Author: ginnyinshanghai

This area was originally settled as a British trading post but after the United States acquisition, the town was incorporated and given the name of Apalachicola in 1831.  It has been a major cotton port, a  sponge trade industry but most recently famous for oysters.  At one time, more than 90% of Florida’s oyster production was harvested from Apalachicola Bay.   The oyster business is currently having a slump due to a variety of reasons, but will hopefully rebound soon.  Shrimping is also an important business and Miss Martha was docked right along the downtown water front.

The Grady Market is an easy walk across the street from Miss Martha.  There are rentable rooms above the mercantile below, but any time we have inquired they have all been booked.  Some time we will get there.

The craft brew business is alive with the Oyster City Brewing Company founded in 2014.  They have three unique brews to date – Apalach IPA, Hooter Brown Tupelo Honey Ale and Mill Pond Dirty Blonde Ale, my personal favorite.  The OCBC is cash only, no food served and draws a strong local crowd that spills into the open seating right outside of the establishment.

While Eric stopped for a brew, I headed over to ‘River Lily, a shop for your senses’.  It is one of those places that has been around since our first trips in the 1990s.  They have a wide variety of items, mostly appealing to the female crowd.  Soaps, lotions, stationary & cards, candle holders, novelty socks, scarves, beach clothing and the MOST amazing earrings & jewelry.  For years and years it was my favorite place to buy earrings (before I started making my own).

There’s just no way to showcase all of the cool places to shop. This trip had a specific purpose in mind and shopping was not the top priority.  However, we did find a super neat bar that opened in 2016 and has been a great addition to Apalachicola – Bowery Station. Located in the historic Bowery district, the owners wanted an eclectic little beer and wine bar that brings to life a little piece of old Apalach!  It welcomes locals and tourists alike to this fun casual location.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Live music happens Wednesday through Sunday and their schedule of bands is amazing for such a local place.    Saturday night the place welcomed back Highbeams, three brothers with true passion for music playing high-energy Folk Rock.  Boo Radley was playing Sunday and is well-known along the Forgotten Coast for their vocals, guitar and songwriting skills.

Okay, don’t laugh, but there’s another place we LOVE to visit, a grocery store…….PIggly Wiggly.

While there is no Publix (my absolute favorite!) grocery store in this Florida county a visit to the Piggly Wiggly is a must.  They are a locally owned, full service grocery store.  For such a small size, they have a wide variety of items, some of which we have a hard time finding at home.  I am a big fan of Community Coffee and they offer blends I’ve never seen anywhere else – we stock up when there!

Piggly Wiggly History Lesson – Americas first true self-service grocery store, founded in Memphis, TN in 1916.  It revolutionized the grocery industry and many of the conveniences that American shoppers now enjoy were introduced by the first Piggy Wiggly.  Exaples being the first to provide checkout stands, prices marked on every item in the store, high volume/low profit margin retailing, refrigerated cases to keep produce fresh longer and the list goes on.  Today there are more than 600 stores, serving communities in 17 states, primarily in the Southeast.

 

Tuesday we headed back home, but made a quick trip over to SGI to pick up some local shrimp.  Our normal guy wasn’t there, but Doug’s allowed us some fresh seafood purchases.

We did see something interesting along the bay as we were driving along US98, a ‘duck blind’ in the water.  Driving here on the weekend allowed us to see one of the duck blinds being used (sorry – no action photo, didn’t know what it was until after we passed it).  I had seen patches of palm fronds stuck along the bay in the water, but until we saw one being used, we had no idea.

(This photo really isn’t the best as the day we were leaving was a super low tide.)

We had one more (local) seafood meal before getting home:  Deal’s Famous Oyster House in Perry, FL.  “The finest people in the world come through that door” is heard any time someone comes in or out of this establishment.

It is an unassuming white building along the highway with lots of vehicles parked in front.  It has some of the best seafood in the region – fried of course.  We started with their smoked mullet fish dip (left bowl, cole slaw on the right), served with a sleeve of saltines and it was excellent!

Eric had to have one more order of raw oysters before leaving this part of the state.

I had a fried flounder sandwich (left) while Eric had more oysters – fried this time.  I’ve got to say………………most of the time when I get a fried fish sandwich, I leave the bun and only eat the fish.  This was the perfect fish sandwich.  Home-made tartar sauce, iceberg lettuce leaves, a squeeze of lemon and a ripe tomato combined for a tasty treat.

