Elsewhere

As I write this the sun streams down on Portland, Oregon and a gentle breeze carries little clouds overhead. It's in the 60's and crystal clear. I bet if my room was on the other side of this hotel my window would frame a spectacular view of Mount Hood.

I'll see the grand peak soon enough, when I hop in my rental car and head out to a nearby shopping mall where the internet tells me there's a skating rink. This trip I've eschewed my skis in favor of shorter blades, in part because the main focus is two bread-making workshops and I don't want to tire myself by driving all over the state before they begin, and also because I want to bring home lots of Expandex from Bob's Red Mill, and ski equipment would cut the amount I could carry. Bob's home store in Milwaukie is nearby and their bulk bins contain supplies at a steep discount.

On the topic of Tapioca: The other day I was deep-storing zillions of old negatives and came across some photos I'd made in the Peruvian Amazon. Thought you might enjoy this one, of three generations of Bora women making yuca (tapioca) bread. Note the girl - she's the bearer of salt. As I say in my workshops, all that's needed to make bread is flour, water and salt. Of course it doesn't hurt to have experience, beauty and hope.