BLUE Monday and Hummingbirds

It is another BLUE Monday and how fun it is hosted again by Sally from SmilingSally. Click to go to her post to see all the other BLUE participants today.

This weekend at the cottage we had rain again on Saturday morning. The hummingbirds were out in the rain and behind you can see the BLUE water (though its not looking that blue) . They were so hungry the wet weather wasn't bothering them. They were even pretty good about sharing the feeder for a change.

It was so nice watching the right outside the window as we ate our breakfast.

Later in the day the rain had stopped and we had blue skies. The water became quite rough and it was quite chilly outside. The windsock with its BLUE was blowing. The hummingbirds were so hungry all weekend but they refused to let me get a picture of them with the BLUE sky and BLUE water and the flag.

Finally they sat down and even shared the feeder with each other again. The water didn't look so BLUE in this picture again. It'll be sad to see them leave again in the next few weeks.

I hope the sun shone wherever you were this weekend... Judi xoxo

PINK Saturday in CA again....

Guess how I know its Saturday today? Well...apart from the fact I don't go to work today and I did yesterday? and don't tomorrow making it a Saturday? Because if you click on here (after you are finished here) you'll be at Beverly from How Sweet The Sound and you'll see so many other PINK Saturday participants!






These pretty flowers were in Monterey. See the pretty PINKs among the blues? What are they called again?























I hadn't realized that the grass would not be lush and green as it is here. That the yards wouldn't have to be mowed because of the grass. While we were walking to our car in Monterey I spotted a totally bare, uncared for front yard (not at all like the rest of the yards) but in the middle stood this beautiful PINK lily. I was afraid of leaving my footprints on the barren, dry earth as I walked to take the picture.

These beautiful hydrangea were growing in a little spot on Alcatraz Island of all places...

What a pretty colour PINK is. Flowers look so femininely, delicately gorgeous in PINK don't they?

I sure hope you are having a really lovely day today... Judi xoxo

Rush's Fruit Stand and Sleepy Abby

My top header was taken last weekend at Rush's. We took a drive on Saturday to Rush's Market to buy some fruit (for the grilled fruit we made) and to pick up some veggies for dinner.

They have wonderful fresh fruit. I love cut up sweet and juicy cantalope cut up into nice chunks and eaten with a fork...mmmmmmm.

and they grow veggies.....

There are beautiful cut flowers in water in canning jars ready to take home...

They grow them in the field beside their store which is only open in the summer....

They also have dried flowers like up in my header. Aren't they a lovely shade?

They sold tickets for a draw to win a lovely handmade quilt. More dried flowers decorate the wall. As the sign reads they have a corn maze, hay rides and a pumpkin patch but a little later in the season.

and they have monkey butts...monkey butts???? oh dear...they really do...*s*.

I don't know how well you love your veggies but I can so carried away literally...by Marc...*g*...because I just love them and want to have about 6 different veggies for dinner right that night! We really enjoy driving and stopping at fruit markets. Next will be the apple markets coming up too soon I'm afraid.

On another note.....

Isn't it great to have digitals and be able to post pictures for free? It makes it possible for me to post 2 more pics of dear Abby. I told you she loves sleeping sprawled out on her back. This was a warm evening and the wood floor felt good....see the big yawn?

I sure hope you aren't this sleepy today.... Judi xoxo

Napa Valley - V Sattui Winery

So now pictures of Napa Valley, on our California vacation again. I have so much to share it seems from that trip.

We drove from SanFrancisco north to Naples, the winery country. It was a lovely drive. We stopped at the V Sutturai which was voted #1. We'd found a brochure at the hotel and when we got there we just followed all the cars it seemed. The parking lot was packed all the way to the back.

The day was gorgeous and warm and you can't even imagine all the people around there. I wish I had taken a picture to show you all the people outdoors. Out on a grill they were grilling and selling oysters in the shell and other delicacies.

Indoors people were purchasing cheeses and breads and ready made sandwiches and beautiful salads and taking them outdoors for a picnic. They had long rows of picnic table set up and everyone was like one big family it looked like.

