Garden fresh poblano peppers

Hubby is fully responsible for the success of our vegetable garden.  He does every bit of the work.  For him, I'm sure it is a bit like planting his future menu.  He probably is already dreaming of the dishes and canned goods that he wants to prepare while embedding each and every seed in the soil in early Spring. 

Right now our garden is producing banana peppers, poblano peppers, jalapeno peppers, green peppers, roma tomatoes, slicing tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, okra, basil, broccoli, brussel sprouts, snow peas, and maybe - if a particular vine survives - some fresh cucumbers.

The poblano peppers served as the centerpiece for tonight's dinner.  Tomato and Goat Cheese polenta topped with roasted chicken, corn and feta-stuffed poblanos.  It was the tastiest dish I've consumed in a long time.  The peppers were pretty hot, but balanced by the creamy polenta.  I made a goat cheese and avocado dip as an appetizer. 

 

I am already dreaming of eating the leftover polenta. Ummmmmmm.

Whale watching in Boothbay Harbor, Maine

While visiting Maine for our summer vacation, hubby and I agreed that whale watching was the quintessential tourist activity that we just had to do.  We tracked down a tour company local to Boothbay Harbor, the town in which we stayed.  It was a beautiful day, and the company offered guaranteed whale sightings.  I had my doubts from the moment we bought the tickets.  Internally, I questioned how could anyone ever guarantee that every trip out to sea in the vast Atlantic would result in the spotting of a whale.  Sure these are big fish we're talking about, but it's an even bigger ocean. 
The boat traveled across the lumpy waves about 20 miles from shore to the "whale feeding grounds."

I guess you can tell by my attitude that we never spotted a whale.  We were offered complimentary tickets to come back anytime for a second attempt.  Sure...the next time we're in Maine.

Despite not seeing a whale, the boat was actually quite an experience.  We saw seals, one of my favorite animals.  They are blubbery, lazy, and enjoy lounging in the sun near waves crashing on rocks.

We had pretty decent views of lighthouses and the Maine coastline.

And the sailboats dotting the frigid waters are exquisite sights.

Then there's this exquisite sight.  My two boys.  Hubby was holding Caleb on the deck of the boat and the rocking waters coaxed Caleb to sleep.

We tucked him in one of the benches for a 1.5-hour nap, snuggled warmly in my newly-purchased Maine sweatshirt.

Hubby and I enjoyed the waves and the sights while Caleb slept. 

Overall it was a fun adventure with only a minimal amount of seasickness.

Pool pals

For the past week, Caleb has had the pleasure of having his Grammie (Debbie) in town to visit. She has been spending all of her time, energy and love on that sweet little boy.  And because she loves him so much, she offered to watch Caleb's girlfriend Ellie a few days this week as well...just so the two of them would have toddler company. 
To top it all off, they got to splash around in the swimming pool on a very hot day. 

 

Caleb appears to have been very thirsty during their pool time.  I'm sure the kids worked together in toddler fashion to share the hose and the water and everything else they encountered that day.  Thanks Grammie!

Boston by foot

Hubby, Caleb and I just finished off a summer vacation in Maine with our final night in Boston. 
We are pleased that we got to spend the final night of our vacation in air conditioned, king-sized bed comfort at the Westin Waterfront in Boston.  No complaints about Maine - I just enjoyed the royal treatment in Boston.
During our inaugural visit to the beautiful city of Boston, Hubby and I decided to fit as much in as we could.  We had only one afternoon at our disposal. 
The concierge at the hotel urged us to not use a car, but tour the city by foot.  So we checked our rental car in one day early, which ended up being a good thing.  Parking for one hour at the hotel was $20.  The luxury accommodations were a pretty penny too - but that came as no surprise, and one well worth it.

Our hotel, the Westin Waterfront.

We dropped off the car at the rental place near Government Center and started our journey toward Faneuil Hall Marketplace in the center of Boston.

 View from below in downtown Boston.

We stopped along the way to watch a street performance - three very energetic performers who played music, danced, and did acrobatics.  They also passed around a bucket to collect money, pleading with the crowd to "help keep the black man out of prison and out of your houses."  These humorous fellows enjoyed calling attention to their ethnicity.  

 Street performers in Boston.

