No, not that kind of duck delight, you carnivorous foodies.
This kind of duck delight comes only when you happen to be a bird fanatic and move into a home with a huge pond in your back yard where all kinds of water birds visit or live every day.
The delight comes mighty early, depending on when I creep onto the lanai with coffee and make a bit of noise. This incites a voyage of serious fowl from across the pond to arrive with hungry, pitiful squawks for breakfast. These guys and gals are friendly but don’t play when it comes to getting their fair share.
A few strays flitted in near the end of breakfast and tried to fight for some tidbits, but the residents would have none of it and quickly sent them waddling..
We love our new neighbors, all of the two legged varieties. 😀 I might never leave this delightful place without putting up a fight.
Happy #free48!
This post brought to you courtesy of Linda Hill’s #SoCS prompt.
Check out her place for other great prompts and more blog posts by talented bloggers.
Today’s prompt was to use ght.
When we went in search of breakfast on our recent trip to Chattanooga, we thought we hit the jackpot at Puckett’s, a local bar and grill venue with a lot of history and a tasty breakfast. Conveninetly located within an easy walking distance of our hotel and just across from the Tennessee Aquarium, it seemed the perfect stop on our way to see what the Aquarium had to offer.
The main doors were oddly unremarkable, although nice. The restaurant name is plainly visible on the huge awning that spans the length of the buiding but there was no sign on the door or near the door. The only indication we made it to the right place was a printed door mat as you step inside the front doors.
But look at that breakfast! Simple but yummy. And the biscuit tasted even better than it looks. I loved the mug so much we had to snag one for home. Of course we paid for it, silly. 🙄
I only wished we had more time to return for an evening meal when there was live music, but maybe next visit. The inside is appealing, open and warm-a lot like Cheers!
It wasn’t until I needed to visit the ladies’ room before we headed to the Aquarium that I found them! All in the ladies’ room. 🙊🙈
From the main door…
to the stall doors, which were so cool…
I was tickled to find such a treasure trove of doors. Then in the hall was a cache of train memorabilia that was the icing on the cake.
This time train memorabilia, next time real train experience!
This post is brought to you as part of our host Norm Frampton’s weekly doorscursion event, where participants post about doors they have seen, photographed, sketched…any doors. You can make a beeline over to his blog and get the schedule and itinerary for this event.
Well, we never saw the Chattanooga Choo Choo. In fact we didn’t even get to the train “museum” on our recent visit to the lovely little city of Chattanooga, for online research revealed the museum was not your typical garden variety museum. No, it is only a participatory museum, meaning that if you aren’t prepared to pay for one of the scheduled train journeys, you will be missing the history lesson.
I will admit the various train adventures look fun, but I was disappointed there was no museum, historically, to speak of. But…I digress.
If you want to schedule a rolling tour or just a really fun day of seeing some of the beautiful countryside, see the schedules and details Here
We did, however, find a great hotel room with a terrific view of downtown Chattanooga with easy access to the venues there, including everything from the AT&T stadium to the Tennessee Aquarium and much more.
The first thing we did was to drop off our bags and go out for food. We weren’t disappointed choosing Big River Grille and Brewing Pub. The menu is quite extensive, which can be a caution signal in many cases; but in this instance both of us were very pleased with our choices. Hubby loved his Mango Habanero Chicken, and I finally found a pizza I could sink my teeth into. The craft beers were great and well worth the very reasonable prices. We would definitely recommend this restaurant and hope to return there on our next trip.
Mango Habanero Chicken was a hit for Hubby
Ahhhhhh….away from home
Simple but delicious Pepperoni Pizza. So hard to get a good pie these days
The Aquarium is to the right
View from our balcony
Craft beers. Mine was a Stout Porter, aged in whiskey barrels. It was a roller coaster od wonderful flavors!
View downhill from the Bluff Art district
This room was perfectly located
And then there was coffee and dessert. The ‘short walk’ turned out to be a bit farther than we thought, braced against a 30 degree temperature with intermittent drizzle; but Rembrandt’s was the most recommended coffee house in the area, so we did our part as brave tourists and made the uphill climb to the Bluff Art District to check it out. Except for mediocre service, we loved the place. The coffee and Hubby’s eclair were really good. We were so ready for something hot once we finally made it. On the way up we stopped to walk onto the infamous walking bridge. It has a sad history causing many Chattanooga residents to avoid it altogether, but the view is beautiful.
The walking bridge
View downhill from the Bluff Art district
Mocha cafe and a walnut brownie were my choices. Above top photo is hubby’s Chocolate Chocolate eclair.
We actually spent the rest of our evening curled up in the room, warm and cozy, enjoying the view and staying dry. My original hope was to get to Lookout Mountain/Ruby Falls or to Rock City on the way home.
