White Flowers
White Harbor Seals
White Lighthouse
White sand beaches
Many thanks to Terri for her Sunday Stills challenge A Whiter Shade of Pale
Sunday Stills Color Challenge – White
Tag: Sunday Stills
A Look Back at 2024
Our year was filled a little wandering, a Caribbean Cruise, a high school graduation, a hurricane, and many quiet days. Health issues for both of us kept us close to home most of the year.
January
Our plans for January were to spend a quiet month at home. It’s a good thing we didn’t have any plans because in early January two major things happened. My 16 year old car died and we had to replace it.
I also tripped going up the stairs to our house and broke my left arm. I was happy to hear I wouldn’t need surgery. I wore a brace on my arm for weeks. It took a while before I could use my left had so I learned how to do many things with one hand. That’s a skill I hope I never have to use again. The good news is I am right handed!
February
We were scheduled to go on a two week Caribbean cruise in February. My doctor gave me the go ahead to go with my broken arm so off we went. It was a challenge getting through the airports with our luggage but we made it to Puerto Rico for a two night stay before boarding our ship. The ship, the crew, the islands, the sunrises and sunsets, and the food were amazing! It was a great getaway.
I couldn’t have gotten through the trip without Henry! I’m grateful for Henry and the staff at the hotel, the crew on the ship, and the drivers and guides who helped me get on and off of boats and buses.
March
March was filled with St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations.
Wandering Dawgs celebrated 11 years of blogging in March. Thank you to everyone who follows the blog and reads the posts. I appreciate all of your kind comments.
April
The spring flowers in our garden were beautiful this year.
May
May began with a day at the Savannah Scottish Games. Later in the month we had a great visit with our daughter’s family when we traveled to attend our granddaughter’s graduation.
June
We stayed at home all of June. I enjoyed a few walks on the beach.
July
July was another quiet month at home with more walks on the beach.
August
August was hot but the heat didn’t keep the hummingbirds away.
September
Butterflies were feeding on the nectar of our garden flowers before Hurricane Helene came roaring through in September. We lost power for two days and had to get a new roof after the storm. We were very fortunate and our hearts go out to those who are still suffering because of this powerful storm.
October
My Meyer Lemon tree lost most of it’s leave in the hurricane but over 30 lemons survived. On a beautiful October afternoon we spent the afternoon at Ft. Pulaski.
November
Instead of a turkey this year we celebrated Thanksgiving by making our family’s secret recipe Brunswick Stew. Making the stew brought back many happy memories of family gatherings when we all took turns Stirring the Stew.
December
In December I harvested over 30 Meyer Lemons just before we were expecting a freeze. We took a road trip and stopped for a picture of the UGA Football Barn Sign along the way. If you are not familiar with American college football, we are huge fans of the University of Georgia Bulldogs. Our Grand Dog Jack enjoyed his new bed on Christmas Eve.
I learned a long time ago that no one knows what tomorrow will bring. When health issues and doctor’s appointments slowed us down this year we cancelled a couple of trips we had planned and made the best of the time we spent at home. I’m grateful for all of the places we have been over the years and hope to be able to make some more trips close to home in the future.
Don’t put off doing the things you dream of. Cross off those bucket list items while you can. Every day is a gift!
Wishing you good health, happiness and much joy in 2025!
Shared with Terri’s Sunday Stills Year in Review
Stirring the Stew
One of my all time favorite traditions was my family’s annual get together for my uncle’s delicious barbeque and Brunswick Stew at his fishing camp at a Georgia lake.
My uncle’s fishing camp long after he was gone. His barbeque pit was to the left of the concrete slab. The picnic tables, chairs, and stew pot were on the concrete under the roof.
In 1973 my parents retired to the farm in Georgia where my Mom grew up. My two brothers and I were adults with families of our own. Neither of my brothers lived in Georgia but we all got together at the farm every summer, usually on Memorial Day or Labor Day weekend or over the 4th of July holiday. The highlight of the visit was a day at the lake for a barbeque feast.
Whether my uncle was cooking Boston Butts, chicken halves, or a whole pig the best part was always the Brunswick Stew. Early in the day all of the stew ingredients went into a huge cast iron cauldron to cook over a low propane flame for several hours. The main ingredients were chicken and pork although sometimes my uncle would throw in turtle meat. The stew required constant stirring to prevent it from sticking. Everyone had to take a turn stirring the stew with a boat oar until my uncle declared it was done.
