While our family are safely evacuated in Beaufort South Carolina, we had a chance to celebrate our own Gumpa John. He says this is his last birthday celebration cause next year he has to change decades. I sincerely hope that we all will celebrate with him next year. He had a lovely day with many wishes from friends far and wide. His four grandchildren called to say Happy Birthday or to even sing it – except for Orin who just grunted but he did smile. We had an amazing French dinner prepared and cooked by Katie. It was over the top as was the cake. The best part, for me, was the mushroom appetizer. I’ll share the recipe at the end.

Update on the Asheville Family in Beaufort

After a rough week of first feeling displaced and then having a sick child, they are settling into a bit of a routine. So far no date for returning. Edie’s school will make a decision of some kind on the 9th of October. I hear that the biggest issue is the lack of clean or any water. They have a few friends returning to Asheville today to do a recon of the situation. In the meantime, friends in Beaufort and on Dataw Island (our former home) have been helping out. Knowing you have a support network around you is so important. Friends are helping with childcare, recommending clinics for medical support, offering baby equipment – the playpen is a huge help with an 11 month old in a strange house with no child proofing and many other items. They discovered “The Kitchen” and all its wonderful food, a dear friend from Fripp Island gave them a pass to go to the beach, and they have been offered toys and trips to the library for Edie. I am going to make one short statement about the misinformation that is being circulated. Please don’t believe it. The amount of support pouring into Asheville and the surrounding towns is incredible and while it will take time to sort out they are getting help in massive amounts. One of the best reporting vehicles that I have found is through North Carolina’s Weather Authority. It is run by young college student named Ethan Clark who started it in 7th grade. His photos are all from subscribers to his Facebook page. The Today Show had a wonderful video of Al Roker and the Manna Food Bank that brought tears to my eyes. Keep them all in your prayers please and for those in Florida as they face down another hurricane this week.

Autumn Hikes are Beautiful

The dogs and I have walked or hiked 6 of the last 7 days. The weather has been glorious each day as well as the perfect temperature. The trees are turning and while they are still a little muted they are still a joy to see. We have seen some wild turkeys in the fields but no other signs of wildlife so far. I’m sure the deer know we are there but with three dogs they stay far away.

All dogs had a grooming appointment this week which made both Wyke and Bean white again. Percy is learning to like the bath and behaves very well.

A Little Halloween Decoration

The ghosts on my mantle are treasured items. I can no longer find them anywhere so I am so very careful with them. We put them out – it is October after all – and I lamented that I didn’t have any candles to put in them. Katie immediately ordered some battery operated ones to be delivered the next day – from guess where? The fun is that the lights are remote controlled and they change colors. They can be set to all one color, each one a different color or they can be multi and change on their own. As John says, it’s amazing what amuses you Lulu. These are so much fun. I had a fun time with Edie having her tell me to change the color to whatever she wanted. A good game for Facetime.

The Recipe I Promised

This was the menu for John’s birthday dinner. Everything, and I mean, everything was delicious. However, the winner in my book was the Croute Aux Champignons Crostini. The recipe came from IMAGE Magazine.

Too much to type so here is a photo from the magazine. Enjoy!