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This is Anaeho'omalu Bay, or "A-Bay" as the local folks call it, and it's one of the loveliest beaches on the island. If I recall correctly, it was "kapu," and reserved for royalty alone back in the day.
I'm planning on taking a lot of photos here in between swimming and sunning, so I hope to have some uploaded (to Facebook, at least - anyone know a good Flickr uploader compatible with Linux?) tonight.
Truly, I am blessed beyond all measure! And for my blog family, not only will you be blessed with the traditional waterslide pic, but the Beloved Husband also took a video. So, when I get it uploaded, you will get live action of me making a fool out of myself!
... Milk at $7+ a gallon. SKIM milk, at that. I pay something like $3 a gallon at home.
So Hawaii may be Paradise, but even Paradise can be terribly expensive!
Just waiting for my mango sticky rice for dessert... Yummmmmm!
I'm not certain that marlin is a type of tuna, but I'm pretty sure... This is a dish that's a standard in Hawaii, and it's simply delicious! Everyone has their own mix, but it always starts with the freshest of fish - uncooked. Um, well, unless it's tako poke (octopus)...
Oh, and it's pronounced "poh-kay" or "poh-keh."
And, really, what better way to start a day in Paradise than with Mimosas on the lanai?
Beloved Hubby has gone to get the car, and we'll make a stop at WalMart to stock up on staple foods... Then it's time for a glass of wine and VACATION!
My beloved catches me blogging avidly from my cell phone
It's 1035am, and we're having some brews from the New Belgium Brewing Co., and an orange creame soda for the Munchkin(tastes like orange Pepto Bismol - ew). The beer is crisp and cold, and vacation has begun! Still have the Denver-Kona flight, though. Seven hours - yikes!
I gave a taste of this wonderful potato salad from Smitten Kitchen to my Munchkin... She was initially skeptical, but indulged her ol' Mommy and took a taste. The eyes lit up, and she put down her laptop and charged over to the kitchen to gobble up some more!
The Beloved Husband and our Wonderful Guest (and me - that makes a total of 8 thumbs) all have echoed her opinion....
And for my readers who enjoy cooking? You really ought to add Smitten Kitchen to your reading list, 'cause she's quite scary with all the yummy recipes she posts! ;-)
Gotta cover up that grey (not ready to go grey yet!) and get gorgeous for the summer, LOL!
Click to embiggen, or go over to Mike Ramirez' page and view the political cartoon from 23Jun09:
A devastating - and accurate - critique.
(kittipurrs to Jerry)
Made with basil from my very own garden! This is my very first-ever pesto, and it's very very easy - odd, though, that the recipe I used (loosely) didn't call for toasted pine nuts. I try to always toast any nuts I use in recipes because it really helps bring out their flavor.
On Wednesday night, I'm going to do grilled chicken thighs with Emeril's Southwest Seasoning (at the bottom of the Turkey and White Bean Chili recipe). The mix is very easy to make up, and it's also great to sprinkle on chicken before you roast it. I'm going to mix it with some oil and then coat the chicken thighs and marinate them for about 6-8 hours before I grill them. YUMMY!
Anyway, along with the chicken thighs, I'm going to use the pesto in this recipe for a pesto potato and green bean salad... Mmmmmm!
Oh, and I've got to take out the swordfish steaks from the freezer for tomorrow!
Some adorably sweet LOLotters:
See more LOLcats and funny pictures at I Can Has Cheezburger.
This growing season has, so far, been wonderful! In the past, it's been difficult to deal with our veggie garden - it was too big, we were traveling, the weather was too dry, it was too hot... This year, however, the Beloved Husband and I seem to have gotten our part right, and God has been very gracious and given us beautiful weather.
Here's what we started with:
I ripped off Square Foot Gardening for the basic philosophy of small, raised beds, but I've done it my own way (and I don't think Mel Bartholomew will really mind, LOL). We have hard red clay in our area, but last year we tilled in a LOT of aged manure, which helped immensely. If we can keep our momentum going, in the fall we'll till in a ton more (metaphorically speaking), cover the garden (not sure with what - maybe heavy landscaping fabric), and let it age through the winter.
Here's what we have now:
Some of the beds, off to the right of the picture, are either only partially used or empty. I'm going to cover those unused areas with black plastic and killkillkillKILL! the weed and grass seeds in there. The third bed in the front has limas in it, and I'm hoping they'll do well even though they seemed to start late (note for next year: presoak the seeds!).
The lima bed has about half grass there in the front - but the nice thing about this method and the wet weather is that weeding is a breeze! I doubt I spend more than 10 minutes in the garden daily, weeding.
You can see corn in the background on the left. I've got no idea how that's going to do; we've never had much luck before, but we are seeing tassels this year, and very healthy stalks - so I'll keep hoping. The very bushy green in the middle left is my two bush zucchini plants, and I can already tell that we're going to be heartily sick of zucc before the summer ends, LOL! Barely visible in the same bed is a Better Boy (? I think) bush tomato. Maybe next year the zucc will get their own bed so the tomato has more room, but it doesn't look unhappy - just a wee bit crowded.