Taking this ‘explorative’ trip in January solidified our thoughts about Apalachicola – it’s where we want to be upon retirement.

Oh yes, ending on a teaser……we found a lot in town and made an offer.

 

 

 

 

 

The Panhandle of Florida is one of our favorite areas to visit.  We’ve never visited this time of the year and this is an ‘explorative’ trip, seeing how we like the area during a non-touristry season.  We have stayed at nearby St. George Island many times (since early 1990s) and visited Apalachicola, but never with this purpose.  The next four days will be spent exploring the city and surrounding area.

it’s roughly a five-hour drive, taking a scenic, non-interstate route.  Rocky’s is our normal stopping point, a chance to stretch our legs and walk through their store.

And the store is amazing!  Combination gas station, eatery, truck stop, fishing supplies, convenience store, deer stands, animal feed, crab & pinfish traps, scalloping supplies and the list continues.  We needed gas.

There is a BBQ competition this weekend in Apalachicola, their first such event and one that they are trying to grow into an annual event.  Since we’re were arriving late, we stopped to check it out before going to our hotel.

Music was part of the event as the judging was occurring.

The whole event was winding down so we headed to our hotel, Water Street Hotel & Marina.  It’s a fairly new place that we have never stayed at and tried it for a change of pace.

There was a welcome committee that never moved as we went inside.  I assumed they’re siblings. Throughout the weekend, we kept running into the cats.  One evening they followed us to our room on the fist floor and was used to being invited inside (but not us – sorry kitties).

Our room was much nicer than what I expected.  It has a small kitchen, two bedrooms – one with bunk beds – and a screen porch that overlooks the Apalachicola River.

After dropping off the luggage we started walking.  We’re close enough to walk to the downtown area which was very fortuitous.  We walked past a new storefront that had a name from the past:  Betsy’s Sunflower.  When we started visiting in the 1990s, this was the coolest store.  I bought so many linens, dishes and food items, Eric tried to limit my spending, ha!  They just had things in that store that I couldn’t seem to find anywhere else!

We had to step inside the store and ask the question……….were they related to the other store?  Yes!  It is the same owner. 🙂  She left in 2005, headed for Maine and recently scoured Apalachicola to find another store front in the town to reopen her store in Florida.  Yeah!!!!!  She graciously allowed me a photo.  She mentioned how she has heard numerous stories from shoppers that remembered her other store.  Betsey is on the left.

There are just too many things in her store to capture in a few photos but since my purchases in the past always involved linens, I couldn’t resist.

Our walk had a purpose in mind, dinner.  After checking restaurant hours over the next few days, we settled on ‘Hole in the Wall’ since Saturday night would be our only opportunity on this trip to eat there.

There are several ‘salty’ characters and the lady that controls it all (Barbara) keeps all the men in line.  There’s no photo on purpose, she wouldn’t stand still for such nonsense.  This gentleman does all of the shucking and preps the oysters.

Eric had to start with oysters, since Apalachicola is the ‘oyster capital of the world’.  While 1 1/2 dozen didn’t nearly satisfy his craving, it was a start. Yes, I ate one and they were good.  🙂

This fish dip is always a great starter and suited my appetite more.  Somehow fish dip always taste better when eaten near the coastline.

And the seafood baskets (grouper, oyster), fried of course………….

It’s just a fun place to grab a bite to eat.  When there is only the two of us, we sit at the bar.  Eric never met a person he couldn’t strike up a conversation.

Main street had an ‘old-fashioned soda fountain’.  After walking the block, we stopped and we shared a chocolate malt to ‘fill in the cracks’ our dinner didn’t.

Saturday was a good beginning to our weekend trip.  It gave us a chance to see another side of Apalachicola.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Southern Tradition for a New Years Day meal dictates a few things not commonly (ok – not at all) seen while growing up in the Midwest.  These are supposed to bring you good luck for the year to come:  black-eyed peas, greens, cornbread and pork.

Let’s start with the black-eyed peas.

They are supposed to be ‘mystical’ and bring good luck.  They became much more common after the Civil War when it was one of the few things readily available to eat.

Greens, our own home-grown collards are mixed with mustard greens.

