San Diego Water Color Society

I was out for a bike ride on Sunday and happened across a really great water color show at the San Diego Watercolor Society. As I was walking out I was going to quip that I'd like to have one of each. As it turned out they were selling a full color catalog for the show so I bought one. Here are some of my favorites:

Faux Kombucha

I like kombucha but can't tolerate any amount of cafeine at all so wanted to come up with a no cafeine alternative.  As it turns out it's just not possible to make kombucha from herbal tea.

I've come up with the following kombucha-like herbal tea drink that is pretty easy to make myself.

2 quarts boiling water
3 - rooibos tea bags
1 - licorice mint tea bag
1/3 cup stevia
1/2 cup vinegar or lemon juice
Chill overnight in the frig

To serve:
Fill a glass 2/3 full with tea and three ice cubes; then fill with soda or seltzer water.

September Travels

I headed north after Labor Day for a trip through Oregon and Washington.  After leaving on Tuesday after Labor Day I stopped for two nights to camp on the Rogue River about an hour north of Medford, OR to spend a day hiking along the river.  This is my favorite place to be on the planet... so far.

I left my campsight near Crater Lake on Friday to head for my friends Perry & Carol's house in Bend.  We spent Friday night through Sunday at the Sisters Folk Festival in Sister, OR.

After the Sisters Folk Festival I headed up to Seattle for a couple of weeks before heading back towards home. I met up with my friend Jay for an afternoon at the Puyallup fair.

As chance would have it I was able to meet up with my friend Don from Alaska for lunch in Marion Forks, Oregon.

The first week I was in Seattle I stayed at my friend David's house.  As it worked out though he and Jacque were in San Diego though. But I did manage to see them the next week. At the left is one of Jacque's home made quilts hanging in the hallway.

My friend Diane and I met up for a walk on the beach one afternoon at Discovery Park. Every time we'd planned a longer hike in the mountains it rained. Pffft... what did I expect!

On the way home to San Diego I stopped for a visit with long-lost third cousin Jim and his wife Brenda.   They have an olive orchard with nearly a thousand olive trees outside of Redding, CA.

My original plan had been to drive down California's central coast from Carmel to San Luis Obispo.  The weather was terrific and views spectacular... but I wasn't prepared for the mob.  The campgrounds were full and I ended up getting home a day early after a backwoods bivwac up in the coast range.