Shrimp Scampi - Quick and Easy, Great For Hot Summer Mealtime

We have gone from hot to sauna here in Nashville.  Yes, we had several weeks of triple digit days with not a drop of rain and it was like an oven outside.  Now, we have rain (and we are more than grateful for every drop) added to the heat and it is like a sauna every time you step out of doors.  Humidity, nothing like it.  You are dripping wet almost immediately.  Therefore, I stay in the air conditioned comfort of the indoors as much as possible.

Yesterday was just one of those miserable humid summer days and I did not want to spend much time over a stove.  So I did one of those "drive by" perusals of the pantry, the fridge and the freezer.  Do you ever do that?  Stand there with the door open, trying to figure out what to make for dinner?  Hmmm, frozen shrimp and there is always an assortment of pasta in the pantry.  Lightbulb comes on and it's going to be shrimp scampi for dinner.  Quick and super tasty.  All garlicky, buttery, lemony goodness in one pan and it only takes about 20 minutes to make.  Decision made.  Time to go to work.

Here is what you need.

1 pound shelled, deveined shrimp (I used frozen)
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
3-4 cloves whole garlic, peeled and minced
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4 Tbsp. butter
1/2 - 1 cup chicken stock in a box
juice of 2 whole lemons
salt
pepper
basil leaves
8 ounces pasta (linguini, angel hair, spaghetti - I used tagliatelle)
grated fresh parmesan cheese, optional

Put water on to cook your pasta and salt generously.  (It takes time to come to a boil).  Cook pasta according to directions.  Drain when done.


While waiting for the water to boil, mince onion and garlic.  In a large saute pan,  add olive oil and butter, melting butter over medium heat (do not let it brown or burn).  Add onions and saute until they become translucent.  Throw in garlic, stirring so it doesn't burn.  Throw in Shrimp.  Cook until shrimp turns pink.  (Yes, you can throw it in still frozen)  Add juice of two whole lemons,  1/2 of the chicken stock, salt (if needed, I didn't add any) and pepper.  Add drained pasta to the sauce and stir until all the pasta is coated.  If you need more liquid, add the rest of the chicken stock.

Serve by adding torn basil leaves to the pasta and shrimp and grated fresh parmesan cheese if desired.

For pasta, I chose tagliatelle which is flat like linguini but a little wider and comes in little bird-nest like bunches.  It looks like this.

I used 10 "nests" and it made just the right amount of pasta for the sauce.  The super delicious lemony, garlicky, buttery sauce coating the pasta is so good.  Combined with the shrimp, it was an absolutely perfect dinner.  It's such a light sauce with that lemon undertone, mm, mmm, mmmm.
We enjoyed this entree with that lovely bruschetta I wrote about last night and it made a perfect summer meal.  The leftovers today were quite spectacular too.

Scampi is actually the Italian word for langoustine lobster which comes from the North Atlantic.  They are small lobster about the size of a crayfish and the tails are eaten with butter.  In Italian-American cuisine, scampi has come to be known as a way of preparation, rather than the name for a particular kind of lobster.  It is usually shrimp cooked in garlic sauce and served with pasta, therefore the name shrimp scampi.  So, next time you feel like you are melting in the summer heat and don't want anything hot or heavy to eat, try this shrimp scampi recipe.  It's divine.

Everyday donna

Things to Remember:

“Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sautee it. There's, um, shrimp kebabs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo, pan fried, deep fried, stir fried. There's pineapple shrimp and lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich... That's, that's about it.”  Bubba Blue from Forrest Gump

Bruschetta Made With Fresh Garden Tomatoes and Basil - Yum

Oh the glorious bounty of a summer garden.  Last year we planted our garden at the back of our yard (which is quite large) and critters ate everything in it.  One day we had 18 tomatoes ready to pick and the next day they were gone.  Every. Last. One.  Rabbits ate the squash, cucumber and strawberry plants and I am assuming deer pulled the tomato plants right out of the ground.  At least they were all well fed.  We, on the other hand, were very sad that we didn't even have one single juicy tomato.

