Back Home!

 It was a fun three days with dave in Toronto.   Granted, I did not do much other than take in the atmosphere.   Which is fine, because I really did not know what to expect.  

 I considered this more of an "exploratory Mission" than a full blown vacation.  That being said,  here is what we did over the next couple days...

Dave's Cross Fit people were throwing a "Hungry Hippo" meal with friends and family.   It was one of those events that Dave got to experience when he first arrived in Toronto and thought that that would be a great way to get to know the culture on a personal level.   Better than fighting a huge crowd downtown or signing up for an event with standing room only.  

The guy (Vy,   I believe was his name.) had just come back from Alaska with a bunch of Halibut and wanted to share the success.  I think he is of Vietnamese and Japanese heritage and wanted to cook up the fish several different ways.  

Bacon wrapped halibut cubes fried up in Olive Oil.   The wraps had peppers and green onions with some seasonings.   Breathtakingly delicious!   Especially if you got one of the bites with the pepper!   The heat was just enough to set your mouth on fire... and nothing else.) 

Miso soup with Enoki mushrooms and steamed Halibut.   Light  and slightly salty...   Miso is always a wonderful addition to any fish meal. 

And lastly,   Smoked  Halibut steak on Rice.  I can't remember if there was a sauce.   It was light and subtle in flavor.  There were cucumber salad, grilled Octopus and a cabbage mix you could add to the rice for texture and sweetness if you wanted.   Wonderful!

I liked that it was like dining with Family.... And there were no rules.   One of the ladies, ( can't remember names...  Carol maybe?)  Was a wonderful host and with no words, showed us how to serve things up without being formal.   In other words:  "Caveman Style!"   You move your bowl over to the dish and just shovel stuff in.   Or grab things with your hands.   Similar to how we enjoyed the Bluegills at Ed's two weekends ago.   

Vy showed us his Alaska Video from the fishing trip.   It  was a short vid of them catching and cooking fish.  He edited it down to the exciting bits... as if the video was going on to YouTube.   The girls played cards and the rest of us told stories about Alaska.  It was a fun evening out. 

I found the Church service at the Toronto church to be very similar to the Reach service at New Life here in Kenosha.   Dave showed me around the "campus" area of the church and the gardens that the congregation members had built. 

  I had to snap a few pics because I liked seeing the layout  and ideas of how to save space.   So much produced in such a small area!  

I headed back after the service and got hit hard by the thunderstorms that were predicted for Sunday.   The rain was similar to Iowa in that it would be sunny, but then come down so violently that many people had to pull over!   

I didn't, ( because I have a Subaru!)  But I definitely had to slow down a bit.  Mostly because visibility was near zero.  

But I survived!  And I think it took only 10 hours to get back.  (Even with a half hour nap I took near Winsor)  Going through Chicago at night is far better than during the noon rush!   

After a day of recovery,  I now am getting ready to head back to the Haribo.   By the way,  I found the New Candies at one of the Meyer Gas Stations in Michigan.   I took a pic but did not purchase any because I'm sure we will be swimming in them within a year from now.   They are unique in texture from the usual Gummies.   And I think they have potential to be a huge hit once people discover them for the first time.  

Time to wrap this up and get ready.   Time is so fleeting and precious... I have to make every second count. 

A Visit To Canada.

Greetings from the Great White North....   From only country that shares a northern Border with the United States.  And for those former Shorland Students....  That is Canada!  

That is right!  I have been invited by Dave. ( remember Dave?).   He lives in Ontario now.   And I get to spend the next couple of days with him checking out his new digs. 

I ain't gonna lie...  It is a bit of a Culture Shock here!   I'm not sure if it is the people or the City!   I have been in big cities before....   but this is right up there with Boston.  Lots of Traffic and people.   More people than I'm used to.   And I live in the heart of Kenosha!  ( A city I deem as "just the right size".   for my taste.     I guess it is all in what you get used to.   I can imagine that there are people who come from large cities such and Chicago or Boston or Toronto and they are shocked by small town America.  Everyone has their world that they have grown up with. 

That being said,  it took just over 12 hours to get here. (I lost two hours in Chicago...  Stupid Traffic). and I arrived late at night.  I got to sleep in and we did a small tour around the city today.  

We enjoyed some Thai Food and walked around a couple of the local parks.   

This is the first time I think I have ever seen Lake Ontario!  Of all the Great Lakes,  This is the last one that I have now officially visited.  Imagine that. 

