Monday, August 23, 2010

Honey Harvest

This year's honey harvest came in last week! We got just over 80 pounds which is better than last year but only so-so for the amount of hives we had.
The honey is filtered through multiple mesh sieves and then poured into individual jars. Love this stuff!

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Wood Stove At Deer Gulch Cabin

Ron and his brother Ray worked on the pipes for the wood stove at the cabin this last week and got it all hooked up on Friday! Now we are set for the colder weather the will be here this winter. Even though it was over 90 degrees, we fired it up!
It didn't take much wood to keep it going and it looked so cozy!
Can't wait til nippier weather is here!

Letterboxing

Have any of you ever heard of letterboxing? Well I just found out about it a few months ago and finally had an opportunity to take Abby and Eli on one of the local treasure hunts. We looked up one on the Internet and drove according to the directions to a park about 7 miles from our house. The next thing we were instructed to do was sit on the bench and take a minute to take in the view.
Pretty.
Then we were told to look to the left at the roots of the largest tree. Buried under some leaves and bark was the treasure box. We stamped the booklet with our stamp and signed it TEAM AWESOME!

Then we went on a short hike to our county's only waterfall! I didn't even know we had a waterfall!
Abby and Eli climbed right up the rocks to get as close to the fall as possible.

The pond at the foot of the falls was cool and clear.

Time out for cookies!
Mint Milanos!
Eli thought this way would be easier.....it wasn't.
Great way to spend a hot summer day!

Bonfires and Butterflies

This last week we had a huge bonfire and cookout. While waiting for our fire to go down a bit, the grand kids rode tractors and chased butterflies.


Hot dogs and corn right out of the garden....umm good!

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Amish Auction

Yesterday we went to a auction to benefit the local Amish community with large doctor and medical bills. Ron's brother Ray is visiting and we wanted to show him how we spend our Saturdays here in Ohio. It was a very hot and muggy day but it did not stop us from having a great time!
Here is a picture of some of the buggies at the neighbor's barnyard.
All of the items were donated as were the services of the auctioneers! If the bidding seemed slow, details were included about the creator of that particular piece (if they were elderly, very young or physically or mentally impaired). Suddenly the item seemed to shine and the bidding went wild! When the hammer went down we would all clap to show our appreciation of the good taste of the winning bidder! There was so many things to fall in love with. The quilts were beautifully crafted and hand quilted and the furniture was handmade from solid hardwoods! I bid on and won a split log pegboard and a lovely table also made out of hand hewed logs. I also got a lovely little woven rug that will look great in the "someday" kitchen in the cabin.
A few farm animals were also up for auction and the bidding was lively! Saddle and buggy broke ponies, calves, chickens, rabbits and even a few dogs were quickly snapped up by both Amish and English alike. The hardest thing for Ron and I to walk away from were the pole barn and log cabin that were there. I mean, did we really need one or was it just auction fever? Cooler heads prevailed and we watched those lovely buildings go to other homes. Of course a little doubt still lingers as to whether we did the smart thing. But home make chicken noodles, hamburgers, potato salad and fry pies helped to bring our spirits back up! As the morning turned to afternoon, we finally called it a day and took our treasures home feeling satisfied with our finds and time well spent.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Louisiana In the Summertime!

Let's be honest, I went with Ron to Louisiana mainly for the food so that is what this post is all about.
Cajun country.
This gumbo was made from such a dark roux and had such rich spicy goodness!
All gone.
Catfish and crawfish all deep fried with a bit of jambalaya.
Crawfish etouffee!!!!

A southern porch in Lafayette. I did do more than just eat!
OK, back to the food. Dirty rice, spicy corn and crab au gratin.
Soft shell crab and Dirty rice at Prejeans. Soooo good. And the zydeco music was fun. Goodness I think I am still full from all that we ate last week.