Cory Swanson, High School Graduation Portraits { Asheville Photographer}

 My trip to Minneeesooootaaa was busy.
And hot.
Really Hot.  The air conditioning was broken (there was no north east wind blowing off of Lake Superior)
Did I mention that it was hot?
Everyone always says "oh, I couldn't live in the south, it is just too hot"
We have air conditioning people!
OK, getting off topic here.

 My purpose of the trip to the north was for my girlfriends daughters wedding and these are obviously not the pictures.
And to take the grad pictures of another girlfriends son.

 The guy was so handsome and relaxed, talk about making my job easy.

 We should have started at 7am instead of 10am. The lighting was brutal. I thought I would be nice and let the kid sleep in.

 Next time he gets up a 7!

 I showed my husband what I had taken.
His comment "Krista in a field of cows again, imagine that"
I do seem to spend a fair amount with the bovine.
That and red heads.

Until next time...
Krista

Doughnuts, Dognuts, Dohnuts, Donuts. Go nuts?

 I got a wild hair the other day and decided that I wanted to try making doughnuts. I think it may have come from watching the Food Network.
 The show was on everything fried.
Fried okra to fried bacon. Yes, fried bacon. Batter dipped and deep fried.
 As if bacon needed help have more fat.

 Grama Ethel use to make home made donuts and I remember them being absolutely wonderful. Fried in a cast iron skillet and the oil she used I am sure was good old Crisco. Giving them the best flavor ever. The same frying pan she would use to fry fishcakes and walleye.

I know I do not have a donut recipe so I call my mom who is in the middle of dealing with a flooded basement and deconstruction.

ME:   Mom, do you have Grams recipe for donuts?

MOM: Oh, I am sure it is here somewhere. What do you think it is under? Cakes, Breads, Desserts, Misc.

Me: Look under cakes.

She then starts reciting all the recipes in the box. Mind you my mom has a lot of recipes and where they are in the box only makes sense to her.

MOM:  I know it is in here I just saw it the other day. (this could mean 5 years ago) banana bread, blueberry muffins. oh, blueberry muffins I have so many blueberries I need to make muffins. when Dennis (her brother) and I went picking last summer we picked so many blueberries we were eating them by the handful..

Me:  MOM! Donuts. We are looking for donuts.

MOM:  Well I wonder why I have Sauerkraut salad under desserts. Wonder how that got there.

Me: I can only imagine....Donuts mom.

MOM: Well maybe it is in the other box..wait here it is...Grams Donuts.  2 eggs, 1 tsp Cardomin,

Me:  MOM. MOM. Slow down I have to right this down.

she proceeds to give me the recipe slower so that I can write everything down, ingredients that is.

Me;  MOM, this cannot be right. there is nothing holding it together. Isn't there flour in the recipe.

MOM:  Well it is not written on this paper. Maybe it is on the other recipe in Grams box. It's a good thing I didn't throw that box out, let me look. Oh, for Christ sake where is it?

While this goes on and she is digging for the recipe she proceeds to tell me who made donuts last and who had the deep frier and who loaned it the this person and that and didn't bring it back and she has it and that it was a good thing she didn't give this recipe to so and so because they would have had a mess.blah. blah. blah.

So after much digging she finds the original recipe that gram used. If your grandma is anything like my grandma she NEVER wrote any directions down. Ever!

So I ask mom  "How do you make then"

MOM: I don't know, I have never made them. Gram always had them made when we came home from school.

Me:   OK, then let the experimenting begin.

 I don't like to fry food in the house. In fact I went and bought this fry daddy just for the donuts. The one thing mom did say is ... she always opened up brown paper bags to let the grease soak it up.


Brown paper bag ....Check!

 I mixed the batter, patted it out and cut the donuts.

 These are a little too dark.

 Long tongs are a must.

 A determined pierced looking mouth is required.  Good Lord what a face.

 I determined several things with this first batch of donuts...
HOT GREASE is a must.
Letting the dough rest after you cut them out makes lighter donuts.
"Dirty" grease is best.

And next time we dip them in chocolate frosting!

Fourth of July at the Bounds

 Our neighbors, the Bounds hosted  a wonderful 4th of July picnic at their home today. Complete with hotdogs, potato salad and watermelon.
Of course there were fireworks too!

 It has been incredibly, unseasonably hot here but thankfully the weather gave us a break with the heat.

 Sparklers are always fun. Amazing how even adults can become mesmerized by them.

 Little Miss Kate your a pretty thing I say flashing that smile!

 We had a brief rain shower that cooled things off a little and added a bunch of humidity. Made shooting of fireworks a little safer in that we were not going to burn down the sub-division.

 Wake up Trae! He is a little sleepy after running a 5K this morning.

 You can just hear her saying "hehehehehe"

 The boys wet from chasing each other with the hose I believe. I never really got the full story on that one.

 Miss Rel telling you all about it!

 Sam looking absolutely thrilled but being a trooper with no one there his age.

Trouble. Looks like Trouble. There is serious plotting going on here, I can tell. I am a mom. I know these things.  There are intent looks going on.

 Glow sticks! Didn't get any pictures of the glow sticks in balloons, but a cool idea. Gonna have to give that one a try. I bought bubbles that glow in the dark but forgot them at the camper.

 Reclining on Dad.

 Sam continuing to be a sport.

 Dave explaining the finer points of  a Corona.

 Kids don't cross THIS LINE____________! The safety Zone

 They are staying put. I am impressed.

 The Dads lighting off the fireworks.

 They say it is for the kids but we know the truth.

 Sam attempting to remain a good sport.

 He was so tired I honestly thought he was going to fall asleep right there.

 Must. Not. Fall. Asleep.

 They act just like little kids. You know they were the kids with the bottle rockets and cherry bombs when they were younger.

 Hey Carter, look this way!

 So he did.

 Little girls in their ruffled skirts and rubber boots.

 Rel and her friends.

 Explaining it all to them!

 That is my boy!

 ooooooooo

 Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh

 Love this one!

 Sam is no longer being a good sport and is just making faces at his mother with the camera. He asked me to delete this one. Nope. You did it. I blog it.

 See Sam, shouldn't do that.

Happy Fourth of July folks!