I traveled to Texas to attend my 50th reunion ~ John Marshall High School ~ Go Rams! Ha ha It was fun, but no more of those. Just look at all that grey hair (me included)! And I just don't see any reason to go again. It was great to visit my sister and brother-in-law though. We did a little hiking...
We went to (dis)Enchanted Rock and hiked the huge granite dome....Romeo is the one who named it disenchanted, haha. Oh it was hot. Mid 90s. No breeze. And of course no trees for a brief respite from the heat.
We also planned to hike at Lost Maples, but it was raining too hard to go. That didn't stop us from taking a photo by the entrance, haha
We took a different way back, and encountered Stonehenge!
Yes, there is a miniature Stonehenge in Ingram, Texas. They were setting up to have some kind of party during the eclipse. That would have been fun!
But wait! There's more.....
Yes, they also had Easter Island Heads. Weird, right? Texas ~ it's a whole 'nother country.
Mr Head had a runny nose, so I asked my sis to help him out.... 😀
I had a good time, but as always it's great to be home. My garden had really grown in a week.
On a whim I picked 10 pounds of prickly pear fruit and made jelly..
I never made jelly before, and it turned out really good. So I went and picked some more for the next batch, which is de-prickled and peeled, hanging out in the freezer.
The Greek Festival/Balloon Fiesta is done too, so life is slowing down to a more normal pace.
Also had laundry and unpacking, and working 3 days at the Festival. So, I guess I answered my own question, time flies when you're having fun!
Love, 365
So much to comment on - is prickly pear cactus fruit? I saw cactus fruit in Greece but was never brave enough to tackle it. The jelly looks MOST excellent. Someone ought to have made a mask for that Easter Island head.... as for clambering over that rock in that heat with no shade - (Mad dogs and Englishmen come to mind.....)
ReplyDeleteYes, prickly pear is the deep red fruit. In some areas nearby the fruit is more of a purple, so I want to gather some of those to see if the color is different. I take them to the grill and burn off all the prickles and thorns with Romeo's bernzomatic (I gather with tongs in a paper bag). Then they are peeled, cooked, etc. The jelly is so good. In mine I added lime zest and lime juice, which complements the flavor of the prickly pears.
DeleteUgh, we should have gone to Lost Maples first, but how to know what the weather is going to do? Next time!
What fun to visit Stonehenge and Easter Island!
ReplyDeleteWe have lots of prickly pear around us but I don't know what people do with the fruit. I've only ever eaten it raw. I bet it made delicious jam. But the cleaning and preparation?
See above ~ some recipes call for wearing heavy gloves when peeling, but it's much better to burn off the thorns (those tiny ones are awful to get in your hand). Once that's done, it's fairly simple. It took about 15 minutes to pick 6 pounds of fruit. I found the recipe on America's Test Kitchen, and found it to be the easiest recipe. It does need to be refrigerated, as it is not canned. If you can't find it and want to try, let me know and I can email it to you!
DeleteI only went to one reunion and I would never do it again. Once was enough for me. Nice enough but...
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm done with it. The group gets smaller and smaller every time.
DeleteWhat a wonderful adventure. Reunions are memories for the past while friends are for the present.
ReplyDeleteYes, that's a great way to look at it! And I did have fun, it was great to meet up with old classmates, see what they're up to.
Delete