Tamkaliks...07/23/11...5am...50°...Sunny

Oma's Grainy Bread, the perfect addition to Rusty's tri tip, creamed peas and potatoes, Becky's garden fresh salad and Pam's fresh fruit...How lucky we are to have two farmers markets each week, from May thur September in Wallowa County...Rusty also BBQed garlic scapes (from our garden), and jalepeno peppers stuffed with cheese...Icy cold beer was the beverage of choice, and the warm evening was enjoyed by all...

Oma's Grainy Bread

Yesterday was spent baking bread, five loaves of seed and five of fruit bread to go into the freezer...Herb uses the fruit bread for his daily toast, and most of the seed bread is used for sandwiches or sliced and warmed in the oven, to share with friends...

Yesterday morning I fixed pan cakes topped with huckleberry compote, (a rare treat at our house) then Russ and I went to two local yard sales, nothing for us to buy, and Herb headed to Enterprise to mow Pam's lawn...We tried to spend time on the deck but the cool breeze sent us back into the house, where I had a hard time getting the bread dough to rise...Hours later we inhaled the smell of fragrant loaves, cooling on the kitchen table...

We Decided to save the wood gathering for a later date, so I will meet Pat at 8:30 this morning and our day will be spent in Wallowa checking out the city wide yard sales and the annual Tamkaliks feast and celebration held in recognition of the Nez Perce Descendants, who inhabited this beautiful valley over a hundred years ago...The celebration features traditional Native American songs and dancing in Native costume...Native American crafts and food are displayed and sold at the many concession booths...The last day of the festival a friendship meal is provided for all, with the local  community providing side dishes while the Native Americans furnish fish and wild game...

That's it from Barton Heights this beautiful morning...Hugs to all...OWAV:))