These are to symbolize wealth.  They are green  like money and will ensure you a financially prosperous new year.

Pork and cornbread are also generally part of this tradition.

A lot of cultures associate a pig with good luck because they use their snout to ‘root forward’ as they eat, embracing challenges.  The cornbread represents gold and who doesn’t want more gold (or wealth).

So let’s talk about the pork.  There are sooooo many ways to eat pork, but is any way better than smoked?  Not in this house hold.  Eric spent a good part of the morning, smoking the pork roast.

But he bumped it up a notch…by covering the meat with bacon while it smoked.

Really? Really!  You just knew it was going to be mighty tasty……….and it was.

I couldn’t find any tradition that mentioned a specific dessert, so I made one of my favorite.

It starts out with a yellow cake mix and through the addition of various types of chocolate and other secret ingredients,  it comes out like this.  One of the finest cakes around!

While the weather on New Years Day was okay, within a few days, we had some of the chilliest weather to hit Florida in years.

OMG – cold, wet, rainy, windy, yikes!  I pulled out my flannel-lined jeans (a life saver – just saying) and spent time outside preparing our plants.  In years past, this was really involved, bringing every pot into the garage and covering in-ground plants with frost-cloth, pegging down the corners and building-up edges to keep everything protected.  Not so much anymore.

I look at the cold weather as nature’s opportunity for pruning.  The plants may suffer some cold damage, but don’t totally croak.  Most of the plants we grow now are generally cold-tolerant. They may not love the coldest temps but I finally outgrew the fascination with tropical plants that grow only in south Florida where it never/rarely freezes or has a frost.

Sometimes we are lucky enough to be growing something that only gets better with the chilly temps, such as cabbage and the collards seen below.  There is a little tiny head of cabbage forming in the left photo.  Last year we harvested almost 10 full heads of cabbage and enjoyed the fruits of our labor for months.

The other potted plants are clustered near the side of the house in front of the garage doors.  The escaping heat is usually enough to keep them alive.  That and being sure they are well watered.

My tomatoes are a different story.  They look beautiful!  The developing fruit is about the size of my fist.

The vines have grown so well, the tomato plants are surround by an additional 5 wire cages to keep the vines off the ground and the stems from breaking under the weight of the fruit.  Again, absolutely beautiful plants and fruits – just saying.  🙂

This is where Eric got to play.  He built a framework around the tomato plants.  You just never know when you will find a use for duct tape.

Added some lights……….

Yes, those are Christmas lights in the second photo.  The next step was to wrap the plants in frost-cloth.  Once the temps plummet, the micro-climate inside should be enough to keep the plants alive and relatively untouched.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Thursday night and Friday should be the worst and then a gradual warming.

So, no we don’t have it nearly as bad as most of the nation, but once you live in Florida, your blood thins out.  Temps that most people tolerate by wearing a long-sleeve shirt, we wear coats.   That’s life in Florida.

 

We’re luckier than most and have good friends (really family) that have allowed us to be part of their Christmas celebration essentially since their boys were born.  Eleven years ago they moved to north Florida, but we continue being together for the holiday.  Our Christmas starts with a drive to the ‘frigid’ north (more on that later).

Ponte Vedra Christmas 2017

The details are hard to see in this photo, but Karen has a great tree, keeping  to a nautical theme.  She’s been collecting for a number of years and continues to add ones that catch her eye.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We’ve also become friends with their neighbors and started our holiday weekend with dinner together.

While the steaks were really good, I LOVED the desserts, especially the cake.  Thanks Karen for making John’s favorite cake!  Good thing he took some home since it continued to ‘shrink’ throughout the weekend.

The boys graciously (kind of) allowed a few photos in front of the tree Christmas morning.  They were a lot more fun when they were younger – just saying.

Through the years, there have been a few traditions that are consistent each Christmas holiday.  One that Rich grew up with was Christmas morning sausage balls.  While it doesn’t involve a long list of ingredients (sausage, Bisquick & cheese), it’s kind of messy.  A twist  this year was the guys were ‘hands-on’ with making and cooking this breakfast delicacy.

Usually sharp cheddar cheese is used but this year another type of cheese was added – goat cheese.  Its great, as long as you like the flavor of goat cheese – it’s an acquired taste.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes and breakfast is ready.  🙂

Another tradition is a visit to their nearby beach.  Some years have been warmer than others, this one wasn’t too bad.  We invite everyone but the group changes each year.  We had a nice addition today.

