Mushrooming

Last year Josh and I dabbled in a bit a foraging.  Encouraged by our walks through the woods we decided to try our hand at mushrooming.  And to my astonishment the forest had so much to offer and not just in the way of fungi.  Every weekend I found myself obsessively drawn to the parks.  I bought both a Minnesota and Wisconsin state park pass and began exploring.  A wild rush would overcome me when I spotted a mushroom.  Could I eat it?  Are the gills forked, decurrent, attached?  What color is the spore print?   I learned so much and still have a lifetime of learning ahead of me.  Here are a few of my favorites.   Until next year...

 Chicken of the Woods

 Chantarelle-easily my favorite mushroom to forage.  The scent of apricot is overwhelmingly lovely.

 Coral Mushroom-one of my first successful edibles.  Peppery and fragrant.

Puffballs.

 Gem Studded Puffballs

 Giant Puffballs-this whopper weighed in a 5.5lbs

 Hedgehogs

 Shaggy Manes-the gills on this beauty are so tightly spaced that they appear to have none at all.

 Aborted Entoloma and Honey Mushrooms-where you find one you are likely to find others.

 Chaga

And my biggest prize; a gorgeous Maitake.

Birthday Celebrations

Last year's Madeline Island birthday celebration spoiled me and of course I wanted to explore a new fun spot for my big 30 this year.  I knew it would be hard to top, but my friends didn't let me down and I even got to celebrate with two of my favorite New Jerseyans and two of my favorite transplant Minnesotans.  We were off to a Great Lake on the Door County Shores. We...

 Enjoyed buckets of mini champagne at Summertime, because we could.

 Successfully set up camp at Potawatami State Park.

 Enjoyed the quintessential fish boil at White Gull Inn.

Marveled at exquisite sunsets at Sunset Beach Park.

Sunned ourselves at Whitefish Dunes State Park.

And then cooled off in the shallow water.

Had a tasting at Island Orchard Cider.

Enjoyed the shores of Cave Point County Park, on a quest for an ideal cliff jumping locale.

Ventured into Schoolhouse beach on a cloudy day.

We even ventured out to the raft.

Then something strange happened and it started with this cat fish.  And we started jumping.  We jumped with the cat fish. 

We jumped in front of the big tea pot.

We jumped on the ferry....

while heading back to the mainland.

And then we jumped some more in the cherry orchards

And picked some cherries to bring home.

It was hard, but I think we topped last year.  What a perfect way to enter my-ahem-30's.  

4th of July in Maine

I must have an affinity to 4th of July on the East Coast.  In 2012 I was here and 2013 here.  I guess I just keep moving North.  Maine has long been on the top of my list.  I was both shocked and delighted how similar it felt to the North Shore here in Minnesota, but with an ocean instead of a lake and lobster instead of smoked fish. 

 Pemaquid Pt Lighthouse.  

 We definitely saw our fair share of lighthouses.  Everyone makes a big old deal about the lens, so I suppose it is a big deal. 

The rocky shore was a blast to explore.  I tried to find a starfish and never did.

 Lobster traps and buoys.  The different color combos indicate different lobsterman.

 We cooled off with a fair amount of wild blueberry beer.  If you find yourself at Cottage Street Pub  they will add a scoop of the infamous berries to your Sea Dog Blueberry Wheat Beer.

 At Thurston's Lobster Pound you picked out your lobster and watch them cook it.  

 Josh topped out at 2 pounds. 

Our beach day was a bit chilly, but we made up for it with some pool time.

 If I ever made a soap that smelled like Maine, it would smell like this.

 Above the clouds at Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park.

 Down below, you could barely see the ocean.

 Weather was perfect until 2 hours before 4th of July fireworks.  We toughed it out anyway.

And it was worth it.

Condiment Server

Condiment server in Red Manganese clay with a metallic glaze on the rim.  Perfect for sauces and finishing spices.

Weekending Up North

Even though summer seems to be in full force down here in Minneapolis, our neighbors up north, in Duluth, are weeks behind.   It was practically June and icebergs dotted the lake and trees only just began budding.  We....

 Gawked at the ice and enjoyed the cool breeze off of Superior.

Saw the lift bridge in action.

 Enjoyed stunning vistas from far, 

 and near at Gooseberry Falls

 Pondered Devil's Kettle at Judge C.R. Magney State Park.

 Relaxed by the shores of the Brule.

 Hustled for the perfect photo.

 Hunted for agates.

And explored the shore.