Day Off Outing

We had a great day on Thursday this week!  Beautiful warm summer's day, lots of blue skies, the mountains just a hazy blue in the distance. R and I took the day off and escaped from work, and it was a much needed respite.  We started our day with breakfast in town and I treated myself to French toast with strawberries and cream, with a really good cup of coffee.  Well satisfied, we headed out to the beach to just relax and do absolutely nothing.  I managed to take a few photos to share:

From the parking lot we follow a short little walk through the forest.

 The forest smells of the summer warmth on the trees. And the shadiness brings a nice cool relief.

Nice underbrush of ferns and other greenery.

 

 

Just ahead at the end, the path opens up to the beach.

 

And Ta-dah, there it is...

The tide was about half-way in, so it gave lots of shallow water to enjoy.

Families everywhere!

 Umbrellas, canopies and tents dotting the beach.

I love the colors on the umbrella...mmmm could be an inspiration for a crochet project. :)

So we enjoyed the sunshine and relaxed until the tide came up to cover the sandy parts.

This fellow might have been sleeping because he seemed a bit startled all of a sudden...I'd say maybe he didn't notice the tide coming in.

 

 Deer were everywhere today, a group of five, 3 of which had antlers headed off behind a condo just as we were leaving town, saw a few more on the drive to the beach.  A young deer making his way to the beach.  They blend in very well.

 Just a wee one... 

 

This one was in the parking lot as we left. We were driving very, very slowly, but it's like he had to race us to be able to cross in front of us....silly thing.  He wasn't quite sure if he should raise his tail to flag a warning or not...it went up, then down, then up, then down...too funny.

So we continued our meanderings...

 

Almost got as far as the next town, but turned right instead...it was "country time" today and we didn't feel like being in towny traffic.

Awe...that's better..........

 Still had some time after doing a few errands, so decided to stop for something to drink and a bite to eat.  We went to a little local pub and sat in the outdoor shaded area.

 

Nice little secluded place and we choose a table beside the little pond.  The pond has a turtle and some koi fish...couldn't find the turtle tho'.
 
Playing hide and seek with the fish. :)

 

 

Time to head home and back to work.  We really must try to take more time off as it does wonders for body and soul.  Ended the day with a rented movie called "Have a Little Faith", which I enjoyed very much but which put R in the land of nod.  All in all, a very good day.

Until next time, MO



Biscuits & Jam & Crochet

Thought I would stray from my normal oatmeal flavored with maple syrup breakfast that I have EVERY morning rain or shine.  So I made some biscuits to have with fresh strawberry jam and they were delish!  Here's my never fail, flakey biscuit recipe.

Biscuit Recipe:
2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 TB butter (or use margarine)
3/4 cup whole milk  (or use 2%)

Add sifted dry ingredients to the butter and mix evenly.  Add milk all at once, stir just until it is  puffy-moist. Turn out onto lightly floured surface, kneed just enough to keep it together.  Do not overwork the dough or it will not be flaky.  Pat dough into a 1 inch thick square, cut into squares or rounds as desired.  Place 1 inch apart on greased (or foil sprayed with Pam) cookie sheet.  Bake in 425 oven for 12 minutes or until golden.  Makes 10-12 biscuits.  (What I do sometimes is to roll out the dough until it's about 1/4 inch and then use a round cookie cutter to punch out little biscuits.  Then I put one round atop another to bake.  This makes a removable top to the biscuit.  Weird I know, but that's the way I like 'em.)

 

Notice that the rounds are stacked one atop another.

 

O Yum!  A dollop of real butter, with fresh strawberry jam!  And add a cuppa with frothy skim milk topped  with finely grated chocolate. 

 

 

 

A treat from my normal everyday breakfast...even tho' I luv my oatmeal!

 

Did some crochet this last weekend as well.  I made these mandala flowers, inspired by some of my favorite bloggers  (see those listed on my side bar).  I am still enamored by the mandala and did a small blog on the subject awhile back.  There is something very satisfying for me doing a colorful mandala...just going with the flow and choosing the colors that appeal to me at the moment.  No planning, just color and crochet. :)   And the colorful leaves are a bit of fun as well.  And added a few buttons to the centers for a little dimension.  I took these pictures outdoors on my patio table...these are kissed by the sun's brightness!

 

 

 This one I did up last night, but not sure what it will become as yet or how big it will get. 

 

Well, that was my weekend.  Nothing too exciting or earth-shattering...just some quiet summertime moments.  The sun is bright, skies are blue and 'summertime' is in full swing.  We are fortunate here on Vancouver Island, BC Canada in that the sea breezes cool off the evenings quite nicely.  I love the smell of summer...that mixture of everything warmed by the sun, the salty sea, and the fragrance of summer blooms.  LUV IT!!!

Until next time, MO

Coho Salmon...Yummy!

Hello
This week has been busy with summertime.  Lots of warm sunshine, blue skies, and ocean breezes. We were gifted with some fresh caught coho salmon.





I made a marinade for the salmon, and it was oh so good.

Recipe for Marinade:
2 finely chopped garlic cloves
6 TB oil  (I used a light veggie oil, olive oil is good too)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 T lemon juice
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley 
1/4 cup freshly chopped basil
Mix the above ingredients pour over fish and let marinate for 1 hour.  I used fresh herbs from my little garden.  Nothing beats fresh herbs!  I Pam sprayed the aluminum foil for easy clean up.






Cover with foil and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Heat over to 400.  Remove foil cover and bake salmon for 35 - 45 minutes depending on thickness.  Do not overcook or salmon with get dry.

I made a salad using: cucumber, tomato, yellow pepper, celery, crumbled feta cheese, salt & pepper and olive oil.  This goes soooooooooo well with salmon!

 

Also steamed some sticky rice in my rice cooker...I luv my rice cooker!!!  Cooked up some fresh peas and Ta-dah......a scrum-tilly-ish-ous summertime meal!!!

 

 

 

Summertime fishing seems to be doing well... coho and pink salmon and ling cod are what the sport fishermen are pulling in these days.

 

Until next time, MO