This year, we planted our garden in a totally different place and it has done exceptionally well.  Hallelujah.  We did have to water it during the super hot days due to having no rain.  This past week we lucked out and received almost 6 inches of rain.  Therefore, the tomatoes are starting to roll in.  The big tomatoes take longer to ripen and they are starting to come in, but the cherry tomatoes are coming in fast and furious as they say.  They are coming in so fast, that we are giving them away to our daughter's families because we can't eat them all.  I wish we could eat them all because they are sooooo delicious - super sweet and juicy.  I could eat them like candy.

Tonight, I made shrimp scampi for dinner and a delicious bruschetta to go with it.   Bruschetta made with sweet, ripe, juicy tomatoes is one of those things that can make you do cartwheels it is so good.  Just look at the beautiful colors in the picture above.   Doesn't it make  you want some?

Here is a little background on bruschetta.

Bruschetta (Italian pronunciation: [bru'sket:ta]  is an antipasto from Italy whose origin dates to at least the 15th century. It consists of roasted bread rubbed with garlic and topped with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.  Wikipedia


There are many variations on a basic bruschetta, some of which are made with a tomato topping, mozzarella, or sausage.  I made the tomato version because 1. We like it, 2. We like it, and 3.  We have tomatoes coming out of our ears.  


Bruschetta is so easy to make.  Here is what you need.


1 baguette, cut into thick slices  (I made 4 pieces for the two of us)
fresh tomatoes (I used 12 cherry tomatoes for the two of us)
fresh basil leaves (about 6 for 4 pieces)
extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic


First, slice your baguette into thick slices.  Smash the garlic clove using the flat blade of a knife and the palm of your hand.  Rub the garlic on the slices of baguette.  Drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil.  Place the bread on a baking sheet and place in a 350 degree oven until the bread is lightly toasted.  Remove from oven.


Dice the tomatoes and place in a bowl.  Lightly salt and pepper.  Put the basil leaves on top of each other making a stack and roll them up like a cigar.  Using a sharp knife, very thinly slice the leaves (chiffonade cut).  Slice them across the little rounds you have just made.  Sprinkle the basil leaves over the tomatoes, put a few drops of olive oil on the tomatoes and stir.  Spoon the tomatoes over the toasted bread.  Eat and enjoy!  (Adjust the amount of tomatoes and basil for the number of bread slices you will be covering.)  


I could have eaten nothing but these bruschetta for my dinner.  Oh my goodness, they were so good.  Tomato and basil are such a fantastic combination.  Add it to garlic and good olive oil, paired with a crusty piece of bread and there is nothing better!  I can't wait to have more of this heavenly delight throughout tomato season - and believe me we will be having more.  The basil is growing beautifully in my herb garden and the tomatoes are truly making up for last summer.  You can make your salsa, and pico de gallo, but don't forget to make bruschetta - it's summertime tomato goodness at it's finest.


Everyday Donna


Things to Remember:


We Americans tend to pronounce bruschetta with an "sch" sound in the middle instead of a "k" sound as the Italians do.  Impress everyone the next time you make bruschetta and pronounce it the Italian way.    Brus"k"etta.  

Layered Salad with Ham, Pasta, Broccoli and Home Made Buttermilk Dressing - No cooking required

Summertiiiiiiiime, and the livin' is easy.  (Sing with me now),  Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high........ .  Who doesn't love this song by George Gershwin?  It certainly idealizes summer and is a truly beautiful song, BUT this summer has been more like.....  Hot town, summer in the city, back of my neck getting dirty and gritty, All around people looking half dead, walking on a sidewalk hotter than a match head.  Yeahhhhhhhhhhh.  Thank you Lovin' Spoonful, Summer in the City is one of my all time favorite songs.  I know I left out a few lines, but you get the picture.


This summer as been hot, hotter and then hottest.  We were in triple digits for several weeks and that was before July 4th.  Besides being hotter than a match head, it was dryer than dry.  No rain.  Grass looked like late August, crops are drying up and our garden was really suffering.  Even though we watered it every day, it's just not the same as a good soaking rain.  Happily, I can report that we had almost 6 inches of rain last week and the grass and garden are looking so much better.  We are supposed to have more rain this week which will certainly make it all better.  Corn and soybeans on the other hand, may not be salvaged.  I feel so bad for all the farmers.  


