Kid Photography ... Patience is a Virtue!!!

One of my best friends grandson is a cutie patootie.  Dad is a Chef part time and works at a Winery full time.  Mom requested some photos of "B" in a chefs hat, cooking ... so we set out to do just that.  Armed with a white T-shirt, a rolling pin, pepper mill, salt shaker, baking powder, powdered sugar, honey, baby bottles, milk, cookies, chocolate, bread, blankets, squeaky toys, high chair, diapers, more clothes, rattles, lights and camera .... we set out to take a few images.

We tried sitting, kneeling and standing in the high chair ... we just couldn't get it right.  The idea was for him to hold the rolling pin and put his mouth on it.  You can just imagine how hard THAT was.  Usually kids put everything in their mouths ... but "B" opted for cookies and bread.  If you took those away ... which we did ... he yelled!!!  We doused that rolling pin with everything from powered sugar to chocolate ... and he was having none of it!!!

I finally retrieved my antique cookie cutters from the storeroom, and that helped a little.  He's licking powdered sugar from this lips here!!!

Almost two hours later, we hadn't accomplished much ... so I suggested we sit him on my counter with everything at his feet ... maybe he would be more apt to play with them.  Sure enough, he finally became curious about all this stuff stacked on his legs and started to play.  In between a few crying sessions ... we bribed him with cookies and milk!!

Finally ... our first smile!!!  Normally, this is the happiest baby I've ever seen.  He ALWAYS has a smile on his face ... except for today, when a stuffy nose had him stone faced and cranky.  I think this was image 251!!!

Patience is a virtue when photographing kids ... you just keep the camera ready and shoot LOTS of images.  With Nana close by squeaking toys and acting like a crazy woman, we finally achieved success two and a half hours later after three changes of clothes!!!

It turned out I had lots of good images to work with ... after taking 335 total!!!  The second half of the shoot ... yes we just kept on shooting another scene ... didn't turn out quite so well.  By now we have a tired, sleepy, cranky, hungry boy on our hands ... but that's tomorrow's story!!

All Quiet On The Home Front ...

At least temporarily .... did I mention the chimney fire in the rental house??  Oh yeah!!!  I was not a happy camper.  The amount of creosote that DJ's Chimney Service scraped off the sides of the fireplace was nothing short of crazy!!!  I know this is a result of how you manage the wood stove insert when burning, so as we walked in the door, I asked DJ to please tell them exactly how it should be done.  AND HE DID!!!!!

In this case, there are only two handles that are adjustable.  The top one opens the flue to let smoke out so you can open the door without asphyxiating yourself.  The bottom one is the culprit ... it allows air into the chamber so the fire will burn.  Leave it OPEN!!!  When you shut that one down, the gases don't burn thoroughly, turn into creosote coating the chimney and eventually light up like a searchlight as it catches fire and burns your house down!!!  Or MY house, as the case almost was!!!

That fixed, it's on to the eucalyptus tree removal ... the one hundred foot tall one that is a little too close to the garage!!  This darn rental is putting a big dent in my retirement account!!!  I may be sitting in the rocking chair on the porch sooner than I want!!!

Today is another photo shoot of a ten-month old, cutest ever baby boy!!  Don't worry, I took that filter off and stuck it far, far away!!!  I'll post a few images tomorrow!!

In the meantime, I'm making lists and checking them twice for the Indio FMCA Rally in January.  Can't wait to see all those Golden Spike friends again!!!

SantaCon ... Who Knew????

Saturday was my scheduled shoot in San Francisco.  We left early, heading out with clothes, makeup and model to the big city for a photography shoot I've been thinking about for a long time.  It turned out good and bad!!  I hate it when that happens, because I expect it all to be GOOD!!!

As we boarded BART in Walnut Creek we noticed a few people dressed as Santa Claus.  Not unusual since it's Christmas time ... little did we know what we were in for upon arrival in San Francisco.

