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!

Fresh starts

One of the nice things about camp is that we really enjoy yummy breakfasts. As such, we're always looking for a twist that will be different and fun.

This morning we tried egg nests (http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/egg_nests/)
















They came out great!

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Comin' round Rounds Mountain...

The sun is shining. It's 85 degrees in the Berkshires. What better day to take a hike!



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The beginning of the trail is a little overgrown, but overall it was very easy to traverse. It was very pretty and only a little buggy in the woods.










We reached the Taconic trail and it was mostly dry. Lucky, given the weeks of recent rain.









Almost to the top...











And the view is so worth the hike!











Toodleloo. :-)


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Stormy night

After dinner last night we decided to take a walk around the campground. Things have changed. New trailers, new people. It's nice. We met a nice couple in Snob Hill. During our chat they mentioned we were under a tornado watch until 10 pm.

Growing up in tornado country, I wasn't terribly concerned. The chances of something coming through were relatively slim. The watch came and went without incident. No worries.

That is until 11:15 pm when the trailer started shaking mercilessly in the wind. Things were blowing all around. We were busy devising a plan of what we would grab if we had to seek shelter in the clubhouse. Fortunately it didn't come to that.

Everything was over after about 30 minutes. We checked out the damage this morning. The old grill tipped over. Two chairs blew off the deck. Oddly, Mike's crocs and mine were next to each other on the deck before the storm. His stayed put; mine blew off. One was 20 ft away!











All that matters now is that the day is BEAUTIFUL



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Ready for summer!!

The weather is finally nice as the official start of summer arrives for us with Memorial Day weekend. We kicked off the weekend early by coming up to camp on Wednesday night.

We got up first thing Thursday morning and started on some projects. First up was staining the deck new went with a tinted stain aptly called Cape Cod grey.











We think it came out beautifully. Gone is the dark, cave-like color. We are now awash with a clean, bright look. Fabulosity!

Once the deck stain dried we set upon our next task: assembling our new a Weber grill. We looked at the assembly instructions earlier in the week and knew there were a bunch of pieces.

We thought the assembly would take about an hour and a half. Nosireee. It ended up taking closer to two and a half hours (maybe a bit longer). But it is absolutely awesome!!











We cooked our first meal on it last night. Everything came out perfect. I wish we had upgraded YEARS ago...

Happy Memorial Day!


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