A beautiful day

After a fun-filled day at camp on Saturday, Mike and I were ready for an off-grounds excursion on Sunday. We decided to hit the Ledges and made a late start. We arrived at the beach around 1, did a round of hellos to old friends and hung out. It was great. The weather was perfect, there were a good number of people (but not too many), and we got some sun.

Near the end of the day, my competitive darling must have decided he could top my blister. As we were traversing some rocks, his foot went down wrong and his broke one of his toes (ouch!). On the way to our towels, he stubbed a toe on the other foot. The poor guy was spewing blood.

Fortunately, he is doing ok. He's wrapped his toes and is soldiering along. It kind of messed up wearing his 5 finger shoes though -- the toe wouldn't go in its slot!

Happy Trails

Friday marked the first day of our long-overdue vacation. We decided we needed an active day, so we hiked from the Lee/Beckett town line to Upper Goose Pond on the Appalachian trail. The terrain was pretty aggressive (it was a major workout, steep hiking) and the path was well-trodden.

The day was beautiful and we enjoyed a nice picnic while we admired the view at the pond. The hike out was no less challenging. We were really happy to have the great workout!




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I did have one little foible during the day, which is a little embarrassing. My some rash of poor judgment I decided to wear a pair of Tevas I haven't put on in three years. I felt a large blister on my right foot about a mile and a half into the hike. Knowing there was nothing I could do, I kept going. Mike, my ever-present man scout had an extra pair of socks that I wore out. It made the hiking bearable.

I am on the mend with plenty more activity to come for the week. I'll keep you posted with more tales!

Dreaming of lobster rolls

The arrival of summer always brings an increased desire to indulge in lobster rolls. For us, anyway.

We haven't treated ourselves with the hearty goodness of restaurant lobster rolls yet. But, tomorrow, we'll make our own for the first time! I called the supermarket yesterday and asked them to cook up two lobsters for us. We'll shell them tonight and make our salad so it can absorb all the flavors for tomorrow night's dinner: lobster rolls, onion rings, and summer slaw.

I can't wait!!!

Some of the better movies

After ranting on what I think is bad, it is only fair to tell you about the recent movies we thought were OK (or better):

A Shine of Rainbows: This amazing movie made me cry. A must see.
Country Strong: Good music, sad topic
The Company Men: Mike thought it was weak; I thought it was ok
True Grit: Saw it at the theater, Mike didn't so we watched together. Awesome.
The Mechanic: A good, if predictable, action movie
The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader: I like Narnia a lot
The King's Speech: I really liked it
Secretariat: Excellent

What's on your list? Good or Bad!

Locked into the bad movie rut

I don't know what it is, but it seems we've seen more than our share of bad movies lately. Here are a few of the disappointments:


The Hit List: Bad plot, horrible acting, poorly developed characters
Biutiful: The story could have been so much better, but it was just depressing
Just Go With It: D.U.M.B. but it did make me laugh some
Drive Angry: A bad choice for Nick Cage. The story was deplorably bad; so much so I fell asleep during a zombie movie
Due Date: So stupid it didn't make sense. But I did laugh a couple of times
How Do You Know: Plot? What plot. Quelle stupide.
The Tourist: The only good thing about this one was the two attractive stars. The plot was non-existent but at least they got to film in Italy.
Unstoppable: This movie is very stoppable. Just do it; click Stop. Save yourself the time.
The Scent of Green Papaya: I had high hopes. There was little language and it just drug on and on with no point.
Salt: Just another Angelina Jolie flick. She's just a pretty picture.

I'm not all grey clouds... Next I'll tell you the recent movies we liked!

Celebrating with a bang

The Fourth of July has come and gone. The summer can't be so far gone already -- really -- it just can't be!

We enjoyed a great weekend away in the Berkshires. We got to see our great friends (even Steve and Helen, which was a super treat), have some nice meals and relax. You can't beat it!!! Speaking of food (as I often am), I made a few yummy recipes that I want to share:

• Salmon with summer tomatoes and rosemary: This was a delightful Friday night dinner. I cooked it one the grill -- the parchment wrapping did not catch fire -- and the flavors were fabulous.
• Shrimp salad with butter lettuce: I skipped the pumpernickel bread on this. The salad had a delicate flavor.
• Herbed new potato salad: A nice flavor, but it needed more dijon and herbs. My all-time olive oil based fave is this one http://iamthebeholder.wordpress.com/2009/06/07/the-best-potato-salad-ever/
• Grilled onion salad: This was by far and away the show-stopper. Friggin' amazing flavors, sweet and carmelized without a bit of sugar. This one is a real keeper.
• Egg Nests: I've made these once before. You have to use a good stand mixer (not a hand mixer) to really puff up the egg whites. This is a nice alternative to scrambies and other eggs and would be tres fun for the kiddos.
• Mixed Fruit Salad: I put in whatever fruit I want. This is a nice, fresh break from the daily egg routine. We top with chopped nuts (this week was pecans) for a nice crunch. If you aren't diabetic and have nut concerns, granola would be perfect.

 I'm not all about food, but it is a nice way to share happiness :)

Happy days!