Since it has been so hot, who wants to cook?  We even had a grilling ban so it was the kitchen or nothing.  Fortunately, I found this wonderful recipe for a layered salad in my Food Network magazine that my two dear friends, Don and Rick, gave me for Christmas.  What a wonderful gift this has been.  
Unfortunately, I am not a food stylist and my picture doesn't look nearly as good as the one in the magazine, but the recipe is fantastic and it requires absolutely NO cooking.  It is a complete meal in one bowl and it's cool, crispy, crunchy, and delicious.  It even has protein in it.   What more could you ask for on these hot summer days?


Here is what you need.


8 ounces farfalle (bow tie pasta, about 4 cups,  I used gluten free fusilli so our son in love could eat it)
2 stalks broccoli, cut into florets
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives, plus 1 tablespoon
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (I used basil and thyme from my herb garden instead of parsley)
juice of 1 lime
freshly ground pepper
2 avocados, diced
1 12 ounce piece of deli ham, diced (about 2 cups)
8 ounces yellow cheddar cheese, shredded
1 small head romaine lettuce, sliced
2 tomatoes, diced  ( I used cherry tomatoes from our garden because big tomatoes were not ripe yet)
I also added some sliced radishes from our garden.


1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook pasta according to directions until al dente (about 2 minutes less than the label directs).  Add broccoli during the last 2 minutes of cooking.  (The recipe says last 4 minutes, but I thought it made the broccoli too squishy, I like it crunchy).  Drain the pasta and broccoli and rinse under cool water; shake off the excess.  Remove the broccoli and pat dry.


2.  Whisk the mayonnaise, buttermilk, 1/4 cup chives, herbs, half of the lime juice, 1/4 tsp salt, and pepper to taste.  Toss the pasta in a few tablespoons of the dressing in a medium bowl.


3.  Assemble the salad;  Toss the avocados with the remaining lime juice in a large glass serving bowl and season with salt.  Arrange in an even layer.  Top with layers of the ham, broccoli, pasta, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes.  Drizzle some of the remaining dressing on top and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of chives or cover and refrigerate the salad and dressing separately up to 6 hours.  Bring to room temperature before serving.


This salad is so good and the dressing is divine.  Spoon more dressing over the salad when you are ready to eat.  


Here are a couple of changes I would make.  I would add bacon to this salad.  I would put a layer of crisp fried bacon that had been crumbled on top of the lettuce.  Yum.  I know that requires cooking, but it would be worth it.  Also, I would make the bottom layer the ham and put the avocado higher in the salad so it didn't stick together in the bottom of the bowl.  Just a suggestion.  Other than that, you have one delicious salad with no cooking required which is more than perfect for hot summer days.  I know there are other layered salad recipes around and I have made a few, but this one is so good with the broccoli and pasta and the delicious buttermilk dressing.  My daughter just kept saying, I have to make this, it's so good.  


Thank you Food Network magazine for a wonderful summertime recipe.  They list total prep time as 30 minutes and it serves 8 if it's a main course, or many more if you use it as a side to another entree.  Be sure and reach all the way to the bottom when serving so you get all the goodness in the salad.  You don't want to miss any of it.  I have also made this dressing for other salads, it's that good.  


Next time it's too hot, too hot, too hot baby, give this salad a try - especially if you have absolutely NO desire to turn on the stove but want something really, really good to eat.  Try it, you'll like it and if you don't eat it all, you have left overs!  Yes!!


Everyday Donna


Things to Remember:


“Summertime is always the best of what might be.”
― Charles Bowden

2,643 miles - Gettysburg Battlefield

Dan taught American history for 38 years and the Battle of Gettysburg was always one of his main interests.  He liked teaching the Civil War in general, but really studied Gettysburg because it is considered to be the battle that changed the course of the war.  When we were planning our trip to the northeast, I asked if he would like to visit Gettysburg since we would be passing by there.  He didn't  have to think twice about answering yes.

When our daughter and son in love found out we were going to visit there, Todd recommended an open air bus tour that he had taken some years ago.  He said it was so enjoyable and you got to see everything while listening to descriptions of each location.  As it turned out, that is what they gave Dan for Father's Day this year and it was such a wonderful gift.  

