… And so, it begins…

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Morning, kids… I’m realizing, again, that, from this point, Labor Day in the USA, that, we are on a downhill slide, so to speak, until January 5th, or so. Summer is winding down, and modding into cooler, darker weather. We’re ramping up for holidays, events, changes, and so many speeding days. We’re getting ready for autumn- a lovely time of year in the midwest, though, I prefer summer- then, Halloween. A BIG holiday for my family. Launch from that into the Thanksgiving season, again, here in the U.S. And then, Yule, Christmas, Solstice, and all the other holidays… The glide into New Years, and then… Quiet and cold…

So, hold onto your whatever, and, here we go!!!

Roadtrip to DC

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img_4400-1So, we went on a road trip to the DC area, for a uke fest, and a fantastic tour of Washington.  Met some really great people. Saw some amazing things. Had some deeply moving experiences.

We hit the road early Thursday morning. EARLY… Like 3am cst early… But, we passed though Chicago w/out any difficulty. Twelve hours later, we’re hangin’ in the DC area.

On the road

Mike driving. Getting us to our destination

Thursday evening, we rested up, and did a little jamming…

Mike and Tim jammin’ on a tune…

 

 

Friday morning, we hit the city. The national mall, among other spots…

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Stopped by Abe’s den…  You know, it’s really odd/surreal standing there, thinking of all the times we’ve seen it on tv, in the movies, and, to finally be there… Very moving…

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The Korean war memorial.

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Saturday morning, we headed off to the first Gaithersburg ukulele fest.  Mike taught harmonica, and did great! Lots of good reviews.img_4318During our class with Gracie Terzian. Maggie was asked to help/demonstrate how to sing and play at the same time…. Fun…img_4319

Mike’s demo at the harp class….

 

During dinner, we got to do a couple tunes… We hung w/ Cynna, Diane, and a bunch of other cool peeps…img_4484

 

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Sunday, we went to Mount Vernon, George Washington’s estate… HOW cool is this?!?img_5957img_4438Monday, we hit the streets/sites again, in DC. img_4402

Diane was a fabulous host/guide/companion/friend…img_4400-1

And, sadly, we headed home on Tuesday…   57479782406__e1c83de1-f557-4a44-b56e-b1e174bcf393We cannot say how much we appreciate everyone we met, and, especially Mike, for the music, tour, adventure, friendship…

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That Time of Year

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At this festive-for most people- time of year, this Scandihoovian treat is a real treat, when gathering w/ friends, family, etc…

Thank you NYTimes for this recipe…  Worth the time, trouble and expense…

 

Swedish Mulled Wine (Glogg)

 

INGREDIENTS

2 bottles dry red wine

1 bottle sweet white wine, like sauternes or German spaetlese

1 lemon
1 orange
10 cloves
10 cardamom pods
3 cinnamon sticks
1 inch fresh ginger, thinly sliced 1 cup raisins
1 cup blanched almonds
1 cup sugar (or to taste)
1 tablespoon bitters
1 cup aquavit or vodka (optional)

Step 1

Combine wines in a large saucepan. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest of citrus fruits. Squeeze fruits and add juice to wine. Tie up lemon peel, orange peel and spices in cheesecloth and add to wine. Add raisins, almonds and sugar.

Step 2

Bring wine mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and gently simmer for 15 minutes, or until flavors are well blended and almonds are soft. Skim wine from time to time to remove any foam. Taste glogg and add sugar as necessary.

Step 3

Just before serving, add bitters and aquavit or vodka. Ladle glogg into mugs or cups and provide each guest a spoon for eating the raisins and almonds.