Bird Watching at the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge

August 4, 2013August 4, 2013 ~ Crystle ~ 6 Comments

With only five weeks left here in Washington, it looks like we won’t be able to kick off all the items on our Pacific Northwest Bucket List. There is only so much you can get done on the weekends, especially with a baby. To our credit, it was a pretty long list, and we got most of it done.

At this point, priorities on our to-do list have changed. We hired a property management company to rent out our home, had movers survey our belongings to ensure a smooth moving day, and bought a trailer to haul behind our Subaru so we can have a little bit of home with us when we arrive in Alaska. I won’t go more than two weeks without my kitchen stuff, and with having a baby and a dog comes lots of extra gear. When did we become so conventional?

In an effort to savor the scenery of the South Puget Sound, we went down into the valley outside of our neighborhood to tour the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge. It’s a shame we hadn’t done it sooner.

The Refuge is nestled in a fertile valley where the coniferous rainforest meets South Puget Sound. From this place, when visibility allows, the snow-capped mountains of the Olympic National Park jut into the sky across the water, and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge spans the aquatic horizon to the north.

Rain or shine, birds skim the surface of the water, while jellyfish float gently below. The salty breeze carries waterfowl, sandpipers, hawks and kingfishers over the delta where bird watchers and their telescopes collect like barnacles.

At this particular refuge, a boardwalk two miles long, takes tourists out over the water to get a better view of the birds that frequent the shallow waters.

European Starlings, Canadian Geese, Blue Herons, and Great Egrets freckled the delta, while Sharp-shinned Hawks soared above. Bunnies hopped across walking paths, then disappeared under the ferns while Morning Doves feasted nearby on Wild Blackberries.

It was lovely to see them all independent of one another and not actively demonstrating their roles in the food chain.

After we leave the Olympia area, it may be a while before we experience the salty maritime breeze.

I am, however, confident there will be no lack of wildlife to enjoy in land-locked Fairbanks.

DIY Kodiak Flapjack Mix

July 28, 2013August 9, 2013 ~ Crystle ~ 7 Comments

The beginning of this story is set on the baking aisle of a chain grocery store. My search for a healthy pancake mix brought me there, and there I stood, comparing labels and looking over long lists of ingredients. When I picked up a box of Kodiak Flapjacks my search was over. Made from whole ingredients, and balanced to keep you from enduring the harsh crash that comes after indulging in an overly-sweet breakfast, these pancakes blew every competitor out of the water.

Fast forward to the second part of my journey where I’m at my fourth or fifth grocery store, searching high and low for the best price on Kodiak Flapjacks. Prices range from $6-$8 a box here around South Puget Sound. Our upcoming move to Alaska, and its promise of higher prices for everything, has me worried about the totals at the cash register on my weekly shopping trips. At each grocery store, I reactively pulled at my collar, which seemed to tighten every time I saw the price tag of my favorite pancakes. They’re definitely worth the price, but my small family needs to save money. That’s why we went with the Ninja instead of the Vitamix blender recently, and why I just can’t justify an $8 box of pancake mix. There had to be another way, I thought to myself. Then I found that other way.

Make my own pancake mix! Why didn’t I think of it sooner?!

I searched high and low, much like I did for a reasonably priced box of Kodiak Flapjack Mix, to find a recipe for pancake mix that was comparable to my beloved Kodiaks. After two rounds of pancakes from this batch of Pancake Mix, my husband and I are convinced this recipe fits the bill.

Whole Wheat & Oat Pancake Mix Recipe:

Ingredients:

MIX

4 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 1/2 cups old-fashioned or rolled oats

3 tablespoons baking powder

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 cup vegetable oil

PANCAKES

1 cup homemade mix

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup greek vanilla yogurt (or plain, for a savory version of these pancakes)

1 large egg

Instructions:

MIX

1. Grind the oats in a food processor until they’re chopped finely, but don’t go as far as turning them into powder.

2. Put the flour, oats and all other dry ingredients into a mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix on slow speed and very slowly drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl while the mixer is running on low.

3. Store mix in an airtight container in fridge or freezer. This will keep indefinitely.

PANCAKES

1. Whisk one cup of pancake mix with 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of greek yogurt, and one large egg.

2. Allow batter mixture to sit for 20 minutes at room temperature, this allows the ground oats to soak up the excess liquid. The mixture may seem runny before this time has lapsed.

3. Using an ice cream scoop, or 1/4 cup measuring cup, spoon out the mixture onto a warm griddle (350F) or pan. I have an electric stove, and I find that pre-heating my enamel cast iron pan on medium helps tremendously.

4. When pancakes are bubbly around the edges, flip. Cook until golden brown.

Notes:

-Yields 5-8 pancakes per cup of mix.

-Adapted from King Arthur Flour – Homemade Whole Wheat Pancake Mix Recipe.

-The oats photographed are whole oats, they have not yet been processed. When yours have been through the food processor, they should be roughly 1/4 their original size. I hope that helps.

-Your pancake mix will end up crumbly with some smaller than pea-sized chunks.

Four Months Later

July 22, 2013July 22, 2013 ~ Crystle ~ 8 Comments

Here we are, four months after bringing Margot into the world, and we’re still adjusting to the new family dynamic. As soon as we find our groove, Margot changes…and off the balance is thrown.

She’s learning how to crawl.

She brings her knees to her belly, then face-plants onto her quilt on the floor, unable to push her chest up and forward at the same time. She screams in frustration, then rolls over in exhaustion. This carries on until the frustration escalates into a tantrum, or she distracts herself with toys. Right now it’s the former. Don’t let the charming photos fool you, this sweet baby has regular meltdowns, too.

Lucky for us, she’s sleeping through the night, waking only once at around 5 am for a bottle and a diaper change before sleeping in until 8. It’s been a nice advancement in the baby game.

Her personality is beginning to shine through, too. Margot is effervescent in the mornings, clingy in the afternoons and playful in the evenings. Getting work done around the house isn’t always possible, but I’ve been told that’s to be expected.

While Margot attempts to crawl around — usually trying to chase after the dog, Isaac and I have been planning our move to Fairbanks. We’re still debating whether or not we want to buy a house or live on base.

It’s almost impossible to structure a plan around living in a land of such extremes. Many people we run into here in the Pacific Northwest have had some experience up there. Their opinions vary greatly, which muddies the water even further.

We’ll be leaving Washington in seven weeks, just before Margot turns 6 months old. Her first winter ever will be in Alaska. It should make for an interesting first Christmas, and at least an awesome Christmas card.

Until then, we’ll get used to our temporary routine and savor our last season in Olympia.