Schmap

We were eating breakfast in Bilbao one morning with friends while on a trip last Spring to the Pais Vasco in northern Spain when I saw something that took me by surprise. A procession of blue hooded figures in white robes carrying large stalks of wheat started pouring out of the nearby church and into the city. I was speechless.

So I grabbed my camera and ran out of the cafe, leaving Eric and the rest of our friends wondering what had gotten into me. I hurried into the square and turned my camera on. By the time I had noticed and processed the scene and gotten outside, they were nearly gone. But I did manage to get one good shot of the Semana Santa observers before they disappeared across the bridge and down another street. I later posted this photo on my Flickr account.

The reason I mention this is because not too long ago a woman contacted me from Schmap Guides to ask for permission to use it in their interactive map of Bilbao (giving me credit of course). Flattered, I obliged and thought nothing more of it. Well, today I got another email letting me know that Schmap Guides were just released to iPhone to iPod touch. And my photo will be included.

So if any of you happen to be going to Bilbao, Spain, and also happen to be using the Schmap Guides, you will get to see my photo. For everyone else, you can see what it looks like here. For a larger version, just click on the photo and it will take you to the source.

Scaping By

As many of you already know, I purchased a share in a farm this summer which I'm splitting between me, my husband and my dad). Each Thursday for 18 weeks we get a box of freshly picked produce from our little farm, 45 minutes away on the St. Croix. You get whatever they've got, so sometimes it's slim pickings and sometimes it's a feast. It's all part of the fun.

Another part of the fun is trying to identify the produce you've been given. And then after google has explained what a garlic scape is, you get to figure out how to prepare it and eat it up quick because, after all, you've got another box coming on Thursday. This experiment has been perfect for me because I: 1) hate throwing away food; 2) love fresh produce; 3) have always wanted to eat local & organic cheaply; and 4) love to cook.

So we've had quite a smattering of culinary delights in our household over these past few weeks, and I keep meaning to share, but all that cooking takes up a lot of time! So I am going to try to post a few of the things that I've tried recently that we never would have, if not for this farm share project. And my good intentions to do this earlier mean that I've taken a few photos along the way.

And for those of you wondering about the scapes, I ended up using them in salads, scrambled eggs and even in a pasta sauce I made last night. And yes, they were delicious. Salud!

If this doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will

And if you want to read more about this brilliant montage, click here.

It's All Ours!

As of today, Eric and I officially own our car! I bought it brand new after graduating from college, after my duct-taped together Geo Prism made it clear that it would go no further. (By the way, the dealer gave me a whole $400 for it.) Now, five and a half years of payments later, we can officially call her our own. And that's a good feeling.

Yes We Can!

Last week, Barack Obama gave a speech in St. Paul announcing he had won the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. Because it was a weeknight and I had to fight traffic and rush home to feed Harper G, I decided not to go. But my amazing husband made a speech about the historic magnitude of the occasion and won me over. He had been waiting to get in since 4:00 pm. I went.

It was everything I wanted it to be. The crowd was exuberant. Obama was inspiring. The cheers deafening. It felt like we were on the verge of real meaningful change. What a breath of fresh air for my generation.