belated post about my vacation

now that a week has passed i think it's high time i talk a little about my camping trip last week.

my parents came into town and on monday we headed up to pisgah national forest. we had reservations from monday afternoon till saturday afternoon to camp at davisdon river campground.

i can't remember what time we got into town on monday. but by the time we got there and setup camp, it was pretty late in the afternoon. so we went to the ranger station to get maps and ideas of where to hike over the week. we got to take a brief walk around the campsite, which included a traipse over a small suspension bridge. then we settled in for the night by making a fantastic dinner over the open flames and followed it up with cheese-its roasted on the fire and s'mores.

here are some shots of our first day:



setting up the tarp over our "dining room"


the suspension bridge


cooking dinner


the first s'more of the trip

on tuesday we decided to see a bunch of waterfalls. we got to see 5 that day. two of them, looking glass falls and sliding rock, were right by the road. you just had to walk down steps to see them.


mom taking a pict of looking glass falls


aptly named, sliding rock is a place where people can slide down the rock into a pool of frigid water below. we opted to skip this part. but it was fun to watch.

in between seeing those two waterfalls, we took a short jaunt to moore cove waterfall. that one was cool because you could walk right up and go under it. mom was excited because she'd never been behind a waterfall before. i wondered if we should have found gold or seen a unicorn or something.





after a quick picnic lunch (day 1 of pb&j) and a ride on a portion of the blue ridge parkway, we took the longest walk of the day. this hike allowed us to see two waterfalls, the upper and second falls. finding the upper falls was easy, but the hike to the second falls took a long time. the trail wasn't well marked, so we weren't even sure we were on the right track a lot of the time. but once we found it, it was neat because you could really walk on the falls and hike to the top (thanks, i believe, to the lack of rain for the past few years). after resting for a little while we skedaddled out of there because the thunder and black clouds looked ominous. it did rain, but luckily it waited until we got to the car. we actually lucked out with the rain during the whole week. the forecast was for rain every day and it did rain pretty much every day. but it would only rain for a few minutes and we never got caught in it.


view of cold mountain from the parkway




shots of upper waterfall


hiking from the upper to the second waterfall



shots of the second waterfall

more to be posted later on wednesday to saturday.

where my bees at?

you're not going to believe it. my bees are gone! that's right. gone. they must have swarmed, the little bastards!

so here's the story. 1 1/2 weeks ago my parents were here and we checked the hive. see?



and, for the most part everything looked pretty good. my only concern was that they weren't really working as fast as i thought they should've been. there were still about 4 frames that had no comb built yet. i wasn't sure if it was a result of the poor weather of late (rain), or if they were bored, or what. i was curious if i should add the super* on there to give them something to work towards. but i wasn't quite sure. so i emailed my beekeeper friend and he told me not to worry. just add some food and he felt like it would be fine. so i did that. then i was away for 6 days** so i didn't check on them last week. i got back late saturday night and i've either been busy or it's been raining ever since i got back. when i walked by the hive it seemed pretty quite outside, but i figured it was just the weather. but when i came home tonight the weather was beautiful and the hive was completely silent. so i opened the outer cover and all i saw were little worms. so i suited up (just to be safe) and me and baldman went out there. and sure enough, they're totally gone. no dead bees, so they must've swarmed. but lots of worms, which i'm assuming are wax moth larvae which will take advantage of unattended wax to lay their larvae and eggs.

so, yea, sucky.

*a super is the next layer of frames for the bees to continue to build on.

