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While the principles might sound like common sense, the real trick is to truly understand them, and more importantly, to apply them.

Welcome!

Alexander Dykstra is the newest member of our extended family! He's had a tough time of it, but we are hopeful that he will be home soon. His grandfather, (my brother Dan), created this Facebook site to keep us updated on his progress.

Backyard garden

Debbie has created a nice flower and vegetable garden in our small backyard. These lilies flowered after Easter, and look really good!

More photos at this link.

The Horse's Mouth

Our grandson Jonah visited us this week. Heidi and Jonah were only with us for a couple of days. We had great plans for taking them out to the zoo and aquarium, but none of that panned out - Jonah got the stomach flu, so mostly we stayed home and took it easy. Except for a short visit to the Dallas Arboritum, it was a quiet visit. Debbie and Heidi had a tough time of it, washing clothes and bedding most of the night after Jonah got sick.

They did get out for a few hours to visit the local arboretum. I'm hopeful that Heidi will post I was working both days they were here, so my time with them was limited.

At the end of there time, we drove Heidi and Jonah halfway to Houston - after visiting us, they went down to visit one of Heidi's friends for a few days. We met up with Heidi's friend in Buffalo Texas, a charming small Texas farming town. We waited in The Horse's Mouth Bookstore, a really nice bookstore / coffeeshop / Internet Cafe that is fairly new, and well provisioned with an eclectic set of books, great coffee, free Internet, and a few spots to just relax and visit. We loved this shop! I'm sure that we will make it a regular stop whenever we drive to Houston.

Grandma Debbie and Jonah had a lot of fun reading in the kids corner.

Jonah's blog has more photos and stories about his adventures.

Homemade sourdough bread

I have been experimenting with a couple of easy sourdough recipes at King Arthur Flour. Rustic Sourdough Bread is a quick version that only takes a few hours from start to finish. It has the flavor, but uses regular yeast for the quick rise. Extra-Tangy Sourdough Bread is basically the same recipe, but only needs sourdough. This has a stronger sourdough flavor, but takes 24 hours. That sounds like a lot, but it works out pretty well in my schedule - mix it after work one night, let it rise for a few hours, then put it into the refrigerator until the next evening. Take it out, shape it into loaves, and then bake it.

The King Arthur recipes call for regular white general purpose flour - this is the most common flour down here in Texas. I've been experimenting with 'Better for Bread' white flour (has a higher protein content than GP flour) and whole wheat. This recipe works well with all three types of flour. This particular batch is a 50/50 mix of white bread flour and whole wheat flour. Also, I find that the King Arthur recipes tend to be a bit dry - probably because my sourdough culture is not as liquid as what they recommend - so instead of 1.5 cups of water, I end up with 1.75-2 cups.

My personal goal is to find bread recipes that are
1. whole wheat
2. sourdough
3. can be made during the week. That is, I can make them after work. The Extra-Tangy Sourdough Bread is is one of two recipes I have found that fit these requirements. The other is my pita recipe. For both, the dough is mixed one evening and refrigerated, then shaped and baked the following evening.

Rehoboth Ranch

This weekend Debbie and I drove a mile east of Dallas to visit Rehoboth Ranch. This is a family owned and operated organic ranch that supplies meet and dairy products, selling direct to their customers through the regional Farmers Markets.


Apparently, the family that runs the ranch has an open house every year for their customers, and about 600-800 people showed up. This time, they tried a much smaller group, inviting about 75 of us who place orders early to come out for a potluck meal and to take a closer look at their operation. We had a great time, enjoyed some really good food, and walking through their pastures and taking a close look at how they manage their animals.

The farm is owned and operated by the Hutchins family. They have twelve children, and 9-10 of them still live at home and work on the farm. The kids are all home-schooled; their primary residence area has an large meeting and kitchen area that serves as a school room during the week, and a church on Sundays.

The Hutchins farming methods are a thoughtful outcome of their religious beliefs, including the principle that they are stewards of the land, and that animals should be raised in a manner that is consistent with the way God created them to function in their natural habitat. These chickens, for example, are free to graze and roam outdoors, and have a shelter and egg laying area provided for them. The kids harvest the eggs once a day, and twice a day during the warm summer months.

 

These kids enjoyed running through this wheat field, part of the environment provided to the hogs. The intention is to provide them with high protein grasses to graze on. Personally, I am not a fan of eating pork, but the hogs looked quite contented to be raised in such a comfortable environment.

Walking to work

For the first time this year, I was able to walk to work. The weather was perfect - temp was in the 70's, with a pleasant breeze. It takes a bit longer than driving in, but the rest of the day sure went better! Light exercise, fresh air and sunlight sure are a great way to start the day!

What I learned from the Hotter'n Hell Hundred

This weekend I successfully completed the Hotter'n Hell 100 mile bicycle ride in Wichita Falls, TX.

What I learned:

* I sleep better in a tent than a hotel room.
* When sleeping in a parking lot, it helps to have ear plugs and an eye patch.
* When searching for a black bike computer in a black bag in the dark, you won't find it.
* In the dark, you can't tell a right glove from a left glove. Only bring one pair of gloves.
* Lay everything out the night before. It's still dark when in the morning, and you won't find anything.
* The pickle juice at most of the rest stops tastes terrible. It gets better after Hell's Gate, and the tastes really good at the last three stops.
* Riding with thousands of others is a lot easier and faster because you can draft - the wind resistance is nil, so it's just like riding with a strong wind at your back.
* Riding with thousands of others is dangerous. There will be lots and lots of accidents. Know what is in front, both sides, and back. Always ride a straight line.
* Stop at every other rest stop at the beginning to refill your water bottles. Toward the end, stop at every one to cool off.
* If you don't have a headband, your eyes will burn from the sweat.
* The cleaning rag from the repair kit can be used as a makeshift headband.
* Riding a hundred miles takes a lot longer than riding 60 miles.
* Bring a camera - there are some great shots along the way. But, put it in a baggy, because your jersey will be soaked most of the ride.
* Applying sunscreen when you are hot and sweaty doesn't work. It just clumps up and doesn't stick.
* Racing tires are not designed for long road trips. The number of riders repairing flats was unbelievable. I can only recall one 1/4 mile stretch without at least one group stopped, repairing a bike.
* Touring tires are heavier than racing tires, so you don't go as fast - but that's better than stopping to fix a flat.
* I ride slower than most, but I made it!