We enjoyed a few appetizers in the afternoon, some of which appealed to a select few and others had a wider appeal.   The oysters were grilled and topped with herbed butter and Eric’s new smoked salt.  The second batch included grated cheddar cheese.

The guys fried the turkey outside – it was the best yet.

The whole day was very laid-back.  Late afternoon the guys started on the turkey and we got the side dishes going inside.

We concluded our evening watching a recent Marvel movie release – Guardians of The Galaxy 2.  It was pretty good. Not sure my aunt really understood it……but she was a good sport and stayed through to the end.

After Karen left for work the next morning, we casually packed up our stuff (I’m sure we left something…) and went out for an early lunch with the boys.  We decided on Aunt Kate’s on the River for some seafood before leaving the area.

Between all of us we have a variety of appetizers and entres, sticking with the seafood theme.

After one last group photo, we headed south to Clermont.

Clermont Christmas 2017

While hard to see, we also have a theme going on our tree……Mickey!  Oh yes, and also the Grinch – my favorite Christmas movie of all time.  🙂

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Another (much) smaller tree focuses on home-made ornaments and a paper chain the boys made for me before leaving this area.  I’ve kept it all these (11+) years and continue to find a place each year for it to be used.

We snacked on oysters, prior to unwrapping presents, adding some (home-grown) jalapeno for an extra kick.

Some gifts were known, but we each had a few surprises under the tree.

At the top, I mentioned the ‘frigid north’.  We wore pants and jackets during part of our time in North Florida but once we got home – shorts were needed!  We laugh that the temps are so different, in just a few short travel hours within Florida.

Though not extensive, we did have a few additional holiday touches at home.  

While not usually shown in photos, we have two cats, one of which in past years caused much consternation with our Christmas tree.  She liked to climb the branches and we would return home to find (1) branches on the floor or (2) branches bent at an unnatural angle (she’s a big cat).  We actually strap the tree stand to the table and have used guide wires in the past to secure the tree to the bookcase behind it for extra security.  It appears that this year she finally outgrew that habit.  She’s keeping an eye on things, but from below and not above.

It was a good Christmas!  🙂  The season started with my sister & husband’s visit early December and is almost over with New Year’s Eve rapidly approaching.  I’m leaving with a few photos courtesy of my sister (see, I gave you credit!).

AND

 

 

 

 

 

While this isn’t a typical blog post from one of our trips, it has been a journey nevertheless – 35 years in the making.  In the summer of 1982, after college graduation, I landed a position in this new park being built in Florida called Epcot Center.  Of course I had been to the Magic Kingdom during our Florida vacations, but had never heard of this new park under construction,  however, my mom did.

Turns out, a Purdue professor had left the academic world to become part of this project.  So I had a name to start with.  Quite frankly, I don’t remember the details now but I managed to set up an interview during my family’s Florida vacation in May 1982.  Myself and a friend drove over from New Smyrna Beach the morning of my interview and got hopelessly lost.  The secretary’s directions for my first of several interviews that day were fairly vague.  When I showed up at the Casting Center- behind Disney University, in the middle of nowhere – I was probably 2 hours late.  All interviews were being conducted through the Maintenance Department hiring system and Bob (my interviewer) was not warm and fluffy.  His words were “What are you doing here, you’re not on my calendar.”  I still remember to this day, his coffee mug on his desk.  It had a decal from one of the service branches.  Yep, this was a tough guy.

Okay, so I spent 15-ish minutes with him, first explaining why I was there and who set this up before driving over to the construction site for the next two interviews in the Horticulture office.  Eventually, I was brought to the actual greenhouses and walked through the sandy construction site, in a dress and heels with the (former) Purdue professor.    The last stop for the day was back to meet with Bob in the afternoon for his interview.  Done.  He was a bit more cordial.

Got a phone call June 7 from Bob.  Why do I remember the date……….it was my birthday.  I was kind of ‘excited, giddy, over-whelmed, chatty, nervous’ and distinctly remember accepting the position and also telling Bob it was my birthday.  I was getting my first dose of pixie dust.  I met him again late June to sign my paperwork and never saw him again.  Everyone and I do mean everyone that was hired in Maintenance and Horticulture for years and years and years knew Bob W. because that was the pathway to get hired.  I still wonder to this day if the phone call was planned for that specific day or just a coincidence.  It just doesn’t sound like something a Maintenance hiring manager would do, the magic was starting.

