Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Beach time!
After another nice morning we headed to the beach.
Then I made dinner and we watched the original "Yours, Mine, an Ours" with Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball.
It's been a great day.
xoxo, natty ❤
Monday, July 29, 2013
Mountain air.
I'm a day into our Tahoe time and really enjoying it. Oh but I do really wish my dear old husband were here with us but he's holding down the fort in DC; thanks so much sweetie but it'd be nicer with you here.
Let's look at niceties then, shall we? We shall!
1. Humidity trumps altitude. Though I'm getting winded going up stairs or walking up a hill {like I always do at this elevation}, this morning's run made me feel like I was in the best shape of my life.
That's hyperbolic but temperatures in the high 60s and seemingly zero humidity really make a huge difference compared to what DC's summer has to offer {wet rags continuously slung at me}.
2. After my run...
an uncle made blueberry pancakes!
3. We made a run to the Tahoe City thrift shop, one of the best I've ever, ever, ever been to. I snagged an old Mexican embroidered blouse and some cheap books.
4. I got in the water today. I took the slow walking immersion approach. I can't decide if that or jumping in is easier. I can safely say that neither way is comfortable but I do like to get myself in once a day when I'm up here.
5. My pops is driving up tomorrow! This is going to be one full house!
What's good about your week? Has weather cooled down the way it did in DC? Are you getting in some mileage too? Have a happy week wherever you are.
xoxo, natty ❤
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Planes, minus trains, and automobiles.
I woke up in DC this morning and one flight later plus a smooth car-ride I'm SO ready to go to bed in beautiful Lake Tahoe.
xoxo, natty❤
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Friday, July 26, 2013
Good start to a weekend.
We're having a great time with Mike's parents in DC. They've been here since Wednesday and good times {&food!} have been had all around.
I set out for a quick run this morning in the beautiful Meridian Hill Park before meeting everyone at a coffee shop for some breakfast.
A visit to the National Archives and a jazzy picnic later, we're a fulfilled bunch.
Have a lovely weekend!
xoxo, natty ❤
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Here a year.
A year ago today we rolled into town. DC hasn't been the same since.
Woah that went quickly!
Here's to another 365 of taxation without representation {except for Mike since he's still licensed and registered in California}!
xoxo, natty ❤
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Let's make PIE.
Atlantic Beach Pie
Crust:
1 and a half sleeves of saltine crackers
1/3 to 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
3 tablespoons of sugar
Filling:
1 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup of lemon or lime juice, or a mix of the two
Garnish:
Fresh whipped cream {about small carton of whipping cream whipped to oblivion} and sea salt for garnish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Smash the crackers but not until they're obliterated {no dust says the recipe} {using your hands or a food processor} and then mix them with the sugar and butter so that you have a dough-like substance.
Press the cracker mix into a regular sized pie plate and chill for 15 minutes then bake for 18 {or until golden}.
While the crust cools thoroughly mix the filling ingredients, pour into the crust, and bake until the filing has set {the recipe says 16 [?] minutes}. You'll want the pie to be very cold before you dress it with the whipped cream and serve it so chill it in the fridge for several hours, top it with the whipped cream, sprinkle on some salt, and enjoy.
I am SO excited to go to California and really looking forward to this pie after a day at the lake and a nice dinner.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Getting stuff done.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Done did me in.
Mike and I headed out for five miles this morning; we signed up for the Philadelphia Marathon on November 17th and some serious miles should be starting for us soon.
But the heat and humidity. I wax poetic all the time about how much I enjoy warm weather and it's true but I don't think I'm cut out for enjoying my hot runs.
I'd mentioned a while ago how running through this mucky weather feels like heavy, hot, and wet towels being repeatedly slapped at me. It still feels that way.
We got in our run though and enjoyed some cool drinks on our way home. Where I was taken down for the rest of the day; I can do the run but I am just pooped afterwards!!
Nevertheless, a nap and some tuna melts later {plus a reviving shower} and I'm ready to face the Monday ahead of me.
I hope that your weekend was restorative and enjoyable Dear Reader!
xoxo, natty ❤
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Another one for the books; Lemon Drizzle Cake.
Friday, July 19, 2013
More food; Summer Squash Enchiladas.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
So tasty; Eggplant Parmigiana.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Vegetables.
"I'm not afraid to fry things...I'm not afraid to fry things." |
Basil, jalapeños, garlic, okra, cauliflower, squash, potatoes, a basil plant, green pepper, cucumbers. |
Monday, July 15, 2013
It's Monday!
Seen while running: that's a rusted out ship amidst volcanic rock on a jetty type-thing. |
Seen while running: volcanic rock and the way-North Atlantic. |
Sunday, July 14, 2013
A bit of a re-cap; part I.
We got in late Monday night after two flights. Arriving was so exciting because we had been thinking about the trip for so long and because we had no idea of what to expect as far as what Iceland actually looks like; and it's amazing. I would say that what we saw the first night was a bit like certain parts of Hawaii where there are lava-rock fields. And it smells like sulfur.
After an eventful hour or so packed into our friend's car, Mike and two of our friends got our rental car and followed our Icelandic bride to our home for the week - the hostel for the workers in her family's fish company.
