 “It was an abrupt reawakening to the world above the canyon. They had left Green River, Utah, forty-three days before, and spent thirty-six of them on the water. All that time their lives had been hitched to the river’s rhythms. They had followed its contours, swallowed its silt, and slept to its murmurings. They would have to get used to the sensation of solid ground again, and the sight of the horizon. They would have to get used to a lot of things.” When I turned the page in Melissa L. Sevigny's Brave The Wild River and saw the two photos below, I burst into tears. I’ve been leisurely reading about two botanists who, in 1938, ran the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon to document the flora and fauna. The first women to take on this adventure, with real dangers. The photos are from the day Lois Jotter and Elzada Clover left the river and stepped onto the shore at Boulder City. Some men were in their corner — their fathers, one man from the trip, and another who approved the field research. But in the hours after finishing, some of the men they encountered scolded them as if they were errant children needing to be brought in line. Men in their party thirsting for notoriety went to great lengths to squeeze the two women out of the story and make it about them when the journey began as a dream for Elzada Clover. And then there were the men in their academic institutions who framed the journey as reckless rather than legitimate scientific inquiry. It would be interesting to know how many of those men have work that lives on at The Smithsonian. Two educated, professional women going to great lengths to achieve career fulfillment. Competent and determined in a world that saw women as frail, weak, and silly. ‘Those were the times’ is not the whole story because it still happens too often. Exceptional is unacceptable for one gender. I came away from reading the book with a clear sense of how attractive the spirit of adventure is in women, especially when mixed with intelligence. Admiration sparkles in me for Lois Jotter and Elzada Clover who were way out front doing work they loved. *** I always worry that Spy apples will just up and disappear because of a lack of demand. My local market generally brings in only one bushel a season. They make superior applesauce and pies because they are juicy and have a bright natural acidity. Most recipes today call for a few generic apples. I wrote on the varietal dilemma for Mark Bittman and spoke to some smart people in Vermont and Germany. I made this apple cake from Smitten Kitchen. Any cake with sour cream or buttermilk in the batter has got me. The crumb topping hits the perfect salty note. On the surface, the recipe looks simple, but it’s tricky. The cake batter is thick and requires care in baking so as not to end up with a mucky centre — the riddle of all fruit-centre cakes. I baked it ten minutes longer because I chose a juicy apple. Do as instructed, and leave a few apple wedges out. Instead of vanilla, I used Fiori Di Sicilia, which brought out the floral essence — a reminder that the fruit starts as pink and pearl apple blossoms fluttering in a spring breeze. The cake is sweet and rich and is absolutely better on the second day. Perfect for a weekend lunch. Baking always makes me feel better. I was in need of extra tender loving care on the day I made it. When I lived on Lake Huron, I had a friend across the street, and her mom, Mrs. Carlisle, was a superb home baker. She would have worn a crown on competition baking shows. You could tell she loved being in the kitchen in her apron with the oven on. There was always at least one sweet on their kitchen counter — date squares, apple pie, bundt cake, chocolate chip, and oatmeal-raisin cookies. That made it a super bon place to land after some of our teenage extra-curricular activities. *** THE QUEEN of all chanteuses is, in my opinion, Whitney. Her vocal range and the power of her delivery were phenomenal. She was a natural-born performer and an all-around exceptional woman. Watch Steve Tavaglioni on tenor sax grooving for all of us. If I had a time machine, I’d be in that audience. This is the sweetest thing on Instagram this week. Added it to my New York City file in Notes for my next visit. This news about the sale of a Denyse Thomasos' painting is stunning. Her work is so important to this country and the international art world. I spent several hours at her show in Toronto last year. *** New songs from two women. I’d play these songs for her if my friend Lynn were still here. I think she’d like them. It makes me smile thinking of us at fifteen, sitting in her room, half-baked, eating her mom’s treats, laughing and talking. 20242024Comments are closed.
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