The Search for the Perfect Tamale

So many tamales, so little time. 

After careful sampling over several years, the tamales from Iglesia De La Luz Del Mundo from Oxnard are the winners. We bought a dozen and had the first for Christmas dinner.

This year instead of baking a coconut cake myself we bought slices of piña colada cake from our favorite grocery store Cardenas.  You can buy all of the best stuff at Cardenas.

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Funny story. When we were at the Tamale Festival the county had a trailer set up offering free flu shots. Believing in herd immunity and having succumbed last year, we elected to take advantage of the opportunity.

Forms were required to be completed. Name, address, allergies, have you had a reaction to a flu shot before.

The form was totally en Español.

We managed but it was a good lesson in what other people go through.

Back and Forth, Up and Down

For the second year in a row, we hit Southern Oregon on the hottest-week-from-hell time of the year. This needs to change! And on top of the heat (110° F +) there was the smoke.

Smoke does make for pretty sunsets.

Seriously, it couldn't be helped. I needed to spend a couple of weeks with my mom as she had knee surgery. 

The first two pictures were at Southern Oregon RV Park at the Jackson County Expo after which we moved to Valley of the Rogue State Park. As the state park has a 14-day limit, we often have to move from one to the other.

While I was at Mom's, Tom supplied me with pictures of cool water.

The southern Oregon stay was contingent on being released to head north for the total solar eclipse on August 21st. We stayed at Barton Park and drove down to Jamie and Catherine's the morning of the eclipse for a breakfast party in their front yard.

Catherine made us French toast.

Phones don't take the greatest eclipse pictures. If you didn't see it in person you'll just have to believe me how cool it was.

Fortunately this was just before smoke from the fires in the Columbia Gorge darkened the skies in the north.

Nora visiting us at Barton with her bee backpack and leash.

A return visit to Bent Shovel, where we found . . .

A relative!  The owners were surprised that I knew what a Cardigan was. For those interested, he's a Polar son from Kim Shira.

Our intent was to spend some time in Eastern/Central Oregon but the gorge fires closed Interstate 84, making travel impractical. Instead we stayed on the west side of the Cascades, dividing our time between Barton Park and Silver Spur RV park in Silverton. Like the state parks, Barton has a stay-limit plus you are limited to two stays per season. So we were at Barton, then at Silver Spur, then at Barton, then at Silver Spur. We would have stayed at Silver Spur but it was fully booked during the Mount Angel Oktoberfest.

Some early autumn pictures from Barton.

Back at Silver Spur in September Grandma and Grandpa had a baby-sitting day . . .

followed by a visit to Seven Brides Brewing in Silverton. It's a family-friendly brewpub with crayons, etc for the little ones.

I especially liked the Fresh Hop Citra Mosaic and the Shandy.

We visited on a Saturday night and there was live music. Nora especially enjoyed the singer, bouncing along to the music and clapping appropriately after each song.

Oktoberfest!

The German settlement of Mount Angel Oregon holds an annual four-day event each September. This year we were able to attend, though we had to stay up at Barton Park. We already have reservations at Silver Spur in Silverton for that block of time next year.

There are several different venues with entertainment. Each features a different German or Bavarian brewer as well as a local brewery.

 Nora enjoyed herself even though she couldn't partake.

This shows the throngs of people.

Catherine and Jamie deciding what we want to eat.

Beer stop #2

Welcome to Mount Angel.

The Glockenspiel Restaurant which serves good hearty traditional German fare.

The third beer venue featured Nora's favorite of the bands.

They made a musical entrance, marching right by our table!

As usual at street fairs, there were a large number of booths.

I took this picture to remember the clever idea.

A number of great t-shirts.

And that was July

This year we reserved the entire month at the Newport Marina RV Park. It was bordering on too cold to do much most of the month, which I used as an excuse to do almost nothing. Nothing that is outside of sitting at my computer working on a rewrite of the CWCCA website. I didn't originally intend to do that; it just sort of happened.

First a few Oregon Coast pictures from the trip south.

Rogue Brewing and the Marina/RV park from the Yaquina Bay bridge.

 Home sweet home.

 Our first neighbors were there for the crabbing. To compensate for overrunning their spot into ours, they gave us a couple of young Dungeness. Tender, flavorful, and delicious.

Jamie, Catherine, and Nora stopped by for lunch on the way to their annual SCA event.

 We put up our feeder and attracted goldfinches.

The best part of staying at the marina for the Fourth of July is the front-row seat for fireworks. People come from all around and park in the Marina lot to set off their own fireworks in a (relatively) safe place.

And after dark the official show starts.

J and C and the granddaughter came back through on their way home, which required a trip to Rogue.

Crayons were provided.

Nora was learning the proper use of a fork.

Or not . . .

I did manage to take a couple of walks in the month, which Dora can tell you about. I'll just share a few pictures.

We took one trip down to Yachats and visited Yachats Brewing + Farmstore. Highly recommended for both brews and food. In addition to beers, they ferment their own kimchi and other pickled vegetables.

 This sign in the brewery struck a chord on several levels.

A view of the Waldport bridge on our way back to Newport.

Towards the end of our stay I met friends for lunch at Pelican Brewing in Pacific City. I can recommend the Beak Breaker IPA. I like hops. Lots of hops. I don't remember what I ate. Maybe it was the dessert on the beach.

We also had a meal at Fishtails Cafe near the marina and we will be back. If you go, try the Slumgullion:

Our original recipe Clam Chowder (which we also serve by the bowl or cup with garlic bread) baked with Shrimp and Three White Cheeses, seved with our homemade Garlic Bread.