holiday shipping datelines!

the fund raiser gift boxes are available here!
http://www.forestprints.com/itemslist.aspx?cat=Accessories

goody box 1
http://www.forestprints.com/itemprofile.aspx?itemcode=GoodyBox1

goody box 2
http://www.forestprints.com/itemprofile.aspx?itemcode=GoodyBox2

goody box 3
http://www.forestprints.com/itemprofile.aspx?itemcode=GoodyBox3

a collaboration of sorts...

...in the name of sharing, caring and giving love, with handmade goodness too!

littleoddforest has partnered with an oink production to bring you 3 totally different and unique goody box full of handmade goodness - all proceeds from the sale of these 3 goody boxes will contribute towards our 2008 sponsorship of a child we have chosen under world vision (singapore). these proceeds will help a little in our child sponsorship!

you can get for yourself, or for someone else, a awesome little gift box set of nicely packed and tenderly handmade accessories and knick-knacks, not only will you be supporting the handmade/indie cause, you'll be doing a generous deed as well! so what are you waiting for?? ;)
go here!


it's the busiest time of the year for us here, everything is just coming in all at once, so please please forgive me for my tardiness in responding to emails, messages, and whatever else i have to see to, in addition to making my fingers work as hard and fast as they possibly can, and also doing up my new designs..... and still loving and enjoying what i do (very very crucial!!) and not dying in the process...ha! more soon!! xoxoxo!!

Black Cat Boulder: A mixed review

Black Cat is a new restaurant in Boulder and my fine dining club went there last week to check it out. The décor is very unusual with remnants of chandeliers forming two rows of crystal down the length. The tables near the wall each have love seats, which made for a delightful, nearly Romanesque experience. Short linen curtains separate the tables but hang limp and wrinkled. I am not sure they add much to the overall ambiance. The walls are painted black with paneling on one side. We were there on a very chilly night, but the room did not exude any added warmth or charm, which would have made us inclined to linger longer than we did.

Black Cat is failing in some critical ways. The first example happened when we first arrived. We had to hang up our own coats on a coat rack hemmed in by debris. I had to struggle getting a hanger and fitting it on the rack that was already crowded with staff clothing. The host looked on with impatience while I struggled. The next missed opportunity was the speed of the service. It seemed to take forever to get our appetizers even though there were only two other occupied tables. They also forgot one of our glasses of wine and we had to flag someone down to get it. On a positive note, our waitress was extremely knowledgeable about the preparations of everything offered and was enthusiastic about the food.

The table ordered the lamb, veal, and duck as entrees with salads and the scallop appetizer as starters. The salad was good but the scallops were a bit disappointing. Everyone liked their entrees but agreed that they were all so similar in the style of their sauces that there really was not enough of a difference between them. It would be hard to go and explore the menu further. The one interesting thing to note was the pureed celery root that came with the duck. No one at the table had had that before. It was mild but interesting.

Dessert was a major disappointment in my mind. We ordered the white chocolate fondue and the apple spice cake. The later was a very dry micro-muffin with a sauce. The fondue was fine but mild. I confess I like heavy chocolate desserts that scream decadence or unique preparations that leave you begging for more. These were just ok.

I also have to rant a bit about the oh so common issue with over charging for lattes in our area restaurants. Six dollars for a small cup of latte when regular coffee, even French pressed coffee, is half that seems absurd to me. It is just a little added milk. Still it does seem to be the trend. One of these days I will find the perfect after dinner latte.

The group agreed that Black Cat had much to work on but that it had potential. Diners want the entire experience and the bane of many a restaurateur can be a poorly trained staff. The menu changes frequently, so it is worth checking out if you are in the area, but don’t go in with high expectations.

Holiday Promotion 2007

Happy Holidays!

FREE SHIPPING

On your total purchase at my ebay of $10 or more, within the United States.

Offer begins 12/01/2007 and ends 12/16/2007.

All listings/posts on ebay will temporarily end as of 12/17/2007 and resume January 7, 2008 in observation of the holiday season.

Discount code gift

Dear LOF customers,

You might have tried using the special discount code that was given to you in your first purchase at our website, for your second purchase, but was unsuccessful. Sincere apologies as that code was accidentally deleted from our system. Please try again, you should be able to use it now as it has been entered back into the system. Thank you!

Warmest Rgds,
Gerry
littleoddforest customer service

Discover your Inner Julie Andrews on Mt. Bierstadt

Trail Length: 7 miles round trip
Elevation: 11,669-14,060 ft
Elevation gain: 2,850 ft
Difficulty: Strenuous
Critters: Big Horn Sheep, peak baggers galore


Left to right, Mt. Evans (14,264 ft) and Mt. Bierstadt (14,060 ft) as seen from the Square Top trail. This photo is mine. The rest in this post are courtesy of Lynn Johnson.
Mt. Bierstadt is one of Colorado's 53 14ers. Technically it is one of the easiest and the views of lush Guanella Pass make it doubly appealing. There was a time when slogging across the willow infested valley before beginning the climb used to be a soggy mess. Now, with the addition of a boardwalk, this part of the hike is a walk in the park.