We arrived at Gettysburg about noon eastern time and had just a bit of time before the tour began in an hour, so we walked around the town and grabbed a bite to eat before the tour began.  It was a beautiful sunny day with good breezes and a temperature of about 75.  Perfect tour weather.  We boarded the bus at 1, climbed to the top, put on our headphones and started down the streets of the small town headed to the battlefield sites.

Many original buildings still stand in the town itself, some with bullet holes and mortars still there from the war.  Heading out of town, the audio pointed out Seminary Ridge where General John Buford, Union Army, directed battles from the cupola of the Lutheran Theological Seminary.  Hearing Dan gasp when he saw the cupola affected me in a very emotional way.  I took off my head phones and he said "I taught this for 38 years and now I am actually seeing where it took place."  It took us a while, but we finally got there.

As we reached the edge of town, spread before us were vast, beautiful fields that the Civil War Trust and the National Park Services are continuously working to restore as accurately as possible to the days of the battle of Gettysburg which took place on July 1, 2, and 3, 1863.  Next year is the 150th anniversary of the battles.

Gettysburg was a town of approximately 2400 people at the time of the Civil War battles beginning July 1.  By July 2, the town had swelled to approximate 200,000 thousand people including soldiers, doctors, nurses, reporters and photographers.  My mind could not quite comprehend such a thing.

The first day of battle occurred at McPherson's Ridge, Oak Hill, Oak Ridge, Seminary Ridge and Barlow's Knoll.  July 1, 1863,  was the 12th bloodiest battle of the Civil War.

The picture above is the beginning of Culp's Hill which was part of the second day of battle.

A monument to the soldier's from Indiana at Culp's Hill (my home state).  There are 1400 monuments, markers and tablets at Gettysburg.  It broke my heart to see them all standing as reminders of such a sad and sorrowful time in our nation.

Fighting on July 2 also occurred at Little Round Top and the valley below referred to as The Devil's Den.

This field is full of huge, enormous boulders that were created by volcanic activity eons ago.  We got to get off the bus and climb to the top of Little Round Top.  Standing there, looking into the valley below made me know and understand the horror of those 3 days.  You can feel the presence of what took place on those three awful days.  It is truly a solemn place to be.

Imagining soldiers, some as young as 12, climbing that hill knowing they would never survive was absolutely heartbreaking.  The battle raged that day at The Wheat Field, The Peach Orchard, Cemetery Ridge, Trostle's Farm, Culp's Hill, Cemetery Hill, Little Round Top and the Devil's Den.  It was the 10th bloodiest day of the Civil War.  The audio said after the day's battle ended, survivors came into the fields by lantern light looking for any survivors or anyone they knew.  I could not keep back tears.

On July 3, fighting resumed on Culp's Hill, and cavalry battles raged to the east and south, but the main event was a dramatic infantry assault by 12,000 Confederates against the center of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge--Pickett's Charge. The charge was repulsed by Union rifle and artillery fire, at great losses to the Confederate army. Lee led his army on a torturous retreat back to Virginia. As many as 51,000 soldiers from both armies were killed, wounded, captured or missing in the three-day battle. Four months after the battle, President Lincoln used the dedication ceremony for Gettysburg's Soldiers National Cemetery to honor the fallen Union soldiers and redefine the purpose of the war in his historic Gettysburg Address.  civilwar.org


According to information from the Civil War Trust, General Lee lost 23 battle flags at Pickett's Charge, more than in the previous 14 months combined.  Statistics from the Civil War Trust say 93,921 Union soldiers and 71,669 Confederate soldiers fought at the battle of Gettysburg with 51,112 total estimated casualties.  There were 120 generals present, with 9 killed or mortally wounded.  This was the most officers lost in one battle.


The Battle of Gettysburg is by far the costliest battle of the Civil War, but not necessarily the largest.  There were 185,000 troops at Fredericksburg.  There were 63 Medals of Honor awarded to Union soldiers for actions at Gettysburg.  


