Without a doubt my favorite bridge on the ICW is Daytona Memorial Bridge. It is a 65 foot bridge which means we can go under the bridge without waiting for it to open. But that isn't why I like it. The wrought iron railings, street lamps and tiled mosaics on the pillars make it as pretty as a postcard!
How many times have you eaten pumpkin pie in your lifetime? For me it's got to be in the triple digits. This year I really wanted a new twist. Libby's Pumpkin Pie recipe is the best baked regular pumpkin pie. But let's face it after that many pies, change is a good thing.
Whenever I am searching for a new recipe online, I first look at the number of stars. Next I look at how many people have rated the recipe. If the number is less than 100, forget it. The higher the better, just like the stars. Kraft Foods had a double layer one rated 4.5 stars by 1,514 people. How could that many people be wrong and the picture looks yummy doesn't it!?
The recipe looked easy enough! So what the heck, I'll give it a try! Mine didn't quite look like the picture. It was a bit taller. But it sure was yummy! I should have taken a picture of just one slice. Next time!
Here is the recipe and a link to the Kraft site:
Double Layer Pumpkin Pie time prep: 20 min total: 4 hr 20 min servings total:10 servings
what you need 1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened 1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. milk, divided 1 Tbsp. sugar 1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided 1 HONEY MAID Graham Pie Crust (6 oz.) 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin 2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp. ground ginger 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
BEAT cream cheese, 1 Tbsp. milk and sugar in large bowl with whisk until blended. Stir in half the COOL WHIP. Spread onto bottom of crust.
WHISK remaining milk, pumpkin, dry pudding mixes and spices 2 min. (Mixture will be thick.) Spread over cream cheese layer.
REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until firm. Serve topped with remaining COOL WHIP.
Every wealthy family needed a vacation home by the ocean in the late 1800's. Cumberland Island was it for the Carnegie family. Now it is a National Seashore owned and maintained by the National Park Service. It reminds me of Cape Lookout, NC. Bring it, or you won't have it. There are still a few structures and homes that a few people who negotiated time with the NPS still live in. But mostly it is moss covered trails, beaches, wild horses, wild turkeys and squirrels. There are more animal tracks than footprints. We did find what we thought was an orange tree. Of course we climbed up to pick one. After one bite, we realized it was not an orange, but a super sour grapefruit!
We just loved anchoring off Observatory Beach at Morgan Island. It was such a unique experience. Seeing such diverse wildlife living together was an unforgettable experience. Put it on your bucket list!!!
Creak, thud, groan, swish, squeak....These are the sounds boaters listen to at night when the wind is howling. At first you worry about every little unnatural noise. But after all these years aboard, our ears are trained to drown out the unimportant noises. Okay, maybe we are getting old and our hearing is going. Either way, we have an awesome anchor and sleep well most nights even in the wind. For the last four days it has been blowing hard!. Most of that time it was 30+ knots. There was A LOT of creaking and groaning going on outside. This morning we woke up and walked around the boat checking things out as usual. This is what we saw.
Then we walked to the bow and looked up....way up. Notice what is different???
If you said the antennae on the right is shorter, you win. They are supposed to be the same height. The top half fell/blew off!!! It is supposed to be attached with a locking washer and loctite.
Not sure where the locking washer went. But it definitely wasn't there. You would think that shear gravity would have kept the washer on at least. This antennae is for our single side band radio. We had trouble with it last year in the Bahamas. We were outputting a strong signal, but receiving a weak, garbled one. Don checked the ground and all the other wiring. I read the manual and tried various settings. Nothing seemed to make it any better. Now we wonder if the problem was a loose antennae. Guess we will find out when we get the replacement installed. It has to be ordered and trucked in. Now to the hardware store to buy a super large bottle of loctite!
Ever wonder how the "Where Are We Now" page works? It works with this device called a Spot Messenger.
This Christmas gift from Don's children has been on of the best gifts ever. The Spot enables us to send messages to let people know we are okay. It works off satellites allowing it to work when our cell phones don't. When we are heading offshore and will be unable to contact our family, this lets them know that we are okay and where we are. It sends either a text message or an email message to 10 people. It also posts to our Spot Shared Page, the page we linked to as our "Where Are We Now" page.
To use the Spot, it must be located outside with a clear view of the sky. So we usually place it in the dinghy or by the back railing.
We use the Check-In/Okay button for this. This is the primary button we use.
The footprints button leaves a breadcrumb trail. We would use this features, but it takes a lot of battery juice. We sure would hate for the batteries to go dead when we are 50 miles offshore.
The help button allows you to send a message to just one person. For example, if you were hiking the Appalachian Trail, you could send a message to the person who was coming to pick you up when you arrived at the end of your journey.
The SOS button is just that. It sends a message to the GEOS International Emergency Response Center who notifies the appropriate emergency help agency worldwide. There is a nifty cover protecting the button from accidentally being pushed.
As much as we love our Spot, I think our parents love it more. They worry about us most and love knowing we are okay. To check out our Spot Shared Page and see where we are just click the button below.
Whether you live on a boat or in a house, the pantry gets messy. From time to time you just have to dig in and straighten things up. Today was my day for getting organized.
Before
After
Okay, I confess. I don't see that big a difference either. But I got rid of a few boxes and put like items together. At least I know what is there and where to find it. :)
Welcome family and friends! This blog was created just for you. We want to keep in touch and share our “Ventures” with you. We love you, miss you and look forward to each and every phone call, email, and visit! Come join us! Deb, Don and Roux
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain