September 30, 2008

"You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance."~Franklin P. Jones

I didn't get very much accomplished today. David's cutting teeth...4 of them to be exact, and that means that any work that I'm usually able to get done while he plays or naps goes right out the window. Normally I'd be happy about less work, but when David cuts teeth, he doesn't sleep...or eat...or anything else for that matter, turning instead into my tiny little drooling shadow. This was a brief moment when I attempted to check my email...and he was happy.

Images taken with Photo Booth


September 28, 2008

"Cookies are made of butter and love." ~Norwegian Proverb

When it rains, something compels me to cook or bake something incredibly delicious and bad for me and this storm was no exception. Maybe that's the real reason why I've always loved bad weather. Tomorrow, when the sun shines again...I'll walk an extra mile...or three.

(recipe courtesy of Toll House)



"I don't drown my sorrows; I suffocate them with chocolate chip cookies."
~Author Unknown



September 18, 2008

“Worries go down better with soup”~Proverb





Best fish chowder recipe ever... or, as some Cape Codder's would say... best fish chowdah recipe evah.

2 - 3 lbs fresh cod (the more the merrier)
2 sweet onions, finely chopped
1 pkg celery, finely chopped
6 Yukon gold potatoes, cubed
6 slices good bacon
1 box chicken stock
fresh or dried chopped thyme (to taste)
3 bay leaves (remove before serving)
fresh parsley
dash of white vinegar (optional)
1 small carton light cream
salt & pepper

Throw it all together...

Dice bacon and fry in a heavy soup pot. Remove bacon bits from pan (you'll use these later for a garnish) and drain fat, reserving three tablespoons. To that, add the chopped onions and celery and cook until soft (five minutes or so).
Add the potatoes and cover with the stock. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer. Add the salt, pepper, bay leaves and thyme (you'll want to check the seasonings periodically until done and reseason as necessary).
Simmer slowly for twenty minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Add the fish (whole...it will break up on its own) and simmer for about half an hour. I also like to add a decent splash of white vinegar (to add brightness to the chowder. Totally optional).
Add in the cream and season again. Don't bring up to a boil once you've added the cream! Serve immediately with hot, crusty buttered bread and garnish with the reserved bacon bits and fresh parsley. It's sooo good.



"Chowder breathes reassurance. It steams consolation."
~Clementine Paddleford

"In her starry shade of dim and solitary loveliness, I learn the language of another world."~ Lord Byron



embers

riveting light

the intensity of embers
burning a hole in the fabric of night

like the stars
those radiant cinders scattered across the emptiness
remnants of some great calamity long ago (all but forgotten)
that vaguely we try to understand

on this night
warm and maternal
for an hour next to the embers
I listen to their riddles

~dogfish


Images taken during a mid-September sunset
on Cape Cod Bay.
Brewster, 2008

September 10, 2008

"Knock on the sky and listen to the sound."~Zen Saying


I felt like playing in the clouds today...
so I did.

Images taken at Linnell Landing, Cape Cod Bay.
Brewster.
September 2008


"Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end; then stop."
~Alice in Wonderland


September 04, 2008

"I owe my solitude to other people."~Alan Watts




September has everything that I love about the fall. The amazing incandescent light, of course. Solitude. Cool, crisp days and their chilly star strewn nights. Subtle changes in the colors of the leaves as they start to turn. And life in general starts moving just a little bit slower. I think everybody could use a little more September in their lives.

September light at Stage Harbor,
Chatham, Cape Cod



September 03, 2008

"A good snapshot stops a moment from running away."~Eudora Welty





"I think 
the best pictures 
are often on the edges of 
any situation,
I don't find photographing the situation 
nearly as interesting 
as photographing 
the edges. "

~William Albert Allard

Black and White Photography
by Joanna Vaughan