Things get serious after the willows when the trail climbs up to a broad shoulder. The views from this place make it a worthy destination in itself for those interested in a shorter hike. It still has some elevation gain to provide sufficient bragging rights and a wide area for picnicking and people watching. You can hold up Olympic score cards measuring lung capacity as folks crest over the shoulder. You'll see everything from small children to trail runners using Beirstadt to train for the Leadville 100. When no one is looking, do your best Julie Andrews imitation and twirl around. At high altitude motion sickness takes on a whole new meaning.


Big Horn Sheep on the road
The more able bodied will want to continue up the trail which rises steeply into the distance. It is rocky but the use of poles quickly adds needed stability. Stop as often as necessary and tell everyone you need a view break. Turn around, face down trail, suck wind, and admire the increasingly expansive views of Guanella Pass. I found that I was able to zip up the trail with no quad burn whatsoever but that the inevitable effects of high altitude did have me breathing heavily. Perhaps I should have slowed down a bit because near the upper ridge the trail started getting a bit blurry. We wouldn't want it to be TOO easy, now would we.


Looking down on the shoulder
Hikers get a nice break on the upper ridge which is flat but full of scree. Take your time crossing. A twisted ankle at this point would make getting down a challenge. The final cone of scree is a jumble and hikers just find their way from rock to rock with little coherence.


Another view from higher up
We were lucky and the weather was beautiful. We stayed on the summit for over an hour just gawking at the rolling green hills below us. I have been chased off of Guanella so many times by lightening that I have developed a neurotic paranoia about the place but this day there was barely a wisp of a cloud. I still eyed them carefully because Guanella is notorious for brewing storms at explosive rates.


Lynn snacks before tackling the final skree pile.
From the summit, Mt. Evans feels like it is within spitting distance and you can see all the tourists who drove up to that summit. "Look Vern there are mountain climbers over there!" With more time and a car shuttle, you can cross the sawtooth that connects the two peaks and bag two in one day. I have several friends who have done this and say it is easier than it looks and well worth doing.


View from the summit looking west.
So, for those of you who have never climbed a 14er, give Mt. Bierstadt a try. It is an easy walk up but will require you to have gotten off the couch in the last year. Some scrambling is required in the scree field so bring your gloves as well. Do it like I did and take the day off of work to avoid the crowds and meditate on why we love living in Colorado.

Samba Room: The end to dining ennui

The Samba Room is conveniently located downtown in Larimer Square. Park under Writer's Square and walk up. We went before visiting the Demented Divas Show at Lannie's Clock Tower Cabaret. Something worth going to as well.

I just love going to places that have drinks I can not pronounce. The Samba Room has Brazilian Capirinhas which is the national drink of Brazil. it is made with cachaca which is a distilled beverage made with sugar cane just like rum. I had mine with a little Bacardi Limon. It was both fun and potent. Limit your intake or you might find yourself waking up on a flight to Rio. Besides Capirinhas, there were the ubiquitous Mojitos, Martinis, and Tequila based infusions.

The room is modern and loud, so don't go for intimate conversation. Dress warmly as well. They had all the ceiling fans going plus the air conditioning even though it was quite nippy outside and every time the front door opened a blast of cold air would rush in. We did ask them to turn down the AC and they did but it took a while.

I started with the house cerviche which I order when ever I see it on the menu. While better in the summer of course, cerviche is still a treat and comes in so many different variations. This one came with mango, ahi tuna, and plantain chips. Ok, so I am a tacky American and missed the tortilla chips but other wise it was tasty and complimented the Capirinhas nicely.

My entree was the Argentinean Style Skirt Steak. It came with Chimichurii, which is a tangy Latin American marinade derived in the early 19th Century from Italian pesto. It is made with parsley, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper, onion, olive oil and vinegar. How such common ingredients could taste so different I would like to know. Don't tell your Argentinean friends, but the sauce was originally created by an Irishman called "Jimmy McCurry" and the name of the sauce is the inevitable mispronunciation of his name. I can see why Jimmy left Ireland for Argentina however. Such a vibrant sauce would have been cause for excommunication in Ireland. The steak came with a side of fries which dipped nicely in the sauce.

I don't know about you, but I suffer from dining ennui this time of year when I see the same five entrees on every menu. You can eat only so many lamb chops, duck l'oranges, boring-chicken-somethings, and filets topped with who knows what. I want to go back to the Samba Room and try their marinated pork or various fish dishes.

Of course, if we have another winter like last year it won't require a bucket of Capirinhas to get me on a plane to Rio.