29May2012 Quickshot: Smoked

Grilling on Memorial Day: An American Tradition. 

20May2012 Meet Ruger

Meet another one of our neighbors, a red-tailed hawk, nicknamed "Ruger."  He was named after the firearm manufacturer Sturm Ruger for his ability to wreak havoc on the local squirrel population. 

12May2012 Quickshot: Comfort Food

Funny how your definition of "comfort food" changes.  Rather than the chicken & dumplings, pumpkin bread or spaghetti that D would make when we were homesick while overseas, we now long for stuff like the food above:  shawarma (thinly sliced lamb or chicken normally served in pita-type bread), taboule (a parsley-based salad), malfoof (rice & lamb wrapped in cabbage leaves) and kabab (skewered chicken, lamb or beef cooked over charcoal).  Um-um-good!

5May2012 Quickshot: Soup Hoanh Thanh

Last night we visited with a local Vietnamese congregation.  What a sweet time!  And, if you look up the words "fellowship meal" there would be a picture just like the one above.  Wow!

4May2012 Quickshot: Growing stuff

Despite our best efforts it seems that most of our garden has actually survived.  So far there is zucchini, okra, eggplant, cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe, beans, carrots, potatoes and squash.  However, the thing we're paying the most attention to is the 5 bluebird eggs in a bird house we installed adjacent to the garden.  How cool is that?!