Weekend Rewind 9/29/14

No recipe review for this past week.  With the weekend trip to the Cities the weekend before, a very busy week, and the adventures this past weekend, I kept suppers and lunches super simple. 

The Meal Plan:
Mon - Yoga/Book group/Legion Mtg
Tues - leftover Five Bean Chili (see Recipe Review from 9/15/14)
Wed - Spagetti with eggplant and zucchini (from the garden!)
Thurs (Yoga) - leftover Chili
Fri - leftover Spagetti
Sat - (Hiking)  Brats and Bonfire!

Lunches - bagel sandwiches, apples, nut and pretzel cups,  luna bars...the usual.

The weather this past weekend was unseasonably warm.  Probably the warmest it got all summer, or close to it!  We easily hit 80* (30*C).  We took advantage of the warm weather and participated in a Superior Hiking Trail "Guided" Hike.  It's not really guided....more facilitated like.  We hiked from the lower chalet at Spirit Mountain to Becks Rd, following the ridge the entire way and over Barton's and Ely's Peak.  It was rather toasty up on top those rocks!  Total distance of 6.2 miles.  This is perhaps one of the more rugged segments of the SHT:  lots of rock outcrop combined up and down terrain; but also some of the most beautiful with overlooks encompassing Lake Superior, the St. Louis River, and northern Wisconsin. 

Old Stone Bridge at Magney-Snively recreation area

Crick in the Fall

Ely's Peak looking south across the St. Louis River to Northern Wisconsin. 

We had our good friend Steve and my Folks out for brats and a bonfire later that evening.  Could not have asked for more perfect weather and company! 

Sunday we continued to take advantage of the nice - and hot - weather.  The Husband did come brush and tree clearing along our rather long driveway, while I tackled some garden beds.  Peas, cucumbers, and carrots came out (peas and cucumbers being mostly dead), added some coffee grounds to a fallow bed, tilled where I pulled the peas and cucumbers, then had a go at my grass infested iris bed.  Most of that has been pulled and weed, I'll put back a few iris, but mostly it will be converted to daylilies and other annuals. 

Because weeding isn't very interesting, here's a few pics of my gardens and sunflowers. 

 My front porch as we move into fall - little fern leaf marigolds in front, eggplant on the left side of the porch, tomatoes on the right.  I don't think the tomatoes are going to ripen. 

Feelin' sunny today!  My patch of little sunflowers.  Only about 5' high and 5-7" across. 

After two days in the sun, in temps I'm not used to, I'm feeling a bit toasted as I write this.  And now a front is moving through - it's dropped 10* in the last hour... poo.