Holy Guacamole!

I am thrilled to announce that summer has finally arrived here in Mike D's world. Thank goodness! Today for the third day in a row, Carrie, Clyde and I ate dinner on the back deck.

Anyhow, the reason I brought you all here tonight is to announce my new found love for guacamole. Mmmmm, guacamole!

Just a few short years ago if you gave me the choice between eating a bowl of guacamole or a stick of butter, I would have taken the butter, hands down. That may be a bit of an over-dramatization, but it isn't too far from the truth. The gooey-green stuff disgusted me. I didn't like avocados at all either. (suprised?)

All that has changed in the last year culminating with the high point, tonight, where I perfected my own guacamole on my second try.

Yeah, I know. Guacamole is about only slightly more difficult to make than cereal. Don't rain on my parade! I get excited over the simple stuff. Life is a lot more fun that way.

I came across the recipe while grocery shopping with Carrie on Sunday. I was leaning on the cart (I like to help) when I spotted the a stack of lonely avacados. Poor things. I whipped out my blackberry, pulled up Google and searched for 'guacamole recipe'. the first one that came up was simple and looked good.

• one avocado
• one serrano chile
• half a red onion
• hand full of cilantro (taste)
• a good squeeze of lime
• salt and pepper
• one medium tomato

Mix and break out the tortilla chips.

After having this fresh wonderful guacamole I don't ever see me ever buying pre-made as long as fresh avocados are available.

Next project... Get back into making home-made salsa. I used to make a killer tomatilla salsa that was to die for (tooting my own horn). That salsa, fresh guacamole, a good bag of tortilla chips and some beer... Fan-tastic!


Note: Please don't call it guac. it is lazy and disrespectful to the gentle green chip dip. That, and it is annoying.

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Sausage!

While I'm on the subject of commercials and posting videos, here is probably the funniest one I have seen in quite awhile.

Bud Light, now with the ability to talk to animals...



Spot on!

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For the Birds

I hate to admit it, but this commercial chokes me up a bit, in a happy way. Yes, beneath my bad-ass exterior lies a tender heart. Look at how happy the penguin and chicken are to finally see the earth from the air. Fantastic! One of the best commercials that I have seen. Sniff, I'm tearing up a bit just typing this...

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Toaster on 'Roids

I love it!

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Cool Blog

I found a new photo blog that you all may find interesting... It is the newest addition to my reader (get with the program!) so I can make sure that I don't miss anything.

The site is called "The Big Picture", a collection of some very interesting pictures from around the world. All the shots are large format (the big picture...) so you can really expirence them. So far, the blog is pretty new, it covers a bunch of interesting subject from an un-contacted tribe in the Brazilian rain forest to the planet Saturn. Many of the stories I had heard about, but there were quite a few that I didn't, like the man-made mud volcano that has been erupting in Sidoarjo, Indonesia for two years.

Check it out, I think that you'll like it.

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Marty McFly

I saw something funny last night... A De Lorean DMC-12 pulled over by a state patroller on the side of the freeway. I wish I had my camera phone ready, for some reason it struck me as funny.

Back... to the future!

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Minor Blog Update

I did a little tweaking to the site today.

If you check the sidebar on my blog, you will see that I added a slide show of all my flickr pictures and a blogroll of some of my favorite blogs.

Enjoy!

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Happy Fathers Day!

You're the best, dad! The older I get, the more I appreciate all that you did for me growing up.



I consider myself lucky.

Thank you!

Love,
Mike

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Suprise!

Went to the Washington Brewers Festival Friday after work and was joined by a few friends, family and wife. As usual, it was a good time. It is neat that the festival is held in my old stomping grounds where I grew up. I always run into a bunch of familiar faces that I haven't seen in awhile.

Here are some of my attempts at some candid photography. I left the big gun at home and used my little point and shoot. I don't want the thing to feel neglected.


First, we have my sister-in-law Janelle looking suprised.


Next, buddies Jeremy and Jeff. I think I scared Jeremy somehow.


Finally my wonderful wife, Carrie. Most likely she is telling me not to take a picture. One of these days she will learn that it is best to just smile.


Every year this event is one of my highlights. Sunday we will be back for the best fathers day activity ever.

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What I am thinking...

1. I need to keep up on the blogging, not letting so much time pass between posts. (Heard that before)
2. Please, summer start already! According to this article in the Seattle Times, we are colder than Siberia. I don't doubt it. 50 is the new 70.
3. My legs hurt. See the last post.
   

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He Lives!

I'm alive!

Figures, after I post that I want to do something weekly I disappear for almost a month. No worries, I am fine, just been a bit busier than usual since we last visited.

I have re-discovered the great outdoors.

Two weeks ago Carrie and I went over to some friends for a BBQ. While shooting the breeze with beers in hand the subject of fishing came up, and how great a childhood memory it was fishing with dad and grandpa. Ian was taking his two young kids up to Lake Kachess in the Cascades the next morning to build some of those memories with them. He invited me along if I wanted to go.


View Larger Map

Now, I am pretty sure that I haven't been fishing since my scouting days over twenty years ago. (good Lord!) It would have been easy for me to stay in bed, but I thought, what the hell, lets do it. Since his kids were under the age of four and going I figured that I could handle it. He had spare gear that I was able to use.

I met up with Ian and the kids early the next morning and we headed into the hills to the lake. After a stop in beautiful Cle Elum for a fishing license we were ready to fish. We drove around the lake a bit looking for a good spot and came across snow still on the roads getting a bit deep for Ians 4-Runner. When we turned around there were three guys in a Subaru that was stuck in the same snowfield that we had just cleared. We hooked them up to the 4-Runner with some climbing straps that they had and got them moving again.

We backtracked to a closed campground that we saw and walked to the lake. Not much action other than reeling in some moss. His kids were more interested in pulling leaves off shrubbery for a dinosaur and throwing sand in the lake. I spent a bit of time following them around in the bushes. It was a blast

I was hooked, pun intended.

When we got back home I was immediately on the internet looking for my own gear. I ordered a rod and reel, and Last Saturday, my brother Brian and I drove all the way down to the Cabela's Superstore to get me set up. I am ready to roll now and can't wait to get back out there.

My adventures aren't done yet...

Last weekend, Ian again called me up and was looking to hike up a mountain looking for a lake that he'd been eying for awhile. He'd never been there, and there wasn't much information on how to get to it. We had us an adventure. I borrowed Brian's GPS, threw some gear in my backpack and we headed out again. The kids didn't come this time.

We tried one logging road to get to the lake but it quickly turned into some big puddles that we weren't prepared to drive out of if we got stuck. Up the road a bit was another possible route. It was gated so we put on our packs and started walking. We only walked 2.4 miles in, but it was all up hill and on compact snow.

Ian post-holed through a few snow bridges and on the way down I was starting to give him a hard time about it when I had my turn. One second I was upright, the next my head was hitting the snow were my foot used to be. Bam! Oh yeah, that and I was sitting in a small creek with my boots filled with water. It was the last snow bridge that we had to cross on the way back to the truck. One mile of soggy walking and we were done.

I was one beat up office chair jockey by the end of the day. Tired, but looking forward to heading out and doing it again.


This is what ninety percent of the trail looked like...

Two weeks, two activities that I haven't done in quite awhile. It was a lot of fun. I look forward to heading out again and actually seeing my first high mountain lake and catching my first fish in years.

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