The topic for this week’s weekly travel theme by Where’s My Backpack is “Roads”. These photos are from the road along Prospect Mountain in Lake George, New York.
Category Archives: Travel
Travel Theme: Bridges
Running a bed and breakfast, I don’t have much opportunity to travel. However, I do get out of town once in a while. When I saw that “Bridges” is the theme for Aisla’s travel challenge this week, I decided to share a photo that I took in Florida while visiting my mother a few years ago.
What I Had Missed
I took the pictures below at Natural Stone Bridge and Caves in Pottersville, NY. (In the second photo, note the size of the person on the right side of the entrance to the cave.) This beautifully scenic attraction is just about 10 miles from where I spent the summers of my youth and I only recently visited it for the first time. It makes me wonder what else I might have missed and, of course, what am I should really get out to see near where I live now. Next post … back to Kansas!
Trail to Gull Pond
If you can bear vacation pics for a few more days, I still have photos from my recent trip to the Adirondacks that I would love to share. These are from the scenic Trail to Gull Pond in the Pharoah Lake Wilderness Area.
A Morning Walk
One of my favorite things to do when I visit my mother in the Adirondacks is to go for a walk. The air is blended with the wonderful scents of the mountains and the view, of course, is beautiful. The photos below are from one of my perambulations.
Look at the View!
My mother lives in a beautiful location in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. The gorgeous scenery prompts her to exclaim, “look at the view!” whenever she has company – something we in the family love to tease her about. During a recent visit, I took these photos from her beach. Indeed, it is a lovely view … in any direction, any time of the day.
So You Think Kansas Is Flat?
So you think Kansas is flat? Okay … most of the state is. But not the Konza Prairie which is located in the northern Flint Hills of eastern-central Kansas. This narrow chain of hills counts as its own ecoregion because it is home to the densest remaining tall grass prairie in North America. Early European settlers, unable to plow the area due to its rocky soil composition, used the region for grazing livestock thus leaving the grasslands intact. Due to dry conditions this summer, the grasses probably will not reach their full height. Nevertheless, this expanse of prairie with its soft, rolling hills is still something to see … and it proves that Kansas isn’t all flat!
The Konza Prairie is co-owned by The Nature Conservancy and Kansas State University. While much of the area is dedicated for use as a biological research station, fortunately there are several trails open to the public. The trails are frequently used by hikers and joggers, birders, and photographers and other artists out to capture the beauty of this land. If you have been following my blog this week, you’ve probably figured out how much I enjoy photographing this area. (I’ve also done a few paintings of the prairie.) However, my next post will be back to food.
Compass Plants on the Konza
Compass Plant (Silphilium Laciniatum) is a wild flower native to the prairies of the midwestern US. It also grows in parts of northeast to central US and southeastern Canada. It derives its name from the fact that its leaves align themselves north-south to avoid over-exposure to the parching sun. Despite the abnormally hot, dry conditions that we have been experiencing in Kansas* – the driest in over 50 years, when I photographed them a few days ago these Compass Plants gave all appearances of thriving on the Konza Prairie. I find them to be a fascinating combination of beauty and ruggedness.
*Our official high yesterday was 107 degrees F., though the thermometer in our yard registered a high of 113.2 degrees F. at 4:20 pm. A thunderstorm last night brought only 0.07 inches of rain.
Lake House Cookies & Photos From the Lake
When I woke up this morning, I was craving these cookies, so after breakfast I made a batch. One good thing about running a bed and breakfast … having guests is always a great excuse to make cookies! After the recipe, I have included a photo of the cookies and pictures from my recent trip to the Adirondacks. Tomorrow, back to Kansas themes!
Lake House Cookies*
Makes about 28
Soft white chocolate chip cookies flavored with rum and studded with cranberries, coconut and walnuts.
1 c. all-purpose flour (substitute white rice flour for gluten-free cookies or if you prefer crisper cookies)
3/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
3/4 c. granulated white sugar
1 lg. egg
3/4 t. rum extract
5 oz. real white chocolate, chopped or 1 c. white chocolate chips
1/2 c. sweetened dried cranberries
1/2 c. sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 c. finely chopped walnuts
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and rum extract. On lowest mixer speed, beat in dry ingredients and then white chocolate, cranberries, coconut and walnuts.
- Scoop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough onto baking sheets leaving about 3” between cookies. Bake for about 12 to 14 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottoms and just barely set. Place baking sheets wire racks and allow cookies to cool.
*Recipe from my cookbook Confectionately Yours: A Collection of Cookies, Candies & Yummy Confections.
Lake House Cookies
Adirondack Sunsets
While visiting my mother in the Adirondacks recently, I had a chance to enjoy some beautiful sunsets. I thought I’d share a few of my favorite photographs. As my mother likes to say, “Look at the view!” (Please let me know if you have problems viewing the photos.) Enjoy!
A Taste of Morning 