Back home!

Well I am finally back home.  Phewww!  What. A.  Trip.  Mostly it was a great time... a little exhausting... families are hard work! But this we all know... we just forget...  until we go on vacation with them... next time we will need some men there to ease the intensity a little bit!  Ha! But it was a lot of fun too.  The beach was beautiful and I LOVED Charleston.  It is a beautiful, accessible, historic city.  The houses were so incredible.. there was something very enchanting about the small narrow streets, the vegetation, the large porches and the warm summer air.  Here are a few pics to give you a sense, although there are not enough and they don't do justice...

And of course a few pics of us girls...

And this one of us that is totally screwy.... I think there was water on my camera lense...

(or maybe because the air was thick with emotions... or estrogen... LOL... and it was humid... ) anyway I think it is kinda neat.

Anyway, one thing we did that was very cool was to go to this old plantation, the Boone plantation, a little ways from Charleston.  It is apparently the oldest operating plantation in the country (they still produce pecans and some other stuff).  We were able to tour the house, which was built in 1936... the older houses were destroyed... and also able to tour the slave houses.  What an intense experience to remember and be faced with what so many people lived with on a daily basis.  The entrance to the plantation is by "The Avenue of the Oaks" which is really beautiful...

And here is the house (also very cool: part of The Notebook was filmed here... sigh)...

And mom looking lovely (and so southern in that hat!) in the garden...

Other things of note: lunch on the water in Charleston...

DELICIOUS biscuits served with honey butter at a restaurant called Poogan's Porch (all the food there was excellent but of course the only free thing, the biscuits, are want I leave remembering)...

YUM. Best. Biscuits. Ever.  OK.  So like I said, good trip, long trip, short trip, beach trip, family trip, a just-avoided 16 hour road-trip, sister trip, mom trip, food trip, trippity trip.  Glad to be home. 

Since getting home yesterday: 

Diner food for lunch.
Rain.
BBQ with my running group to celebrate that we are halfway through our training (I made 7 layer dip. YUM). 
Rain.
Popcorn and So You Think You Can Dance.
Sleeping.  Betsi and Lupa on one side.  Brandon on the other.  Home is nice.
Lots of rain.
12 mile run in the rain on the bike path (really beautiful, really sore).
Eggs and bacon.
Coffee.
And yes, I already baked chocolate chip cookies (Anya's famous.. recipe to follow...)

Lupa and Sasha cuddled (how cute are they?)

 Oh and I made pesto with the fresh basil from the garden... recipe also to follow... how pretty is that basil?

Speaking of the garden, holy smokes it has grown!  Check out some pics.... A lot to put in tonight's salad! YAY!

So for dinner tonight we have salad from the garden, pesto pasta, and fresh local corn.  Looking forward to it after the rich southern fare.  Also mixed up some sourdough to rise for tomorrow.  Active day! Ready for the couch and something light to watch.  I will leave you now with a video of the girls playing... they are my babies... happy Sunday! I am glad to be back! I promise recipes this week.  Food and love from Voorheesville!

-- Anya