Florida is cool – all pretty and palms. We have palms here but don’t show them off in quite the same way.

Photos as I have a connection!

Her paintings are generally large, colourful and dramatic.

This was a Junkanoo. You may well see my photos of another one this New Year’s Eve. Or the children’s Junkanoo. But I digress.

Kim paints lots of sea turtles and fish…

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And boats!

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My gratefuls? That I am surrounded by suck talent. That Rudi made me amazing liver and onions today. That last night was “Hawaii 5-O” night. That friend Amanda made a connection she needed to make – and more! And she and her love get to feed piggies, which are one of my favourite animals. That Truffles is a pretty amazing companion who blows my mind daily. That friend Brigitte is in Freeport now and is conducting a watercolour workshop!!

She has lots of art to display, including some new things done on driftwood!

But her forte is watercolour.

Anyone recognize this guy?

Some beach goodies.

A huge lighthouse painting.

And the crowds!

Browsing and – buying!

Art sales are a great way to judge how the economy is doing.

Our husbands lost in thought.

Another version of our lighthouse.

And a seahorse!

My gratefuls – That my friend Brigitte proved the economy is on an upswing! That Rudi and Donnie had a great historical conversation. That the Lodge was busy with people – busier than last year – for this art show. That Brigitte leaves on Monday to teach a watercolour workshop in Freeport. That I could send my emissary to the show to get photos to share with you!

Here’s Mary, a watercolorist (mostly) buddy from Hope Town. I have a soft spot in my heart for watercolorists.

I am happy that I own a Balzac, one that means a lot to me.

And here’s something new. Rudi said, when asked, “jewelry.” Is it? For sandals? Mary! Tell us more!

A few other people/items at the Art Show.

This first shot just gives you an example of how amazing the people of Abaco are. These gorgeous bowls – absolutely lovely – were turned by the man who is the service repairman for our appliances.

And this is Kent -

She makes great mobiles, but has another life, and had still another.

She was an executive pastry chef at a major Ritz-Carleton Hotel in Colorado.:-)
And in Hope Town, she makes a lot of the wedding cakes for our visiting brides, and does a bunch of other baking – like for our College’s Winter School’s potluck last February.

Aren’t Abaconians amazing? Versatile? Creative?

My gratefuls – That I love here with these amazing people, and that I am very proud to call some of them my friends.

I will begin with Joli.
Now she and I have a lot in common in terms of what we like to paint and draw, which can be more botanical than that chosen by many people. Joli is a watercolorist, but has been experimenting with pastels for the past many months.

Here she is!

And some of her work -

This was the first time that I can remember Joli participating in this show, so that was exciting!

I will have to ask Joli what this hot pink thing is. Unless Mary or Brigitte can answer in the Comments section for me. Rudi imagines it comes from the ocean floor…

And she’s done studies on them more than once.

Some sea grapes.

I hope Joli keeps showing her work!! I loved seeing it, even virtually.

My gratefuls – That I did sort of get to attend the art show, thanks to Rudi. That it seemed busy, so I am hoping my artist friends made a few dollars! That I love lamb but the mint jelly has to be my very favourite, and Rudi’s lamb stock is great.

When we went to Billy’s Garden Stand I pushed for a trip to –

The Sugar Shack!
And since I’m being a bit careful about what I eat – rainbow sherbet was the order of the day.

It was quite satisfying. It had been a while since I enjoyed a sherbet. And now we will buy our own so we don’t know bankrupt, $6 at a time!

My gratefuls – That Rudi made an awesome squash soup today, and I ate too much of it! That he also made a lamb stock with the recipe I’d shared a week ago or so, and the house smelled like heaven! We get to have that stock over the weekend. That friend Mary was there for me on Thursday when I needed her. That the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was wonderful, as always, and that it was fun watching the National Dog Show afterwards.

I wish you all a moist turkey!

And delicious sides!

And delectable desserts.

Yum.

But my total awe for this holiday comes from my traditions. Which I was doing on Thanksgiving Day 2010…
1. Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade from NYC.
2. Watch the National Dog Show right afterwards.