I am neither a student nor proponent of war.  Today, these beautiful fields look nothing like they did on July 1, 2 and 3 of 1863, littered with wounded and dying men in the 90 degree heat - thankfully.  I am glad I took this tour as a reminder that freedom is bought at a great price and it is important to remember that always.  Would I recommend taking a trip to Gettysburg?  Yes.  We spent two hours on what Abraham Lincoln called hallowed ground.  I cannot say that I have ever felt such sorrow in the depths of my being other than from the loss of loved ones that I know.  Spending the time with Dan as he got to see places he had taught about for so many years was priceless.  May we never have to suffer such losses again.   Time to head home.  


Everyday Donna


Things to Remember:


Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.  Abraham Lincoln, November, 1963
  

2,643 Miles - The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

We left York Beach, Maine, early on Monday morning sad to leave the beach and Alma and Jack, but we were looking forward to an adventure that included the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.  Dan has been a baseball fan all his life and even had a baseball club at the school where he taught for 38 years.  The man LOVES baseball.  When we started planning our trip to the northeast, I asked him if he would like to go to the Baseball Hall of Fame.  He looked at me with incredulity and asked if I was kidding.  I told him no, I wasn't kidding because I thought he would like to see it.  His answer was a resounding YES!

Then, I asked him about Gettysburg.  I think he thought I had flipped my lid.  He taught American history for 38 years and had always been a bit of a Civil War buff.  You know, if you ask a question you get a history lesson kind of buff, but that's okay.  I always learned something new and interesting.  As for Gettysburg, he was all for it.  So that was our destination after the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Now let me make this point perfectly clear - The Hall of Fame and Gettysburg are both in the middle of NOWHERE and are a good day's drive from each other.  Holy cow, the drive was interminable from Maine to Cooperstown.  Thankfully, the countryside was beautiful in Massachusetts and New York.  The Berskshire's are gorgeous for the first few hours.  The heavily forested mountains and lush, verdant farm valley's are stunning.  But it's one L O N G drive a lot of which is on two lane roads with speed limits that are 55 and under.

Just outside of Albany, New York, we were engulfed in a summer thunderstorm - the kind where it rains so hard you can't see the road and have to pull over.  It even hailed on us.  If you look closely in the picture, you can see the hail on the side of the road and in the windshield wiper trough.  Yikes.  I was sure glad when that was over.

Once it stopped, we hit the trail again.  Driving and driving and driving some more.  There are only small towns here and there before you get to Cooperstown and lots and lots of driving.  Did I say we drove a lot?  We did.  I can't imagine baseball players having to drive/ride all that way to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.  I mean I know it's worth it, but good grief.  But, we now have something in common with them.  We have made the endless journey.

As we headed into Cooperstown, we drove alongside beautiful Lake Oswego which is a long lake to the north of the town.  The temperature had dropped to  63 degrees after the storm and I had to put on a light sweater as the wind was blowing, but people were water skiing on the lake.  It probably seemed warm to them since they have rather harsh winters there.  We were't really sure exactly where the Hall of Fame was in the town but it's small, so we drove through a few streets and Ta Dah!  There it was, right in front of us.  There were people everywhere.  We actually got the first parking place in front of the building.  Guess this visit was meant to be.

As we got out of the car, we both stood for a moment and looked at the sign above the doors.  I am sorry the picture did not turn out better, but it is a bit awe inspiring to see the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum right before your eyes.  We were actually here.  Dan was almost speechless.

We passed through the hallowed doors and paid our entrance fee and started our tour.  There are three floors, theaters, the Hall of Fame where all the plaques for the inductees are, and rooms and rooms where uniforms, paraphernalia, equipment and pictures are housed.  It is a bit overwhelming actually there is so much to see and there were people everywhere.  Kids used their phones, videotaping every room walking fast with their phone held out in front of them.   My thought was you are here and you are not even looking at anything.  Oh well, guess that shows my age.  It was difficult to get good pictures because of all the people, but look we did!

First, we looked at the plaques of all the members of the Hall of Fame.  We found Dan's all time favorite player and childhood idol, Mickey Mantle.  I took a picture of him standing with "The Mick's" plaque for a keepsake.  Here is his plaque.

And of course, The Babe.  George Herman Ruth.  The King of Crash, The Sultan of Swat.

