The Pickin' Blues

This weekend we went camping with some friends which was great and when we got home, I went blueberry picking at my favorite local patch.

Picking in the damp early morning before the dew burned off at Moody's blueberry farm in Michigan is a childhood memory for pretty much all of us that grew up in the Mt. Pleasant area.  Sadly, they are no longer there along with the highly over-autographed weighing barn where you signed your John Hancock in sharpie - right on the wall! Scandalous! It was fun to find your name from the last year and see who else you knew scribbled up there.

Batter Up!
Blueberry and tart cherry

My family makes a recipe in the summer called Bublanina, which I guess translates roughly in Czech as "blueberry cake." Monday is my birthday, so I decided to make this one for myself and take one to work. Use your favorite yellow cake recipe, or in a pinch a box mix. I think scratch cake is just as easy.  I used my Betty Crocker book circa 1987 for Yellow Cake. Use good eggs. The darker the yolk, the better the batter will be.

2 C all purpose flour
1 1/2 C sugar
1/2 C butter, softened
1 C milk
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla (I used my homemade batch vanilla)
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 and lube up some round pans with baking spray. This is important, as the cake will stick otherwise when you try to flip it out. Add everything to your mixer, beat on high for 3 minutes after everything is incorporated nicely. Divide into your pans and bake for about 30-35 minutes. The cherry needed five extra before the knife came out clean.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and have a nice glass of cold milk with your slice.

Fini!

It's all in the Genes

Seriously, how cool is this? Love that everyone is shooting barebow and that's all!

Archery runs deep in our family, just didn't appreciate how far until recently.

Over the 4th, we did a family reunion at my mom and dad's place with the cuzin's. It was one of those really long days spent outside in perfect weather, a few red party cups, grilling, and lots of bows and arrows. There were 12 of us there who either shot or shoot (longbows don't fit in carry on compartments). Followed by noisy firecrackers and sparklers at dusk after a big dinner.

After Mom sent the pics around to the rest of the family, she got these from one of my distant cousins (who I am not sure I've even met!)

Who brings a bow to a gunfight? This guy!

We had a variety of bows and archers - kids, moms, g-pas, state-o-the-art compounds and elven longbows.
Our lane was the old garden behind my folks' house, complete with climbing beech that looks a lot smaller and closer to the house now that I'm an adult.

Meredith showing us how it's done old-school

The boy's morning line

Comparing gear

Girl's morning line

No arrows were lost, but a few were broken.

Waffle Round and Zombies

Ominous clouds = you will get drenched later

Hoo, boy. Well, we had the waffle round last weekend. It was mostly a good time, the weather was dicey, the field well organized and we managed to stay out of trouble (mostly).  Having shot 70 m just once before we went, I had less trouble with 70 and 60 then 50m. Have decided I quite like 60, actually. Right now, 50 m can kiss my you-know-what. 30 m - we're good.  Do me a solid and have a chat with 50? Much appreciated.

Midway through the first day, we got a super soaker. As in soaked to the skin, running down your scalp wet, watching your arrow disappear after 10 yards into gloom. As in not being able to hear your clicker as the rain is so loud. As in being SO relaxed, I totally didn't care. I love shooting in the wet. Then the sun came out and we all dried out more or less. Except for the squelchy shoes.

Had all NYC ladies on my bale, one who had never seen a cow up close before. Or deer roadkill. Culture shock. Nice people and good to shoot with, though. Also nice to be at a shoot where the recurves outnumbered the compounds.  

I had to sort through some bad habits (again) and then also came to the conclusion that I need to do some bow tuning and sort out some replacement bits and bobs as my groups are not where they should be. Lesson learned. Look out States, here we come. Will be more fun as we will know other peeps there. :)

Moi in my hot weather gear. Smiling, so must be lunchtime
or at least post-caffeine :)

The drenching continues.
You will notice I am under the judge's tent where
it's mostly dryish. Matt is mid-way down the line

PS. Just a word to the wise, if you are staying in Sharpsville, PA, avoid the Quality Inn. Run away like zombies are chasing you.