And during that dog show in 2010, I realized we couldn’t live without a dog in our lives. And thus began the hunt for OUR dog.

And a few weeks later – well, here’s Truffles on her first golf cart ride to our home.

And she won everyone’s heart.

And Truffles is our grateful on this US Thanksgiving, 2011.

Billy has a house with amazing raised garden beds. And apparently around 4pm yesterday he opened for business! This is pretty exciting.
We called him immediately and reserved all the squash he had so Rudi can make some soup!

He will set up the stand on Friday afternoons, which is when the nice people from another cay come and sell fresh fish, lobster salad, conch salad and more! A great addition to this area, and one to which locals and visitors will look forward.

My gratefuls – That we will have local access to fresh and organic veggies that will greatly supplement our own gardens. That Rudi makes an awesome chicken stock/broth. That we got to go for a ride all the way into Hope Town this afternoon. That Meghan found pretty hot pink blankets and winter clothing for my big horsie, Truffles.

Okay, when I decided to cut out wheat gluten from my diet I knew I would have to find some fun things to satisfy me and help me to not feel deprived. It hasn’t really been an issue, in reality, because eating fresh and good foods doesn’t make you feel deprived at all! Like today – I’ve been working away at a seared tuna from the Abaco Inn. That or dessert? I’ll take the tuna!

We held the slaw and most of the sauces, and it was/is magnificent! I still have some left for breakfast today.

Yum.

Okay, so I didn’t know what the availability was around these islands and cays for gluten-free food, so my first panic reaction included some shopping at the Gluten-Free Mall. And rather than risk buying products that would arrive here and taste like cardboard, I did my ordering from the comments section of the website, where the customers write reviews of their favourite products.

This was not an inexpensive proposition! My $170 worth of GF products cost $125 to get into our wee cay, thanks to shipping and duties.

I thought I’d share with you the items I have tried, as I try them. And the first is a sort of cookie.

The outside is a Rice Chex/Rice Krispies sort of taste, though a tad sweeter. And it is in the shape of a tube, filled with a creamy darkish chocolate. A Nutella flavour might be even more fun! And there’s no skimping on the chocolate, either. It satisfies, especially if you like it darker.

There are just two to a pack, and only three packs in each box, for $3.53. Not too bad unless you have to ship them into the middle of nowhere!

My gratefuls – That I have access to great fresh food, fresh fish, and a few treats. That Hawaii 5-O was on last night. That I had some good naps on Monday after a try restless night. That hot baths soothe me so nicely…

Okay, so what flavour are you!?

It has been really wonderful picking the acerola, or Barbados, cherries from our tree in the front yard! Last year we had to fight the birds for them. This year it seems we’re fighting – each other? Something else?

We’ve gotten about four cherries a day a few days apart. Rudi hands them to me. I put them on my little table near where I work on the computer.

In the morning – they’re gone!

I accuse Rudi of taking them. He swears it wasn’t him.
The dog can’t reach. The bird can’t reach… and I am not eating them (they all needed to ripen a bit).

So – what is going on?

We’ve had a few clues.

1. Two mornings last week Rudi found the bird missing from his play stand. He searched the house, and found him standing happily on one of the run of the stools at the kitchen’s island. Why? He’s never gotten off his stand at night in his life.

2. Rudi found that something had eaten a little hole in one of the screens in our kitchen…

3. Rudi also found what might be an unidentifiable poop under the stove in the kitchen.

Rudi is heading out for a few traps today. I won’t show you those photos, but I will let you know what we learn. We’ve lost eight cherries, and now Rudi is hiding them at night so they have ripening time.
(Will they ripen if they go in and out, in and out of the fridge?)

Such are the mysteries in paradise!

My gratefuls – That our tree produces cherries often, so we had enough to share a little. That good friends Justin, Amanda and Journey came by today to say hello and to scratch the bird. That I got some sleep in the daytime, making up for the sleep I lost last night. That Brigitte is home safely now for a while and doesn’t have to brave those choppy seas!