My basil and peppers... The basil is going gangbusters - I even have 4 or 5 little guys coming back from last year, when the basil went to seed. The pepper plants are mixed - 3 are red bell peppers, and the 4th is a jalapeño. I don't think they'll get very hot-spicy this year; they like it much drier and VERY hot. But I have harvested a couple to use in a pico de gallo, and they had pretty good flavor.
These are the last of the first batch of radishes - they were getting very leafy, so I pulled them. Another crop was planted on Sunday (I presoaked the seeds), and they've already sprouted through [happy dance]. Here is also my first cucumber, and I'm very proud of it; the ones we tried to grow in Chesapeake got too big, and were very bitter. And, of course, my first two jalapeños, which I used in the pico de gallo. I also used cilantro from my garden; it's taken off like crazy, but it's also wanting to go to seed, so I have to keep an eye on it. Hm... Or, I could get my own coriander seeds..!
My Beloved says that, since we've actually gotten real FOOD that we've actually EATEN from the garden already, that that qualifies this year's garden as a success. Me, I want to wait to say that until the late fall when we put things to bed. I figure, if we can see it all the way through one growing season, then I'll say it's a success!
I've got a lot more photos, but I'm going to post them as thumbnails; just click to embiggen!
My feet feel like they're about to fall off! I'm dying for a shower, and I've got sawdust down my back... One more day ;-)
A storm came through last night (remember the dumb dog?) and has cooled things down beautifully. We may get more rain later today, though
"I want OUT!"
"It's raining, you dumb dog."
"I WANT OUT!!!"
"You hate the rain! It's a storm, stupid!!!"
"I. WANT. OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"OK, go on out..." [rolls eyes]
"Um... Can I come back in now?"
[headdesk]
And here's what she wanted to go out into!
Dumb dog.
The farrier, David, comes to visit. The horseshoes and the forge are always a hit with the kids.
Broiled asparagus, parsley potatoes (which are EXCELLENT as "hash browns" in the morning - especially with some cheese and ham), and a steak...
Yum, YUM!!!
One of the horses we're using at the camp this week is Gypsy. Gypsy is a 16 year old American Paint mare, owned by my friend Lisa (who is the creative brain behind most of the crafts and a lot of the horse-related activities). Gypsy is also one of the girls' "project horses."
Each project horse is assigned to a group of the girls (three groups this year), and they learn to groom and take care of that horse. At the end of the week, we have a little horse show, displaying what the girls have learned to their parents and loved ones, and the project horses have pride of place in the last class: the Costume Class.
So, when Gypsy got groomed yesterday, Lisa mentioned that she really ought to be bathed because she was so dusty (and a dusty horse can be VERY dusty!).
I think that Gypsy took that a little too much to heart...
Here's a "before" picture of Gypsy that shows you what she's pretty much supposed to look like:
But here's what that naughty girl looked like when she was brought in from the pasture this morning:
I was astonished! I have never seen such a completely FILTHY horse! Lisa and I were convinced that the other mares in the pasture coached Gypsy as to where she was missing a spot, because that girl was completely covered in mud... Even after her bath, she had muddy spots under her belly and *ahem* on her buttocks.
I guess she really wanted to be pampered today.... [headdesk]
Crafts are always a part of horse camp. We are VERY blessed that the lady who does the organizing is brilliantly creative!
The pool was so beautiful, and my hubby had a free afternoon....
The air was warm, but not HOT; the skies were blue with nary a cloud; the chores were done; and my allergies had calmed down after their regular morning tantrum...
We'd even walked the cats:
Smudgie seemed to enjoy her little tour of our garden -
But Pixel was not a happy camper! She hissed in displeasure several times; although she explored a little bit, she came running when I called (!!) and was very happy to return to the comfort of the house thankyouverymuch!
But, with all the fun and excitement (hey, and I even seem to have overcome my great uneasiness with diving into the pool!), the Kat has gotten quite... red. I've slathered on three generous coats of aloe, but I'm getting some mild heat-chills, and my skin is already warning me that tomorrow won't be too fun.
*sigh*
And just yesterday I was tease-scolding the daughter of a dear friend about using plenty of sunscreen! Somehow, "pot, meet kettle" seems appropriate! [headdesk] I'm glad it's supposed to be cloudy this week; I'm helping out with some munchkins at a horse camp, so I need to be functional! The weather is supposed to be a bit stormy, so I may luck out and be able to stay inside - but you'd better believe I'm gonna have some SPF100 with me, LOL!
Oh, and here's a picture of me in the pool:
See? I don't melt in water! ;-)
I've been neglecting CHC for a couple of days (although I have gotten a lot done around the house!), so I thought I'd put up a few links that have caught my interest...
