Southern Saskatchewan in the spring

I have no idea what kind of prairie dog this is with its spots ans stripes.

In the springs birds in the prairies are quite the thing.

Canada geese and babies on a lake.

Making morning tea at the campsite.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Theodore Roosevelt National Park really is a beautiful place. This is a photo taken in the campground. Probably one of the best spot to camp I have been to all winter.

Prairie dogs.

Wild horses.

..and buffaloes. this is why I went there I wanted to see the buffaloes. It was weird to see them in a badland type of landscape.

Buffalo or Bison ?

....Somewhere in South Dakota you can choose. Do you say "bison" or "buffalo".
 I say "buffalo" so I went straight at the intersection. (Truly I was on my way north to Theodore Roosevelt National Park)

Road Shots

Silverton, Colorado

Ok, now I am blogging about what I saw AFTER Monument Valley.
High in the mountains of Colorado, in a very high, isolated valley you can find Silverton. An old fashion train links it to Durango. It is a nice little old town but the road to it and from it are steep, windy and I would not recommend them in winter.

this is where the photos of the humming birds come from.

Toadlena Trading Post, New Mexico

On my way from Gallup to Monument Valley I also stopped at Toadlena Trading Post (a few miles west of HWY 491). Somebody sometime, and I forget who and when, wrote" Toadlena is to Navajo rugs what Paris is to Haute Couture" and it is indeed a interesting place to visit.
The trading post is a working trading post. The woman who looks after it is very friendly and interesting. The rugs are beautiful, if out of my price range. And there is a small museum at the back of the trading post which is quite interesting.

Again random pictures not trying to be particularly representative.

The sheep who may very well be part of those providing wool for the rugs.

Just a window in the store

The inside of the trading post ...as I said a working trading post

One of the rug in the museum. I did not take photos of the rugs for sale I didn't feel OK doing it.

More photos of the trading post

Gallup, New Mexico

Obviously I am not anywhere near Gallup these days but I am trying to get back on the time line and blog nearly in order....It is not really working because I was in Gallup BEFORE Monument Valley, but I just want to say something about Gallup, just one simple thing: Gallup was a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect anything at all. For all I knew Gallup was just another town on the map but it turns out that Gallup is truly the capital of Navajo, Zuni and Hopi jewelry and craft. All the expensive stuff you see in Santa Fe pretty much starts in Gallup, or at least is available in Gallup. There was some beautiful Squash Blossom Necklaces but even in Gallup where things are not as pricy as in Santa Fe I really cannot afford one (maybe one day).
Mostly Gallup has the pleasant feel of a real town.
As usual here are some random photos of Gallup.

I did spoil myself and bought a beautiful old silver and turquoise brooch/pendant, as well as some beads from a local craft store.

Recipes from "China Modern"

It is my first time borrowing this book from the library but it looks great. It is "China Modern" by Ching-He Huang.

Again here is the list of ingredients from some recipes I haven't tried yet but want to remember.





 

Taiwanese-style Pepper Steak and Egg on Steamed Rice (page 64)
- steak
marinade: - light soya sauce
               - chinese five-spice powder
               - brown sugar
               - black pepper
- vegetable oil to fry the eggs
- eggs
- steamed rice
Put rice on plate, put steak on top, than the eggs!!!!

Ground Lamb  Eggplant and Chili Stuffed Roast Red Pepper (page 82)
- vegetable oiil
- chopped garlic
- grated ginger
- ground lamb
- eggplant chopped in small pieces
- rice wine or dry cherry
- garlic chili sauce
- light soya sauce
- black pepper
- red peppers cut top off and deseeded

Once all is done put in the oven at 200C (or 400F) for 20 minutes

Recipes from "Beyond the Great Wall"

I really like "Beyond the Great wall" by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. It is a great cookbook. I normally have a rule that if I have borrow a book more than five times from the library I get it for myself... but I can't find a copy (without going on line). Anyway I am about to take off and I have borrowed it from the library once again. I just want to post some basic stuff on some recipes from this book. I am just posting the list of ingredients (and mostly without quantities) because this is all I really need to remember. If you want more information I recommend going to the book. As I type this I have not yet tried any of those recipes.




Hui Tomato-Lamb Noodle Soup (page 59)
- vegetable oil
- minced ginger
- minced garlic
- lamb or goat meat cut in small pieces
- tomatoes chopped (not too many)
- hot water
- chopped spinach or other green


Ginger and Carrot Stir-fry (page 96)
- vegetable oil
- minced garlic
- pork meat cut into small strips
- hot peppers
- carrots cut into tiny match sticks
- ginger cut into match stick tooo, about half the quantity of carrot
- Sichuan peppercorn
- soya sauce


Noodle with Sesame Sauce (page 149)
Sauce: - tahini
           - warm water (a little less than the volume of tahini)
           - cider vinegar
           - soya sauce
Garnish: - scallions
             - crushed hot peppers
Noodles: the book recommends home made noodles or linguine type of noodles.


Beef and Green Chile Stir fry (page 287)
- beef for stir fry
- green chiles
- vegetable oil
- onions thinly sliced
- minced ginger
- tomatoes (not too many)
- water, or beef or chicken broth
- Sichuan pepper
- equal quantity of ground cumin and ground coriander

Tibetan Pork and Spinach Stir-fry (page 305)
- boneless pork
- lots of spinach
- vegetable oil
- minced ginger
- minced scallions
- Sichuan pepper
- salt
- water

Beef-Sauced Hot Lettuce Salad (page 67... you should see the photo for it on page 69)
- vegetable oil
- minced garlic
- minced ginger
- ground beef
- soya sauce
- black rice vinegar
- warm water
- corn starch
- roasted sesame oil

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

I spent three nights in Mesa Verde National Park. Unfortunately it was quite cold and rainy when I was there but it is a nice place. The campground is quite nice.