Travel Diaries: River Ranch

Barry and I had the opportunity to spend the weekend with our friends camping and riding ATV's. River Ranch is located in Central Florida and is affectionately called the 'Redneck Yacht Club'. It contains over 60,000 acres of trails, as well as campsites.The weekend we went was an unusually quiet one, and not many people were there - much to my disappointment, because it is a great place for people watching.Barry and I so much fun riding the trails, sitting by the campfire at night, and enjoying our friends! 

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 Our friends, Jen and Phil's campsite.

 My Godson Cody loves doesn't mind posing for the camera, and he LOVES getting muddy!

 Our reflection in the muddy water. Ahhhh, how romantic!

 Jen doesn't seem phased at all about getting stuck!

 Jen and Phil, 'Professional Weekenders'!

 Breakfast!

 I love these guys!

 This is a memorial for Phil's cousin. RIP Tony 'Salami'!

 Our campsite illuminated at night.

Travel Diaries: Ft. Pierce Farmer's Market

We are back from our River Ranch adventure and are enjoying the creature comforts of civilization again! We had such a great time, and can't wait to share the pictures. It was definitely a highlight of my husband's cultural immersion into Florida life and our month long return to the Sunshine State. 

Another highlight of this trip was definitely the Ft. Pierce Farmers Market, a Saturday morning tradition. When I lived locally I used to enjoy meeting friends, eating breakfast along the water and exploring the local vendor's offerings before. Since it's inception in 1997, the Farmer's Market has grown to include live music and entertainment, as well as an Arts and Crafts Market. Located along the scenic downtown marina you can find local produce, baked goods, fresh seafood, homemade jams, jellies, sauces, not to mention made to order breakfast offerings, including freshly squeezed juices and smoothies. If you are ever in the Treasure Coast, you should definitely check it out!

My super AWESOME Godson, Cody!

Crazy right????

My beautiful niece Hailey and her beau John checking out the herbs.

Fresh squeezed grapefruit juice - YUM!

We said good-bye to the Treasure Coast and are spending the rest of our time in the States at my Mum-in-law's vacation home in Kissimmee. Thankfully we made it to Central Florida before Tropical Storm Isaac flooded the area!

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A little food for thought...

From the kitchen: Kale Chips

After hearing about kale chips and their awesomeness forever, and being unable to find kale ANYWHERE in England, I finally scored some kale at the Downtown Fort Pierce Farmer's Market this past Saturday! I was a little TOO excited, I think. 

I found the recipe on Pinterest (if you haven't yet discovered this virtual pin board world yet, you don't know what you are missing!) but you can find it here, courtesy of Shutterbean. I wasn't sure how hey would turn out because the recipe uses the curly kale and I could only get the Toscano kale. Instead of tearing the kale into pieces, as the recipe calls for, I left them whole. I did not know what to expect, but after trying them, my mind was blown. They seriously rocked my world. (did I mention I am a foodie??). 

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Travel Diaries: Hilliard, Florida

Hilliard is a small rural farm town about an hour outside of Jacksonville, on the border of Georgia. My sister lives on a farm with her husband and my nieces, 3 of my favorite people on earth. They have graciously been taking care of Roxy while we have been England. She loves the farm and being with her canine and equine cousins, not to mention all of the attention she gets from my nieces!! I love spending time on the farm too. Not only do I get to spend time with Hailey, Alyson and Sydney, play games and watch movies with my family, but I get to enjoy the serenity and beauty of the farm!

This was Barry's second visit and this time he experienced his first horse back ride! Under my niece Hailey's tutelage, we enjoyed our equine experience, in spite of the scorching heat, and our limited abilities! I rode Sweetbriar, Hailey's horse, and especially enjoyed brushing her before our ride. Barry rode Josie, and all in all enjoyed his first time!

During the visit we also got to meet Hailey's new beau, and we learned how to play Phase Ten with my sister Jennifer. It felt so good to spend time with family and to share it with my new husband and Roxy! We are looking forward to spending more time with them over the Labor Day weekend when they come to stay with us in Kissimmee!! 

Here are some pics from the visit....

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