Bass fishing at Clear Lake

We've been bass fishing up at Clear Lake before, but it was about time we head back up with Cooper. As in the past, we rented a small aluminum fishing boat so that we could cover more of the lake during our fishing expedition.

Cooper handled the boat just fine-- as one of his favorite past times is lounging around in the sunshine, which is not too different from boat life. There was one scary moment for him though. We docked on the shore for a short break, and hopped in the boat without Cooper. As we were pulling away from land, Cooper started crying in panic. He is terrified of water, but apparently even more terrified of being left behind as he jumped in the water and swam after us!

Again as usual, Nate brought home the keepers. We had two nice bass to eat for dinner, and there was even enough to give Cooper a taste.

Fresh recipe of the month: Seville orange meringue pie

We have a Seville orange tree in our yard and have been thinking of recipes to enjoy with with this tart fruit. We're not huge marmalade fans, so we settled on orange meringue pie. After comparing a few recipes online, I came up with the following concoction:

Graham cracker crust:

- 1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs

- 6 tablespoons melted butter

- 3 tablespoons white sugar

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar and salt and mix. Press the mixture into a 9-inch pie pan and bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees F, until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Seville orange filling:

-Juice from 5 Seville oranges

- Zest from 1 orange rind

- 2 tablespoons flour

- 3 tablespoons cornstarch

- 4 egg yolks

- 1 cup white sugar

Bring the water to a boil, then slowly add juice, orange rinds, flour, and cornstarch. Simmer until it forms a thick custard. Mix the egg yolks and sugar together and add to the custard. Bring back to a boil and remove from heat. After briefly cooling, pour into the crust.

Meringue:

-4 egg whites

- 6 tablespoons white sugar

Whisk the egg whites in a bowl until they form stiff peaks. Add the sugar one spoonful at a time and continue whisking. Spoon the meringue over the pie and swirl it into peaks. Add a few orange rinds to the top. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 15 minutes, until the meringue is beginning to turn golden brown.

The pie turned out delicious and received many complements. I think the graham cracker combined with the orange tart flavor was just perfect.

Day hiking in Marin: Bon Tempe Reservoir

We decided to get outside and enjoy the fresh air with our pup Cooper. We drove north to Marin county and took a nice hike down to Bon Tempe Reservoir. The area surrounding the lake included meadows with beautiful wildflowers, wooded forests and dense shrubs. We walked down to the lake and took a nice hike around the water.

I recommend this spot for hikers of all levels, as it is beautiful, the terrain is not too difficult, and you can choose to hike for any distance.

Backpacking at Cache Creek

We spent the weekend camping up at Cache Creek Wilderness. We chose this location because of the beautiful wildflowers that pop up in the meadows at this time of year. There were indeed many gorgeous flowers sprinkled along the trail, complementing the beautiful wooded scenery.

We took the Redbud trail, which extends seven miles to Wilson Valley. At the end of the trail we found the perfect spot to set up camp directly next to Cache Creek-- which made Lucy very happy as she spent the evening in and out of the water. Cooper, of course, avoided the water at all costs. There were no other hikers out for the night, so we were able to enjoy the serene surroundings on our own.

The air temperature dropped dramatically during the night, even causing frost to cover the ground by morning, so we appreciated the warm body heat of our dogs, who shared the tent with us. In the morning we warmed up by the fire with some oatmeal and cocoa to revamp our bodies for the hike back.

All-in-all this was a great hike for a one night backpacking trip.