A Walk on a Snowy Day, A Lunch in a Bento Box and Ethan's First Day on the Hawaiian Chieftan + Recipes

On Thursday night it was predicted that we would get between 7" - 11" of snow. That meant that Larr woke up extra early on Friday morning so that he could get the walks shoveled before he and Ethan set off for the airport. However, when Larr checked his email and such, he found out that the flight Ethan was scheduled to take had been cancelled. This caused a bit of a panic. If Ethan did not get to Ventura in time, his adventure might have been put off by two weeks. Larr woke up Ethan and had him get on the phone. Luckily, Ethan was able to get in touch with a helpful agent who was able to find a flight into Los Angeles that morning. It would mean that the train trip would be longer, but ultimately he would get there on time. Larr sent him off and went to school.

On the way out Ethan sat next to a 17 year old boy who was on his first solo trip on an airplane. They struck up a friendship and talked the entire way. The other boy was unsure about how to get his luggage so Ethan helped him and they parted friends. Two rows up from where Ethan was seated was a woman who happen to overhear bits and pieces of his upcoming adventures. When he exited the plane she approached him, chatted a bit, and mentioned that she was driving to Ventura. She would be happy to give him a ride. He explained that he also needed to stop at a store to pick up a rigger's knife and a pair of boots. She said that would not be a problem. They set off for Ventura in a rented car. She was happy to have the company. They took the scenic highway and Ethan was able to take in many beautiful sights during the drive. He helped her trade out the rental car for her personal car and then they picked up Ricky, her husband. They decided to go to dinner before delivering Ethan to the harbor. Ethan offered to pay for the meal or give them gas money as a thanks for the ride, but they declined both offers. They were happy to help him. When Ricky was young he had gone on an adventure, landing in a town once he ran out of money. He met a nice guy who let him sleep on the floor until Ricky was ready to go. It took Ricky three weeks time to get to that point and by then he had secured a job. He stayed in that town for about 15 years. Ricky was happy to play that one forward.

At one point in the trip Ethan called home to simply touch base. He told us about he had made friends with people he met on the plane that they were giving him a ride. This cause a good bit of alarm for Larr and I. While Ethan is a strong young man who is a good judge of character, I was afraid. I had visions of awful things inflicted on Ethan by people we knew nothing about. Kelly could hear our concern on the other end of the line and offered to talk to us. In the end it was all okay, but very scary. Kelly and Ricky have a 20 year old daughter who is teaching in Japan. Each day she would wake in the morning and check her email for confirmation that their daughter had returned to her apartment safely.

I realized that Larr and I had always had each other (we met and began dating in high school) so we never adventured alone. We had no choice but to trust that we had raised our boy to be a good judge of character and to be resourceful in the event that trouble arose.

After dinner they exchanged contact information and told Ethan that he would be welcome to stay with them any time he needed to. They offered for him to stay the night, but he politely turned them down since he already had reservations.

Once at the harbor Ethan met Pete, the man who owns the sailboat, "Freedom". He rents it out like a B&B, donating the money to a local children's charity in Ventura. He and Ethan also hit it off. Pete's son had died about a month ago and visiting with Ethan made him feel a bit better. He mentioned that Ethan would be welcome to stay other nights. They, too, parted friends.

This morning Ethan met the Hawaiian Chieftan early in the morning and began his tenure on the boat. He was swept up in the activity right away. He was on deck, he went aloft (and was nearly sea sick as the boat was rocking when it was in waves that were 5' - 6' tall). They even took part in a mock battle. He thinks that it will be a good fit and that he likes the people on the crew.

I'm glad it is all underway for Ethan.

Back at home Ellie and I had a pretty quiet day. She made a nice lunch for Kohlton who works in the shop on Saturdays. She packed him a fresh salad, noodles with homemade pesto sauce, BBQ ribs and snickerdoodle cookies.Kohlton is always thankful for her loving efforts and gestures.

After dropping off the lunch, we headed for the dog park. Remmie was hopefully excited, vocalizing and yelping. At one point he could not contain his excitement; he felt the need to sit on Ellie's lap so that he could see where we were going.

I dropped them off at the dog park in Golden and went to lunch with Natalie. I thought Ellie would get cold quickly and need to be picked up. Afterall, it was a balmy 19 degrees in the sunshine today. However, after the other dogs went home, Ellie decided they would walk into Golden to meet me.

Ellie said that they did not see a single person on the walk. She enjoyed the quiet calm of it all. I was happy to have uninterrupted time with my friend.

This evening Larr, Ellie, Grandpa Don and I went to a new sushi restaurant for dinner; it was great and we hope that they are successful. Tonight we are making a few things for Ellie to take to a Superbowl party tomorrow.

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Basil Pesto With Almonds Pasta
via:Brooklyn Farm Girl

3 cups of fresh basil leaves
4 cloves garlic
3/4 Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup roasted almonds or pistachios
pinch of salt
pasta of your choice (cooked)
red pepper flakes to garnish

Combine basil, garlic, Parmesan Cheese, olive oil, almonds and salt in a food processor. Blend to a smooth pesto.
Pour on hot cooked pasta and stir so pesto is evenly combined.
Garnish with red pepper flakes for a added kick.

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The Best Snickerdoodles Recipe
via: Lil' Luna

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 TB sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
Cream together sugar and butter. Add eggs and blend well.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well.
Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees. (Makes about 4 dozen cookies)

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Puff Pastry Sausage Rolls
Author: Nicole ~ Cooking for Keeps

1 package puff pastry
1 pound bulk breakfast sausage (I use jimmy dean)
¾ cup minced onion
¾ cup chopped cooked potato
2 tablespoons fresh sage
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of red pepper flake
1 egg + 1 tablespoon water mixed together
Worstershire sauce for dipping

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Lightly roll out each puff pastry sheet with a rolling pin. You just want to extend the puff pastry a bit. Cut each
into thirds, lengthwise, you should still be able to see the fold line to guide you.

3. In a bowl mix together, sausage, onion, potato, sage, salt and red pepper flake. Transfer to a ziplock baggie, cut
the tip off and pip the filling along the long edge of the dough. Should be about ½ inch of filling.

4. Roll dough, jellyroll fashion, seal edges.

5. Chill for 20 minutes or overnight.

6. When ready to bake, cut into 1 inch pieces. Place on baking sheet (non-greased), brush with egg wash, and
bake for about 20 minutes until pastry is golden brown.

7. Serve with worsteshire sauce.