Summer beauty

Summer has arrived in earnest around here. We've been berry picking three times now. We have survived the first heat wave, when every day tempts you to the beach to float in the cool ocean water. And the early, succulent spring flowers have given way to feathery, wiry, gaudy summer flowers that bob and nod in the sweltering afternoons and the blissfully cool evenings.

Construction and garden maintenance are also in full swing. One day, a chainsaw buzzed all day just outside our living room windows. The next day, a jackhammer... well, hammered all day across the street. The next day, we heard the incessant thump, thump, plonk! of a basketball in the alley, followed by distressed or celebratory "oohhh!"s from the dozen 18 year olds who are subletting the big house next door. And the next? A weedblower. Right under the bedroom window. Really, is using a broom or a rake so difficult?

Despite that, we've had family visiting, and have enjoyed showing off our beautiful city in the summertime. Jordan's brother, and then parents, have come out to visit us. We took them to the glistening Shannon Falls, hiked the Chief, and took the gondola to the top of Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. Oh yes, and went blueberry picking. Jordan's dad, a Manitoban farmboy at heart, especially loved blueberry picking. But who's kidding who? We loved it too.

And we've been grilling, cooking, eating well. Blueberry tarts with a sweet-crunchy shortbread crust, spiked with lemon zest and topped with floppy, just-sweet whipped cream. Ice cream with brandied-rhubarb compote. Barbequed pork chops with last summer's applesauce. Perfectly-roasted rosemary-scented potatoes.

Yes, summer has been good to us so far. Un vraiment bon été.

Has it been so for you?

the food of the garden island

We have been on Kauai now for almost two weeks, and we have been having so much fun I haven't had time to post! Our friends M. and L. from Australia met us 'halfway' for a vacation and reunion. We spent our first week on the North shore, and moved to the South shore at the beginning of this week. Apparently, locals from both sides are fiercely dedicated to their side of the island. Northern locals say, "Oh, don't go south, it never rains there," and southern locals say, "Don't go north, you'll always get wet!"

Personally, I loved the North Shore. We stayed in Princeville, but spent most of our time in and around Hanalei, an irrevocably laid-back surfer town. The main strip of town is easily walkable, with cute shops that managed to be only slightly touristy, because they were so rustic and authentic. On our first day, though, I got a taste of what life in Hanalei might be like... there are weekly farmers' markets all over the island, and we managed to roll into the Hanalei market on the Waipa Ranch just as the gates opened. I was so enthralled I completely forgot to take a photo of the place, but here is some of the beauty we picked up there: 

Fresh pineapple, papayas, limes, lemons, lychee, and apple bananas (the sweet tart kind) all freshly picked that day. We also got lettuce, basil, green onions, tomatoes, red peppers, fresh lemonade, and coffee blossom honey (sooo dark and intense). 

However, we had our priorities straight... even before thinking about the Farmer's Market, we picked up a huge plate of coconut shrimp:

And then topped it off with fried ice cream, lovingly prepared in what our side-of-the-road-van-chef guy called "The Big Hawaiian". 

It was the perfect way to kick off our visit to Kauai.