I loved this statue of "Satchel" Paige in the courtyard.  I took this through the window.  He was quite a pioneer in major league baseball.

Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige (July 7, 1906 – June 8, 1982) was an American baseball player whose pitching in the Negro leagues and in Major League Baseball made him a legend in his own lifetime. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971, the first player to be inducted from the Negro leagues.  Wikipedia


There was so much to see and take in, we could have been there for days.  This is Babe Ruth's uniform, hat and shoes in an actual locker from Yankee stadium.  

Actually, The Babe has an entire room dedicated to him and his baseball career.  It is quite impressive.


I loved this sign that hung over the area dedicated to baseball writers and broadcasters.  

There was even a display of all the things they used for sound effects on the radio to make you think you were right there in the midst of the game.  Awesome.  

There is a room dedicated to the women's league in baseball and at the entrance to the room is this  poster from A League of Their Own which was filmed in my hometown of Evansville, Indiana, at Bosse Field where I have attended many minor league baseball games throughout my life.  Sure made us proud.  

Check this out - the bat Willie Mays used to get his 3,000th hit.  He had a career total of 3,281 hits and 660 home runs.  Now that is quite an accomplishment.

Dan has also been a lifelong New York Yankees fan, so I snapped this picture of the display of their equipment.  If you can see the huge shoes on the bottom right, they belonged to Derek Jeter.  Yeah.  All of these things belonged to real Yankees players and there is a display for every major league team.  

There was just so much to take it, there is no way to describe it all or photograph it all.  Dan said it really didn't hit him until later that he was actually looking at Joe DiMaggio's uniform, or Johnny's Bench's uniform.  He was a happy happy man.  It may have been a long car trip, but worth every minute just to see the joy he experienced.  

If you are a baseball fan, it is worth the trip and I hope you get there some day.  Tomorrow we head to Gettysburg which was one of the most emotional things I have ever experienced.  

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Baseball was, is and always will be to me the best game in the world.
Babe Ruth

2,643 Miles - Destinations Ogunquit and Kennebunkport, Maine, Portsmouth, New Hamspshire

Do I ever tire of the ocean?  Never!  You may get tired of looking at pictures of it, but the ocean inspires me.  Buildings are okay and I am not really much of a sightseer, I would rather sit and contemplate the ocean, the waves, it's moods and sounds.  That makes me very happy my friends.  Since, we had not been to the northeast except one other time (and I didn't get to see much of it), I didn't mind visiting a few of the local villages near York Beach, Maine.  Our hosts were ever so kind in touring us around and showing the all the beautiful sights.

This is a picture of Dan and me at the top of the Marginal Way in Ogunquit.  Ogunquit, which means "coastal lagoon" in the indigenous Abenaki language (Wikipedia) is a beautiful tourist town and artist's colony.  Lovely inns, galleries, and restaurants.  But for me, the real attraction was the Marginal Way which is now a paved 1.5 mile path that follows the coastline and can be walked.  Guess where we spent our time?  You guessed it.  


The day was gloriously beautiful, temperature amazing, water and skies azure, and we walked and talked.  Oh, the glories of our country!  

This is a view across a bay at Ogunquit which was founded in the 1600's and was a shipbuilding and fishing town.  

Another view from the Marginal Way.  Looking at the rocky coastline made me think of every novel I have ever read about New England.  I could have spent the entire day in this spot.  

Heading back down the Marginal Way.  You really should consider going there just to walk this amazing historical path.  


We had a delicious lunch at a lovely little place by the ocean where we sat on the porch and enjoyed the view, then headed back to York Beach to spend the afternoon on the porch watching the ocean.  Yes, it never gets old.  Ever.


On day three, we went to Kennebunkport, Maine.  Does that sound familiar to you?  Perhaps it's because the Bush family has a summer residence there that is extraordinarily beautiful.

The compound sits at the tip of a peninsula that juts into the ocean.  The picture does not show the house well, but I can say I would gladly spend my summers there!  


We spent more time in Kennebunkport wandering around the quaint little town.  

Kennebunkport was founded in the early 1600's and was a shipbuilding center where they built 5 masted ships and a special dory that was in demand.  There are large homes that once belonged to ship's captains in the town and they are New England beautiful as only New England homes can be.


