The Place I Come From

I haven't done a blog post in almost two weeks because I've been "home" and home for me is Prince Edward Island - I've lived away from this beautiful place of my birth for over 30 years, but still I go back - hopefully, some day I will be able to stay there for a little longer than a couple of weeks at a time..

Since we only spent nine days on the "Island" we flew but we'll drive when we return in the fall for a couple of weeks.  This is what you see from the air - farmers fields everywhere..just like a patchwork quilt.

The famous PEI potatoes are grown in many of those fields - when the potatoes are in season, you can buy them on the side of the road, just leave your money in the locked box and you're on your way.     For many of you, Prince Edward Island means Anne of Green Gables, I so enjoyed those books when I was young and have read them numerous times since.  Although I didn't visit Green Gables this time, I did stop by the post office - it was late in the day and it was closed, I would have gone in to see the exhibit.

This is the view we see every day when we open our blinds - it's just a little fishing village called Murray Harbour, it was bustling when we were there as the lobster season was just ending and the fishermen were landing their traps.  We like to sit on our swing and just watch the comings and goings - can't get much more relaxing than that!

Lobster season means this.. lobsters bought right at the wharf - it just doesn't get much better  - we need no fancy trimmings - just lobster, melted butter, and rolls from the bakery - and some beverages, of course!!  We had seafood nearly every day we were there - clams, mussels, snow crab - love it all!!  As always, click on the picture for a better view.

PEI is a haven for good food -  we had these fried clam dinners at Sharkey's in Summerside - clams are my very favourite!  The first night we were there we bought clams and live snow crab to steam - oh, it was good to be back!!!

We just have to walk across the bridge to the little restaurant called Brehaut's and we can order up a bowl of this delectable seafood chowder, we've tried a lot of chowders across the Island, this is as good as any we've tried on the Island and we've had a few - lobster, scallops, fish - oh, so good!!  Notice that home made biscuit on the side - oh, my....  We finished it off with one of their homemade desserts,we had pecan pie that day and of course, it didn't disappoint!

And, while I'm on the subject of food - there's no better ice cream than COWS - this flavor was Fluff n Udder.

The beaches and shoreline of PEI are breathtaking - this is just a few minutes from my house.

If you are driving to PEI - you can cross onto the Island via the Confederation Bridge which is a 12 km drive or 8 miles or you can travel there by ferry..  My Dad used to work on this boat so this is always a place we go...

We love PEI!!  It's no wonder it was just voted number 5 on the top islands of the world by Travel and Leisure Magazine - it's amazing - here's the link to the list.

Maybe you will make it to this beautiful land some day - once you're there, you won't want to leave...it always happens...

Linking up today with Time Travel Thursday, Share Your Cup Thursday and Thursday Favorite Things

Thanks are in Order

Who doesn't love to get fun mail and it's even better when it's surprise mail - that's the best! I had a package from one of my blogging friends, Astrid from Fab and Thirty Something - we have traded back and forth a couple of times, she sent me this with no hint that it was coming. This is what I found when I opened up the box....

Vintage butter melters that were made in Japan!  Perfect for us!!  At first I didn't notice that they were a souvenir of Prince Edward Island, even more perfect!!!!  That is two vintage souvenirs from PEI that I've received in the past couple of weeks - oh, no, is this a new collection starting???  I'm anxious to try these, we have melters that require a tea light, they flicker and go out and the butter spits all over the place when it gets really hot, these ones use hot water - they'll be right on the table the next time we have some lobster, snow crab or PEI mussels...

Give us some of this wonderful seafood and we're happy!!

Thanks, Astrid - it was sweet of you to think of me!  I love them!!

Food in Florida

One of the best things about going away on vacation - no meals to plan - all you have to do is find a place and make your selection - nice for a week but I wouldn't want to be doing it all the time!!  We had some great meals when we were away - we only ate out for breakfast on two mornings, Continental breakfasts were provided at the hotels we stayed at.  Most were great, especially the deluxe breakfast at Hampton Inn - everything you would want - it was really nice!  And, then there's the opposite end of the spectrum - no fruit, no cereal, nothing except packaged Danish and gigantic muffins and bagels in a bag - but no toaster - eating a dry bagel in the car is not too appetizing.  

We didn't get pictures of everything, I guess sometimes we must have just been too hungry to think about taking a picture - travelling around does that to you!!!  

This was a restaurant we read about in Ft. Lauderdale so we wanted to try something with local fare - it was a huge restaurant, very loud, especially when the signal came and everyone started banging their wooden mallets.

We shared the Crab Sampler - garlic crab clusters, golden crab cluster, Alaskan Queen Crab legs and Dungeness Garlic Crab Cluster with parsley buttered potatoes.  The garlic bread we ordered was probably the best I have ever had - it was on a small loaf, made with real garlic, not a speck of garlic spread, I have to make it that way!!

Shivers Bar-B-Q -in Homestead was another local place - it doesn't look like much from the outside, but,oh, my, was it good.  We both had the rib and pulled pork combo, with cole slaw and baked beans.

I have never had a glass of wine that looked like that - you just peel off the top and take a sip!

We shared peach cobbler and was it good!!

Playa Cafe in South Beach Miami - we just started walking from our hotel for a breakfast spot - this was just a little hole in the wall place - it was all Cuban food,  Gary tried a Cuban coffee, which he liked.  You just order from this menu on the wall - I had an egg sandwich which was unlike anything I've ever had before.  I ordered an orange juice, it was fresh squeezed, it was the best part - funny thing, it cost as much as my breakfast, $3.49.  

Playa Cafe

On our way to the Keys, we stopped for lunch at Herbie's in Marathon

We both had the conch burger - let's just say, we'd never be ordering another one of those again - it was so chewy!  It looks nice in the picture but I surely would never crave a piece of conch!

After we took the air boat tour, we stopped for lunch at this restaurant

The chicken noodle soup was really good - a lot of noodles in that bowl!

We wanted to try some local fare again - we shared a sampler plate, it's a good thing it was only 2 pieces of each item - this would be a frog leg, which was ok, it tastes like chicken.  Also on the platter were gator which also tasted like chicken, hush puppies and fry bread - which was just a big mass of deep fried bread - yuck! 

Nothing too healthy at this spot!

Another Miami establishment - Kone Restaurant - Gary had the lobster plate which he really enjoyed.  I had the lobster and  shrimp ravioli, it was really good too, it doesn't photograph well at all though, that's why I'm not showing it.  

We had a couple of cool drinks on a hot night in Miami

This was in a diner car in Miami - dessert for both of us - and it was big - I had the brownie concoction, Gary had the banana split - his favorite.

One night we had a lovely shrimp dinner and the Florida standard, Key Lime Pie - I can't believe I didn't get any pictures of  that meal.

But, now it's back to eating properly - really, who could would want to eat that way for every long, home cooking tastes pretty good after eating all your meals out for a week.