Plum Days

I found some time to make a Plum Compote this weekend. Nate's parents have two big plum trees and they sent a bunch of fruit with us to Oregon. But it was just too much to get through so I decided to make a sweet and sour ice cream topping. Just plums + 1/2 cup water + 1/2 cup sugar + dash of cinnamon. Super easy. Oh, and I made a carrot cake for a friend's birthday celebration too! 

But the best news for this weekend: the smoke is finally clearing. When I wake up in the morning I can actually see beautiful blue sky. And clouds and sun and airplanes too. I missed the sky quite a bit. It is so nice to have it back. 

- K

BEND-AR

This past weekend, we made the eleven hour drive to Oregon to participate in the Bend-Adventure Race. For those of you who don't know what an Adventure Race is (which is probably most of you, because we'd never heard of it before either), it's kind of like a triathlon...but on crazy Mountain Man steroids.

In teams of four, you complete a course made up of mountain biking, trekking, kayaking and caving all while navigating with a map and compass. The goal is to reach as many of the check points as possible as quickly as possible; found on top of cliffs, under bridge tresses and at the backs of caves.
 

We met up with Nate's sister and her boyfriend to make up team "Montana escape Velocity" (MeV). Together, we raced for 13.5 hours straight, coming across the finish line tired, bruised, and swollen.

Now, back in Missoula, we're able to look back and be glad we did it, but fair warning to those considering the sport: The fun parts of the race don't really become apparent until you can see them in retrospect.



- N & K

Busying

Between poetry class and Spanish I experimented with lunch- an exceptionally successful experiment at that. Half a bagel with cream cheese, tomato, salami and some fennel I caramelized in oil and bit of honey. Sweet and salty together and so so tasty. 

There's quite a bit to think about this week. First exams are coming up and we spent this whole last weekend playing in an Ultimate Frisbee tournament here in Missoula. So we've been spending late nights catching up on homework. The Head and the Heart concert is tomorrow night and I'm just so excited! And to top it off, Nate and I are road-tripping to Bend, Oregon this weekend. We're participating in an Adventure Race. A 12 hour-four person-mountain biking-trail running-kayaking Adventure. It's going to be quite the experience. It's been a whole month of classes so far, so we are in dire need of a good adventure in the forest.  

- K

Little Harvest

Look at my tiny carrots! They are the cutest. It was my first attempt at growing...anything, so I'm pretty happy they even made it to thumb-sized. I figured I better unearth them before the frost comes. And it sure is coming fast; Missoula nights are getting cooler and it's feeling so autumny. Hooray for fall! And for tiny carrots too!

- K

Orange Skies and Peach Pies(ish)

Boy, have we been busy. The first week of school is always the longest. And combined with working, ultimate frisbee practices and gatherings with friends, last week was a bit overwhelming.

Missoula valley has been all smoky skies lately. In the evening, it turns everything bright orange and there's an eery feel when the sun sets. So it's fitting to be thinking of this song quite often. 

We attended a potluck this weekend and my friend made a beautiful peach and ricotta tart. Hopefully things will slow down a bit and more delicious cooking/baking will take place amidst homework breaks. Despite all the busyness however, I think this semester is going to be a pretty darn good one.

- K

We Went to Glacier

One more view, one more camping trip before school starts. The last night was the coldest. I woke up in my tent so chilled, knowing this meant autumn was coming. And with autumn comes books and classes. But this trip was one of the best parts of the whole summer. We were caught in a thunderstorm one day while canoeing across the lake. We listened to loons in the evening. We saw all the stars reflect so perfectly in the water that it felt like we were floating among them. As we packed our campsite, Kara pulled the registration tag off the site post and told us that she was going to keep it in her journal. So that when she was soon knee-deep in homework and classes she could find it and remember that summers do exist. 

- K

The Loveliest

We had another backyard dinner party at my house this time. We ate caramelized fennel and goat cheese flatbread and had this Citrus Cake for dessert. The cake was by far the prettiest we've ever made, but of course, my camera died before I was able to capture it. Don't worry though- you can see Jenna's photos of the evening (and cake) here.

- K