Clear and much, much cooler

The downside to today's picturesque sunset, with the retreating sky cover, is the much cooler air moving into the Northwest for the next couple of days. In fact Bellingham is forecasted to break a low temperature record that's been around since 1952, 23 degrees. Tonight we may be hitting 20 degrees or lower! 

Look who's getting along

You could've fooled us. Rasa (from tabula rasa), Casey's "cougar" German Shepherd girl friend stopped by, which is usually Stella's cue to disappear under a bed.

But not this time.

You just never know, but obviously our girl sensed abolutely no threat at all. It had always been obvious to the rest of us, including Casey, from day one.

Maybe not the beginning of a beautiful friendship...but at least some good vibes.

Long day, sweet dreams

Low tide

With the wind and rain finally letting up, at least for awhile, an ebb tide made snooping around the waterline a drier, more civilized diversion, until the next blustery, southwest flow moves in.

Daydream believer

Sun breaks are few and far between out our way in February, so you have to pay attention when those ultraviolets slide across the floor.

All you have to do to break up a border collie reverie though is say the magic words.

Like, "Casey...ya wanna play Frisbee?"

Objects may appear larger than they are

A dry-docked orca facsimile at Bellingham Harbor just didn't seem to impress the kid at all today, even with their matching color schemes. 

In fact the winds were kicking up over 50 knots by this time, with even higher gusts. Can you tell Casey doesn't want to spend any more time outside than he has to?

Aftermath

Another blast from the past

Somethings never change - Stella checking out the wind and rain in the sunroom like she was in an Imax Threatre .

Every gust, with rain pelting the windows, is an adventure, but she still hangs in there.

And today, a year later...she's still amazed at the special effects.

Quilt # 15...but who's counting.

One more beautiful Whatcom Hospice House project, a sampler quilt near completion by Victoria and closely supervised by our two bored anchors.

Go figure

With water dishes accessible in just about every part of the house, Stella prefers to stretch for a slurp out of Casey's water bowl in the kichen. What's more comical than this is to see them gulping side by side.

Cats. Go figure.

Day is so done

At day's end, Stella and Casey are hostages to biorhythms that say loud and clear -

"Lights out!"

Goodie "paws"

No stroll through Fairhaven begins without a diversion to Paws Awhile. Casey knows any time we're near the Village Green, and from there, it's just a short leash-drag to the doggie treat dish at the Humane Society's "eclectic gift shop".



His internal GPS (guilty pleasure sensor) never lets him down. 

 



OK, one more, kid. You'll work it off.

One impressive sunset over Bellingham Bay

Stella and friends

Stella's kind of attached to her toy mice. But we're still wondering how one of them assumed this dominant position during her nap. 

Leaving on the 8:45

Another in a long list of first-hand experiences for our farmboy - hanging around the Fairhaven Amtrak station while Vic and friends, Carolyn and Judy, board the 8:45 for a day in Tacoma and the Museum of Glass.




You just know what Casey's thinking, "They were on the platform just a minute ago."

OK, maybe not. But he did seem a little perplexed at just what seemed to swallow up his mom and all those people.

Hunkering down

Dozens of Brewer's Blackbirds staked a claim on a pair of trees in the middle of the Costco parking lot today.

Why this concrete jungle, this Ground Zero for pre-Super Bowl shopping, was the refuge of choice for these little feathered foragers seemed strange enough.

Makes us wonder what's moving in weatherwise, but not enough to hang around for the next Northeaster or traffic gridlock. 

Wanna go home, kid?

After 45 minutes on the trail, it's usually obvious - the immediate 180 degree turn is a dead giveaway - when Casey is ready to go home. 

I'll give you an hour to stop that

If there is one thing that Casey totally submits to without any hesitation is a good brushing.

He always assumes a "take me, take me...I'm all yours" posture for this grooming regimen. 

Eyes closed, an occasional pleasure moan. No pride here boy, just pure gratitude.

  

Watchful eye

With clear skies for the first time in weeks came the watchful eyes of local raptors. Catching sight of a young red-tailed hawk checking out the neighborhood for unwary prey was unexpected. If I was a little quicker I'd have gotten a shot of him in flight as he propelled himself up and out and soared into the lower tree line. 

A salt-baked bird

Vic ran across a recipe for baked chicken this week in Chocolate & Zucchini that was worth trying, and as it turned out, called for an encore very, very soon.

Salt-crusted chicken, a misnomer of sorts when the final succulent product is on your plate, turned out beautifully for a first attempt at using this technique of allowing an organic chicken to cook in its own juices.

Salt-Crusted Chicken

• one chicken, organic and/or from a source you trust, about 2 kilos (4.4 pounds)
• 1 medium bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed with the flat of a knife blade
• 500 grams (17 2/3 ounces, about 3 3/4 cups) all-purpose flour
• 300 grams (10 1/2 ounces, about 1 1/3 cups) coarse salt
• 3 tablespoons thyme, fresh if available, dried otherwise (other dried herbs may be substituted, such as rosemary or oregano)
• 6 tablespoons ground flax seeds, or 160 grams (5 2/3 ounces) egg whites (from 4 to 5 large eggs)

Lightly oil a baking dish big enough to hold the chicken comfortably. Set aside.
If you're using flax seeds rather than egg whites, place them in a bowl with 100 ml (6 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons) fresh water, and set aside for about 15 minutes, until the water is completely absorbed and the mixture is gelled.

Place the chicken on a work surface, on its back, with the neck side facing you. Slip your hand under the skin, starting at the base of the neck, and work gently to get your hand further in, lifting the skin from the flesh over each breast, and down over each thigh, without tearing the skin. Once the skin is loosened, slip in the chopped parsley, pushing it underneath the skin to cover the breasts and the thighs as evenly as you can.

Sprinkle a few pinches of salt inside the cavity of the chicken, and add in the garlic. Using a piece of chicken string, truss the chicken as demonstrated in Peter Hertzmann's Preparing for roasting video at minute 2:30. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour with the salt and thyme. Add the soaked ground flax seeds or the egg whites, and 160 ml (2/3 cup) fresh water, and stir with a wooden spoon or a dough whisk until the liquids are absorbed. Turn out onto a clean work surface, and knead briefly until the dough comes together; it should be supple and pleasant to work with, not sticky or crumbly. Add a little water or flour as needed to adjust the consistency.

Flour your work surface well, and roll out the salt dough into a circle large enough to wrap the chicken in it (I shoot for a diameter of about 50 cm or 20").

Place the chicken in the middle of the circle and fold opposite flaps of the dough over the chicken to wrap it entirely. Press gently to seal; if it looks like the dough might not stay put, brush the seams with a pastry brush dipped lightly in water.

Lift the whole thing carefully but with determination, and transfer it to the prepared baking dish. Place in the fridge until ready to bake -- you can leave it in for a few hours or overnight. If the salt crust cracks slightly here or there, don't worry about it; it doesn't need to be 100% airtight.

Remove the chicken from the fridge and preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Insert the dish in the oven and leave it in for 1 1/2 hours (a little more won't hurt if the guests are late; just turn off the oven and leave the chicken inside).

Remove the dish from the oven, and break the salt crust open with a meat mallet or the handle of a chef knife. Once fractured, the crust can be simply pulled open with your oven-mitt-clad hands (it's fun).

Lift the chicken from the open crust, transfer it to a cutting board, and carve it. Discard the crust. Serve the chicken with the cooking juices, perfect roasted potatoes.