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Robin's Writings
A recipe people have been asking for--- PDF Print E-mail
Written by Seth Gambetty   
Sunday, 21 December 2008 21:24

Lots of people have been asking for this recipe, so while Robin made some tonight, I watched and wrote it down.

 Here goes:

Mint Chocolate Bark Candy


Peppermint extract and chocolate chips, both white and semisweet- give this melt in your mouth candy a familiar after-dinner mint flavor


for about 2 dozen pieces, you'll need

  • 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

  • 1 10oz bag (about 1 ½ cups) white chocolate chips

  • 1 tsp of canola oil

  • 1 ½ tsp peppermint extract

  • (optional – we don't use it) 2 drops green food coloring

  • 6 medium sized candy canes, crushed.

 
Last Updated on Sunday, 21 December 2008 21:30
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Yosemite Part Duex PDF Print E-mail
Written by Seth Gambetty   
Sunday, 12 October 2008 19:35
Yosemite Vacation Update - 2 
Originally posted Saturday, August 23, 2008, 03:53 PM
Posted by Robin V. Gambetty
On Wednesday, we decided to visit Bass Lake. Bass Lake is between Oakhurst and the western Yosemite entrance. It is a great summer lake for boating. When we were there in September 2005, we brought our jetski and ran all over the lake! This time we decided to try some fishing. We didn't catch any thing but we did take time out to dip our bodies into the warm water. During the heat of the summer months, the water is perfect to ski and swim in.
On Thursday we went back to the valley floor and took the bikes out. Tyler did a great job for riding without training wheels! We took them off a couple of months ago. It's hard to practice around the neighborhood since we sit on a slight incline so Yosemite was the first time he was able to go...and go...and go without stopping.
Our first stop on our ride was Yosemite Falls. Alexis is proud to pose next to Lower Yosemite Falls which is really Lower Yosemite Trickle right now. There is some water falling but you needed binoculars to see ANY of it and then most of it evaporates before hitting the ground. Both Yosemite Falls and Lower Yosemite Falls are fed by snow/glacier runoff and are raging during the spring but slow down to a trickle by late summer. I still have yet to see these falls in all their glory!! Maybe next April.
Here is a great picture of Tyler with Half Dome in the background. This is a bike/pedestrian path through a meadow between two roadways. I was amazed at the beauty of it all.
We took a hike later that day, after some much deserved ice cream, to Mirror Lake (known as Mirror Meadow in the summer). This is another shot of Half Dome, much closer. During the spring, when the lake is filled, you can see Half Dome reflected in the calm waters. Truly amazing!!! During previous visits, we have seen climbers making their way up the face.
Right before leaving the park, we had to get a few small souvies. Tyler found this ranger hat and declared that it was just like Indiana Jones! I think we'll call him Indiana Tyler!!!
We were disappointed that we didn't see ONE bear this visit. Usually we see MANY!! What we did see lots of were deer. This one was walking past our truck as we were exiting the parking lot. He walked right past us! I made Seth back up so I could get a better picture of him. He was one of many bucks that hang out in the meadow in front of Curry Village.
Our last dinner at camp! We got back from the valley floor after 8:30pm. Determined to eat the food we brought, Seth and I immediately divided and conquered. We like to eat good stuff while camping. Just because you're roughing it doesn't mean you can't eat well. Here is a lovely dinner by 'lamp light' of chicken, rice, and baked beans cooked in about half an hour!!! We do good ;-)




 
Post Yosemite Update PDF Print E-mail
Written by Robin Gambetty   
Sunday, 12 October 2008 19:34
Post Yosemite Update 
Originally posted Saturday, August 23, 2008, 04:21 PM
Posted by Robin V. Gambetty

Well, after more than 5 hours of driving, we are finally home. The truck is unloaded, camping gear stowed till next time, and clothes are getting washed 'round the clock.

This was probably our most rigorous visit yet. We hiked over 10 miles during the trip, and as mentioned previously, a good portion of that was going up 1000 ft.!!! We biked about 4 miles and we were able to see much of the park from a different viewpoint that we've ever done in the past.

We enjoyed staying at the campground in Oakhurst, High Sierra RV and Campground, but would rather stay in the valley next time around. Reservations for the valley floor campsites need to be made more than 4 months in advance and we decided to come less than a month ago so... we stayed in Oakhurst and made the nearly 55 mile trek (each way!) to the valley floor. It is nice to know, that if necessary, we have a home away from home at High Sierra. They were great people!!

We are tentatively planning a trip back up in April of next year, while the kids are off track. We still think we will camp eventhough there is a chance for rain and the evening temps can get quite chilly. We think we're up to it... at least the bees won't be out!!! End of April is when ALL the falls will be going full tilt and there shouldn't be TOO many people since there is a chance for that incliment weather. Let us know if you think you want to join us. We will be making campsite reservations in the Nov/Dec range.

Well, time to re-enter the real world!! Seth is back to work on Monday, kids go back to school after labor day, and I need to get back on the job hunt. Keep checking back for more updates on our happenings!!! Hopefully there will be some more hiking and biking in our future!!!