Sadly, the sun on Monday arrived late, leaving things damp and cold still, so we settled on a visit to the Aquarium, just across the street from our hotel. First, though, we went in search of breakfast. That led us to a nice venue called Pucket’s, a bar and grill that, when not serving up dinner and music, makes a pretty decent breakfast and nice cup of coffee. We loved the coffee cup so much we had to buy one to bring home! The restaurant has a train theme and great doors, so look out Thursday, here I come!
Meanwhile….
It was defenitely tasty!
And I found a buddy outside the Mellow Mushroom on our walk.
Okay, okay, the main event! The Tennessee Aquarium, though not as extensive as one might think, was well put together, with a friendly staff and all the habitats very beautiful and well kept. I particularly liked that the local freshwater wildlife was well represented. My favorites? Oh, besides the turtles, of course! The butterfly garden and the penguins are wonderful! So adorable. Here are a few shots from our visit.
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Why do I feel I’m just getting nowhere?
Oh dear, maybe we should have spiffed up for guests..
Hellooooo….wanna come in for a little swim?
I also wanted to visit the Hunter museum but it was just a bit late for the three building adventure. Maybe next time. Meanwhile, we enjoyed the beautiful sculptures that are in front of the museum which is located high above the Tennessee River and houses works from key American artists. I’m already eager to go back! Thanks Chattanooga!
The Hunter Museum
This sculpture dating back to the early 1900’s was one of half a dozen placed around the museum.
This? Oh just a gratuitous crane (of sorts) for my friend Dan. Happy Wednesday!
In the past ten years I have been privileged and blessed to be able to see and photograph so many amazing animals in several states and even another country! While it would be impossible to choose a favorite, I have to pay special homage to my feathered friends who always show up when I bring my camera. They preen, clean, hunt, fish, flirt, fluff and fly for my viewing pleasure. At times I have felt they were asking to be captured in a photo for posterity.
Birds of prey fascinate me, the connection I feel with them very strong. The Osprey and Hawk are fiercely efficient hunters and fishers. It was not unusual to see them flying overhead with a fish or small animal in their clutches. On this particular day the adult osprey flew over the hood of our car right in the middle of Port Orange Florida, lunch firmly in its grip, and swooped into the tree in a nearby parking lot. You must know what happened next-one of hubby’s famous batwing u-turns to get me back to where that bird was about to enjoy its meal. Thank goodness for my zoom lens and the fact that my friend the Osprey was more enthralled with its fish than being concerned about what I was doing.
I hope you like my very #FeatheredFriday post! I plan to share more with you next week. Happy #Free48 everyone. You are welcome to join me in sharing your own #FeatheredFriday images and you can link back here in the comments if you like.
The weather forecast for San Isidro el General de Perez Zeledon….
Sunny. With a chance of hot. In the “Winter” of Costa Rica. Our cold months here are their most pleasant. Of course, in San Isidro most nights in the mountains are very cool to chilly. But the days are hot, so it was best to be prepared when visiting…the ticas know how to stay cool.
Find a nice spot (La Reyna), order some beers ( yes, that IS ice) and maybe some food….
Simole and delish. Then watch the world roll by from the balcony. Oh! And you musn’t forget the entertainment.
I hope you all have a wonderful holiday. We spent at least one Thanksgiving in the land of Pura Vida. No, it is not easy to find a turkey there. But, frankly, it was the last thing on our minds…
Visit Linda Hill’s page for more great #1Liner Weds posts.
It’s sad to think it has been nearly four years now since we made the move back from Costa Rica. Since that time we have planned and been unable to revisit our second home on two separate occasions, both due to natural disasters.
In the past few days I have been going through photo files and reminiscing about our very special experiences there. I loved the photography opportunities almost as much as the people and all the unique places we were able to visit.
As I explore more files I will share more of our time there since many of my new friends here didn’t know me back in 2012 when I first began this blog as a way to share our lives in the beautiful country of Pura Vida!
Once upon a time in Costa Rica, we visited a spice farm named Villa Vanilla Spice Farm. As it happens, this tour was one of the first we took on our original journey to Costa Rica, long before we made the move. Once we lived there I had the opportunity to revisit the farm with my best friend when she came to visit us.
The farm grows orchids, which include the vanilla plant, which is actually an orchid. They also grow various bromiliads, cacao trees, carambola (star fruit), peppercorn plants and ceylon cinnamon trees. Ceylon Cinnamon is known as true cinnamon and is the variety you need for real cinnamon health benefits for blood pressure and blood sugar control. The best part of the tour is learning how the owners and workers grow, harvest and prepare these natural plants for consumption. Tasting was fun too. Near the end of the tour, there is a treehouse with a magnificent view where the tour ends with chocoalate and cinnamon specialty coffees, vanilla cookies and a very special mandarin lime cheesecake. Heaven!
