Several events/trips have taken place over the last month. I had another chance to fish offshore in mid-June. Although we did get a few mahi-mahi (8-9 total), more people were invited than normal so I was only able to fillet one fish for the freezer, which equates to about 16-18 servings, or the way we do it 8 meals. I typically cook in the evening then pack up the left overs for lunch the next day.
After this trip I had to leave Cecilia for the week on a trip to Boulder, Co for a meteorological conference. Part of the goal of the trip was to present some material on the meteorological modeling and model development we do at the US EPA. It was a nice conference and great trip overall. The presentations went well and it was nice to hang out in the drier climate for a week. We had the most fabulous view each morning as we drove over a bluff overlooking Boulder. Unfortunately I left my camera in the car at the RDU airport. One of my favorite parts of the trip is the food. I love Mexican-type food and it's everywhere in the southwest US. One favorite is a place called Wahoos Fish Tacos. It was a weird combination in my mind at first, but once you try a fish taco, you'll instantly realize why they are so popular. I try to make them at home on occasion.
Once I returned from Boulder I took the following week off to spend some time at my Brother-in-law's (Steve Smith) doing a little inshore fishing. Cecilia was able to take part of the week, so we had the chance to spend a few days together on the water. Below are some pictures including one of Cecilia and I that was taken with Mom in mind (she's wanted a current picture of the both of us). It was a fun time, but few fish were caught. We did load up on some fresh Carolina Blue Crab that we used to stuff flounder and mahi-mahi for a few dinners. Good "stuff" indeed!
We finally tested the small boat Adam gave me and it's pretty much ready to go. A friend from work and I are going next weekend on an overnight camping/fishing trip at the coast, so the boat will get a good workout. Adam, I just bought a small utility trailer and will use the tag for the boat trailer. I'll post some pictures next Sunday of our maiden voyage.
The last exciting development is our garden. Since I've been gone most of the last three weeks, the garden has really taken off, for the most part. I qualify that because I'm having some problems with certain veggies, mainly the squash and some varieties of peppers. Otherwise, I had a nice crop of tomatoes, beans and carrots last weekend. I brewed up a nice batch of salsa, green beans and brown sugar carrots. I made the first attempt at canning these treats for our food storage. Last evening I picked another large batch of tomatoes and plan to make spaghetti sauce this weekend. The pole beans are also ready to be picked again this weekend. On top of this, I did a test dig in the 6' x 6' potatoes patch and found a plethora of racquetball size fingerling potatoes. I microwaved one, topped with some butter and sour creme and it was one of the best potatoes I've ever tasted. I think these are a great veggie to grow because I can leave them in the ground through the first part of winter and harvest as needed. I also have what's called a tomatillo plant, which are the green Mexican tomatoes. These are not native, but love hot weather, so the plants grew from a foot hight to 4 foot in just a few weeks and are covered with blooms. I'll make a verde salsa from these, so we're looking forward to the plants maturing. Here are some garden pictures. Enjoy -- Rob
The last exciting development is our garden. Since I've been gone most of the last three weeks, the garden has really taken off, for the most part. I qualify that because I'm having some problems with certain veggies, mainly the squash and some varieties of peppers. Otherwise, I had a nice crop of tomatoes, beans and carrots last weekend. I brewed up a nice batch of salsa, green beans and brown sugar carrots. I made the first attempt at canning these treats for our food storage. Last evening I picked another large batch of tomatoes and plan to make spaghetti sauce this weekend. The pole beans are also ready to be picked again this weekend. On top of this, I did a test dig in the 6' x 6' potatoes patch and found a plethora of racquetball size fingerling potatoes. I microwaved one, topped with some butter and sour creme and it was one of the best potatoes I've ever tasted. I think these are a great veggie to grow because I can leave them in the ground through the first part of winter and harvest as needed. I also have what's called a tomatillo plant, which are the green Mexican tomatoes. These are not native, but love hot weather, so the plants grew from a foot hight to 4 foot in just a few weeks and are covered with blooms. I'll make a verde salsa from these, so we're looking forward to the plants maturing. Here are some garden pictures. Enjoy -- Rob