Fast forward to 2017.  By this time I have worked at the Land for 8 years, moved to Resorts for 8 years (see a pattern?) and settled into the Merchandise division.  I’ve worked at Epcot, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Disney Springs and Sports & Recreation (water parks).  Can’t forget one of my top highlights………opening up Disney’s Shanghai Resort!

But this post is about the day we celebrated my 35th Anniversary.  My leader’s admin needed a contact from my team to (secretly ?!?) set everything up, ensure I was gone while everyone gathered and ‘surprise’ me as I walked in the door.  The name I gave her was perfect for this task.  She worked with Eric to get me out the door for lunch while invitees came to our office.  Eric started getting texts to ‘stall, we’re ready, oops-stall again, ready now, come’.  He finally let me read the texts as he was driving and I texted back (as Eric) we were minutes away.

Walking into the office, I was still surprised at the people gathered.

There were cast and friends from various parts of my journey.  My current leader, Kartika had prepared some highlights to share with the group.

While my husband is in the background of the above photo, there is another individual that is part of select service celebrations, one of the Disney Ambassadors.  He speaks on the behalf of the company and presents a special pin, only available from this select group.

My husband had another surprise up his sleeve……………….a vase of my favorite flowers, peonies.  They don’t grow in Florida but can be ordered through select floral wholesalers.

There was a cake, chocolate with a berry filling between the layers.

A photo with my Vice President of Epcot, whom I truly respect and admire.

My team created a unique memory token signing a clay flower pot, knowing that growing things are a pastime of mine.

Reaching this milestone comes with a few select items including my 35th Anniversary Statue and my pin, which was the first photo seen at the top of this posting.  A little bit of trivia…………this statue is the only one that has any color, a red apple.

This was undoubtedly my best service anniversary celebration of the seven that I have personally experienced.  Stay tuned for a near-future posting of the property-wide celebration held recently at the Magic Kingdom.

 

 

 

 

Can’t believe it!  We got another weekend in December where the Gulf tides are good and the weather is holding on so that we can head west for a day of fishing.  We should be doing other things………………………like putting up our Christmas tree, wrapping presents, writing our Christmas letter & cards or putting the final touches on gifts we made, or heck, just go fishing.

While the rest of the nation was enduring canceled flights and chilly temps, we’re sweating and wearing shorts and t-shirts.  Yes, these are the exact reasons we moved to Florida, but after 7+ months of heat, we were looking for a break.   Looking at me as we left the boat ramp, you wouldn’t guess the weather was right for fishing.  I had on 5 layers (t-shirt, Columbia fishing shirt, Columbia fleece zip-up, windbreaker and my life vest).  A buff covered my ears and I also pulled on gloves.  Maybe just maybe, I had a beach towel wrapped around my waist over my Columbia fishing pants.  In my defense, the weather was going to warm up (eventually), but when we departed it was only 59 F.

Not a lot of people were on the water – hmmm, wonder why.  Okay, enough grousing, now for the good stuff.  We motored out through the channel and headed to our honey hole.  We had 3+ hours before the top of the high tide and the first hour or so was a bust.  You know it’s bad when even the bait-stealers aren’t taking your shrimp.

But then it changed……….and the fish began to bite.  Unfortunately all of our catch were not a legal size to keep.  I finally caught a trout over the minimum (15″) and had four keepers one right after each other.  We were at the back-end of the tide and the flow must have been right for the fish to bite.  It was looking like it was going to be a shut out, until Eric brought this beauty in.

We both hooked small reds throughout the morning, but this was the only one within the slot (slot being 18″- 27″).

Ultimately, we came home with a nice cooler of fish.

Eric didn’t really appreciate the addition of rosemary to my fish picture.  I thought it added something!  Otherwise, it would just look like a photo from a previous fishing day.

 

The trout that were keeper size were primarily my catch.  The largest was 18″.

Usually we bring a variety of species to the boat, but  not today.  Guess they were just too cold to eat.

We got home at a decent time but then its time to ‘unpack’ the boat.  It’s not a lot of fun.