SANTACON was in full swing!!  What is SantaCon you ask???  My question exactly ... and it took quite some time to figure it out.  But first ... the big shoot!!  My idea was to have a model standing in the BART station while the train passed behind her.  Shooting this at a slow speed would mean the model was clear and sharp ... the train blurry behind her.  Easier said than done!!!  The model was perfect, as was the train.  It was the photographer that had the problem.  I forgot to remove a filter I had on the lens from a previous shoot ... which caused the model in every image to be blurred.  I got some amazing images ... all out of focus.  The worst part is that none of this was visible until I returned home.  This quick test shot was the best I had.  I said a lot of very bad words .....

Afraid we were going to be arrested, we didn't stay long at this location, even though it was rather hidden.  Bart security doesn't allow pictures!!  Flirty Nancy showed up to smile and wave at the train engineer so he wouldn't turn us in while he waited for people to board, as we shot the last couple images.  

Lunch in the San Francisco Shopping Center at Charleys Grilled Subs was an excellent choice since Rubios (my favorite) was no longer in business.  It was here that we noticed more and more Santas ... in fact there were hundreds of Mr. and Mrs. Claus'.

Heading to our next location, we pushed through the crowds of costumes, some rather skimpy, as you can imagine San Francisco would have.  It was crazy crowded with people .. no photos here ... and so we went the long way around the block to the third site ... Macys!!  Their window displays were in full animation ... so much so that we HAD to see what the commotion was about.  Puppies ... cutest little puppies EVER are running around in the window display for SPCA adoptions!!  Inside Macys and headed to Union Square, we were again inundated with Santas and finally found out why. 

SantaCon ... never heard of it.  We still didn't realize what it was until we heard one of the employees explain that Union Square had been made into an ice rink, with bars all around the outside edge.  People come from all over in their Santa outfits to ice skate and drink until all hours of the night!!  You want in, you wear the suit!!  This is as close as we could get ... looking out the window at the roof of the parking garage where the ice rink was located.  

So much for the third shoot site ... lets try the backup backup plan ... shopping!!!  Two hours later, we are exhausted fighting people looking for the best deal.  With a few small purchases in hand, we walked back to Bart for the ride home.  

Here's a couple more images ... it's always windy as the train enters the station, pushing the air ahead of it.  I took advantage of this several times since usually you need a fan for the blown-hair effect.  

Miss Syd is a stunning model ... she knows the looks and the moves.  I'm sorry this shoot was such a disaster ... but I guess there's a first time for everything!!!  We have already rescheduled for February.

Note to self:  Check with San Francisco City Chamber to be sure there is nothing going on that day and triple check your camera!!!!!

To Upgrade Or Not ... That Is The Question!!!

A question I never really considered, since just three years ago, I purchased a 15" MacBook Pro laptop computer for my photography work.  It's made by APPLE and is the preferred system for downloading and editing photographic images.

I had no experience at all with this brand ... I was a Windows girl all the way, and have been for almost 40 years.  When Merced County had a mainframe computer as large as my entire living room, I was lucky enough to be given the first ever office version, complete with frisbee-like software disks, one for each program ... like Typing and Spreadsheets.   Every time you took it out of the slot, the program disappeared and would need to be re-inserted and booted up if you wanted to type again.  Pretty archaic compared to todays laptops.  The improvements have been nothing short of amazing.  That mainframe computer is now the size of a small briefcase!!

So much for that nostalgic walk through the prehistoric age!!  I'm always looking for better ways to process my images ... and the main man in the business right now is Scott Kelby.  This guy will help you with any problem ... and unlike most big shot photographers ... he will show you in detail how to do everything you want to learn.  According to Scott, the newest and best program to manage your image files and do preliminary touchups is LIGHTROOM.  With all the holiday sales going on, I found it on-line for $80 ... of course I purchased it immediately, before I saw the little note that if I open the box, it is non-returnable.

A word of caution here!!!  When you buy a new program, you need to make sure it is compatible with YOUR computer.  I checked out my computer's operating system (OS X) and ordered the corresponding version of Lightroom.  My worst fears came true!!  When I loaded it into my machine, it said "You're a dummy ... this won't work on your system"!!!  I soon discovered I hadn't looked quite close enough ... my system was OS X 10.6.8   Lightroom requires OS X 10.9.  How can just a few numbers cause so much trouble!!!  The word "non-returnable" echoed in my ear.  After googling the problem (you can find the answer to anything on You Tube) I found the scariest words in computer land ... YOU NEED TO UPGRADE!

