There’s no doubt that most of our time has been focused on taking care of the projects, etc. that we’ve had going on INside the house as opposed to OUTside. In fact, I’d say that the outside of the house has remained basically untouched (particularly the front) since we got here. Here’s a look at the house from a picture that I took last November, which pretty much gives you an idea of how it’s looked for awhile now:

front of house--Nov. '08

However, we did finally start to mow the front lawn again about two weeks ago right before my family came into town. And after realizing there may be a reason to really do some digging, look at what Robbie uncovered several days ago!…

brick walkway uncovered

We talked to another couple last week that have been doing work on the house that they bought recently and had a similar experience, uncovering an entire brick patio in their backyard! It pays to dig up the yard a little bit sometimes!

Here are a couple of non-house related random pics from recent activities–

My sister flew in a couple weeks ago for a visit from Portland, Oregon and my parents came down from S.C. to join us for Father’s Day weekend. Here’s a couple pictures from that visit:

Looks like we had some neighbors doing a bathroom remodel...

Guess that’s where my dad does his best thinking!

On a tour-by-train in St. Augustine. Trying to enjoy ourselves despite the sweltering heat and humidity!

This past weekend, Robbie and I had a culinary adventure. It’s become a part of our routine to visit the Saturday Market in Riverside to browse the booths and pick up some fruits and veggies from local farms. One booth had some squash blossoms available, which I was excited to see. I’d heard a short piece on NPR about them and had been hoping to run across some so that I could try the recipe that was mentioned. I’m not a big fan of battering and frying things, but since it appeared to be one of the most common ways of preparing the blossoms, and since I wasn’t familiar with them at all, I stuck to that suggestion. Here’s a look at the stuffed squash blossoms prior to the battering and frying:

stuffed squash blossoms

If I remember correctly, the filling I made was a mixture of greek yogurt, shredded rosemary flavored goat cheese and minced garlic. We beer battered the blossoms before frying them in a pan on the stove. They were surprisingly light with a really great combination of flavor and texture. I don’t know if I’ll ever make them again, but they were well worth the effort! Unfortunately the finished product didn’t last long enough for me to get a picture of! Yum!