Still breathing....

Yes, I am alive in case any of you were wondering.  We have been busy cleaning out 20 years of "stuff" from our house.  I have to say that I am not one to keep a lot of things that I am not using.  I have been known to give things away and then want them back later, but I can assure you that Hubbie has never, ever done that.  He has sentimental attachments to all kinds of things, so getting him to participate in the purge has not been all that easy, but he is coming along.

The end of September we went out the the Silicon Valley to visit our youngest son who is now working at Facebook.  We stayed in Los Gatos which is a beautiful town and so pedestrian friendly.  We walked each day before breakfast and after dinner.  We spent a couple of days doing things with my son and his girlfriend and a couple of days toodling around on our own.  So far the only pictures that have surfaced ( other than old cars etc) are ones from Carmel and the 17 Mile Drive.  Carmel has to be the ultimate housepeeping location.

Click for larger images and to see details otherwise missed :)

Without further ado:

I took a picture of this house the first time I was in Carmel in 2000.  Still has that adorable stenciling.

I would love to go back and stay for a few days and get up each morning and wander the lanes and courtyards of Carmel.  Maybe stay with Clint at his Mission Ranch or the in-town Hotel that is owned by Doris Day...wonder if Gig Young is there.....  OK, you have to be a certain age to understand that reference.


Later,
Janet

United Way

Time for a United Way Bake Sale at Bob's office.  Even though it was in the mid 70s today I am baking fall goodies: Banana Bread and Trader Joe's Apple Bread.  The sale will take place at morning break and I think if I slice the bread they can sell it by the slice and make some serious money.  Sure smells good as it wafts upstairs to my "office".  Right now the Apple bread is winning the aroma contest.

Chalk Paint

I am going to an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint workshop tomorrow in Bristol Rhode Island. Am I the very last one to get in on this trend??? It's about an hour away and it is not a formal workshop, but I have been told that all the colors and waxes will be available to try and lots of info will be bandied about..much chatting etc.  My friend Martha and I will make the trek, play with paint and then wander about the lovely seaside town and probably eat a delicious lunch.  It is supposed to be sunny and only in the 60s so it sounds like a perfect day.  So, what are your plans for tomorrow?

THE AFTERMATH

Seems we had a visit from Irene a week and a half ago.  Much hype pre-storm and as you are all aware I did buy candles, lovely autumn scented candles and I went to the library and stocked up on books.  You can NEVER have too many books to read during a storm.  She ( Irene) blew in Sunday morning and just when I was feeling really smug (about noon) and about to post a smug update on facebook, the power went out.  It didn't flicker and return as it had done several times that morning...no siree, it went out, dead, gone. It came back on Wednesday night at exactly 5:54 PM.  That was a long time to read with candles and flashlights:)  Fortunately the weather turned clear and crisp after the storm so I was able to cook my slowly defrosting supply of meats on the grill and cook veggies in foil on the grill.  Then, even after the power returned we had no internet, phone or cable  (all provided by Comcast) until late Thursday afternoon.

But, the good news is that we had no damage, just a lawn full of leaves, sticks, small branches etc. Oh, and a couple of small dings on the hatch of Bob's SUV.  He is a fanatic about his vehicles, so guess where we are going on a "date night" tonight.  That's right... to the Ding Dr. to get the dings sucked right out, then a free oil change at the Honda dealer to be followed by dinner at Boston Market.  I do so love their mashed potatoes and their chicken, yum!  Life doesn't get much more exciting than this folks;)

Later,
Janet

Lemons....Lemonade ?

You know that old saw about lemons and lemonade, right?  Here is my new take.  When life hands you potential hurricanes ( Irene) and tells you to be prepared, go to Yankee Candles.

I mean really, why would I go and buy some boring old utility candles when I had a coupon for substantial savings these autumnal beauties.   Our house may be dark ( although hopefully not) but it certainly will smell like an orchard on a fall day.  And nope, nobody paid me to show you this candle, it is all my own doing.


Later,
Janet

Yum

 It's been hot here recently and I have had a lot going on.  This quick and delicious meal has been on my "go to" list lately.  Really, I could eat a pound of shrimp and several mangoes worth of salsa prepared this way.

OK, I stole the picture because I can never remember to take a picture of my food before I devour it, plus it is really hard to photograph food. Here is what I do:

I lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 olive ( or other ) oil
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
juice of one lemon
1 large clove garlic, minced
sprinkle of red chile flakes

Combine all the above in a zip lock bag.  Marinate in the fridge for no longer than 45 minutes ( unless you want shrimp ceviche, but that's a whole other story !)

Thread onto metal skewers ( or soaked wooden ones)  and grill over a medium hot flame for about 2-3 minutes per side.