I deem myself fairly smart in the computer world, having worked with the County's IT Department for several years ... but this scares me to death.  The first thing I did was check out the price of a new computer, you know, just in case mine dies a horrible death.  $2,600 (oh my!!!!)  I found my Snow Leopard Operating System had been replaced by the Lion and Tiger ... who makes up these names???  The one I was looking for was now called Maverick and was downloadable for FREE ... my favorite word.

After a full computer backup including systems, programs and images that took 2-1/2 hours, I started the download.  Four hours later, the bar hadn't moved at all.  Time to call in the big guns ... my photographer friend who runs the computer systems for a huge local company who shall remain nameless ... because from his office, hooked up to his hard line internet connection, it took 30 minutes for the download and two hours for the actual upgrade of my computer.  I held my breath the entire time!!  He said no problem ... Apple makes sure things work.  I should have him talk to our friend Nick Russell who has had major problems with a Mac Computer HE purchased.

Back home, Lightroom installed in a flash, but of course I have no idea how to use the program.  I see some training in my future on this one.  Everything is working fine ... there are several differences in the "view" of things, which mostly I am able to change to my preference.  As with anything new, it takes a little getting used to, but overall I'm happy I chose to upgrade and EXTREMELY happy it all went so well.  The upgrade was free and saved me $2,600 by actually WORKING!!  

There are a lot of variables here however to be aware of.  How old is your computer?  Do you have enough memory to install the upgrade?  Can you afford a new one if yours crashes?  And lastly, don't trust that the kids working at the local Apple store, are smarter than you or know what they are doing.  Try to find someone who has lived with computers for many years, to give you advice before you plunge off the cliff of upgrades!!!  You always want to have a parachute close by!!

Let The Cooking Begin!!!

Just as soon as Cooper and Jessie finish their morning nap .....

I woke up to another day of freezing temperatures ... 25 and heading down.  A week of this weather will certainly weed out any not-so-hardy plants in my yard.  How is my RV doing in the cold you ask??  Since I couldn't find a light to put in the bay, I had to turn on the gas heater and set the thermostat as low as it would go.  My power outlet isn't big enough to run the electric heater.   So far so good, except I'll have to find propane somewhere along the way to Southern California.  The good news is that black paint has come in handy as the solar heat generated keeps it nice and toasty during the day.  By next Tuesday, it is supposed to warm up to 35 ... 50 during the day ... not my kind of weather at all!!  I sit inside entirely too long, but the alternative (shopping) hits my checkbook pretty hard ... so I just snuggle up with the puppies!!

Cooking is second on the list of things to do, except for that calorie laden taste-testing and eating part.  By the way, I have finally shed another two pounds on the diet after a slight upswing at Thanksgiving, for a total loss of 8.  It's slow going for sure, but I guess it took me 5 months to put on ... it's not going to come off overnight ... unfortunately!!!

My counters are full of ingredients soon to become tasty morsels of goodness!!  I guess you can tell by the sugar, chocolate and nuts that these will be sweet treats!!  I'm giving all of this away .. HONEST!!!

I wrapped a few presents and put them under the tree.  If yours comes with a few scratches and tears, I apologize.  Cooper's favorite game is to roll his ball under the presents, then try to dig it out!!  When I took the presents away, he put it under the tree skirt and almost tipped the tree over ... so sorry, your presents went back on the floor and they're toast!!!

This week I have been invited to critique the Merced College Photography Class final portfolios!  It's amazing to see how creative these kids can be.  I'll try to get a few snapshots for you.  Then on Saturday I have a photo shoot in San Francisco!!  Can't wait for THAT one!!!

Only 15 days til Christmas!!!

What a Shock ... From 90 Degrees to 25!!!

Is this what it feels like at your house???

At least these guys look warm and cozy.  Having just returned from Costa Rica where the temperatures never dropped below 85, it's quite a shock to have 25 degrees at night and highs of 45 in the daytime.  Two weeks in the jungle was just enough time to get acclimated.   Looks like we are in for 4 or 5 more cold days before it warms back up to 36!!!!  I'm wearing two pair of socks, two shirts and my heaviest sweatshirt around the house.  Yes, I suppose I could turn the heat up above 65, but I would be contributing to PG&E's Christmas party more than I can abide!!

