Batty Evening

Dick signed up for a "Photography at Night" class with Leisure Learning. The class met at the bat viewing platform at the Waugh Street Bridge. The what?!! We drove over several days before class and sure enough there was a platform overlooking the bayou and bridge. Near the platform is one of our favorite fountains.

Doesn't this fountain look like a dandelion?
We believe it's official name is the Wortham fountain.

Dick printed this picture out for his drawing class.
Two point perspective!

Downtown Houston

Dick said the most interesting part of the class was the talk about the bats! The bat colony numbers around 300,000. It is a matriarchy - only the moms and their youngsters live at the bridge. The males pack their bags and move out when they reach maturity. When the bats make their nightly flight to dine on mosquitoes, they fly down the bayou toward downtown Houston. Sometimes there's a heron or two waiting below the bridge just in case one of the bats gets too close to the ground. The peregrine falcons from downtown also think "bat" is a tasty treat.

Here come the bats -
just starting out on their dinner meal.

The view from under the bridge.
It's an older bridge and built in a way that makes
it an easy place for the bats to live.
You can just make out the parallel lines
under the bridge - bat condos!

The most famous bat colony in Texas is probably the one in Austin under the Congress Street Bridge. It is said millions of bats live there. Leisure Learning even has a class to go bat watching in Austin that includes dining in a restaurant on Town Lake before the bats make their nightly foray.

Favrielle Doll

Aren't these just about the cutest little
dolls you've ever seen?
Add a pair of wings
and you'd have fairies.
When I finished the dolls I told Dick I'd have to make one
for myself.
He gave me the *where are you going to put them look*
and I backed off.
(Surely there would be room between a teddy bear
and a few dragons for one little doll?)
These dolls live in California with two very special,
dear to my heart little girls.
Carolyn Christmas (don't you love her name?) is the designer
of the dolls. She has her own web site - Gourmet Crochet
where you can find all of her delightful patterns.
I ordered mine from Annie's Attic.

Lady Bug Afghan

The Lady Bug Afghan is one I made for the Linus Project.
I raided the button stash for her eyes.
The pattern is from the book Easy Living Crochet
edited by Carol Alexander.
I found the book at Half-Price Books.
This is an easy pattern to make in different colors and
add a different critter to the middle.
Fun!

Crafty

Being crafty or handy has been off again, on again with me. I think the first time I held a crochet hook I must have been around 8 or 9 years old. My mother would send me during the summer to the home of the mother of one her co-workers. Her name was Vicky. She was from eastern Europe, had a heavy accent, and spoiled me. I loved being with her. She made crepes with strawberries and the best stuffed cabbage I've ever had. Her home was filled with the doilies she crocheted. Vicky did her best to teach me. I remember the small metal hook and the tiny thread and think all I mastered was making a very long chain. The seed had been planted.

Later when I was in college I picked up the hook again and my biggest project was a pineapple design afghan. I still have the pattern. I taught myself to knit and made a baby sweater.

I don't know why I quit crocheting and knitting. Life just interrupts sometimes. Some 30+ years later I rediscovered the joys of the hook and needles along with embroidery and counted cross stitch. Maybe it's all the beautiful colored yarns that call to me. (I love nail polish and paper -- all the wonderful colors!) Perhaps the delight in finishing a project and then starting something new. Maybe it's just relaxing - a way to meditate.

The blanket pictured was made for a special little girl in California. The yarn is Cotton Tots by Bernat and from the Bernat pattern book - Sweet Sets. When I was going through our pictures looking for the crafty things I've made I noted that I didn't take pictures of everything. Shucks.

I'll have another show and tell post tomorrow.

Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Asparagus

There is a little story to tell before I get to the Spicy Garlic Shrimp recipe. In mid May, Dick and I took a Leisure Living course called Chinatown Walking Tour and Dim Sum Lunch. The tour guide has been leading this tour for years. I've seen it mentioned in the newspaper food section many times and thought this was the year we would go. The Houston Chinatown area has grown by leaps and bounds and this was a good way to venture away from home and see what was out there! Ocean Palace was out there along with the Hong Kong City Mall. The grounds around the Palace are lovely. Our tour guide ordered for the group. The menu was in English, Chinese and Vietnamese. Everyone in the group had a copy of the menu and we made notes as we ate. It was good, but the highlight of the tour was the Hong Kong City Market. I've never seen (except perhaps in San Francisco) such a wide selection of greens, vegetables and fruits along with lots of crispy duck. We didn't get carried away at the market, but did bring home some fish sauce and garlic chili pepper sauce.

Now for the Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Asparagus recipe. Credit has to go to the Taste of Thai web site. If you like Thai food check it out. They have lots of recipes. I put the fish sauce and garlic chili pepper sauce from the Hong Kong Market to good use in this recipe. It is quick, easy and very tasty. We enjoyed it with a nice cold beer!

SPICY GARLIC SHRIMP WITH ASPARAGUS
Yield: 2-4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp garlic chili pepper sauce
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 3 tsp fish sauce, divided
• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 lb thin asparagus*
• 3 Tbsp oil
• Fresh cracked pepper to taste

Optional: chopped cilantro

Directions:

1. In a medium size bowl add garlic chili pepper sauce, garlic, sugar, lime juice and 2 teaspoons of the fish sauce. Mix well. Add shrimp and mix until covered with sauce. Set aside to season.
2. Diagonally trim asparagus into one inch pieces. *If thicker asparagus is used, boil in salted water 2-3 minutes. Drain, and immediately cool down in ice water. Drain well.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over a high heat. Add asparagus, remaining teaspoon of fish sauce, and fresh cracked pepper. Stir-fry 3-5 minutes, or until asparagus is tender-crisp.
4. Add shrimp mixture to skillet. Stir-fry until shrimp turns opaque (pink) and sauce is well mixed with ingredients. Serve immediately. If desired, sprinkle with cilantro and serve with hot jasmine rice.
   

Those who know me know I never make a recipe the way it is written and probably don't make it the same way twice! I had some yellow bell pepper left over and some scallions that I added to this dish. Colorful!

As for dim sum, there is a wonderful little hole in the wall near us called Yum Yum Cha (great name) that has wonderful dim sum. With the price of gas, it's nice to stay close to home.