FOR SALE!

In an effort to down size, we've recently put a few things on Craigslist and eBay. So far the items up for bid are:

Recumbent Exercise Bike


Home Gym


Patio Set


The Boat


The Chinook


The House


If anyone's in the market to buy, call us!

A Night Out On The Town

On Monday this week we got to spend some time with our friends Ski & Kate from Wilmington, and had a fabulous dinner at Capital Grill uptown.



It was great to see them, and a great excuse for a date night!

A Low-Key Birthday

July 16th was Gary’s birthday, and we celebrated with cupcakes for breakfast and a low key lunch at the Rusty Rudder on Lake Norman.



I was super-excited that they had fried pickles on the menu - one of my all-time favorites!

Monster!

While still at Dad's, we were sitting outside one evening on the deck, minding our own business - when suddenly we heard something land with a *thump* on the steps. Seriously it sounded like a bird hit the screen door and dropped to its demise. However, to our great consternation, we found this:



He didn't drop in with the pack of smokes. We put it there for scale.

Perfect Summer Dessert!

I made this yummy little "Blondies" dessert for the July 4th picnic, except instead of Apricot I used Cherry preserves. From Southern Living -

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup butter
* 1 (12-oz.) package white chocolate morsels, divided
* 2 large eggs
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup apricot preserves (or any flavor, I used cherry)
* 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
* 1/2 cup sliced almonds (I only used a sprinkling of almonds, not even 1/4 cup)

Preparation

1. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat, stirring just until melted. Remove pan from heat, and add 1 cup white chocolate morsels. (Do not stir.)

2. Beat eggs at high speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes or until foamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until blended. Stir in white chocolate mixture and almond extract, stirring until blended. Add flour and salt, stirring just until blended. Spread half of batter into a lightly greased and floured 8-inch square pan.

3. Bake at 325° for 20 minutes or until light golden brown.

4. Melt 1/2 cup apricot preserves in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring often. Spread evenly over partially baked blondies in pan. Stir together coconut, remaining 1 cup white chocolate morsels, and remaining half of batter; spread over melted apricot preserves, spreading to edges of pan. Sprinkle batter with 1/2 cup sliced almonds.

5. Bake at 325° for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

4th of July Weekend

Gary & I went up to Dad & Connie’s for the July 4th weekend. We ate like Kings and Queens the whole time, and enjoyed great weather and the serenity always on offer at their house.

Steaks and veggies on the grill

Chicken Salad Lunch

On the evening of the 4th, we went to an Independence Day celebration picnic at the home of some friends. One of the staples at this annual event is the reading of the Declaration of Independence, along with a group singing of “America the Beautiful”.

I have always marveled at how people from other countries have so much pride in their homelands, and experience a true kinship with their fellow countrymen - on holidays and at sporting events especially - but it‘s something that I think a lot of Americans simply take for granted or don‘t feel at all because we are such a diverse nation. In particular, there’s a line in the Norwegian National Anthem that translates, “Yes! We love our country!” - I think that is such a beautiful sentiment.

Maybe it’s just me, and I don’t go to enough baseball games, but that feeling, that “Proud to be an American” feeling is not a pervasive one in this country. So when a large group of people get together and sing “America the Beautiful” followed by a reading of the Declaration of Independence, it is reassuring that, in fact, there are still those who go beyond the hotdogs and coolers of beer, the staples of the generic 4th of July celebration, and remember why, exactly, we celebrate this special day. I get a lump in my throat just writing about it.

The "sponsors" of the party got reading parts, here's my Dad:



I've GOT to remember to not turn my camera to the side when taking videos! But isn't my Dad a great orator? I think so!



After dark we were treated to an impressive fireworks show which was manned by volunteer “shooters” - my Dad among them, lighting explosives with a lit cigar - rivaling the best DIY show in the land! Enough to warrant a campus fire truck on-site anyway!



We had such a nice visit!