Not much to really report, other than it is an entirely different body of water from Lake Michigan or Lake Superior.  ( the two I most often visit)   It is large, and looks awfully similar to those lakes... from the shore.  I have yet to fish them and find out if the fishing is better or worse.  

IN the meantime,  We did a little beach combing and walked around the breakwall.   I noticed a Mink!   Just sitting there sunning himself.   I could not believe that he was there with all these people walking around, but there he was...looking cute and adorable.   I know better than to try to pet one, since they are members of the weasel family and will tear up your hand the moment you reach for them.  He disappeared in between the rocks shortly after I got his picture.   So Cute! 

There are a LOT of ethnicities here.  Not a huge surprize in a city this large.  But if you are only used to seeing Italian, mexican and black people from America,  it can be something you note.   So far, everyone has been wonderful and polite.  Just like the Canada I remember from all those years ago.  

There are Storms Predicted for tomorrow, so I'm not sure what we will be up to then.  There was a hope that we might be able to do a little mushroom hunting in a park near here.   Dave says it is similar to Petrified Springs in Kenosha.   Weather permitting, we shall see.  And Hopefully... Find something.  

There is more to say about this, but currently I am on Dave's Laptop and I do not have a lot of access to my normal set up.   So I will cut this short and hopefully make everything a little more polished when I have the time.  And my own Computer.     With Pictures!  

In the mean time....  We shall try to make every second count. 

Mushrooms And Fish.

Where is the time going?  I honestly had plans on blogging mid week!   And now it is already the weekend!   Time flies at the Haribo!  

I guess that is a good thing... unless you are given only a few weeks to live.   Then I guess I would rather wait in Line behind  two elderly ladies in Hobby Lobby...  

Each with three carts filled with unmarked goods.  Everything is on sale, but with different prices for each section of the store.  Each lady has a phone that they  are trying to use while simultaneously trying to talk to someone else on the other line.  

It's the cashiers first day at the job... And she doesn't speak English!   (That is when time stops!) That would extend my life indefinitely!  

But until that happens,  I feel I will be aging in the fast lane while I work at Haribo. 

In reality,  the job actually allows me to enter the "Flow State" where time feels like water and I'm gliding through  with a current assisting me.   Time disappears and I suddenly realize 4 hours have passed and I have not taken my first break!   Before long,  I have one hour to squeeze in my lunch before I have to punch out!   It has been a long time since I have had a job like that.   And it is Awesome!  

The only problem is that the weeks fly by and I feel like my own personal time is diminished.   The few hours I have before work in the morning is spent drinking coffee and petting the cat.  (And fighting the urge to sit in my comfy chair and relax.   Finding my Zen in the morning sun....

And realizing I have a very small window for blog time. 

But enough about that!  I have already dedicated several paragraphs as an intro...( That is what happens when I go off on a rant/tangent...)  Time to get into the things I found blog-worthy this week: 

With the constant damp weather we have been having,   I figured it might be a good time to take a peek at Pets to see if any mushrooms have been popping up.    I was expecting Chanterelles and Russulas.   Perhaps a Bolete or two... 

But instead I found MORE Chickens!  

A couple logs with several nice fruiting bodies on them.   One was a little old,  but the other ones were nice and fresh!  I still have an entire ziploc bag  of Chickens from Michigan!   So what the heck am I going to do with these?   

Well,  I gave some away to one of the guys at Haribo.   I was planning on Giving some to Christina... If she is ever available. but mostly I have been eating it for my lunch.   I fry some up and sprinkle it on a salad I make.   Tastes like a mushroom chicken salad!  ( As you might think....)  

I still have a lot in the fridge,  and I have been watching Youtube videos on how to preserve it.  Because after a week,  it will begin to go bad.   ( And it has already been a week with the ones I found in Michigan!)  I guess you simply cut them into small strips and fry them up before freezing them.   And then thaw them out whenever you want some.   

Or you can cook them into a soup... Freeze that!  That will last up to a year, I guess.   

Whatever the way, I plan on doing something tomorrow,  as I have to work at Haribo today.   I Swapped this Saturday with a Co-worker so she will take mine next week. The plan is to travel to Canada and visit Dave for the weekend.   See what that part of the Great North is all about...   Hopefully,  it will provide me with a few pics to blog about. 

