Category Archives: Drinks

Orcas Island

August 28, 2013

Last week Walker’s parents came to visit and over the weekend we went to the San Juan Islands. Apparently there was a lot going on that weekend so we stayed on Orcas Island which was nice because it was a bit quieter.

We headed to the ferry very early Friday morning and made it on the ferry we intended to get on. The views from the ferry were quite beautiful. Once we arrived on the island we drove north to the downtown area. On the drive I had my window down and I was loving the remote island feeling and the heavenly scents wafting in from the woods. Oh my!

After a bite to eat we explored some shops and a few artist studios, we caught the artist studio tour that was going on. We also drove up to a high point on the island to get some fantastic views. Finally we made it to our lodging and once we were all settled in we drove even farther on to have dinner. The place we chose was so cool. It was set right beside an inlet and it had huge windows on the inside so you could see the bay. It felt really open and breezy. Also the food was amazing and surprisingly locally sourced. It was kind of awesome. When dinner was over Walker and I sat in some chairs near the water and kind of wished we could have stayed there for the rest of the night.

As it was though we headed back to our rooms. Walker and I played some outdoor games-including tether ball-which I can never beat him at! Then we hung out on our little balcony and continued our night with some wine and nature sounds. Walker also took some really cool pictures which I’ll share tomorrow…

Berry monday: tea

August 26, 2013

It’s berry Monday again! With summer coming to a close I have just one more berry post for you next week and then we’ll be moving on to something else. I hope you’ve enjoyed these berry recipes.

Today I’m sharing a berry tea recipe that I made. I’m sure there are endless berry tea combinations but I decided to make a blackberry mint tea.

What you’ll need:

-2 cups of blackberries
-a handful of mint leaves
-about 1 1/2 TBSP of black tea
-sweetener of your choice (optional)

Method:

Blend the blackberries in a blender and put the liquid in batches through a fine mesh sieve to separate the seeds. Set aside. Put mint leaves and tea in separate containers for steeping. Add boiling water to both-about 1 cup to each. Let the mint sit while you steep the black tea. Let black tea sit for 2-3 minutes and then drain out the leaves. Add more boiling water to the leaves and steep again. Let sit 3 minutes and drain tea leaves. Add tea to a pitcher or large jar. Now drain water off of the mint leaves and add to the pitcher or jar. Now add the blackberry pulp. At this point you can add about a cup of water since your tea is a bit strong. You can also add some extra sweeter if need be.

Put a few ice cubes in a cup and add some tea. Put the remaining tea in the fridge to cool. Enjoy your tea!

What’s your favorite summer tea? Does it include berries?

Walker’s friends

August 14, 2013

I mentioned yesterday that a couple of Walker’s good friends were in town this past weekend. I also posted a pretty silly video of us all while they were here. We didn’t capture a lot of their time here because we were so caught up in the moment. There was one evening where we all went to the park and first picked blackberries and ate them right off the bushes and then we sat on the shore by the water and threw rocks in the air and tried to hit them with other rocks. We did that for quite a while. It was so simple but so much fun and I was glad to have a moment that I couldn’t capture with my phone or camera (I left them at home) so I had to soak up the moment a little bit more with my eyes, my nose, and my hands. It was a good night.

Anyhow here are a few pictures from the weekend during one of the many times we were beer tasting.

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