As everything was cooking the adults sat around stirring the stew and visiting while the kids played in the lake. Sometimes there would be other aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. There would be lots of laughs and lots of tall tales told while we smelled the food cooking and got hungrier and hungrier as the day went on.
Finally it would be time to eat. When the stew was done (usually about mid afternoon) my uncle turned off the propane and covered the pot with foil to let it sit until everything else was ready. My Mom and my aunt set out the potato salad, coleslaw, sweet ice tea, and all the other fixings. My aunt would usually bring her famous Coca Cola Cake or Dump Cake for dessert. Sometimes we would churn home made ice cream. When the foil came off the pot it was time to fix a plate. We all ate until we couldn’t eat any more. After the meal the leftovers would be put in containers so we could all take some home.
My parents and all of my aunts and uncles are long gone. It’s been many years since we had one of these family gatherings. And it’s been many years since we had homemade Brunswick Stew.
There were just three of us for Thanksgiving this year so I decided to break from the traditional turkey feast and make Brunswick Stew instead. Our son and I had fun making it together. He actually did most of the work. Instead of cooking outside in a cast iron cauldron we filled up my 4 gallon stock pot and cooked it on the stove.
The delicious aroma filled the house as the three of us (Henry, our son, and I) took turns stirring the stew. It was just as tasty as I remembered. Every bite took me back to those summer days at the lake.
I’m so grateful my family had those days together at the lake. Making the stew this year brought back many happy memories. It also got me to thinking about the stew itself. Where did it come from? What is the best recipe?
Where did Brunswick Stew come from?
The answer is, it depends on where you are. Georgia claims the first Brunswick Stew was made on St. Simons Island on July 2, 1898. Brian Brown has a great post on his Vanishing Georgia blog which tells about the First Brunswick Stew Pot.
Virginia claims the first Brunswick Stew was made in 1828 in Brunswick County, Virginia. I learned about the history of Virginia Brunswick Stew at Taste of Brunswick Stew.
How do you make Brunswick Stew?
This question can bring up heated discussions here in Georgia. Does it have butter beans or no butter beans? Chicken only? Pork only? Chicken and Pork? What about beef or wild game? Most of the stews also include tomatoes, corn, and potatoes. Is everything ground or are the ingredients cut up in bite size chunks? The seasoning is different in every stew I’ve tried.
As we have traveled around the state of Georgia we have eaten at many barbeque restaurants and tried many different Brunswick stews. There are no two that are exactly alike. Some of them are very good but I’ve never found any that come close to my family’s Brunswick Stew. If you are wondering about the recipe, I can’t give it to you. It is a closely guarded family secret.
Shared with Terri’s Sunday Stills challenge Traditions
Sunday Stills: Discovering Brown Shades in Wildlife
Terri’s color challenge: “November’s color theme includes shades of brown and shades of auburn (a rich, brownish red). You are welcome to include images of both colors or pick one to highlight.”
When I first read Terri’s challenge I had no idea what kind of brown things to include. When I realizied that I’ve seen plenty of brown wildlife during our travels I knew what to do.
Wildlife photography is my favorite type of photography. Seeing wild creatures in their natural habitat is always a thrill. For this challenge I’m including some of my favorite brown animals and birds.
The first gallery features Brown Bears in Alaska and British Columbia, White Tailed deer in Virginia, Bison in South Dakota, and Elk in Canada.
I chose some of my favorite birds the bird gallery: an Osprey, an American Bald Eagle, Brown Pelicans, a hawk and a juvenile White Ibis. The Osprey is in Georgia, the Eagle in Alaska, and the rest of the birds are in Florida.
It’s not always easy to capture photos of wild animals when I spot them but it sure is fun to try. Sometimes it’s just pure luck to be in the right place at the right time with the right camera lens.
Shared with Terri’s Sunday Stills challenge Color Challenge – Shades of Auburn and Brown
Sunday Stills: Checking things off my Bucket List
Terri’s challenge is to share images of places or things that are on our bucket list.
I created a bucket list many years ago. I’ve been checking things off and adding more items ever since.
Checking travel destinations off my bucket list.
Ireland and Scotland
Hawaii
Alaska
New York City
Checking wildlife sightings off my bucket list.
My bucket list is constantly changing. I keep checking things off and adding new ones. Terri’s challenge has inspired me to start checking off a few more items!
“Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!” – Auntie Mame
Shared with Terri’s Sunday Stills challenge Bucket List Items
Wandering Dawgs 