Look at the wonderfully delicious salads...

beautiful sandwiches with yummy breads...

This is what we shared...yum!

Look at all these delicious desserts...

There were beautiful flowers outdoors and all kinds of cute spots you could steal away and talk and enjoy the scenery.

They had a winery tour and you could sample wines. Look at all the people. This place was like gold mine!

They sold lovely gifts....

This winery is a 4th generation family winery. They were setting up a stage to the left of where we sat and were setting up pretty tables around it. Large bowls as centrepieces that were filled with oranges or lemons, sunflowers and other fruit. We asked and were told they were setting up for a SOLD OUT Italian Festival that night.

We had such a lovely visit to this winery and really enjoyed the drive too.

California has such beautiful places to visit..... I hope you have a beautiful day... Judi xoxo

Grilled Peaches and More Fruit

Do you grill fruit? If you don't you realllllly need to give it a try. Its easy and it is so delicious!

Last summer I bought Marc this grilling book from Ebay. Its a nice little booklet that even has laminated pages. So therefore because its from his book it has become his specialty although I help him peel the fruit. He peeled the peach and I peeled the pear!

This is the recipe. Sometimes we use fresh pineapple cut into large diced pieces along with the peaches. On Saturday we used a peach, a plum and a pear. We peeled the peach and pear but not the plum.

He put the fruit and all the marinade ingredients into a Ziploc bag. This is Marc adding the honey to the bag with the fruit. It calls for a cup but I know he puts in less. See...doesn't it look like he's putting in less? You know it'll be delish with less even.....

This is after it has marinated for a couple of hours.

This is how delicious it looks after it has been grilled.

THIS is how mine looked after I first added some vanilla ice-cream into a large red wine glass and then topped it with the fruit...and drizzled the lovely marinade over it .... Marc does it in reverse. The combination of cold ice cream and grilled warm fruit...the sauce. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm..... Try it I'm sure you'll love it.... Judi xoxo

Bubba Gumps Yum!!!

Another tidbit of our recent California vacation was in Monterey south of San Francisco where we also visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium as well as Bubba Gumps.

Remember the movie Forrest Gump and how he said he would open up the Forrest Gump Shrimp Co? Well this is it! Its a really fun restaurant. We were directed to follow the smiling faces into the restaurant.

We were welcomed by so many happy and pleasant younger people who worked there. There were sooo many of them working there and hustling and bustling all over the place. It was a really smiley pleasant spot to be. Everyone seemed to be having fun.












At our table was a stand with this sign in red. Its the size of a car license plate. If all is well we leave it on the "green" sign












When we needed to catch someone's attention we were to turn it over to the "red" sign. Someone would be right over and we tried it and it worked!












While we sat there our waiter came and played Forrest Gump trivia with us. Marc was good at it...me not so good. But we were given clues. That was fun.












I took some pictures of some the signs hanging all over the restaurant. Do you remember them from the movie?

















We had something cold to drink. Marc had a beer and I had a strawberry lemonade drink. Oh so yum on a hot day.












We shared these very delicious shrimp appetizers. Oh my there were soooo yum!!












We were given a plastic bib. Marc wasn't going to put his on and I told him he had better! So he did and was glad he did because our dinner was splatting all over the place. *l*..














Another sign on the wall. Cute.












We both ordered the same meal. They each came in our own pot and when we took the lid off we got to work on all the seafood. There was lobster, crab, shrimp, scallops, clams and we used our trusty little tools to pry everything over. There was delicious colesaw, jasmine rice and of course sourdough bread.












I knew I was in the right washroom when I read that it was "Jenny's".













and Marc went into "Bubba's".












I remember these words and had to snap them off the sign on another wall. True spoken words.












And one more sign....
It was such a delicious meal and fun atmosphere. Everything was hustling and bustling. There was a nice picturesque view of the water beside us also but I didn't get a picture of it.

So when in Monterey be sure to visit Bubba Gumps! Judi xoxo