Monday, July 25, 2011

Crabbing...hunting and gathering food and flowers.

Queen Anne's Lace...


I love this frothy bloom
and to some it might be regarded as a weed.

I have captured it's beauty for you to see with my camera.



ship board flowers
and a lovely vintage tray 
a thoughtful gift from my BFF


With that Black Bear on the loose 
I am walking around in circles!

I am reminded of a quote that was something like... 
everywhere I go there I am!

Which is so true...
you can walk away from many a situation but the thoughts and memories will stay with you
there is no escaping that fact
(unless you develop amnesia or dementia)

Gosh what a thought.
I am writing without direction, just typing away madly in the heat of the day.

There is a lot to see right here on the ocean
and plenty of distractions...
I stop to look outside the window and see gulls flying
flags flapping
the water shimmering
and I feel gratitude
contentment
and 
serenity.


Can you see Mr. HB sitting aft reading?
I hope that he won't mind seeing himself here when he turns on his laptop!

He devours historical fiction
and 
happily sits in the sunshine on a warm summer afternoon
doing what he loves best.


In front of one of the houseboats 
there is an elaborate garden
 a maze of coloured pots in various sizes 
driftwood
shells
buddhas
ropes
floats
flowers
haphazardly arranged with an artistic flair....
(depending on your taste it might be a nightmare)

Succulents
are such hardy drought tolerant garden plants...
they grow fast in all manner of conditions 
caring very little if they are in pots or in the soil
and are the most amazing acrobats in their growth patterns.


Fresh caught cooked crab
our simple lunch on the weekend
and
some rather wilted dahlias
(which have been tossed out and replaced with Queen Anne's Lace)

Pink Himalayan Salt in a self grinder
(which is fun to use)


Mr. HB is  great at catching crab!

He catches it
I cook and clean it...
(I am a happy galley slave)

Did I mention that the galley is small?
It has a converted ice box
two propane burners
a small sink and a minimal countertop.


Two crabs cooked and cleaned


Pearl Island Crab Cakes


Formed and ready to be chilled for a few hours
then sauteed carefully


We had a cob of fresh corn for a starter
before devouring these tasty cakes...


served with freshly grated ginger and soya infused mayonnaise
I could only eat three
so there's one for the breakfast omelette tomorrow!




Pepper hunkered down in the heat of the day.

Adrienne asked how she is doing...
she naps a lot when it's hot and sleeps on my bunk beside me at night
wakes very early for food and plays with her toy mice while waiting for us to get up!

I hope this sunshine sticks around for awhile
I am enjoying the warmth and it finally feels like summer has arrived.

Oh Oh!
the weather forecast is calling for thunder and lightning...
we better batten down the hatches.


19 comments:

Lorrie said...

Queen Anne's lace is one of the prettiest weeds ever. If I could control it I would plant it in my garden.
It's wonderful to see the sunshine, isn't it? And seeing it from the water is best of all. I hope the thunderstorm passes through quickly and lets the sun shine once again.

LPC said...

Crabs and corn on the cob. Yum. Worth even a thunderstorm or two:).

Anonymous said...

Terribly envious of this trip, I would love to be doing this.

Ah, Queen Anne's lace - thanks Lorrie, that was my question.

Anonymous said...

Oh and you see if you gave me a crab cake I'd eat it but there is no way I could eat it after having to cook it from crabby scratch!

Paula said...

I am surprised you are having hot days, by the pictures it looks like the weather around here - 55°F. ;-)
A cat on a boat is a nice picture. Is Pepper afraid of water at all?
Have a nice summer vacation!

une femme said...

It looks just lovely. Crab cakes, yum!! Pepper looks like a contented boat cat.

Adrienne Shubin said...

Crab cakes are one of my favorite seafood treats. Yours look delicious - full of crab, not full of bread crumbs like some restaurants.

TARYTERRE said...

I grew up eating crabs, smothered in Old Bay seasoning. Going to have to try your recipe. Sounds delicious. Pepper looks just like my Mira and Dara. Both of mine are scared to leave the house, much less get on a boat.

La Vie Quotidienne said...

How wonderful this all looks, and so relaxing. I am happy to hear that Pepper is accepting her floating home so well. She must have really reacted when she got a sniff of the crab! Enjoy

Al and Kas in A Travel Trailer said...

I love Queen Anne's lace! It grows wild here and the white blooms are a lovely contrast to the dark green trees (and salal, and whatever else is in the brush in the forest!).

Anonymous said...

Oh, this seems like such an idyllic vacation.

Pondside said...

The crab cakes look heavenly. You know, I've never, ever made them.

Sue/the view from great island said...

That's my ideal lunch, or dinner! I want to try the pink salt, too. What a wonderful excursion you are having, it's fun to tag along!

Judith said...

How I love the sea, well I would being a Cancer crab but not to eat!!

Beautiful photos just the life on the ocean waves.

Enjoy have fun.Ida

annie@mostlovelythings said...

Your photo of the delicate Queen Anne's Lace on the rocks is just stunning! I wish I had one (maybe two) of those crab cakes right now!

Duchesse said...

Oooooh crab cakes! Hostess, I am many shades of green with envy. Does Pepper get a tiny bite? Sounds like a marvelous getaway.

Fifi said...

The crab cakes look fabulous. It must be so nice to prepare such fresh food and no doubt you can taste the difference. What a lovely trip, there is nothing better than having some time to take it easy and relax near the seaside. Fifi

Anonymous said...

I love crab cakes, and yours look delicious! Is Pepper really a houseboat cat now? I think that would be fun: Pepper and me, sailing the sea...

Anonymous said...

The crab cakes look absolutely delicious, but the crab Mr. HB is holding has such a sad expression, I felt guilty thinking so. Cheers, Violet.