Friday off

Always nice to have a day off from work. Love these holidays. Of course, it felt like a Saturday (I even e-mailed my folks to wish them a happy Saturday!).

I had a nice long run of 11 miles. Gorgeous morning in the low 60's to start, and very calm. The run was good. I felt pretty spry today. I encountered 8 bunnies today for a decent .72 BPM. And, the wild raspberries are getting ripe. I found a nice patch along one of my trails and stopped for a berry break! Good stuff.

Following my run I headed up to Elm Creek Park to see what was happening. As it turns out, lots!

Many of the babies are starting to appear. Baby chickadees following mom around demanding food. A pair of house wrens were wildly upset with me as their babies were nearby in the thicket. A mama American redstart was feeding one of her children. And, a juvenile downy woodpecker was busy eating elderberries (he looked like he was still working to perfect his woodpecker moves).

(By the way, all of those birds I mentioned in the above paragraph were seen in one location. I didn't move from my spot for at least 20 minutes. I also saw some catbirds, heard the red-eyed vireo, and photographed a curious red squirrel here. It was wonderful!)

A photogenic red squirrel at Elm Creek Park



I also found this pretty red baneberry plant (I believe)



Tonight's dinner was from the pages of "Urban Italian" again; grilled (in my case, George Foreman grilled!) shrimp wrapped in pancetta and sage leaves and drizzled with lemon juice. I served it with a tabbouleh I whipped up (which was not from "Urban Italian" - it was from Ellie Krieger), which seemed like a perfect summer side dish.

Grilled shrimp wrapped in pancetta and sage served with tabbouleh



A delicious meal. The shrimp had great flavor, nicely accented with the salty pancetta, earthy sage, and bright lemon. The tabbouleh was light, flavorful, and fresh tasting. Hopefully this will give me the fuel I need for the Firecracker Run tomorrow! :)

Until next time,

Jean