The strangest things.................deep in the heart of Texas. We were just minding our own business, driving into downtown Dallas (or was it uptown? so confusing in the lone star star state) when these bizarre creatures kept dropping from the sky. Well, it sure as heck wasn't superman.................it was an invasion of giant hot air balloons. And no.........I would not like to ride in your beautiful balloon. Maybe later.
Here I am in Big D and already the number one son has put me to work in the kitchen. (You know how I try to avoid the place - the kitchen, I mean - not Dallas. Well, maybe if my kitchen were this gi-normous, I might consider hanging out there more often.)
I swear the boy never displayed a flair for manipulating pizza dough in any of my kitchens. You should have seen him tossing this dough in the air and twirling it around above our heads with absolutely no concern for possible mishaps and dire consequences.
The finished product..............a million mushroom, double cheese (I think there were shallots in there somewhere too) pizza fit for the most discriminating gourmand. I know you're asking, but there was no photo-shopping going on - this is what the actual pizza really looked like. Tasted even better than it looked.
Ah, the jig is up..............who wouldn't love a daughter-in-law who could make a pizza like this one? We must confess, Kari is the chef behind the chef d'oeuvre. She just let us help with the easy stuff.
December 2007. Doesn't the Gulf look gorgeous along the seawall? Yes, this is the same seawall you've been seeing on the news. Things sure do look different on TV.
I'm at a local restaurant where you could eat delicious crab fingers (my favorite dish at the time) and keep an eye on the Gulf across the street. I'm sure it isn't there now - the restaurant, not the Gulf.
The Gulf never jumped this high while we were in Galveston. Of course, you know everything is bigger in Texas, evidently including the waves. Surf is definitely up, but I bet those traffic lights won't be much longer.
Hopefully, these people are leaving the island before Ike slaps them around. Warnings were posted, and the authorities instructed people to write their social security numbers on their arms if they chose to stay behind. Yikes!
Some days are just not another day in paradise. Doesn't make much difference whether Ike was a cat2 or a cat3 hurricane; almost everything that stood in his way was reduced to toothpicks.
Ya know, going to the beach is no picnic. Well, it can be................but let's not get into that right now. I'm of the you-only-need-a-beach-towel school, but the DH insists on lugging chairs and umbrellas and a beach bag, for heaven's sake. I think it has something to do with the Boy Scout motto. I should be thankful that we're not pitching a tent. Shhhh.......let's not give him any ideas.
This big lightning whelk was stranded way up on the beach during high tide and had hunkered down in the sand with only his pointy end sticking up out of the sand a bit. I was hoping nobody was home.........
but alas! he's still in there, and I have to hike down to the water and place him back in his habitat. That deed should bring me good karma because shells this size fetch about $30-$40 in the local shell shops. Surprisingly, the lightning whelk is the state shell of Texas and illegal to capture live there, as well.
An angel wing, a cockle, some conchs, and a bottle of Evian..........a perfect day at the beach.
If you've never searched for shells, I cannot explain to you the pure joy of discovering one of these treasures on the sand or in the water. The people in the distance are doing the Sanibel Stoop as opposed to the Captiva Crawl. Trust me, everybody does it.
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Look! I found a sea shell by the sea shore. Is life good or what?
No doubt. I'm sure you can tell by looking at these two beauties that blondes really do have more fun. I only wish that I could be as blonde as they are.....or as young......or as fun.
I don't know why she's smiling (she insists we bring her good karma), but I've had a glass of wine. That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it.
Rumor has it that one or t'other of this comely couple is actually a pit bull. Don't know which one, but I refuse to believe it. Come on.........have you ever seen an attack dog with a gorgeous smile like those?
One of these lovebirds (not the one you think) brought home the bacon and fried it up in a pan: the other one did the dishes, which is life as it should be.
You might recognize the people pictured as some of our Michigan friends, but you might not realize that all of them (and many more) helped to make the time we spent in Ann Arbor very, very special. They are often in our thoughts and frequently in our conversations. We expect to see them all in Florida when winter comes to Michigan. Just wait. We may be dodging hurricanes now, but come February, they'll be asking themselves, "Now who do we know in Florida?" People here say that you don't know how many friends you have til you move to Florida.
We'll see.
First thing.....I can't wait to get my feet in the lake. For sure......the water is never as warm as the gulf, but water is not really supposed to be that warm, is it? Otherwise, where is the cooling off on a hot summer day? However, there have been days when I've waded into the Grand Lac and lost all feeling in my feet; nevertheless, I've seen people swimming when thermal sensitivity advises otherwise. Those Michiganders sure are tough.
Our last day, the weather turned much cooler (Michigan), hinting that autumn was not far away..........or maybe it was just the remnants of Fay following us north.
More clouds today, and the waves do not tiptoe in to shore on quiet little feet. I wasn't actively searching, but I found a piece of sea glass on the beach. Always fun to imagine where it's been and what it was.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beach_glass
I never tire of this view. I've threatened to pitch a tent and stay forever.