Another purloined photo, but honestly my salsa looked just like this.

2 mangoes, diced
1 small jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped. 
1/8- 1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
juice of one lime


Combine and refrigerate for flavors to meld and soften. This is so delicious I can just eat it out of the bowl and I DID ;)


Hope everyone is enjoying their summer.

Later,
Janet

Stonington Connecticut

Stonington is a charming coastal village with a history that dates back to the Revolutionary War. I have dubbed it "Nantucket without the Ferry Ride".  Come along and enjoy a sunny spring day.

               Perhaps my favorite, but so many gorgeous ones to chose from!

There seems to be a lot of Greek Revival architecture in town, many homes with more subtle ode to Grecian style than this example.

I have a couple more pictures, but I will save them for another day.

Happy Mother's Day,

Janet

Grey Towers

Bob was contacted to use his photos of Grey Towers ( Milford PA) for this blog.  Check it out!



priceypads.com/30444/grey-towers-mansion-tours/

 Today we went to Stonington Borough Connecticut, a gorgeous historical town on the water.  Photos to come when Bob has processed them.

Later,
Janet

A BIG THANK YOU

 My parents are so pleased with so many cards.  I want to thank all of you who took time from your busy lives to make a couple of 93 year olds so happy.  You are just the best :)


Do you love this artsy fartsy shot Bob took at Grey Towers in PA?


Janet

Please

Well it has become clear that I either need to "pea or get off the pot", as the expression goes.  Posting every few weeks is really not acceptable ( to me or you, I would imagine).  Despite having a wonderful life, I seem to have little that I feel like posting about.  So, I will do some soul searching re: my blog.

In the meantime I have a favor to ask.  This Thursday, 4/14, is my parents' 71st Wedding Anniversary.  Can you even fathom being married for 71 years?  I am trying to put together a "card shower" of sorts to make the occasion as memorable as possible.  They are both 93, very hard of hearing and they really don't like to go out to eat or anything like that.  We will be going up that weekend with some nice homemade food to share.

Would any of you be willing to send a card to them?  You could sign it "a friend of Janet" or something.  If you would like to do this the address is as follows:

address removed, please comment if you would like the address and I will e-mail it to you! 


Thanks so much!

Janet

Cuties

How cute are these?  $15 bucks at Target........run, don't walk :)

  and yes, that is a teensy, tiny tan line left on my foot!

Later,
Janet

It's a Jungle Out There :)

In Roatan, that is.  In Roatan we booked a private tour with a driver.  Sounds pretty darn posh, non? Well for $40. pp you can have a driver for the day take you anywhere you choose, wait for you while you swim, eat etc. We had a great driver who made sure we saw most of the island and took us to the Botanical Garden, the Monkey Farm and a pretty seaside place for a really reasonable lunch of local snapper.  It is HOT in the jungle, even in February and muggy?  Oh yeah!  Of course I chose the Botanical Garden because of Bob's love of photos of flowers.  It never occurred to me that in the jungle the botanical  garden would be, well...in the jungle.  Not many flowers as the sunlight doesn't really penetrate the canopy of trees and vines...I had my eye out for Tarzan...that many vines.  So here are some of the Roatan pics including me with Cappuchin monkey and a parrot.  Please note that I really need some new sunglasses that are big enough to cover part of my moon face :)

Look carefully...see the tiny lizard

Bob's favorite photo subject...a hibscus

 

We said Bob liked to take pictures of lighthouses...this , however is a restaurant made to look "like a lighthouse.  Beautiful view from the highest point of the island.

 

 

Fruit Loops, anyone?

 

 

I took this one while eating!

Next time you see House Hunters International visiting Roatan  think of me, OK?

Costa Maya

Sorry to leave you hanging...I haven't quite got the mojo to do a real post.  Here are some of the photos from Costa Maya.  We took a tour to the Chaccoben Mayan Ruins about an hour ( on a slow road) from Costa Maya.  Costa Maya is one of those places that didn't even have electricity until 9 years ago when a cruise port was carved out of the land.  There is a faux village type shopping area and not much else.  We had a wonderful guide on the bus who explained a lot about the Mayans and the Mayan lands;  she really made the trip go by in a flash.  Very poor countryside, but the ruins, which were uncovered in the mid to late 90s were fascinating.

See the black "spots" inside the hollow tree trunk?  Tarantulas...eek!

                                       The "faux" village beach area

 

Local cemetery

                                                    The lunar temple

                                                         The solar temple

 A teensy tiny orchid.  Apparently orchid flowering season had finished.

Did I mention it is hot in the jungle?   But, no whining since it was snowing back home!!

Next up...Roatan and Janet with Cappuchin monkey??

Janet