- Dam!
- Doors, Gates, and Windows
- Faces
- Flowers, etc.
Flowers
- On the Map
These are some of the photos I;ve posted on Panoramio -- many of which show up on Google Maps.
- Power
- Sugarloaf
The musical background is This Valley, from the album The Song of Rivers, composed and played by cellist extraordinaire Eugene Friesen.
http://www.eugenefriesenmusic.com/
- Chickens
Showed up in my yard again this afternoon -- aren't they gorgeous?
- Snowtober
In the wake of an October snowstorm:
- Nexus S
Evolution of a pie. And a test for my new phone/camera. Cool -- it takes a photo and uploads straight to my website! I'm late to smartphones -- and totally smitten by the magic of it. I even did the captions right from the phone.
- Learning to push her big brothers around . . .
. . . and they love it!
- In the Luminous Eye of a Spring Thunder Storm
It had been raining on and off all day. All week, really. Then, just as I sat down at the kitchen table, the rain stopped, the setting sun shone under the clouds, and over on the river bank, the sycamore tree glowed against the grey sky. Colors in the yard took on that luminous intensity that happens when there is a storm in the air, and before I came in again, I felt a few drops as thunder purred in the town across the river.
- Happy Valentines Day!
RED VELVET CAKE
2 ½ cups sifted cake flour (if you only have AP flour, use less – maybe 2 ¼ c.)
½ tsp. salt
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup Crisco
1 ½ cups granulated sugar (superfine, if you can get it)
2 eggs
¼ cup Nestlé Quick Chocolate Powder (or try 3 Tbsp. cocoa powder)
2 one oz. bottles red food coloring
1 tsp. real vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
1 tsp. baking soda
Preheat oven to 350°F; have all ingredients at room temperature. Line bottom of round cake pans with circle of waxed paper. Three 8-inch pans make it look more impressive; two 9-inch pans will work. Save scraps of paper for when you are frosting the cake.
In a mixing bowl, sift together flour and salt. Set aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, put all butter in bowl, and add sugar gradually, creaming together with the electric beater until light and fluffy. (3 to 5 minutes.) Keep edges scraped down with rubber spatula. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a small bowl, stir together Nestlé Quick, food coloring, and vanilla extract until there are no lumps. Mix this into the butter mixture.
By hand, stir and fold 1/4 of the flour mixture into the butter mixture, alternating with 1/2 of the buttermilk, then 1/3 of flour, the remaining buttermilk, then half, and then the remaining flour mixture; stir just until barely blended each time. Be quick and gentle.
In a cup, combine vinegar and baking soda. Mixture will fizz. Fold into batter quickly.
Divide batter evenly into pans, spreading with spatula so the edges are higher than the middles. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 22 to 25 minutes. Too long will make it dry.
Allow cakes to cool in pans on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes. Run a knife along edges of pan to free cake; Hold open hand over top and turn cake out. Remove paper and return to rack to continue cooling. Cake must be cool before you frost it.
FROSTING for RED VELVET CAKE
It will be easier to frost three layers with the larger quantities, but you will have some left.
1 cup milk (1 ½ )
5 tablespoons flour (½ c less 1T)
½ cup butter ( ¾ c)
1 cup Crisco ( ¾ c)
1 ¼ cups sifted confectioner’s sugar ( 1 2/3 c)
1 teaspoon vanilla (1 ½ t)
Put flour in pan and stir in milk gradually, being sure it is lump-free before adding most of milk. Cook over medium heat until thickened and smooth, stirring constantly. Cool – cool! (Otherwise, it will melt the butter that comes next.)
Beat together softened butter, sugar and vanilla. Add flour mixture. Beat/whip until smooth and so fluffy it almost looks like whipped cream.
Put first layer upside down on cake stand, with strips of waxed paper under the sides. Frost the “top”. Add the second layer, again, upside down. Frost the top. Add the third layer, right side up. Frost the sides by “pulling” the frosting straight up the sides of the 3-layer stack. Finally, frost the top, and pull the paper strips out, leaving the plate clean.
Cook’s notes:
While I consider most recipes to be inspiration and general guidelines, this is an example of a recipe that should be followed exactly. The method and the ingredients make a difference. Substituting oil will make it dense and heavy – as will undercooking it. Cooking it too long makes it dry – as will using all-purpose flour.
