Happy Chinese New Year of the Horse.1 '14

Happy Chinese New Years from our home to yours.

  Normally CC would have the house decorated to the hilt for this holiday  see post of 2/11/13) but this year she was content with  putting out her little painting of her Kokeshi dolls and wishing everyone a prosperous and healthy New Year of the Horse.

Free! Free at Last ... 1 '14

The cat rescue project is complete
We released Inky  back to the wild today.  Pretty sure I heard him chanting,

"Free. Free at Last.  Thank god I'm free at last!"

What the ??? is that white stuff??? 1 '14

Kat really, really, wanted to go outside today... She got as far as the ice on the edge of the drive,  changed her mind, and turned right around and came back in the house.

Latest weather report from Pawleys 1 '14

Most of the snow has already melted off of the ground.  There is a lot of ice hanging around, but still, this is nothing compared to what the folks to the north are enduring.

Inky Broke my Heart 1 '14

I woke up to the sound of breaking glass last night. It seems, while looking for an escape route, Inky had knocked over a heart stemmed champagne glass I had sitting in a window. Fortunately for me it was just a cheap trinket from the dollar store; unfortunately for Stinky Inky, his rambunctiousness got him banished (with his blankets and food dishes) to the Carolina Room for the rest of the night. That room might be cooler than the main house, but it is still well above freezing, and we all got a good nights sleep.

Visiting with the neighbors: Day 2 with Blackie 1 '14

The Black cat is still with us.  The Carolina Room was getting pretty chilly so Bruce decided to let him come into the main part of the house this morning.  He wandered around meowing and looking for a way out for awhile. then settled down quietly under a couch.  He's a lot calmer today.   It's pretty icy out of doors and the temps are predicted to drop into the teens tonight. We will probably have to keep him indoors again tonight.  Hopefully the snow and ice will be melted by tomorrow and he can go back outside.

Icy Conditions this morning 1 "14

Still  more ice than snow this morning.

But much of the ice has been helped along by our gardeners leaving the sprinklers set to come on in the early morning.

Here's the back looking west

And looking east

Visiting with the neighbors: a temporary cat shelter 1 "14

Meet Stinky Inky aka Spot aka Boston Blacky. He's a ferrel cat that Bruce has been feeding. I lured him into our enclosed Carolina Room (Its like a glassed in porch.) with the promise of some canned food instead of the dry kibble he normally gets. Once inside, I locked him in. He has food,water, lots of warm bedding, and a litter box.. He isn't too happy about being confined to a 14 x 20 foot indoor space, but at least he won't freeze to death overnight. I'll release him back to his beloved woods once it is safe for him to be out again.

By the way, he wasn't growling. or hissing..Like many Ferrel cats he keeps a low profile,,, ears flat ,tail down. Out of doors he's pretty friendly and will follow Bruce and I around and lets us pet him. I don't think he has ever been indoors before and he's very scared, and is breathing though his mouth. Kat tried to comfort him ( (They get along okay), but he is not at all convinced .

Weather forecast ... Brrrrrr 1 '14

The worst winter storm in three decades is predicted to come in tonight with freezing temperatures and several inches of snow all the way down to the coastline.  By 4 pm we were seeing the first snowfall in the low country

Carpe Diem 1 '14

Whoopeee!! It might get up to 65F this afternoon...and it's sunny !! Best we go out and play while we can. (Unfortunately it  is back to the lows thirties and rain again tomorrow.)

 

Bruce is on the 17th Tee where you have drive it across 150 yards of marsh to land it on the fairway... further to get on the green. He made it easily.

Jerusalem Cookbook: Eggplant Stuffed with Lamb 1 '14

For dinner this evening, CC attempted eggplant stuffed with lamb, artichoke hearts, and pine nuts from our new Jerusalem Cookbook.

 It looked really pretty but both BJ and I were very disappointed in the taste.

 The eggplant came out soggy and oily, and in spite of my following the recipe faithfully (except for doubling the quantity of seasonings the recipe called for), the dish was still bland.

Jerusalem: Roasted Chicken with Clementines and Arak 1 '14

Bruce decided to take a crack at his first recipe from the "Jerusalem" cookbook. He made us Chicken with roasted Fennel  Clementine Oranges and Arak. To die for!

Jerusalem: Seafood and Fennel Soup 1 '14

CC launched the first test of our new cookbook with a supper of seafood and fennel soup. It was sort of a Cioppino but substituted fennel for the usual heavy dose of tomatoes. The recipe called for fish, and shrimp ( which we had in the freezer), and clams and mussels which we picked up at the local fish market, and a ton of exotic spices. Mmmmmm what a feast! We're so glad to be back cooking in our own kitchen.

Red Rice and Kale for Brunch 1 '14

On the trip home from California, we had lunch at an airport cafe. I chose a bowl of red rice and kale topped with a poached egg. It was filling and healthy but rather bland. Bruce took one look and announced, " I can do better than that!". 

