Happy birthday, Ruthie

Twenty-five years ago, the old lady who lived across the street from my dad when he was a kid bought me a present. That present -- a 1964 Madame Alexander baby doll bought from a garage sale for a quarter -- became my most prized possession. Mrs. Corley gave Ruthie to me right before my younger brother was born.

In late July, I celebrated her 46th birthday with Amanda, Ev and Neola. Amanda made her an adorable party hat out of magazine cuttings.

The tragedy of distance

One of my favorite friends. Seattle seems farther away than it is:

Summer meals

When Amanda and Neola were visiting, we bought a bunch of produce (and bread!) from the farmer's market to make one hell of a dinner. Here is our loot:





This became Oregon beets with Humboldt Fog (California) goat cheese on a fresh Oregon baguette:



And caramelized summer squash over white and red quinoas:

Interview FAIL

Interviewing people is so easy that I forget how hard it is to be actually interviewed. Oh, I often wonder why people actually consent to it, but I forget how hard the actual act is. I remembered how hard it is, especially to be interviewed on camera, when Aubree, Aaron and I went to Louisiana earlier this year. Just in case we want to use in that movie, Aubree conducted periodic interviews with me. As you can see here, I wasn't so great at being interviewed (plus I was sick!).

We're going back in Octoberish, and I think I'll be better the second go-around.

Interview antics from Casey Parks on Vimeo.

Her first banana

I found this little snippet of my grandma talking as I re-watched all the footage we shot in Louisiana while working on the Roy documentary. This isn't how the movie will look (it won't be in black and white, for instance) or sound (we had a real sound guy working, this is just off the camera), but I just really love seeing my grandmother talking about the first things she bought when she moved off the farm into town.

Test from ROY from Casey Parks on Vimeo.

Summertime lunch

When Quentin used to live here, we made some elaborate sandwiches. My creations without him aren't nearly as ornate and delicious, but they're not half bad:



Add to these items some lettuce, pepperjack and pesto and voila -- my favorite summer sandwich.

In the freezer

All summer long, flour moths have taken over my kitchen. Finally, I had to move all my dry foods into the freezer or the fridge. Things are starting to get tight in there -- especially now that I spent last week making frozen desserts (ice cream, popsicles) with Neola and Amanda.