Thoroughly creaming together the sugar and butter AND alternating the milk and flour as you quickly and gently stir them in help make it velvety and light. Be quick and light when you fold in the fizzing vinegar and soda – you want to capture all the air. Drop the pans on the counter once or twice from a height of about 4 inches to remove any large air holes, and then put right into the oven, which should already be 350.
The Lore:
Myths and legends of this recipe abound. Here is the version that came with my recipe in 1963: After being served this cake at the Waldorf Astoria, a woman asked the chef for the recipe. He obliged, then sent a bill for $300. When she refused to pay, he went to court and won because she had been in his place of business and asked for his professional advice. She decided to get even by giving away the recipe to all her friends, asking everyone who received a copy to pass it along to their friends. (It was often typed in red.)
- The Winter of 2011
A winter to remember.
- Feeding Ourselves, Fueling Ourselves
2010 New England Conference
- Lesses more . . . music!
Westport, June 2010
The slideshow music is Johnson Gal, one of the hundreds of Old Time tunes played over the weekend. This version is by The Crooked Jades.
- Wandering Westward
- Jumping Jeepers!
Arches National Park
- Flurry 2010
A magical place of music and dance that appears out of the snow flurries every February in Saratoga Springs, NY -- always on Presidents' Day weekend -- sometimes on Valentines Day! .
- Pura Vida!
There's a place I know,
And in Dreams I'll go
Mi Aberque Hacienda en Moravia
At the end of the road
Where you lay down your load
Feel the sunshine like sweet wine
Upon your journey's end.
Los Vaqueros call their horses
And the senoritas smile
Little songbirds' sweet words
Sooth me now and then.
Adios, mis amigos, los voy a extranar
I know someday my way
Will lead me back again.
(Pete Sutherland, The Clayfoot Strutters, 2003)
Slide show music: Jay Ungar's The Road We Traveled//The Wizard's Walk from Jay and Molly's album, The Lovers' Waltz.
- Feliz Navidad!
Making Tamales on Christmas Day
- New England Resource, Conservation, and Development Councils -- 2009 Conference, Portalnd, ME
FEEDING OURSELVES: Maine RC&D area councils put on a great conference! Thank you to everyone who made it so! Here is a tiny sampling of the conference, with a few shots of my Portland walk-about thrown in. (Can you tell I "collect" doors?)
FUELING OURSELVES: Join us next year in Western Massachusetts as well explore how farms can save with energy efficiencies and earn with energy production. We'll continue the theme of eating local -- UMass is already committed to using local foods whenever possible and enthusiastically endorsed our request to feed us local foods.
Join us October 28, 29, & 30, 2010 in Amherst, MA.
- Letty's Autumn
Like the rest of her life, Letty's autumn was full of music. The slideshow music is one of her favorites, Kate Wolf's "Give Yourself to Love". Letty loved the whole outdoors, and was a frequent visitor to these Blue Ridge Mountains . She returned love multiplied to her amazing circle of caring friends, and flew away at sunrise as owls hoo, hoo, hoo--oo--ooed and her beloved hawks circled above.
Photos copyrighted and may be downloaded or prints ordered only by friends and family of Letty for their personal use.
- Seeley Bash
- Sail Boston
Summer vacation, Boston style
- The Chesterfield Parade plus UMass Fireworks equals Fourth of July!
Slideshow music: Stars and Stripes Forever (Boston Pops at Tanglewood)
- Genny and Bob's Yard
- NE RC&D March bus meeting in South Portland
- Two Lights
For the sound track, imagine a fog horn, crashing waves, and an occasional sea gull.
- Melting
- 2009 & 2008 Dance Flurry Memories
Here is a tiny sampling of the kinds of music and dancing at the Flurry -- tiny, because most of the time I wasn't taking pictures, I was dancing!
If you are in one of these photos and would like the high resolution image, let me know: pennngton.geis.photo@comcast.net. To hear all the the music accompanying the slideshow you'll have to let the slideshow loop: David Kaynor's Karen's Kitchen; Peter Davis' Lindy Hop Heaven, and George Wilson's Light and Shadow Waltz, were all composed by these Flurry musicians. Doc Scanlon plays Learner and Loewe's 'Almost Like Being in Love' from Brigadoon, that magical place that only appears every now and then, where the music of life puts a smile on my face.
