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December 8, 2024December 7, 2024

Getting There

It’s the journey more than the destination.

We offered a mantra last week which reminded me of another adage we follow. Don’t get caught up in where you’re going and miss great stuff along the way.

This week we headed back to a common destination, the Crooked River and as it turned out that wasn’t the best part of the day.

It has been bitterly cold this week. Clear skies will do that. However, those same blue skies make it hard to not get outside.

A week ago the wind and cold pushed us off the river.

This day it was just the cold . . . and no fish were interested in what we were offering.

To sate a foiled wade, as well as emerging appetites, we headed to the Tastee Treet to feast on a cheeseburger and fries. This made things much better.

However, it was the journey home from Prineville that really highlighted the day.

A wall of freezing fog rolls towards us.

We passed through a bank of freezing fog which had rendered the landscape an ice frosted wonderland.

Belted Galloways, or as we like to call them “Oreos”, are a favorite sight along our route home.

The fog had delayed numerous flights out of the Redmond Airport. We simply passed through the cloud unscathed, mesmerized by the altered scenery.

Freezing Fog casts an eerie light on the landscape.

The fishing trip turned out very different than what was planned, but that is the way many of our travels seem to go.. Looking for a different route has served us well.

December 1, 2024November 30, 2024

And, it’s December . . .

Hope you all had a relaxing holiday break and enjoyed whatever variety of feast you sat down to.

We headed to the river and supped on cheese, slices of smoked meat, and chunks of bread.

November ended on a cold note.

Our week started snowy, shifted into a warming trend . . . just enough to create a layer of ice. And then came the freeze.

By week’s end it got clear and cold, really cold . . . like 15 degrees.

Deceivingly cold day on the Crooked River

Roads were clear, so we headed up to the Crooked for holiday break. Turned out to be a bit too cold to stand in the river for any length of time.

But the day was blue-sky gorgeous. Brewed up a cup of cocoa and enjoyed watching flocks of birds swoop from stream to tree.

We’ll move through December avoiding the ‘buy now’ push, bake some cookies and enjoy our fireplace.

Cold weather makdes tying knots a bit more difficult

Winter fishing has a different pace as well.

Can’t let the corporate pitchman’s babble take up any more space in our day . . . get outdoors and breathe in fresh air is now our winter mantra.

November 24, 2024November 23, 2024

It’s about weather . . . Again

Our week was a deluge of endless ‘black friday’ ads and rain. Not sure when this Black Friday exploded out of control, but it can stop any time, as can the rain.

There was also a winter storm advisory from the weather service. A ‘Snowmageddon’ was supposed to blanket the Pacific Northwest.

For us it was a no-show-mageddon, though some nasty weather hit coastal areas. By week’s end, rain had obliterated any snow accumulation and we were left with cold, wet and gray days.

That is not a complaint. Really.

While we didn’t get out much this week, we weren’t totally dormant.

This pre-winter weather is a perfect time to enjoy soup or stew. And really, what is the difference . . . tomayto, tomahto.

This week we ladled bowls full of steamy French Onion soup. A classic topped with slices of toasted baguette and melty Gruyere cheese. We’ll share the recipe. It’s not a quick cook, but well worth the extra steps.

A great soup cook book is invaluable, especially in winter months.

A couple of years ago JQ picked up a copy of Cook’s Illustrated “All Time Best Soups” and with that began Soup Sunday at the Schommer house.

In the process many of the book’s pages were stained and it’s margins filled with hand scribbled notes . . . signs of a good cook book.

Skies and the ground have cleared and the weatherman is calling for slightly warmer and much sunnier days ahead. So next week we’ll return to our favorite streams and backroads . . . though we are still braced for winter.

Print Recipe

French Onion Soup

Ingredients

SOUP

4 lbs onions sliced through root end into ¼ inch pieces
3 Tbsp unsalted butter cut into 3 pieces
salt and pepper
2 cups water plus extra for deglazing as needed
1/2 cup dry sherry
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups beef broth
6 sprigs fresh thyme tied with twine
1 bay leaf

CROUTONS & CHEESE

1 small baguette cut into ½ inch slices
8 oz Gruyere cheese shredded (2 cups)

Instructions

For the soup

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Generously spray inside of Dutch oven with vegetable oil spray. Add onions, butter, and 1 tsp salt.
Cover and bake until onions wilt slightly and look moist, about 1 hour.
Stir onions thoroughly, scraping bottom and sides of pot. Partially cover pot and continue to cook in oven until onions are very soft and golden brown, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours longer, stirring onions thoroughly after 1 hour.
Carefully remove pot from oven and place over medium-high heat. Using oven mitts to handle pot, continue to cook onions, stirring and scraping pot often, until liquid evaporates, onions brown, and bottom of pot is coated with dark crust, 20 to 25 minutes. If onions begin to brown too quickly, reduce heat to medium. Also, be sure to scrape any browned bits that collect on the spoon back into the onions.
Stir in 1/4 cup water, thoroughly scraping up browned crust. Continue to cook until water evaporates and pot bottom has formed another dark crust, 6-8 minutes. Repeat deglazing 2 or 3 more times, until onions are a very dark brown.
Stir in sherry and cook until evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, beef broth, 2 cups more water, thyme bundle, bay leaf, and 1/2 tsp salt, scraping up any remaining brown bits. Bring to simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. Discard thyme bundle and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, return to simmer before proceeding.

Croutons and soup prep

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Lay baguette slices on rimmed baking sheet and bake until dry, crisp, and lightly golden, about 10 minutes, flipping slices over halfway through baking.
Position oven rack 8 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Set broiler-safe bowls on baking sheet and fill each with hot soup. Top each bowl with 1 to 2 baguette slices (do not overlap slices) and sprinkle evenly with grated Gruyère cheese.
Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly around the edges, 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle lightly with chopped parsley and serve.

November 17, 2024November 17, 2024

Gray Skies

Winter’s approach stripped the Aspen of leaves

The pall of rain moved in this week . . . literally. But then clear skies returned. That’s a given in Central Oregon.

For the most part, we kept busy this week with indoor activities.

We managed to make it to an interesting lecture on misinformation at the local library.

Plus, we spent a few hours walking around the High Desert Museum . . . both brightened the rainy days that made up most of the week.

We never get tired of watching the otters play.

There’s a space of time as we wait for winter to come on full snow . . . a seasonal shift.

This image is from a multi-media display on water . . . it was fascinating.

Sheltered under gray sky and surrounded by puddles, the period is brief but still dampens one’s spirit.

A water feature runs throughout the grounds surrounding the High Desert Museum.

Fall’s brilliant color displays are dulled with the arrival of winter’s rain.

The sky did clear, but only after depositing a layer of snow. Winter seems early this year, but as with any seasonal shift, we’ll adapt.

November 10, 2024November 9, 2024

Refocused

It doesn’t matter what you call it . . . there are times when it’s important to refocus energy.

This was one of those weeks, and time on a stream is our preferred method.

Looking for a place to start

It was a perfect fall day.

Sun generated enough heat to counter the chill, as long as you were layered up. The Crooked was fishing well, and wildlife was prolific.

Media, mainstream and social, has gotten in the way. The constant barrage of sales and holiday propaganda came to an end . . . severed and throttled, those sources of noise were quieted.

This blog is where we can be found.