Punxsutawney Phil Must Be On Vacay

Because Fiona treed him this afternoon!!!

Weekend Getaway

We're home after a long weekend on Cape Cod with my extended family.  They gather annually for two weeks at the end of June and this year my cousin Chris got married on Friday morning on the lawn of one of the houses!  Congrats to he and Margo - I was holding or chasing Ellie during the ceremony, so there aren't any pictures.  She was quite the jibber-jabberer during the wedding, but it there were only 20 or so of us and it was outdoors, so I think it was okay.  It's usually pretty chilly when we go to the Cape - we typically change into jeans and fleece jackets in the evening.  Not this year!!  It was 92 when we arrived late Thursday evening and didn't really cool down until Sunday afternoon.  We were all very thankful for sunny weather.

Ellie walked nonstop along the airport terminal - dragging her carry-on with her.

ellie and auggie - now and then (Thanksgiving)

who doesn't love a tire swing?!?

Cousins on the beach!

Getting some lovins from Jack

Bananagrams!

Ellie also liked Sadie, and T and his laptop.

Alex taught Ellie how to play 52 Card Pickup

Playing with Johnny

Of course Grandma was also there.

Pete and his mini-me.

After breakfast yesterday morning Ellie and I walked down for one last moment in the sand.

 We didn't realize until we were on our way up to the house that Daddy had espied us from the porch!

After a few flight delays and a drive from Louisville we arrived home safe and sound - but tired - at 2am this morning.  So glad we were able to make it again this year - it is the most relaxing place!!

Happy Father's Day!

Here's a look at Ellie and her Daddy wearing their new madras outfits for the season.  They premiered them our last night in Charleston,

and wore them again today for Father's Day.  Obviously these two are in cahoots.

Rainy Day = Trip to the Aquarium

yes, I'm still catching up on South Carolina posts.....

 It rained all day on Wednesday so Pete and I decided to take Ellie to the South Carolina Aquarium.  Matt and Jen had been before on a previous trip to Charleston so they stayed at the condo.  Again, I expected Ellie to be delighted by the brightly lit tanks and the colorful fish.  Again, I was so. very. wrong.  She was terrified!!  I had no idea her little grip could be so tight!

Luckily, they had a little children's area where she could run around and play that was totally fish-free.  She liked the cardboard shark. (little did we know that later in the week we would see a real live shark on our beach!)

The 'petting zoo' was also a big hit.  A big thank you goes out to the too-sweet volunteers at the aquarium who put the sea creatures in a bowl for Ellie so she could get a good look without falling in the little tank.

As soon as Ellie saw this turtle, she toddled herself over and climbed right up on his back.  We actually had to pull her away later on so that another little girl could enjoy it.  The other girl didn't quite understand why this baby kept pulling on her leg.  Ellie will use whatever she has available to climb up on something, it doesn't matter if it is someone else's limb :)

Then we saw a real live turtle!  He swam up to say 'hello'.

 On our way out Ellie tried on an eagle's nest for size and saw the resident bald eagle.

So that was our day at the South Carolina Aquarium!  We didn't think it was as nice as the Newport Aquarium, but it was a good way to spend a rainy afternoon.

Build Me a Castle, Boys!

But don't make me go in that scary ocean!

I prefer to direct the construction here on land.

7 years

Last Monday was our seventh anniversary!  That sounds like a large-ish number - hard to to believe.

We felt lucky to be in South Carolina for our anniversary - our initial visit to Charleston was on our first anniversary and we enjoyed that trip so much that we try to make it annually.

Charleston, 2006 - outside of Magnolia's

Matt and Jen generously offered to watch the Baby Girl so we could dine out on our own.  Two years ago we ate at FIG when the whole Coon Pit gang rented a house on the beach, and couldn't wait to eat there again.  (The chef won a James Beard award in 2009, so you know it is tasty fare.)

image via Google

No camera on this dinner - it didn't fit in my little clutch.  We started with cocktails - the NBD - aperol, lillet rose, pamplemousse, prosecco, lemon peel.  It was delish!  I had two.  Well, three if you count the one that Pete knocked off the bar in spectacular fashion, smashing the champagne flute against the window into a million pieces. (love you, honey!)

Appetizer:  Pete had the Caw Caw Creek Crispy Pork Trotter and I had Chilled Cucumber Soup with white shrimp and basil pesto. (so. good.  I was using words I hear on Top Chef to describe it - bright, refreshing, rich without tasting too indulgent.)

Entree:  Pete had the Scamp Grouper with tomato coulis and summer vegetables and I had Soft Shell Crab with puree of Yukon gold potatoes and zucchini ribbons. (It wasn't as good as the Braised Pork Belly over mashed Yukon gold potatoes with rock shrimp and leeks that I had two years ago, but that was probably the best meal I'd ever eaten, so maybe I shouldn't compare.)

For the table:  We shared the Creamy Corn.  This was the standout item for both of us.  I was full beyond compare but Pete told me I had to try some.  It was outstanding.  No cream in it - they milk the cob after removing the corn and finish it off with some Parmesan.  Yum, Yum.

We were too full for dessert, insert sad face.  They did pack up our leftovers, though, so I got to have corn with my next two lunches - hurrah!

Beach Week 2012

We're back from our week in South Carolina!  We had a great time relaxing in the sand and the sun with our friends Matt and Jen.  I have too many pictures and stories to do just one blog so I'll start out with the beginning of the week and take it from there.  If you want a more concise 'highlights' blog, go read what Jen posted at Bluegrass to Palmtrees.  I kept forgetting to bring my camera so pictures were taken sporadically until our last day there when I brought it everywhere.

We rented a condo in Wild Dunes on Isle of Palms, just outside Charleston.  Here is the view from our balcony - if you squint you can see Jen sitting under the umbrella.

We arrived Saturday afternoon and Ellie got right into vacation mode.  She checked out her new surroundings,

and started relaxing with her Daddy.

 

We quickly discovered that Ellie, unfortunately, is terrified of the ocean!!  Not the water, really, but the crashing waves, we think.  Luckily, she is very happy to sit in the sand and play with drippy castles and small pools of water.