Flame broiled turkey wraps.

The higher the mercury rises, the more we wish to get out of our hot kitchens, and fire up the grill.

Here is an easy, tasty recipe to tempt your taste buds.

2 cups broccoli coleslaw mix
1 med. tomato, seeded and chopped
3tbs. coleslaw dressing
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 tbs. prepared mustard
11/2 tsp. Caribbean jerk seasoning
2 turkey breasts, about 8oz each
4 8" flour tortillas

In a large bowl, toss coleslaw mix, tomato, dressing, jalapeno pepper and mustard.
Rub turkey with jerk seasoning.
Coat grill with nonstick spray before starting the grill.
Grill turkey, covered, over med. heat for 8-10 minutes or until 170F on meat thermometer.
Let stand for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile grill tortillas uncovered, over med. heat for 45-55 seconds each side until warmed.
Thinly slice turkey, place down center of tortillas, top with coleslaw and wrap up.

CAUTION, gardener at work!

I had been giving some thought to what could be done to finish off the tops of the fence posts, and came to the conclusion it was a shame to waste space *grin* so I have anchored flower pots on some of the post tops and have planted them with petunias and hen & chickens. There are still more fence posts needing pots and plants, that project can wait a day or two.
Stop over at Keewee's Garden to see what is going on in the garden this month, (three posts)

THE WOODEN BOWL

Sad but true.



I guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now.

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law,and four-year old grandson.
The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred,and his step faltered.

The family ate together at the table But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. "We must do something about father," said the son. "I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor."

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There,Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden Bowl! When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometime he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor.
He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?"
Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work .

The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.
That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled,or the tablecloth soiled.

On a positive note, I've learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things: a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned that, regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.

I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life .."

I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back

I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.

I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.

I've learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone.

People love that human touch -- holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.

Something for everyone here

The children and family members of the couple who lived on this piece of property before their deaths, held a huge estate sale over the weekend.
I wandered down there this morning and found a couple of things to buy, but what really interested me was the history. There is the first family home, a cottage, old out buildings, wonderful antique pieces of farming equipment and household goods. This was an opportunity to record some history in pictures.

An interesting old barn which is still full of all kinds of stuff.















The first home of the family















This quaint cottage, is where some of the family were raised.









An old out building decorated in blackberries.

I wonder how many members of the family, were wheeled around in style, in this perambulator.

More wonderful farm equipment, which may end up at
someones home as yard art.

Probably a cherished labor saving washing machine in it's day.

This home which housed more sale items, is where the senior couple of this family lived before their passing.

Some very old, and some, quite not so old things for sale.
















Inside one of the buildings is an amazing array of tools and misc. items,
you name it and I am sure it is in there somewhere.

My treasure.

I was just on my way out of the driveway, when this little old wagon caught my eye. I could not resist buying it. I already knew what I was going to do with it, even before pulling it back home.

After a visit to the garden center, this is what the wagon looks like now.

Going, going, gone!

I am sure many of you have a junk drawer in your home somewhere.

We had such a drawer in the kitchen, until I emptied it out, sorted all the stuff into baggies, and put it away neat and tidy. Things like tools went into the toolbox where they belong and all the screws, nails and hooks, went into my toolbox, so next time I am looking for a nail, I will know exactly where to find one.
I found objects in the drawer, I had no idea what they were, or what part of something, they originally came off. Had to check with MrC before tossing anything important out.
The garbage sack, I had beside me as I worked, did not go out to the trash empty.

Why we keep placing things like, nails, screws, paper clips, coupons etc. in a drawer instead of putting them away in the first place, is beyond me. Is it because we are lazy or because it is more convenient to open a drawer, toss the item in and walkaway.
This is one more chore to cross off the list. sometime soon I may get to the end of the list.

All dolled up and some place to go

Today was a Red & Purple day in Langley, on Whidbey Island Washington.
Many of the ladies from Red Hat Chapters on Whidbey Island, Camano Island and Port Townsend came together to enjoy a day of fun and fellowship.

The Red Hat Chilies gathering outside The Edgecliff restaurant where we enjoyed a wonderful lunch.

Some of the ladies of the Red Hat Chilies, the chapter I belong to.
Sorry some of the pictures are a little dark, there was a lot of glare coming in through the large picture windows.

Four more of our lovely ladies.

A few more lovely Red Hat Chilies decked out in their finest.

Red & Purple, as far as the eye can see

Purple & Red, as far as the eye can see

Friends, Keewee and Joyce

Such a lovely view from the front of the restaurant.

After lunch, many of the ladies wandered around Langley where most of the shops offered discounts especially for us women wearing Red & Purple.