Streets are very narrow in the northeast because the towns are so old.  It's hard to get good pictures because everything is so close together.  The town is full of tourist shops and restaurants and Alma said after July 1 it is shoulder to shoulder tourists.  How glad am I we were there when we were?  You have no idea.  

We enjoyed a lunch of New England Clam chowder to die for, walked a little more and headed back to York Beach to sit on the porch and look at the ocean some more.  Never. Gets. Old.


On Sunday afternoon, we headed to Portsmouth, New Hampshire which is just over the Maine state line.  It is a beautiful city which was also a shipbuilding and fishing town established in the 1600s.  Hard to get your head around cities that old when our country just celebrated it's 236th birthday.  This may be the town where I lived in a past life.  It is so beautiful with it's historical buildings and bricked sidewalks.  These buildings speak to me in a way that modern facades do not.

An historic church in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  Lovely.

Walking the streets of Portsmouth, admiring the architecture.

The interior of Flatbreads where was had some of the best pizza ever.  It was an old industrial building with high ceilings, wooden walls and floors.  That is their huge wood fired oven where they cooked their pizzas.  By the way, it's worth the drive just to have one of their pizzas.  Yes, worth it.  We walked around some more and returned to York Beach to sit on the porch and watch the ocean, drink coffee, talk some more, and watch the ocean.  Tomorrow, we leave (sob) for the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.  


It was such a wonderful visit and we cannot thank Alma and Jack enough for allowing us to stay at their home and look at the ocean for several wonderful days that we will never forget.  Maybe it's not New England where I lived in a past life, maybe I was a mermaid.  That could be it.  I will return to the ocean again as soon as possible.  Bye bye for now.


Everyday Donna


Things to Remember:


love builds up the broken wall

and straightens the crooked path.

love keeps the stars in the firmament

and imposes rhythm on the ocean tides

each of us is created of it

and i suspect

each of us was created for it”

--Maya Angelou 

2,643 miles - Next Stop, York Beach, Maine

Our only visit to York Beach, Maine, was in September of 2011 when our oldest daughter was so fortunate as to have her wedding at The Reading Room in York Beach.  I traveled by car with my mom in tow, a sewing machine, fabric for a bridesmaid's skirt, a wedding dress that I had made for Holly and never fitted, various and sundry sewing supplies, containers for wedding flowers, a mother of the bride's dress and clothing for the week.  Dan and our youngest son Tyler flew up to join us later in the week because Dan was still teaching at the time and Tyler was in school.  This Mom had to get there early because she had magic to do.

Remember, this was shortly after 9/11 and we crossed into NYC the first day the bridges were open to traffic.  The traffic was horrendous and my heart broke as I saw the smoke from the World Trade Center Towers still curling into the air.  We had not known until a few days before if we would even be able to get to York Beach.  The universe conspired to make it all happen.  While everyone else had a glorious week, I was buried in sewing and then making all the fresh wedding flowers.  I saw the basement of the beach house we were staying in and the ocean across the street and that was about it.  But, the wedding was fabulous and everything was beautiful, including our daughter.  Her wedding dress did not need one alteration which made my life easier, that is for sure!  I knew one day I would return and get to really enjoy York Beach.  This was my triumphant return.   : )

We left New York City early on Thursday morning hoping to avoid morning rush traffic.  All I can say is thank goodness we were leaving the city and not coming in.  Holy guacamole, I have never seen traffic that went on for  miles and miles, bumper to bumper all the way into Connecticut.  Just know that there is no way on earth I could do that every day.  Guess that's why I was a small town girl for so many years.  Fortunately, as soon as we crossed the Triborough Bridge, we really didn't have many problems because we were leaving the city and not coming in.  The sun was shining in a beautiful blue sky and away we went.

If  you have never driven up the East coast, it is truly breathtakingly lovely.  Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Maine are stunningly beautiful states with waterways and historical buildings.  I am so attracted to the style of houses and buildings that I feel I may have lived in New England in a former life.  Clapboard sided salt box houses make my heart skip a beat.  The quaintness of the villages and towns warm my soul.  I wouldn't care for the harsh winters, but the summers are stunning!   Highway travel was slow going at times because of all the road construction, but that is typical for anywhere in the summer. Enjoying the beautiful scenery made it all worthwhile.

