The Ides of March

It was cool and damp today so we decided to get out of the house and see the Carl Sandburg Historic site a few miles north of where we are staying.

We just hiked the property, visited the working farm, then hiked up Glassy Mountain.

Weather this week looks rainy and cool. What happened to Spring !!!

Wednesday

Hi Guys,
Ralph and I golfed today. The weather was so nice, I was able to wear a short sleeve shirt. I heard that Minnesota had snow. Ralph shot his best round and is ready to golf with the guys tomorrow. I golfed ok, I am improving. I am really liking my new Ping driver. After golf we shared a beer with a very nice couple we have met.
Before we golfed, Ralph got his hair cut in Hendersonville. It was a real treat to listen to the other customers. They were locals, so the accents were very thick to my ears.
I am looking forward to hearing from David and Andrew.
Mom

Happy Easter

Ralph and I went to church this morning to celebrate the day. We had brunch at Champion Hills. There was an omelet bar, salads, asparagus, crepes and ham and more. I missed the green bean casserole and cheesy potatoes. This afternoon we watched golf and basketball.

recipes

I tried a new recipe last night from the 2001 Annual Recipes book from Southern Living magazine. It was a bean salad called Chickpea Salad. I couldn't find any chickpeas at the store, so I substituted flat white beans instead. The recipe had cucumbers, tomatoes and olives. It was supposed to be enough for 3 people. I took a look at the amount and added smoked pork chops and potatoes to the menu. I think that this would be a nice summer side salad. If you would like any of the recipes I'm trying, let me know and I'll send it to you.

Pictures

I just found out that if you click on the pictures they will go to full screen and then you can go back to the blog. We will have to add more pictures.
Ralph is golfing with the guys today. It's very windy and cool. I heard it may be warmer in Minnesota than North Carolina today.

Golfing with the ladies

Today I golfed with the ladies at Champion Hills for the first time. Elaine and Sue were very welcoming and made me feel at home. It was a very cold day and I had to wear all the warm clothes I brought down with me. I should have packed my long johns. I shot a 45 and had 3 pars on the front nine. I almost had a birdie on hole #8. I guess I should try to pay attention to what I am doing every time I golf. It started raining during the back nine so we called it quits. Ralph golfed with a men's group and shot a 50 on the front nine. The men did play all 18 holes and finished in light rain.

While I was waiting for Ralph to finish, I met Marilyn (we had been introduced at the mixer) and she invited me to watch or play majong while I waited for Ralph to finish golfing. I spent an enjoyable afternoon watching them play.

High Falls

We parked at the Buck Forest access area. I'm not sure if we saved ourselves any hiking distance by driving, but we rested as we drove. We started up a gravel road, again I was sure it was not the right way, again I was wrong. It was less than a mile to the falls. The falls were wonderful. Each was more impressive than the last. On the way back, we took a side trail to a covered bridge. A nice finish to a full day.

Triple Falls

After we hiked back from Hookers Falls, we crossed the road and hiked .5 miles to Triple Falls. Part of the trail was steeper than expected so instead of continuing on to High Falls we walked back and drove to hopefully an easier hike to the falls.

Hooker Falls

Today we visited Dupont State Forest near Hendersonville. This 10,000+ acre forest has many hiking trails. We hiked to Hooker Falls, Triple Falls and High Falls. The weather is great and the sun was shining.

Jackson (Daniel Ridge) Falls

This was supposed to be an easy 25 minute round trip hike. After an hour, we decided we had went the wrong way. We enjoyed the hike along the stream, thinking that the falls was just around the corner. We walked back to the beginning and saw where we went wrong. We had not stayed on the trail long enough to see the Daniel Ridge Trail sign pointing in the direction we went. We were supposed to go in the opposite direction. It was a short hike to the falls, just like Ranger Station instructions said. This falls is 150 feet high of nearly vertical cascades. When the leaves come out this falls will be less visible. Well worth the hike.

Moore Cove Falls

It takes 20 minutes to hike to Moore Cove Falls from Highway 276. The waterfall is 50 feet high cascading over the ledge. You can walk behind the waterfall.

Looking Glass Falls

Looking Glass Falls is 65' tall and 30' wide. This falls is right along side U.S. highway 276.

recipes

I'm just letting you know some of the recipes Dad and I are trying. I went through Cooking Light magazine and tabbed some recipes. Then I had Dad pick some for us to try. It is hard to cook without a full kitchen--no flour, no sugar. We are starting to collect the basics. We put together the shopping list, which I left at the house. I did pretty good by memory. We spent a lot of time in Fresh Market roaming the aisles.

I made Seared Scallops over Bacon and Spinach Salad with Cider Vinaigrette. I never made scallops before so it was interesting to try. A lot easier than I thought. I think you could make the spinach salad alone. The dish looked very pretty on the plate. We both thought it tasted very good.

The next night I tried Flounder Piccata with Spinach. This recipe is very easy and fast to create. The recipe says it serves 4, but that wouldn't be very much to eat per person.

So much for cooking for now, I'll keep you posted when I try something new.

I've been informed that I left out an important part of the meal. A 2000 Simi Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was served with the Seared Scallops and a 2006 Bancroft Station Shiraz from South Eastern Australia complimented the Flounder Piccata. (a $3.99 find and a Wine Enthusiast 10 best buys) Dad is the wine connoisseur and I just drink it, I'll try to remember next time

Week 1

Welcome to our try at blogging. This blog will be updated at random, so you will have to come back often!!

We had an uneventful trip to Flat Rock. After a nice stopover at Greg & Cindy's we left snow country and headed south. The morning we left, Greg and I had to shovel 4+ inches of wet, heavy snow. By southern Indiana, we left the snow and declared a "snow free zone."

The weather in NC has been rainy, but the temperatures have been in the 50's and 60's. Once we get a USB cable for the camera, we will post some pictures as well.