Photographs « Yukon Chatter Bug

House-Sitting and Mughlai Lamb Biryani

February 18, 2007 at 4:54 pm (Food, Photographs)

Next weekend it’s house-sitting time at Robinson Subdivision, between Carcross and Whitehorse. What a spot! House-sitting for our friends there is like a vacation for us. They own a beautiful two-storey log home which they built themselves. The best part is the view! I’ve posted some pictures to show you what the view is like from the back door, as well as the red sky at sunset in December 2005.

When house-sitting, I enjoy spending a bit more time preparing some of my favourite recipes that require extra time. My mother-in-law gave me a delicious East Indian recipe for Mughlai Lamb Biryani from Madhur Jaffrey’s Illustrated Indian Cookery, which is currently unavailable to buy. It is a lamb and rice casserole drizzled with saffron milk and mixed with raisins. It’s hard to describe the flavour, though the saffron comes through nicely. The taste of this dish is unlike anything I had ever tasted before. I thought of writing out the recipe here, but it’s very, very long, and I did find another blogger who went through the trouble. So here it is, if you’re interested, thanks to Ruth Daniels in Toronto.

P.S. Actually, Ruth Daniels has such interesting recipes on her site that I’ve added her to my blogroll.

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Yukon Scenery

February 4, 2007 at 3:33 pm (Livin' North of 60°, Photographs)

Yukon scenery is breathtaking, to say the least. There is something about the place that makes people want to stay. It’s been almost five years now since my move to Whitehorse (wow, has it already been that long?), and I was only supposed to be here one year. But, alas, it’s the same story you hear from everyone who has moved here.

Below is a picture I took from my aunt and uncle’s backyard a couple of winters ago. In the background is beautiful Grey Mountain.

Here’s another photo I took in the Yukon, again showing mountains that seem to go on forever.

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Sauble Beach

January 30, 2007 at 9:40 am (Photographs)

Being in the middle of winter, reminiscing about summer days helps me to warm up. It’s not just the thought of being on a warm sandy beach, but it’s especially the memories of friends I hold close to my heart. One such friend has a cottage on beautiful Sauble Beach. I can’t begin to tell you how relaxing it is in this little piece of paradise, so I try to spend time there every chance I get. Although the photos tend to show very few people (if any) on the beach, there are hordes of people there during summer weekends.

Here’s a (simple) mini photo essay I created. The formatting is a bit different from the original, as I had to try and convert it into electronic format.

Set on the shores of Lake Huron in Southern Ontario, Sauble Beach occupies a seven-mile (11km) strip of beach just west of the Bruce Peninsula. It is easy to see why this sandy beach is often compared to resort beaches of the Mediterranean. One major difference, however, is the number of people making use of it.
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The beach strip is owned and maintained by the Saugeen (Ojibway) First Nation Band. For a small fee, beachgoers may bring their vehicles onto designated areas of the beach. The money collected helps with efforts to keep the beach clean. Regrettably, allowing vehicles on the beach threatens the very resource that attracts tourists to this sunny destination: its sand dunes and fragile vegetation.

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Some grasses at Sauble Beach are considered rare and are restricted to the shores of Lake Huron. Efforts are currently in place to help reduce the impact of human and vehicle traffic to protect the delicate dunes of this area.

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Aside from soft sand and high waves, the beach is known for its magnificent sunsets. At this time of day, cottage owners, residents, and visitors converge on the beach to view the spectacular scene. No one seems to ever get tired of this daily show.

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Sauble Beach is a great place to be to catch incredible storms over the lake. The calm after the storm at sunset time makes for unique pictures. This photo was taken without any digital enhancement. The fiery red sky is truly awe-inspiring.