MONDAY MORNING FOOD POST - SWEETWATER TAVERN

 

No recipe again as the warmer weather is keeping us out of the kitchen. We are eating a lot of salads or other quick meals. Just in case you would like to try one of my old recipes, this link will take you to a crockpot meal for Spaghetti Bolognese. 

As for today's post, I realized I hadn't shared a visit to a restaurant when our family was visiting from Germany. It was the last night of their vacation. A little poignant knowing we would be seeing them off at the airport the next day, but we had a wonderful time together. Great company with lots of laughter and good food, a perfect ending to a very special time together.

The statue with cowboy and rearing horse is magnificent close up, though I would prefer a more peaceful-looking sculpture. It's supposed to represent the Old West.

Inside it is decorated in a southwestern theme. Even the lights had horses and riders. 

The mirror was above our table...

with a closer view of the American Indian Hopi Kachina doll folk art. And as I always do with things that make me curious, I did a quick overview search. "Hopi Kachina dolls are carved representations of spiritual beings central to Hopi religion and culture, serving as messengers between humans and the divine. They are primarily made by the Hopi people of northeastern Arizona. 

Originally these dolls were made as gifts for young Hopi girls. The Kachina figures represent spiritual beings that aid the Pueblo cultures in survival, specifically teaching young girls about the connection between the spiritual and the natural worlds. Their primary purpose was, and continues to be, to teach Hopi children about the various Kachinas, their associated stories and their religious significance.”

The history of the Hopi Peoples can be found here.

These are the meals ordered by the family. 

Thanks for looking and 

have a great day!

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - WHY DID THE…

 

A groaner, because we haven’t had one of those for a while.

“Why did the T-Rex cross the road?”

Are you ready?

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“Because the chickens hadn’t evolved yet!”

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Well, I said it was a groaner but hope it brought you a smile.

Thanks for the visit and

have a great day!

SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER - CLAMS AND CRABS?

 Blodwyn the Bluebird is all of a dither.

Meet Cam the Clam. He swam up the wrong estuary and is far from home. Blodwyn was a little surprised, but she found he was a likeable soul and not all snapping clamshell, an absolute pearl of a clam. 

Here's Clarence the Crab who followed his friend the clam up the estuary. Clarence likes to hug everyone as it is in his nature and Mommy and Daddy Crab showed him love with lots of hugs. Thankfully someone saw his problem and saved the day.

Yay, hugs for everyone said Clarence the Crab!

The next day they were taken to the aquarium, put in a big tank full of sea water and taken home. They had quite a story to tell their family and friends.

And this ends another whimsical tale, because that's how it goes on a

Saturday Morning at the Bird Feeder...

where one never knows which deep sea trench Camera Lady's imagination is going to fall into, poor dear. 

Have a great weekend everyone, and thanks for swimming by.

For our international visitors so that they can see what's going on via my translation gadget on my side bar.

1st photo: 

"What on earth is this?"

2nd photo: 

"Think yourself lucky. Mine came with pinchers and they are huge! He keeps wanting to give me a hug. That makes me nervous."

3rd photo: 

"Oh boy!" 

"I'm safe now. Camera Lady gave me her oven gloves."

"She means well!"

MY NIECE'S SUNRISE PHOTO AND A POEM

When we took a trip down to North Carolina, my niece took this photo on 4-16-25 at sunrise. I thought it was gorgeous and I asked her if I could share it on here. She was happy to say yes. Thank you my sweet, you are greatly missed!

"The tide recedes but leaves behind

bright sea shells on the sand.

The sun goes down, but gentle

warmth still lingers on the land.

The music stops, and yet it echoes

on in sweet refrains…

for every joy that passes,

something beautiful remains…"

and the sun will rise again.

~author unknown~

WALNEY POND - LAST POST UNTIL THE NEXT VISIT

I am always drawn to the water lilies. There is a large carpet of them on the pond and you can see those photos here if you missed them.

I found this graphic online.

More facts can be found here at the Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in Washington DC. We were here once and are way overdue for a visit. It's a marvelous place!

The next photo is called the Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera). There is a lot of information here. It is one of the tallest and most beautiful eastern hardwoods, with a long, straight trunk, a narrow crown that spreads with age, and large showy flowers resembling tulips or lilies. It is a tall straight, deciduous tree that grows to 150 feet tall (sometimes taller), has a medium to narrow crown and distinctive, star-shaped foliage. The yellow-orange, tulip-like flowers are often missed because they are up to 50 ft. or higher in the tops of trees. Their cone-shaped seedheads remain after leaves have fallen.

The trees are native to eastern North America. Specifically their natural range extended from southern Ontario and possibly southern Quebec, south toe Florida and Louisiana, and west to Illinois and Michigan. They are a common sight in the eastern United States, thriving in various habitats like woodlands, protected by hillsides and wooded valleys.

Introduced into Europe from Virginia by the earliest colonists and grown also on the Pacific Coast. Very tall trees with massive trunks existed in the primeval forests but were cut for the valuable soft wood. Pioneers hollowed out a single log to make a long, lightweight canoe. One of the chief commercial hardwoods, Yellow Poplar is used for furniture, as well as for crates, toys, musical instruments, and pulpwood.

I was too late to see it blooming on this particular visit, but I went on a hunt through my old blog and found the following two photos taken in 2009.

