Back from the mountain lake. Such a great little getaway. Sitting on the beach of a high mountain lake surrounded by forest and mountains is needed nourishment for the soul.

The days were hot, the sand was hot, our feet burned while walking on it. So for the most part the rafters stayed on. The breeze was up which helped with the heat but played havoc with the beach umbrella. We finally wedged it in the back of a sand chair and put the ice chest on the chair for weight. That worked out perfectly as we did need some shade.
We took thick tuna and cucumber sandwiches for our lunch along with a variety of drinks, a person must stay hydrated in such heat.
The water was cold as usual but we braved it to get wet and cool off. Hubby floated for long periods of time on our river rat which is a good size tube. I had my pink noodle, what can I say?

Eating out was an experience and not especially a good one. We went the first evening to a place I have been going to since I was a young girl. This establishment has been known for it's broasted chicken and jo jo's for decades. Well perhaps things have slipped a bit or maybe it was just a off night but we were not pleased with our food. We heard a few others saying the same. However we ate with as much enthusiasm as we could muster and we were having a good time until my hubby reached for the check and knocked my red wine a flying and it splattered all over the front of me. Hmmm well let's see I had on a white blouse and light tan crop pants. We thought it best to call it a night and went to our room and I soaked my clothes in club soda while we watched a show on the telly.

The first night we had reservations at the Inn but the second night we stayed in one of their new chalets. It was adorable, perfect for the two of us. A nice seating area with a leather sofa , chair and ottoman. It had a flat screen telly with all the needed equipment. A workable kitchen complete with gas range, dishwasher abundant counter space and well stocked cabinets. The bedroom had three small bay windows and the bed was so comfy. There was a little deck outdoors surrounded by pine trees. We played cards for hours out there and watched the stars blink on. We then sat on the steps and watched the night sky come alive. We slept like babies.
We fixed a nice breakfast of cheesy scrambled eggs and bacon in the morning with a huge pot of good coffee. The morning air was brisk and scented with pine.
We are hoping to get this chalet over the Christmas holiday's. There is always snow there in winter and my hubby is a cross country ski nut. It would be perfect. I can see it now. The snow is falling outdoors and it deepens as the day goes on. I am cozy sitting in the chair reading and sipping a hot buttered rum. The turkey is roasting in the oven and chalet smells of Christmas. My husband comes in from his ski, his face all cold, red and icy. As he is pulls off his snowy duds I make him a hot drink. We both sit and he excitedly shares his day with me. Oh I hope we can get that cabin!

The drive there and home was so gorgeous driving along the curving mountain pass through a color palette of greens. As we neared the lake Diamond Peak poses, it is a broken topped snow covered mountain.
As you leave our area here in western Oregon and cross to the east side of mountains the terrain and trees change. The view then is one of pine trees big sky and a brown landscape. It is much higher in altitude and much drier on the east side of the mountains. So it adds to the beauty of the drive seeing the two different landscapes.

So back to reality and food. Last night I created a dish using what do you think? You guessed right zucchini! I wanted pasta so I made a sauce of simmered zucchini, onion and garlic as well as tomatoes and such. I sauteed the ingredients cooking them down, cooled them and then pureed all together for a light creamy marinara sauce. Tomorrow I will share a photo of that dish and the recipe. It turned our quite amazing. This recipe will surely be a keeper for zucchini season.

Tonight we are having chicken garlic basil sausages on the grill. I am making my potato and pepper foil packets to cook on the grill along side. We will also have cucumber, tomato and onion marinated salad. So it will be an easy dinner.

Our heat rose on Saturday to one hundred degree's. It was sweltering. There was no breeze just dead hot air on the deck. We would go out to experience it briefly but back to the air conditioned house to cool down. Yesterday though warm was much more pleasant. There was a nice breeze in the afternoon that was much appreciated.

We have a family of crows in our neighbors huge tree. The tree is right behind our deck. The crows are feeding their babies often and the sounds that come from the nest are amusing. The little ones are croaking away in their crow baby talk. The parents are squawking loudly back to them, they are all talking at once. Sounds like my family!

Well once again on my agenda is to make more zucchini bread today. Next week I am going to make a recipe for zucchini relish the recipe has been in my collection forever. I remember I loved it as child. It was sweet and tangy and so good on a sandwich or burger. The recipe calls for a lot of zucchini, that makes me so happy.
I would like to see something red instead of green being hauled in from the garden. We get so anxious for the tomatoes this time of year.
The plants now are just loaded with huge green tomatoes. Our Roma's are well on their way to red now. We actually had three the other evening and it was like eating a sugared tomato.

I best get at the bread now.
Happy Monday.