Coolers, life vests, ropes, tackle, buckets and other assorted stuff comes off the boat and into the garage on a designated shelf.  Okay, guess I’ll also admit that Eric did most of the unpacking.

Fish swimming this morning were dinner in the evening.  Eric froze the redfish and extra trout filets and served the below for dinner.

The trout was served ‘meuniere’ style, basically a brown butter lemon sauce.  Dirty rice and green beans completed the plate.  A ‘prickly pear’ margarita was served alongside.

It was great getting in one more day of fishing before the end of 2017.

Finally!  We had great weather on our days off, no previous commitments, good high & low  coastal tides which when all combined equaled a chance to go fishing.  Bonus being my sister and her husband were visiting so we all enjoyed the time on the water together.

Putting in at Pete’s Pier meant we run down Crystal River before reaching the Gulf – approximately a 25 minute boat ride.  There is always interesting things to see and this day was no exception.  We ran across a shrimp boat and a crabber checking his traps.

First catch of the day was a blue crab – on a jig baited with a live shrimp.  That crab was not letting go of the shrimp, no matter what.  Lance brought it on board and if only I had my camera/video handy because the whole deal was quite the rodeo.  We were all shocked that it was lifted onboard, then knocked loose, almost hitting my aunt.  Everybody was scrambling.  Eric joined the melee and it hooked onto his shoe for dear life – until it ended up in the cooler (just chilling  🙂 ).

Things after that slowed down, way down.  I obviously had the ‘knack’ for catching lizardfish and hooked more than 12+ during the day.   If I got lucky, they got off the hook before being pulled into the boat.  Let’s just say that I was the queen for catching those.

Then I seemed to get stuck with hooking another undesirable fish, Jack crevalle – small  ones. .

Once in a while, I would catch a few of these:

Eric caught the first keeper fish – a mackerel.

Then he got the second keeper fish……..a 26″ redfish.  It was caught on a bobber that was thrown out behind the boat with one of my tiny, trash fish used for bait.

It was when he caught a keeper trout (remember, I was still catching lizardfish) that I needed to change positions. He was catching his fish from the back of the boat, throwing into a deep channel, letting the tide carry along his bait.  Soon after switching locations, I got a mack and a trout.

Yes, the above photo is slightly unusual with the net, but the trout had thrown the hook and the net was the only thing keeping the fish on board.

About the time we were running low on shrimp, it was time to head in.  The others allowed me a selfie before landing the boat.

We had so many macks that Eric gave a few to a gentleman fishing alongside the boat ramp, but otherwise, we had a nice cooler of fish (and crab) for our day on the water.

Fish swimming during the day……………becomes dinner at night.  The mack we ate two different ways, the first being sushi.  Eric had some spicy cukes that accompanied the sushi.  It was a nice contrast.

The remaining mack was broiled and topped with the crab meat while the redfish was blackened.  Eric got to use his ‘fancy’ lemon squeezers he first saw on a trip to France.  Cole slaw rounded out our meal.

Always a great day when you can spend time on the water and an even better day when you catch (edible) fish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Numerous years ago, we started a new tradition, eating out for Thanksgiving.  This came about for a variety of reasons, primarily because we both work on that day and dinner (if cooked at home) would realistically be late in the evening.  Then we would still have dishes to wash.  😦

Where to eat………something uniquely Florida……….. Columbia 1905 Spanish Restaurant in Celebration.

For this day only, they have two menus, their original one and a traditional Thanksgiving menu.

There are two important components of eating at Columbia……….the Cuban bread

and of course the sangria.  It is made table-side and they have several to choose from. We ordered the ‘traditional’ red sangria.  The table next to us ordered the champagne sangria and you can see the ingredients on the tray he’s using.

Only Beverly and I are drinking the Sangria since Eric is the designated driver tonight.  🙂

Eric started with their famous “1905” salad…………

………which is also made table-side.

Sorry, no photo of the finished salad.  Once Eric got the plate, we both dug into it.  We’ve made this salad at home several times after Eric searched the internet for a recipe.

Shortly thereafter, our main entre’s arrived.  First we got Beverly’s turkey dinner:

My ‘La Completa Cubana combo’ arrived next – Empanada de Picadillo, roast pork a la Cubana, Boliche Criollo (stuffed beef), yucca, plantanos and black beans & rice:

It is WAY too much food, but I also have leftovers to take to work the next day.  It is absolutely delicious and I pretty much order the same thing each time.  Eric ordered the seafood paella:

The seafood included shrimp, clams, mussels, calamari, scallops and lobster.

