Life is a highway ~

So excited to be home and tapping happily away on the keyboard of OFFICIALLY my very own iMac computer!  It has been ‘my’ work computer since starting my current job, but as of last week, my boss gave it to me to keep permanently!!!! Can you tell this makes me deliriously happy?

So, as I mentioned on Friday, I was just about bursting with things I wanted to share.  Unfortunately, I had a much busier work day than I anticipated, and when we got home, I had about ten minutes in which to make a salad, pack my clothing, and organize my casa.  Needless to say, it was a little bit rushed.

the goods for black bean & citrus salad

We obviously didn’t get on the road when we had anticipated … but we did make excellent time (and we didn’t even speed … much).  About a third of the way into our drive to the mountains, I decided to capture some pics of the sunset.  (I liked the one up top because the jeep in front of us  had a kayak on its roof … something John and I are investigating investing in ~tongue twister!~  … fun fun, right?!)

For Saturday’s dinner, I made guacamole and a Caprese Salad …

As I’ve mentioned, I could eat avocado every day … in any form.  My guacamole is pretty basic, because I love the nutty flavor of the fruit in its pure form.

2 avocados, diced

2 large spoonfuls of mayonnaise

two tablespoons of soy sauce

salt & pepper

All I do is mush everything together with a whisk until the avocado is pulpy, but there are still some chunks.  Some people like to add lots of crazy ingredients to guac … diced tomato, black olive, jalapenos, habaneros … I don’t do all that, and I love it. Also, guacamole is excellent with Doritos (just a little heads up if you’ve never tried it! 😉 )

Saturday was also when I took the plunge … and slept in a tent.  Here’s our set up … the close up, and the wide version.

Doesn’t it look like a real wilderness set up?

And there’s the truth … a house and a bathroom and running water just a short walk across the lawn! But I DID sleep in a tent!  Two nights in a row, if anyone is counting …. 😀

On Sunday we went to the family party, where my salad was fairly successful, but I was a bit disappointed, because the really tangy citrus flavor wasn’t as prominent.  MENTAL NOTE: Don’t over-egg the pudding (as my mother always says) ~ a nice balance of citrus and avocado makes the salad yummy.  Too much avo and not enough pink grapefruit makes it good … but not delightfully extraordinary.  🙁

However, I got an amazing treat when I got to drive and take a ride in John’s uncle’s rock crawler (he’s our age, so I always forget he’s John’s uncle!).  Holy moly, that thing is crazy!

up a hill

how cool?!?

I clearly LOVED it!

Thank you thank you thank you (Uncle!) Ed!  It was awesome!

Today we hit the road kind of early, so that we could get home and be able to unwind (aka get work done) before it was too late.  But, we took a scenic drive along the historic Rte. 6, instead of the regular ride home.  It was worth it!

Here are some pics from the Wyolusing Trail overlook ….

Aren’t the farm lands just breath-taking?  And there’s me and my honey ~ he’s the most patient man alive.  <3  He drove the whole way there & back … altho’ I do think that it’s partly because he doesn’t trust his beloved truck to anyone for that long … I believe I’ve driven it five times since we bought it in March.

One of the perks of our detour down Route 6 was stopping at a traditional BBQ joint (aka, in the middle of nowhere) for some grub and refreshment.  We didn’t have BBQ (I know, I know, but I was cruh-ah-ving a milkshake).

how fun, right?

But we did have a milkshake (his), a rootbeer float (hers … and a last minute change-up!) and a pile o’ fries (yum, but would have been better with vinegar).

The back patio (where we devoured said fries before re-entering The Beast, John’s truck), had a view of the corn fields and the river.

I had no idea that homes were built on stilts here because they are in the flood plain (sorry, my zoom only zooms so far … but if you squint! you can see how high some of these homes are lifted off the ground … craziness!)

(The river is right behind the houses!)

By the time we got home, I had a sunburnt right arm (the A/C in the truck is a little finicky right now, and we didn’t really need it until the end of the ride, because the mountain air had a little nip to it!) and really heavy eyelids.  So when we’d finally unpacked all our swag, I made the necessary call.

The perfect dinner post-road trip ~

Just a little FYI, there’s a ‘Rocky’ marathon on, and if there’s something my man loves, it’s a little Rocky Balboa.  So I’m leaning back on the couch, with my glasses on (my eyes are singing hallelujah!), and enjoying this view (think 55″ HD flat screen – a recent purchase that we are still totally enamored with- just out of sight at the top of the pic).  Hope everyone is having a relaxing night!

Happy Birthday America!  Thanks for being so … rockstar! 🙂