North Carolina Recap and the Weekly Menu

We were barely home from our vacation in Greece when we repacked and headed to North Carolina for a long weekend.  We started our adventure on Thursday, heading to a hotel near the airport because we had an early-morning flight on Friday.

We met up with Jim and Sharon, and then went to Leonardo's for dinner, where we reviewed information for a Vietnam tour, provided by our Travel Agent, Denise of Travel Tiger Vacations. 

Getting ready for Island Life and the Weekly Menu

The Easter Leftovers are gone.  Time to decide what we will be eating around here this week.  I am still held captive in case I am needed for jury duty, so we couldn't take the trip out to see Chuck, whose birthday was yesterday.  

However, we do get to have our Angel Face for this weekend.  It was her Mama's Birthday on Thursday, and Daddy took her for a well-deserved, long weekend getaway.

Today is our German son, Max's, birthday.  We last saw him over a year ago when we visited Europe and we hope to see him again this Fall when we visit Italy.

Today is also the day that I lost my dear friend and soul sister, Kirsten.  Not a day goes by that I don't think of her.  I miss her terribly, but celebrate that she is safe and happy with her granddaughter and all the other angels in Heaven.

We have been having fun with our girl since she was dropped off yesterday.  Grampy and Uncle Doug are taking her to her soccer game today.  Aunt Amy and I are going to a vendor show and out to lunch with Cathy.  Grampy is making her spaghetti for dinner tonight.  It is her favorite meal to have when she visits.

We are attending a wine dinner with the Luths and Bonacorsis on Monday evening.  Tuesday, I have a hair appointment and am donating blood after receiving an SOS from the Red Cross advising that they are in great need of O+.  If you haven't donated in a while and are able, it is an easy and safe way to show love for others.

Then we will start packing and getting our dive gear ready for our trip to Anthony's Key Resort in Roatan.  

Banner page from Anthony's Key Resort website.

We are meeting with the others at a hotel near the airport on Friday evening, as our flight leaves at 6:30 am on Saturday.

So here is our Weekly Menu.  There will be no menu next week, but I will be sharing some recipes for events that are scheduled. What's going on in your life this week?

Saturday

Spaghetti

Sunday

Grilled Chicken

Jalapeno Popper Potato Salad

Monday

Wine Dinner at Testa Bara

Taco Tuesday

Baleados

Wednesday

Bratwurst and Red Cabbage

Thursday

Hamburgers

Friday

Dinner with Gang by Airport

 

Diving the Red Sea

Exodus 14:28  The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.

We just returned from diving in the Red Sea.  We did not see any chariots or charioteers under the sea. However, we did see all the glory and awesomeness of our God!!

More Cayman Brac Memories and a Taco Salad

Good Monday Morning.  I got all my laundry caught up and my groceries bought yesterday after my week long vacation while Frank mowed down the jungle that was our yard before the rains come back today.

We did find time to relax in the evening and celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a Taco Salad and Margaritas for dinner.

All your favorite taco flavors combined into a Salad.  Seasoned ground beef, romaine lettuce, black beans, tomatoes, avocados, and cheese all topped with a sour cream dressing.  Delicious!

This salad is easy to make and is perfect for a main course meal or you can double the recipe and bring it along to your summer pot lucks to feed a crowd.

A couple of days in Cayman Brac and The Weekly Menu

We had an absolutely awesome time at Cayman Brac Beach Resort.  Six luxurious days of diving, relaxation, and pampering.  The staff was excellent, the food amazing and the diving superb.

We missed many members of our usual group who could not be with us this trip.  Rob and Linda, Sherry and Brad, Rodney and Dee.....all of whom were with us in spirit, especially Rodney as he fights his health battle and Dee as she struggles along with him as his caregiver.

Grenada~~Last Day of Diving and a Cooking Class

Thursday we went to the Marine Preserve Park for our last two morning dives.  The first stop was a sunken schooner followed by the sculpture park.

The current took us around the hull of the schooner.

And the we had to fight the current to see the top of the schooner.

We then swam into the shallower waters and visited the Underwater Sculpture Park.  This Park was designed by a local artist using models from the Island to make the faces on the statues.  The Park is in pretty good shape except for one area that was damaged by a storm.  The bodies were ripped from the stand and now lie in the sand....this is now called the graveyard.