A great weekend -- thank you to everyone who made it so! See you at the next Flurry -- save me a dance.
Penny
pennington.geis.photo@comcast.net
- St. Vincent's Celebration 2009
Genny and Bob live in a house with grapes in the stained glass windows and an ancient grapevine at the back door -- of course, they honor the patron saint of vintners, St. Vincent de Saragosa!
- The Kid
- Giving thanks for aunts and uncles!
- A new kitchen!
Papa and Leo paint Leo's new kitchen.
- Dancing at the Grange
These photos are from the 2008 FALL FROLIC, a fundraiser for the Guiding Star Grange in Greenfield.
In addition to all the smiles, you will see new insulated shades, the new entry on the parking lot, the new coatrooms, elevator, commercial kitchen, and new restrooms. All these and more are the result of lots of fun, hard work, and donations from Grange members and Friends.
The smiles come free.
The slideshow music is "Emily's Waltz" from the CD "Waltzing for the Grange". The CD is a collection of beautiful waltzes donated by terrific musicians who play at the Grange. You can buy it from the Grange website -- if you love waltzing, this is a jewel!
pennington.geis.photo@comcast.net
- An aMAZing Afternoon
- New England Resource and Conservation Councils 2008 Conference
Mystic, Connecticut
The Friday afternoon harbor tour, the evening dinner and auction, and Saturday business meeting, awards, and council reports. Stay tuned -- eventually I'll get more posted. If you have conference photos you would like to add, let me know so I can set up upload access for you.
Penny
- Hampshire Care
222 River Road, Leeds, MA 01053
- Open Studio
Andrew DeVries, August 2008
- Sugarloaf Portraits
Thank you for allowing me to photograph you. Feel free to download the photos of yourself, to print, to post on your blog, or any other personal use.
- Berkshire Pioneer Resource Conservation and Development Council
- Thom and Elizabeth
- Kansas
- Rapid Play
If you have a favorite or two you would like cropped and readied for printing, just let me know what size you would like them. You looked like you were having a blast
Penny -- plgeis@gmail.com
- Finally! Spring!
- Berkshire Pioneer Resource Conservation and Development
Darlene -- for your consideration . . .
- Stephen and Sandy visit Leo
Uncle Stephen and Aunt Sandy spent the weekend playing with Leo -- At the end of the first day I heard Leo ask, "Do you love me?" and then the rest of the visit Leo showered them with "I love you!" accompanied by big hugs! Here is Stephen's edited version of the 500 or so pics he and Sandy took.
- Oregon
I slipped out one morning at Karl and Viki's to see if maybe I could find some morning light and dew on some of Viki's roses -- and instead, I took pictures of The Portland Rose Balloon as it landed just beyond Karl and Viki's house. Check back, or "subscribe" -- more to come.
- Big E 2007
The Big E -- the Eastern States Exposition -- is like a huge county fair -- I went to get my award -- my photo of wools will be February in the 2007 Massachusetts Ag Calendar. About 350 photos were submitted. My prize was free parking and a free Big E pass -- and two calendars. Still, this is the first time I have submitted a photo anywhere, so I was eager to go collect my prize in person! Congratulations to the other eleven winners! I have snaps of a few of you collecting your prizes. (If you'd like a snapshot of the moment, feel free to download any photo of yourself.)
And then there's Ms Massachusetts -- how could I resist?
- Genny and Bob and George Stephanopolis
Genny sent these photos from a trip to DC -- along with these comments:
Yes, that's really us with George S.
Thanks go to Patrick for including us on another one
of his wonderful adventures.
We went to DC this weekend to see the taping of This
Week. Really amazing to watch what goes on in the
control room. The timing - wow!
http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/News/story?id=466
After the show we got to go to the green room to
nibble on the breakfast that had been put out for the
shows guest. They didn't eat much which was good since
the crew promptly devoured the yummy bacon, eggs and
fresh fruit that remained. Had a lively discussion
about the wonderfulness of bacon with one of the
cameramen.(everybody loves bacon!)