Mike Reagan sums up my position on the murder of Tiller
Like others in the pro-life community, I found Tiller’s profession abhorrent and believed it appropriate to protest and criticize his actions. I am deeply ashamed that we live in a society that has legalized the destruction of innocent human life.
Yet no matter how fervent my objections to Tiller’s actions, my very pro-life beliefs spur me to denounce his killer, as well.
Indeed, I mourn for Tiller and his grieving family. As Dr.Martin Luther King reminded us, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
Teh One appears to have feet of clay - at least for some gay activists
Gay rights campaigners, most of them Democrats who supported Obama in November, have begun to voice their public frustration with Obama’s inaction, small jokes at their community’s expense and deafening silence on what they see as the signal civil rights issue of this era.
His most important campaign promises repealing the Defense of Marriage Act and the military ban on openly gay and lesbian service-members have not been fulfilled.
And the news, which emerged quietly earlier this year, that he’d supported same-sex marriage back in 1996, then changed his mind, especially rankles. As mainstream Democratic politicians such as Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) move to support same-sex marriage, gay rights advocates say that the barrier-breaking president looks increasingly odd for opposing what they see as full equality.
Tiananmen Square, twenty years later... I hope and pray that "Tank" Man is alive and well, and maybe that this generation of Chinese can continue the fight for freedom...
Tank Man — his identity has never been determined — shot to worldwide fame that day for stopping those tanks, hours after they had brutally crushed student-led protests on Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Hundreds — possibly thousands — died in the early-hours protest on June 4, 1989, an event that still remains a forbidden topic in Communist-governed China.Pictures of Tank Man's courageous efforts and other information about the crackdown are still officially censored in China. But now, 20 years on, modern technology and the wide reach of social networking sites like Facebook are providing curious students with the information they were previously denied.
Is it really OK for Iran to have nuclear missiles, while at the same time the US CAN'T have nuclear power? Gotta love the hypocrisy....
Iran says it's developing nuclear power to generate electricity while it waits for the 12th Imam and the apocalypse to arrive. To hasten the process, however, it is using its nuclear knowledge to amass fissile material necessary to build a bomb. It's developing missiles to deliver that bomb, presumably somewhere in the heart of downtown Tel Aviv.
Our new administration is trying to talk them out of it, and the Iranians are quite willing to drag out the conversation as long as it takes to develop their nuclear weapon and the means to deliver it.
Some people positively parade their ignorance - "Baptism = Waterboarding"
An ancient Christian religious ritual is apparently comparable to a controversial interrogation technique, according to Joy Behar of ABC’s “The View.” On June 3, the hosts of “The View” were discussing the new reality show, “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here,” where pampered “celebrities” are placed in a jungle in Costa Rica. “Hills” reality television star Spencer Pratt was baptized on the show and “The View” featured a clip from his baptism in a river.
Behar, of course, had to add in her usual quip. “Isn’t it like water boarding- when they dump your head under there like that?” Fellow host Elisabeth Hasselbeck quickly replied with, “no.”
Did President Obama get dissed? *snicker*
Oh, and this is SOOOOO cool: Dawn of the Personal Computer. The Commodore Pet and the C64 bring back so many fond memories!
Cause LOLcats are just teh best!
(see more Lolcats and funny pictures)
Upcoming stuff that looks really cool: Google Wave (in the works) and Google Squared (live beta). And, since we're linking TechCrunch, I must say that their new CrunchPad looks very "DO WANT"-worthy!
As for me, yesterday was busy. I took out the trash - and this is pretty much normal procedure when living in the country and the nearest trash collection is three miles away (no, we don't have a garbage service out this far!) (oh, and click to embiggen!)
And I got my first produce out of my garden! Well, I have been getting strawberries already, but these lovely - and spicy! - radishes were from seed:
And, I've got a couple pictures of my brilliant and adorable daughter that I dug up the other day. Here she is at about two years old (is she the cutest, or what??)
And here she is, Ms I-So-Cool Kid, at about 9 years old...
My beautiful baby - who's growing up... *sigh*
Oh! And I've got a picture of a turtle I took the other day. He was crossing our driveway, and it's a good thing I was going slowly (for me), or I would have run right over him!
Finally, our pool has been open for a good three weeks already. This summer looks like it will be wonderful; not too dry and not too hot. So, that's all I have for now, and I really need to get caught up in my Bible reading [swats self]!
I hear the grumble rumble of thunder closing in, and I see the bright flash of lightning....
That little dot, right in the center? Gretna? That's us... And those cells move from left to right with a small northward drift, normally.
I LOVE THUNDERSTORMS!
(Maybe I'll get some good pictures...)
My sister introduced me to this odd drink... You either love it or hate it! I love it; it seems to both energize and settle my system. I also love natural food stores - not because I'm a econut, but because I love good, healthy food. So I'm glad I finally came down to Earth Fare in Greensboro because of a friend's recommendation *grinz*