Would you look at that, the rooster is dressed in an outfit which matches mine *grin*

Joyce and I were sitting outside Mike's Place licking on our freebie ice cream, compliments of Mike's when I spied Red Hat ladies outside the chocolate shop just across the street. Next door is The Dog House,where I hear they serve great beer. I wonder if they went in there for a sample or two *chuckle*

Dinner Date

Last week while at work, I heard the sound of an engine out side. At first, I did not really pay attention, as there is construction going on next door, but After a short while I realised the sound I was hearing was not a construction sound, so I went outside to investigate.

Here is what I saw. Back inside I ran, to grab my camera, wow, what was a float plane doing this close to the spa and Inn. The plane started to circle on the water and as I looked along the beach, there was another float plane off loading passengers onto the beach. I put two and two together and figured out the second plane was waiting to taxi to the beach to let it's passengers off after the first plane pulled out.

I walked along the boardwalk closer to the plane, to get a better picture and to also confirm my suspicions that the visitors were coming to stay at the Inn. One of the Inn's receptionists was standing here where I took the photo and another was down on the beach helping people off the plane. I asked the woman if the people were coming to stay at the Inn, and she told me they were staying for dinner. Imagine that, flying across from the mainland just to have dinner.

The first plane had landed all it's passengers, and the second was taxiing in to let it's passengers off onto the beach where they had to walk the short distance to gain the boardwalk, then on into the Inn. I hear the passengers were from one of the BIG companies in the Seattle area.

The second plane, a speck in the sky, heading back to where it started from.
There is always something interesting going on around where I work, so I am hardly ever without my camera to record such events.

Why stay home, if you don't have to.

This how we feel. When there is chance to pack the RV and get away from all the everyday hustle and bustle we do just that.
This past Friday evening, we rode the ferry from Keystone to Port Townsend, then drove about an hour to one of our favorite campgrounds.

Dungeness Forks campground has a sign at the beginning of the road which leads down to the campground, which says, No trailers or RVs. Our RV is very small so we can negotiate the very steep road down to the campground, and I do mean very steep, as I swear if you were not buckled in, you would slide off your seat onto the floor.

Usually there are not many campers in this particular campground, so we were surprised to see folks in our favorite site, Oh well. We pulled into this spot which was OK for the first night and waited to see if they would move out next morning, which they did.

Some very sour, make your mouth pucker, wild berries.

While we waited for the campers to vacate our favorite spot, we decided to take a walk and just before the bridge, outside the camping ground, there is a small area, right beside the river, you can pull into and stay overnight for free. We have always wanted to stay here, but we always found other people beat us to it. This time, the vehicle which was there the night before, had pulled out, so we lost no time in driving our RV the short distance and setting up camp.
If you click on the picture you can just make out our RV hidden in the trees.

Looking back at our campsite from the narrow trail we decided to explore.

I sure do enjoy walking trails in the wooded areas, especially when they run beside a beautiful river such as this one.

These two huge trees have fallen across the river, and if you had the courage, which I do not, you could walk across them to the other side. The river is extremely cold and swift, with huge rocks. So if you happened to lose your footing, and fell in, you would surely not survive.

It must be the gardener and artist in me, which makes me stop to admire the beauty and form of wild flowers, moss on trees or the way tree roots grow on the banks beside the trail.

I do not paint any more, but I do enjoy taking photographs of interesting tree roots like these. I suppose I could paint pictures from my photos, but there are so many other things to do.

We were careful to step over this little guy who was busy eating his meal in the middle of the trail. There were also various colored slugs leaving their silvery tracks across the trail.

How beautiful, and LOUD is this river. We had to stand close to be able to hear each other over the roar of the water rushing downwards over the rocks towards the coast.

Duck!! I had to yell at MrC to watch his head. Sometimes we were so busy looking around we had stop and remind ourselves that one false step and we could tumble many feet down the bank to that cold river below.

One of the many little wild roses.

A tiny, delicate white flower.

This delicate fern, or some kind of lichen covering a fallen tree trunk. Again, the artist in me admires the form of such a dainty plant.

Back from our hike, and getting a nice pile of glowing embers started in the campfire, to cook our dinner over.

Fairly early this morning we left Dungeness Forks for home, and decided to stop here at 7 Cedars Casino for breakfast. Unfortunately, they did not open until 10am and we would have had to hang around for another hour. That did not appeal, so we hit the road looking for another place for a hearty filling breakfast.
MrC had, in the past, flown into the tiny Jefferson County International Airport, a one-strip airfield four miles south of Port Townsend, off state Route 19. Its Spruce Goose Cafe is renowned for great food and a front-row view of small plane comings and goings.It wasn't far out of our way so that is where we ate before catching the ferry back to the Island.

It was a nice restful weekend away from home, just what we both needed.