Then over for a brief photo with George and I do mean
brief. In between taping the follow up show GS would
pop away from the camera, shake hands, pose for a
photo then pop back. At one point the cameraman said
we'd have plenty of time ... the next break was a full
5 minutes! And to them, that was a long break.
My favorite part was seeing the magic 8 ball sitting
on top of one of the many TV sets near the producer in
the control room. Too funny. After watching the magic
of switching camera angles, adjusting commercial
breaks I could easily imagine the questions "Magic 8
Ball Will the next guest talk too long?" "!@!%&@ - I
don't have the time to ask again later!"
- Tri-County Fair
- Brunch with Anne and Hans
After the post-wedding celebration. Anne, thank you for including me -- I loved meeting your wonderful family and friends!
Congratulations to Anne and Hans on on their mutually unlikely and wise choice! Who could have ever predicted when they were children that they might find each other?! Life is full of surprises that sneak up on us gradually -- and this is one of the best!
- Nova Scotia
I hope you can tell that I fell in love with Nova Scotia. This is just the beginning of the many photos I took of that beautiful place. The people are even more enchanting than the landscape -- gracious and warm and caring. Gretchen lucked out when she chose Sandy Cove!
- Thousand Islands
Thank you, Lorraine!
- Harbor Walk
Heidi and I got off work at noon on Friday and met in front of the new ICA -- then abled along the Harborwalk - her third time this weeK! Richard had to work all day - and met us at the Courthouse bus station.
- Peter and Stacy's Wedding
I see them dancing -- somewhere the moonlight --
2 June 2007, at the Pruyn House Burhmaster Barn -- where first they met -- and first danced.
- Ag Calendar
Here are the five photos I entered. Thank you for helping me figure out which to submit - and how to improve them!
Calendar Material?
- Apples . . .
. . . the people and places that grow them.
- Stephen is 40!
- Christmas bags & totes
3 down, 5 to go.
- Davenport's for Maple Syrup
What can be better on a snowy Sunday morning than Davenport's for pancakes with fresh maple syrup?
- Stay Warm!
- Home for the Holidays
Hatfield Christmas
(Some of these photos are by Stephen. It was fun to share two near-identical cameras and to pick up whichever was handy! )
- December Apples
- A tufted titmouse for Halloween!
Happy Halloween -- with our Tufted Titmouse!
Conceived, designed, knit, cut, and sewn by Alissa -- can you tell she's an artist? Here Leo is playing first with his baby-sitter, Abby, then climbing up his father -- perhaps to take flight?
- Bird Bones
- On the Way Home
On the drive home from Silver Bay on Lake George -- stopping at the Albany waterfront.
- Blueberries - Leo's favorite food!
Leo has been visiting his Oma and Opa in Virginia, so his Mama sends his Papa pictures everyday. Blueberries have been his favorite food at home, too! They're good finger-size, easy to mush up, and they taste so good! Swimming's a good thing, too.
- Flowers from Stephen and Sandy
Thank you!
- Sunny Days!
Brief. Glorious.
- Turning, turning.
The end of another school year. The end of another year of joint activities for the Hilltown Charter School students and residents at Hampshire Care. Eight graders begin wrapping the May Pole; seventh graders step in and continue the wrapping. Students and seniors exchange thank yous, celebrate the gifts of shared time.
- Cape Ann
Dana and I spent a long lazy weekend exploring Cape Ann on the Massachusetts North Shore: Gloucester, Rockport, Ipswich.
- Rain rain let Leo play
Leo loves exploring the outdoors no matter the weather.
- More Rain.
Chesterfield
- Kansas Spring
Kansas spring: pasture burns, green winter wheat, misty mornings. Home again to spring evenings, maple flowers, and best of all, Little Leo!
- The Giant Slinky Tent
- The Road to Recovery
Stephen and Sandy got through their long winter of isolation (see TV is BAD for You in 2005 albums) by planning a March trip to Thialand -- including seven days on a 3-masted schooner. Here's the first report:
Here are a couple of quick shots.
Have not had time to wade through the rest yet. Perhaps on the flight home...
Having a blast.
Spent last night sitting on our porch in a little beach town,drinking beer, listening to a chorus of frogs, bats flitting about and a rainstorm blowing in from the sea. Not your average resort vacation.
