Cat Nap Wednesdays

Katie seems to enjoy sleeping with her nose tucked or as we say "she is squishing her face again!" 

 I got her a new "SmartyKat Super Scratcher," which she loves, but I think she likes the box equally as well! 

~Michele

Macro Monday

Any idea the subject of the above pic?

Here is another pic.

And, to likely confuse you even more, here is another obtuse hint.

It is the attempt at a World Record: The Suttons Bay Floatilla!

On Saturday, September 1, our village attempted the world record and raised funds for our schools at the same time. The current record is 1,902 kayaks and canoes floating together as a single raft--paddles up--for 30 seconds or more. Click here to see info on the current record and here to see a great shot of it from National Geographic.

We do NOT know yet if we beat the record. We are expecting it to be close. The officials have to count via zoomed aerial photos (hence the photographer in the plane!) each and every craft. We hope to know within the next week or so and we'll blog more pix with the results. 

It was a very fun, crazy day in our town, but we just . . . went with the "flow."
Andy

Blue Moon Friday

Yes, we took advantage of the Blue Moon in more than one way. Of course, a "Blue Moon" means the second full moon of a month and it doesn't happen very often hence the phrase "Once in a Blue Moon." Well, we took in very fun music (Sister Wilene) in the marina park at Northport on Friday, August 31 . . . under a rising Blue Moon. 

A friend of ours started making cheese several years ago. While on one hand it is a hobby, it is a very SERIOUS hobby. He's done everything right, in depth and just finished a cheese school. For real. Since this might be a selling venture someday he called his business at the start "Blue Moon Cheese." We were lucky enough to be eating a wedge of his Feta this evening and it was WONDERFUL! Yes, we had some wine (go figure), Sweet Tango apple, crackers, etc.

Here are some other shots of the moon with only differences in shutter speed. A once in a Blue Moon kinda night...
Andy

1/800 of a second Shutter.

1/2000 of a second Shutter.

Cat Nap Wednesdays

As our regular readers know, Katie sleeps all afternoon. After she eats her lunch she heads off for her nap. I wash her bowls each day while she is sleeping. Late in the afternoon I snapped the photo above, just before going out in the yard, to wash the birdbaths. (Yes, I feel like I spend my days washing animal dishes.)  

 When I came in, 15 minutes later, I found Katie laying where her food and water should be. She was looking at me as if to say "Really! Where is my FOOD??" Ha ... Poor Kate! I don't think she'll starve!

~Michele

Macro Monday

Any idea what this might be?

Here is another hint.

One more.

Yep, it is a plate of chocolate cookies! 

Or, more accurately, a plate of chocolate shortbread and they're wonderful! We very much recommend this recipe shared below (we usually double it, however). One suggestion based on our chocolate snob-ness. I am NOT a fan of dutch process cocoa (cocoa processed with alkali). Use real/whole cocoa and the taste is far superior!

Enjoy,
Andy

• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar (I like caster in these)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 and 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Combine butter and sugar in mixing bowl. Beat at medium until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and continue beating until well mixed. Reduce to low speed and add flour, cocoa and salt. Stop when well mixed.

Shape dough into an 8 inch long or so, square-ish log with about 1.5 inch sides. Wrap in plastic food wrap and refrigerate until firm; 2 hours or overnight. 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Slice into 1/8 to 1/4 inch slices and place on a cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes or until set. Because they are so dark and bake quickly, it is easy to burn them; watch them close!

Foodie Friday: Heirlooms!

Just a quick post in honor of the heirloom tomato. I love them and they're in season! I'll actually eat so many of these that I get canker sores. Terrible I know, but it's for the love of good food!

This is a quick, easy picnic salad to assemble and then head to the beach.

Andy

Add quantities of the items below to your taste and number to feed!  ;->

• Heirloom tomatoes, chopped
• Mixed greens, torn to bite-size
• Sweet onion, diced
• Avocado, small chunks
• Red pepper, chopped
• Pines nuts
• Goat cheese
• Fustini's Butter Olive Oil and Ginger-Honey White Balsamic with dashes of black pepper and French Grey Seal Salt.

Cat-Nap Wednesday

Taking a bath....

Recently I washed the rug that goes, in the window, under Katie's beds. I set it down to move her beds, so I could put the rug back in place. In 'classic cat behavior' Katie saw it and I'm sure she was thinking "oh look, something out of place ... I better check it out."  She decided it would be the purrrfect place for her nap. 

A bit of stretching....

Happy Wednesday!

Michele

Fast asleep....