It was wonderful having our granddaughter, Libby, here for the week. At the beginning of the visit her phone left much to be desired so we set out to see what we could do about it. It was my old phone which I had passed on to her a couple of years ago so I am guessing it was seven or eight years old. The battery no longer held a charge and the WiFi was very unreliable. We found a young man at the Verizon store who was very helpful and explained what we might be able to do. Ultimately, after much discussion, she and I decided that a new phone was in order. Based on the above picture, it was worth it just for the camera. We spent the rest of the week on the hunt for the perfect sunset picture. It was rather fun, we would take the dogs for a run, Libby driving the golf cart and me corralling the dogs which was quite a job. Then we would wander to wherever we thought we could get a good shot, be it the marina docks or one of the other public areas. Libby loved driving the cart and she did very well.

Boat Tour

Looking for things to do and to explore, we went into Beaufort and took a ride on the Prince of Tides boat tour. It was fun for John and me to see the town from the water and it was interesting for Libby to hear some of the history of the city of Beaufort. Our captain was quite knowledgeable and was quite willing to answer questions. We were disappointed that we didn’t see pods of dolphins but we did see two or three on our way back into the harbor. I believe Libby got a couple of good pictures on her phone but she didn’t share them with me. What I found the most interesting was the story of the Osprey’s who have kept coming back year after year to the same nests. From what we were told, they have returned early this year.

The Beach

We kept hoping for some good weather so we could get out to the beach and finally on Thursday we did. It was a lovely day and after using a wrench on Lib, I was able to get her to get out of bed and join me on a trip to walk the beach. We arrived at the perfect time as I looked out at the waves and saw a spout of water come up. It turned out there was a whole pod of dolphins feeding right off the shore. We couldn’t count how many but we knew they were feeding because they kept changing direction. I didn’t get a picture of them either. I tried but it’s almost impossible unless it’s a movie.

Success for February and a Challenge

Since Libby is a typical teenager, I still had plenty of time to get out for my morning walks. I was truly determined to get 100 miles in by March 1st and as you can see by the above, I did it. This was especially satisfying because the month of February is a short one. So yay me! We have to take the kudos wherever we can get them just to keep going.

I have discovered a wonderful side benefit to being a member of Audible books. They are now offering a number of things that are free for members. I have picked up a couple of free books to listen to that I probably wouldn’t have tried but since they were free I went ahead and got them. For example, a short 1 1/4 hour one on Madame Curie which I thoroughly enjoyed. However, they also are offering daily reading of the New York Times and what I have just found Morning Meditations and Half Marathon Training by Katie Barrett. Daily motivational, with music, training audio books. I am not going to run but have decided to commit to 12 weeks of following her program. I managed to do the first one which was supposedly an easy run which I did at a bit of a jog and fast walk. Loved the music and the coaching. It was only 30 minutes which was perfect. I walked the dogs when I was done. You might remember I did a Half-Marathon a year ago and was very pleased with my time. Not sure if I am planning another but I love the idea of having a goal for training so I just might. Either way it will be a great motivator, especially after I have announced it. I’ll keep you posted.

Kids Day Out

I know it’s kitchy but we don’t get to do fun things like this with our grown up grandchildren. If you have young ones you tend to search out expeditions that will involve the kids and keep them busy. Well, we got a chance to go to the South Carolina Aquarium as we had to take Lib back to the Charleston Airport to go home at the end of her vacation. All three of us were fascinated, especially with the turtle recovery program. Totally amazing what they are doing there. We were lucky enough to run into a volunteer who spent a lot of time with us explaining quite a bit about it. After a bit he asked us if we would like to go behind the scenes and watch them feed the fish and the sharks which of course we did. Quite a different view from the top of the tank than it is from the side that is open to the public. The whole process was amazing.

There is a mystery however, it seems that 33 years ago a couple on their honeymoon from Montreal, found a hatchling on the beach. They took it home and raised it in a tub. However, since it was a sea turtle, she became way to big for them to care for. Through some interesting channels, the turtle ended up in Charleston. Since she had never been in the wild they can’t release her so she is the doyenne of the big tank. She is enormous and quite a character. Her name is Carlotta and everyone at the aquarium loves her. Wonder who that couple was from Montreal????

A Recipe for You

Mushroom and Squash Wellington, from Blue Zones

Ingredients

• 1 large frozen puff pastry sheet, thawed
• 2 large sweet onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and halved
• 1 cup butternut squash, small dice
• 8 oz. maitake or shiitake mushrooms, brushed and cleaned
• 3 cups spinach
• 4 large Portobello mushrooms, de-gilled, cleaned, and roughly chopped
• ½ cup raw cashews, chopped
• 1 Tbsp garlic, minced
• 8 sprigs thyme
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive oil

Directions

• Defrost your puff pastry sheet. Store-bought packages often come with two sheets, so you can double the rest of the ingredients and make two if you are feeding a crowd.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Spread sliced onion on baking sheet and drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss onions to coat.
• Spread onions out evenly and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring every five minutes. After 20 minutes, turn oven down to 350 degrees.
• Spread squash and carrots on a baking sheet and lightly drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Lay 4 thyme sprigs over the top of the veggies.
• Pull apart maiitake mushrooms (or slice shiitake mushrooms, if using). On another baking sheet, spread maiitake (or shiitake) mushrooms out, lightly oil, and season with salt. Place 4 sprigs thyme over top of mushrooms.
• Put squash, carrots, and mushroom pans into oven (with onions). Bake for 15-20 minutes. If squash and carrots are not cooked through at 15 minutes, remove mushrooms and onions and cook squash and carrots for another 5 minutes. Toss onions as needed, and can remove earlier than mushrooms if they are nicely browned.
• Remove all pans from oven and let all veggies cool.
• When cool enough to handle, remove thyme sprigs. Remove herbs from stems and chop.
• Toast cashews in 350 degree oven for 5-7 minutes, checking often so they don’t burn.
• Saute spinach with a touch of olive oil, ½ teaspoon garlic, and a dash of salt. When cool enough to handle, wrap in a paper towel and squeeze to remove excess liquid. Set aside.
• Saute Portobello mushrooms with a touch of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon garlic, and a dash of salt until they soften. When cool enough to handle, wrap in a paper towel and squeeze to remove excess liquid.
• In a large bowl, combine the onions, squash, spinach, cashews, all mushrooms, remaining garlic, black pepper and 1 teaspoon of salt. (Leave the carrots out.) Mix and combine well with your hands to make filling.
• To make the Wellington: Lay out puff pastry on a clean work surface. Brush with olive oil.
• Spread the filling out in a single layer, leaving a 2-inch border all around.
• Lay the carrots out horizontal to the bottom with some space between them.
• Roll the puff pastry sheet up like a burrito, tucking the sides in once while rolling. Make sure you don’t roll too loosely, or it will fall apart when cut.
• Gently roll over so seam is at the bottom.
• Brush top with olive oil. Score with knife.
• Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until nicely browned.

Publishing early as I am on the road for a week of golf in Florida with the ladies early Sunday morning. Enjoy!