On the Road Again

 YUP, vacation is over and it's time to go back to work so...... just like Willie Nelson says: we are "on the road again". It's a good thing we love it!

  Here is Kirk at our home loading the bikes - no we do not travel "light". Our next job is in Colorado so after the 1200 mile drive, Kirk wants to go mountain biking - go figure!


     Big question - which way do we go??                    

 

 
We are usually in a hurry and stick to the freeways but this drive through north western Colorado is one of our favorites and we just can't resist - I mean we are On the Road Again!

This stream is one of our favorite pic-nic lunch spots and a great place for Kirk to get out and stretch. Then it's back on the road , again!

  But in the summer with good weather, good music, good company, good scenery.... it's really a pleasure.

  After a long day behind the wheel, we always look for a really cheap motel and this is one of our favorites.

It's sad but we stay here so often that we have our favorite room!  Well hey, they have everything we need and I just can not see spending my money for somewhere nice if I am only there for eight hours and Kirk loves the western decor.  I know I should stay in a B&B  but what  can I say???  We are on the road again!

Tea Time in Turkey

 It's always tea time in Turkey!  Nothing gets done without a little tulip shaped glass of Turkish Tea. Since I love tea, this was just fine with me. Here's my morning glass on the balcony of our apartment in Bodrum. But you also have tea at cafes, on boats, by the pool, in stores and it is always drunk out of one of these little glasses - too cute, right?

There's a pretty elaborate set up for making tea and keeping it warm. See that samovar below? Well, it has a charcoal brazier under the pot and a silver urn to keep the water warm. A special tea waiter will come to your table, lite the coals, wait till everything is just right, make your tea and then put it on top of the samovar. You then add hot water from the urn to your taste - WOW, such work. But tea is serious business here.

If your tea is not prepared for you at your table. It is brought on these wonderful little birdcage style trays. Sometimes you will see waiters walking across four lanes of traffic or wading through acres of beach chairs swinging a little tray of tea glasses.


Of course you don't have to drink tea. Here is Kirk having coffee in the Grand Bazaar. It's also an elaborate service with really thick Turkish Coffee, a small pitcher of hot water, a small pitcher of almond syrup, and then a small bud vase. Enough to keep him occupied while I went shopping!!      

   Turkey also has a boutique wine industry. One of the most famous places for wine is the island of Bozcada. We took a ferry boat over and spent the day on the beach and wandering the charming cobblestone streets but of course we also had to taste the wine so we sat under periwinkle colored umbrellas between the ancient fortress and the sea and enjoyed the glasses of wine that you see below. I was in heaven....

                                     Have you ever had Turkish Tea?? If not,, you should try it!

Turkish Delight

  OK, you haven't heard from me in a while because we have been on vacation in Turkey!! We had a great time and loved so much about the country - the people where friendly and funny, the scenery was stunning, there were lots of amazing historical sights and so much to see and do but one of the real delights of Turkey was the food -WOW!! Everything was fresh and tasty and most of it direct from farm to table. However it was all so healthy that you could eat as much as you wanted ... well except for the delicious Turkish ice cream made from goats milk, now that stuff had to be fattening!

Anyhow, Kirk and I took notes since we make breakfast for a living. This is a traditional Turkish Breakfast: fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, apricots, figs, olives, feta cheese, honey, jam, eggs and bread. Doesn't that sound good??  YUP!

 This was the breakfast served at  the May Stone Cottage - an old farmhouse we stayed at  in a remote village. The hostess, Cigdam, served everything fresh from her farm. I mean she made the butter, the cheese, the yogurt. The milk was from her cow. The olives, fruit and vegetables were grown right there. Two kinds of homemade jam, honey from the her hive and fresh baked bread all from the farm.... just amazing but where does she find the time? Don't get the idea that we will be doing all that when we are innsitters!

Of course breakfast is not the only meal to delight the senses in Turkey. These tasty treats were one of my favorite snack - fresh mussels baked with rice inside. You pried the shell open, squirted lemon on and used the top shell as a scoop - YUM!

 


   This was one of my favorite dinners - grilled shrimp salad.
  Once again can we say "fresh and healthy" oh, and tasty??
 
 
     But I've saved the best for last - here is Kirk having lunch at our apartment in Kalkan. Now that's Turkish Delight!!

                                                     Have you been to Turkey??