The second dive was another part of the reef system, I can't remember the name of the site.  It was a beautiful, vibrant reef with an abundance of sealife, mostly fans, coral heads, and small fish.

After lunch we attended a cooking class where the chef from the resort shared her recipe for Creole Sauce.  The Creole sauce here is very different from what I have made.

Now I have the secret ingredient and will be replicating it at home so stay tuned for that recipe coming up soon.

Following the Cooking Class was a night dive of the wreck we did the first dive of the first day.  This wreck is in a protected area so there is no current to deal with negating the need for a drift dive.  

The cup coral was very vibrant, we saw a couple of spiny sea urchin but were disappointed that none of the "thugs" were out.  Normally night dives are where you get to see your octopus, sharks, eels, etc.

Back to the resort for a late dinner and then crashed.  Yesterday was spent touring the Island.....learned so much and have a lot to share with you....coming up next on the blog....see you soon.

Grenada~~Day 4

I did not dive yesterday morning.  I awoke in the middle of the night with a terrible migraine and was still in pain and nauseous when it was time to leave in the morning.  Frank went and visited our dive friends, Brad and Sherry, who happen to be an ER Doctor and Trauma Nurse.  He came back with medication.  I was then able to fall asleep while Frank went diving.  I awoke around 11 am and felt much better with just the lingering residual effects of the migraine remaining.

Frank said that the visibility was not very good on the dives.  However, he did get some nice photos that he shared with me and I am sharing with you today.

I'm sorry I missed this guy.

Peek a Boo

I wish we didn't see so many of these guys.

After lunch I went back to the room and rested a bit more, read for a while and  went for a massage. By late afternoon I was feeling right back to normal.

The resort hosted a cocktail party for all of the guests.  We met the owners of the resort and mingled for a bit before heading over to the restaurant and bar area that had been taken over by locals for an evening of street food.

This was a lot of fun.  They had different stations with all kinds of local specialties.  We were given tickets and were able to pick and choose what we wished to try.  The only unusual thing that I tried was the curried goat stew which was absolutely delicious.

I got a lot of ideas for what to serve at our after dive party we will be hosting at the end of the month.

Off for our last day of diving.  See you all tomorrow.

Diving Grenada~~Day 3

Day 3 of diving was very nice but it started getting a little rough in the afternoon with high winds expected in the evening, canceling our scheduled night dive.

Our first stop of the morning was a site called Windmill Shallows. It contains neither a windmill nor shallows so we are unsure where the name originated. What it does contain is a Catamaran that was used for taking tourists out for rum cruises.  One morning the crew came into work and the Catamaran had disappeared.  Some time later it was discovered lying on the bottom of the ocean at the dive site.

There was an entire colony of Lionfish living on this Catamaran.  All stationed right over this feeding hole which is probably why we didn't see much else.

We did see this guy....Who's not afraid of no stinkin' lionfish.

And this spider crab who was oblivious to it all.

Our second dive was Kohanee, another section of the miles long reef system.  This was a beautiful site with a lot of marine life and gorgeous corals of all kinds.

We hung out by the pool after lunch.  We had spa services provided with our all inclusive package so Frank went for a back massage and I had a facial.  It was so wonderful that I scheduled a massage for today.

After our spa treatments we attended a chocolate and rum tasting.  We tried many different chocolates from 100% cocoa to 60% cocoa.  Some were plain, others were flavored with sea salt, nutmeg and ginger.  This is, after all, the Spice Island.   My favorite was the nutmeg flavored bar with 60% cocoa.  My most exciting find were cocoa tea balls.  I picked some up and got the recipe for cocoa tea….we have National Tea Day in June!

There were 3 different rums that we tried.  The first was 150 proof.  It was like taking a sip of lighter fluid.  The second was a Plantation Rum to be enjoyed on the rocks, with a sweeter honey flavor to it.  The last was a 10XO aged in Bourbon barrels from Tennessee and meant to be enjoyed neat.  This last was my personal favorite.

Cocktails and laughter before dinner.

Music and Dancing during Dinner.

Delicious Cajun Shrimp for dinner, that tasted more sweet and spicy than Cajun.

And then back to the room for a good night's sleep before diving the next day.  This is when my vacation went awry but more about that in tomorrows post.  See you then.

