TRUMAN'S FAVORITE SPOT IN THE HORSEY HOUSE

MAKING RAVIOLI IN MANZANITA

While Kent and Steph did the puzzle (kitties in cowboy boots), Norris and John Douglass and I made three kinds of ravioli: fresh crabmeat, squash with fresh sage and sausage. It took awhile (about a bottle of wine's worth of time), but the result was impressive.

MANZANITA REDUX

We all converged on the "Horsey House" again during Steph and Doug's visit. Steph and Kent spent an evening finishing a 500-word puzzle.

KENT'S GOURMET BREAKFAST

Kent gets tired of all my food blog entries, so he wanted to put in his two cents' worth. Here's his preferred breakfast: Quaker original instant oatmeal, Sunmaid golden raisins, Diamond walnuts and 2% milk. Elegant!

A CREATIVE VARIATION ON CAPRESE SALAD

Norris came up with this recipe from somewhere: alternate slices of fresh mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh peaches and fresh mint. Top with olive oil and lemon juice. Elegantly simple and a delicious way to use those many pounds of peaches in season right now.

TRUMAN THE TURTLE MAN

Thanks to Uncle Nik's crafty garage sale shopping, Truman is now the proud owner of a vintage turtle costume, lovingly hand-made by an elementary school teacher. He doesn't seem to move as slowly as a turtle, but he still likes it.

MY CLASSROOM AT UP

This is the nicest computer classroom I've ever used. The horseshoe-shaped tables and beautiful new Apple flat-screen computers make it easy to see everyone and easy for them to see the front of the room when I use the big screen for videos, PowerPoints, etc. We also get free daily editions of the New York Times and The Oregonian, available in racks just outside my classroom. The students are pretty delightful and the atmosphere on campus is very caring. Another great benefit is the food. The faculty dining room offers all-you-can-eat $5 lunches that are amazing. Every day, there's at least 3 entrees and 3 side dishes, a full salad bar, and 4-5 excellent desserts, along with fresh fruit, ice cream, coffee and other beverages. I've enjoyed fresh ocean fish prepared to order, fresh jumbo shrimp sauteed in a lemon sauce, blueberry or roasted peach vinaigrette for salads, chocolate cheesecake, cheese ravioli with sage cream sauce, homegrown heirloom tomatoes, chocolate-dipped strawberries, etc. If any of you comes out to visit, I need to take you for a visit!