I've spent the last two days putting out fires ... literally!!!  There was a chimney fire in my rental house. When it rains, it pours.  Why is it that MEN just can't build a small fire??  Why do they have to build huge bonfires in the wood stove??  I won't know the final damage until next week when the chimney sweep comes to clean up the mess.  The fire department told the renter he could continue to burn since it didn't appear there was any damage.  Thanks guys ... I'm betting if it was YOUR house you might have something different to say.

With the FMCA Rally in Indio coming up, I'm making up lists and checking them ten or twelve times!! I think I've already seen a few good reasons not to do THIS again.  The good news is that THERE WILL BE ICE CREAM!!  At least the Schwans Rep, when told the story of last year, PROMISED me it would all be okay!!   I've scheduled several days for cooking treats I plan to take to the rally.  Shhhh don't tell anyone!  It's a secret ... just in case they don't turn out as yummy as I expect and I have to have a funeral in the back yard!!

The last couple of days I have also made four trips to the post office ... or rather Mailbox Express.  You know how you order things and it's never quite right??  That's me ... I should finally learn my lesson about not ordering clothing, because it NEVER fits and always gets returned!!  Then there's the gift that wasn't quite like the description ... and the one I ordered new that came used!!  Typical Christmas stuff!!!

That's it for today ... it's time to get cracking ... walnuts, ice and heads at the post office!!!

Cracking The Ice!!

It's been pretty quiet around Buzzards Roost!  I went from shorts one day to being in the deep freeze the next.   My trip to Las Vegas got cancelled when I saw 17 degrees and snow in Boron and Barstow.  Bad news for the citrus growers in the Bakersfield area.  The temps here have dipped below 30 for the last three nights and when my Weather app said it was hitting 21, I started blanketing my horse.  Every morning now I have to go out and crack the ice on his water trough.

What happened to our seasons?  Summer, usually over in September when autumn arrives, lasted until the end of November.  I wore shorts for Thanksgiving!!!  Maybe we shouldn't have been wondering where winter was, because four short days later, we're buried in freezing temperatures that are causing severe damage.  The only good news is snow at higher elevations should be good for January skiing ... when I will be in Indio/Yuma/Quartzite.

I have to say that RV'ing has had it's secondary benefits.  Previously, I doubt I would have thought twice about cold weather, frozen pipes or ice damage.  Being much more aware of the freezing weather driving conditions and possible water pipe breakage on the rig, I've kept track of temperatures like never before.  Luckily I saw this one coming and was able to cover my well water lines and three pipes for outside faucets to keep from having a disaster like my neighbor.  Apparently that geyser a couple nights ago was due to a frozen water line.

We are looking at the low twenties for the next week, meaning I'm looking at a $300 PG&E bill ... and I keep my house at 65 degrees!!  I would pray for rain, but I'm afraid we'd have snow ... and wouldn't you know, that's what is predicted for next week!!!
 

There's Nothing On TV At 4:00 AM !!!

It was a rough night ... thus the lateness of this post.  Not that I was sleeping mind you!!!  At 3:30 am my dogs started barking, scaring the you-know-what out of me!!  I woke with a start and grabbed the .357 I keep close by.  You never want to sneak up on my house in the dark!!!  I'm sure if you were a fly on the wall however, this would have been hilarious ... me sneaking around the house in the dark waving a gun around every corner.  I hoped when I opened the door that the dogs would run out first ... but they were smarter than that!!

A quick check of all the doors showed not one single thing!!!  There's certainly no way I can go back to sleep now!!  When the dogs are up, they're up and it's play time, no matter how crabby their playmate ... ME ... is!!  Might as well watch a little TV and have a cup of coffee.

There are all kinds of noises in a house when it's dark and quiet ... one sounded like running water.  Since a cold spell has hit us, I figured I better check it out.  I got dressed and headed outside, coming back in immediately for a heavier coat!!  After several minutes of walking around, I ended up at the motorhome.  OH NO!!!  Lots of hissing noises!!