**i promise i'll post about my trip soon. i have loaded the pictures at flickr if you want to see them. (but you have to look at them in the album and not in the photostream because they're all out of order otherwise.)

meatless meatloaf recipe

last week when i was camping with my parents my mom brought along the silver palate's thick and rough cut oatmeal to have for breakfast. i noticed this recipe on the inside of the box. it looked good so i decided to try it for dinner tonight and was pleased. the only meatless meatloaf that i've made is with fake crumble, which i'm trying to get away from. my only complaint had to do with my cooking, which was that i didn't cook the soybeans enough so they didn't adequately mash. but otherwise, the flavor was fantastic!

meatless meatloaf

sauce:
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
1 tbs. oil
8 oz can tomato sauce

saute onion and pepper in oil until lightly browned. add tomato sauce and bring to a boil. boil for 2-3 minutes. set aside.

meatloaf:
1 c. soybeans, cooked
1 c. oatmeal
1/2 c. walnuts or pecans, ground
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/4 c. onion, chopped
2 tbsp. chopped parsley
1/2 c. ketchup
1 (4 oz.) can mushrooms, drained (i skipped this)
1/2 tsp. basil
1 tsp oregano

mash soybeans with fork. add oatmeal, nuts and eggs and mix well. blend mixture with remaining ingredients. place mixture in a greased 9x5x3 loaf pan. top with tomato sauce. bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

makes 6 servings.

june garden update

while i'm uploading 177 pictures of my latest vacation onto flickr, i thought i'd take a moment to give an update on the garden.

i've been away a lot this month and my garden has suffered for it. i was so hopeful about the zucchini and squash this year. we were keeping careful watch on it to make sure it didn't get squash bores, like last year. and they were getting so big. we even had two yellow squashes coming up. well, i went out there this morning and almost every plant was totally inundated with the bores. the worms were huge and i just couldn't save the plants. so i had to rip most of them out. i left a few in the ground, but i'll be surprised if we'll get anything from them. bah!

the other bad news is that the patsy's beans that i planted along the fence are dead. they were also doing pretty well. last year they produced a small amount but the leaves fell off from the bottom up and i figured they didn't like our hot, dry climate. so i planted them earlier and they looked pretty good. still suffered from the dropping of the leaves, but there were a lot of pods on them when i left for my latest trip. when i looked this morning i found that the plants are completely dead! the pods are still there, but the beans haven't fully ripened yet. the only thing that i can figure is that our neighbor must've spread some weed killer or something around the fence. there is a suspicious yellow patch of grass on his side of the fence that ends just about a foot out. so, that sucks. we should've told him about it; but, honestly, we don't talk to him that much. and he usually doesn't do a darn thing in his yard. plus, he's seen me obsessively watering that exact spot, i would have thought he'd known we were doing something there. but oh well. live and learn i guess.

the rest of the garden is good news. the tomatoes are going and we'll have to stake them soon. the okra seems to be happy about the warm weather too. the melons and cucumber and doing great too. and we've got a bunch of green peppers coming up. i even picked 2 banana peppers to eat tonight.

nyc and philly visit

i got back home yesterday from my mini-vacation/family reunion. i packed so much into a week, i don't think i'll be able to tell it all here.

i already said a few words about my grandmom's funeral and my family reunion on thursday. here are a few shots of the family from that day:


the family after the luncheon. everyone in the immediate family who attended the funeral is in this picture, with the exception of my uncle tony.


dad and his siblings


some clowning after dinner





back in nyc, on friday i spent the day getting ready for my friend, melissa's, shower. i shopped, cleaned, cooked, you name it. then that night we had a little nyu newman club reunion at caliente cab company in the west village. here of some shots of that:





saturday was the shower and i thought it went pretty well, if i do say so myself. i made some kick butt food*. we died and decorated onesies and baby t-shirts, and watched melissa open presents. it was a pretty exhausting day though. more for some of us than others:




sunday i got to hang out with my big sis for some quality time. i really enjoyed trudging around the city with her and just catching up. we also had some really good food** and drinks and got to see some of my old haunts.




then, monday and some of tuesday i got to spend quality melissa-and-waldie time, which was great too. i have to say, by that point i was pretty exhausted so i know i wasn't the most fun company in the world, but it was nice to just spend time together. and i had more great meals***! i love food, if you don't know!





you can see the whole flickr set of photos from my trip and the shower here.