I also went fishing at the Pond on Wednesday.   There was a small window of "no rain" and I figured I would take out the Kayak and see what I could catch.   It was overcast and rather humid.  ( Foggy!)   And I only caught one decent sized Bluegill.    I could have possibly stayed longer, but the water was murky and the air felt just a little "off" for me.   Perhaps I will try again next week.  

But the good news is I was able to dust off the Kayak and take it out.   This was the first time this year!   And I set my expectations low, so next time I will hook up all the bells and whistles to see how they perform before the season changes.  I still have to replace all of those fish we ate up last weekend!  

Then again,  My freezer will probably be full of Mushrooms, so I will find the freezer space limited.  

Ahhh..... Problems. Problems...  

And not the bad kind.  

Tomorrow is already looking to be a busy day.   Church, Laundry, Kayak Maintenance, House Cleaning...  And Hopefully finishing the Cat Tree.   I'll be impressed if I can fit it all in and not take a break for a nap.  As far as running goes:   I have done none this week!   The weather tells me it is going to rain and so I skip out.  Not to mention I lack the time.   

Not the run time!  Just the time it takes to get motivated to run.  It takes me nearly an hour to wake up, drink coffee, and psych myself up to get out there and do it!   

So now,  this blog post is finally written and I can now plan look forward to going right to work.  Each post takes me several hours to write and edit.  ( And even then, I still find mistakes that slip by...)  I knew that blogging before work would be a challenge,  but when else am I to squeeze it in?  Time is so precious...  And and there is simply not enough of it sometimes.   So I have to make every second count. 

Birthday Weekend!

 This last weekend was my birthday.   And although I was going to try to blog about the ongoing "cat Pole" that I have ( or haven't) been working on,   I decided I would try to blog about the weekend and the activities I enjoyed in Michigan. 

That is correct!  I traveled to Michigan to visit my brother and our close childhood friend, Eddie Arnold.   The plan was to check out the additions they have been working on  and to try to do a little mushroom hunting and possibly some fishing.  

I figured the Mushroom hunting was going to be easy.   The place is smack dab in the woods, so just going out for a walk around the property would allow us to check things out.    I arrived Thursday Night and walked around the property just before the dark hit.   I noticed that Bug Spray woul dbe required, as all of the mosquitoes were out in force after the rains.  

I did managed to find a few inedible ones, but nothing worth harvesting.    This was my first "red Bolete" and they are so pretty!  Too bad they are not recommended for food.  ( toxic tummy ache.) 

Eric and I went out the next day and looked around at some of the local trails.   We located a nice variety of species, including a few Cinnamon Chanterelles.   Milk caps,  Russulas,  and even  a handful of Lobsters!

I was a little disappointed that after three days of rain, we only found a few Chanterelles and no huge cluster like in Iowa or Wisconsin.  

But the real event that made it worth the trip was the discovery of a Chicken of the Woods!   

And entire tree was covered.   I literally walked right past it not seeing the chickens on the other side.   It was not until I turned around that I was blessed with the spectacle. 

That one find filled up our basket and a box we brought!  And it  pretty much ended out hunting for the day.   We now had more mushrooms that we had room for, so finding any more would have just been a waste.   

So....  We loaded up the truck, mushrooms, and fishing tackle and headed to Eds!  

I should mention that one of the reasons we brought the fishing gear was because Eric recently made an impulse purchase of a Pontoon boat.   It was an opportunity, to be sure!  But there were a number of variables that needed to be addressed before taking it out with any serious intent.  

First:   The boat itself is HUGE!    But it fits my brother well and provides a stable platform for three old fat dudes in the middle of a small lake.  (I doubt I would feel very confident on Lake Michigan with 4 foot swells!)  

Second,  It came with a trailer!   A nice touch that many pontoon boats lack.  We can not take it to any lake with a public access site.    Most pontoons are sold to people who live on a lake so no trailer is required.  

The problem was that we spent the better part of Saturday trying to get the motor started!   It woul dturn over by not start.   After nearly three hours of trouble shooting,  we discovered that there is a hidden "kill Switch" that my brother must have tripped while out on the lake last.  These are the reasons we have to take things out and use them to find out the mysteries... before you get into trouble! 

Speaking of trouble. It is always an adventure going out with Eric.  I could tell you stores from Alaska that would fill this blog post....  But rather, I will Share the event that happened this weekend.  Small things, but still funny stories that fill out the Character that is my brother.  

