8/7/2010 - Yodersaground: What goes good with pulled pork?

Once again flattery got the better of me. We visited (cousin) Mark & Traci several years ago and brought along some pulled pork and some habanero pepper jelly that I had made. Our favorite version of a pulled pork sandwich is a toasted, buttered hamburger bun slathered in habanero jelly and then piled high with pulled pork. Turns out it's Traci's favorite version as well. So, the other day when she mentioned it, we immediately ran to the store for the makings: a dozen habanero peppers, three red bell peppers, some sugar, white distilled vinegar and pectin. Then we returned to Mark & Traci's and made up and canned about 7 half-pints of habanero jelly.

In other reunion news:
Yesterday Traci, Lulu, Willy (my cousin), Caitlin (Willy's daughter), Jake (Willie's son), Roger (my cousin, Willie's brother) and Joseph (Mark & Traci's oldest son) went on a rafting trip on the Deschutes River. It was a guided trip so all we had to do was follow directions and hold on. We drifted downstream for about 2 hours. There were occasional rapids of various intensities although none above class 3. Good thing it was nice and hot because we got very wet. And not just from the river splashing on us. Turns out that a tradition among the rafters is to attack each other with water guns. And these aren't the little pistols that we used to fill from the garden hose. No, these were basically bilge pumps made from lengths of PVC pipe and, wielded properly, they shoot a big stream a long ways. Of course, we had been forwarned and were properly armed, but we nevertheless got extremely wet. But we gave as good as we got.

We stopped for lunch after a couple hours and then proceeded on. The second half of the trip was also about 2 hours but on this leg we got to do a class 4 rapid. And, we had three options on how to run it. We opted for the version that included a drop off of a 7' waterfall followed by some frantic paddling. We did good and didn't lose anyone. At almost the end of the trip the guide told us all to be sure and get secured because we didn't want to lose anyone at this point. Yeah, he HAD to say it. Sure enough, we hit one last rapid and wham!, both Lulu and I were ejected from the raft. no harm as we came back up right alongside and got hoisted back aboard, but still...

Well, today is the big day since everyone who hasn't already arrived will. So, as the crowd swells, I'll sign off.

Adios fromThe Dalles.