*i made a fruit salad (with black berries picked and flown in especially from south carolina); kalua brie (recipe courtesy erica reid) with water crackers; prosciutto, mozzarella and citrus tapenade sandwich from here (adapted for vegetarians with portobello mushrooms); veggies and dip; and a milky way cake.

**we had sushi in the village for lunch. and then had dinner here. i had the potato cake napoleon layered with sauteed spinach, asparagus, shitake mushrooms, and truffle oil. plus 3 mimosas included! i tried to eat their apple pie and ice cream for dessert but couldn't get it all in.

***we had breakfast at home both days. lunch on monday was white bean soup and half a wrap with goat cheese, roasted red peppers (i can't remember the name of the restaurant). we made a pasta and asparagus dinner and brownie desert at home that night. tuesday we ate at blue dog in the village (they don't seem to have a website) and i got an AWESOME sandwich with their homemade veggie burg with pesto, pea shoots and some other goodness. i didn't need to eat anything else after that meal! yowsa!

update from vacation

i've just started vacation day two and so far it's been really great. so far it's been full of family and watching trash tv, starting immediately when i was on the airplane (thanks, jetblue, for having individual tv screens in every seat!). and i've had a lot of bonding time with my big sis.

yesterday was my grandmom's funeral, which was beautiful and sad and hilarious and emotional. my dad gave a beautiful eulogy when he read a poem by my grandmom and embellished a bit with his own extrapolation. it really was very touching. then the waldies went out to lunch. when you get that many waldies in one room, you know foolishness will ensue. that's something that's so cool about the waldie family. we're all pretty goofy and we're sure to cut up even when it's a sad occasion. we really don't get together that often so it was so great to see everyone. it makes me wish we had a regularly-scheduled waldie reunion every year. after lunch, my immediate family (dad, stepmom, brother's family, sister and me) all went to olive garden to continue the waldie-fest. like we needed to eat anymore! we, of course, overstayed our welcome there and were laughing and making a scene in the restaurant for a few hours. it was really fun. (oh, and we got 2 bonus trips in to trader joes! we love you t.j. come to south carolina!)

everyone took lots of pictures, so once i get some on my computer i'll share them.

and now on to the second chapter in my vacation-the baby shower preparation!

the end of an era

for those of you who have visited our house over the years, depending on where we were living at the time, you might've caught a glimpse of this in our bathroom. many years ago (7 years perhaps?) my mother started buying this gel for herself, me, and my sister. it was quite a find at the time- gel that was inexpensive (under $5 probably), didn't cause dandruff, and tamed our wild, curly hair. so mom started buying us the gel regularly. whenever i came home for a visit or in our christmas stockings, for example, i was sure to be given a jar. so it was without fail that i always had an almost-full bottle of this gel in my bathroom (and sometimes extras in my cupboard too!).

i've been trying for over a year now to finish up this gel and get a more "grown up" kind. i don't know what the means really, but just something that doesn't come in an industrial-sized container and maybe something that's a little more earth-friendly. but seriously, it's taken me like a full year to finish it all up. i can't remember when the last time was that someone gave me a bottle of this stuff. but, as you may have guessed from the picture, the gel is officially finished.* it truly is an end of an era.**

*i say finished, but i still have a little bit left in my travel-sized bottle so i'll be using it on my vacation.

**and no mom, i do not want another bottle. thank you. i have appreciated it for all these years. but i'm ready to move on.

my grandmom, doris

on thursday of last week we found out my grandmom waldie died. she has had ups and downs over the past few years, but she has recently been on the mend and doing fairly well. so this was quite unexpected. i'll be heading up north a few days early (i was already going up there for a vacation of sorts) so i can go to pennsylvania for the memorial service on thursday.