Finally I found the problem.  The neighbors sprinkler system controls are just on the other side of the fence I park next to ... and water is spraying EVERYWHERE!!!  It wasn't cold enough to break any pipes, but they had a major problem.  I decided not to wake them at this hour, figuring I might be looking at the wrong end of a shotgun!!  This is probably the noise the dogs heard!!

Back inside and wide awake, I flipped through every single one of 400 channels on my Direct TV receiver.  Trust me, there is absolutely NOTHING interesting at 4:00 am ... or 5:00 am.  If you want to buy $200 coffeemakers ... blenders, the best facial cream ever invented on planet earth, sandwich machines and any number of other expensive devices you can't live without ... just get up at 4 and turn on the tube.  There's nothing on TV at 4:00 am!!!

I think today will be a good "nap" day!!!

Rentals ... Not All They Are Cracked Up To Be!!

I'm currently stuck with one ... and wish it would go away.  You may have heard me speak of "The Ranch" ... or rather what's left of it.   My brother and I have lived there on and off over the years, and when my mom passed away, I moved into her house (he lived in the second house).  I totally expected to live there for the rest of my life ... I put in all new carpeting and spent a fortune on landscaping the back yard.  It was perfect for my horses with the barn and outbuildings.  Then disaster struck for me ... my brother decided at the drop of a hat, to move to Montana and sell the place at the same time I was retiring.

Long story short, I didn't retire, finally found a new place for me and my horses just as the market crashed even further, resulting in NOT selling the property ... thus the rental.  People said how lucky I was, I'd have lots of write-offs and get rich!  That hasn't been the case ... I now have a house payment and the rental is just a pain in the patooky!!

Two years later, I was able to retire, saving as much of the rent as I could.  Good thing ... because it has turned into a money pit.  Built in 1980 something, I figured the worst would be the need for a new roof.  That came to pass a few days ago and ever since I got the bid, I have been in total shock.   I admit, the roof area is large .. well over 4000 sq ft (house and garage).  The cost??  $19,000  Good thing the contractor was there to pick me up off the ground.  He felt sorry for me and agreed to do the house for $13,000 and fix the garage roof for free.

About that time the renter came over and mentioned the front wall of windows (floor to ceiling) were falling out.  OMG!!!  Sure enough, the entire sill beneath 16 feet of windows is rotten, causing the windows to slip down, leaving an open space at the top.  Another call, another contractor and another guestimate of $8,000 to rebuild the entire wall and replace all the glass.  The only redeeming factor about THIS bid, was the contractor was WAY good looking, funny and loves the outdoors as I do, hiking, camping, PHOTOGRAPHY!!!   Unfortunately he's 20 years younger!!!  DRAT!!!

While I was there, I checked out the overhanging eucalyptus trees ... one of which is a definite danger to the house.  Nothing like getting all the bad news at once!!  Another $1,400 to take out the tree.

When I said I was going to spend every dime before I die, I meant on trips, camera gear ... stuff like that.  I certainly did NOT want to spend it on a rental.  Unfortunately for me, since my brother and I own it 50-50, I'm stuck with it.  No, he won't help with the bills ... he has the OTHER ranch house as a rental, where a tree recently fell and knocked out the well.

In the end, I'm just hoping to break even between all the costs and the rent collected over the years.  My accountant says I will get some tax deductions, but that thought isn't much comfort when writing that $13,000 check!!!  Rentals just aren't what they are cracked up to be!!!

Breaking the Rules!!!

"Life is a series of disastrous moments, painful moments and unexpected moments ... in between those moments is the time you savor, savor, savor!!"  Sandra Bullock

Not that I pay much attention to Hollywood stars, but once in a great while I break the "don't-pay-them-no-mind" rules when they come up with a good thought.  Especially at this time of year when we celebrate the in-betweens and savor the time with friends and family.  So get out there and CELEBRATE!!!  Break the rules!!!  If you are having a "moment", know that it will pass, and the in-between is just around the corner.

Here's my two kids ... Miss Jessie had her moment when she got stepped on by my 1200 pound horse.  Stitched and taped up, she survived to provide me with MANY happy growly moments!!!  She breaks the rules every day by being terribly growly when she plays ... so much so that you think she will take your arm off.