Take a walk with me and I’ll share a few photos with you.
Sally and me
Brand new cacao blooms and pods
These are growing but not ready yet
When ready the cacao is yellow outside and has a pure white yummy flesh
Vanilla beans
There were so many gorgeous bromiliads
See the water collected on every petal?
And at the end, with the heat finally taking hold, we climb to the patio of the “treehouse” for a cool breeze, tasty treats and a breathtaking view. If you make it to the Manuel Antonio/Quepos area, this tour is one of the traditional ones but well worth the time and sweating.
I could sit there all day……and you can when you live there. 😉💕
Yes, I see them every day. I appreciate, admire and even photograph them. I just don’t get around to organizing them properly for a worthy blog representation for Norm Frampton’s #Thursday Doors weekly event. You should visit his place for lots of great ‘doorscursion’ posts.
We can always count on Dan for a great selection of doors with a history lesson as well. If you’re a Pittsburgh fan, head on over to his place!
Meanwhile, in my little world…
For yummy tummy delight.
We found a new ‘old’ little sushi place near home.
And since we left Texas, there seems to be no finding great, authentic barbecue. There’s just no competing with true smoked brisket like they serve at County Line. But, we finally found a place that comes close AND they know how to make hush puppies! 👏🏻
Just go in these doors to Williamson Bros.
Yeah, that IS fried okra. 😋
There are more churches than restaurants in Georgia, I swear. Many are so beautiful! I need to do an entire post for themTaken in Little Five Points. Sorry about the photobombers and in a moving vehicle. I want to go back!Loved this architectureVisited a new antique store.Where you can find little treasures like this. Furniture a bit pricey.
And saving the best for last!
Our friends at Tiny Doors Atlanta have a brand new door at an iconic venue in Atlanta. I tell you, this gal is on fire with her projects. The crew at Tiny Doors does an amazing job and we love them. I can’t wait to stop by and see it in person. Ironically, we actually drove by the Fox just a week ago! Congrats TD!
Happy Thursday folks! Wishing you a smooth slide into home plate and the #Free48! Hugs!
That’s me and my Daddy. I remember that kitchen though we moved quite a few times. I still get nostalgic when I see linoleum. 😉
But such sweet memories. It all started with a conversation about a food addiction I had in high school. One day my parents went off to church, leaving me home not feeling well. I was old enough to open a can and heat something on the stove but didn’t care for many soups. Then along came this sweet old Italian man with a brilliant dream and a master advertising agent.
Perhaps it was that magical moment in time of being left alone, with a whole can of this cheesy pasta delight with no one to fight me for it. With a handful of Saltine Crackers on the side, I was in heaven-and hooked for an entire school year!
I have lots of these food memories, mostly times inspired by, and shared with, my Daddy. So I figured after I talked about it to hubby the other day that he would run into my old Italian chef at the grocery store and bring him home for dinner. 😏
I think I’ll wait for a night when I’m really feeling the need for comfort. Then I may just eat the whole can. 🙊
And, speaking of food memories with my Dad, here are a few more. None of them is healthy but all of them are sweet. Thanks Daddy!
Oh my! Beef pot pie. Banquet was best because it had bottom crust too!
Best thing about Saturday mornings at least once a month! I could eat half a can at a time. Oh my..
Can’t find an image of the original Oscar Mayer garlic bologna roll. My Dad and I sat and he sliced it so we could eat with crackers and mustard. Yum.
I have no words and couldn’t bring myself to share an actual image of the product. As my hubby would say, “Just another version of lips and ears…”
(We ate it on bread over mayonnaise-open faced style!)
And there were a few things eaten in my house that I can barely talk about and certaintly did not partake of
Can you say “hog head cheese” or “Sardines”? Salted buttermilk?! 😱
Wait! I have to go brush my teeth now. Happy, healthy eating folks!
Can you even stand it? The Doughnut craze, that is. How is it possible to have so many bodacious doughnut shops in one city? I have already posted a few of our doughnut adventures over the past few months, but this one is by far the most scrumptious so far. A rep at the office dropped off these tasty treats today.
How could I say no to just one? Can you guess which one I chose?
These doughnuts came from a culinary castle known as
The Dutch Monkey Donut Shop in Cumming, Georgia. Check out the yumminess they serve up daily. I’m beginning to think I’ll never be able to make it through all the delightful bakeries here before I explode! We will definitely be making an in person visit to this wonderful shop in the near future.
So many donuts, so little time!
Thank you Atlanta! Visit this fantastic city and all the amazing food venues when you can!
"I have enough time to rest, but I don't have a minute to waste". Come and catch me with your wise words and we will have some fun with our words of wisdom.
Dreaming Reality 
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