Beverly topped off her meal with key lime pie.

Eric and I shared their chocolate bread pudding and yes, there was WAY too much dessert on that plate.  I can’t imagine one person having room for all of it.

While the posting is a few days (okay almost a week) after Thanksgiving, we all hope everyone had a good turkey day filled with lots of good food and company.

   

 

 

 

 

I added another ‘page’ at the top of the blog titled “EATS!”.  Part of life’s journey is about the food and occasionally the creation of meals.  While no notifications will appear each time something is added, take a look once in a while and see what has been added.  Enjoy.

We planned a quick trip to Ponte Vedra to see Rich, Karen and the boys.  We both worked Friday and drove up afterwards.  Man – the traffic was a drag.  It was bumper to bumper for hours (well, at least it seemed like hours, and hours and hours).  We generally drive up on Saturday after work and we could definitely tell the difference that day.

The plan was to eat at their Friday Night Food Truck with friends, but the area was also celebrating Halloween and only the guys went to the Food Truck event. I ate with Karen and the boys at a local restaurant and it was perfect for us.  We stayed up talking, while the guys were out back on their porch.  Usually I’m the first one to crash and generally asleep before 11pm.  It was after midnight before I headed upstairs to our bed – probably a first.  Must be the cold air kept me awake (at least cold to me………..).

The guys went shooting Saturday morning and Eric came back pleased with his shooting.  The others participate in these events regularly and Eric does not.  Meanwhile, Karen and I sorted through our jewelry making supplies to see what we could accomplish in a few days. We took an early afternoon break and ate at the Maple Street Biscuit Company.  She had taken me there once before and on our last trip, it was closed when we stopped by.  I’ve  had a hankering for their menu ever since.  I ordered the chicken club biscuit with Ranch dressing and we split the cinnamon raison biscuit for dessert.  Their menu board looks great and I’ve got to try some of their other biscuits.

Both were might tasty.  Now that we were ‘fortified’, we headed back to make jewelry.  In the past I had only made earrings but this weekend I wanted to make a necklace.  It had to be something simple enough to complete by Sunday evening.  There are two necklaces I wear that have garnered compliments in the past.  My goal was to copy that style using a different color of beads.  Shockingly………I was able to finish two necklaces.  They are long enough to wear several ways.

Meanwhile, Karen put the finishing touches on a wrap bracelet for me.  I had thought it would be mostly worn on the weekend for casual wear, but twice this week at work I had it on.  Totally didn’t expect the second bracelet.  There had been a delay with the wrap bracelet so Karen made the other one.  It wasn’t necessary, but I love the colors. It is different from any of my others,

Monday, the kids had to go to school, Rich had to sign-in from his home office and Karen went to work!  She got a job at the end of the summer, setting up a new Hobby Lobby store and has continued to work their inventory deliveries.  She’s tried to quit several times and they won’t let her.  It’s pretty cool that she sees all the new things that are arriving and also set up her own Merchandise displays.

We packed up and searched for a breakfast spot before the drive home.  Lo and behold, we found a place in St. Augustine called  ‘The Spot”.

Its small, serves down-home food and at 10am wasn’t too crowded.  We sat at the bar to fully soak in the ambiance.  The coffee mugs were typical of a diner………..

……advertising every business, but their own.  Eric ordered a Southwest skillet with fried eggs, salsa and chili that topped breakfast potatoes.  I ordered the (half) order of sausage gravy & biscuits, topped with two fried eggs  (you can’t see the eggs for the grated cheese – more calories, groan).

Once again we headed south and came across a seafood market – Kyle’s.  Their seafood was fresh and their mullet smoked in-house.

Later that night we had the shrimp for dinner. It was combined with some veggies and a tomato sauce.  Each of us had a different version of the shrimp recipe.  Mine included chunks of avocado and his had cilantro added (yuck).

As an appetizer before the shrimp, Eric took the smoked mullet fillets and made a <delicious> seafood dip.  Sorry, no photo, not a lot of color in fish dip. 🙂

 

It was a great weekend trip.  Loved the cooler temps which gets us ready for Fall to arrive, with the bonus of being with our good friends.