For the love of traveling!

This past weekend we loaded up the dogs and drove five hours down to Redding, California. What was so exciting down in Redding, you might ask. Well, nothing. We drove there because that was the closest place to us in the state of California where they do live scan finger printing on Saturdays. This was something Katy needed to get accomplished so she can get her California license in time for us to be there by the beginning of May. Oh, the things we do for this traveling adventure! It was, however, a pretty drive as we had Mt. Shasta in our sights most of the way. Regardless of the drive, it was a productive weekend as Katy got fingerprinted, had passport size photos taken, and forms notarized all so she could finish and turn in her paperwork for state licenses in Wyoming, Montana, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and California! Sunday was a great day because it was a lazy day! We played outside with the dogs, went running, and ordered some pizza while watching the UNC basketball game.

Tuesday I was back at the community garden and was able to bring a few goodies home with me to share with Katy. They cook lunch for the volunteers every day the garden is open, and everything they cook with is grown on the property (except for a few spices and the bread is donated by a local bakery). So, needless to say the lunches are awesome and I have realized that I need to diversify the vegetables that I eat. Katy and I eat a salad most nights, but every night is the same...spinach and, depending on what we have, some combination of peppers, cucumbers, broccoli, and carrots. Well, Tuesday night I made a salad solely with the handful of veggies I picked before leaving the garden, and then made a homemade salad dressing that one of the workers from the garden told me about. The salad had in it cabbage, kale, chard, peeled red and yellow beets, red and yellow beet leaves, corn salad, and the dressing was made with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dark brown sugar, a little salt and a little pepper, and then you caramelize some fresh garlic and fresh leeks and mix that into the dressing.

On the far left is the leek, beside that at the top is the cabbage, to the right of the leek is the red beet and beside that the yellow beet. Directly to the right of the yellow beet is the corn salad and then the colorful leaves is the chard. At the very bottom is the kale.