The road to recovery is currently leading to Siem Reap, Cambodia. We have been in Thailand since the first of March. All is well and lots of fun. We have many tales of adventure and even more photos. (I have taken over 3000 photos so far...lots of editing ahead...)
I am writing from the airport in Bangkok, in route to Siem Reap. Here are a couple of shots to keep your envy the proper shade of green... Love Stephen
- Icy Morning Row on the Connecticut
The awsome women of the UMass Crew Team spent the first Saturday morning in March on the icy water of the Connecticut River. The coaches got there even earlier and chipped the ice away from the edge of the Elwell dock.
- Apples
- Chapel Brook Winter
One of my favorite places -- any time of year.
- Lucille's 90th Birthday
Lucille Thomas Krueger celebrated 90 years with friends and family at the Colony Tennis Resort in Longboat Key Florida on January 25, 2006. Wow. Hope some of those genes made their way over my way.
- Frist Christmas at Bob & Genny's
- TV is BAD for you! (STEPHEN'S RECOVERY)
11/18/2005
Hello to all.
Thank you for all the good wishes for a speedy recovery. I am at home now, and will be for the next six to eight weeks. Had my first appointment with my doctors Wednesday AM and things look good. They took all 53 staples out of my incisions. The bones are holding their alignment. My left leg is now in a removable "Air Cast" and my left arm is in fiberglass cast from the forearm to the wrist. My leg will not be weight bearing for 6 weeks. The plates and screws will be permanent. I am able to get around pretty well in our apartment, thanks to my "roll-a-bout" scooter, a one legged wheeled walker device.
If this letter comes as a surprise to anyone, I'll back up a little. I was in an accident while setting up a business meeting at hotel in downtown Chicago a week ago Sunday. A temporary wall or "flat" with six flat screen TVs bolted to it fell on me. Thankfully, I was fully covered under Worker's Compensation
I am messed up pretty good. Several broken bones, all on my left side. Left arm- Radius and Ulna fixed with stainless plates and screws. Left Wrist fractured the round end of the Ulna. re aligned, no hardware, in cast. Pelvis, fractures of the Sacrum and Pubic Ramus, no action taken other than good medication (Norco, similar to Vicodan) Left leg-broke a chunk of the round end of my Tibia at the ankle. Re attached with stainless plates and screws. I was in a concussion for about 5 hours and in the Hospital for 6 days.
If it is any consolation, 5 of the 6 TV screens were destroyed...
Today, I was up and about the apartment, catching up on life and even doing a little tidying up. Found yet another practical use for my Utili-Kilt, as it works well with my new "Scooter". Sandy has begun adapting to her new role as primary hunter & gatherer for our household. (ie shopping) as well as continuing her HTML duties.
Growing Bone as fast as I can
Stephen
- Clarkdale Fruit Farm
Upper Road, West Deerfield, MA
This album is not set up for automatic download. If you would like something here, just let me know.
- Tanzania
Lynn's Trip with Aaron and Alka.
Don't miss the last three on the second page.
- To Mesa for Chuck & Karen's 40th -- with a sidetrip to see Leo
After an all-too-brief side-trip to sing a few lullibies and generally revel in Nona-hood in LA, ( see those photos in the LEO album in the Timeless section) I joined Chuck and Karen in Mesa to celebrate 40 years of true love. Nearly 100 friends and family honored them at a country & western barbeque; Charley sang a song that left not a dry eye in the house and Vona did a power point This Is Your Life with songs and photos that made us smile and laugh out loud. Chuck told us how Karen's father offered her a diamand pendant to NOT marry him. He figured he owed her one -- Curtis helped him track down one that made Karen gasp and squeal -- set in a replica of their engagement ring. Everyone had a camera -- but me. So what you see here are the informal moments of friends, kids, and grandkids who stopped by the house over the long weekend celebration. There are a few shots from the tour Chuck gave me of Casa Grande, a nearby ruin of an ancient desert civilization.
- Burrterflies, etc.
Mother and Daughter with Stacies and mother and daughter.
- Saffron Gates
- Down East with Stephen and Sandy
Many thanks to Sandy for scouting out the fishing camp and suggesting a joint vacation. So much to see -- but who can hurry in the midst of such peacefulness?