Week 45 Keeping the Adventure Alive
This being our 50th Anniversary year we decided to treat each other with a surprise trip or get away every month that we could. I told John I would take him somewhere as his birthday present but didn’t say where. One of the pieces that make up this fun time is we are trying to stay in Select Inns around the country. They are moderately priced if you time it right, are usually run by interesting people and are a guarantee that you will be in a clean and nicely appointed room and will be fed good food. So far we have not been disappointed.
We were chatting early in the week and John said he would really like to go and see our grandson, Jack, play one more football game for his high school, Proctor Academy, in New Hampshire. Well, I said to him, let’s do it. We booked plane tickets on Monday and flew to Manchester Thursday. We didn’t tell anybody we were coming except for our granddaughter Libby as we needed at least one insider to keep us up to speed on what people were doing. She can keep a secret. Our daughter Margot and her wife, Hadley were already planning to come up so we were not only surprising one family but we got the other one too. Margot and Hadley had never seen Jack play football and since he is a senior they had only one last chance to attend a game.
It’s not easy to pull this sort of thing off as we have a fur family that must be taken care of when we are away. The pups went to doggie camp, and it is camp. They have others to play with, a big yard to run around in and they have each other. The kittens got to stay home with their favorite person coming in to play and feed them. Believe it or not they are more interested in the play and cuddle part than the food. They are totally social.
I even posted a photo on Facebook of the dogs at the beach just to throw off anybody who might have gotten wind of what we were up to.
The Inn we wanted to stay in was full but we found another that turned out to be even better for two of the nights then we moved to a brand new spot. There was a wedding coming in Saturday. We surprised everybody on Thursday night, went to a fabulous football game on Friday in which our bruised and banged up grandson hardly ever got off the field. It rained, we didn’t care. We were there and we loved it.
We had a big family dinner, cooked by the girls, on Saturday night. Beef Wellington, fancy potatoes, Brussel Sprouts and a dessert that was like key lime pie but made with cranberries. We all said we wondered why we ever went out to dinner when we had cooks like us in the family. Well, not me, but the others are. I usually do the dishes.
The sun didn’t come out until the day we left. The temperature was in the 50’s then plunged to 38 when the rain stopped. Time for us to go south again.
The dogs and I did have two wonderful beach runs. There isn’t a place where they can really run and run hard except out in the beach. We are so lucky to have it available. They do not need to be leashed but I do use their sport collars just to remind them they can’t run away. Thanks to my good friend, Merilyn, for making this possible for us.
Sadness too
While out on the beach I received a phone call from my housekeeper in Canada that our little club was on fire. The club is well over 100 years old and has been a part of so very many families lives for generations. It is made up of three buildings, all wood, no sprinklers and we knew that if it ever caught fire it would burn pretty quickly. We ceased having wood fires in the fireplace years ago out of a fear that we could accidentally burn the building down. We don’t know how the fire started but it wasn’t electrical. Maybe a careless cigarette. The day was consumed with updates and photos from those who live there year round. Some of the pictures are truly horrifying. The good news, no one was hurt, the bad news the oldest building of the three is a total loss. We are grateful that the fire department responded so quickly and were able to confine the fire to just the one building. We had thought of driving up to see it and to check on our house but the weather was so awful that we didn’t go. We will see it in about a month when we head north for a wedding and Christmas.
Walking Then and Now
Last year I did my first half marathon on this weekend. I had no intention of doing that this year as it came right after the Pledge the Pink 30 miles. However training begins again for the 10K Savannah Bridge Race which comes December 1st. Maybe a little Turkey Trot 5K in there on Thanksgiving Day. I would like to do another half marathon perhaps after the first of the year. I love the races and I love the training. It gives me motivation to get out there even when I might not feel like it. Who knew I would be this crazy as I approach my 70’s? Here we are doing the warm up stretches that we all need to do and sometimes we forget about. So, so important. Makes a big difference.
Time for Soup Again
After a weekend up north where it is getting colder and our thoughts turn to warm soup and a fire, here is a recipe to try as you warm your inside along with the outside. Once again I turn to Blue Zones for a recipe that can be used over and over again. Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
½ pound (1¼ cups) green, black, or brown lentils
7 cups (1 quart plus 3 cups) vegetable broth
2 large red globe, beefsteak, or heirloom tomatoes, chopped (about 1½ cups)
1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped (about 2⁄3 cup)
2 medium red potatoes, peeled and chopped (about 2⁄3 cup)
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon salt
Finely chopped scallions, for garnish
Extra-virgin olive oil, for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Spread the lentils on a large baking sheet and pick them over for any bits of stone.
Stir the lentils, broth, tomatoes, onion, carrots, potatoes, bay leaves, and salt in a large saucepan or soup pot. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, set a lid askew over the pan or pot, and cook until the lentils are soft, for 45 minutes.
Discard the bay leaves. Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish each with scallions and up to 1 teaspoon olive oil.
Tip: For extra flavor, cook the chopped onion and carrot in 1 tablespoon olive oil for 5 to 7 minutes in the saucepan or soup pot set over medium heat before adding the remainder of the ingredients indicated in step 1.
Tip: Change the recipe a little by adding up to 1 cup packed baby spinach, baby kale, baby arugula, stemmed watercress, or a mixture of any to the soup after it has simmered for 35 minutes. Continue cooking with the lid askew for 10 minutes, until the lentils are tender and the greens have wilted.
Tip: For an easier prep, use frozen chopped onion (no need to thaw).