Welcoming the New Year Excitement

The Polar Bear Swim for a New Decade!

Woo Hoo - Welcome to 2010

We rang in the New Year with a huge storm that lasted through the night, the high wind was steady 62 with gusts to 74. We had to go down to the orchard to secure some of our weed cloth that was starting to billow and rip out stakes. While we were working on that a huge gust (probably a lot more than the 74 at Cape Blanco) lifted one of our green house covers off of the raised bed. Fortunately we were right there to hold it down and then improve the securing system. We managed that between cloud dumps on a day that dropped over two inches of water out of the sky! We did not make it to midnight, but a nice dinner was followed by a nice champagne and cigar (for Bob) in the "sun room" as we watched the squalls come roaring through the valley under the intense glow from the "Blue Moon." You could not actually see the moon but its brilliance illuminated the entire valley.

For New Years Day the Polar Bear Swim tradition that Bob has continued for decades happened in Floras Lake. The ocean was the first choice because it was warmer than Floras Lake at 53 degrees but the waves were so severe that there was no way to risk entering the sea. Instead the dogs chased me to the lakes waters edge where they stopped (yes even they no better...).

We had a wonderful head of Endive which we harvested on New Years Day that was tender and tasty along with some leaves from our mustard crop. It made for a very yummy dinner that we named the Oregon Greek Salad (recipe to follow) and a was a great way to kick off our diet... (yeah don't look to close at the waistline in the photo of the guy in the water).

Part of our ongoing entertainment here is the interplay between Lee and Coda. The multiple marrow bones we have provided if you will excuse the pun have become quite a bone of contention. Every time we purchase some from the butcher we always get two. To make a long story short Lee likes to have ALL the bones and ALLOW Coda to steal one once and a while that is why the photo of General Lee with his inventory is so humorous.

So here is the recipe for Oregon Greek Salad Everything is approximate and please season to taste!

1 head Endive

1/2 head Mustard

200 grams Feta Cheese (Original Greek Sheep Cheese)

4 to ++ Tbs Olive Oil

Juice of Lime or Lemon

Handful of Onion chopped large

Handful of Garlic large chunks

10 - 20 Kalmata Olives

1 Cucumber cut to tatste

1 diced Tomato

1 tsp of Salt

1 shot of White Wine

Happy New Year and Happy New Decade!