RECIPIES

A couple of years ago I got a piece of this cake from an Austrian friend of mine.  I really like the cake because it is very light and not overly sweet and you can use fruit in it that is getting too ripe.
Plum Cake
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup sifted flour
2 tsp baking powder
Beat eggs and sugar till light and fluffy.  Add oil and beat again.  Now by hand stir in the flour and baking powder mixture.
pour into a greased form a little smaller than 9x13 or I used a 10 in diameter pan with a high edge.  After you put the dough into the pan, put sliced plums all over the top of the cake.  Don't panic if they sink into the batter.  Pears are also good for this or peaches.  Bake at 375 F for 40 min or till toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Make sure you don't stick it into a peace of fruit.  Sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar.
THE SALAD DRESSING  So called by Natalie.  Melinda also asked for this recipe so here it is:
2T vinegar, 2 T lemon juice, 1/4 - 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 T water, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp sugar, 1 clove garlic crushed, salt and pepper to taste.
Wisk everything together.  If you keep this in the fridge the oil will harden so take it out a little before you need it.

Cooperstown NY

Early August Spencer and I drove to Cooperstown NY.  It was a beautiful ride about 4 hrs in each direction.  Once we got off the highway  we had to follow secondary county roads which led us through some very beautiful landscape, but sometimes was a little difficult to figure out.  Once we got to our motel on the edge of lake Otsvego and dropped our luggage, we went directly to the Baseball Hall of Fame building.  Spencer is a wonderful baseball player and has been able to his a baseball since he was very small.  This was his early birthday present.  We took a thorough look at all the exhibits and I believe Spencer really enjoyed it.  We decided not to waste our money in their very overpriced gift shop and instead walked up the street where there were lots of shops selling baseball memorabilia at much lower prices.  Spencer decided to get a baseball bat at the bat shop.  The baseball bats are made locally and the price included 2 lines of engraving.  I thought he made a very good choice and his parents had given me extra money so we could buy it.  We watched a baseball game at a diamond they have close to the Museum.  It was just local amateur teams playing.  It was fun just to sit and relax and watch the game.  Spencer got a foul ball.
  In the evening at our motel Spencer got to watch a real professional game on tv.  The next day we drove out to the Fennimore Cooper Museum.  They have a very nice exhibit of beautiful Indian artifacts.  Spencer really enjoyed that.  I was surprised to see that he enjoyed the museum as much as he did.  They also had exhibits on folk art and a visiting exhibit of women painted by Stuart.  I really like that.  The museum is located right on the shores of the lake and has a beautiful view.
We drove back to our motel and went down to the lake and took a boat tour up and down the lake.  It was just beautiful and they told us about the lake and the history of the town.  After the boat tour it was time to drive home.  We decided to take route 28 all the way to the highway.  It went right through the Catskill mountains  and it was a beautiful trip.  It was nice to do something one on one with Spencer.
We did take some pictures but they will not display on my computer, so maybe Emily will show them on her blog.