can fill any idle time with a good book, or some colorful yarn, and my stash of flavored coffees and teas.

And in between ... I will take pictures!

Tribute to Grandma Smercheck and Cedar Rapids Czech Village

When I was growing up my best friend (since 7th grade) was Cindy Smercheck. We remain friends to this day. She was from Czechoslovakian ancestry and lived on a farm south of the town I grew up in, near the Czech Church of all things! She went to country school until 3 rd grade and we became friends in middle school. I loved going to her house. It was a big drafty farm house with poor water pressure, poor tv reception, and a warm kitchen where something was always cooking. It was the only room I ever remember seeing her grandma in. My vague memory of her was that she was always cooking. I don't think she lived long after Cindy and I became friends. I believe she met a tragic death from a grease fire in the kitchen where she died cooking for her family. I don't remember her name but I have an image of this tiny little granny with a bent back and pot holder in her hand looking in the oven. And I do remember eating her kolaches. Poppy seed, prune, and apricot I believe.

This morning I thought of her when I ate an apricot kolache in what is left of Czech Village in Cedar Rapids. Czech Village was covered in water in the flood that devastated Cedar Rapids a few years ago and I regret that I never saw it before this morning. The picture here is of the street that runs between the bakery and what is left of the village shops.

Here is sign that I couldn't resist photographing, though I have no idea what it says.

And the bridge that crosses the river that rose to destroy the businesses of Czech village had these cool gargoyles and this beautiful railing . I hope Cedar Rapids is able to re-build Czech Village and I am able to return for another visit someday.

Experiential Photography

It might have been the photographers job from hell ... five kids ages five and under. But a few days after I shot this group I was at a photographers convention where I learned I had just shot Experiental Photography. The new trend in professional photography is not to capture the perfect image with smiles, crossed ankles and hands folded compliantly in one's lap. The new trend is to capture the experience. Without giving myself too much credit, I have to admit that was my only choice! Early in my hour session I figured out I had to just keep shooting and hope for the best so if I saw a face, I let the shutter fly! To get this adorable picture I had to shoot about 116 images.

The abuela and I were a bit frazzled at the end of the hour, not to mention the two mothers of these children, and were we less respectable we might have collapsed with a glass of wine at some point and said "We give up!". But once the images were out of the camera it was apparent we had far more keepers than we thought during the process. Here are a few more.

This is the Rye bread I made yesterday when I finally have learned how to make the artisan bread I see in bakeries. I put this bread on wax paper on a pie plate for its second rise. About 20 minutes before I baked it I preheated the oven at 425 degrees with the dutch oven in it getting hot. When the aluminum dutch oven (I think next time I'll try my cast iron one just for fun) was at the temp of 425 I carefully lifted the raised bread, wax paper and all into the dutch oven, put the lid on and baked for 20 minutes. I baked it another 15 with the lid off to get it nice and brown. Oh, 2 other things, I oiled the wax paper and I scored the top of the bread with a shart knife. It was wonderful but more importantly; it was beautiful. By the way, the stone it is on was about $4 and was in the floor tile section of Menards. Beat that price for a pizza stone! You can also buy other sizes and build your stone right in the oven by putting together your various sizes to get the shape and size you want. Pretty darn cool.

The Dollar Bowl ... my poor kids!

I had this revelation about my food blogging. I need more dishes! I have too many already but that's because when you find dishes you like you have to buy a whole darn set. Now, though, I can just look for random stuff that's cheap and will photograph nice with the right food in it. So today I found this bowl at the Offspring here in Pocahontas and it was whole buck. I took this rather poor picture of it but I'll cook up something hot and comfortable one day this week and do better ... maybe like some broccoli soup that my poor kids will remember as Oscar soup. (I thought if I could link vegetables and good food to Sesame Steet they might fall for it.) The real reason the title includes "my poor kids" though, is because when I croak someday they are going to have to figure out what to do with all the dishes! I'm just getting started.

Years ago when the girls were small I loved taking still life pictures. I was staying home to raise my family. In retrospect I think I was bored at times and also thirsted for creative outlets. So for lack of any other option I would create still life settings with muffins I had baked, children's dolls placed on bed pillows, candles in rain-spattered windows, antique watches on lace ... and on and on and on. I would even print the pictures and then create my own notecards. Since those days pre-dated the internet I wrote letters to family members and a number of those notecards got used for those letters. I have been amused by my self entertainment at times but when I look at some of those pictures I really do find some of them quite pretty. I still have many of them.

A few years ago while in a book store I was looking at bookmarks made from photographs and was inspired to go through my stacks of poor prints and take the best slice out of them to turn into a bookmark. THAT amused my family as I anyone who politely showed any interest in my bookmark collection, was invited to choose one of my homemade photographic booksmarks of re-cycled bad pictures!

Lately I am becoming interested in photographing food. I now have both the time and the means to cook for fun and enjoy the presentation of a dish that I have planned and prepared. I find myself wanting to preserve the beauty of the dish in a photograph before printing. I haven't done that yet but tonight I stopped all action on a bowl of popcorn until I photographed it.

We dumped in some trail mix and thought it looked pretty snacky! Then I shot it! The camera was poor and the light wasn't right but I might just start doing a little experimenting with the professional camera next time.

I must admit I was hesitant to invest in a website for the studio. I did do it though and I think it might have been one of my wisest decision. I have received a number of orders through the site and customers seem to really like the immediacy of viewing their proofs. The bonus for me is saving a lot of money in gallery expense if I can direct my customers or potential customers to the website where I can post my portraits. I am anxious to have more to post but it is coming along. I have done two families in the new studio which have included couples, babies, and small families and I have another senior sitting this week. I am really enjoying the baby photography but wouldn't want to say what my favorite is yet. Seniors are pretty fun too!

I am starting to feel like my photography is really different in the studio than anything I have ever done. I have always been pretty happy with the pictures I took in the basement studio at home but the light and the equipment and maybe just the subjects has really got me excited about the portraits I am taking now. Her for example is a portrait of a baby I took last weekend. Is he cute or what! I love his cowlikc and the all white background that makes the baby what its all about. This little guy was with his family for Grandpa's 60th birthday. The fun is having that inside view of the family and their relationships and for this family it was especially fun because they were meeting at the studio. So I was there when the kids came in and hugged Grandpa and saw their cousins. And when the special surprise came in ... unexpected guests ... I got my best pictures of Grandma and Grandpa. They happened to be having their portraits done then and here is what I got.

Here are some pictures of the inside of the studio.

I will post some pictures of the new studio soon. I have moved in and begun working there and I love it. It has turned out well and I am amazingly busier than I exepcted but not so busy that I can't keep up.
I generally go to the studio 3 days a week. I schedule consultations, frame ordering, passport pictures, and sittings on Tues - Thurs if I can. This week I have a family scheduled for Saturday and that won't be un-common as families are generally together on weekends.
It is nice to get the photography equipement out of the house and to get out of the house myself to do my IPA work.