Then we entered Faneuil Hall, a market building built in 1742, where town meetings once took place including protests by Samuel Adams and others against the imposition of taxes on the colonies. 

 

 

Faneuil Hall

 

 Upper level, Faneuil Hall

Upper level, Faneuil Hall.  

Each step represents the first 13 United States in order of statehood from bottom to top.

 Shopping and attractions in the Faneuil Hall Marketplace.

Our next stop was a merry-go-round (a first for Caleb) near the waterfront.  This activity was followed with a popsicle, a constant Caleb request.

 

Midway through the ride, the conductor stopped the merry-go-round, approached me and told me I had to get off the seat and stand beside Caleb instead of riding.  It was safer that way, according to him.  Felt a lot less stable to me, but I'm just the mama.

 

After a brief stop at the waterfront, we moved on to the King's Chapel and Burying Ground.  I love cemeteries, but this is not news.  I try to photograph at least one during every new place we visit.

 The King's Burying Ground

 Neat architecture in the cemetery

 The King's Chapel. Very cool pews - these were the originals.  They are like family boxes.

After a hushed visit to the chapel, which had Caleb in fits to scream and yelp with all his 2-year-old energy, we scurried on to the Tadpole Playground and the Frog Pond, a free sprayground in the Boston Commons.  Much fun was had splashing around.

 

 The Frog Pond, Boston Commons

We got drenched and then began the mile-hike home to the hotel.  Some sights along the way...

 

Then dinner in the hotel room, bathtime and bedtime.

    

Caleb curled up in a bath towel, ready for bed

 

City views from our 16th floor room at dusk

 

The Westin even provided a crib for Caleb.  It came with a cute little baby rug. How precious!

We can't wait for our next visit to Boston.

Photos of the Day

The family made a Sunday afternoon trip to Jordan Lake a few weekends ago.  This marked Caleb's first trip to the Durham area lake.  He enjoyed stripping down to his bright orange swim trunks and he enjoyed watching Paxton the dog bounce around in the water, but he just wasn't a fan of the actual water itself.  I don't blame him.
I desperately wanted to float on a raft in order to avoid touching my toes to the murky lake bottom.  Caleb just wouldn't allow it.  He insisted that I stand in the water while holding him.  Jordan Lake is not for the faint of heart.  It takes courage to get in that dark, ooey, gooey abyss.
Here is Caleb striking a few adorable poses.  Picture me, shrieking and whining in the background.

 

A 4th of July flowerbed

I am a very bad influence.  I convinced hubby that we should skip church this past Sunday and instead finish planting a flowerbed in our front yard.  We dreamed up the idea of a new flowerbed over Father's Day.  Our front yard has horrible grass and consists mostly of weeds - so why not substitute grass for a flowerbed, we thought.

Hubby dug out the space and we selected most of the plants on Father's Day, purchasing the goods from Kiefer Landscaping in Durham.  What a beautiful place!  They have this giant koi pond where kids (and adults) can feed the fish.
But then the empty dirt bed just sat there for 2 weeks looking far from attractive.  I couldn't let it go any longer.  

So we spent Sunday in the blazing hot sun, thanking God for a beautiful day, as hubby and I worked together on the yard project.  Our new bed includes a small Winterberry tree, two types of leafy groundcover, some purple and red azaleas, an ornamental grass, bee balm, dwarf hollies, verbena, among other plants (whose names I have since forgotten).

I think it's funny how different the before and after photos look (yes, I know, that is the point in taking before and after photos).  But one was taken on a dry, dusty day and the other taken the morning after a series of torrential rainstorms. 

Have you found your inner peace?

My boss - a positive, professional, motivating leader - sent this checklist out to staff this morning.  It outlines the "symptoms of inner peace."  I smiled a bit as I read through the list.  Some of these are familiar symptoms, and some I definitely have yet to achieve.  Here's to wishing you each some inner peace during this holiday weekend!

The Symptoms of Inner Peace

·        A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than act in response to fears based on past experiences

·         An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment

·         A loss of interest in judging other people

·         A loss of interest in judging oneself

·         A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others

·         A loss of interest in conflict

·         A loss of ability to worry  (a very serious symptom)

·         Frequent overwhelming episodes  of appreciation

·         Contented feelings of connectedness with others and with nature

·         Frequent attacks of smiling

·         An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen

·         An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it