Grenada-Day 2

Our second day of diving with Aquanuts was just as wonderful as the first day.  The crew that we have is absolutely amazing.  This is the most relaxed dive trip that I have ever been on in my 25 years of diving.  The crew takes care of everything!!  They even take care of your wetsuits.  I have never been this pampered by a dive crew before.

Our first dive yesterday was another wreck called Shakem.  This wreck was a ship that picked up building supplies from Trinidad to bring back to Grenada.  They overloaded the ship with cement bars, blocks and rods.  The weight shifted and that was all she wrote.  This is one of the most intact shipwrecks I have seen.

We also came across a shovelnose lobster.  I had never seen one before.  You can see why lobster are sometimes called the cockroaches of the sea.

Our second dive was called Escape.  It is part of the same reef system that we explored on Day 1. 

It is a healthy, colorful reef with lots of small marine life.

A lot of shrimp hiding out on this dive.

Beauty everywhere you look.

How majestic is God's work!

We spent the remainder of the day around the pool, relaxing and reading.  I finished a novel I had been given and advanced copy of from The Book Club Cookbook for review.  I will be sharing that and the recipe it inspired shortly upon my return home.

The group we dive with is such a wonderful selection of personalities.  It is always an awesome time.  I look forward to sharing more with you tomorrow.  See you then,

Diving Grenada--Day 1

Grenada is a lovely island and our resort, True Blue Bay, is everything you could want.  Our rooms are lovely, the food is delicious and the service is excellent.  I will be posting photos and more about this wonderful resort in which we are staying later in the trip.

Today I want to share our diving photos from yesterday.  Our first dive was a wreck called Veronica.  The visibility wasn't great but it was a good spot for the divemasters to get to check out our group and learn our strengths and weaknesses.  Good divemasters always get to know their students in locations where they cannot cause too much damage before taking them to the better locations where buoyancy control and respect of the ocean is so important.

That is the ship in the backdrop, filled completely with cup corals.

We did find this guy who is camouflaged so well.

This beautiful Lady.

And this deceptively gorgeous but evil guy who is probably the reason we didn't see much else.

This green moray eel thought he had found a good hiding spot.

Our second dive was at a site called Northern Exposure.  Northern Exposure is part of a large, 6 mile long reef, that we will be exploring all week.  The visibility was much better and the sealife, while not prolific, was an improvement over the wreck.

This spotted moray eel popped out his head to say Hey.

This guy came out right before lunch just to make our stomachs grumble.

And some beauty to finish up Day 1 of Diving.

We all had lunch and a couple of drinks.  I went back to the room with the intent of grabbing my book and heading to the pool.  I woke up in time for dinner LOL.....

I always try to eat as much local food as I can while on vacation.  Dinner was Chicken Calaloo over a bed of roasted plantains.  It was delicious.  I was afraid I would have a hard time sleeping after that 2 hr. nap but not to worry.  Traveling caught up to me I guess.

We just got back from Day 2 of diving.  I am writing this while I wait for Frank to shower so we can have lunch.  See you all tomorrow with more photos.

One Week until Vacation and the Weekly Menu

We are counting down to vacation here.  Next Saturday we leave for a dive trip to Granada.  This is a new island for us and I'm looking forward to it.

We thought that the remodel would be relatively complete by the time we left.  Now it's not looking so promising.  Every time the roofer pulls off a board from the roof he finds that the next board is also bad.  He has one last section to replace and then he can get on with the shingling and putting the new roof onto the addition.

Once he is done with that the carpenter can get back to the drywall installation.  But first the fireplace install needs to be completed.  Hopefully that is happening today.

So that is our hope now.  That we get to the point that the drywall is up and ready for painting when we return home.  Once the painting is done, the floor can be installed and then we just need to get the pantry built and the cupboards installed.

In other news, Frank bought me 5 fruit trees for our Anniversary.  I bought another with money I had been given by our daughter, Nicole, for that purpose last mother's day.  So today, all 6 trees are being planted. I have 2 apple, 2 pear, a sweet cherry and a plum.  Next year I hope to add a peach and prune plum to the mix.  I'm excited.  I have missed my fruit trees.

Tomorrow, we are participating in a 5K with Amy and Doug.  It was supposed to be a run but, yeah, that didn't happen so now it is a walk.  Better than sitting around anyway.  After the race walk, we are meeting Jessica and Melody for Mother's Day Brunch.  Then we will all be going to my nephew, Jake's, graduation/going away party.  He finished school in the Upper Peninsula last week and leaves for a new job in Miami next week....serious culture shock in store for him.  From the northern most point of the continental US to the southern most.