So guess what he prepared for brunch this morning? Right" We had red rice and kale cooked in chicken broth, seasoned with onion and garlic, and garnished with spinach, basil, avocado and fresh tomatoes. Then topped with a perfectly poached egg. 

He even plated it beautifully. I believe he made his point

Jerusalem, A Cookbook: 1 "14

 My sweet son-in-law David McClellan gave me the "Jerusalem" cookbook as a belated birthday gift.  Bruce and I read it on the flight home. In Jerusalem, Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi explore  the vibrant cuisine of their home city—with its diverse Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities. Both men were born in Jerusalem in the same year—Tamimi on the Arab east side and Ottolenghi in the Jewish west. This stunning cookbook offers 120 recipes from their unique cross-cultural perspective, from inventive vegetable dishes to sweet, rich desserts.  Most are gluten free.  We decided to test every recipe in it.

Coming Home to South Carolina 1 '14

Of course fate couldn't let us just have a peaceful journey home. Ten minutes before we were board the plane, the fire alarms sounded in the San Diego Airport and we had to evacuate the terminal. (Fortunately it was 85 degrees in California, If that had happened while waiting for our connector flight in Atalanta we would have frozen to death). In the long run it was a minor inconvenience and we were able to get off on time and make our connections home.

Birthday Dinner and Bentos and Noodles 1 '14

The evening before we left for home we took Laura and David and the boys out to celebrate Laura and David's  birthdays at Bentos. The place makes the most incredible sushi dishes. It was a feast for the eyes and well at the stomach. It was a lovely way to end the trip.

Bentos Dragon Roll

Pachenga Casino and Hotel 1 ' 14

Most of our time during our stay in California was spend assisting  CC's  Mother to move to Arizona. By the end of the first week, we were physically sore and heart-weary from sorting and packing through years of possessions. Once we saw CC's  Mom was safely off, Bruce decided it was time for a more uplifting environment. He booked us a room for the night at the Pachenga Casino and Hotel in Temecula, CA.

  The hotel upgraded us to a beautiful suite on the ninth floor.  the living area was enormous.

 The bedroom  was gorgeous..  Bruce was really impressed. 

Bruce was really impressed.

The bathroom was a two room affair that was nearly  the size of  half of our house

 

All I cared about by that time was sinking down in that deep whirlpool tub and getting a full nights sleep.

Hull Reunion Dinner at Eileens' House 1 "14

Dennis and Nina Fox, Eileen Lolin Wolfard, BJ, CC

Thursday evening, Eileen Molin Wolfard, another Hull, Mass. emigrant hosted a delicious vegan reunion dinner for the Nina, Dennis, BJ and I. 

Dennis Fox, Eileen Molin Wolfard. BJ

 Talk about party time... I had met Eileen a couple of years ago, and BJ's class reunion, but with the smaller group, we had so much more time to talk. It was so much fun. We all laughed 'til we cried.

Dennis Fox, Eileen Molin Wolfard, BJ

 I wish we all lived closer.

Visiting with Nina and Dennis Fox 1 '14

BJ, Nina, and Dennis Fox

We made time to visited Bruce's childhood friends, Nina and Dennis Fox. Nina lived next door to Bruce in Hull, Mass. while they were growing up, and Dennis and Bruce played together in their high school's band. I hadn't had a chance to meet them before, but it like I had known them all my life. Hopefully we will be able to stay in touch.

BJ, Nina, and Dennis Fox

Visiting with the Cunninghams 1 '14

Marty, BJ, Sam

While we were at the resort, Bruce's son, Marty, and daughter-in-law 'Sam' dropped by for a visit. We were so happy there were in town while we were there and were able to see us.

Visit with Jackie Campbell 1' 14

After lunch in Coronado Island,  Laura, the boys, Bruce and I  headed off to  Hemet to visit with CC's mother, Jackie Campbell.  Here are some photos taken of Mom with Jeannie and  CC on on Jan 10th.  They are the last ones taken while CC's mother was still  residing in Hemet, CA..

Mom and I

Mom and Jeannie

Lawrence Welk Resort 1"14

View looking south from our condo

Friday saw us checking into the Lawrence Welk Resort in Escondido CA. 

 

View looking North from our condo

 As nice as the resort is ,we really didn't have time to use many of the amenities 

(Bruce and I only got in one round of golf), 

rather we chose it as our base camp because it was centrally located to all the family and friends we wanted to see.

 It was a nice resort.  Hopefully BJ and I will be able to stay there again  when we have time to enjoy it.

The Arboretum and Coronado Island with the McClellans 1 '14

Laura was adamant the CC would get to see the arboretum before she left San Diego, so first thing in the morning we all piled  in her auto and sped off to Balboa Park again.  This time the greenhouse was open.

Ryan and Dylan

Where everyone had a big grin on their faces

 Especially CC

Then it was off to the Coronado Island Hotel for some lunch

a stroll along the beach

and some male bonding