grandmom was born in england around 1921. i believe she had one sister, vera. her father was a jeweler but when world war ii started they couldn't sell jewelry anymore so they lost the business. grandmom signed up to help with the war effort but we're not exactly sure what she did. it makes sense that she would have served for the british royal military, but my dad said she was a waac, who served the united states military. we do know that during her service she met my grandfather who was in the air force for the royal canadian military. dad said he thinks he was a lieutenant of some sort. they married and my granddad brought her back to canada to live with his mother and father. that didn't last too long and they eventually moved to a place of their own. they ended up having 8 kids. my father is the second/third oldest. he's a twin and i'm not sure who came first. while my grandmom was raising the kids they moved back and forth from canada to the united states a few times. i know they lived on the west coast (in oregon or washington?) for a short period and the family eventually settled in virginia. though most of the family has since moved out of that area (some even moved back to canada and i've never even met them!). grandmom was an independent woman all the way to her death. before my grandfather died, grandmom was his caretaker for many years. (he died of cancer when i was in the 7th grade.) once she was freed of the responsibility of caring for my grandfather, she took up painting, bowling, dancing, and writing. she event went back to school and took some art classes in the nearby high school just for fun. gradmom, you were an amazing, independent woman and you will be missed.


William Percy Waldie and his new bride, Doris at their wedding (1930's?)


grandmom and granddad at their wedding with who we presume are their respective parents


grandmom and granddad portrait (not sure if this was before or after they married)


the waldie family. from left to right starting in the back:
Row 1: Gail (dad's twin), Diane, Garry (my dad)
Row 2: Grandad (William), Donny, Grandmom (Doris), Barbara
Row 3: Tony (on granddad's lap, Terry, Timmy (in grandmom's arms)

goodbye harmons

our good friends, the harmons, are moving back home to utah. for the past year or so they've become a staple in our lives. baldman met jordan through school. it's rare for him to have a guy friend. plus i hit it off immediately with his wife, joanna. and they have 2 cute, cute kids. so we have really enjoyed their company. but their moving home to be closer to family and we can't blame them for that. plus, hopefully gainful employment will be in their future as well.

we wanted to have a cookout last night but the weather wouldn't cooperate. so we had dinner inside and got a fire going just enough to make s'mores. (big ups to baldman for starting a fire with wet wood!) best of luck, harmons, we'll miss you!

here are some shots from the night (again, not as many as we'd like because our camera wasn't cooperating):


joanna making sonny a s'more


joanna, waldie, and jordan making s'mores


sonny enjoying his treat


eli and sonny playing in the yard

farm pot-luck

saturday night was a pot-luck dinner at five leaves farm, a community supported farm out in cedar creek. baldman and i have been members for a few years now and even helped out a bit on the farm two years ago. but we've not been out to visit since then. so we were thrilled to have this excuse to go visit. we brought along some of our somali friends to share in the beauty. hawa was especially happy that it reminded her of africa. i think she got a little nostalgic for home.

our camera died during the trip (a common occurrence) but here are some shots. the set can be found here:


ben, the owner, leading a tour of the garden and grounds


the garden


corn and buckwheat


checking out the movable chicken coop


ikra and rose in the tree house


goats

more picts and stories from the gerdes/reid visit

check out erica's blog for more pictures and stories from their visit. there are some great shots of our bees and the queen! (you can also go straight to her fickr set to see them all, but you'll have to wade through all their other cool shots from the rest of their enviable vacation.)

this i believe - partners in health

partners in health is an organization that baldman and i have really supported over the years. it started when i read the book mountains beyond mountains, which i highly, highly recommend everyone read. i think that their model for small community health systems is truly the right way to help some of the most poor in the developing countries. check out their co-founder on "this i believe" from npr. you'll see why they're an organization to stand behind.

more photos from graduation

i finally have caught up and added the rest of the pictures from baldman's graduation to flickr. here are a few more shots.


baldman and his mom in her pretty tunic


baldman and jordan before the ceremony


the big graduation


the reids after graduation


baldman going up to be hooded at the college of social work hooding ceremony


baldman being hooded by 2 professors that he liked during the program


baldman exiting the stage and speaking with the associate dean of the college of social work