FOOD FRIDAY

Here's a great recipe for a summer salad.  I had this at a family birthday party last week....I snagged the recipe to share with you. It's very good and can be made the night before or a couple hours before your event.

Grape Summer Salad

2 pounds each of red & green grapes
8 ounce container of sour cream
8 oz cream cheese
¼ cup sugar   
1 teaspoon vanilla

Wash the grapes well and remove from stems then place in large bowl.  Mix sour cream & cream cheese, adding sugar and vanilla.  Mix together with the grapes until all are coated.  
Topping: 1 cup chopped walnuts & 1 cup brown sugar mixed together & sprinkled over the top of the grape mixture.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Enjoy

A beautiful July full moon

I took this picture Saturday evening as we crossed the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.  Our beautiful Mt Rainier topped off with July's full moon.

What's Been Going On ?

Well, it's been a busy spring & summer. I'm finally done with the memory booklet that I've been putting together for my 50th class reunion.  It's been lots of hard work but also a lot of fun.  The gal at the print shop figures I've spent at least 60 hours typing entires, submitting them & doing research on the happenings of the years 1959-60. I know there have been many evenings when my hands were very sore & tired from pounding the keys.   I went thru the final proof copy of the booklet today and will turn it into the printer tomorrow and then I'm all finished with this project.  All I have to do is pick up the 150 copies they're going to print, when they are ready in a couple weeks. 

We finally got some warm summer type weather. Last week we had several days in the high 90's and believe me it was miserable in this place with no a/c. I did what I could during the day, but mostly just kept moving the fans around trying to keep cool. 

I have a small wooden deck off my dining room and about two weeks ago I decided it was time to scrub it, getting it ready to stain & waterproof. Bob was gone so I didn't have access to a pressure washer so I scrubbed the thing down with a vegetable brush !! It took hours!  A few days later Bob was back in town and took his pressure washer to it and finished it off.  There were some areas that I couldn't get to with the brush.  After several days of 90* I was able to put the first coat of waterproof sealant on it.  I got a product that was not only a sealant & waterproofer but also was a cedar color.  I love the look of it but have decided that before I put all the flower pots & the birdbath back...I'm going to put another coat on it.  Maybe....

Bob is dying to go back up to the Olympic Peninsula to Sol Duc Hot Springs so we may head up that way in the next day or so.  There's several places to camp up there and it will be nice to get away for a few days.   I just want to be home by next Monday evening. 

I have lots of yard work and other things to accomplish before I set sail on July 30th.  There's several from my high school class that are taking a pre-reunion 50th Class reunion Alaska cruise.  We leave from Seattle July 30th, returning August 6th.  Then our reunion is here in Tacoma on August 7th.

I hope you are all well and having a good summer.  My heart goes out to the people in the mid-west and east coast....their heat wave has been almost unbearable.  We all need to remember to keep hydrated & not do too much hard labor when the temperatures soar .

Here's a picture I took today from a look out at Tacoma's Point Defiance Park.  It shows the two Tacoma Narrows Bridges off in the distance.    

Until next time.................Linda

Happy Independence Day!!

Wishing everyone out there a Happy 4th of July.  

And I also want to wish my lovely grand daughter, Meghanne

 a happy 18th birthday today.

It seems like only yesterday she was a little toddler.