I got the settings wrong on this photo as it was a bit washed out to look at. I tried to darken it a little but need an expert. I need to find the book! It's a Pickerel Weed and I go into more detail at this post if you scroll down.

Shared before but wanted to include this pretty pink Swamp Rose. This link will give more info where I go into more detail.

I first shared the photo (taken at Walney) and the quote here, but felt it worthy of doing so again

We have been coming to Walney Pond for many years, and if you want to see those posts you can click here. Much too many to see in one sitting but you may enjoy one or two.

Thanks so much for visiting, and a thank you to all those who comment. I hope everyone has a great day!

MORE ABOUT BEES

 An old photo of mine taken near Walney Pond Visitor Center in 2011.  The old beehive isn't there anymore, long worn out but I am glad I have this photo. 

I found this interesting snippet online the other day.

"Telling the Bees - In an old Western European tradition, bees were seen as part of the household and needed to be told when major life events happened. Deaths, births, marriages, even someone leaving or returning home, all would be quietly whispered to the hive.

Why? Because forgetting to tell the bees was said to bring misfortune: they might stop making honey, abandon the hive or even die.

This custom may have roots in Celtic belief, where bees were thought to move between the world of the living and the spirit world. The presence of a bee after death was once seen as a sign the soul was departing.

To share the news, the keeper (often the "goodwife") would approach the hive, tap gently and speak softly, letting the bees know, with respect.

This practice was especially common in the 18th and 19th centuries across Western Europe and even carried to the U.S. It may have deeper roots in Celtic lore, where bees were seen as a spirit messengers, a belief that adds another layer to the tradition's quiet power.

It's a tender, beautiful reminder of how deeply people once honored the natural world, and the quiet bonds between all living things."

Thanks for looking and 

I wish you all a great day!

MY MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST ON TUESDAY INSTEAD - SCALLOPED POTATOES

I am robbing Peter to pay Paul so to speak, as this has been copied from my old blog. We again didn't make any new recipes this past week, eating lots of salads, and meals quickly put together. I remember liking these scalloped potatoes, so I am hoping you will too. Many of us probably have our favorites already.

So, anything written down below was actually written in April 2012.

On Sunday I cooked a pork roast and Gregg mentioned that he had a hankering for scalloped potatoes.  As I haven't made them in a very long time and don't really have a favorite recipe for this side dish, I went surfing and found one at Sweet Pea's Kitchen.  The actual recipe is here.

Scalloped Potatoes

Servings:                    4-6

Preparation time:        20 minutes

Baking time:               15 minutes

Source: Cook's Illustrated - March 2003

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium onion, minced - about 1 cup

2 medium cloves garlic, cut fine, minced or pressed through garlic press (need 2 teaspoons)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1-1/4 teaspoons table salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2-1/4 pounds russet potatoes (about 5 medium), peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

2 bay leaves

4 ounces grated cheddar cheese - 1 cup

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

In large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, melt butter until foaming subsides.  

Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly browned, about 4 minutes.  

Add garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Add garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  

Add potatoes, chicken broth, cream and bay leaves and bring to simmer. 

Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are almost tender (paring knife can be slipped into and out of potato slice with some resistance), about 10 minutes.  

Discard bay leaves.

Transfer mixture to an 8-inch square baking dish (or 1-1/2 quart gratin dish) and press to an even layer; sprinkle evenly with cheese.  

Bake until cream is bubbling around edges and top is golden, about 15 minutes.  Cool 10 minutes before serving.

A delicious side-dish. We both enjoyed it very much and it has gone into our make-again folder. 

There are leftovers for another meal.

You can use any of your favorite vegetables for a side, or a nice mixed salad.

I used a low-fat milk instead of cream, only because the low-fat was in the fridge. I didn’t want to go up to the store for only one item. No complaints.

Thanks for looking, and have a great week.

ODDS AND BODS FOR JULY 2025

For a change I thought I would start off with a little humor and positivity. My recipe post will be tomorrow.

Well, as many of you know by now, I got through a big birthday recently, but I was well prepared, and I had a lot of help.

What I tell myself these days, is that...

because...

and…

When the world seems to be closing in, never harden your heart, do good, give someone a kind word and remember, turn that frown upside down. I know, I know, cheesy and corny though that phrase may be, and you want to throw a shoe at me, but I want to tell you something on…

because we all need a little breathing space. Let’s go out and find something pretty to look at. We all need a change of scenery, even if it’s just stepping outside your back door, looking at some flowers and listening to the birds in the trees.

Sweet, yes?

These wise owls know this. Step outside!

Time for the cottage of my dreams.

Or this one and yay, it comes with chickens! There’s Henrietta and Clementine and Snowball and Slippers and Abrahen Lincoln and Amelia Egghart and Maud and Fluffy Topknot, and I think Cluck Kent just flew up, up and away. "It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no it’s a …"  

Cluck doesn’t know the excitement he just caused! 

Well, look at this, I even get a 'she-cave' in my dream world.

Here’s another.  I could happily live here  

and let’s enjoy a lively little poem. I won't tell her I am still in my PJ's.

And now it's time to say...

and…

Thanks for looking and enjoy your day.

With thanks to Pinterest for today’s inspiration.