foodie chat .........

Before I begin to share some vacation memories 

 a quick disclaimer - to all Francophones following Normandy Life

 for every reason you love to visit France I probably have a similar one for Hilton Head Island!

The grass is always greener - so the saying goes.

We're just back from our twenty something visit to the Low Country and over the years we've developed certain tastes and habits.

anchors away @ Hudson's

As self confessed foodies some of our long time favourite restaurants include ......

Hudson's on the Docks for their fish and chips

 and Gruby's New York Deli where we like to split a NY Reuben.

We both love to cook and are always 

overwhelmed by the vast array of produce available at The Fresh Market.

Choosing which coffee to buy can sometimes take a while as there are so many blends to savour.

I mentioned in the previous blog post that my fave one this time was 

Charleston Coffee Roasters Organic Sumatra.

This trip we also experienced Whole Foods Market

which has replaced dear old Piggly Wiggly in Shelter Cove since our last visit. 

Searching out where the locals like to eat is a favourite thing of ours to do.

A Lowcountry Backyard

The Low Country Backyard serves up great food. 

We liked the flatbread sandwiches:

 Charleston fried green tomato; crab cake; and meatloaf (the SP's personal favourite).

 The homemade mushroom soup was also delicious.

(We weren't greedy, we dined there twice!)

Another HHI institution, but a new to us restaurant, is Annie O's serving "southern" food.

I tried the tomato pie which was so good.

 I've been all over Pinterest to find a recipe to replicate it. 

I think I've found one that comes close and plan on fixing it at the weekend.

The final place we discovered is a real hidden gem of a place.

The Sea Shack 

which really should remain a closely guarded secret.

The only problem is that last week I wrote a tripadvisor review for it 

and it's already received 256 views!

just looking for another new restaurant to try!

Linking to Foodie Friday and Everything Else with Michael Lee @ Rattlebridge Farm

Back in the Lowcountry once more............

We arrived on Hilton Head Thursday afternoon to find it looking  just as good as we hoped it would be.

We are easing our way into Island life, our rented condo is on the beach!

The view simply amazing.

Sipping coffee, staring through the rain on Friday

I watched pelicans flying by and a dolphin swimming.

Yesterday morning we went down to the deserted beach.

The dolphin was there again he kept us company as we walked,

 swimming close to the shore of Calibogue Sound.

Sitting on our balcony enjoying cocktails in the evening watching the sun go down.

Sunset on Hilton Head at the end of another wonderful day. 

P is for packing

To paraphrase Robert Browning, this week I've been having 

"abroad thoughts from home".

It's time to go travelling again, methinks.

Next week the Senior Partner and I are heading to the States, 

Hilton Head Island, SC. to be exact.

Now, I know I don't need to tell those of you who live there

that many areas of the US have been experiencing shall we say "challenging" weather recently. 

The long range forecast for HHI during our almost 3 week stay calls for

 rain, T storms, a few sunny days, possibly followed by more showers and rain!

My dilemma therefore is what to pack for all eventualities.

I can hear you all shouting, even as I type, "layers".

T shirts; tank tops; long sleeved tunics.

A cosy, knitted sweater; fleece lined gilet; polartec jacket; scarves. Check.

Chinos; sweat pants; jeans. 

Maybe I should include a pair of cropped pants too for those hopefully warmer days 

and a dressier pair for when we go out to dinner?

Add some comfortable shoes, (I recently discovered TOMS, what a find - love them!) 

and Converse All Star dainty zebra sneakers for travelling in.

Along with all the other more mundane items such as underwear, pj's, makeup & toiletries

 I'll be packing everything in this suitcase.

Well, you know how confusing it gets 

when all those black bags come around together 

on the luggage carousel at the airport!

I hope to be able to continue blogging whilst we're away, though it does depend on whether I can figure out how to use the Picasa app on my Kindle Fire HDX!

Joining Mrs Matlock for Alphabe-Thursday

where the letter P is in the spotlight this week.

Loggerhead turtle shells

Back home again after a wonderful time in Hilton Head, SC.
The weather was amazing, high 70's the whole time, except for the day before we left when Hurricane Sandy made it's presence felt with overcast skies and waves crashing along the beach.
On those sunny days the Senior Partner and I went for long walks along the shore stopping now and again to watch the tiny sandpipers dash around to avoid the waves whilst digging for insects and worms.
On two occasions we also spotted dolphins swimming quite close to shore.

Loggerhead Sea Turtles nest on the beaches of Hilton Head Island between May and August. An adult females will nest every two to four years, coming ashore between 4 and 6 times per season to lay eggs. Loggerheads typically nest at night, crawling to a dry part of the beach where females will dig a nest cavity with their rear flippers and deposit an average of 120 eggs. Once the eggs have been laid, the female throws sand to disguise the nest from predators and slowly returns to the ocean.

After about 60 days of incubation, the small turtles within the eggs begin to hatch. During the cool night, the 2 inch long hatchlings emerge from the nest, orient themselves towards the brightest horizon, and crawl towards the ocean. Once in the water, hatchlings swim many miles offshore where they will spend the next 25-30 years of their life growing to adulthood.

Coastal Discovery Museum, HHI, South Carolina.

The empty turtle  horseshoe crab shells that wash up on the beach fascinate me and they are the subject of my mosaic this week.

After all these years of beachcombing I always believed that the shell belonged to loggerheads.
Now, Keetha has corrected me and proved me wrong!
They are horseshoe crab shells!
Thanks Keetha for putting me straight.

I had hoped to join Mary @ the little red house for Mosaic Monday
but like thousands of others along the East coast of America
Mary is still without power and can only access the internet using her phone.
If you get the chance please stop by the little red house and give her a hug!

very soon it'll be island-time......

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY.

see you later........................