PCT Finished!!!!

Hurrah!
I just got a call, the gals finished the PCT tonight.
My daughter writes on facebook:

DONE! I'mdoneI'mdoneI'mDONE! Left Mexico 5.25 months and 2663.5 miles ago, hot Canada this morning. I'm thinking of getting myself a Segway so I don't have to walk anymore... Going to work on getting life a liitle put together (read: watching chick flicks, taking naps and showers) in Seattle for a few days, then home!

We're all looking forward to seeing her soon!

PCT Update: Cascades

The gals (my oldest daughter and her 2 friends) are getting close to the finish! Thanks to Satellite technology, I know that right now they are camping (wet, cold and shivering?) somewhere N of Skykomish, just S of Mount Baker. They've been hiking for nearly half a year now, for two and a half thousand miles -- I can hardly fathom it!

Even if they can't see it yet, I bet they can just about smell their goal (Canada) from there.

Why so much sugar?!?

I'm not anti-sugar, but really, why is it that American food is so super sweetened?!?

Today I bought a smoothie at the grocery store (having just finished a workout and needing something to hold me over for teaching). I usually make my own smoothies, but this morning I got out of the door and sort-of forgot to eat a substantial breakfast -- and I don't go too far on just a cup of coffee w/ biscotti.

Anyway, I bought this smoothie, a.k.a. "dairy beverage", and it was TERRIBLY sweet. Turns out to not only to contain HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup) but a long list of other ingredients like sucralose and other artificial ingredients I was not familiar with, and I could not get it down. Not wanting to waste food, I later tried to "thin" it down with some OJ and plain (unsweetened) yoghurt -- what a waste -- I still could not drink the stuff. YUCK! I finally tossed it.

Been another busy day today, and for dinner Liesl made us a quick pizza using a commercial pizza sauce (the one that comes in the Bobboli pizza crust package) -- yikes, again, way too sweet!

I keep on cutting sugar out of American recipes -- last week I made zuccini muffins in an attempt to make a dent in our zuccini stash -- I ended up cutting the recipe's sugar by half! The kids never complained: it was still plenty sweet...

So if you're wondering why I don't blog much anymore -- I'm too busy gardening, working and cooking from scratch...

PCT Update: Washington at last!

The gals have crossed the mighty Columbia River and thus stepped over the Oregon-Washington stateline. They're down to their last state on the 2600+mile through-hike.

Washington is not exactly a small state by any stretch, BUT they'll be in CANADA within the month! Hard to believe that they started at the US-Mexico border this spring!?!?

For you Germans out there, what she's got left is the equivalent of hiking from the Southern border of Germany to Denmark!

Falleri, Fallera...

Where did August go?

It's the 1st of September, and fall is definitely in the air !!!
Leaves are starting to turn color, and we're hearing Sandhill cranes -- way up high in V-formation, heading South!
This past month has just flown by: first 2 weeks of August we spend visiting hubby's folks in South Dakota, with a short stop in Colorado. Upon our return to RAINY Alaska (records have been set -- longest consecutive period of rain) -- we dove back into school/work and music. The kids participated in a 2-week marathon Chamber Music Festival, which culminated in 4 concerts last week, which were wonderful!
But, we're exhausted!

Someday, hopefully before the snow falls, I plan to post pictures -- I took alot, but now I've got to find the time to "wade" thru them...

Over Labor Day we're hoping to go camping nearby (weather permitting), with Wolfman recovering from the removal of 3 wisdom teeth -- that takes place tomorrow!

WISH HIM LUCK!