"Visir", our home for the week. Those bins are often filled with fish. This was at 2 AM; check out the lack of dark sky! |
The view from our room that first "night". |
Our view in the morning; pardon the window reflection. |
Unbeknownst to us, the bride and groom actually got married RIGHT HERE on this platform; the bride majorly ♥s her home country...so sweet. |
Geothermal activity. |
Boiling mud. |
Investigating steam. |
I was getting hot with all the hill-climbing, hence the majorly disheveled look. |
We met friends in Reykjavik for dinner that night and enjoyed some cold and windy walking around. It had been an all around clear day with sun which is a beautiful summer experience but it's by no means warm and Reykjavik is on the water so with a bit of wind it was a tad frightful. I had brought along my big down winter coat and I was sooooo grateful for it in those temperatures!
We made if back to Grindavik, our home base, the boys went over to their buddy's house to hang out a bit, and I conked out.
What an amazing country and how surreal that we're here for great friends and seeing so many wonderful people all together in one place; the several college crowds that are convening here for the wedding haven't been together in such large numbers and at this concentration for at least seven years - woah!!!
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Ah-ha.
Friday, July 12, 2013
What went wrong?
Part of our CSA this week was as much basil as one could want.
So I grabbed a solid gallon bag's worth and got down to work on some pesto today.
I had made pesto last year that was super yummy so I was looking forward to this big batch.
And it came out looking like smashed spinach. But it tasked ok at least.
I went off the usual pesto recipes of :basil, nuts {I used almonds because pine nuts are pricey and we always have almonds around}, some parmesan, and enough olive oil to be at the consistency I liked after many pulses of the food processor.
I think maybe our food processor is too big for a batch like this? Even though there was a lot of basil in there I think it might have been too spread out for the blades so it took many, many pulses and maybe that's what made it such a dark green.
Oh well. Like I said, it tasted good and when frozen into cubes like this it's enough for a year's worth of impromptu pesto dinners.
What's on your weekend agenda folks?? Do you have any pesto solutions??
xoxo, natty ❤
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Musings on DC.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Back.
Monday, July 8, 2013
Halló.
It has been a wild week, folks.
We just spent our last night in the country at Icelandair's hotel on the Reykjavik marina. And we have free wifi here.
Our flight's later today and we need to venture out into the rain for a quick bite to eat and a few souvenirs.
I'll have plenty more to say later this week when we're stateside {and plenty of pictures though I got a chance to Instagram a few [@sracalifornia]} but until then, Ísland : tokk fyrir a desamlegt tími.
xoxo,
natty ❤
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Almost a week.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Nationals.
Friday, July 5, 2013
A pool?!
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Halló frá Ísland!
Kveðjur frá Ísland! Greetings from Iceland!
I’m hopefully safely ensconced in the world’s northernmost
capital city. Since we’re out of the country for a week I’m going to be
scheduling some blog posts for while our absence.
Today I start with a completely uncategorized list of things
I learned about Iceland before setting out on this trip. All of this
information can be gleaned from the Internet and a Discovery Channel
documentary I watched on Youtube. Yeah, I’m made the most of my days last week.
Enjoy!
·
It is the most peaceful country in the world.
·
It is the first country to have an all-women
political party.
·
The currency is the króna.
·
No standing army though a light coast guard and
a crisis response unit.
·
The arctic fox is the only indigenous mammal though
some polar bears come over via iceberg from Greenland.
·
Geothermal and hydropower provide most all of
the electricity in Iceland.
·
The interior of the country is the harshest
climate of the country and uninhabitable.
·
62.7% of the island is tundra.
·
It has the northernmost world capital.
·
The Icelandic language, because of the
geographical isolation of the island, is the Scandinavian language closest to
Old Norse {except for Faroese which is spoken in the Faroe Islands [look em up,
they’re tiny and northern]}.
·
They have one of the lowest income inequality
rates in the world.
·
Though I’m open to being immersed in new
cultures, when it comes to food, I’m not quite as adventurous as I’d like to be.
Thankfully I like seafood, of which they have much {obviously} but I think I might
avoid eating "slátur" which is sheep innards minced together with
blood and served in the sheep’s stomach. I also don’t mind lamb, which they
serve a lot of, so I should be good.
·
One traditional and intense Icelandic food is "hákarl"
which is putrid shark. It used to be made by burying the
shark carcass under sand and rocks for several months {I think that the indigenous Americans in Alaska used to/still do something similar} and then dry-curing the
meat in strips for several months afterwards. It’s served in cubes and often
accompanied with "brennivín" which is an Icelandic aquavit
{liqueur}. The hákarl is said to be very strongly flavored of ammonia and that
many first-timers gag when they try it.
·
It appears as though tipping isn’t practiced.
·
It's the only country remaining where
land owners retain the right to collect eider-duck down from nests on their
property; it's the down that the mother ducks pluck from their chests to
protect their nests and collecting it is often the task of children.
·
The plover's {a bird} song heralds
spring.
·
It has the highest concentration of volcanoes
in the world.
·
It has puffins!!! One of the largest
puffin colonies in the world. Unusually for birds, they burrow in underground
dens, mate for life, and may live in the same den for up to 30 years.
·
There's a lake in the north of the
country that attracts more species of duck than anywhere in the world.
·
The Icelandic horse, a descendant of
Mongolian horses, was introduced by the Vikings and remains genetically pure.
They were once the best method of travel across the island. And they roam free
during the summer months.
·
Glaciers!
·
It is the location of Europe's biggest
desert; an area void of vegetation.
·
Youngest geological formation in the
world.
·
The black sand at the beaches is
actually the leftover ash from volcanoes.
We're so {so so} happy to be visiting this new culture AND celebrating the wedding of a pair of wonderful friends AND to be visiting/traveling with even more {& wonderful as well!} friends. We're a lucky couple of people and skál all around!
xoxo, natty ♥
Monday, July 1, 2013
öruggur ferð!
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