Portraits with April

Taken in the back yard, using one light to highlight some shadow areas, bad day for enjoying the outdoors with the rain and clouds, but for pictures the clouds diffuse the light nicely

Lichen on the rock

Have some large boulders out back covered in lichen in various patterns with the odd patch of green moss were theirs a crack large enough to take hold

Can you see the face?

May Trillums

I was not happy with my first round, it was raining, trilliums were beaten up by weather so I thought I would give another shot

Bird bath

Saw the bird bath out the window yesterday and wondered if there any nice shots to take,

Leopard gecko eggs

Started late this year, bred blizzard females to hypo tangerine carrot tail male, so far 2 eggs each from each female, 2nd pairing is high yellow and patternless females, to a male tangerine(always produces nice babies). 1st shot digging the eggs out of the peat moss laying bin, then in the container for cooking till hatched. 2 eggs bottom left are the oldest and slightly larger in size, should be a gecko growing in those.

Trilums in May and a daffodil

Hard to get some nice images when there so rain beaten, but here goes

Granola

Well I get asked how I make my granola, its easy, follow this step by step to make some of the best granola you ever had. All ingredients are not sweetened, salted, bulk barn is a great place to shop

Ingredients

- 4 cups rolled oat - or 3 cups oat, 1 cup wheat bran
- aprox 1 cup shredded unsweet coconut
- aprox 1 cup chopped almonds(plain - not roasted)
- aprox 1 cup chopped peanuts(plain- not roasted)
- aprox 1 cup chopped sunflower seed(plain-not roasted)
- aprox 2-3 cups jumbo flame raisins(non GMO)
- Cinnamon if you want - I did - not sure how much, I just dump some in to taste


So theirs no rules here, I measured by what looks good, other good nuts are walnuts, cashews, to make a little sticky use dates(ground up). The more nuts the more crumbly your granola will be, wheat bran will add some stickiness, you chose to use large or fine oats, all nuts are unroasted cause your roasting them when baking the granola. Coconut also comes fine or course shred, I like course as it binds the granola together. Again all unsweetened, no salt!!


SO I missed one step(picture taking), putting it all together. Basically start with oats and dump the rest in, start to mix it. You can mix by hand, or with a food processor, if using a processor mix well by hand first.


Once the dry mix is well mixed together you need to add your liquid, I use one kind, PC apple cider, but try grape, pineapple, orange whatever you like. Now people add honey, agave, maple syrup etc. you can I don't, no added sugars of any kind plenty sweet already. Honey etc will make it sticky like store bought and of course add sweetness.


I use about a cup or two apple cider, add some mix it in good, add more if needed, you want to be able to make a ball that holds together, wheat bran will make it stickier if used.


So now you have a moist granola mix, I then add shredded apple, 2 organic apples seems to be enough, but if you like more add more, apple will keep it moist, and tastes good too. If you add the apple last all the dry stuff does not stick to the apple and then it stays in shreds

Now your ready to spread on a baking sheet, if yours is sticky, use wet hands to spread it out. I spread about 1/4-1/2" thick, thinner cooks faster

Now your ready to bake it, I use convection bake at 300, but you can use normal bake. I start with 20 minutes, keeping an eye on it

After 20 min, I pull it out and mix it up, basically overturn slabs of sticky granola, or if its on the drier side, small bits, to very loose granola, either way mix it up so it cooks even, you may notice the bottom has browned nicely. Cook another 15-20, depending on how you like it, soft or crunchy. Check on it every few minutes. Also remember when you take it out the hot pans will cook it further.

So your done when its browned. Pull it out the oven and let cool till just slightly warm and then bag it. I bag mine slightly warm as whatever moisture is left seems to evenly distribute through the whole bag. Also a tip, it drys out as the week goes on, so if you like it moist for the hole week, make it moisture to start.

Thats a big ole sack of granola right there, lasts us a week. This tastes better as it cools, when warm the flavors don't seem as good? so let cool then try it. Great snack at work, the high fiber keeps you full feeling in between meals, lowers cholesterol, cleans out the system, provides energy and other nutrients. And you can add anything, blueberry's, raspberry's, cranberry's if adding fruit, do not buy bulk barn dried berries, unfortunately there loaded with sugar, get the frozen PC brand.


All in all takes about a 1/2 hr to mix, a hour oven time. If you make this post here to let me know how it went, what you added etc.

Super D Race and DH Practice Day May 7

Super D Race and DH Practice Day May 7

Hope to be shooting this event The Heights of Horseshoe on Saturday at a photo workshop, sports action photography

http://sirbikealotracing.com/races/ocup-dh-2/

The Seaway Serpentarium

I always try to keep my blog upbeat, nothing sad or tragic, its not the purpose of the blog.

But today I change the rule, I am a herper, I love reptiles, amphibians, as well as arachnids. I received a message yesterday a old friend, a person that took his life and dedicated it to these animals had a very serious and life threatening stroke, Karel Fortyn. I have not seen or talked to Karel in to many years to count now, but always knew I could walk up to him and we would talk like we had seen each other yesterday. Karel was a person I certainly looked up to, learned about animals from, and spent allot of time with talking well after hours when the serpentarium closed for the day.

So I felt necessary to talk about this great person on my blog today, hope you recover karel. 

The Pond

I call it the pond, not sure it has a official name? its a name the kids called this little body of water when kids just moved to Sugar Bush, a place we went and caught frogs, newts and snakes during the summer. I have heard the spring peepers, toads calling every night for a few weeks, and thought today I would visit the pond to see what there. Sadly it seems lifeless, saw 2 dead newts, some eggs, and other than that nothing. Not sure if the planting of cedar trees around the pond has effected the habitat(reptiles + cedar = death). So I went to get some frog shots but hard being a frog-less place, so decided to try to capture some of the old cedars growing in the area.