Sunday we sing at Mass and then it should be a pretty quiet day, perhaps some gardening will get done.

The rest of the week is typical.  Meetings at church on Monday and Aunt Irene's on Tuesday.  Choir practice has been moved to Wednesday.  I'll attend immediately after Food Pantry.  We are having friends over for dinner on Thursday.  Friday will be spent packing and early to bed.  Our flight is at 6 am which means we will leave here about 3 am for the airport.

But we gotta eat....so here is the Weekly Menu.


Saturday
Race, Brunch, Party

Sunday
Frank is making me dinner....I'll let you know

Monday
BBQ Chicken
Potato Salad
Cole Slaw

Tuesday
Carry out at Aunt Irene's

Wednesday
Dinner out after Pantry/Choir

Thursday-Friends for Dinner
Cheese and Fruit Board
Grilled Italian Sausage Sandwiches with Peppers and Onions
Antipasto Pasta Salad
Peach Bundt Cake

Friday
Grilled Tuna Steak
Garlic Green Beans
New Potatoes tossed in Olive Oil

Two more days of fun in the sun.....

So when I left you on Tuesday morning we headed out for two morning dives, which again were just spectacular.  I can't wait to share the underwater photos with you.  Frank will work on them this upcoming weekend so stay tuned...you won't be sorry.

Tuesday afternoon we were going to do a land excursion but napping won out over hiking.  After our nap, though, we went into town to check out Carnival.  Carnival is the Island's celebration of Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday/Paczki Day.

It consists of VERY LOUD music, lots of alcohol, street food and dancing in the streets.  It was fun and I'm glad we checked it out but not really my cup of tea.  My aversion to crowds started to get me claustrophobic so we headed back to the resort and enjoyed dinner and drinks in the bar with some of the others in our group.

Yesterday was  our final day of diving.  Our flight is at 8 am on Friday so we don't have time for diving today and the 24 hour no dive period before flight.  It was a fabulous day of diving, however. Two morning dives, followed by lunch on the beach and an afternoon dive.  

How could the day not be perfect when it starts off with a double rainbow?!!

We cleaned up all of our gear and set it out to dry before our flight and then headed off to Mass for Ash Wednesday.  The church was packed.  I love attending Mass on the Islands because their music is so awesome.  The locals are very welcoming and friendly.  We had a nice dinner at the hotel restaurant, Pallisades.  I had a warm beet salad and smoked marlin pate.  Frank had the fresh catch of the day, Mahi Mahi.  

This morning we are going to take a walk to the Botanical Gardens in town and then this afternoon we are going to Titou Gorge and Trafalgar Falls.  I will be back to share those adventures with you very soon.

Our First Land Excursion

We arrived on the wonderful island of Dominica after dark on Friday night.  It was a very loooonnnggg day.  We had gotten up to head to the airport at 3 am.  After 3 flights and an hour long bus ride through the mountains we were greeted with rum punch and a meeting with the hotel management where we were given our room assignments and invited to have a buffet dinner before turning in for the evening.

Saturday we had two morning dives.  The diving photos will be shared after we return home.  Frank is using the Go Pro and the program for it is on our PC at home.  We spent the rest of the day recuperating but did stay up long enough to see this beautiful sunset.

Sunday we enjoyed two more dives in the morning and then spent the afternoon on a whale watching excursion.  We didn't see any whales this time but we did have a whale of a good time.

Monday, again we enjoyed 2 morning dives and then we went on a land excursion to three different waterfalls.  Each one better than the last.

First stop was Spanny's Falls.  A short hike through the rainforest brought us to the lower falls on the bottom left.  To get to the upper falls you had to pull yourself up the mountain with the rope.  We chose to forego the upper falls.

Next stop, Jaco Falls.  I could've sworn our guide called these Hibiscus Falls but the sign says Jaco and I have been known to hear things wrong.  Jaco, Hibiscus....not even close LOL.

Our last stop was Emerald Pool.  A beautiful short hike to the falls and pool with lookout points over the Gulf side of the Island and the Atlantic side of the Island.  Just breathtaking.

Tonight we are going to Carnival and having street food for dinner.  Tomorrow is 2 dives in the morning, lunch on the beach and a third dive in the afternoon.  See you very soon.