Time together

Hubby and I took a little day trip today.  We went to Newport, RI, again. 

This time we went to Brenton Point early in the day.  The sun shone brightly and sparkled on the water.  It was beautiful.

It was also at a lower tide, so it provided a different view than my last visit.

In the afternoon, we wandered around the shops, and waited a half hour to get a seat for dinner even though it was only 4:00 in the afternoon.  The long holiday weekend, together with the beautiful weather, apparently brought people out in droves.

It was a good day.  I think we needed that time together, too.  It seems that sometimes we all get too caught up in our day to day lives.  We need to slow down and focus on each other for a change.

I've learned that time with your loved ones is a gift.  That's why it's called "the present."

Sunset in Newport

We took a quick trip to Newport, RI, yesterday.  The Newport Winery had one of their special tastings.  It's always fun.

Having some household tasks to accomplish at home, we didn't even leave our town until after noon.  It's a good two-hour drive, but that gave us enough time to do what we really needed to do.

When I visit Newport, I have to take the Ocean Drive and view the water near Brenton Point.  It's breathtaking.

We climbed down to the rocky area to collect my favorite type of rock:  the nice smooth, rounded, and fairly flat ones.  These are fun to stack in a zen-like fashion. 

Strange....in all these years, I never realized that there is a fantastic view of the sun setting over the water from there. 

I ran around, clicking photos left and right.  I attempted to get a photo of BOTH the sunset and the waves crashing against the rocks, but that didn't quite pan out.

A group of three young adult women asked me to take a video of them with their camera.  Delightfully, I filmed them speaking in Spanish, creating a "commercial" for a brand of makeup, as a class project.  They were incredibly cute. 

Time passed quickly.  I didn't even notice how chilly it was getting until we actually got into the car. 

As we drove, we discussed how sunsets always seem brighter in the colder weather.  I guess it takes a little bit of chill to achieve clarity of vision.  There may be a parallel to life there somewhere....

We didn't get a chance to go shopping at the Brick Marketplace, which we often do.  We wanted to drive a little way, get some dinner, and arrive home at a reasonable hour.  But heck, I already had my rounded rocks (and my photos) as souvenirs.

Apple Pie Minus the Crust

This is a photo from Newport, RI, last weekend.  It's so beautiful to go along Ocean Drive and look at the water.  You can see my shadow as I took this photo.  It was pretty cold outside, however, so we didn't linger much.

We enjoyed an event put on by the Newport Winery, where you get to taste the wines and other goodies from vendors.  We got some nicely decorated bottles to give for the holidays.  I also picked up a pretty bracelet from a sweet school-aged girl who was selling her wares as her mother sat by her.  You have to hand it to this enterprising young lady!

Most of the food items at a place like this are not gluten free, but one vendor sold spiced pecans that are all gluten free.  I got a prepackaged bag from him.

Vegetables, fruits and nuts are naturally gluten free.  I have started making more and more fruit desserts for this reason.  If you take a pie recipe, skip the crust, and use GF flour, tapioca or cornstarch for a thickener, you have a pretty healthy dessert that is lowfat.  Yesterday I made this one.  It came out great.  I used the 10-inch cast iron skillet and put the dessert into dishes as soon as it was fairly cool.  If you want to allow it to sit longer than that, you can use a regular pie plate.  Don't store foods in your cast iron skillet!

Apple Pie Minus the Crust

(Serves 5-6)

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease your 10-inch skillet or a pie pan.

Combine in a large bowl:

6-7 cups peeled and sliced cooking apples,
1/2 cup sugar,
2 tsp cinnamon,
2 Tbs quick cooking tapioca,
1/4 cup raisins,
1/4 cup craisins, and
1/4 cup water.

Pour this mixture into your skillet or pie pan.
Bake 30 minutes uncovered.
Cover with a sheet of foil and bake 15 min. more.
Cool.
Spoon into 5-6 dessert bowls.

Top with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.

This picture doesn't really do it justice.  The tapioca didn't really look like that.....the resulting dish was smooth and tasty!