Cooper doesn't have moments, but he definitely breaks the rules when he wakes me up at 5:00 every morning!!  He's so happy and full of life, you just can't be anything but happy around him!!  Frustrated, yes ... but always happy, happy, happy!!  As much as I complain about having to take them with me everywhere ... and my travel is limited because I need dog-sitters, I don't know what I'd do without them!!!  And oh yes, Cooper breaks all the rules all the time!!!  You can just see it in his face!!

Today's breakfast menu ... turkey sandwich!!  I know, it's not breakfast food.  When I was growing up, we were only allowed breakfast food at breakfast and lunch food at lunch.  You wouldn't even THINK of asking mom for dessert unless it was after dinner.  The second I turned 18 and moved out, THAT all changed!!!  It was time to break the rules!!!  I had ice cream for breakfast, cookies and cake for breakfast ... there are NO rules in my house about what you can eat when!!  Break a few rules ... enjoy!!!

Another rule I broke was putting up my Christmas tree BEFORE Thanksgiving!!  This way I get to enjoy it longer ... it will come down about the end of January!!  I mean really ... why spend all that money on decorations and only enjoy it for two weeks???  I break the rules and get my money's worth!

The point is, break a few rules.  Have a good time ... enjoy and savor the in-betweens.  Share if you can afford to and even if you can't ... you might just make an in-between for someone else!!

Be Adventuresome!! You Can Do It!!!

When it comes to cooking, I usually tell people I can't.  Sure enough if I say I can fix something, it becomes a disaster worthy of a burial in the back yard.  I am adventuresome enough however, to try anything once .. like the turkey tetrazzini that's still in my freezer.  I had quite a bit of leftover pork, and decided I would substitute meats.  Bad idea .... in fact I had to substitute a couple of things.  It was awful.  There are still two containers in my freezer that will be laid to rest in the cold dark earth after Christmas.

Around this time of year, I usually like to make some ooey gooey delicious treat to give away to friends and neighbors.  This year I bought Sees candy.  Feeling badly about that, when my friend at the Elks mentioned his daughter was selling Baklava, that Greek morsel of walnuts and dough, soaked in honey syrup ... I thought it might be a nice gift.  Problem was, I've never made baklava.  Everyone I talked to said it was WAY too hard.  Fifteen minutes on the internet and recipe in hand, I'm braving the kitchen hoping for a miracle.  I CAN DO THIS!!

Fillo Dough is intimidating ... no doubt about it, but be BRAVE!!  It's easy to work with.  You can purchase a box in the freezer section of your grocery store.  Take it out and leave it on the counter for two hours to thaw.  I then unrolled it and spread it on my trusty pillowcase pastry cloth.

Here's the bad part ... one whole pound of butter, melted.  Lay one sheet in the bottom of the pan and brush with butter.  Nine more times and I had butter all over everything.   Now for the nuts ... one pounds of walnuts, ground up in my antique food processor.  I really do need to replace it.  I couldn't even remember which way to slide the bowl to get it going and it seemed bent ... how did THAT happen???  Four more layers with butter, nuts, more layers, nuts ... and so on.  I ended up with 10 layers on the top.  I should have taken more pictures, but my hands were covered in buttery goo!!

Now comes the hard part ... slicing it into those pretty triangle shapes before I bake it.  Even with my sharpest knife, it was hard not to mess up the top.  While that was baking for an hour, I made the sugar/honey syrup.  Actually, I made the sugar/honey syrup, candy, terrible mess ... because I left out the water part.  It was noted in the "bottom" of the recipe to add 1-1/2 cups water!!  This is what usually happens to me when I cook.  About the time I couldn't get it or the spoon out of the pot, I heated it almost to the flame point and dumped it in the outside garbage can as smoke and steam rose through the air.  Time to reread the recipe and start over.  At least I had enough ingredients to make a second batch. THIS is finally the finished product, a liquid syrup. 

Once out of the oven and slightly cooled, I poured the also cooled syrup over the lovely brown dough in the pan.  For some reason I think I had too much liquid, but it looked pretty amazing.  I snuck a couple of small corner pieces for a taste test.