We arrived in York Beach about 3 in the afternoon.  Talk about one gorgeous town!  Wow!!  I had Dan pull over as soon as we saw the ocean and I took the picture above.  This is taken from Long Beach Avenue.  Long Beach Avenue parallels the beach on one side and beautiful beach houses and restaurants on the other.  We stayed with our daughter's in laws who live right across from the beach.  Alma and Jack were such lovely hosts.  It has taken us ten years to get there to visit, but we had an amazing time!  We talked and talked, and laughed, and ate, and drank coffee and sat on the porch and watched the beautiful ocean morning, noon and night.  We did do a little sight seeing, but just being near the ocean and listening to the waves made it all worth the long drive.  Thank you Jack and Alma for your kindness!

This is where we got to sit on the porch and enjoy the beach at all times of the day.  This is the view directly across the street.

How fabulous is that?  Here is a sunset picture, just to tease you a bit.  Don't you wish you were there right now?  I sure do.

The craggy shore is so beautiful to stand and watch the waves crash against the rocks.  Heaven.

The universe conspired to give us absolutely perfect weather while we were there.  Alma and Jack said they had a cool, rainy spring and had been wearing sweat pants and sweat shirts on the porch until we arrived.  Thank you universe, we are ever grateful.

We had fabulous food while we were there - clams, chowders, lobster, and fresh fish.  It would be amazing to be able to enjoy such goodness all the time.  There was also some ice cream involved from Bob's which was also pretty amazing.  Dan is a big fan of ice cream.  Dan was a happy man.

We did some sight seeing and traveled to Ogunquit and Kennebunport, Maine and Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  I will do a post on those side trips later.  My favorite spot was the Nubble Lighthouse in York.  It is reported to be the most photographed light house in our country.  Everything is so beautiful, these pictures don't look real and I took them on my phone.

Here is some information I found about the Nubble.

The Nubble Lighthouse has been fully automated since 1987 and has not been occupied by a lighthouse keeper since. The US Coast Guard now maintains the Nubble Light. The town of York Maine owns and maintains the island. The park where the Nubble Lighthouse can be viewed is Sohier Park.

Nubble Lighthouse Features

The Lighthouse:
The Nubble Lighthouse tower is 88 feet high and is made up of two layers of brick and reinforced with wrap-around steel plates. It is 13 feet in diameter at the base. The base floor of the Nubble Lighthouse is made of brick. The  stairwell is circular (or spiral) which wraps around the inside of the lighthouse and takes you to the lighthouse platform which leads to the base of the lens room. An eight-step steel ladder goes up through a wooden trap door, giving access to the platform surrounding the dome light of the lighthouse. The platform is enclosed by a cast iron railing holding twelve posts that are each topped by custom made cast iron moldings of the lighthouse tower for decor.  NHTravel.com

This picture was taken from Sohier Park.  I could have stayed there all day.  Don't ask me why, perhaps it all the fictional reading I have done in my lifetime, but there is something romantic and haunting about light houses.  Here is another view of the water around the park.

Look at the beautiful beach houses.  Talk about a view!  Doesn't it make you want to go there right now?

If you have never been to the shore in the northeast, you must be aware that the water can be frigid to say the least.  While we were there, there was evidently a warm current flowing because the water was nice.  All the beach goers spent the entire day in the water and that doesn't happen often.  School had just gotten out on the Friday we were there, so the crowds were not unbearable -  yet!  Alma said after July 1 it was wall to wall people.  Super glad we were there when we were!  

It's a long haul by car, but it is SO worth the trip, especially if you have never been to the northeast.  There is so much of our country's history there and the scenery is stunning.  If you are looking for a place to visit, check out York Beach, Maine.  I think you will love it there.  Tomorrow, we will visit Ogunquit, which is just up the road.  Now, I wish I was there again.  

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

"When anxious, uneasy and bad thoughts come, I go to the sea, and the sea drowns them out with its great wide sounds, cleanses me with its noise, and imposes a rhythm upon everything in me that is bewildered and confused."
- Rainer Maria Rilke