So on our way to Eds,  Eric is going up their driveway with the boat.   It is a rather wide driveway,  but rather than pulling the boat all the way to their house.( Ed lives with his father... Uncle Bill) ANd turning it around there,   Eric decides he would rather back the truck, trailer and boat all the way up the driveway so we are set for tomorrow morning!   All he has to do is avoid hitting their Mailbox.  

Guess what happened? 

The mailbox in question is bold and obvious... Away from the treeline or any shrubbery that would hide it.   You see,  the snowplow takes it out every year.   And if the Arnolds put the box away from the road, the mail man will not deliver the mail.   So... IT is there.   About 10 feet away from anything else  so the mailman can use it.   And it usually lasts until the snow flies....  When the snowplow comes along to claim it.  

But this time,   Eric was the Grim Reaper!   

At least the post was intact.   Just the box itself will require some attention to get bent back into shape so it closes.  

It was just one of those moments where "Anyone Else" doing the "Normal Thing" would have avoided the catastrophe.   But Eric... in an effort to avoid the catastrophe,  makes it a self fulfilling prophesy. 

After figuring out the motor issue,   we finally were able to get out on the lake.   We stopped by the Bait store for gas and Ice. (for Beer!)  And I was told several times that "Eddie has plenty of Lures..." so there was no need for bait.  I was not concerned, because I was set up for bluegill and have flies and gulper grubs.  I had my ultra-light set up and was really not set up for anything larger than panfish.  

Which means...  I was the ONLY one who caught anything!   

It was a nice birthday gift,  watching those two throwing off their arms with their huge Pike baits and 20 lbs test coils of line.  I probably caught about 20 fish.   4 of which we could have kept.   I caught perch, Crappie, Bluegill and Pumpkin Seeds.  Eric managed to catch one small percha fter I showed him my set up and tied it up for him.   Eddie  got skunked. 

All I could hear was "We should have bought some bait!"  Over and over again.   But honestly,  with their shark sized hooks and rope-like line, I'm sure all they would have done was feed the little guys that would nibble the bait off before ever getting close to being caught.  I'm very proud of myself for not rubbing it in,  but there was a secret satisfaction in knowing I could still read the lake and catch something while everyone else struggled....

I brought about 5 lbs of Bluegill Fillets from my freezer just in case we did not get anything.... and it was a good thing too.   The fun thing about the Arnold's place is that they have a huge Deck with a grill  griddle,  and fryer all outside.   No need to stink up the house!   And with 4 guys who love eating fish, I was confident that I could use up the last of the bluegill and start up refilling the freezer once more.  

It was great!   Eating the finished fish fresh out of the fryer!   (Say that five times fast!)  It has been a while since I have enjoyed fish "caveman Style"  but I always think that is the best way.   (Dave and I did that with Walleye one time.)   You have dipping sauce available, but no one used it.   No one had to!   We also tossed in some slivered Chicken of the woods with the fish and everyone agreed that were awesome!  It was a great way to finish the birthday day.    No cake required!  Just fish,  Friends,  and lots of Beer!  

I came home yesterday and found Chicago to be pleasantly easy to traverse on a Sunday evening.   The Cat welcomed me with her angry yowling after my being gone for several day,  ( Christina fed her, so she was not hungry...) Overall,  It was a good time.   

I spent the remainder of today doing laundry and working on the Cat pole.   I wanted to show you "work in Progress" photos, but honestly,   they look like disasters!   It is not turning out the way I had envisioned it!  For sure....) So I will end this post with just these pics and hopefully I will now begin the addition of the Foliage.   With a little luck, it will start to look like a tree.  

I work this next weekend,  But the plan is that I repeat this little experience again,  only this time In Canada with Dave.   He has invited me up and said the weekend of the 22nd there is a fishing tournament or something.   I think I have the days off and should be able to swing another travel trip  the weekend after next.    Hopefully the fishing will be a little better this time.   Removing the "untested  Boat" on the Busy and "unknown lake" with "unknown fish" should be helpfull.  We shall find out.  

Hopefully, I will take more pics this time.   All of the fish pics are on Eddies Phone, and he has not sent them to me.... Not that those fish were worth bragging about.   (Outside the context of the situation.) But it is always nice to have proof to back up your tale.  

In the mean time,  I will hopefully work on refilling the freezer with more bluegills and; work on the Cat Tree.   And try to make as much time as I have in the morning count.