I think I died and went to heaven ... it still needs to soak a little longer, but it is AMAZING!!!!  

I seriously can't believe it came out so good.  I don't even LIKE honey!!!  My friends who came to dinner agreed ... the pumpkin pie was still in the fridge and the Baklava was almost gone.  

Gee ... what to do with the last two pieces!!!  They were gone in a flash!!  Truthfully, we didn't eat the entire pan.  I put half away in the freezer to wrap later as gifts.  This morning, I took ONE out and thawed it for a taste test ... some things just weren't meant to be frozen.  THIS however, worked perfectly.  It tasted like I had just made it!!!   

So even if you are a not-so-great cook like me, you can make a delicious pastry treat for your family and friends.  Just be adventuresome ... YOU CAN DO IT!!!  If it's really bad, like my tetrazzini, freeze it for awhile, then when no one's looking, grab your shovel and have a nice ceremony!!!

I'm SOOOOOO Full!!!

I bet everyone either heard or said THAT yesterday!!!!  It was the same at my house!!

Although I usually spend Thanksgiving with an Escapees Group in Los Banos, I accepted an invitation to my friend Chris' house for Thanksgiving dinner.  They were my test subjects for the first smoked turkey.  Thankfully they didn't croak, but it was WAY too smoky.  In the end, because I was again attempting to smoke turkeys for us, they loaded up all their goodies and came to MY house.  Really, I think they all just wanted to play with Cooper and Jessie!!

I purchased larger 10 pound breasts for this smoking project.  Naturally, the thawing of the turkeys didn't go as expected.  I actually had 33 pounds of turkey defrosting in my refrigerator, which turned it into a freezer.  With no progress in site, I took them out for a cold water bath, then separated them on different shelves.  A final water bath the night before, a good dose of seasoning with another 12 hours rest and they were finally ready to go in the smoker.  All went as planned there ... not so much for the REST of the dinner.  Here they are about two hours in when I stopped the smoke and let them continue to slow cook.

Since everything smothered in gravy is better ... I also cooked a turkey in the oven for the wonderful drippings that result in the best gravy!!  THIS is what started the problems ... I was in too much of a hurry and got it in the oven half an hour too soon.  When trying to get all of this food on the table at the same, timing is critical!!!  With the internet down, I couldn't check the length of time required for perfect doneness!!  The smokers would be ready at 1:00 with a one hour rest.  THIS dumb turkey went in at 7:30 and was done by 12:00.  We aren't eating until 2:00!!!  So I wrapped it up, hoping for the best.  At least we'll have GREAT gravy!!

In the meantime, Chris and her family were making up for the family pictures I was going to take for them in front of my Christmas tree.  Instead of 1:00, they arrived at 1:45 and we still had potatoes to cook and mash!!  OH MY!!!  We ARE getting rather behind!!  By the time the pictures were done and the gravy cooked, it was 3:00 ... that one hour rest for the turkey turned into THREE!!

We reheated everything and I chopped up the smoked turkey ... it was DEVINE!!!  I think I will never eat an oven-roasted turkey again!!  Even though it sat longer than desired, it was the most delicious, tender, moist with just-a-slight-smoky-flavor turkey I've ever eaten!!  The final menu consisted of turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole and fresh baked bread which we sat down to eat at 3:15.  At 3:30 we were done!!!  

I'M SOOOOOO FULL!!!!!  On top of that, we had pumpkin pie, banana cream pie and baklava (that's tomorrow's story!!).  It was wonderful to spend the day with this great family!!  

Although I wasn't supposed to be IN the photo shoot, once we get started, it's hard to stop.  We got some great family images, some father-daughters, some sisters, some mom and daughters ... and then we got carried away with Miss Sydney in her white dress, levi jacket and red cowboy boots.  It turned into a full blown photo shoot!!!  

We also tried to get Jessie to sit with Cooper, but she wasn't having any of it.  She got jealous of the attention and tried to bite Coops head off.  Like the spoiled child she is, she was banished while we finished with my Christmas card picture!!

What could be better ... great friends, good food and photography all in the same day!!  The best part????  I have another smoked turkey in my fridge that I'm having for breakfast, with mashed potatoes and gravy!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!!!