1999 Teardrop
Adventure - Page 14
by
Teri Fahrendorf
24 DAYS ON THE ROAD
Made blueberry pancakes for breakfast for everyone in the morning, using up the last of my Oregon blueberries. Good thing they hadn't fermented in the cooler! Breakfast was a team effort with Logan measuring and stirring, and Steve manning the fry pan. There was talk of a hike or a swim in the lake, but no set plans. After I French-braided my hair, the girls wanted their hair braided and I obliged.
Back at the brewpub, the girls wanted me to write something on a rock to put on Pink-nose, the kitten's grave. Yesterday was Pink-nose's end-of-the line, chased under the wheels of a car by an innocently mischievous dog. Not having known Pink-nose personally, I wrote, "Good Luck in Cat Heaven," and the girls ran to put my blessing on the grave.
After lunch, a friend of Steve's dropped me off at their house. I enjoyed some private time on their deck, looking across the valley to Joseph Mountain, and wrote in my journal. It was sunny and warm in the late afternoon sun, one of their cats curled up at my feet, the flies buzzing about with no particular purpose. Suddenly I heard a huge resonant buzzing sound on my right. A large dragonfly actually landed on my right shoulder three times. I was so startled I shrugged him off and he eventually flew away. I should have let him sit there, but that had never happened to me before.
Steve came to pick me up, but before heading back to the brewpub for dinner, we tasted some of his special bourbon stash. He had two very special bottles, A.H. Hirsch 16 year old, and A.H. Hirsch 20 year old, both barrel strength. Steve told me the story of the Hirsch family, their unique pot stills, how the stills were burned in a fire, how the remaining stock was bought years later, and how he managed to get hold of these two rare bottles. If there is one thing a brewer likes, almost as much as a taste of two rare, aged bourbons, it's a good story, and Steve supplied all three.
Back at the brewpub, we had the Cactus Stew, which was fabulous, and shared our dinner table with Francis, a local sculptor newly relocated from Santa Barbara, California, and her stepson, D.J. Already quite a character at 14, D.J. was most interested in playing practical jokes on his Dad, and I happily supplied him with ideas, being an old practical joke player myself. Steve was appalled, or pretended to be.
With three big meals today and no exercise, I was tired, but I rallied and went with Steve to his brother-in-law, Dean's house, to learn how to play the card game, "Magic: The Gathering." After one short game, and then a really long game, we finally left at 12:15 am, Dean having kicked our butts in the end. It was a little colder in the camper that night and I heard the coyotes again.
Click here to go to 1999 Teardrop Adventure Page 15.
The story is 16 short pages total. You can jump to other sections of the story here:
Page
1 - Departure
Page 2 - Washington
Page 3 - Idaho
Page
4 - Glacier
Page 5 - Montana
Page
6 - Yellowstone
Page 7 - Tetons
Page
8 - Denver
Page 9 - Colorado
Page
10 - Utah
Page 11 - Idaho Again
Page
12 - Wild Horses
Page 13 - Oregon
Page 14 - Enterprise
Page
15 - Lovely Drive
Page 16 - Home Again
And here are some recipes: